My bAbY bOy is TwO!

Ben had an amazingly fun birthday! He started his day opening presents which included a Super Hero Cape (Isabelle got one too) , A Thomas the Train Bedding Set and some Thomas the Train pieces/set. Both the kids had a dr. appt in the morning (Isabelle got 4 shots for her school exam! poor girl ) and then we came home to find Aunt Mary with Happy Meals (or as ben calls them - happy me's). The rest of the day was filled with fun and celebration. Happy 2nd Birthday Benjamin!

These last two weeks actually have been one nonstop celebration. We have done so much and I have so many photos and stories to share. After Isabelle's birthday, we spent a few days at Grandma and Grandpa's in Oak Lawn, while there we got to visit the Zoo, fun stores, Uncle Al's and his fish pond... This weekend, we got to go to the county fair and visit with more family.

I plan to be getting thank you notes out, but I did want to thank everyone for celebrating the kids birthdays with us, for being there..for the wonderful cards and gifts that were sent and given. We are truly blessed and loved.

This week will be a lot of catching up....and then on friday: I will be bringing Isabelle to Kindergarten to meet her new teacher and see her classroom! Happy Monday Everyone!

Off We Go...

Geez, Ben - I really don't think that you have enough

ranch dressing to go with your ONE chicken nugget there.

Well, we are packing up to go to Grandma & Granpa's for a few days....hopefully we will get to visit some grand places like: the ZOO, Target...and Archiver's! WIshing Everyone a Wonderful WeEk!

Isabelle Turns 5!

We arrive at the arts center for Isabelle's friend party and 3 cats come out to greet us!
Isabelle and her friends made princess hats along with other fairytale projects!
We sing happy birthday to the Princess. (she wanted Pupcakes, no cake).
After the party we came home for lunch. Here she is eating her favorite meal of all time: The Happy Meal. We ended the day with a meal at Applebee's and and Pupcakes and Presents at home. It was truly a Fairytale day!
My little princess. Five years old. Happy Birthday my sweet love. If I start to think about it too much I truly get emotional. Time slips away in a blink of an eye. Every once in a while I torture Isabelle with an interview so here is the most recent:

INTERVIEW WITH ISABELLE ON HER 5TH BIRTHDAY
If you could have one superpower what would it be?
To save my life.
What chore do you not like the most?
Cleaning up toys!
What is the last movie that you saw in the theatre?
WallE with aunt Mary!
What is your favorite song?
Tomorrow and all the Annie songs!
What is your favorite lunch?
Happy Meal. (specifically she always chooses:
hamburger, no onions or pickles, apple dippers and chocolate milk)
What is the last nice thing you did for someone?
Shared my Skittles with Ben.
What makes you mad?
When Ben takes things away.
Where do you want to go to vacation?
Disneyworld so I can meet Tinkerbell!
Whose your favorite princess?
Ariel!
What is your favorite TV Show?
Dragon Tales and Arthur.
What is your favorite game?
Pretty Pretty Princess
What is your favorite restaurant?
Chinese! And then I can use the porkchops! (chopsticks)
What is different now that you are five years old?
I get to do homework and I am taller with my butterfly flipflops on!

Photo Fun

Here we find Ben is hiding something behind his back that

he does not want me to see (and take away).

This is Annie (opps, I mean Isabelle) just hanging out around the house.

This is our doll house. The other night I made the kids popcorn for an after dinner treat. The next morning I was doing some cleaning when I noticed this. Lovely. Ha! Ha! Thanks Ben! No wonder he wanted his bowl refilled. I couldn't help but laugh at this very unexpected surprise!

I have been trying to remember ...to stop and smell the flowers. Isabelle reminds me that this is a must do. Just don't smell the ones with the bees in them!
Happy SUNday Family & Friends!

Duck, Duck, Goose

Don't refuse to go on an occasional wild goose chase

- that's what wild geese are for.

~Author Unknown

This summer has felt like a wild goose chase, that is for sure. Ben constantly runs away, time constantly runs away.... Let's see here's a little update: Currently the kids are laying together on their old and worn elmo couch. They are watching charlotte's web and drinking some lemonade. I just drank 2 cups of coffee and am trying to decide how to pursue this day. Much to do.

Lately (even as I write) Isabelle has been wearing her Annie wig again. She wore it to the grocery store and park yesterday. Her favorite topic of converstaion latey starts out like this: "when I am a teenager, I can....blah, blah right? ". Ben is saying more and more words every single day. His favorite current thing to say besides: NO! is: I DUCK! (i'm stuck). hehe. I am preparing for both of their upcoming august birthdays (she will be 5 and he will be 2). We are keeping things very simple and low key this year. We also have to start preparing for school already which is so crazy to me. Noah's sister (Elizabeth) and her family are in town visiting so we have been spening some very nice time with them. I just love to see the little cousins together. They will soon be embarking on their next journey which is to move to Germany! The garden has kind of turned to crap, we really haven't been weeding it! We are still getting things from it, but not as if we would if we were maintaining it properly. I have put my Etsy business on major slow down for the summer. I just don't have time to make things right now. I do have some wholesale opportunities in the works and I hope to start building the shop up more in the fall. Ben has really been helping set the table! He opens the fridge and basically puts out whatever he thinks is needed (salad dressing and ketchup when not needed to go with spaghetti). what a cutie. I love to watch him run. so funny. He is really into his Thomas the train engines. He has 2 and he takes them everywhere with him...even to his NAP. o.k. that's all I can think of to misc. ramble about at the moment... Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend.

Bad Haircut?

I don't think it's so bad. really. I mean sure, there are a few misc. pieces sticking up here or there...there are a few longer and a few shorter than the norm, but for the most part, I think I did o.k. giving Ben a haircut...myself. People were starting to comment that he looked like a Beatle and that gave me a clue and a sudden urgency to start chopping! Ever since Noah saw it yesterday, he just won't let it go that he doesn't think that "the do" is quite up to par. He insists that there is a bald spot (there is not). Now, I am starting to feel bad for my little Ben. Maybe, I am making him walk out into the world as the Obvious HOME Haircut Boy.

Isabelle at Dance Class

I had the pleasure of attending Isabelle's last dance class for the summer. Parent's were invited to come see what the girl's have learned in their six weeks of practice. They learned 2 song routines, some tumbling moves and basics. Honestly, she learned a lot more than I expected that they would in that short amount of time! She had such fun doing this class and I truly enjoyed watching her in action last night! Hope you do too! (So...I had major video upload problems...so this is not the video I wanted to show nor is it right side up...but it will give you a glimpse of the wonderful performer! haha)

We are Family

We attended a family barbecue in Chicago this weekend...I just wanted to share a glimpse of the event. These are a few of the photos that will eventually make it into a mini scrapbook that I am going to make. (It's not too often that Noah and his 5 siblings, father and some special aunts can all have the opportunity to be together in the same place, so I defintely think this was a special day and we all survived! :)

We attempted to get all 5 cousins on the couch at the same time for a wonderful amazing photograph...as you can probably guess...we couldn't really accomplish such a task...the forces of toddlerhood were defintely against us.
Don't most of us feel this way at family gathering? haha

The Spread.
You are her protector. You are her provider. You are her playmate. You are the man who will set the standard for all other men in her life. She will have to search high and low to find someone that can compare to you. (this is Noah and Isabelle walking to the car at the end of the evening. I was actually taking a picture of the beautiful church that was lit up across the street, but then they came into my sight, I decided to capture them instead).

Sandbox Days

To see a World in a Grain of Sand and Heaven in a wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand and Eternity in an hour.

~William Blake, "Auguries of Innocence," 1810

Oh Yes, Splendid Summer Sandbox days are among us. Bugs, and dirt on noses and humidity. Lemonade and popsicles and garden green beans. Fireworks and lightening bugs and the smell of brats on the grill. Sunscreen and Watermelon and scratched knees. Chalked hopscotches and bunnies hopping all about and berries on the bush. Dandelion Bouquets..these are the things that these days are made of. Sure these days are nice and they are sweet and they are swell. - I can't finish this musing because the kids are screaming and I can't think properly. I think Ben hit Belle and ran away with the spoon.

Champion Skillet

Breakfast of Champions! I am a Champion so I wanted to share my breakfast with you. j/k. O.k...so please excuse the somewhat blurry photo, I don't know what is going on with my super grand camera: recently I touched a button by accident, changed a setting and can't seem to get it back to super great mode. I will have to work on that... AnyWHO.... this is one of our favorite breakfasts in the summer. It is not the healthiest item that one could choose to eat...but on Sunday mornings - it makes a nice filling delightful meal. Let's call it: CHAMPION SKILLET since I am quite out of names at the moment. Get out your cast iron (or non cast iron skillet)skillet - Ingredients include chopped up: Bacon (cook this first and use the grease for the rest of the cooking...) , Zucchini, Squash, onions (I would so leave this out if it was up to me), potatoes (these need to cook the longest first) and I think that is it. If you have other grand stuff to throw in like green pepper or whatever else that you fancy, well that's super too. Spice it up with salt and pepper and you have yourself a SUPER great dish.

Happy Red White & Blue to You!

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~Erma Bombeck
Running Rugrats
Isabelle won't take off these glasses...she has been wearing them for the last couple days. She says they are her seeing glasses and she can't "hear" without them on. One side arm is completely missing, yet she wears them dilengently. She also wants to know why she can't go to Chinese school, because she does go to Chinese restaurants. She also wants to know if playing poker includes poking eyes out. Ben has ice cream sandwich on his face. I think he needs a haircut. His newest word is: GOSH.
Our black raspberries have started to ripen.

Ben apparently does not like them . Isabelle can't get enough of them.

Yum.

peas

I think we might be having garden peas for dinner....for the next 10 nights!
Isabelle reaching for a pea
Isabelle eating 1/2 the loot!

Ben and Isabelle before dance classs last week.

quick update: The garden is producing some grand stuff, dance class is in full swing...I signed both the kids up for the reading program at the library...so we have been reading a lot! My etsy store has reached 200 sales! Ben just hit Isabelle with a fly swatter. Life is grand. Hope all is well in your portion of the universe. good day.

Super Sunday Sunday Sunday

Wow, I haven't made a post in a while! Honestly, this summer has been extremily busy so far! Yesterday was such a great day, we were invited to a wonderful celebration for my Great Aunt Dorothy, she turned 90 years old! She is amazing. The family celebration felt like a reunion. I saw relatives that I have not seen in years. What a heartwarming experience and also such a trip into the past. I almost felt like I was this little girl with pig tails in my grandparents house again. Many, many memories.

Yesterday we also celebrated Father's Day and my Mom's Birthday! The kids had a blast! As you can see from the photos, grape soda mouths and lots of sugar!

Right now Isabelle is at vacaction bible school at my girlfriend's church. It goes all week from 9-12. What a great opportunity! She gets to have such fun and I get a little break :) to get some things done! (I am preparing for a local rummage sale and also catching up with some Etsy orders). Of course, I have Ben to contend with...but it seems to be a bit easier without both children together, it's like a 1 circus instead of a 3 ring circus.

Isabelle started dance class a few weeks ago. She aboslutley loves it. I ask her to show me what she learned and she tells me she doesnt remember.... :) Even if she doesnt learn a smidge of anything, she is just excited to be there and that's really all that matters!

Noah has recently opened a new business office in town, so that is very exciting for us all!

That is all I can think of for the moment. I need to gather all my thoughts as I do believe they are somehow seeping out of my brain. Have a wonderful day. I must say, It is so nice to see the SUNSHINE after all the RAIN.

Our Butterfly & misc.

Our Little Butterfly Graduating from Preschool

Strawberry Mice I made for a brunch.

The Newest Members of the BLUE MAN GROUP. (AUnt Mary, did I thank you for the sidewalk paint? thanks...haha)
Heres a little misc. recap of our last few days: School has come to end for the season, Isabelle had her gradution ceremony this week. (I recorded it, if anyone wants to see it). In the chaos and craziness of this week's festivities, my mind was on overload and fast mode, I guess because I got a speeding ticket - JOY. Ben is saying a lot more words all of a sudden (sleepy, belle, baby, ball, diaper, milk , juice, bankee (blanket), cherrio, beer, bear...pretty much it seems, he can and tries to repeat whatever he hears. I serisouly wish that I could pay someone to get my house in order. I feel overwhelmed by each room, not only the dirt mess, but the clutter. The Office Season has come to an end and I am sad and having withdrawls. I haven't seen any good movies lately...oh, unless you count Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. That is such a great movie and I just recently saw it. I made potatoe salad from scratch tonight. I think well worth the effort, verses the store verison. This weekend we are mostly staying close to the homestead, to catch up on things and just relax. Tonight we are going to have a bon fire with smores. FUN. So anyway, for now I want to wish ya'all a very happy, safe, silly and grand Memorial Day Weekend.

misc. updates

The Garden is coming up quite nice.

You see here, the lettuce/spinach row.

Annie....

and her brother have returned!

Yesterday was an Annie day around here. Watching the movie, dancing....and Ben likes to take the wig off of Isabelle and put it on himself. You should hear Ben sing Dumb Dog! If you sing it, he repeats it very clear.

It feels like an insane asylum around her lately. It has been crackers and nuts. Loud and busy. Today is the last day of school for Isabelle and tonight is her graduation. Tomorrow is a fun day at the park for her class.

Also tomorrow is my last MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group of the season, it's a brunch. Don't know what I am bringing yet. Next year, I will play a bigger role in my MOPS group. I will be on the steering team as Creative Activities Leader. I honestly, felt called to do this and I am so very excited about this opportunity.

Once Upon The End - My online papercrafting store is going so great. I am actually having a hard time trying to make things and keep up (not complaining, it's a good thing). Still working on the balancing of it all. Also, trying not to put so much pressure on myself, only doing what I can, and letting the rest go for another day. :)

Have made no new recipes lately. Although we have a new cookbook in the house: Disney's The Magic Kitchen Cookbook. I can't wait to make some of the fun stuff in there with Isabelle.

Toddler notes: I wanted to share this funny. Ben loves to push the doll stroller outside. Well, the other day, I noticed my Gnome statue missing from the back porch, I look at Ben and sure enough he is pushing it in the little stroller like its a baby. My little weirdo.

I love that whenever Ben hears music (even on a commerical), that he instantly starts dancing. I don't love that Ben is constantly throwing the dog food into the water dish.

I think I have rambled enough for this a.m. Much to do. Honey Bunches of Oats to Eat, Places to go, people to see...I don't want to be late, late, late for a very important date...

Ben's Bird

Noah the handler (aka bird whisperer)Ben the Naturalist

Discovery: Bird

One lovely Spring afternoon, we were all outside and Ben starting screaming and pointing at the flowers! We came over to see what the dealio (I don't say that word dealio on a normal basis at all, but I felt it to be appropriate here) was...and there was a little bird hopping around. He seemed to not be able to fly. Noah picked him up and the bird perched on him for a while. Isabelle sang to the bird a healing song (you are my sunshine) and then we released and relocated it back into the enviorment.

crab apple, livestock, mom

Our Crab Apple Tree in full bloom
Horses and Cows that we pass everyday.

Wishing all the MOM's a very Happy Mother's Day today! May you find Peace and Comfort. Hearts at Home. Love with Laughter. God Bless YOU!

Dirt and Dandelions

These past few days have been FILLED to the brim with dirt and dandelions. The nice weather is defintely upon us.

Tulip Picnic and Such

I always say that Autumn is my favorite season, and it is! But, Spring is almost equally amazing. I just had the nicest lunch date...with Isabelle. Since Noah took Ben for a hair cut and lunch, I thought that Isabelle and I should have a picnic outside.

So, we packed a basket with tuna fish sandwiches, cheese slices, pudding and drinks...grabbed a blanket and had a nice quiet lunch outside among nature's best. Just the perfect weather and peace (usually Ben is a hurricane to all situations, so it was nice to just have calm). Isabelle (with dirt on her nose) and I talked about the important things in life: like why Cinderella's step sisters wouldnt let her go to the ball with them and the inquiries such as "Mom, did they have bikes when you were little?".

Misc.

Noah just sent me a pic from his phone of ben after his hair cut. Ben does not look happy.

It looks now like its going to rain. It's going to rain on my laundry. Yesterday, the kids were playing fine. Ben was sitting in a diaper box. I went outside to get the mail, came back in and Isabelle was yelling and running toward me: Ben hurt himself! Ben was crying and running toward me...His NOSE was bleeding all over the place! He moved the box over next to this little desk, must have tipped it over and hit his face. This little boy has bled more within his baby existance (nose, lip, mouth, finger,etc) than Isabelle has her entire life. I can't believe that Isabelle will soon be having a graduation from preschool. I can't believe they are going to have a little ceremony. The bummer part is it is on a wednesday night, so relatives wont be able to come out for it. Good thing I have my Video Camera! I will be signing Isabelle up for her first dance class this summer, so that should be fun! The garden vegetables are starting to slowly rise beyond the dirt. Isabelle is currently picking me some dandielions. I guess I should go get some work done! Remember to smell the Tulips, they fleet way too fast!