Making Progress

I said at the beginning of the year that one of my goals was to get in better shape and get to the gym more often. I started out the year well, but then illness hit our family in February & March, which got me out of the habit..bad I know. April came with lovely spring weather and I got the feelings of needing to be back at it. I still have those lovely 10 pounds to knock off after all. So today after my workout, great class today, I came home, showered and took down all of my measurements (that I want to work on). There is no need to share the numbers with you..but this gives me a base to work off of. I not only want to get rid of those pounds but inches as well. I'll be sure and let you know how it's going..my goal is to have a few out of the way by vacation time. :)

A Special Memory

When I was a little girl, my grandpa..or Dear as my sister and I called him, made me a little chair. I loved it because it was just my size..cute and white and perfect for a little girl to sit in. We managed to keep it around for Ryan to be able to use it for a while..until it broke one day. It was hard for me think that something Dear had made me was no longer able to be enjoyed by my little ones..for Dear passed away a few years ago now. But in redoing the craft room, I was able to save a small piece from my chair to keep as a remembrance of Dear..the piece with my name. It now sits on the top of my desk where I can glance at it and smile and think of all the fun times we had together.

Here is Ryan sitting in my chair and clapping.


Here is the piece that sits on my desk.

The new room !

Well..it is officially done ! The wallpaper is gone..the glue is down (that was a project all in itself)..the paint is done..the mural is painted..shelves have been put up (thanks honey)..and I am now sitting and enjoying my new space. I am not totally done organizing and there are a few fun things I'd still like to go get, but as far as the hard work..it's all done ! Now it's time to enjoy and get back to the fun!

Here is the painting before the room is put back together.


Now with the workspace put back in place.


The relaxing side of the room.


And of course my board..where I keep all the family info !


Just to point out a few things..I now have a place for my cricut, up on the shelf where the boys can't reach it to play with..loving that..I have a bookshelf now for the printer and my Bible Study books..this room can also be a quiet place to read and pray..and the shelf above that for my sewing books..and last but certainly not least is the hand print calendar my son made in preschool..it is currently showing his hand print as an umbrella for April !

Last Phase of New Room

My good friend came over today to draw the mural on my craft room/guest room walls today. It turned out really well and I am so happy that she has been blessed with this awesome talent. I could not have drawn this on the wall nor will I try. I however am trying my hand at painting it in..which is going well so far. I am taking progress photos, but will have to wait until tomorrow to post them. I have the room all pushed into the corner so that I can do the painting..and can't download photos today. At least it is almost done..I can't wait to put it all together !

Here she is drawing away !

Preschool Fun

Monday I was able to go and spend the day in Ryan's class. It was such a blast ! I love going and watching him interact with the other kids..I also love to watch him learn in class. I also had to do quite a bit of work. I think I read at least 10 stories to the same 3 little girls. They had a time trying to decide who got to sit in my lap ! I played Transformers with the boys...they all showed me how to "transform" the cars, robots and animals into action figures.

Ryan was snack helper for the day which means that you get to bring something in for sharing as well. He chose to bring in his Teddy..a very special bear that was given to him by his big brother Darren. Teddy was a bear that Darren made many many years ago and when he had outgrown playing with him he sat in the closet. When Ryan was born, Darren gave the bear to him to be his sleeping buddy. It was very sweet to hear him tell the story.



I am glad that I was able to go and be a part of this day. My little one is only in preschool for one more month and then we move on into the world of Kindergarten ! I can't believe it's upon us, but we are all excited for him and hope he loves it!

Ashes

Matthew calls the song "Ring around the Rosie" Ashes..for the fall down part of course..that is his favorite part of the song after all. I managed to catch the 2 of them singing Ashes in the hallway...it made my day !

Earth Day

Saturday, the boys and I went to and Earth Day celebration while Dad was at softball practice. It was a fun afternoon.

We watched a magic show.


The boys saw their very first puppet show.



(here they are enjoying it)



And we painted grocery bags..the kind you can reuse.




We had a fun afternoon and learned a little on how to take care of our planet at the same time.

First Swim of the Year

Today the temps reached a very warm 91 degrees..a little warm for April I thought. So the boys and I decided it would be the perfect day to go and have a dip at the gym pool. What a great idea this was..the boys had so much fun. I can't count how many times they both jumped in..whether I was ready or not..they loved running through the water sprinklers..they REALLY loved splashing me..and they just enjoyed being in the cool water. (which wasn't all that cool..it was perfect) So with all this fun going on I thought I'd catch the photo of the day..and I left my camera at home ! Oh well..I guess I'll have to catch a photo tomorrow when we go again...it's supposed to be an even warmer 96 degrees on Tuesday !

3 dry days in a row !

Mr. Matthew has gone 3 nights now with a dry diaper and is going potty in the bathroom more and more each day. I so wish that teaching your children went this smoothly with so many things. He is doing so well, it makes us all so proud. It has certainly made this monday be a happy day with 2 boys going potty in the bathroom !

A DRY DIAPER

Oh the joy of a dry diaper ! Our 2 1/2 yr old has been trying off and on for a few months on going potty in the toilet..not great success..but was going here and there. This Thursday he started saying he had to go potty and went 4 times. Friday was about the same..even going while we were out at the store. I sent my hubby a text that he had gone at the store and he suggested we buy some Pull-ups in preparation for potty training. Such a great idea ! Matthew took a few minutes to decide between Buzz Lightyear and Lighting McQueen..in the end Buzz won out.
So this morning we started out with a dry diaper from overnight..what a joy that was. And now he is STILL telling us when he has to go..there are a few times he doesn't get there in time..but overall we are on our way.
I do believe we are getting our Christmas wish of a no diaper holiday !

Photo of the Day

This was such a great photo op..that I pulled off to the side of the road to take this photo of my boys. They BOTH fell asleep on the way home from the park ! That hasn't happened in ages..it was so quiet and peaceful on the ride home. Matthew is still napping, Ryan did wake when we got home and we are about to watch a little Star Wars the Clone Wars before starting dinner..a little mom and Ryan time. Even though it didn't last for long..it was so sweet to see them both resting in the car.

Easter Morning !

Easter morning was a fun time ! The boys actually slept in to my surprise..which gave mom a chance to sleep in with them. (a rare thing these days) So Dad/Easter Bunny did most of the prep work himself..such a great Dad.
As tradition goes..the boys still in their pj's take their collecting baskets and start the hunt. There are colored eggs, filled eggs and goodies to find in Great Grandma's backyard ! Such a fun start to the day.

All set to go !

The family helpers.

Matthew's found an egg !

Ryan found Star Wars eggs !

Me, Mike, the boys & the Easter Goodies !

Our Easter Adventures

This weekend we went to spend Easter with the Bandy Family clan in Fresno. We go every year and stay with Great Grandma..it is always a fun time.
We started out the weekend by coloring our eggs for the Easter Bunny..the boys had to make sure that they were all set for him to hide for them. Now I have seen some photos of my friends "girls" coloring their eggs and things are all set up on the table..everything looks so nice and neat. Well that is NOT how my boys color eggs..it is a "hands on" experience. Take a look and you'll see just what I mean..

It all began on the lawn so neatly..

..then Matthew needed a closer look..

..Ryan is getting ready to get those hands colored..

..there's a little more color now..

..and this is the final result !

I must say, even though it took me 10 minutes EACH to wash their hands clean..they did have a fun time. I guess boys do egg coloring different from girls !

Room Update

The room is officially put back together and the walls all painted ! Such a great feeling..although it isn't quite finished yet..so you only get a sneak look. My friend will be coming this week or next to do some additional painting for me..so until then..

No Tv Day

Today we decided should be a NO TV Day ! I saw and ad in one of the "parent" magazines that No Tv week is coming up at the end of April..the 20th -the 27th I believe. So I thought we should give it a dry run today. So far I must say it is going very nicely. The boys are finding many ways to entertain each other..hide n seek..bubbles on the patio..playing with trains..the list goes on and on. Papa is also coming over for lunch which is an exciting event today..he is working in Roseville today so they are very happy to be seeing him in the middle of the week.

I have noticed a small growing trend here in our home..the tv is being left on at times throughout the day mostly as background noise. I am just as guilty as the next person for doing this. When I am cleaning I like to have something on, like a good movie that I know well, just to hear the funny parts. Well this has turned into something the kids are starting to do as well. This is not a habit I want them to pick up from me. We can do without the extra noise and get back to the basics of playing with each other and all the toys we have.

Spring is here now and it's time to be outside..when possible..and enjoy the company of one another and not the tv. My boys won't be this age for much longer and I want to remember doing more than watching with them.

Bowling for 16 !

Today the kids and I went bowling with friends..16 kids bowling to be exact ! It was quite a morning..they had so much fun..it was the best way to spend a rainy day. This was Matthew's first time to bowl and he caught on quickly..which is more than I can say for his bowling technique. He would take his 6 pound ball and carry it to the lane..then give it a slight little push and then sit and watch it roll on down. It seemed like this sometimes took a good 2 minutes. He did manage to knock down a few pins..so he was quite happy with himself.

Ryan has been bowling before so he was an old pro. He would choose his ball..take 2 big steps..and the give it a toss..he even managed a spare in the last set to put him to a score of 70 ! They both enjoyed themselves and had a great time with friends..enjoy the photos of all the kids having a fun time !

What a fun group of friends !

Just hanging out in the lanes.

Sitting with the kids..watching Matthew's ball.

Ryan & Matthew watching the ball .

Easter Egg Hunt

Today was Ryan's class Easter Egg Hunt. It thrilled me that his teacher was having one today..the boys have not been to a big hunt before so I knew this was going to be a fun morning. Parents hid the plastic eggs and then the race was on. We also enjoyed lunch together with the class and then watched the kids run around with the kites they made in class.

All the kids running around the park finding eggs.



Ryan with his bag of eggs.



The class enjoying lunch on the parachute.




Ryan and Dad.


Matthew and Mom.



Ryan and the kite he made.

Phase 2

I am officially onto Phase 2 of the craft/guest room project. I was able to primer the entire room today with some help from the boys. They came and painted for about 5 minutes..and in that small amount of time managed to cover their feet in paint..so then I had them watch a movie :)
I am happy to be moving forward..I may even get some color up tonight if the boys go to bed early tonight. If not there's always tomorrow. I'll be sure and post some photos of the color as it goes up.

Boys & Mud

Saturday was a beautiful day here..so I thought what better way to enjoy the day than to play in the MUD ! I might sound crazy to some of you..and I never would have enjoyed this as a child..but my boys just LOVE it ! They played for about 2 hours..jumping..splashing..jumping..and sliding. It was fun to sit and watch the fun and try to not get dirty myself.

Ryan making a splash.


2 boys checking out the bugs in the mud.



Matthew showing off his dirt.