Merry Christmas 08

Merry Christmas! We have had a wonderful holiday season, full of wonderful traditions. First and foremost Caitlyn is beginning to understand that Jesus was the very first Christmas gift and she is learning the Christmas story. It is fun hearing that "there was no room in the inn" and that she wants to invite Mary, Baby Jesus, Joseph, and the angel to her birthday party.

We have decorated a ginger bread house, seen Santa, bought presents for others, told daddy what he is getting (even though she wasn't supposed too), ridden on a Polar Express train, and made cookies with dad for Santa. Now we are tracking the big guys movements around the world and waiting until we can go see Mimi, Papa and her cousins and the rest of the family.

We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Oh you better watch out!

And I'm not talking about Santa Claus!

Brent Tyler! My precious little angel boy was a mess tonight. First of all he wanted to be fed NONSTOP! Secondly, he can run everywhere. The minute he hears the garage door open he is a magnet for the four wheeler. So as I was feeding the dogs he ran over to the four-wheeler, jumped up on that (it's for a 5-7 year old) with a toothbrush in his hand. I pry him off the four-wheeler and he bring him back inside, screaming of course. No sooner had I turned my back then I found Brent with 3 pieces of dog food in his mouth and let me tell you they must have been tasty because he was extremely ticked off when I grabbed them out of his mouth.

Later that evening he proudly crawled on top of a small chair and threw his hands up as if to say, "ta-da" and "I have arrived". Shortly after that he heard his dad come home so he rushed over to the stairs and ran down the stairs (practically) to get to his daddy.

Ya'll, he is 15 months. I guess it is time to admit he is no longer a baby (well always my baby) but now a toddler. BTW, he weighs a whopping 25.4 lbs because he loves to eat. The other morning I had fed him a half a banana, a bowl of oatmeal and he ate a piece of toast too - wow!

Caitlyn is doing great too. She amazes me with her skills. She can color in the lines so well. She drew me a picture today with a sun in it and told me a complete story to go with it. The picture was for my classroom. She is very good with a computer and dvd player as well. She is extremely good with her brother too and gets very upset with me when I have to tell him no.

I love them both so much... It is so fun having them both in my life!

Straws are Cool!

Brent figured out how to drink from a straw tonight. He was all smiles too. It took him one try to get it and he loved it! He looks so big drinking like his sister.

Thanksgiving Farm Fun

Jeff and I took the kids to his aunt and uncle's farm in Missouri. His mom, nieces and nephews were able to come out from Colorado. We had such a great, relaxing time that it was difficult to come home to "real" life.

Jeff was able to deer in hunt, Caitlyn played outdoors with her cousins, chased guinea pigs, and rode 4-wheelers. Brent came home with multiple wounds from falling because he is all boy (poor thing). He had a good time outside as well and was so mad everytime I would take him inside. The last morning we were there Caitlyn even got to play in the snow!

Aunt Betty, Jeff's mom and I got to run down (a 2 hour drive) to Branson to do some shopping in the outlet mall while the men stayed behind to watch the kids. We had so much fun and stayed until the stores pushed us out the doors.

Everytime I go to the country I wonder if I'm not meant to live in the country? Hmmmm.

Although on the last day we were there everyone else had left. There were about 20 guests there in all. So I offered to help with laundry, breaking down beds, mopping, etc. Aunt Betty finally took me up on my offer. I was so exhausted at the end of the day. She really mops, several times over. She's 70 and she can outrun me anyday!!!

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

There is actually a great book titled, Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dan Pilkey. You can go to his site at, I think, www.pilkey.com and do some pretty cool activities with this site if you have school aged children.

Anyhow, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! May you have a wonderful day of feasting, lounging, good football and a great day of shopping the following day if you so choose. I choose not to get up early for shopping.

In the honor of Thanksgiving I want to take the time to say what I am thankful for on this wonderful day (day beforehand). I am thankful for:

My Savior, who supplies all my needs!
My fabulous husband, who is 1/2 way through hunting season!!!!
My precious princess Caitlyn & adorable chubby Brent - the loves of my life.
My wonderful family and friends who are there for me day in and out!

My life is so blessed. I could go on and on.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Church Artwork

Baby D class got to make a hand print and then color their turkey. It was so much fun and all the "new walkers" did amazingly well spreading out their hand to place it in the ink and then on the paper. Brent was our guinea pig. The girls proved to have better fine motor skills and enjoyed the coloring much better, but if you look closely you can see one or two brush strokes from Brent's crayon. By the way, don't try this without a really good nursery partner!
Nursery teachers: Christy and Stephanie

Caitlyn's first hunt

Caitlyn went to the deer lease with her dad for the first time this weekend. I got a wake up call at 7:00 am this morning from Caitlyn. She was very excited to report that daddy had shot a deer and they were going to eat it! BTW, she will wait until it is processed and cooked!!!

Jeff said that Caitlyn was a trooper. They didn't get to the trailer until 11:30 last night and they had to get up at 5:30 this morning. To top it off it was only 37 degrees. Thank goodness for the new insulated boots and jacket and long underwear!

They were able to get into the blind just before sun up. Jeff had everything ready to help keep Caitlyn occupied and warm. He had a DVD player and a portable propane heater.

But luck was on their side. Just after getting into the blind and after the sun rose, Jeff spotted three does in the feeder. A young buck chased off two of the does but Jeff had the opportunity to shoot the remaining one. He asked Caitlyn if she wanted him to shoot it. She said, "Yes daddy. Shoot it. Let's eat it!" BAM!

In the picture above she wouldn't stand any closer to the deer and Jeff wouldn't push it. It was a really great time for Caitlyn to be with her dad, experience deer hunting and be successful in a short period of time. It might not be a realistic deer hunting experience but it will leave her wanting to go back for more and that is what we ultimately want.

Jeff was totally pumped up. This is a text I got. 100 bucks at bass pro shop, 40 dollars in snacks at walmart, daddy's little girl dressed in camo at 530 am, priceless

Jeff did say that Caitlyn did ask for me repeatedly on the way to the deer stand but was completely over it by the time they got there. I was just pleased to hear that he carried her the whole way there. She is getting so big but it can still be scary when it is dark out in nature. Her dad had been preparing her for the dark so she did great with that though.

Words!!!

Brent has some new words!

He has been communicating for a very long time now when he is hungry. It goes something like this - whaaaaaa! But it sounds much more fierce and direct. He has even more recently reached for my hand and directed me towards the pantry when he is hungry.

He says dada and some form of mama, but mostly dada. Rats! Recently he has picked up the word "uh oh".

This morning he said Caitlyn. I was getting him dressed and while I was doing so I wanted to start waking Caitlyn, so I started calling her name. He twisted his body to the side towards her room, looked as if he was trying to see her and repeated her name. Now let me fully explain that it would not have been coherent to any bystander except his mom. But it was clear as mud to me. He was facing her room, looking and repeating and it. It began with a "c" sound and had all the right syllables. It was clearly Caitlyn. He said it about 4 times. The same word.

He is becoming so aware of his surroundings and able to process directions (when he wants to). It is so cool to see his development. I can't believe we are already here, to the point that he is beginning to talk. Where does the time go? My baby is growing so fast!

A Christmas Discussion

Oh we have so many lately! And about gingerbread houses, her upcoming hunting trip with dad, Thanksgiving trip to Aunt Betty's house, and what she wants for Christmas but those are all other stories for other days.

This weekend we were at Kohl's shopping and she brought up Christmas again and so I decided to put a twist on it. "Oh yes!," I exclaimed, "What are you going to buy for your friends this year?" She got so excited so that she could give to someone else. She didn't know what she wanted to get for Mimi and Papa but she knew just what she had in mind for her cousin Olivia.

Then she asked me the cutest thing. "And mom, what's that other girls name that looks like me too?" I knew that she was referring to her other cousin that is the same age as she is, Olivia's sister, Ava. The other gentleman in the aisle chuckled as well.

Clean again - but for how long?

I cleaned out the toy room, Caitlyn's room and I'm almost finished with Brent's room. I organized every bin of toys and am selling about half of our toys at a new toy place in town. I'm so excited.

I started during nap time yesterday and got so much done. I knew I needed to get it finished or mostly completed before Caitlyn got in the mess. She was so cool about the project though. She asked what I was doing with all the toys. I told her I was giving them away so we could get new toys. She said, "Can I help?" I said, "Come on!"

When we went to her room and started cleaning she got so into it she was ready to give all her clothes, bedding, and pillows away. Seriously - she is ready for a clean start. Well at least she got some of the concept, huh? Love her!

One interesting thing I've noticed about my second child is that he does not play with baby toys, at all. He is so into all of Caitlyn's toys. I have to rethink all of the toys I am going to get him for Christmas that's for sure.

I'll get her back one day

Brent slept in this morning - until 8:45. It was a beautiful thing! I could have really enjoyed it too. Had it not been for my this little girl in my room trying to teach me a thing or too. She woke up at 7:30 and crawled into bed with me. She was content snuggling and watching tv for quite some time. But then she wanted food. That calmed her for a while.

Then she proceeded to tell me the sun was awake over and over and over again. When that didn't work she opened the curtains and the blinds to reinforce her lesson.

All I could think was, "This is great ammunition for when she is a teenager!"

On another note, she completely amazes me. She is growing up so fast. She has been getting on the computer, noggin.com. I never showed her how to get onto my Favorites but evidently she watched closely because she can get on the computer whenever she feels like it. She is able to click, slide, drop, roll the mouse, etc like a pro. It's astounding.

She painted again today and I was so impressed at how neat she is with the paints, water and brush too. She filled the paper with paints which I just love. I always encourage my students to fill the space in every grade level.

I tried to get Brent involved in the Aqua Doodle while Caitlyn painted but he had no interest. It was much more fun to open kitchen cabinet doors and try to throw dishes across the room. Some of the child locks have broken and daddy will be replacing those this weekend!!!! Anyway, do boys like to paint and color as much? He certainly likes to throw more than Caitlyn ever did.

Caitlyn Loves Brent

Caitlyn has never been jealous of Brent. In fact, the first time she saw Brent in the hospital she climbed right up in bed with me and asked me if she could hold him. He has always been her baby.

When we took Brent for his 1 year old shots we all got our flu shots. Normally Caitlyn does not stay in the room when Brent gets his shots but this time it was easier to keep her in since she'd already be crying from her own shot. She did indeed cry but not near as hard as when she saw Brent get his shot. She leaned her head back and bawled, crying, "Not my baby!" The nurse was stunned at her loving behavior. Brent let out a tiny whimper but he has great "hamhocks" so of course it didn't bother him much.

The other night I put Brent to bed and Caitlyn was right by my side. As we turned out the light and closed the door, Brent popped up and started crying. Caitlyn saw his face and it was really sad (I try not to look myself when I leave the room). She cried again because Brent was upset and she proclaimed, "He doesn't want to sleep. Please mommy go get him." Luckily for us both, he only cries for about 30 seconds.

Yesterday Brent was sick and throwing up all evening. Their babysitter reported that even though Brent threw up on her hand she still patted him on his back and said, "It's okay baby." She was very concerned about him all evening. (She still doesn't grasp the concept of a gentle pat but she does pat with love.) The first words out of her mouth this morning were to inquire if Brent was still sick.

It is so fun to watch Caitlyn interact with Brent.

Halloween 08

We had a fun time trick-or-treating! We have a great neighborhood to walk through and the weather was fabulous. Our friend, C is a lady pirate, Caitlyn was a cowgirl so of course Brent had to be a cowboy!

Mimi K just holding the little cowboy (no they didn't drive anywhere like this).

On a side note, Saturday Caitlyn broke my camera and Brent pulled my straigtening iron off the cabinet and on his face. He has a little burn on his face. Poor guy and I was right there and couldn't stop it. I would document with a camera but it's destroyed. Oops!

Caitlyn's New Do

(multiple posts today, scroll down to see them all)
Caitlyn has been begging to get her hair cut like her friend. I let her and it is the best move I ever made. Tangles be gone!
Besides the open mouth, she looks so cute!

Happy 1st Baby Brent

My baby boy is one! Caitlyn, dad, and I threw him a fun party!
He loved it!
The cake was his favorite part!
Although he really loved the Tonka truck that his dad picked out!
Fun things I want to remember about my precious little one (who is really 13 months now): he giggles every time I put his shoes and take them off.
He loves to play peek-a-boo after bath time and instigates it himself.
He smiles and laugh while he interacts with one of his night time books "Hugs and Kisses"
He is walking everywhere now.
He loves to stand up on his four-wheeler. He's a wild man.
He still loves to hang upside down.

I love you Brent Tyler!

Brent's Haircut

These are pictures of Brent's 2nd haircut. Jeff was in charge and I have to say that Brent loved it. He giggled the whole time. The bad news is this was a month ago and we have to do it again. Which really isn't bad except for the cleanup.

Wedding ring

Caitlyn: What's that mommy? (pointing to my wedding ring)
Me: It's my wedding ring.
Caitlyn: Who gave it to you?
Me: Your daddy.
Caitlyn: Why?
Me: Because he loves me so much and one day a long time ago he decided he wanted me to live with him forever and ever. So he asked me to marry him and gave me this ring as a promise.
Caitlyn: It's so pretty.
Me: One day you will meet a man that will love you so much that he will give you a ring and ask you to live with him forever.
Caitlyn: No, Mommy. I am going to live with you forever. (She leans in and gives me a big hug and kiss)

She was really looking at my engagement ring. I can't find my wedding band. I had to take it off during my pregnancy and I have put it somewhere so safe that I can't find it. Can't say I have looked high and low as of yet, but I hope when I do that it fits me now.

Who let the dogs out?

Tonight was Jeff's first night back to normal hours. We are talking 9-6 instead of 9-9. He has been working extended hours to cover a co-worker for over 2 months now. We are over joyed to have him back for dinner.

I made dinner for the 2nd time this week and the 2nd time in 2 months tonight. Sad, I know. But the first of the school year is always interesting.

I made a great foil dinner with summer sausage, potatoes, onion and green peppers. Unfortunately I ran out of foil. But my good friend around the corner came to the rescue. So I threw the kids in the car and ran to borrow the foil.

Back in a jiffy to finish up the meal, I come back to the discover the dogs had eaten my supper. I felt like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Of course, I tell them (holler) at them to get outside, which in turn makes Caitlyn cry. Then Brent starts crying because Caitlyn is crying. Geez.

So we met dad out at a great restaurant! What I won't do for a meal without dish duty!!!!

Little Gym Success

We took a week off and I'm proud to report that my sweetheart did much better. Tonight I told her that if she didn't listen to directions and stay inside the gym area that we would go home. She did a great job!

I figure there is no reason to sit and allow my BP to rise and allow her to act crazy. I'm so proud of her good behavior so of course I rewarded her with ice cream when we got home.

On a side note, I have obviously been taking some time off from blogging. I've been trying to keep my head above water with school and family. I'm hoping to get back to it because there is so much I want to record before I forget, like Brent's first birthday pictures, what he is doing now, a cute story about my wedding ring and so much more. We have been so busy around here and unfortunately I haven't been photographing it either. I hope when I start writing there is still someone out there to read it!

Decisions, decisions

Caitlyn has been in Little Gym (LG) since the beginning of the summer. It was a rocky start. I would say the root of her LG issues are social. However, I have perservered. I have taken her week after week even when I knew it would be a battle.

She has improved. Dramatically. Yet, I am wondering whether we have come to the end of the LG road.

I feel like I (she/we) stick out like a sore thumb. The teachers say it is all normal. That her behavior is normal! First of all, no three year behavior is normal! Right?

In short, she has trouble going into the classroom, even though she loves the teacher(s). She wants to watch from the door for many, long minutes. She chooses when she wants to listen, participate and stay with the group. I on the other hand require my classes to stay on task at ALL times, and they do. So my blood pressure goes through the roof during this hour. It drives me nuts to watch her naughty behavior. And it doesn't seem to bother the teachers at all.

So, I hope I have given enough information to get some feedback. What do I do? Do I stick with it? Does she need it? Have I left her out of the game too long and now she is socially behind? I'm afraid that she needs more structure, like ballet or some form of dance. But would that be too rigid? How do you know? BTW, she is in an at home daycare environment that we love.

I would love to hear your words of advice, encouragement, etc. Every Monday night this seems like a huge problem!

BTW, something good to know is that my dear daughter is stubborn, just like me. Maybe that is why we butt heads often?

Weekend Update

Grades are in - well mostly! That means that the bag I have been dragging back and forth for 2 weeks now has been graded! Well mostly. I have to print out a rubric tomorrow. I am ready to be caught up on grades, like I normally am.

I have been glued to the TV and in awe of the destruction in the Galveston area.

Brent is taking steps and is so cute walking. I have birthday pictures to upload soon.

Caitlyn got the cutest haircut that is super manageable. We love it!

Hope you've had a great weekend!

Take 'Em

Huff and I. Huff is one of our dear friends who runs the Hunting Lodge in Coleman.

Check out all my dove. See my 3 in there, amongst all the 200 that belong to the other hunters. BTW, there was another hunter who only got 3 and 2 others who killed none!!!!!

Take 'Em is one of the first hunting videos I ever watched with Jeff. Every time these two guys would get ready to shoot a duck they'd yell "Take 'Em". So that is one of my favorite phrases when we are bird hunting.

This weekend Jeff and I got to go bird hunting alone. It was a great get away and we had a blast. I did really well, killing 5 dove, which is great since I haven't been hunting for 2 years. This was actually my third hunt.

Friday, I left school early so we could get in the field by 3:00 and bake in the sun. Ironically, Saturday morning was chilly and I would have loved a jacket. Saturday afternoon we went into Coleman (where we got married) and saw all of our friends. We went hunting with them in the afternoon. It was so much fun hanging out with Huff and Charlie and the rest of the crew. Coleman is so relaxing! I wish we could get down there more often.

Big Steps

Brent took his first steps tonight. While I wasn't looking he took 3 steps with Jeff. A few steps later he stood up, concentrated for about 5-7 seconds with a beautiful, big grin on his face and then took 5 steps to his daddy. It was the most beautiful thing! I am so proud! And nervous of things to come!

On a side note, I was reading a post from my friend that she got a compliment from a parent today. She is also a teacher and it reminded me that as I was planning at my desk (late) today after school, I heard a child walk by, obviously telling an adult that they love Mrs. Rickert's class because she makes the class so fun. As they walked down the hall I couldn't hear it all but I could figure out the child was explaining a game we did today about subjects and predicates. It sure does make it worth it, all the long hours we put into it.

Chelsea, I'm glad you got your email too. Your such a great teacher!

So Much To Say - So I'll Make a List

1. I am finally starting to feel like I am getting up to speed on things in my classroom after staying most nights until 6, bringing things home with me and going up to the school on the weekends too.

2. Brent turns 1 in a week! I keep choking up!

3. Caitlyn desperately wants her hair cut like her friend, Carson, which is to her shoulders. We are fine with that - especially given the awful tangles we deal with. But the time to get it done???

4. I need to get Brent's 1 yr old pictures done but I detest the price you must pay for really nice pictures. Any suggestions in our area?

5. I have super, cute curtains for my bedroom that are still in the package because I need another curtain rod.

6. Jeff gave Brent a cute new dew last night. He shaved his hair. A little shorter than I expected but it is so cute and Brent enjoyed getting his hair cut all too. He was all smiles.

7. Our desktop computer is undergoing major repairs. I don't even know how to begin telling the woes of it all, but it has taken on a life. I finally figured out tonight how to get on the internet again. Thank goodness!

8. Back to grading and planning!

Meet the Teacher

Meet the Teacher was last night. It was successful and all but 1 student came. Everyone seemed to be pleased that I was there teacher or they just didn't know any better.

It was also so fun to see all my students from last year. They have all grown tremendously over the summer. One student even came by and said, "Remember how I told you I would bring you my end of the year gift next year. Well here it is." He brought me a beautiful, absolutely gorgeous necklace from New Zealand, his homeland!

30 minutes before the parents and students were to arrive I began working on the Power Point presentation that would be running over and over in my room. Luckily my teammate had made the presentation earlier but I had to change it to fit my class/picture/teaching subjects, etc. Then it wouldn't work properly. You know the drill. It did work though in the nick of the time!

2 days before Meet the Teacher we hired a 6th teacher in 4th grade. So I helped her to get her classroom set up. All the teachers pull their resources, bulletin boards, shelves, rocking chairs, etc. to make her portable look very cute. All the student teachers in the building stayed late Thursday night to help her and did an amazing job as well!

It's been a tough, tiring week. Tomorrow I have to go up and figure out what I'm going to do this week. With scheduling, decorating, Meet the Teacher, new 6th teacher, meetings, and so much more we just didn't get to that this week.

The Teachers Are Back

We started off the 08-09 school year with Convocation at a large, local church. It was very inspirational. Our theme this year is "The Power of One". It goes along with Rachels Challenge. This is the program with which we teach our students good character qualities.

Our guest speaker was Patrick Henry Hughes and his father. They have been on Extreme Home Makeover, Oprah, ESPN and had many more appearances. Patrick was born without eyes and has no movement of his legs. However, he has succeeded in life. He makes all A's and B's in college. He plays the piano and trumpet beautifully. And to top it off he is in the marching band at his university.

His father pushes his wheelchair on the football field during performances and the lengthy practices that come with it. That is just one tidbit of the love this father has for his son. It was truly amazing.

We also had a ton of time to work in our classrooms today, which is not always the case. I have quite a lot of the work done so far. Quite a difference over last year when I was moving into a new classroom, new school, new grade level and couldn't move anything myself because I was so pregnant I had a baby 3 weeks later!

I just can't believe that it is already time to set the alarm clock!

Menu Plan Monday

I have been wanting to do this again for so long. It is so helpful and with me going back to work tomorrow there is no better time than the present.

Monday - Spicy Italian Chicken in the Crockpot - This is super easy. You put your frozen chicken in first and cover with 1 cup Italian dressing, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup prepared mustard . It only takes 4-6 hours so Jeff is going to start this for me since he goes into work late on Mondays.

Tuesday - Briscuit in the crockpot - I still need a good recipe for this

Wednesday - Sandwiches with leftover meat

Thursday - Ducks Unlimited Dinner!!!!

Friday - Deers Steaks on the grill - Jeff's cooking

Saturday - Surely we'll have some leftovers / Spaghetti as a backup

Fast, Fast, Fast

After Jeff got off work we went running around and did errands. I knew he wanted to mow the lawn this evening but it was getting late and starting to get dark. He was going to put it off until tomorrow but I assured him I would help him and we could get it done.

So I put the kids to bed and headed out to help. Jeff did the weed eater and I started mowing. It is really fun to mow now since Jeff got a power driven motor. I mean the big 'ol machine will get away from you if you aren't careful. My goal was to get finished with the front yard by the time he finished the weed eater in both the front and back yard.

I was going so fast and furiously that I am sure it was a sight to behold. My neighbors were probably having a hay day watching. But I was having just as much fun. And I got a ton of exercise too.

BTW, I did get the front yard mowed by the time he was ready to mow the back yard. He had to take care of the doggie's stuff too (if you know what I mean).

I have really enjoyed the swimming events during the Olympics this year. I catch myself yelling faster, faster all the time. I am usually just a gymnastics fan but this year I have been watching both sports. I haven't seen any other sports though.

Brent's 1st Haircut

My Grandma Dorothy gave Brent his first haircut last month when he was 10 months old. (the picture below is from when he was 2 months old). His hair was getting too long for me. I love his hair style because I don't have to do anything to it. So when that started to change. I knew it was time for a cut.

Check out this long mess in the back of his hair and you will know what I am talking about.

I started to get a picture of Grandma Dorothy and Brent together and wouldn't you know it, my battery died. We did take a picture with a wind up camera but I haven't gotten that picture yet.

Here is an after picture of Brent. It is really hard to tell on little boys. But what I'm finding out is, that he already needs another haircut. It's been one month. But at least I don't have to brush his hair every night and every morning and still have to deal with tons of tangles!

This sweet picture of the kids has a little story. I gave Brent a snack and Caitlyn immediately sat down and continued to give Brent one snack at a time. They sat on the floor like that for some time. It was sweet. He is growing so fast and Caitlyn is taking such good care of him (well, when she wants to!).

At the Ranch

Quack, Quack!

What are these things? Oh my goodness! I hope they don't get my toes. Or worse, my chicken nuggets. I've never seen such crazy creatures. Caitlyn did cry when I stopped the 4-wheeler to get off and find my camera which had flung out of my pocket. What? Is it too hot to sit still or were you worried that I might have lost all those cute pictures of you and your brother?

Just Brent and me on dry land. Somehow they thought we would tip the boat. I'm sure it was Brent's 23 lbs.

I really think we could have fit. What do you think?

And they only caught 2 fish and 6 lbs of pond weed.

Good times!

Little Gym

This summer we put Caitlyn into an extra curricular activity for the first time. I was shocked that my independent girl turned out to be the complete opposite.

She turned into a shy, slow moving, stand offish little girl that watched from the outside. She brought tears to my eyes as she would watch from the door and I could see all sorts of emotions go through her mind. Then I would be so proud of her as she would go into the group and show her special trick when they would ask. And I would also get so stressed and upset when she wouldn't listen to the teachers, stay with the group and kept leaving the class and coming outside to see me.

We did make a lot of progress this summer. The last 3-4 times she would walk right into class without standing at the door or having to be prodded in the class. She would do 40-55% of the class activities, stay with the class and rarely come outside to see me.

We have a lot of progress to make, like actually doing the skill the teacher is teaching and doing it correctly with some sort of coordination. Coordination! Poor girl has my genes. Jeff is going to need to start working with her now.

We've enrolled her for the fall semester too!

Here she is getting her ribbon. This last week the parents got to come in and see the kids perform and get ribbons.

I wish I could say Brent was waiting on Caitlyn to get her ribbon but this was just the only still moment of the night. He loves to watch the kids through the glass door, so the chance to touch the equipment was too much for him.

After their "performance" the kids got to show us the equipment during free time.

These last 3 pictures were taken earlier in the summer.

The have some great equipment and they do a great job with kids here.

Tonight at home with Jeff and I she did some great somersaults and she was so proud of herself.

Caitlyn Goes to the Circus

We had the opportunity to take Caitlyn to the circus last weekend and Brent actually enjoyed it also. He was really engaged, jumping up and down too. Here Caitlyn is watching a lady up high on a swaying pole doomg all sorts of crazy tricks. She loved the elephants the most and she was pretty sure there were going to be giraffes also. We had great seats, great parking, and a great time! I'm not sure if you can see in the first picture but Brent is winking at the camera!

Piles of Wood = Tons of Fun

This is really fun! A ton of work, that took weeks, actually months to put all the finishing touches on! That's what happens when you have a full time job and go, go, go all the time like my husband does. In this picture he really is working hard to put this together, the directions were very confusing.

Here's my hero. Can you figure out what it is yet?

Caitlyn was a very good helper, sometimes!

Brent took good naps and brought water when needed!

Here is the first stage of the swing set. We had a lot of fun putting it together and put the majority that Jeff is sitting on together after dark, by the light of small light and a flashlight. Very interesting, but much better than the hot weather we had endured all day. This was back in late June, so the weather wasn't as bad as now.

Here is the final product! Sorry the pictures are so dark but my children can only play on it at sunset right now because of the 107 degree weather we have been having.

See any resemblance?

Caitlyn loves everything about her new play area. She loves to "wing" high and slide and play restaurant. Last night her dad added binoculars and a wheel also.

Brent is not sure of the slide yet, but he will go down without a complaint. It is so cute to see him go down with his sister when she has her little arms wrapped around him protecting him. He absolutely loves the swing, wheel and banging on the wood!

Caitlyn will bring you anything from her pretend restaurant that you want. Too bad it's not real, or I would take her up on it most nights!

I think these two are going to have a very good time on this play set together!