"I Spy" Bags & Other Travel Gear

I've gotten a little "project" oriented these past few weeks.  We're gearing up for a trip in May to see the Illinois side of the family.  I've been researching ways to keep the kids entertained during the long drive (yes, I said DRIVE!) to and from Illinois.  So far, I'm hoping that some of my ideas will not go to waste.  Twenty hours driving one way just watching movies could get to be a bore.

Anyway, I've created lap trays out of old cookie sheets for the kids to play with magnets on.  The trays were coated with white board paint (so when they're older, we can all get high from sniffing dry erase markers).  No, really, the white surface means we can have a smooth area for coloring pages or laminated race tracks.   Kelsey's really excited to use her magnetic paper doll set! 

 

My second project was a set of "I Spy" bags (pocket-sized).  It took forever to find a pattern for these 5.5" square bags.  They only have 24-25 toys in each but it was fun making them.  John was really excited to help fill the bags with the beads.  Kelsey's excited to find the stuff inside.  And Bekah hasn't gotten up from her nap to see the bags.  Ah well.  Email me if you want the directions for making these things.  They sell on the market for $20 and I made three for less than that!

We'll see if they work in the doctor's office today and that should say whether or not the kids are interested.  At least we've got a few months to hide away the travel stuff so they can all be excited about the "new" stuff when I get it out for the trip!  And I have one less stress to think about.  I've done my part.

The Many Faces of Our Silly Kids

I didn't think John's face making skills were so popular until I walked into a higher end department store and saw a mannequin with the same face that John makes when he greets people. So, you tell me, doesn't this look the same?

Anyway, while we're on a roll with "face-making" skills, let's check out the other kids' skills! Bekah's pictures were actually taken on John's birthday when we celebrated with cupcakes and chocolate icing. Mmmmm...doesn't she look lovely?

Kelsey didn't want to be left out of the picture when I asked John to make faces for me. So...here are the two who copy each other.

So if my kids ever come up to you and make one of these faces, it really means they like you. Crazy, huh?

Happy Birthday, John John Man!

We celebrated John's birthday over a two day period...starting on his birthday and ending with his party on Friday night. He had so much fun! Thank you to everyone who sent cards, presents, or just showed up for the festivities. He was so happy he could share his day with you!

John wanted to have an airplane birthday cake. I tried looking for things to make it more of a themed birthday party, but all the party stores only had fighter jets not commercial airplanes. So...we settled on an airplane cake with "awfuls" (translation: waffles) for dinner. John chose it all.

Shawn did a great job taking pictures of the present opening session...but the camera didn't cooperate. Most of the pictures were blurry. Shawn was NOT a little happy! But we did manage to capture John's reaction when he opened the Cowboy set. He gave a two fisted, two armed, "YESSSS!!!!"

He was so grateful for all the cards and other presents too! I don't think he had a favorite. He loves them all! Thank you! Can you believe our boy is 4!? Can you believe we all survived this long? Just kidding. He's a good boy and we love him. Happy Birthday, John.

A Memorable Christmas

A big 'thank you' to everyone who helped make our Christmas a good one this year. We were a bit under the weather (so if the pictures don't make us look quite like ourselves, that's why...cameras don't lie) but we survived it all. The kids had lots of fun with their presents and even though we've had runny noses all week, they've been able to enjoy the "new" stuff.

John loved his Spiderman toothbrush, toothpaste, and matching underwear from his stocking. Kelsey got a princess toothbrush, toothpaste, but no undies...ah well. She loves having her own toothpaste with matching accessories.

John got an old Fisher Price Parking Garage (almost antique now!) and Kelsey got the Fisher Price Doctor's Kit (antique too!). Both kids have loved playing with their toys and clothes! John loved his new Superman jammies and had to try out the cape on the back by jumping off the couch! He said it worked great!

Bekah's still doesn't quite understand what all the fuss is about. She was ready to open all of the presents the moment they arrived. So, when it finally came time for her to rip off the wrapping paper, she had to be persuaded to give it a go. Maybe next year she'll be more of a pro.

Shawn and I say "thank you" for our presents too. We were "lucky" enough to stay out of most of the pictures. Good thing too...since we don't look nearly as lovely as the kids. Sick kids take it out of the parents! So...we're hoping to recover fully by New Year's so we can party all night. Well, at least until bedtime. Thank you!

Signs of Christmas

Christmas around our house hasn't been as hectic this year as it has in other years. It's been nice to relax and gradually add decorations to our home. Decorations that have an amazing way of disappearing. We have little fingers who like to help rearrange things. Ah well, what can you expect when there's a nearly 4 year old (no problem with him rearranging), a 2 1/2 year old (she likes to eat leftover candy and cookies), and a 1 year old (she looks cute with cookie mess on her face from eating a cookie off the Christmas tree).


I thought I'd let you see some of the fun we've had this year. Leave a comment on what you think looks different about our Christmas tree from other trees you've seen this year. It's not unique but it is kinda funny.

Happy First Birthday, Bekah Mae!

Rebekah Mae made it to one year! And so did all of the rest of us! Wow! It seems to have flown by so quickly. Here are some highlights from her birthday party! We had such a great time with family and friends in our new clubhouse. It was nice not having it in our own house...there's so much more room to romp and play in the gathering area. See? Shawn had time for wrestle mania!

The kids really enjoyed playing ping pong and fooseball downstairs while the adults got things ready upstairs. So much fun!

I guess Bekah's going to have Christmas themed birthdays for a long time. A cupcake tree seemed like the easiest way to go. I don't have to cut cake and everyone seemed to enjoy a unique idea! Bekah loved her very own "smash" cake. John blew out her candle (thank you, big brother).

The presents were a hit too...especially with everyone else! Kelsey kept running off with the baby doll and John wanted to go get his Spider-Man Christmas presents to put under the little tree where we stashed all of Bekah's presents. He thought it would be fun to open his presents too. Poor guy just doesn't understand.

Bekah loved the truck...as did the other boys present. The monkey ball was a hit. Poor cousin Rian kept saying, "Mine." since we got him the same thing for his first birthday. The box that held Bekah's new church shoes was a huge hit! The puff balls for the snowmen grabbed her attention. It was all I could do to encourage her to look inside the box. Even then, she wanted to finger those snowmen. They were awesome! Thanks, Great Grams!

And here's the only picture we could get of her in her new Christmas romper. Poor kid, looks like she's had plenty of birthday for one year! Thank you, everyone, for helping us have a memorable first birthday for our little Bekah Mae Mae.

A Visit with Santa

Last Friday, the kids got to see Santa Claus at the grocery store. We were one of the first ones there on a relatively slow day. There wasn't hardly a line because no one knew Santa was coming at 10:30 in the morning. It was really fun to see the kids' reactions. John didn't really want to talk to Santa as much as he wanted the candy cane at the end. He did get time to tell Santa Claus all about his Spider-Man hat.

Kelsey's always shy around new people and never really talks much (even when prompted).

And Bekah took one look at the white beard and did what most babies do. CRY!

Also, an update on our Bekah Mae Mae...she's walking now. It's the stiff legged walk but she's taking steps independent of objects. Her favorite thing to say is "Uhhh...", which is usually associated with raised arms. So, although her first word was "Daddy", she has since moved past that to "up!" She'll be ONE on Saturday. What a big girl!