Summer Bucket List

Ok, so I haven't done as well at updating the blog as I hoped.  We've been busy and I have been tired at night when things slow down enough for me to get on the computer.

I still read the others and I got inspiration from Jennifer over at "Still Living the Dream".  She participated in the Summer Bucket List challenge last year and is doing it again.

It sounds like fun - I love the idea of having a plan of things big and small that we want to do.  So far we have come up with the following:

1. Go ice skating (got to use that Groupon before it expires!)
2. Go to Chuck-E-Cheese (report card bonus tokens)
3. Finish Elena's Summer 2012 scrapbook (oops!)
4. Go to the "Dinosaur Bones Museum" (that was Alex's contribution)

A few of my other ideas . . .

Summer Reading program at the library
Go fishing
Try Geocaching with the kids
Sew a play outfit for Elena

I borrowed Jennifer's idea and I am going to put our individual plans on die-cut stars that we can hang up to track our progress.  If they are hung up, there is no way Elena will let me forget to do them.

I got them from the scrapbooking department so that maybe just maybe I can then put them and the souvenirs of our summer adventures in a scrapbook.

We'll see...

Wordless Wednesday - New Swingset

I'm back . . . I hope

So it's been almost 2 years since I blogged.  I read other blogs and I miss having a place to share my  thoughts, musings and record my kids antics.

A lot has happened in 2 years.  Kat has graduated from high school and is basically out her own.  She's working and living with a friend not too far away so we still see her off and on when her schedule lets her come over.

Elena is now in First Grade.  She's quite the reader (we actually have to stop her sometimes), she in a second "why stage", and she still talks up a storm.  She's in ballet and softball for the first time this year.  She's my girly girl too - the fluffier, the pinker the better - note the Easter dress.

Alex is 3 years old and proves it daily.  He's in his first "why" phase (between the two of them, car rides are full of information - thank God for smart phones!).  He's all boy too - trucks, roughhousing, sports, but he's a willing participate in his older sister's games too.

Not much has changed for Rob and I, besides the kids.  We're still working for the same companies we worked for 2 years ago, have the same friends, and enjoy the same stuff.   I've had a couple of firsts in the past year.  My first trip overseas:

I went to London on a project for work.  And the first time I was in a wedding (not my own). 

My best friend from college, Neil, got married in March.  I served as his "Majordomo" which apparently is a girl best man in Neil language.  (The bride had a "Maid of Awesome".)  Rob was one of the other groomsmen.

 

So that is a major nutshell of our lives.  I hope to be back soon.

Wordless Wednesday - Band Banquet

Pre-K Graduation

Has it really been an entire school year? Has it really been almost 5 years since she came into this world?
The pre-K graduation at Laney's school included a short play - "Chicken Little". Each child had a costume and memorized their lines. Elena was a bee who warned the animals that Foxy Loxy's short cut was a trap. Then they demonstrated what they have learned this year - the pledge, alphabet, days of the week, yoga, Spanish, and songs from chapel and music.

Elena marching down the aisle to be given her "diploma". They got blank rolled papers. We got certificates later.

With her teacher: Ms. Amber

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Her geranium - she planted it, tended it and it bloomed. Then the heat got it.

Gymnastics + Prom =

One exciting Saturday.

We started with Laney's gymnastics demo. She takes gymnastics at school and after a school year worth of lessons, they performed one Saturday morning and showed us how they salute and tumble and jump
Her somersalt

Then we came home and began the prom preparations. I sprung for a professional mani/pedi. Then my mom helped Kathryn do her hair. Her date picked her up at 4:30 to get pictures taken by his mom, meet the limo and then off to a night of dinner, dancing and bowling! What can I say, the girl likes to bowl.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

He helped Daddy fix the table

We heart Moms!

We spent Mother's Day weekend with my grandmother and my parents. Grandmama had such a good time watching the kids play and holding Alex (when he would allow it).

Hoppin' to

This year's Easter was particulary special - Elena was taking communion, Alex figured out the egg hunt (and the candy inside), and we had friends join us at church and for Easter lunch.
The kids with Mama Janie at church

Kathryn flowers the cross

Alex is looking for eggs - and better yet chocolate!

Elena hunts eggs. For our first hunt at the new house, we divided the back yard into 3 zones: Easy (Alex), Medium (Elena), and Hard (Kathryn).

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Go Western Day 2011

First Communion

To say Laney is precocious is an understatement at times. Early in the spring she approached our priest, Father D about taking communion. He told her she could take the classes that were starting soon. He held to that even after they announced that the class was for age 6 and up. She made it through the class - learned what intinction is and the importance of the eucharist. And on Palm Sunday during the longest service in history (ok that was an overstatement, but it was puritan length) she took her first communion.

Momma Janie & Daddy Ronn gave her a new wall cross.


With Bishop Andy and Father D.

18 Months

Our little guy turned 18 months old today. He celebrated with his first trip to the pool of the season and by playing along with the Wii. (He holds a nunchuk and pretends he is playing)

In other news, Kathryn took the SAT today and now that it is over, she is officially on summer break.

And tomorrow makes year number twelve of wedded bliss. We've never done much to celebrate. In tomorrow's case we're planning a steak dinner at home for us (hot dogs for the shorties) and hopefully we won't get any macaroni & cheese thrown at us.

Hello again strangers

It's been weird checking my blog roll and seeing pictures of my kids all bundled up. It's not cold here anymore! It's hot and dry. We never got that ice I posted about and we have only had rain once since then. April was in the 80's. May was in the 90's. Today hit 100. This does not bode well for July and August.

A few updates:

Today was the last day of school. The end of Junior year for Kathryn and the end of Pre-k for Elena. Not much will change for Elena come Monday. Same classroom, same teacher, just in Summer mode. Kathryn has a busy summer including a mission trip, counseling at church camp, our family vacation, band leadership camp and a month of band camp. Alex will just keep trucking along as per usual.

Kathryn made Drill Instructor for the flute section of the marching band next year. She also received an award for most improved in her band level.

Elena won an award for Best Handwriting. She performed in her first gymnastics demo a few weeks ago. She's really excited about starting kindergarten in August.

Alex of course has made the most changes since February. He's walking very well. He talks, not a lot, but he can say "Dada", "Mama", "Kitty", "Sissy" (those two sound about the same), "ball", "book", "Bobo" (his blanket bear) and "thank you" (pronounced "dankdu"). He's a climber - stairs, chairs, slides . . . He turns 18 months old on Saturday. Wow.

I am also posting some photo updates soon!

Baby It's Cold Outside

23 Degrees to be exact. Now I'll admit, if you live in the Rockies or up North or Alaska, this is nothing! But people I live on the Gulf Coast. The song by Branded is not untrue:

"I’ve heard of winter carnivals in Aspen.
It looks just like a winter wonderland.
But remember while you’re freezin’ throughout this Christmas season
We’ll be down here with Christmas cheer and flip-flops in the sand."

And coming home to several hours of black out also not fun. We do admit we are much better off this year than we would have been in the old house. We have a gas stove, gas water heater and a gas log fire place. The old house was all electric with a cruddy wood burning fire place and tile floors. Our heater doesn't work with out electricity though! So it was down right chilly during our canned chili dinner. Kat did a little homework Laura Ingalls-Wilder style tonight - well . . . if Laura had had a fluorescent camping lantern.

The good news is no precipitation is predicted, so no icy roads tomorrow. School may be delayed and my office doesn't open until 10.

I haven't posted pictures in a while, so some pictures of different cold day (nowhere near the current extreme). Elena on her Christmas bike wearing her new helmet & pads:
Alex going for a ride in the wagon:

Old man winter is a bit confused

We had 70 + degree temps on the weekend and yesterday. It was 60+ at 6 AM and then came the Norther. It was 40 degree when I went to work at 7 AM and 33 degrees when I pulled out of my office parking garage at 4:30. Wow. That's cold for this joint and the HIGH for tomorrow is expected to barely get above freezing. Snow is possible on Friday! I am pathetic, I sooooo want a snow day. Hanging out around the house without the possibility of being able to run an errand sounds great. Sounds like Christmas! Which is actually true, since that was the last Saturday we had in which we didn't do laundry or go shopping or play taxi driver . . .

He's Walking!!!

And at some point I may post a video. He's been gradually adding steps from 2 at a time, to 6 at a time, to being able to go to 5 to 6 feet at a time. Eventually he will lean too far forward or realize he can get there faster on all fours. Rob says he's sneaky now - you can't hear him walk on our floors the way you could hear his hands slap the slate when he crawls.

Watch him grow

9 Months old - no teeth, bootie scooting but not crawling, 20 lbs 1 oz, 28 3/4 in. tall
10 Months Old - 2 teeth, crawling, standing against something (if we put him there)

11 Months old - 4 teeth, crawling at high speed, pulling up on anything that stands still long enough, 22 lb, 14 oz

Home in time for the national news

I started my new job today. After orientation I spent most of my day reading, learning the policies behind my new position. I used to be a legal assistant specializing in bringing employees into the US to work for corporations. I now work for one of those corporations, assisting in bring those employees in the Americas (start at Canada and go all the way down). I will handle not only liaising with the immigration attorneys (my old firm, how cool is that?), but also the tax accountants, relocation companies, and working directly with the employees to manage their expectations of their transfers.

The commute is a dream after the hour+ I spent getting to downtown and the 1 1/2 I spent getting home. It took me 45 minutes to get home today - that included a trip to Kroger to pick up some missing groceries!

Homework buddies

This was just too cute for words when it happened back in September. Kathryn had a ton of homework and decided to do it in the dining room. Laney had "homework" - a tracing sheet to help her draw curves for letters. And of course, she had to go do it at the dining table with Sissy!