Labels: My Best Girl, Wordless Wednesday

We're home from California. We had a relatively smooth trip back and forth considering I was travelling alone with two preschoolers. The good news is that I did manage to arrive home with both children intact. The bad news is that I left White Blankie, my best girl's most precious possession, at Grammy and Papa's house. NOT GOOD! Of course, I purposely left it out of the suitcases so we would have access to it in the car. Unfortunately, I never put it in the car! We have only had two brief meltdowns over the absence of White Blankie. She understands where it is, and she wants to go get it right now! I guess it didn't sink in that it took 8-9 hours of travel time to go to Grammy's. Thankfully, White Blankie is on the way to Tennessee by way of the USPS. Hopefully, it will be home again by Saturday!

The kids and I had a wonderful time visiting Grammy and Papa (my parents). I will share some of the highlights. When we arrived last Thursday evening, the kids were already asleep. We put them to bed immediately. On Friday morning (very early since my kids don't adjust well to time changes), Grammy showed my best girl a collection of necklaces. HUGE HIT! These necklaces received a great deal of attention all week.

Grammy surprised my favorite boy with a checkers game that she had ordered from Cracker Barrel (they don't have Cracker Barrel in CA). Another hit! Amazingly, my favorite boy was able to beat both Grammy and Papa on numerous occasions. :)

Friday was a beautifully sunny day. The high was 95! We went to a park close to my parents' house, and the kids had a blast. Being in the desert, however, proved to be more taxing than we expected. We were only able to stay for 20 minutes or so before we had to leave for a water break and cool down!

Papa and my favorite boy spent a good deal of time in the backyard playing baseball. My favorite boy says he beat Papa 31-0. I am wondering about the rules and fairness of this game. Also, Grammy and Papa have a Little Tykes bouncy "castle" that they inflate when the grand kids visit. The kids jumped and bounced all weekend!

On Monday evening, we went to Chuck-E-Cheese. My kids know that Grammy is always willing to go with them. This location had a ride we do not have at our local Chuck-E-Cheese, and it was a so fun for my best girl. The chair moved up and around in circles as the hand on the clock moved.

The week was fun for everyone! We love you Grammy and Papa! Now...off to do the laundry!

Labels: Family and Friends, My Best Girl, My Favorite Boy

Last fall, I was not a blogger, but I was a blog reader. One of the blogging events I enjoyed the most was Katrina's Fall Into Reading Challenge. I read many of the participants' lists and found some great suggestions for myself. I began blogging in January, and I have looked forward to the Spring Reading Thing since that time.
I will admit that I am an avid reader, and I read with or without a challenge. However, I do need to broaden my reading horizons. I mostly read fiction. I hesitate to call everything I read fluff, but most of the books I enjoy are easy reads. I look forward to reading as a way to unwind and relax, so I usually choose books that will enable this. For the Spring Reading Thing, I am hoping to tackle a few nonfiction titles as well some fiction selections that I would not choose otherwise. I will also include some that are easier reads just because I want to!


My Spring Reading Thing List


Nonfiction:


I am beginning the challenge with four nonfiction books on my list. I have been planning to read the first two for quite some time; the third is one I saw recently on a blog. My father, an American military buff, recommended 1776. I probably would not choose to read this, but because I am attempting to broaden my horizons, I am going to give it a try!

Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Ordinary Days: Family Life in a Farmhouse by Dorcas Smucker (this may be more of a memoir, but I am including it with the nonfiction)
1776 by David McCullough

Fiction:

Seemingly, I am one of the few who has not read Jan Karon. Because I have seen her Mitford series mentioned by so many bloggers, I am including her in my list. I am already reading the Love Comes Softly and Mark of the Lion series, so my list includes books from those as well. I also plan to read the lists of other participants, and I may add to this when I see other books I want to read.

Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers
Love’s Unfolding Dream by Janette Oke
Love Takes Wingby Janette Oke
Love Finds a Home by Janette Oke
Forever by Karen Kingsbury
The Secret Life of Becky Miller by Sharon Hinck
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

Books I Plan to Reread:
I don't often reread books, but I plan to reread two during the challenge. I read both of these books several years ago. I remember enjoying The Posionwood Bible immensely, but I can't remember much about it. Additionally, The Double Bind, one of my fiction selections, includes references to The Great Gatsby. I plan to reread Gatsby before reading The Double Bind.

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Bible Study:

I recently began studying my Bible inductively, and I am currently reading Luke. When I finish, I plan to continue this type of study in I and II Peter and Jude using a guide from the New Inductive Study Series.
Living with Discernment in the End Times: I Peter, II Peter, and Jude by Kay Arthur

Read-Aloud with My Favorite Boy (age 5):

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
Read-Aloud with My Best Girl (age 2):

With my daughter, I plan to read various picture books and poems for at least 15 minutes a day.

Books Added after Beginning the Challenge:

Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs
Chocolate Beachby Julie Carobini
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Beyond Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

Labels: Books

Yesterday, the kids and I, along with Grandma and a cousin K., went to the zoo. It was such a beautiful day! We had not been to the zoo in a couple of years, and the kids had a great time. Our zoo has added an African savanna with giraffes and elephants. We enjoyed seeing these BIG animals, but some of the smaller animals were just as fun.

My favorite boy and his cousin enjoyed an inside view of the meerkat exhibit. There is also a petting zoo where my best girl enjoyed the goats. Of course, watching the goats poop was certainly a highlight for all.

Immediately after this, we all passed around the hand sanitizer! As we left, we decided to pay for a membership, so I am sure the kids and I will be going again soon. Thanks for going with us Grandma and K. (and thanks to Grandma for paying)! We had a great time!

Labels: Family and Friends, Fun

This is the brief conversation I just overheard between my best girl and her Dad.

Best girl: Dad, will you please go out of here?

Dad: Why?

Best girl: I want to put some pennies in my mouth.

I guess it's obvious that she knows she is breaking the rules!

Labels: My Best Girl, Small Talk

Favorite Boy: Mom, is Jupiter bigger than God?

Mom: Well, God made Jupiter, so what do you think?

Favorite Boy: I guess God is bigger. God, then Jesus, then Jupiter, right?

Mom: I think that sounds about right. :)

Labels: Small Talk

My favorite boy talks a lot about sports. He is very mathematical by nature, and he loves to look at the sports page to see all the scores and statistics. I think his experience with the sports page has led to a few misunderstandings about his upcoming first year of baseball. We have had several recent conversations that have made me smile.

Conversation #1

Mom: I can't wait to come to your games.

Favorite Boy: Yeah. I hope you will be able to get tickets. If you can't, you won't be able to come.

Conversation #2

Favorite Boy: I can't wait to see the scores from my games in the paper!

Mom: Honey, I don't think they put the scores from the 5 year-old league in the paper (I didn't even tell him that they don't keep score yet).

Conversation #3

Favorite Boy (after looking at his schedule): Wow! I am going to be travelling a lot!

Dad: Son, your games are all at the same field.

Favorite Boy: No, look Dad! We play the Braves, Cardinals, Rockies...

I just love it, and I can't wait to see him in his uniform! I cherish conversations like these! He thinks he is SO BIG; but to his Mom, he will always be my favorite LITTLE boy (I just can't say that out loud)!

Labels: My Favorite Boy, Small Talk

My friend Amberly and her three children visited us this week. Abby Grace is almost one year older than my best girl. Because of this, we have been blessed to receive great hand-me-downs from them. I was so happy to see Amberly pull out two bags full of clothes from her van!

Today, I started to look through them. I was thrilled to see a beautiful blue Feltman Bros. dress among several other pretty items. This dress, however, didn't really excite my best girl. She was too busy jumping up and down over the Backyardigans pajamas. She exclaimed, "Look Mom! I can't bweeve it! It's my favorite fing!" Of course, as you can see in the picture, she had to put them on immediately (please excuse the hair, we are trying to let her bangs grow). Thanks Amberly!

Labels: Family and Friends, My Best Girl

Welcome to A Day in My Life! This is such a great idea, and I thank Owlhaven for hosting it. I am including pictures of a typical day at the Baseballs and Bows household with a running commentary.

I am sure our day is fairly typical. I wake up about nine to breakfast in bed while a maid cleans my house. I then somehow manage to get a manicure, visit with my personal trainer, read, and shop while our nanny plays with the kids. Most of our meals are prepared by our chef, so I don't do much cooking.


HA!

Okay. That's not exactly our daily routine. However, I wouldn't trade our days for anything!

We start our day about 6:30. Dad rises to leave for work, and my best girl usually starts singing in her crib around this time. Although she doesn't appear to be happy in this picture, she is quite chipper in the mornings. She wakes and begins to sing at the top of her lungs. The first item on our agenda is breakfast. The kids both love pancakes, so they eat them most days. I start the day with cereal and a banana, and I also try to read one chapter from the book of Proverbs while eating.

By 8:30, we are usually at our local Y. I exercise for an hour while the kids enjoy the supervised playroom. My favorite exercise activity is aerobics, but I sometimes use the stairmaster or elliptical machine. The kids appreciate this opportunity to play with other kids; they have made several friends.

When we leave the Y, we usually run errands that need to be done. We didn't run errands today, but I couldn't resist including this picture from the car. When we don't run errands, we fill this time by listening to music, creating with play-doh, reading, shooting hoops, and playing with toys, etc...

Lunch time rolls around quickly (it seems we are always in the kitchen). A typical lunch for us is grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, or chicken. I use lunch time to make some preparations for dinner, and I also read aloud to the kids. We have been reading poetry at lunch, and they really enjoy it.

My best girl goes down for a nap after lunch. A two hour nap is average for her. During this time, I clean, shower, and spend a few minutes on the computer. I allow my favorite boy to spend an hour or so playing games on the computer (we have a computer that is not connected to the internet that he uses to play games). After this, my favorite boy and I play some games or read together until his sister wakes.

At least once a week, we go to the library. We went today after nap time. We LOVE the library! Right now, we have 50 library books at home. Our children's department is great, and we enjoy the books as well as puzzles, games, and computers. On days we don't go to the library, we try to play outside. My favorite boy likes to shoot basketball and play football with his neighborhood buddy; my best girl loves to swing and play with her sand table. Today, however, was a rainy day, so the library was a great alternative!

Normally, we have dinner together as a family. Dad came in from out of town tonight and missed dinner, so I will spare you the pictures of my children eating spaghetti. The great excitement came when Dad showed up with presents. At his meeting this week in Orlando, he heard Joe Theismann speak. Dad surprised my favorite boy with an autographed football. This was a HUGE hit.

My best girl got a Disney princess pop-up brush with a mirror. This was so exciting, that she had to don this...

Does she look like she enjoyed her gift? I see a great deal of primping in our future!

No night at our house is complete without a game of tackle basketball between father and son. Don't ask me the rules! I stay out of this game!

My best girl couldn't head to bed without making one more mess.

After this, we had our nightly Bible study as a family, and we put the kids to bed. At 8:00, Dad and I have a chance to watch TV, read, rest, talk, etc... We usually head to bed around 10:00.

So...this is our day. Lest you think it was too picturesque, I did not include shots of the coat rack falling off the wall, our mailbox after our neighbor ran into it, or my clothes and the kitchen floor which were doused with water when the sprayer thingy at my sink got stuck and sprayed water every time I turned on the faucet. However, I am sure you can picture each of those images! Thanks for sharing our day with us!

Labels: Family and Friends, My Best Girl, My Favorite Boy