What a Quack

It's Jam Time!

I decided one afternoon to be brave and make jam with the kids. Strawberry jam is pretty easy and there are plenty of things the kids could do to help out. They cleaned the strawberries, cut the stems, took turns mashing the strawberries, and took turns stirring the strawberry goodness in the pot. When the goodness started to boil, Mommy took over from there. With there help we were able to make lots of Strawberry Jam that will last a while not to mention be delicious on our homemade rolls. Hopefully the kids are learning lots of new things, that will help them when they leave this nest.

Making Bread

Carrying on with our tradition this summer we combined our cooking activity and learning something new by learning how to make rolls. These rolls are absolutely delicious and the kids love them. Their favorite part was being able to mix the dough with their hands. While the rolls were cooking we whipped up some homemade butter. I think next we will use the roll dough to make some yummy cinnamon rolls, they should love sprinkling cinnamon and sugar. With the kids in charge could be some sweet cinnamon rolls.

An Unbirthday Party!

The kids wanted to throw a party, so we decided to have an "Unbirthday" party. Anthony and Madeline spent all week planning all the details including activities and food. After looking over their plans I did have to scale things back or we would be celebrating for a week. They wanted to set up the food like a restraunt where we order our food from a menu, and they then prepare the food a call out a number when our food was done. I decided to just go for it and prepare everything that was on their menu since I cut a lot out of the activities. After our food we played a good round of life game followed by movie night. It was a fun way to spend time as a family and has sparked a new interest in our family...party planning. I believe Madeline is planning her next party I think she told me it would be a music party. This time there will not be an extensive food selection.

A Trip to the Store

In keeping with teaching my children new things and good life skills, I took them to the grocery store for a lesson in grocery shopping. I divided my list among each child, they had their own basket to put their items in. They learn how to locate the items on the list making sure they selected the right one, and they learned how to find the best value. The kids had fun and it sure made what could have been a stressful situation a lot easier. I just might have to do this again.

Oklahoma Fun

For Fourth of July Weekend we headed up north to the great state of Oklahoma to see Grant's cousin's family (Darrell and Staci Bartholomew). They have kids about the same age as ours and for the whole weekend we never saw the kids for they were busy off playing together. We met them up at the Oklahoma City Zoo and were able to explore for about an hour before it closed. I have lived here essentially for my whole life and I have been to the Fort Worth Zoo so many times that it has lost its excitement, so it was neat to see another zoo and to explore the fun activities that they have; it was also nice that it was a lot smaller than the Fort Worth Zoo. After the zoo we embarked on Braums for dinner and some refreshing ice cream. All that happened on Friday. Saturday started out with rain and ended with rain, but that didn't hamper a fishing trip. Staci and I were smart and stayed home while the Dads and kids went out fishing. All the kids were able to catch at least one fish. This was Spencer's first time fishing and the report I got back was that he didn't know what to think when he saw the fish hanging from his hook, but the fact that he didn't hook anyone else or get is fishing line tangled with another line was amazing. They had so much fun fishing that they brought those beastly critters home to eat. I am all about catch and release, I believe sea food stays in the water and not in my tummy; lucky for us the fish never got fried up while we were there...darn. After dinner on Saturday we actually caught a break in the rain and went for a family bike ride, which was interesting to say the least. Spencer didn't understand why he had to stay to the side of the road, Madeline didn't know how to break going down the hill nor did she understand that you cannot watch your feet while riding your bike, and Anthony didn't like riding his bike at all. Through it all we made it to the lake and back in one piece, not all people in our party were happy but we all made it back alive. After being medicated with root beer floats we were ready to shoot off fireworks, which was amazing for Anthony because we live in the city we are not able to shoot off our own fireworks. Madeline hung out inside the house where it was quiet and shortly after Spencer joined her. Madeline will at least look at fireworks from a distance, but Spencer on the other covered his eyes and kept them that way. Anthony was in his element and for a couple of hours was having fun shooting off fireworks after fireworks. It was a good thing that we did our own fireworks because it rained on the fourth of July and we were left to watching fireworks on tv all the way from Washington D.C. It was a great show and best of all Spencer and Madeline both enjoyed them, not too loud and not too scary. A win win situation for all.

Now it wouldn't be a trip to Grant's cousin's house without playing some kind of strategic game, and Gene had one that was both up Grant and Anthony's alley. I don't remember the title but it was an old Star Wars game. Now the short time that we were there the boys managed to squeeze in a couple rounds of playing and Joseph and Anthony played a couple of rounds by themself. So we are now looking on e-bay for one of our own.

Overall the trip was fun and a nice get a way from our crazy life!

Toy Story 3

Well we are still in full throttle for summer activities and in trying to do things with the kids that they normally do not get to do and to accomodate the heat I thought going to the movie theatre would be a fun treat. In looking at the prices for tickets I realized that it would cost 50.00 for our family to go to the theatre. Well I don't know about you, but there is a lot I can think of doing for 50.00 then going to watch a movie. Then a light bulb went off and I realized that Grant gets discount tickets at work for the movie theatre, well with his discount it wasn't so bad, so off to go see Toy Story 3. When we went to redeem our vouchers for tickets we told the lady that we wanted the 8:00 show, in which to told us that there wasn't an 8:00 show. Grant tried telling her that online it said they had an 8:00 show and but she just told us that times on line are not always correct. She did tell us that there was a 7:30 showing so we took it, after we had our tickets we saw that she gave the 3-D showing. The ticket lady was looking at the 3-D schedule and not the regular theatre schedule. Grant was not about to stay there in line any longer arguing with the ticket lady so he gladly took the tickets. So we got an extra bonus of seeing Toy Story 3 in 3-D for a major discounted price.

The kids enjoyed the movie and were entertained and Spencer did good as long as he had is popcorn and drink. Madeline and Anthony wore their glasses the whole time which surprised me. I on the other thought the glasses were annoying and after a bit my head started to hurt from having to see through them, but with out them the screen was a big blur so I was stuck wearing them. 3-D movies are neat, but they fall in the category of once is enough.

Sweet Angel Madeline

I cannot believe that my Sweet Angel is now six. I cannot believe that six years has passed since her birth and the hectic month after. It has not been an easy six years for her and there have been times that she has struggled to stay alive, but in these six years she has triumphed over every trial and every struggle, and she has done it with dignity, grace, courage, and the most beautiful smile ever. Madeline has taught me what it means to be courageous, what it means to embrace your trials, and no matter what to always smile through every storm. I am honored to be her mother and to enjoy her sweet spirit each and every day. I am glad Heavenly Father saw something in me that I did not see in my self six years ago and sent Madeline to me. It is a joy to walk along side Madeline through the ups and through the downs. I can only imagine if my joy is full now, how much fuller it will be in the years ahead. I know it will not be an easy road ahead for Madeline, there are still a lot of unknowns, but what we do know is Madeline will continue to shine and bless the lives of those that she comes in contact with. Madeline is truly a blessing and a joy to have!

Now to get on with business. Madeline is not much for birthday parties, she loves to spend time with her family, especially daddy. Knowing this it sure made things easier in planing her special day. We started off the day with her favorite breakfast, spaghetti. Yep, you read that correctly, spaghetti. You see Madeline does not like any breakfast foods, so for breakfast she usually has some kind of pasta or left over dinner. Spaghetti is her favorite and she can and will eat it all day long (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between). Madeline was thrilled when she woke up in the morning to find spaghetti waiting for her. Around lunch time it was off to spend the afternoon with Mommy, while the boys played with friends. First, we went to Olive Garden for, you guessed it, spaghetti, then we went to toys r us for Madeline to pick out her birthday present from Grandpa Croft and Sharon, and then off to the party store for her to pick out her birthday balloon. Our kids get to pick out a balloon at the party store on their birthday. It doesn't cost a lot of money and it is like gold to them, guess I can't complain about that. After our date it was time to head home for dinner and I am sure it is hard to guess what we had, yep it was spaghetti and again Madeline couldn't be happier. After dinner it was time for cake, well cookie cake that is with butterflies decorated on top (you know I wasn't going to leave butterflies out). After all of the festivities there was still one more activity for Madeline to do, have a date with Daddy. Madeline chose to go to the community swimming pool and splash around with Daddy. Madeline had a lot of fun, and at the end of the day she was smiling from ear to ear; I think she felt like a true princess that day.

Squirt Bottle of Fun

As part of our summer fun we headed out to the backyard to make pieces of art using squirt bottles filled with diluted paint. The kids had fun decorating their canvases and making different designs using their squirt bottles. Spencer preferred the up close tactic concentrating all three colors in one area of his canvas, Anthony went for the rainbow effect, and Madeline with for the lightly sprayed approach. After their canvases were complete and there was more paint left, it was time to paint the tree house and anything else that came in their contact. With the summer heat that we experience, their artwork was dried in no time and as soon as daddy is able they will be hung up on the wall for all to see. We have done this art project before and the kids never get tired of it. It is nice to have several fun and easy activities around to keep kids busy and entertained.

Live Concert

Yesterday afternoon the kids asked me if they could put on a concert for the family. I thought that would be a fun idea and a good way to spend the day together. It was fun listening to Madeline and Anthony plan out the songs that they were going to sing and dance too as well as what toys they could use for instruments. I think there was a pink bucket that became a drum, butterfly wands that become drumsticks. A toy broom and mop became a guitar for jammin, and a couple of glitter wands became flutes. The kids made tickets for the show and had assign seating for everyone. The concert had a sold out crowd which included Mommy, Daddy, Spencer , and few dolls and special stuff animals. For a few of the songs they had audience participation so Grant and I got up and danced to the music. It was a great evening and as a mother it was fun to see my kids use their imagination. The concert was a great way to spend time together as a family. After the concert the pool was calling to us to come for a little dip and that is just what we did!

Summer Fun June 11-19

We have been busy our first full week of Summer. Before school let out I took June, July and August and planned activities everyday for the week. My hope is to not only create wonderful memories for Summer 2010 but to keep fighting and boredom down to a minnium. It might not happen, but I can always hope. So our schedule looks something like this: Monday = Art Day. Tuesday = Water Day. Wednesday = Learn Something New. Thursday = Cooking Day. Friday = Fieldtrip. Saturday = Family Fun Day. It should be an exciting Summer, we might be busy but the memories and time together are well worth it. So without further ado, our Summer fun from June 11-19.

1 ( June 11) A trip to the Artisan (Artie's Playhouse) Theatre. We watched The Monkey and the Jelly Fish. The kids love to go to the theatre and watch plays and this theatre is designed for kids so the plays are nice a short and they involve the kids in the play.

2 (June 14) for art day we made stain glass art using contact paper and tissue paper. Anthony and Madeline really enjoyed coming up with their own designs and color patterns that was unique to them. 3 the finished product. The stain glass art looks really neat especially when the sun shines through.

Water Day (June 15) we made homemade bubbles which is 1 cup of Ultra Joy Dish Soap (brand specific) to 10 cups or so of water and a little bit of bubble juice from the store. Then the kids and I went around the house looking for things that we could turn into bubble wands, basically anything with holes in it-tennis rackets work the best and are a favorite in our house. Then out to the backyard we went turning everyday household items into bubble wands and chasing all kinds of bubbles. After 30 minutes of bubble fun it was time for a little bit of sprinkler fun on the trampoline.

I threw my back out on Wednesday and Madeline had a short outpatient ear tube removal on Thursday so we moved Wednesdays and Thursdays activity to Friday and combined it with our pajama party. In wanting to teach my kids new things I thought they would enjoy learning how to sew and I thought they would think it would be really neat to sew their own pillowcases. First I taught them how to measure your fabric, line it up right and using a straight edge cut a straight line, next it was onto the sewing machine. Madeline isn't tall enough to push the pedal while sitting so she pushes the pedal and I guide the fabric (I have a speed setting on my machine so I can keep my fingers). Madeline is pretty funny when it comes to sewing, she doesn't have the attention span yet for it so while pushing the pedal she jumps around, dances, or looks everywhere and anywhere except at the fabric. Thank goodness for speed control setting on the sewing machine. This was Anthony's first time at a sewing machine and he enjoyed the whole process. He is tall enough to sit and reach the pedal so I gave him full control and showed him where to line his fabric and what line to look at to ensure a correct seam allowance. After the sewing process I taught the kids how to measure and iron out the hem, then we sewed them hem and presto two beautiful pillowcases. The kids had fun and who knows maybe next we willmove on the pj's.

Our second activity for our pajama party was making ice cream in a bag. I have seen this concept before and thought it look simple and had good possibilities of working. The down side is you need to shake them for 5 minutes which the bags easily get heavy, and the bags also get really cold with all that ice; but despite all that the ice cream turned out really well and the kids had fun shaking around the kitchen. When it came time Madeline did not want any of her ice cream. Later I learned that she saw me put rock salt in with the ice and she was just certain there were big chunks of salt in her ice cream. It took a little bit of explaining to her that it wasn't so maybe next time she will give it a try.

On Saturday (June 12) for our family activity we went bowling. The local bowling alley near our house lets the kids bowl everyday this summer for free so we thought we would take advantage of the great offer. On Saturday mornings they have non smoking times so it works great with taking our kids. The kids enjoy bowling and Grant and I just enjoy having fun and hoping that before the game ends we at least get one strike. Spencer did really well this time waiting for his turn, you could see it was really hard for him to go twice and then wait but he did and as the game went on he saw that his turn did come up again and again, with this realization he was able to relax a little and cheer for Madeline and Anthony. I have to say I am a much better bowler on the Wii then at a bowling alley.

For our field trips my goal is to take them places/activities that they either haven't done or don't normally do. So I thought for our field trip (June 18) that as a family we would go to a local minor league baseball game. The kids enjoyed it after the 5th inning when finally some action happen, we thought it was going to be a tied (0-0) game. Our local team won (4-0) which makes it extra special and after the game they had a little firework show which scared Madeline and Spencer. This time the kids got an extra special treat and we bought treats to enjoy during the game. While we were at the game we saw a walking trail and a field that give you a great view of the game, so next time we are just going to get on the walking trail and enjoy the game picnic style from there. It was fun listening to the kids cheer for the local team, participate in the songs and really get into the spirit of the game. After the fireworks they let all the kids come onto the field and run the bases. Madeline and Anthony had fun racing each other around the bases and Spencer just putted along confused at what he was suppose to do and too distracted watching everyone pass him by, but he did eventually make it around the bases with a huge smile on his face.

To wrap up our week long of fun on Saturday June 19 our city had a kid band called The Biscuit Brothers come to a local park to give a concert. The concert was very entertaining and they interacted well with kids. Before and after the concert they had a couple of bounce houses for the kids to enjoy which was a big hit with out kids. Towards the end of the concert, Spencer was enjoying himself so much that he decided to take off his shorts and run through the park with his diaper on. Grant had to chase him down to his clothes on, but Spencer sure thought it was funny. Spencer at times can be crazy, he sure keeps us on our toes and entertain.

Well there you have our busy week in a snap shot. The kids are having fun doing all the various activities and writing about them and hopefully at the end of the summer they can have a nice Summer 2010 journal and lots to tell their friends when they return back to school.

Father's Day 2010

Father's Day this year was simple but a lot of fun. The kids had fun picking out gifts and making something special for their Dad, and I enjoyed making Grant his favorite dinner (Meatloaf and Orzo Pasta Salad) and with the help of the family making him is special treat Cream Cheese Brownies.

This year for gifts we picked out a Star Wars t-shirt that read: "Trust I am a JEDI" and to go along with our theme I got Grant a pair of Star Wars jammies. Madeline made Daddy a great card and Anthony made Daddy a platter out of clay with his handprint, and to add icing on the cake we gave Grant a few pieces of his favorite candy as well as candy that was fitting for Father's Day; for example Tootsie "Pops", Mr. Goodbars, and "Pop" rock candy. As a side note, the kids have never tried pop rock candy and so Grant shared in the fun. Madeline took a small taste and didn't care for it, Spencer at first didn't know what to think then loved it and wanted more, and Anthony had to go watch the candy popping in his mouth in a mirror. Finally to bring our Star Wars theme home, we wrapped all of his goodies with star wars wrapping paper.

Grant, you are a great dad to our kids. You truly care about them and you show your love for each one in the quality time that you spend each day with your children. Our children are truly blessed to be able to call you Father, Happy Father's Day!

Day Camp

The first week of June Anthony adventured out to his first year of day camp with his Daddy. Together they brave the heat and together they survived. Anthony enjoyed all the fun games and activities they had, he was especially glad when it was his groups turn to do the bounce houses. Anthony even participated in the challenge of showing up to day camp one day with an mohawk. I said that it would be okay, but I thought Grant was going to spike the middle of his hair, I quickly learn that wasn't what Grant had in mind. Grant did a full on mohawk by shaving the sides of his hair and leaving a streak of long hair down the middle of his head. Shocked swept over my face and I just kept telling myself that it is only a hair cut and after day camp the mohawk will be gone and in its place Anthony was going to have a really nice summer cut. For having a mohawk Anthony got a really nice flash light which he was excited about; even though it was shocking to see Anthony with a mohawk he had fun and that is what was important-hair will always grow back.

Last Day of School

Anthony's second grad teacher Mrs. Rattan

Madeline's teachers (left to right): Mrs Potts, Mrs. Chappell (Speech), and Mrs Cates and Mrs Nguyen (PPCD teachers).

Responsibility Award

At Madeline's school they do character awards each six weeks, Madeline receive the Responsibility award for the 5th six weeks, but due to her being out with heart surgery they gave her award at the end of the year. At the award ceremony the families get to enjoy breakfast and the teachers write a poem for each child using the first letters of their name. Madeline enjoys the award ceremony each year and picking which parent gets to accompany her. Surprisingly she has picked me over her dad a few times, I guess she does really love me! Madeline has been at her school since she was 3 and she has gotten a character award every year. This past year (Kindergarten) was her last year as she has graduated from the PPCD program and now will be going to the same school as Anthony, it is a little nerve racking but we are ready for a new adventure, new friends, and new teachers.

Piano Recital

Anthony had his second piano recital on May 22, and he rocked it. He is doing so well at piano and he is starting to enjoy it. He has a special knack for piano theory to the point that he has surpassed his mother with flying colors. He is starting to write his own music and doing improv as well. Writing his own music is a bit of a challenge for him, but he is slowly getting the hang of it. It is neat to see his personality shine through his music.

End of Year Party-Spencer

Even though Spencer started school when there were only two weeks left, he made it just in time to enjoy his end of the year party. The teachers did a great job juggling a bunch of 3 year olds. The party was outside on the playground where they played with various play ground toys and bubbles. Spencer enjoy going down the slide over and over until he saw the teachers bring out the bubbles. At that point the slide looked boring and it was all about the bubbles, which he held onto tightly and made it quit clear to his friends that he was not sharing. After all the bubble excitement and playground fun it was time to have a picnic, which Spencer gladly accepted (Spencer does not turn down food). There was an art project afterwards which didn't interest Spencer at all. Overall it was a good party and Spencer was excited to have me at school with him, playing and having fun with his friends.

Field Day-Madeline style

Madeline's original field was scheduled for May 14, but due to rain they reschedule for May 25 which was actually a good thing because that was Madeline 6 week mark from heart surgery which allowed her to participate in field day. I went up with her and tag along assisting when needed. The teachers and staff were really good about adapting the games so that Madeline could fully participate and enjoy the fun. Madeline was so excited and happy about all the fun games and being able to have fun with her friends. It was neat to see her excitement and joy. Madeline ran hard until the very end and after the last game she looked at me and said "I am tired." After a few minutes of resting and a yummy popsicle she was ready to go back to class.

Field Day-Anthony Style

This year's field day was an all day event with a break for lunch. Grant was able to go up in the afternoon and watch the afternoon games and I went up to eat lunch with Anthony. Anthony was sure on cloud nine with all the special one on one time he was getting from his parents, especially having his dad cheering for him. Anthony had a blast and enjoyed all the games especially dressing his teacher up for summer vacation as well as the water games; the sport style games he didn't enjoy too much ( we have learned that Anthony is not really athletic). Overall field day was a success and created lots of fun memories that he enjoys talking about months after field day.

Sleeping under the Stars

Lately the weather has been nice and we have been enjoying it before the dreadful heat of summer arrives. One night Grant took Anthony and Madeline and they slept out under the stars on the trampoline. Luckily we had their winter jammies still so everyone stayed nice and warm all snuggled together in the middle of the trampoline. The kids really enjoyed it, this will probably be a new tradition for us, maybe next time Spencer and I will join the fun.