Hooray for VBS!

As mentioned a few posts ago, the kids attended Vacation Bible School this past week.  Our church unfortunately doesn't have VBS, but a ton of churches in our area offer it.  A friend of mine attends Florence Baptist and was volunteering for their VBS program.  She suggested I sign the kids up, and I'm so thankful she did.

 

The theme was "Amazing Wonders Aviation" and the kids came home with these aviator goggles on Thursday.  To say they love the goggles would be a huge understatement.  Warner slept in his goggles one night this week and even wore them to the Zoo on Friday.

The church had a carnival to wrap up the week on Thursday night, complete with rides, games, hot dogs, and cotton candy for the whole family.  It was so much fun!  I am such a sucker for a carnival.

Notice Warner's goggles again.  Ha. 

The kids had a blast but the best part is obviously what they learned about God.  I was so proud of them on Thursday when they could both recite their memory verse (a children's version of Deuteronomy 31:6): "Be strong.  Do not be afraid.  God is with you always."  Hooray for VBS!

The Marenest Mae

Maren.  There is so much to say about this girl.  She is funny and snugly and a lover of all things pink and purple.  She loves to dance and wants to be a princess when she grows up.  But she is also tough and can rarely be found without a series of scrapes and bruises up and down her legs as evidence of her belief that she is just as big as her brother. 

She loves making people laugh.  Whether it's making silly faces or telling crazy stories to elicit a smile from someone, she keeps me on my toes with her humor.  She's also incredibly smart and nothing gets past this kid.  She will often correct me, or my new favorite, tell me things I already knew in a confident, convicting tone.  Such as: "Mom, did you know that ketchup is made out of tomatoes?".  Like I had never known that until my two year old decided to enlighten me with that information.

So after Warner started riding his bike without training wheels, Maren was set on riding a "big kid bike".  Up until then she had been riding a tricycle, and it was time for a new set of wheels.  So, off to Montgomery Cyclery we went for an early birthday present from my parents.  Her new ride is purple (of course) complete with bell and streamers that we added because really, what is a bike without a bell and streamers? 

And this girl can ride.  We intentionally bought a bike that was a bit big so she can keep it for a while.  But the size doesn't slow her down.  She pedals and turns and rings that bell like it's nobody's business.  The funniest part is one of her new sayings.  I've got to get it on video because it's not necessarily the words - "oh yeah" - it's the way she says them.  So until I post the video, just picture Maren riding up and down the sidewalk, ringing her bell, singing "oh yeah" all the way.  Fractures me.

Maren also wears me out.  And that's an understatement.  I constantly liken her to the children's book character Olivia.  At the end of one Olivia book, Olivia's mom says: "Olivia, you really wear me out.  But I love you anyway".  And Olivia replies: "I love you anyway too".  That pretty much sums it up.

She has so much energy.  And so much love.  And so much spunk.  She is so much stinking fun I can hardly stand it.  When Maren is in true Maren form, Kevin and I often shoot each other a look that says "can you believe this is our child?  She is nothing like either one of us".  And it's true.  Maren couldn't be more different than our type-A, firstborn personalities.  I guess that's what makes life so fun.  And so interesting.  I can't wait to see Maren continue to grow into the person God made her to be.

Single parenting

Kevin takes a guys golfing trip each June with friends from his hometown.  Since I'd rather be a single parent at the lake than at home, I end up spending that weekend with the kids at Woodson Bend.  This year the weekend ended up being an entire week for us.  I had actually planned to stay longer, but came home Sunday so the kids could go to VBS.  Turns out four mornings with my kids at church and me by myself still trumps the lake.

As usual, we had a great time at Bobbie and Grandpa's condo.  The weather was a bit cool during the beginning of the week but was back to normal by the time we left.  The cold was a bummer because the boat is finally de-moused and in the lake but swimming was out of the question for me while it was 65 degrees outside.  The kids, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind.


Notice Maren's face?  She got that from the "big red slide" at the playground.  The slide is indeed very large, and red, and turns out if you go down it in slippery pajama bottoms, you pick up some speed  by the time you reach the end.  She started on her bottom and feet-first but landed on her stomach, face-first on the ground.  (And yes, we go to the WB playground in our jammies - even me, complete with coffee mug in hand.  It's reason #476 why Woodson Bend is the happiest place on earth).  Thankfully some ouch cream (Neosporin) and a princess band-aide made it all better.




Since the boat was so accessible, we spent quite a bit of time on it.  It's more fun to boat with a group, but we still had fun with the three of us.  We packed a lunch each day and the kids tubed and swam to their hearts' desire.


 
One day I suggested we take a nap on the boat.  Nice idea but of course it didn't happen.  The kids did try for me, though.

Probably the highlight of the week for the kids was getting a new golf cart.  Kevin and I bought our electric cart four years ago and while it was nice, it has been finicky for at least three summers.  And with the kids getting bigger, it's nearly impossible to ride on one golf cart together.  So, we finally decided to trade in our electric cart for a gas powered one with a back seat.

The kids love the back seat and Warner enjoys the gas powered engine that goes faster than our old electric cart.  Ha.

Although we had a great trip, I was ready to come home on Sunday.  A week without Kevin's companionship and parenting help was about as much as I could handle.  Unfortunately he leaves Thursday for the lake with more friends for another golfing weekend.  He really owes me, huh?

I really don't know how single parents do it.  Or those with husbands that travel.  Seven days in I thought I would most certainly lose my mind.  In fact, the VBS thing was a complete God-send.  I was under the impression that Maren was too young to attend.  So when I dropped off Warner Monday morning, I was surprised to learn that Maren could indeed attend, and they could sign her up right there on the spot.

As I left the church, I started crying.  Real tears, people.  That's how exhausted and weary I had become after one week alone with my children.  As I thanked God for VBS I also thanked Him for Kevin's job that does not require travel.  I would seriously be in the nut house right now if I had to do this alone.

Look, Mom: No Training Wheels!

I am so excited I could spit.  Or jump up and down.  Or squeal.  Or perhaps all three.  Warner can officially ride a two-wheeler!

The kids were riding their bikes after dinner last night as Kevin and I were chatting outside.  As Warner zipped by, I told him he was ready to ride without training wheels.  But sort of in an off-handed comment kind of way.  Apparently that was all the push he needed because the next thing I knew Kevin was taking the first training wheel off.

I remembered my parents telling me they had the most success teaching Meredith to ride without training wheels by starting off with only one training wheel on.  So, we tried that with Warner but the result was him leaning to one side to counteract the missing wheel.  It didn't take long to realize that wasn't going to work.

So, we took both wheels off.  Kevin steadied the bike a bit at the beginning but after a few practice runs, Warner was on his own.

At first he would just take a straight trip up the street, stop, turn around using his feet on the ground, and come back home.  But after a few minutes he was doing circles and riding on the sidewalk some. 

I never thought Warner would be riding a two-wheeler at four years old.  I guess it's silly to be so excited about this little accomplishment, but it's a big deal to me.  I feel like it's a rite of passage for kids.  We of course called grandparents last night to share the big news, and even showed my parents Warner's new tricks via Facetime on our phones.  Here's the video proof of his accomplishment:

Way to go, Warner!  Now will you please stop growing up so quickly?

It's always something

You'd think that after boating all my life, I would have learned that there is always a problem to deal with on a boat.  Foolishly, I expected our first trip to the lake this weekend to go smoothly.  Of course it did not. 

I got a call Friday morning from my dad telling me that mice had set up camp in the boat all winter long.  They made nests everywhere, chewed through most of our gear, and as you can imagine, left behind quite a stench.  After having it cleaned twice, the smell remains, so it looks like new carpet is in order.  Needless to say, the boat is not in Lake Cumberland right now and I'm not sure when it will be.  What frustrates me most about this is that my parents have waited FOUR years for a boat slip at the Woodson bend dock and finally got one a few weeks ago.  I imagined endless boating this summer, with the ease of having the boat in the water until September.  Hopefully that will still happen, just later than expected.

The second problem of the weekend was our golf cart.  It's an electric cart that has decided to randomly not start, despite appearing to be fully charged.  So, we wrestled with the cart all weekend and hope to have someone fix it this week.  Sigh.  The good news is my parents' golf cart is in great working order, so we used their cart to get around over the weekend.

Despite having no boat at the lake and only one golf cart, we still had a lovely weekend at The Bend.  

The kids' new favorite way to ride the golf cart:

Kevin's parents watched Abby and Ashley one night so they came to swim with us.  Warner and Maren loved the cousin company.

 

We also bought Warner his first set of golf clubs.  He's so excited about them.

Here's to hoping the boat and golf cart will be fixed soon ... because I'm ready for a long, fun summer at the lake!

Another year at Lakeside

It's hard to believe this is the kids' last week of preschool at Lakeside.  Since Maren only goes to school on Wednesdays, her last day was today.  Here she is posing in her favorite spot - the wall the preschool director asks the kids to not walk on.  Of course.

Warner's class had a park play date instead of regularly scheduled school today.  It didn't start until 10am so after we dropped Maren off at her classroom, Warner and I went to Panera for a breakfast date.

He got to choose whatever he wanted for breakfast, which ended up being a carrot cake cupcake and orange juice.  Nothing like a pound of sugar to start your day, huh?

We enjoyed eating and playing games together on the iPad until it was time to go to the park.  I rarely get to spend time out with just Warner, and I treasured each minute.  He has grown into such a thoughtful, polite, smart, and kind young man.  He is so independent these days that when he does "little boy" things it sometimes catches me off guard.  Like holding my hand as we walked from the parking lot into Panera. Melt my heart.

Once at the park Warner quickly met up with his two best friends at school: Hailey and Drew.  I am in love with this picture of the three of them.

And here he is with his teacher, Mrs. Kemp.

 

Another school year has flown by.  Next year at this time Warner will be graduating from preschool and headed to Kindergarten in the fall.  Holy cow I am not ready for that.  For now, I'm looking forward to enjoying the summer with my still preschool-aged kiddos.  I'll worry about Kindergarten later.

Happy Mother'rs Day to Me!

I have a confession to make.  I really love Mother's Day.  And not just because my sweet children and husband make me feel like a princess on Mother's Day.  I love that everyone collectively celebrates mothers on this day each year; that we all stop and appreciate the special women in our lives.  Add to that the fact that I got to take a 2+ hour nap and Kevin put the kids to bed for me on Sunday, and you've got one happy Momma.
 
The kids each chose flowers and a card to give me Sunday morning.  We also enjoyed lunch out.  We had wanted to go to brunch at a local restaurant but didn't make reservations so plan B was the place next door.  It's sort of a little diner-type place but it was quiet and the food was yummy.  Really, any lunch that didn't require me to cook and/or clean up was fine with me.
 
 
Earlier in the week, Kevin's parents stayed with us for a few days to help us plant our garden.  My sweet father in law has helped us put out our garden three years in a row now.  Each year the kids are more interested in what we're growing.  Maren and Warner each helped plant our 5 tomato plants, 5 rows of green beans, 4 hills of zucchini/yellow squash, and a row of onions.  Maren especially loved playing in the dirt, but Warner thought pushing the seeds into the ground was pretty neat.
 
Of course the concept of not having food to harvest for several months is a tough concept for a 2 and 4 year old.  The kids have been down to the garden each day now, hoping to see our vegetables growing.  Yesterday Warner announced "Mom!  I see a green bean growing!".  It was just a weed, but I'm glad he's excited about our garden.

Before Kevin's parents left town we enjoyed froyo at our new favorite place in town: Orange Leaf.  Yum.  Thanks Joe and Linda for the gardening help.  And Happy Mother's Day!

Weekend

We had a busy weekend indeed.  My parents arrived Friday evening and we enjoyed a Friday night nacho night together.  Fridays used to be pizza nights but lately the kids aren't huge fans of tomato sauce so we've switched to nachos/taco salad/general Mexican food.  My Friday night cooking criteria is that it needs to be simple so Mexican works for me.

Saturday we had lunch at Red Robin.  Maren wore her "super glasses" (mom's reading glasses) during most of the meal. 

 

After lunch we headed to Warner's soccer game.  He had a great game and even scored his first goal!  I'm pretty sure my mom and I were more excited about it than him.  He enjoys soccer but I'm pretty sure his favorite part is the snack after the games.

Next, we headed downtown to pick up my dad's and my race packets for the marathon the next day.  The Flying Pig has a great expo and it got us all excited for the race. 

Sunday was the big day.  Dad and I woke up at 4am to give us enough time to have coffee, drive downtown, park, and get in line for the 6:30am start.  We started off well, trying to hold back speed-wise so we'd have enough steam at the end.  We stuck together until mile 20, but Dad needed to walk and I just wanted to race to be over.  Unfortunately I completely fell apart at about mile 21 with incredible knee pain.  I wasn't sure I would make it to the finish.  By the time I finally made it to the finish line it was nearly 85 degrees and I was in so much pain I was crying.  Dad came in about 15 minutes after me.

 Here we are after the race.  It's weird when you train for a marathon for 4+ months and then it's over in one morning.  I sort of feel like it's the day after Christmas now, sad that it's over.  I'm already scheming my next race to redeem myself from this one.  I'm so happy to have run the Pig though, especially with my dad.  I ran the Flying Pig with my mom in 1999, so I'm a pretty lucky girl to have run a marathon with each of my parents!  Hopefully one day I can share the experience with my kids.

News

Meredith's Miracles got a few minutes of fame today on Cincinnati's Channel 9 news.  Take a look!

Dentist

Warner had his first dentist appointment earlier this week.  We drove up to Cincinnati to see Dr. Westendorf, the dentist I have seen since I was Warner's age.  It's a bit of a drive now that we're in Northern Kentucky, but since we only go twice a year and he's such a great Dentist, it's worth the distance for me.
 
I wasn't very worried about how it would go since Warner's such a laid back and compliant kid.  He took the whole thing in stride, and even had his teeth cleaned by himself, since I was having my teeth cleaned at the same time.

The hygienist mentioned that she could try to see Maren as well during our visit, assuming she'd just count her teeth and give Maren an "introduction" to the whole dentist experience.  In true Maren fashion, she happily jumped into the Dentist's chair, opened her mouth as wide as she could, and let the hygienist count, clean, and floss her teeth.

Both kids left with more toys and junk that you could imagine.  It looked like we had done some serious damage at the Dollar Spot at Target.  Of course this pleased the kids to no end and they can't wait to go back to the Dentist again in 6 months.
 
On the way home we visited Krohn's Conservatory for their butterfly exhibit.  I wasn't sure what to expect but had heard good things about the exhibit.  It was a pretty cool experience.  There were hundreds of butterflies in the room from six different continents.
 
They gave us paper that was shaped and colored to look like flowers for the butterflies to land on.  Most of the butterflies weren't fooled by the fake flowers but a few were, and the kids were thrilled to get up-close and personal with the butterflies.


We're looking forward to a fun few days this weekend with a soccer game for Warner tomorrow and the Flying Pig Marathon with my dad on Sunday.  More pictures and posts to come.