Opening Weekend

We went to the lake for about 24 hours this past weekend. Funny how plans can blow up in an instant. Kevin took Friday off so we could go down Thursday night and have a nice long weekend. Unfortunately Warner started feeling sick Thursday morning, so we decided to wait and see how he felt the next day. And then the next. By Saturday morning we were still in town but did make it to the pediatrician, who diagnosed Warner with pneumonia. Being the exemplary parents that we are, after getting one dose of amoxicillan in his system, we packed up and headed South.

This was our first trip down, so we had some "opening weekend" items to cross off our list. Some of this included finishing up the redecorating project my mom started this winter. She had the condo painted, which then required new wall art, pillows, a rug ... You see where this is going. I must say however the place has never looked better.

Our golf cart had a flat tire as well, so we had it fixed and it seems to be in tip top shape. The kids were happy to enjoy golf cart rides again.

We got our new trail stickers for the carts, cleaned the golf carts (just before it started raining of course), cleaned out the storage closet, and bought half of the items in stock at Walmart so everything is ready to go for a delightful summer.

On our way out of town Sunday we enjoyed lunch at Kevin's parents' house, followed by a trip to Orange Leaf. This is perhaps the best news of all time: Somerset now has an Orange Leaf. Actually, this is most certainly bad news for me and my waistline.

On the way home yesterday, Warner told me he didn't have much fun at the lake. Well of course not. We didn't visit the pool, park, or lake. It was a working trip, but I assured him the next time we visit we will have loads of fun.

I can't wait.

Soccer

Warner just completed his third season of soccer with the YMCA. He has always liked playing, but this season he really enjoyed it. He’d ask multiple times a week how many days were left until his next practice or game. Of course he still says basketball is his favorite sport, so who knows.

We had the best coaching experience this season. Coach Dave took the time to teach the kids more details of the game, including some basic defense and offense. I also appreciated his sarcasm and humor, as he’d remind the kids of little things like “don’t take the ball away from your teammates!”. If you don’t have a good sense of humor, you probably shouldn’t coach 4 and 5 year old soccer.

 

Did I mention I got a new camera? Oh I did. And it’s amazing. Now, I’m no expert and have a long way to go before I’m taking super awesome pictures … but take a look at these action shots. You don’t get that with an iPhone.

 

Of course, being on the same team as Warner’s buddy Drew was great for Warner too. And I enjoyed it because I got to spend 2 hours a week chatting with Drew’s mom, Jen, during practice and games.

 

Maren tolerates soccer practice and games very well. She is surprisingly good at keeping herself entertained, whether it’s by pulling grass and arranging it into piles, running around next to the soccer field, or playing with a Barbie she’s brought (please excuse the My Little Pony underwear in the picture). Next season we plan to have Maren play, although she insists on wearing a pink jersey, so I’m not sure how all of this will work out.

 

Last weekend Kevin’s parents came to watch Warner’s last game. Unfortunately he was super tired and complained that he didn’t play his best. I’m pretty sure Joe and Linda didn’t mind. :)

 

Of course the snack at the end of the game is quite often the best part of youth sports. Here’s to another great season!

Goodbye, Lakeside

It's hard to believe we are saying goodbye to Lakeside Presbyterian Preschool. It has been a wonderful school where both kids received excellent instruction and care. Warner had his preschool graduation ceremony last week. I am proud to report I only teared up once during the entire morning! 

The kids sang a few songs, and then each of their names were read and they walked up to receive their "diploma". 

Our big kindergartener. Where has the time gone?

Joe, Linda, and my Mom were there with us to celebrate with us.

Yesterday was the last day of preschool. I definitely got teary eyed as I walked the kids into school for the last time. Lakeside has truly been a wonderful place for our kids, and I'm never good at marking the end of seasons of life. Obviously Maren will still be in preschool next year, but since we are moving her to Kids Academy at our church, we won't be visiting Lakeside anymore.

Picture from the last day of preschool ... and our little 2 year old on his first day at Lakeside back in September 2010.

A few more blasts from the past: first day of preschool, September 2011 (Maren's first year of preschool with Mrs. Krebs in the 2 year-old class):

 And the first day of school this year: September 2012:

 Last day of preschool 2013:

 

 I do think they get cuter with time though.

 Sad to bid this season farewell, but happy to embrace what lies ahead. I sure am one blessed lady.

Zoo

I love springtime at the Zoo. We joined Blakely, Braeden, and Ainsley last week for an afternoon trip to see the animals. 

Unfortunately I missed pictures with the Zoo Blooms tulips during our last visit. Thankfully there were a few flowers still out that were perfect for pictures.

We ate lunch at home before leaving, and opted for snacks and ice cream at the Zoo. Perfection.

This was our first trip to the Zoo without the wagon. And let me tell you: it was bliss. While I appreciate having the wagon to hold all of our stuff, pulling a wagon weighed down with stuff plus two kids is not fun. Especially at the (very hilly) Cincinnati Zoo.

This is not to say we didn't suffer through rounds of "Mommy, my legs are tired" and "Can you carry me?". Funny how the mention of ice cream at the end of the day kept those little legs moving right along.

Trying to get a picture of four kids all looking at the camera is pretty much impossible.

Blakely with her sweet kiddos.

The boys.

And, the girls. They chose this pose themselves. How do little girls know to do this instinctively? I'm thankful for wonderful friends and a wonderful Zoo nearby to visit.

Our Weekend

This weekend has been a bit weird primarily because Kevin is doing the master cleanse. In case you aren't familiar, you only drink "lemonade" made out of fresh lemons, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. No food at all. Additionally, you drink salt water in the morning to get things moving. Oh, and this is supposed to last 7-10 days. I agreed to do the cleanse with him but didn't even last all of Saturday. Pathetic, I know. I like food way too much to participate in that craziness. Seriously, after 12 hours I was starving and angry. There is no way I could have done that for an entire week.

So, instead of our typical Friday night that includes dinner (don't worry, we did feed the kids), we opted for sticker mosaics instead. They are actually quite fun. Maren worked on princess mosaics and Warner and Kevin completed two King's crowns.

Today I enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day. The kids got me flowers, pearl earrings (I lost one of mine over a year ago and have been wanting replacements ever since), and lovely cards. After church I had some alone time and got a pedicure. The rest of the day was filled with the typical stuff: laundry, mowing the lawn, preparing food for the week, and so on. I guess the good news is my cooking obligations will be light this week with Kevin doing his lemonade cleanse. Better him than me!

Yogurt popsicles and other ramblings

The weather has been weird lately. We'll have a few days of nice weather, followed by more cold and rain. We try to enjoy the nice days when we can, so one day this week the kids and I ate lunch in the clubhouse of their swing set. They've only done this a few times but love it whenever we remember to dine outdoors. 

For dessert, I've started freezing yogurt tubes. They resemble FlavorIce popsicles enough for my people, seeing as I've never actually bought FlavorIce. They've only had them a few times. I'm a fan because you can buy yogurt tubes with no HFCS and artificial colors (yes, they do have sugar but let's not get too picky) so it feels semi-nutritious. 

I think we'd all agree I'm a bit of a food Nazi. But in my defense, I have lightened up lately. We've really failed on the Paleo front, but have stayed gluten free for the most part. The trouble with gluten free is you can consume a whole lot of crap that is sans gluten, but full of junk. For instance, Cheetos (or Cheetahs if you're Warner and Maren) are considered gluten-free. Not exactly natural, healthy food. I'd say they fall into the "edible food-like substance" category. I don't want to know how they make the orange powder that coats each Cheeto. Ignorance is bliss in that area. 

But for now, the kids enjoy Cheetos and other gluten-free albeit unnatural foods occasionally and they are happy. Maren's asthma and both kids' skin rashes are under control so I think this arrangement works for everyone involved. It's all about balance, right?

Butterflies

So I'm having some camera issues. My phone got lost in the bottom of my beach bag along with a drippy water bottle on our cruise. Although most everything is still in working order, my camera is broken and the flash is permanently on. The good news is my phone is extremely easy to find in my purse. The bad news is I'm not eligible for an upgrade until June 22nd. Not willing to pay full price for a new iPhone, you can guess where I'll be on June 22nd.

Which means I'm back to using my old Canon Powershot. But the whole ordeal has got me thinking about cameras, and pictures, and whether or not we should just bite the bullet and buy a digital SLR camera and be done with it. I'm *extremely* disappointed in the quality of our photos from the cruise, but wonder if I'd really lug a big camera around? Decisions, decisions. 

In other news, the kids and I went to Krohn's Conservatory today to see the butterfly exhibit. We went last year and the kids liked it enough so I thought we'd do it again.

I took the kids' picture on this butterfly bench last year and it pains me to see how much they've grown when I compare the two photos side by side. But I'm pretty sure they get cuter as time passes, so that's good.

They were such willing subjects with my requests to take 100 pictures of them.

The butterflies are fairly difficult to "catch". They give you paper designed to look like a flower to attract the butterflies, but they're smart creatures. They know the difference.

Both kids got a few butterflies to land on their flowers, which they were delighted about.

 

A kind woman took our picture. I don't particularly care for being in pictures all the time, but it is nice to have documentation that I am indeed a part of the family and accompany my people on outings and experiences.

We finished our adventure with shaved ice and ice cream which the kids shared surprisingly well. The shaved ice was from a local company that makes the flavoring out of simple syrups from real fruit - so no dyes, artificial stuff, etc. It was delicious! I'm pretty confident the ice cream was full of junk. You win some, you lose some. The kids were happy.

What a refreshing way to spend the day, especially with such lovely weather. Summer, here we come!