Yesterday was my little man's seventh birthday. He has been strictly forbidden from growing at all this next year as he is just getting WAY too big! I can't believe how time has flown, and yet I have to say that I enjoy him more and more each year as he transforms from the unruly preschooler that he was into a calmer, more focused elementary school student.
We kind of started celebrating on Friday when Matthew got his first birthday card. Grandpa and Grandma Fulkerson sent him a Visa gift card and he thought it was pretty cool to have his own credit card. He bought an airplane and some fishing hooks for his new poll.
Grandpa and Grandma Litwiller came for a visit on Monday and they brought a surprise visitor, GG!! The kids did not know their great-grandmother was coming and they were STILL excited about it when they went to bed that night. We ate at Upper Krust, which Matthew chose because he loves their soup. Then we came home and Matthew opened up presents, which included a large Batmobile (almost a monster truck), a carnivorous plant set, and some t-shirts. He also received a check from his great-grandmother and a children's dictionary from his great-aunt and uncle. We had his cake that day since there were more people to eat it and then the kids played games with Grandma. Thankfully we have been given and have borrowed enough air conditioners that the house is very cool during the visit.
After Rob went to work, we took off and hit the Aquatic Center. The passes went half-price on Monday so we took advantage of that and plan to go a lot this summer. The boys are very confident in the water and other than checking to see where they are periodically, I don't have to worry about them. Which is good, because Anna takes up much of my attention! I'm her favorite playmate so we spend our time playing together.
Matthew was the first one up on his birthday and I let him play Wii until the rest of us got up. He requested chocolate chocolate chip muffins for breakfast and I had to find a new recipe since I couldn't find the old one! Good thing we have air or I would never have baked. Rob joined us just as we started to eat (he works until 2am now, so he sleeps in). We gave Matthew a Lego Pirates of the Caribbean set and he spent much of his morning putting it together.
He wanted to spend as much time at the pool as we could, so we all went at 11am when it opened. I like it when Rob comes with us because then I can go down the big slide without worrying that Anna is going to try and follow me :) We stayed until about 12:30pm, then we treated Matthew (and the rest of us) to McDonald's for lunch. We rested for the afternoon (well, Matthew played N64 all afternoon) and then we headed back to the pool after supper and stayed until 8pm. A local dentist paid for the pool to stay open an extra hour and they had tons of giveaways. Anna won a princess puzzle. The boys were disappointed that they didn't win anything, so I pointed out that the prizes all looked like dollar store toys. I then said, "And what happens to dollar store toys?" The boys replied in unison, "They brake!" I treated them to smoothies before we headed home.
We ended the evening with showers and the first pirate movie. Anna and Ben fell asleep pretty early on (I think Anna caught about five minutes of the movie, which is fine b/c she's too young to see it anyway!) Matthew made it to the end and did say that this was the best birthday ever :) And it's the first one since he turned three where he hasn't worried about getting older!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Birthday Weekend
This past weekend, we made a trip down to Illinois to celebrate two special birthdays. Rob's grandmother turned 100 on the 5th of July and my dad turned 60 on the 7th. I think it's safe to say that we're "caked out" right now.
Rob was able to get time off from both of his jobs, so we took off on Friday morning for Normal. We had a very uneventful trip down, thanks in part to the van. It has really made traveling so much more pleasant! We had a yummy lunch at Rob's parent's home, then Rob and the boys went to the church where GG's reception was to be held to help out with the set up. I kept Anna back at the house so she could rest and hopefully make it through the rest of the evening. And I really didn't want to chase her around everywhere :) She and I watched Snow White and part of a Shirley Temple movie while I mounted some stamp sets.
When the boys came back, I was busy packing up a picnic lunch to take over to my sister's house. I got to meet my sweet nephew Logan for the first time...what a cutie!! We all ended up eating our "picnic" in her dining room and then went to State Farm park. My brother-in-law works for State Farm, and one of the perks is access to an awesome, huge park, complete with it's own aquatic center. We swam for almost 2 hours and had a blast. Again, the boys were very competent in the water and we even let them go to a different pool area than where we were. They had a water slide that ended in a pool with only a 2 1/2 foot depth, so Anna and her cousin Kenzie had a ball sliding into the water. There is also a lazy river and a large kiddie area. Anna found the tunnel slide in the kiddie area and spent a LONG time going down it. She even got caught by a lifeguard when she tried to climb UP the slide! Needless to say, the kids were very tired that evening. Easiest time I have ever had putting them to sleep at Grandma's!
Saturday morning we kind of puttered around and did a little bit of shopping, namely for Matthew since I somehow missed packing him a polo. We went to the reception at 1pm for family pictures and I'd say that overall the kids did pretty well. They, along with one other cousin, sang to GG. They were all so sweet!
Once we saw the kids' behavior start to degenerate, we decided to leave. (Better to get out of there at the beginning of bad behavior than the middle of it!) We tooled around Toys R Us and got some ideas for Matthew's birthday. They had some good clearance deals, so we let each child pick out something cheap. Then we headed back to Grandma's to change clothes and meet over at GG's house for supper. The kids were so well-behaved and for once, we left GG's because it was bedtime, not b/c of poor behavior. They had a ball with their Uncle Dan doing an animal hunt in GG's basement.
Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast, and headed to Pontiac for Birthday #2. We dropped the kids off at my parents' church and my mom met us at the door to sort the kids into their classes. Rob and I headed over to their house to set up a surprise for my dad. We made a four-tiered "cake" out of cans of Diet Coke and decorated it with ribbon and signs. While there, we got to meet my new niece Annie, born back in March. I also left a surprise for my mom and put our family picture onto the wall with our pictures. (And don't worry, family, pictures are coming. It's just taking us awhile to get them all printed.)
After church, we had a great lunch and then the kids played in the pool. Anna wasn't too keen on playing with her brothers, cousin Ezra, and Uncle Joel, so she went back into the house with Grandma. Rob and I each caught a nap and we ended the evening at the park.
We drove back to Wisconsin Monday morning and have spent the time since then recooping from the trip. It was a fun trip down.
Rob was able to get time off from both of his jobs, so we took off on Friday morning for Normal. We had a very uneventful trip down, thanks in part to the van. It has really made traveling so much more pleasant! We had a yummy lunch at Rob's parent's home, then Rob and the boys went to the church where GG's reception was to be held to help out with the set up. I kept Anna back at the house so she could rest and hopefully make it through the rest of the evening. And I really didn't want to chase her around everywhere :) She and I watched Snow White and part of a Shirley Temple movie while I mounted some stamp sets.
When the boys came back, I was busy packing up a picnic lunch to take over to my sister's house. I got to meet my sweet nephew Logan for the first time...what a cutie!! We all ended up eating our "picnic" in her dining room and then went to State Farm park. My brother-in-law works for State Farm, and one of the perks is access to an awesome, huge park, complete with it's own aquatic center. We swam for almost 2 hours and had a blast. Again, the boys were very competent in the water and we even let them go to a different pool area than where we were. They had a water slide that ended in a pool with only a 2 1/2 foot depth, so Anna and her cousin Kenzie had a ball sliding into the water. There is also a lazy river and a large kiddie area. Anna found the tunnel slide in the kiddie area and spent a LONG time going down it. She even got caught by a lifeguard when she tried to climb UP the slide! Needless to say, the kids were very tired that evening. Easiest time I have ever had putting them to sleep at Grandma's!
Saturday morning we kind of puttered around and did a little bit of shopping, namely for Matthew since I somehow missed packing him a polo. We went to the reception at 1pm for family pictures and I'd say that overall the kids did pretty well. They, along with one other cousin, sang to GG. They were all so sweet!
Once we saw the kids' behavior start to degenerate, we decided to leave. (Better to get out of there at the beginning of bad behavior than the middle of it!) We tooled around Toys R Us and got some ideas for Matthew's birthday. They had some good clearance deals, so we let each child pick out something cheap. Then we headed back to Grandma's to change clothes and meet over at GG's house for supper. The kids were so well-behaved and for once, we left GG's because it was bedtime, not b/c of poor behavior. They had a ball with their Uncle Dan doing an animal hunt in GG's basement.
Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast, and headed to Pontiac for Birthday #2. We dropped the kids off at my parents' church and my mom met us at the door to sort the kids into their classes. Rob and I headed over to their house to set up a surprise for my dad. We made a four-tiered "cake" out of cans of Diet Coke and decorated it with ribbon and signs. While there, we got to meet my new niece Annie, born back in March. I also left a surprise for my mom and put our family picture onto the wall with our pictures. (And don't worry, family, pictures are coming. It's just taking us awhile to get them all printed.)
After church, we had a great lunch and then the kids played in the pool. Anna wasn't too keen on playing with her brothers, cousin Ezra, and Uncle Joel, so she went back into the house with Grandma. Rob and I each caught a nap and we ended the evening at the park.
We drove back to Wisconsin Monday morning and have spent the time since then recooping from the trip. It was a fun trip down.
Monday, July 4, 2011
4th of July Parade
One of the highlights of the 4th of July for the kids is the Annual Watertown parade, one of the best small-town parades I have ever seen. It lasts over two hours and the kids come home with lots of goodies. Oh, and the floats are pretty cool, too! We have such a fun town with great hometown pride and a comraderie that can't be beat! And you know you're in the right place when the Republican candidates can bravely walk down the street with no body guards and get lots of cheering from the crowd :)
Rob staked out our spot on Main Street yesterday afternoon. Yes, you heard right, yesterday. If you want a spot on the curb, you have to get your seats out a day early. We have a double captain's chair that we set out and the kids just sit on the curb. They're up half the time grabbing candy off the street anyway, so they don't need a real place to sit. He checked on our seats last night when he took the boys to watch the fireworks and they had been shoved down a bit, but were still on the curb. Oh, and he found us a spot only one block away!
The parade floats line up on our street and it's always fun to see who is out there each year. This year we had old orange tractors, the German Days float from Jefferson complete with blaring loud polka music (not complaining...it could have been the Elvis impersonator or the off-key rock band) and the Jefferson County Fair float sporting a plastic cow and the Fairest of the Fair. Anna thought the girl was a real, live princess because she had a tiara on her head. The kids spent most of the morning dancing on the porch to the polka music and talking to some of the parade walkers. When the "princess" went by on the fair float, she recognized Anna and gave her a special wave, which made Anna's day :)
We got down to our spot with plenty of time to spare, armed with water bottles and snacks and slathered up with sunscreen. Or at least the kids and Rob were. I neglected a few key areas, so I'm a little crispy right now. We did end up leaving a bit early because I couldn't take it anymore in the direct sunlight. Rob didn't want to stay for the whole thing anyway, so it worked out. And the boys are pretty tired from staying up late to watch fireworks.
Highlights from this year's parade: The stilt walkers whom Anna thought looked like fairies, all of the "princesses" from the various festivals and fairs, the Shiner cars (love those things!), the camels, the unruly horse, the boys running out to grab hot dogs from the float cooking them and giving them away, loads of candy thrown out, and our church float done with the teens. They focused on "Teens Serve" and had "statues" of teenagers from the past who have served our country. It was very well done and if they don't win a prize, I will be surprised!
The highlight for Matthew would be getting a fishing pole. One of the local clubs was throwing out balls and if the person who caught it threw it back, they got a free fishing pole. The gentleman singled out Matthew and pretty much gave him the ball. I thought Matthew's eyes would fall out of their sockets! He can't wait to go fishing with Daddy.
We really do have a fabulous parade here in town. Feel free to come join us next year! But bring your chairs a day early or you have to sit behind us :)
Rob staked out our spot on Main Street yesterday afternoon. Yes, you heard right, yesterday. If you want a spot on the curb, you have to get your seats out a day early. We have a double captain's chair that we set out and the kids just sit on the curb. They're up half the time grabbing candy off the street anyway, so they don't need a real place to sit. He checked on our seats last night when he took the boys to watch the fireworks and they had been shoved down a bit, but were still on the curb. Oh, and he found us a spot only one block away!
The parade floats line up on our street and it's always fun to see who is out there each year. This year we had old orange tractors, the German Days float from Jefferson complete with blaring loud polka music (not complaining...it could have been the Elvis impersonator or the off-key rock band) and the Jefferson County Fair float sporting a plastic cow and the Fairest of the Fair. Anna thought the girl was a real, live princess because she had a tiara on her head. The kids spent most of the morning dancing on the porch to the polka music and talking to some of the parade walkers. When the "princess" went by on the fair float, she recognized Anna and gave her a special wave, which made Anna's day :)
We got down to our spot with plenty of time to spare, armed with water bottles and snacks and slathered up with sunscreen. Or at least the kids and Rob were. I neglected a few key areas, so I'm a little crispy right now. We did end up leaving a bit early because I couldn't take it anymore in the direct sunlight. Rob didn't want to stay for the whole thing anyway, so it worked out. And the boys are pretty tired from staying up late to watch fireworks.
Highlights from this year's parade: The stilt walkers whom Anna thought looked like fairies, all of the "princesses" from the various festivals and fairs, the Shiner cars (love those things!), the camels, the unruly horse, the boys running out to grab hot dogs from the float cooking them and giving them away, loads of candy thrown out, and our church float done with the teens. They focused on "Teens Serve" and had "statues" of teenagers from the past who have served our country. It was very well done and if they don't win a prize, I will be surprised!
The highlight for Matthew would be getting a fishing pole. One of the local clubs was throwing out balls and if the person who caught it threw it back, they got a free fishing pole. The gentleman singled out Matthew and pretty much gave him the ball. I thought Matthew's eyes would fall out of their sockets! He can't wait to go fishing with Daddy.
We really do have a fabulous parade here in town. Feel free to come join us next year! But bring your chairs a day early or you have to sit behind us :)
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Beach Day!
We've been meaning to head to the beach and today we got back there, minus Daddy. He had to work at 9:45, so we started prepping to leave when he took off. The kids were through-the-moon excited to go swimming, especially since it's been so nasty around here, weather-wise. This time, we were armed with Funoodles (large foam tubes) and a pink hippo floating thingy for Anna to sit in that we found at a garage sale (thank you again, Grandpa Litwiller!) We also took along our lunch in case we all got hungry.
The beach wasn't too crowded when we got there and I actually found a decent parking place in the lot this time. The boys took off straight into the water with their Funoodles and I can see a huge difference in their swimming now versus before their lessons. Money well spent, I must say! They were bravely paddling out to the deeper water with the use of the noodles and demonstrating many of the skills they learned. I have to say the biggest change I see is in Matthew, who no longer panics in the deeper water and wants me to show him more on how to swim. We worked on treading water and I demonstrated the side stroke, although he didn't try it yet. I'm so proud of the progress they have made!
And I'm SO thankful for that floating thing! It fits Anna perfectly and she let me take her all over the swimming part of the lake. Last time she clung to me in terror, but in her personal boat she was completely content and sang to herself much of the time. She even let me throw her around a bit. We almost made it out to the far end of the swimming area, but I didn't want to have to swim and pull her rope at the same time. I did notice that when I inched out to deeper water, the boys would join me, and soon they were spending much of their time in water deep enough that they couldn't touch the ground. Again, this NEVER would have happened last year with Matthew!
We had a wonderful time and came home sandy, dirty, cooled off, and sunburned. Well, Matthew and I are sunburned. I KNOW I got his back good, but he's pink anyway. And Matthew is a much better sunblock applier than Ben, because the half of my back done by Ben is a little crispy :)
The beach wasn't too crowded when we got there and I actually found a decent parking place in the lot this time. The boys took off straight into the water with their Funoodles and I can see a huge difference in their swimming now versus before their lessons. Money well spent, I must say! They were bravely paddling out to the deeper water with the use of the noodles and demonstrating many of the skills they learned. I have to say the biggest change I see is in Matthew, who no longer panics in the deeper water and wants me to show him more on how to swim. We worked on treading water and I demonstrated the side stroke, although he didn't try it yet. I'm so proud of the progress they have made!
And I'm SO thankful for that floating thing! It fits Anna perfectly and she let me take her all over the swimming part of the lake. Last time she clung to me in terror, but in her personal boat she was completely content and sang to herself much of the time. She even let me throw her around a bit. We almost made it out to the far end of the swimming area, but I didn't want to have to swim and pull her rope at the same time. I did notice that when I inched out to deeper water, the boys would join me, and soon they were spending much of their time in water deep enough that they couldn't touch the ground. Again, this NEVER would have happened last year with Matthew!
We had a wonderful time and came home sandy, dirty, cooled off, and sunburned. Well, Matthew and I are sunburned. I KNOW I got his back good, but he's pink anyway. And Matthew is a much better sunblock applier than Ben, because the half of my back done by Ben is a little crispy :)
Friday, July 1, 2011
VBS #2
Sunday night started our church's VBS program and Anna in particular was VERY excited to go. And then we were told that 3's would go to the nursery. Um...no...said I, a veteran parent of 3's at our church. Apparently, the two people in charge (who have been in charge for years) had no idea that parents bring their 3's anyway and put them in with the 4's and 5's. Rob and I had a long talk with the director, who we sent to speak with the person who was in charge of the preschoolers last year so she could tell him how non-distracting the 3's are. He had no idea the 3's don't go to the nursery on Sunday and Wed nights, but sit with their parents or attend the preschool ministry. I'm glad we got all of that nonsense about 3's being distracting cleared up, so maybe the parents of 3's won't have to fight that same battle in future years.
So I took my little cherubs to VBS Sunday night, deposited them in their respective classes, and left for two hours of peace and quiet. And that became our nightly routine this week. We did pick up two extra kids (the ones who took our kids to their VBS a few weeks ago). I stamped and listened to a sermon series and ate supper in quiet. Last night there was a chocolate event at the library, so I attended that and came home with a huge bag of chocolate for Rob and I.
The kids really enjoyed the VBS program. Ben and Anna were in the preschool group, which was run by someone new this year, but it was just as fabulous as previous years. Matthew enjoyed being in his class as well. Like most VBS', there was a competition between the girls and boys to see who could bring in the most offering. They don't count it here, but go by weight instead. There was a table each night where the kids could "buy" a penny roll for 50 cents or a gold brick for $5. The girls won the first four nights and by that last night, the boys (all of them, not just mine) were determined to beat those girls. My boys gave every last cent they had in their piggy banks during the week (even turning a two dollar tip Ben got for a delivery into penny rolls) and they were completely tapped out by Thursday night. So I decided to spring for two gold bricks, one for each boy, and two penny rolls for Anna. I had to laugh as I traveled through the hallway at church...it seemed like every boy had a gold brick or penny rolls...one little boy had TWO gold bricks! And the boys won...blew the girls out of the water, if my boys are to be believed :) I did have a discussion with them about who the real winners were...the missionaries who will receive the offering money. Kind of sobered them up (and prepared them in case they lost again) and put it all back into perspective. But I'm still glad they beat the girls at least one time!
Today is supposed to be ghastly hot and we've already had to cancel our beach trip due to a thunderstorm. We've been warned to stay away from the beach after it rains so we can avoid swamp itch. Doesn't sound pleasant, does it? So we'll have to devise a new plan :)
So I took my little cherubs to VBS Sunday night, deposited them in their respective classes, and left for two hours of peace and quiet. And that became our nightly routine this week. We did pick up two extra kids (the ones who took our kids to their VBS a few weeks ago). I stamped and listened to a sermon series and ate supper in quiet. Last night there was a chocolate event at the library, so I attended that and came home with a huge bag of chocolate for Rob and I.
The kids really enjoyed the VBS program. Ben and Anna were in the preschool group, which was run by someone new this year, but it was just as fabulous as previous years. Matthew enjoyed being in his class as well. Like most VBS', there was a competition between the girls and boys to see who could bring in the most offering. They don't count it here, but go by weight instead. There was a table each night where the kids could "buy" a penny roll for 50 cents or a gold brick for $5. The girls won the first four nights and by that last night, the boys (all of them, not just mine) were determined to beat those girls. My boys gave every last cent they had in their piggy banks during the week (even turning a two dollar tip Ben got for a delivery into penny rolls) and they were completely tapped out by Thursday night. So I decided to spring for two gold bricks, one for each boy, and two penny rolls for Anna. I had to laugh as I traveled through the hallway at church...it seemed like every boy had a gold brick or penny rolls...one little boy had TWO gold bricks! And the boys won...blew the girls out of the water, if my boys are to be believed :) I did have a discussion with them about who the real winners were...the missionaries who will receive the offering money. Kind of sobered them up (and prepared them in case they lost again) and put it all back into perspective. But I'm still glad they beat the girls at least one time!
Today is supposed to be ghastly hot and we've already had to cancel our beach trip due to a thunderstorm. We've been warned to stay away from the beach after it rains so we can avoid swamp itch. Doesn't sound pleasant, does it? So we'll have to devise a new plan :)
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