Valentine's Day Lunch, Water Clock, Chicks & Comicon! Oh My!

For Valentine's Day this year we had heart shaped cheese ravioli and apple slices for lunch, yummy!

  

Cute little doggies!

 Grandma sometimes comes over Thursday evenings when Grandpa is working at the Kansas City Temple. Tonight we had a quiet evening of playing Sleeping Queens.  It is one of the kids favorite games to play. Sometimes Karina gets to play it after math time for school because it turns math into fun time!

For Home School this week we are learning how to tell time and reading books about time and clocks.  Today Karina read a book about clocks and at the end of the book it has directions for making a water clock of your very own.  Karina loved making one of her very own!

Here is what you will need to make a water clock of your very own:

clock with a second hand

pitcher of water

large Mason jar

tape 

Sharpie

paper cup

thumb tack

Place a piece of tape on the side of Mason jar to record water level.  Poke the thumb tack through the bottom of the cup carefully, using the tack to make the whole nice and open.  

Place the cup into the top of the Mason jar.  Pour the water into the paper cup.  Place a mark on the tape each minute at the top of the water level.

Alexander enjoyed telling Karina every time the second hand got to the 6 on the clock.

Watching the water fall and waiting to make a mark on the jar.

What time is this? 

Grandma and Grandpa got 12 little Chicks from a friend that hatched them for a school project.  They got 12 to make sure they got lots of hens since they were straight run.  (Only 3 turned out to be hens :-( That is a lot of chicken for dinner at Grandma's!)

 

Everyone loves to hold baby chicks!

My sister Becca came to visit!!  We have missed her a whole lot!  

We all made costumes for the kids and Becca to wear to Comicon with Michael.  I think they turned out awesome!  

Alexander choose to go as Black Adam Jr.

Karina choose to be Super Girl.

Becca is Mary Marvel.

Friday when Conrad was still in school, Michael, Becca, Alexander and Karina all went for a preview of Comicon.  They had tons of fun but Alexander was very shy the whole time.  Karina was shy at first and then she started taking pictures with all the Super Girls she could see, Wander Women, and even a Hawk Girl and a few super heros she knew.  Michael made sure Alexander and Karina got a picture of a real hero, a Kansas City Police Officer.

Conrad had TONS  of Fun when they went up on Saturday too.  He said it was "Nerd Heaven".  His favorite part was buying 'The One Ring'.

Grandpas loves to kiss grand-kids!

Dress Up and S'mores

All our kids have loved playing dress up!  Today they are pretending it is Halloween.  Trick or Treat! 

 George, Karina and Alexander want some candy, all they got was pretend candy but everyone was still happy to play!

Don't let the snow on the ground fool you, it is February 2nd and 52 outside.  To celebrate the weather Conrad decided to build a fire in the fire pit and roast marshmallows to make s'mores.  

We are getting ready to move and I wanted a few pictures of our "old house".

This glass flower that Aunt Gail made for mom has had a nice home at our house for the past few months till Mom remembered to take it with her home.  It is so pretty and adds color to our front porch in the winter.

Putting on Your Big Girl Panties

About a week ago my sleep deprived husband came home around one A.M. and I was up playing on the computer.  I was being "productive" pinning and "unwinding" from the day.  He called us both out on needing to be better people and parents!  I needed to spend more time with the kids and on the house and less time on me, which meant being in bed at a decent time, instead of being up late “pinning.”  Not enough sleep can make for a crabby and less willing mommy.

At first I was hurt, mad even.  It took a night of restless sleep but in the morning I realized that even though he had not said it in a nice way, what he had said was true.  I am a good mom, I play with my kids and take them places, but I could be better!  My house is not gross or dirty, but I knew how to keep a cleaner house!  Why was I not doing these things on my own? I decided to put on my "Big Girl Panties" and listen to what my loving husband was asking of us both.

I started to spend LOTS less time on the computer and on social networking, pinning awesome ideas and watching the TV.  I have made it a point to DO the things I have pinned to do with the kids or in my spare time, read with them more, play with them in their room more and let them help me in the kitchen and around the house (I know this may not sound like much, but it is taking patience to help them learn to fold the laundry and not feel the need to refold it because it is not perfect). I have been doing things every day to make the house cleaner, neater and more organized every day!  (This has helped me it is amazing!  https://gk105.infusionsoft.com/app/page/850bf37666e8a772ac65d4e7c03e5be5)

And it was not just bash your awesome wife evening, he meant that he needed to change too!  He also has been better about not playing games on the computer when he is home from work.  Instead he is playing with the kids and loving all over them, He even throws some of it my way. ;)

So, here is to "Putting on Your Big Girl Panties" and being a better you!  I think it is also hard to listen to criticism, but when it comes from the people we love and they mean to improve the lives of our family, how can you ignore it and still call yourself a good parent??

Scout Camp! 6/11 - 6/16

This is the first year that Conrad has gotten to go to a week long scout camp.  He was very excited and acetous to go.  Monday morning I got to drive a van load of kids up to scout camp. The boys were all happy to entertain the little kids. It was a nice drive and the boys were all very nice and fun to have in the van. 

Tuesday Michael and I dropped the little kids off at Grandma’s and I got to go with him on a road trip for work up to Chicago.  Let me tell you that 16 hours in a van without kids was easy breezey! I brought a book but we were having so much fun talking that I never even opened it.

In the evening, while we were on our way back, we go a call from Conrad’s scout leader who called to tell us Conrad cut his finger very bad and he was going to need stiches.  Conrad was very brave and said he would be fine but I was a little upset that I could not be there to comfort him.  He did great and was very proud of the four stitches he had on his pinky and was willing to show anyone willing or not. 

Friday night at camp is family night.  For family night at scout camp Karina picked to make Muddie Buddies.  She got chocolate all over her face when she was licking the spatula.  Silly girl.

Family night was lots of fun.  The scout troop provided fried chicken and we were asked to bring a side dish and a dessert.  There was so  much food that our troop could have feed two more troop and their parents!  It was a fest! We ate and talked a lot.

Then Conrad took our family and Grandma on a tour of camp and a walk through the woods.  The little kids loved taking turns riding on Conrad’s shoulders.  He showed us a tortious about the same size as Alexander that they have a habitat for at the camp.  It was fun to see Conrad’s favorite places to spend time. 

Saturday we went to pick Conrad up from church.  They go to stop on the way home and get Slurpees from 7-Eleven.  They had TONS of fun taking group pictures before the boys each left.  

I love Conrad in this one striking a pose!

Silly kid.

He had no intention of letting me take a picture of him with a “nice smile”. 

I am glad he had fun at camp but we sure did miss Conrad at home!

PJ day at pretend school!

Here is the start of our HUGE summer bounty from our giant squash plants.  Check out the fun zucchini and yellow squash cross pollination! It was yummy too! 

Karina has decided that she LOVES the little cucumbers!!!  Here she made rings from them for lunch.

Aunt Gail and Kelly’s Wedding 6/2/12

Friday the 1st I rode to Aunt Mary’s house with Mom, Dad and Becca with the kids.  It was a nice trip except the last hour or so when Alexander was just DONE with traveling. 

We stayed at Aunt Mary and Uncle George’s house.  Karina and Alexander loved staying on a farm and Conrad just loved having cousins his age to play with.  Alexander got to brake in his birthday boots in the pasture by stepping in lots of manure.

Saturday after naps we went to Aunt Gail’s for the wedding and reception.  Everyone else had been working very hard to create an awesome atmosphere for the wedding and reception.  Here Karina wanted to show you how her dress twirls. 

Waiting for everything to start.

Mom did an amazing job at recreating the cake that apparently had a ruff ride over to the house and needed lots of help.  You could not even tell after she worked her magic on it.  Everyone was helping make the afternoon go smoothly.

I could never get a picture of Joshua and Conrad cause they were running around like boys on sugar, mostly because they were!

More pictures of cute cousins!

My handsome lap sitter.  Awww, I love my cute kids!  I was so surprised that Alexander let me put on his suit complete with his tie, he looks so grown up all dressed to the nines!

My Aunt Gail is so pretty and Kelly looks so handsome next to her! What a cute couple! Happy Wedding day!!

After church on Sunday we had a family Lunch and hugs then we were on our way home.

But not before Conrad and Karina played a little dress up in the basement. 

Conrad helped me play with this one on Picnik.  He really enjoyed the stitches we put on his face.  Boys are so boy.