Crimson and Cream

Though we are "mostly" Husker fans in this house, when the Huskers have an off weekend, we get to support OU! :)

Our Week

The kids have been loving playing with their "catapult" toys from some long ago visit to McDonalds...they love seeing how high they can go and brings lots of laughs. :) One of our latest school activities was a salt tray. Lorelei enjoyed writing her letters in the salt, Makin opted to play with it with spoons. (On a side on the school note, discouraged at the end of this week when Lorelei was still struggling with some of the letters. She can write the letter I ask her to, but when she looks at it on a card cannot tell me what its called on a couple of them! So, we are slowing down and trying more new methods. Advantage of home schooling: I know she needs more practice, and we can have more. Disadvantage of home schooling: I may bang my head literally through a wall! :) ) Another great moment was finding a praying mantis at the playground! :) Then we came back and looked them up on the computer so they could learn more about it.

Dan and Michelle's son, Evan, is the quarterback for the JV football team. Monday night we went to watch him play! The kids loved being at the game and Evan played both sides and almost the entire game so we were glad we got a chance to watch and support him! :)

We were on a roll this week enjoying our nature time. You cannot see it at all in the picture, but the kids are looking at a hummingbird hovering over our flowers! :) Lorelei knew exactly what it was. First time for both of them to see one. :) Also, just love my little book worms engrossed in their library books. And my latest favorite drawing??? Mr. Makin finally drew a family picture!!! He is so left brained and not very interested in drawing but has gotten better and better lately and I was so proud of him!

Friday mud pies. These kids love mud sooooo much. This was Makin's high of the day. :)

As we were rinsing off I glanced at Lorelei's toes and had to chuckle. They are so "Lorelei." Teal with sparkles and covered in mud. A little girly and a little dirty. Love it.

Bible Verses

For family night the kids can memorize Bible verses for candy. Since my kids usually only get candy for special occasions, this is VERY exciting. :) What I am beyond excited about is that they gave us a CD that I grew up listening to and singing for Sunday School, so I can sing all the songs by heart myself. Just had to brag on who got his memorized first...no surprise! :)

Brad's Party Peppers

Brad has been great about watching what he eats, but Saturdays are usually his splurge day and he lets himself have one football food treat. He has also been having fun doing a little of his own cooking. I think coming up with his own juice recipes has given him some confidence with other cooking skills. :)

Brad's Party Peppers

Sweet Mini Peppers

(Filling)
Jamaican Spiced Pepper
Jalapeno Cream Cheese
Bacon Bits
Shredded Cheddar Cheese


"If I died right now I'd be a happy man." were his thoughts after eating his first one. :) So, for those of you who like this kind of food, just wanted to share. :)

I Heart Saturdays

Lately We've Been...

Enjoying Home-school Preschool - So far home school preschool is going "ok" :) I will definitely not out-rule it but I'm not totally sure it will be a complete success either. I'm starting out with focusing on letters, spending extra time on the letters Lorelei does not know as well. I gave her a simple assessment to see where her skills were with them, and was relieved there were not too many she flat out didn't know. I still feel she should know all of them by now of course! :) But, she is making a VERY good effort during her school time so it seems we are making good progress! A couple of examples here are diamonds on D and feathers on F. :) Since she likes crafty stuff we have been pretty heavy on that, but I will probably need to try some new tricks as she is starting to get a little wary of so much color time. :) Makin is free to do whatever he wants, but usually chooses to work at the table with his sister. He loves his new learning robot, Alphie, and also really likes doing mazes. He has even colored once or twice which is pretty big for him! :) Lorelei is usually asking to start "school" while she is finishing her breakfast, so its usually pretty soon in the morning when we get started.

Going To Family Night - The church we attend started family nights on Wednesday nights. We are excited for the kids to go to "Sunday School" and for a chance for us to have a parents Bible study at the same time. Makin got a little nervous since this was his first time going on his own, but thankfully a friend of mine he had talked to a little bit coaxed him and he did fine. They said he was quiet at first but as soon as they played the game he was pretty comfortable. Lorelei said the best part of her day was Sunday school because Makin did so well going to his first-ever Sunday School. She also had a fun story I heard from Robin (the friend), that when the teacher asked if anyone knew what wine was she said, "My Mommy has wine as a treat." :) I was also proud of her because she gave the teacher a prayer request for a friend we have been praying for who has cancer. So glad she will think of that all on her own. This picture is from the first week, which was a special family Olympics. Yes, she insisted on wearing high heals for the Olympics. :)

 

Still Enjoying Story Time - Last week they started an art project on the walls in the stairs. Thursdays are one of our favorite days during the week. :)

Waiting For Rain To Let Up Before Story-time

Building Lots - This is our Tinkertoy car wash. Yes, Mommy was proud of herself for that one. ;)

Makin can spend a full hour playing with the magnet bin. The Magnetix are hands-down one of both kid's favorite toys. He was very proud of this creation. :)

Doing Puzzles - Lorelei is not a puzzle person. We struggle when working together on puzzles and we all end up frustrated, so I have not pushed it at all. I normally don't bring them things other than for holidays/birthdays etc, but did pick up a $1 puzzle just to see how she did. She sat there and did the whole thing by herself while I was in the kitchen without one major outburst or melt down! Finally! :) This girl was so proud of herself for finally doing a 24 piece puzzle. Yes. We will get more. :)

Makin At Three

Mr. Makin I cannot believe that you are THREE! You are such a wonderful little guy and brighten our day with your laughs, smiles and snuggles. You run full speed ahead when playing any type of sport, inside or out. You are totally into cars, trains, trucks, and planes. You also love electronics like remote controls and games. If you get unhappy you usually make a scrunched up face and pout. You have an amazing memory and learn very quickly. You really love being funny. You have these moments where you totally crack up and have a silent laugh. I really love those. :) I couldn't have asked for a sweeter little boy and I'm trying to cherish you at this age because you are so much fun. :) Love you little man.

"Tomayo" (tomorrow) is heard a lot. "I'll finish it tomoyo." etc

If he is calling you a goofy name it's usually "Kiki" No clue where he got that. He also likes to throw in calling you random names like "banana" etc.

Grandpa was telling how to navigate the gator and Makin said, "I like it fast!" He always kept it at top speed zooming around the farm. :)

I fixed a Hungry Hippo head and he thought we would have to wait for Dad to fix it. He gasped and then said, "You're the best!"

He loves to pretend to be a robot. When you ask him to do something he says you have to push a button for him to do it. Then sometimes follows with, "It's broken."

When Lorelei gets mad he starts singing, "Don't get grumpy when the road gets bumpy just smile, smile and be happy."

"Wait! (arms out) I have a plan!"

He loves to sing/hum, especially the ABC song.

When he apologizes he says, "Sowwy. What I do make it better?" all in one breath.

This picture was just to capture what I see every night I help Makin get to sleep. I tell him to pick which two songs he wants and shows me the songs, which are assigned to each finger so then he can say which one is first...hope that makes sense. Usually its Twinkle Twinkle and Don't Want To Live On The Moon

We were trying to play high/low at the table over supper and when I asked what Makin's bad part of the day was he said sadly, "Being yucky. Saying not kind words."

He was running so full force to kick the soccer ball that he flipped right over the soccer ball. Another soccer story would be as he was practicing he was saying, "run a little, kick a little" as he was playing. Hopefully his non-athletic mommy doesn't mess up coaching him too much!

We were playing Frisbee and I accidentally hit him in the neck when I threw it at him. After that he held out his hands with his chin pressed up to his neck to protect it. Hard to explain but so hilarious!

Me: I have a problem. What am I going to do?
Makin: Call the Super Readers!






Makin's Three Year Interview

Favorites -
Food: mac cheese and mashed tatoes (potatoes) and muffins and tella (Nutella) sandwhich
Place: Kroger
Show: Cars, Maters Tall Tales, Chugginton
Color: Green
Thing To Do:  Hopping Balls 
Animal: Elephants and Giraffes
Books: Thomas, About Cars, Little Blue Truck and Little Blue Truck Goes To The City
Song: Jesus Loves Me
Treat: Brownies
Holiday: Easter

What do you like to do with Daddy? Play Legos To Help Us

What do you like to do with Mommy? Play With Car Ramp

What do you like to do with Lorelei? Play Hopping Balls

What makes you happy? Have Chocolate Milk

What do you think about before you fall asleep? Playing Cars

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Fireman


Tried to get a few videos. Just like to capture them at each age and can't believe how much he has changed from last years videos. They aren't too exciting, mostly just for me to look back on. :)

 

  

Lorelei At Five

Lorelei, you LOVE being five. The day of your birthday, you kept walking around saying, "I can't believe I'm five." You have been looking forward to this SO much.

At five, you are still a total chatterbox. You do not hesitate to ask everyone you meet lots of questions. I joke that you are the next Diane Sawyer with all your interviewing skills. You still have a huge love for animals and art - two of your favorite things. You still get frustrated very quickly when you cannot do something right away, and have a full blown melt down within seconds so that is something we are constantly working on. You LOVE playing school. You are working very hard on your preschool from home and love to call me "teacher" while you have learning time.

You have infectious excitement that I cherish so much. Your eyes just light up. You are now occasionally talking with this voice that makes you sound like a thirteen year old. Not sure where you got it but so far its pretty cute. You have a great sense of humor and love to be funny. You really enjoy spending time with other kids. You do not like playing on your own and always want someone to play with you. You still totally love the outdoors whether its riding your bike, playing at the park or just in the backyard. Love you Miss Five-Year-Old!!!

(This pic is when we were unpacking. She was pretending they were Popsicles and was handing them out to us after we chose which flavor we wanted.)

The latest Lorelei quotes:

"I need another one because they're just so good, Mommy." (something I baked)


(Washing hands after spaghetti)
Grandpa: Did you eat your sketti with your fingers?
Lor: No. My fingers helped my fork.

Saying heard daily from Lorelei..."For real!?" or "For real." :)

"Did I scare the heck out of you?" or "That scared me out of the heck!"

"Mommy, I really want you to jump on the trampoline because, A, I really want you to jump on the trampoline. B, I really want you to play with me, Um what comes after B? Oh yeah, C, I really want you to play with me."

I was trying to convince Lorelei to lay down and go back to sleep with me and when I asked her why we had to get up she said in a loud whisper, "Because I want to talk louder than this!"

Lorelei took a spill of Grandma and Grandpa's trampoline (considering how many hours she was on it, its amazing there was only one!) and when we asked her about how she got the cut on her leg she said, "I don't know because I wasn't watching my legs!"

If I forget something or do something silly during the day she always says, "Mom, you need more coffee."

(Playing with toy laptop. Makin bugging her.)  "Makin! I'm trying to work."

She is a walking commercial if you are listening to the radio, as if you didn't just hear the ad yourself. "Mom! At Home Depot you can..."

After explaining that C and K make the same sound she followed with, "That's a big problem."

"Candy corns go with anything!"

"Since you are teaching me, can I go to school in my pajamas? I learn better in my pajamas."




Lor: I can see Makin's veins on his head.
Me: I can see your's too.
Lor: (gasps, jaw drops, and her hand flies to the side of her head) I'm getting so old!!!




Lorelei's Five Year Interview

Favorites -
Food: Chips and Salsa
Place: McDonald's play area
Show: Curious George
Color: Purple
Thing To Do:  Playing stuffed animals, baby dolls, bead necklaces, hopping balls 
Animal: Elephant
Books: My Little Ponies
Song: Twinkle Twinkle
Treat: Chocolate Chip Brownies
Holiday: Thanksgiving

What do you like to do with Daddy?  Play with Tinker Toys

What do you like to do with Mommy? Play with Farm Animals

What do you like to do with Makin? Play Puppies

What makes you happy? My Stuffed Animals

What do you think about before you fall asleep? My Stuffed Animals

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Teacher

A few videos. Not anything major because its hard to get natural when they are on video, but like to hear their voice at each age. :)

Makin Turns Three

We were excited to celebrate our sweet boy turning three. :) I just love giving him a day all about him. Somehow with the second child it seems extra-special and they sort of seem to appreciate it more. :)

He started out opening presents. He is more of an open-one-present-and-play-with-it-for-a-while-before-opening-another-one kind of guy. It was nice to take our time and let him enjoy his morning at his own pace. Then, of course, our pancake tradition, which for him included a mountain of sprinkles. :)

Enjoying Some New Toys

Yum!

The Smiths joined us for cake and ice cream after nap. Since Makin is all about green, I decided to go with a green cake. The inside was supposed to be layers of green from light to dark, but it was hard to get the batter as dark as I wanted. There is a slight difference but not quite as much as I hoped. And of course, he loves his M, so had to have fun with that on the top. He didn't eat much of that huge slice but did seem to enjoy the frosting. :)

After a bit of play time and book time, all of us headed over to the mini golf course near our house. Mini golf was Makin's request for the day. It was pretty warm, but there was some shade and they had lots of fun anyway. We pretty much had the course to ourselves, so the kids played at their own speed. Makin's favorite hole was the one with the alligator moving its mouth. He loved playing it again and again. :) And, family pic of the family all in green for the M's big day.

Birthday pic with Mom and Dad

Wonderful day celebrating our amazing little man!

Go Huskers

Having fun being in Husker territory again. Its a sea of red everywhere you go on Saturdays and Brad is thrilled its football season in Nebraska. :)

We Love Story-time

With Mr. H!

Michelle bragged on the children's librarian so I was excited to see what story time would be like. I am totally smitten with Mr. H and looking forward to Thursday story-time
each week.

He read several stories each talking about the library. He asked lots of questions throughout them as well and kept the kids engaged and in line. :)

It was really fun being able to see how both kids reacted to this environment and answered his questions. Even Makin had no trouble answering his questions and Uncle AJ would be happy to know one question even involved him knowing various dinosaur names! :) We all got a chuckle when he answered the question, "Where would you like to go if you were bored?" and Makin said, "A cafe." :) Lorelei was enamored with the birds they added to the children's area as well. Don't worry, they are quiet library birds. :)  So thankful we have this to look forward to. :)

The Omaha Zoo

I have to brag on the Omaha Zoo. It is hands down one of THE best zoos. It's totally amazing. I was able to go a few times in college and when we lived in Columbus before kids a couple of times as well and was totally spoiled. I am SO thankful that we finally got to take Lorelei and Makin to this zoo! We are about 1 1/2 hours from Omaha, so decided it was worth getting a membership, so there will be many more visits to come as we plan to get into "the city" once a month or so. There are also lots of buildings, so its even doable in the Nebraska winters. :)

Brad had an interview, which is why we made this trip on a Wednesday. The kids and I dropped him off at a coffee shop and then the recruiter dropped him off at the zoo that afternoon after the interview, so it was the kids and I in the morning and then the whole family in the afternoon and worked nicely.

We made sure to camp out at the bears to watch feeding time. They feed each different species of bear so it was fun to see how they reacted. This is a sun bear, which I don't think I've seen before and they were so cute! The trainer would throw the food and he would catch it in his mouth, so it was an especially fun one to watch. We were really there for the polar bear. I love watching the polar bear swim and remembered that from previous visits since they throw the food in the water. This one took his time and waited till the trainer was out of sight, then dove in for his fruit and veggies, including eating an entire cantaloupe. Another fun one to watch and glad we were patient waiting for him to dive in. :)

I don't usually spend extra on a carousel ride at the zoo, but knew Lorelei would want one, so agreed she could use some of her birthday money. She treated herself and Makin to a ride.

Another amazing aspect of this zoo is its diversity. It has a butterfly house! The kids loved walking in and seeing all the amazing butterflies as well as the chrysalis' lined up waiting to become the next batch of butterflies. :)

Annnnnd my other favorite part...the aquarium part of the zoo...

The penguin exhibit is the best I've ever seen. The zoo in general has these very kid-friendly windows into the enclosures which is awesome, but I especially love the one for the penguins. As you can see they will swim right up to the kid's faces. So fun watching them swim like this. The first thing Lorelei said when she stepped into it was, "It's cold!" :)

This is a tunnel you can walk through and have sharks and turtles swimming over your head.

There is an indoor rain forest. The kids were too scared to go across the rope bridge on their own but would do it if I carried them. :)

And what child doesn't want a field trip on their second day of preschool? ;)

Preschool

For various reasons we are trying out home-schooling for Lorelei's preschool this semester. If its a total flop, she may go next semester. So far, I'm not nearly as organized as I would like...starting preschool in between both kid's birthdays doesn't help, so I'm hoping when I'm a bit more organized the "learning time" will be something Lorelei looks forward to. It is harder than I thought because when we "play school" she refers to so many memories she has of her preschool from last year. I'm thankful she had that experience and right now this is weighing most on my mind, especially thinking of her going to kindergarten next year. So, prayers for us in making the best decisions for school for Miss Lorelei.

Anyway, had to take a couple of pics. :) She wants to be a teacher when she grows up...well it certainly runs in the family, so it just might stick! :)

Lorelei Turns Five

We had a wonderful day celebrating Miss Lorelei. As most of you know, birthdays are a pretty big deal at our place. From my point of view, this is the one day a year that makes every person feel extra-super-special, so you have to go all out! :) I love making these memories for my kids and that they have that super special day each year.

Anyway, here is how we got to celebrate Lorelei's day. It turned out pretty perfect!

First on her agenda was opening presents. For some reason in previous years I think I let them open the gifts mailed from family the day they got them, but this year I decided to have them wait until the big day. This led to a ginormous pile to open that morning! It was almost like Christmas presents under the tree for them seeing those presents in the play room just waiting to be opened for a few days. :)

And of course, her door and the kitchen were decorated. :) She woke up (as she did last year) as we were decorating her door and did not want to go back to sleep. She is such a light sleeper!

Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast, including candles. This year I also added the idea of putting cool whip and sprinkles onto it...I know, I need to stop thinking of more things to add to poor Mickey!

Blissfully laid-back morning enjoying presents. :)

Later that morning we headed out per Lorelei's request for riding bikes on a bike path and the park. This also included a sand box and we came prepared with sand toys! We decided on a McDonald's treat for a picnic lunch. (Don't worry, Brad had Subway. ;) )

Cake Time!!!

We played for a bit (decided to let them skip nap) and then at our usual "after nap" time Dan and Michelle came over to join us for cake and ice cream. It was great to have some special visitors to help us celebrate.

After our sweet treats the Smiths stayed for some play time. Dan was especially amusing playing puppies. :) They also built a train for the wild animals with the tinker toys.

Wrapping up our day...pedicures for Mommy and Lorelei, traditional picture of Mom, Dad and Lorelei on her birthday, and Lorelei super-excited to sleep with her new bedding from Grandma and Grandpa. First-ever bedding set! :)  Thankful for such a wonderful day celebrating!

So I thought you might want more info about the cake...

Since we were not able to have the friends party I had planned, I decided I had to at least give her a super-special cake to make up for the lack of party. My mom made Heather a carousel cake once, and Lorelei LOVES carousels, so it seemed like a good fit for this year.

Naturally, when I kept researching how to make the carousel cake I got a few ideas off Pinterest, but also made sure to do my own thing. I already had the red and white straws from last Christmas, so that kinda gave me the idea for the color scheme. Brad helped engineer some of it. The center involved a Parmesan cheese bottle with scrapbook paper inside hot glued to an upside down applesauce container. What else would it be right? ;) My only regret is that I didn't let the cake thaw longer. I heard the idea of freezing the cakes and that they were easier to work with, but I did not let it thaw long enough so the frosting slid about an inch after I was done frosting. So, it was not perfect, but Lorelei loved it and thats what mattered! :)