She Won It!

I haven't been able to watch DD's swim team practices since I'm always watching DS#3 in the park. She had two races today, and I was a little surprised when she won her first race. I noticed that she came out strong, but I was so focused on her and on taking photos of her first race ever, that I didn't realize that she got First Place in her heat (Freestyle Girls 6 and under). She looked pretty pleased with herself.

This photo was actually taken after her second race. She again won her heat, but this time she was doing the backstroke. Her smile is more genuine here compared to the photo I took after the first race, probably because I quickly snapped it soon after she had gotten out of the water and gotten her ribbon. I wish I could have gotten a photo of her right when she first saw the ribbon. Her "I'm so pleased with myself" smile was priceless!

I took so many photos during the swim meet today, but this is one of my favorites. It's one of the few action photos that actually turned out well. The backstroke for the 6 and under age group was rather funny. The kids at that age never swim in a straight line, especially in the backstroke where they can't see where they're going. DD ran into the lane dividers a few times, but she still won by a couple of lengths! We'll find out who actually won each whole race at practice on Monday.

This is one of the few photos I took of DS#1 that turned out well. He's doing the backstroke here, too. He swam in four races (where he swam 50mm for each race):
-- Medley Relay where he did the breaststroke
-- Freestyle
-- Backstroke
-- Freestyle Relay
He got third place in each of those heats. Not bad for his only having been about four times in the last three weeks of practice.

Not only did DD have an exciting morning, but she had her piano recital this afternoon, too. I'm playing with the manual settings of my camera and my new lens here. I'm not pleased that the medal is the only thing in focus, not DD's face, but the photo still looks okay in this small version.

As you can see, she was a little excited about getting even more ribbons this afternoon. She got a ribbon and a certificate for the Achievement Auditions she did in April and one for the Guild she did just a couple of weeks ago. She also got a ribbon for practicing at least 90% of her assigned practice time, which is 75 minutes a week. The ribbon she is wearing in this picture is for getting a perfect score on her Theory Test a few months ago. She was also the only one to get a trophy for being "Rookie of the Year", meaning that she was the only one of her teacher's students that only started playing piano this past year.

We went out for ice cream again tonight. This time it was at Brindles, our favorite ice cream shop. Every time we go there, DD asks for chocolate ice cream with gummi bears mixed in. Tonight was the first time I said "yes" because DH always cringes when he hears that combination. DS#1 wanted to know if he could get something extra for getting all of those third place finishes today. Surprisingly he wanted a new book (Half-Price Books is next door) instead of more ice cream.

Calming Down

We started the day by going to the kids' school to watch a play about the birth of Texas. DS#2's fourth grade class combined with another class to put on the play. He played the part of a Spanish Conquistador looking for the "Seven Cities of Gold". It was hard to hear some of the students speak, but most of it was pretty entertaining.

The only thing DS#2 had to say to me at the end was that the hat he had to wear was too big and kept falling off. During the play he tried his best to not look my direction just in case I was taking a picture, or at least it seemed like it, but he did willingly let me take a picture of him with his dreaded hat on when the play concluded.

After the play, we headed to the Container Store to look at their shelving for our closet. At first, DS#3 at first was happily playing with some of the displays. When he decided that he had had enough of the store, he decided then and there. I managed to steer him towards the bathroom because I needed to go there, but I felt really sorry for the two ladies that were in there with us. It was a small bathroom and he was really, really loud. We spent the next half hour or so outside, and he was wailing for the whole time. Needless to say, he fell asleep on the way home, so exhausted from from all of that crying.

The other bad news was that after we spent that whole time planning our space with their consultant, we found out that the main parts will not be in stock until June 8. *SIGH* I guess we have to wait a little longer to have our "new" closet.

This evening, we did our usual playscape/swim team practice routine. I'm finally trying to use some manual settings on my camera after four years or so of owning this camera. I recently bought some photography books and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I'm just now actually reading my owner's manual. I'm also really enjoying my new lens. DS#3 wasn't totally cooperative, but considering how we started, I was pleased with some of the results.

In other news, I'm pleased to say that DS#1 made the "Super 2" team again. What a relief! Apparently, he didn't get the last slot this time, as the coach still had some phone calls to make after he called DH. I'm happy for him, but I'm also looking forward to not having any more soccer practices for a while. Ah, summer is almost here!

Strike A Pose

I'm not sure why DS#3 was sitting like this while watching Wipeout last night. Whatever the reason, he loved that show, as did the rest of the family.

We went to swim team practice last night, but after about half an hour, they cancelled it without the kids even getting into the water because of the thunder and lightning in the distance. We actually didn't get any rain last night after all of that, but we did use the swim practice cancellation as an excuse to go to Baskin Robbins. The kid that made DS#2's shake the last time did it this time too. He was MUCH faster. :)

Tonight, DS#1 has his third (and hopefully last) night of soccer tryouts. DH and I are sweating this out again, just like with DS#2. Wish him luck!

Final Closet Collapse

A month ago today, one of the clothing rods in the master bedroom closet collapsed. I've had my clothes all over the master bedroom since then. DH and I got donated about nine trash bags worth of clothes to the local Goodwill, but we still have to get rid of more. Our master bedroom closet is pretty much our storage area since our attic isn't really fit to store things and we prefer to park our cars in our garage. There is about seven years worth of stuff in there that has accumulated in that closet (since we moved here).

DH had planned to do the work in stages, so that we could still store some stuff in the closet. Today, he had actually planned to move more of the stuff out of the closet so he could paint a couple of the walls. Well, in the process of transferring some of the clothes from one clothing rod to another, another clothing rod collapsed. At that point there was nothing left to do but remove everything from the closet and do everything at once. This is a picture of just the stuff in the gameroom. There is still some stuff in the closet and master bathroom along with our bedroom. DH did A LOT of work today. Tomorrow he plans on painting, if DS#3 cooperates, that is.

Speaking of DS#3, I can't leave without showing a cute photo of him. *WINK* He was playing in the playscape in our neighborhood park area again during DD's swim team practice. He has never liked swings, at least when ridden the conventional way, but today, I saw him using the swing as a sort of sling around his body. Most of the time he was looking down towards the rocks below, but he looked up at just the right moment for me to snap this picture. It wasn't easy getting him to leave the playground when swim team practice was over. :)

It's Pool Time!

For me, Memorial Day weekend is not so much about picnics and grilling. It's usually about family time at the pool. We started out trying to go to the pool at our gym, because they have some big water slides. There was some mix-up/miscommunication on their part and there weren't any lifeguards meaning they wouldn't let the kids in the water, so we left and went to our neighborhood pool. Here, DD was posing for a picture for me while in the baby pool, but the rest of the time she was in the "big" pool.

I bought these new water toys for the kids about a month and a half ago. The big boys spent most of their time trying to shoot each other with it and DH spent most of his time telling them to not shoot near other people. Here, DS#2 tries to shoot it towards me but not at the camera. Of course those toys aren't exactly calibrated so yes, he did get a drop or two on the the camera. *SIGH* I guess I shouldn't have been trying to take a picture of him.

DS#1 was busy trying to call his friend so he could come spend the night, so he wasn't really into playing at the pool (except for shooting at his little brother earlier), so he played with DS#3 instead. Here they're playing peek-a-boo around the light pole. DS#3 didn't get in the water AT ALL, and he screamed every time one of his siblings splashed the cold water on him or shot him with the water toy. He preferred to hang on the rail that you use in getting into the pool as if it were monkey bars. He also liked shaking the fence and he played in the nearby playscape for a bit.

I just wanted to throw in this picture from yesterday. We went to our favorite ice cream shop after dinner at DH's favorite restaurant. As each person got ice cream, DS#3 would see them, smile, and then run to where they were sitting. First it was DD with her Azteca ice cream (chocolate and cinnamon), then it was DS#1 and his New York Cheesecake ice cream, but when DS#3 saw that DS#2 had a shake, DS#3 was practically climbing on top of DS#2 in order to get some of his shake. DS#2 is good about sharing, but DS#3 tends to keep the straw in his mouth and get mad when DS#2 tries to get some of his own ice cream!

Oh by the way, DS#3 has been sleeping in his big boy bed for the past couple of nights without much trouble. He still gets up as early as 5AM and wanders crying into our room, though. DH actually put him back in his crib early Saturday morning just because he wasn't really awake yet, and he slept for another couple of hours. In any case, it's still so far so good.

Big Boy Bed

We've been preparing for this for a few months now. DH bought some Disney Cars movie sheets a while back and we put them on the second bed in DD's room. We wanted to wait until after school ended so that the probable resultant sleep disruptions would not affect DD or the other kids. Tonight, I decided to lay down on that bottom bed with DS#3 to wait for DD to finish getting ready for bed. I was tired and I didn't want to leave him in the top bunk without me watching him. He acted like he wanted to stay there, and he said he wanted to sleep there when I asked him, so DH and I decided to go for it.

DD and DS#3 seemed to fall asleep without any trouble. I did check on them about three hours later and I found DS#3 sprawled out on the floor next to his bed. The bed is on the floor, so most likely he was tossing and turning and just rolled out. We'll see what happens tonight and tomorrow morning. By the way, he is hugging a teddy bear along with his multiple burp cloths. He started sleeping with that bear nightly this week, along with a stuffed dinosaur. I'm not sure what's up with that, but he's never slept with anything else besides his transportation toys before.

Earlier, I was experimenting with my new lens again. I still haven't ventured into the manual settings of my camera yet, but I wanted to see what the new lens would do in the automatic settings with no flash. I took this photo in my bedroom while DS#3 was watching "Go, Diego, Go". I love that the background has a nice blur, so that DS#3 is the focal point of the photo.

The blurred background is a very good thing in this case because of the mess all over my room. A few weeks ago part of the closet hardware fell, so since then, much of that stuff has been on the various pieces of furniture in my bedroom. DH (mostly) and I have been purging ALL the closet stuff in the last few weeks and hopefully this weekend, he'll repaint the closet and we'll order some organizer stuff to put back into the closet.

I guess I digressed for a bit, but this is another photo I took when playing with my new lens. It's a little blurred and dark, but I love the pose. DS#3 has been jumping off of things lately. He was jumping off this ottoman onto the floor. The raised arms were my suggestion for a better picture *WINK* but the mischief on his face is all his.

Almost Summer

DH took a very excited DS#2 to a book signing at Barnes and Noble yesterday. DS#2 has been reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of books by Rick Riordan and he heard about this book signing from his school's librarian. Check out the crowd photo on Rick Riordan's blog HERE. They estimated that there were 3000 people there for the event, which included a talk by the author. DH and DS#2 were there for THREE hours. DH wasn't able to get a photo of DS#2 getting his books (number 4 and 5 in the series) signed, but DS#2 was so excited that he volunteered to have me take this photo when he got back home. He didn't even make me use a coupon. *WINK*

We're wrapping up soccer and gymnastics/dance and swimming is starting up. DS#1 finished up his last soccer practice of the season tonight. Tryouts are next week. DD has been going to swim team practice every day this week. When she is at practice, I keep DS#3 occupied in the nearby playscape. Do you see how high up off of the ground he climbs?!! Of course, he turns around and tries to go down facing out instead of coming back down the way he went up! Then he loses his balance and is just hanging from the rung! Yes, he likes to give his Mama panic attacks!

Bath Frog

This is the time of year when all of us NEED daily baths/showers. Our routine is to take DD out first and then let the water drain out while DS#3 plays a little more. He used to get so upset if we took him out when there was still water left to play with. Recently, he has started this habit of crawling around the tub after the water has drained out. I think he rather looks like a frog, albeit a very cute one!

This picture just cracks me up. DD is all "ham" for the photo. DS#3 was actually getting upset about something or other, which is why he doesn't have his "cheesy" smile. They both enjoy playing in the tub after being washed up, so I hope this translates into playing well at the pool together this summer.

New Baskin Robbins

A year or two ago, they built some retail space at the entrance to our subdivision. The city was about to widen that street and DH and I always thought it wasn't a good spot to rent space, but ever since then I made comments about how cool it would be if a Baskin Robbins or other ice cream shop opened up there (since ice cream is such a family favorite). Well, for the past month or so we've been watching them finish out one of the spaces and watched even more excitedly as they put up the Baskin Robbins sign. DS#2 gave us daily reports about whether or not it was open yet because he and DD passed by there every day on the school bus. Yesterday, they finally opened. Of course, no one told me until today.

We went right after DD's swim team practice tonight. She got the "Wild 'N Reckless" sherbet, a very brightly colored purplish and greenish concoction. DS#2 ordered a Cookies 'N Cream shake. The employee helping us had not even put ice cream in the blender by the time DD finished her ice cream. I saw him conferring with the manager and looking up what looked like the "recipe" in a book. When he finally "finished", the cup was not full. The manager asked me if I wanted to wait for them to blend some more ice cream or if I wanted a discount. Since it had already been about 15 minutes or so, I responded, "discount". I finally got my Jamoca ice cream cone after that. I saw the dripping ice cream in the employee's hand when I heard the manager say that he used too much water for the ice cream scoop and he made him do it again. When it was all said and done, we basically got the shake for free, for "waiting so long". Luckily, the kids didn't mind, especially DS#3 who was tasting everyone else's ice cream.

Despite the opening week kinks, we're still happy that we now have an ice cream shop within walking distance of our neighborhood pool. :)

Star Wars Pocket Models

DS#2 has been enjoying these "pocket models" lately. Basically they come in a card form and he punches the pieces out and puts the models together. He has always loved building toys. Star Wars Legos have been his favorite building toy lately, with some of these pocket models mixed in. I told him I wanted to take a picture of his models, and he set up this battle scene for me. The fact that he willingly got in the picture (without me using one of my Mother's Day coupons), means that he really loves these things!

Today Was The Day

Today was the day that DS#1 started shaving--sort of. DH and I been discussing this for a while, but DS#1 has been slowly growing a mustache. It wasn't that spectacular a mustache, but because his hair is dark, it was very obvious. He asked if he could shave, but DH and I both agreed that he should wait as long as possible before he started that daily commitment. Well, today, DH took his electric shaver and shaved DS#1's "mustache" and the few long hairs on his chin, and he didn't even take a picture! He said it was a little weird to have to reach up to shave his son's face. I did take an "after" picture, although DS#1 was very uncomfortable with me doing that. DH said that he was glad that his own mom didn't fuss over him like that when HE first had to shave. I didn't take the time to upload the photo, but here's what he used to look like in this previous post HERE.

Night At The Museum

DS#2 had a field trip last night. His "GT" or "Gifted and Talented" class had a field trip to a local museum. The museum had different stations set up for the kids to do. In one station, the kids made an "edible double helix" made out of licorice, toothpicks, and gumdrops. In another station, they isolated DNA from onions. DS#2's favorite activity was isolated his own DNA.

This is a picture of him with his DNA in a charm that he can hang around his neck. In his other hand is the keychain he could have chosen to hang his charm on instead. He could have stayed at the museum overnight, but he chose to go home when the activities were over because he wanted to sleep in his own bed. DH was quite happy that they didn't have to stay at the museum overnight, too. :)

DS#2 has such a good heart. He found this helicopter on top of our refrigerator today. He told me, "Remember how Papa used to put stuff on top of the refrigerator to take it away from us?" (This was when they misbehaved with an item or fought over an item.) Apparently we forgot about this helicopter. When DS#3 saw the helicopter, he was all over DS#2 to let him play with it, which DS#2 had anticipated. He helped him spin the helicopter blades and DS#3 was absolutely thrilled.

I'm playing with my new lens again. DS#2 was letting DS#3 drive his remote control car around, and DS#3 was banging the car on the furniture and walls downstairs. I took the picture above with the new lens too. I just love how the background is blurred so the observer can really focus on the chosen subject. Doesn't DS#3 look like he's really concentrating on that remote control? He is too cute. :)

Our Little Fish

DD has always been fearless around water, unlike her older brothers. Unfortunately, DS#3 seems to be following in her footsteps, so we'll need to watch him even more carefully around the pool this summer.

Nightly swim team practice started this week, but tonight was the first night that DD and DS#1 went to practice because of all of the soccer mayhem this week. DD just jumped in and not only showed that she can swim the length of the pool, but also do it while talking (see picture). After about the third time back and forth without stopping, she was very tired, but she forged ahead. I don't know much about swimming, but I thought she did very well for her first practice.

One of the things DD was prattling on about was the fact that she "didn't want to do backstroke" because she wasn't "very good at backstroke". She said this in a "matter of fact" tone and not in her usual whining tone, so I let her prattle on. I thought she did well. Even though she kept swimming into the dividers, she kept going and again made it to the end of the pool. She looked excited when she finished, too.

At the end of practice they got to have popsicles. I guess they get a treat every Friday after practice. Her face just lit up. My DD certainly loves sugary snacks, and especially ice cream, so this was the perfect end to practice for our little fish.

Oh, the Disappointment!

Well, the results are in. DS#2 was chosen for a Division 2 soccer team, the fourth team out of four. All of the boys that he played with this past year were all chosen for teams above his. He was crushed! I saw him only after DH told him and after DH had talked to him for a good long while. His face was very sad, his eyes were red, and there were still some tears there. DH took him out to eat so he could have a milkshake and they could talk some more. He then took him to get some of these Star Wars cards/building sets that he likes. By the time I saw him again, he was more accepting and feeling better about it. He said that before each game next year, I should remind him about working hard to get up to a "Super 2" team. I think he and his parents will do just fine. :)

I want to post a couple of pictures I took earlier this week. DS#3 always wants to go outside, but it's been so sweltering outside, so DH set this play tent out in the living room for him to play in. He rather likes to "hide" in there, and here he's mad that his Mama opened it up so she could get a picture of him and his sister playing in there. DD is quite the poser, don't you think?

I got a brand new lens for my camera. I'm still getting used to it, but I plan on reading more about how to take better pictures and how to take advantage of the bells and whistles on my camera. Here I'm just using the auto mode on the camera because DS#3 moves way too fast. He was getting on the arm of the sofa and jumping off onto the wood floor. I was too nervous to take a picture of him jumping (I had to watch him then to make sure he didn't hurt himself), so I took a "before" picture instead. Yesterday I caught him sliding from the other arm of the sofa into the LaZBoy chair next to it. I guess the living room is now his playscape!

National Junior Honor Society

I'm trying to do another quick post tonight. I haven't been sleeping well. DH and I think we are more worried about how DS#2 does at his soccer tryouts than we both originally wanted to admit to ourselves. DH didn't think he played nearly as well tonight as he did yesterday. We're both a little disappointed at that, but DS#2 said that he again "had a blast", so we should be happy with that, right? I guess we feel that he plays better when he plays with a better team, so he will be more adequately challenged by a higher level team. I just hope that he likes his fellow teammates when he finds out who they are...

DS#1 was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society tonight. I had always imagined that when this happened, DH and I would both be proudly looking on in the audience. Instead, DH was at soccer tryouts with DS#2. I had the two youngest ones with me. Before the ceremony, I let them run around the empty chairs that the inductees were going to be sitting in. I wanted them to run off some of their energy before the ceremony started. The lady behind me remarked at what beautiful smiles they both had. The lady across the aisle from me agreed and said that DS#3 had the cutest dimples. I had to agree, of course.

Thankfully, it was a fairly short ceremony. DD kept busy playing with my IPhone and DS#3 started eating some goldfish. I took a few photos of DS#1 walking across the stage to receive his certificate, but I'll take a picture of him with the certificate when he gets the actual certificate. Apparently, the "real" certificates didn't arrive on time, so they substituted paper copies. I got to see the girl that is always sending text messages to DS#3. She's the Vice President of their chapter of the National Junior Honor Society, so she was on stage as part of the ceremony. He seems to have good taste. :)

U11 Tryouts

Tonight, DS#2 started tryouts for next year. According to DH, he played very well tonight. More importantly, DS#2 seemed excited by the whole experience. He told me that he had two reasons why he thought kids enjoy tryouts, and it wasn't because they were "excited about trying to get into a better team". Number one was that "it was a blast". He enjoyed the fact that the coaches mixed up the players into different teams. I think DS#2 liked the variety of playing with other boys that he didn't usually play with and was excited by it. The number two reason was that apparently, one of the "top two coaches" asked what his name was and then "wrote it on a pad". On the way home, DS#2 asked DH if it was a good thing if the coach asks for your name but not anyone else's. DH told them that did indeed sound like a good thing, and I'm sure DS#2 got even more excited by this fact.

I really hope that this is "a good thing" because I don't want DS#2 to be disappointed. I also hope that his excitement continues since he has tryouts for two more nights. They supposedly pick the teams after that. We'll get a call on Thursday night and then we'll have a team meeting on Friday. Lots and lots of anticipation this week...

Mother's Day 2009

I actually got to "sleep in" until 9AM this morning! That doesn't count waking up when DS#3 woke up and such, but I got to stay in bed until 9AM and I really needed that. When DH brought DS#3 to bed at around 6-6:30AM, he made a beeline for my side of the bed and my pillow. It was the perfect Mother's Day snuggle. :)

We had brunch at the Scenic Loop Cafe at 10AM. It was a little warm outside, but it was very breezy, so it was pleasant. DS#1 and DS#2 filled up on muffins from the buffet, although DS#1 threw in some meat, too. DS#2 had to have lots of fruit, of course. DD ate up her chicken tenders and a cinnamon roll rather quickly, but DS#3 barely ate anything except a few french fries and a small bit of fruit. They didn't have shrimp on their buffet, so I ordered off the menu. They also didn't have my favorite dessert, Creme Brulee on their buffet, so I had to order that separately, of course.

DH and I often worry about how little DS#3 eats, but we have to reassure ourselves that he does eat a lot sometimes, and he is still growing. He looked really cute in his little outfit today, especially with his red car sneakers on. :) He and DD played on the playscape they had outside at the restaurant.

DS#2 had another soccer game game today. They lost this game, unfortunately, and got third place in the tournament. DS#2 gave me the sweetest gift this morning. I was making the bed in my room when he walked in, told me "Happy Mother's Day" and then practically threw his "gift" across the bed to me. It was a little "coupon booklet" simply made out of index cards and written in pencil. He had coupons for a "free picture" and "free massage". I thought to myself that I shouldn't have to have a coupon to be able to take pictures of him, but this was a sweet gesture on his part, so I kept my mouth shut. Later he said that I didn't have to use any coupons today because today was Mother's Day. That's why he willingly smiled for my Mother's Day picture. He can be such a sweet boy! :)

I hope everyone else had a fantastic Mother's Day today!

Awake Asleep

I'm afraid I've been alternating between being awake and asleep for about 24 hours now. Last night when I was on call, I would just be falling asleep when I would get called. Ack!

When I got home today, I took a short nap before going to DS#2's first soccer game. When we got home from that, I took my shower then went back to sleep again. DH awakened me when he sent me a text message during DS#2's halftime of his second game. DH and DS#2 went to church separately from the rest of us because they wanted to stick close to the soccer fields, then DH and I went to DS#2's last game for today. Now it's midnight and I'm still up.

Luckily, despite the high temperatures, there was a decent breeze at the soccer field today, which made it much more bearable, maybe even enjoyable. The other kids went to only one game, the first one, and they enjoyed some snow cones to cool off. I can't remember if DS#2 has ever had one before, but he sure enjoyed this one! I love how DS#1 seemed to enjoy feeding it to him almost as much as DS#3 enjoyed eating it! :)

DH took this photo during the game that I missed. I thought it was a cool shot because it clearly shows DS#2 taking the ball away from his competitor plus he has such an intense look on his face. (You can click on the picture to make it a little bigger.) They lost the first game 6-3. They won the next two games, 7-1 (?) and 7-0. Apparently, DS#2 actually played more aggressively in the game that I missed. Tryouts for next year's teams are next week, so I hope he continues to play well.

First Art Class

Just a quick post before I leave for work. We inadvertently overpaid at his Gymboree Play class, so instead of extending the class, DH added another class--art. Today was his first day. I wasn't there, but apparently at first he threw a fit and wouldn't go in the art room. He was probably used to going there to play and that wasn't the room he was expecting to go to. He wouldn't even put his hands in the paint. He must have warmed up enough to make me these "Mother's Day gifts". The card in the bottom left supposedly is a "but-a-FY" or "butterfly" made out of two handprints. DH didn't have much time to tell about the class, but DS#3 must have warmed up enough to stay for Gymboree Play afterwards because he "Gymbo stamps" on his hands and tummy, and those are only given out at the end of his Gymporee Play class. :)

Favorite Spot

After yesterday's exhausting day, I got to "chill" a little this afternoon. DS#3 was being needy and clingy, and wanted me to carry him around everywhere. I was able to redirect him to looking out the big window next to our stair landing. That way I could put him down and he wanted to sit in my lap instead. He likes to look for birds in the big trees next to the window. He also likes to listen out for any "airpain" (i.e. airplane) flying overhead.

I decided to lie back and put my head on the bottom step. It's not the most comfortable place for my head, but I could pretend I was lying down outside and looking up at the tree. DS#3 decided to lie down on top of me instead. I decided that this would make a great "photo of the day" and asked DS#1 to get the camera. He took this picture and three others. Just a reminder of some of simpler times... :)

How To Entertain a Toddler During Dance Class

Last week, DH took DD to her dance class and had to entertain DS#3. See HERE for how he "entertained" him by allowing him to get himself wet at the water fountain. Today it was my turn. At first I let him have Goldfish crackers, or "Fee" as he calls them. We went to the restroom to wash his hands, and I realized that I could occupy him for a few minutes by letting him play with the water in the sink. I figured that at least there were paper towels there to wipe him up. He did get his shirt a little wet, from leaning on the counter, but it wasn't soaked like it was last week.

Unfortunately, the water fountain is right by the restroom, so when we came out, he wanted to go to the water fountain again. I didn't want him to, but I did allow him one drink. Then I distracted him by letting him go into DD's dance class to watch. Before I knew it, it was time to go. Whew! We made it through another dance class without TOO much of a tantrum.

By the way, I thought this was a cool photo of DD skipping by me. They do this "freeze dance" at the end of every class. The girls all dance however they want to dance while carrying these colorful scarves. When the music stops, they stop. DD always looks so happy and carefree during this dance. :)

Cinco de Mayo PTA

Not much time to post today. DH took DD swimming to see if she could get all the way across the pool. I guess she fell a little short, but he felt confident that the block was psychological and that she could easily overcome that. I have to admit that I can't wait to see her in a race. I've never seen her compete before and I'm wondering how she'll do.

DH took DS#1 to his soccer practice while I took DD to her school's PTA meeting. DS#2 and DS#3 went with us. They did a couple little "dances" to music and since today is "Cinco de Mayo", they went ahead and called it their "Cinco de Mayo" dance. They were supposed to wear bright colors and DD picked out her bright colored outfit. She really looked like she enjoyed herself up there on stage. I can totally see her enjoying her swimming "performance" just as much. :)

Twosome

DD and DS#3 are often lumped together because they're the youngest and because neither plays soccer. They argue like siblings do, but most of the time, they're each other's best buddies. Tonight they both had popcorn for "dessert" or "zert" as DS#3 calls it. They were both giggling and laughing but most importantly, they were sharing.

Later, DD wanted to help change DS#3's clothes. I helped her a little, of course, but she took his clothes off and put his night clothes on. He was cooperative for the most part, so that made it easier for her.

I'm trying to enjoy these moments tonight because tonight is the calm before the storm. The next few days will be busier than usual. Tuesday is usually an "easy" day, but not tomorrow. Tomorrow, DD has her "swim test" to see if she can swim the length of the pool so she can swim in a swim meet (at least that's what DH thinks they're testing). Her class is also performing at the PTA meeting. DS#1 has a soccer practice.

On Wednesday, I was originally supposed to work late but I had to switch it. DD has her usual dance class from 4-5PM. DS#2 has a district fourth and fifth grade track meet about 20-30 minutes away from 4-6PM (depending on traffic). DH is usually pretty good at carting kids everywhere, but it's physically impossible for him to be in two places at the same time. Don't we all wish that was possible? Wednesday is usually our "relaxing" day because we usually only have DD's dance class.

Thursday is the usual piano and guitar for DD and DS#2, respectively, and the usual dual soccer practice for DS#1 and DS#2. Next, I'm on call Friday night. Saturday, DS#1 will be playing those two away games a good two or so hours away, that were cancelled because of the swine flu scare. DS#2 has a soccer tournament. I'm getting really tired already just thinking about it!

Things That Make Me Smile

Playground of Memories has a photo prompt that says, "Photograph something that just makes you smile" so I started by taking this picture. As you can see, DS#3 has just "finished" his chocolate covered donut for breakfast. DH routinely gets donuts on Sunday mornings and DS#3 tends to eat the chocolate off of his donut then he is done. At least he folded his hands together because that kept him from getting some of the chocolate on me. Messy, messy!

After that, I kept finding other things that made me smile, so of course I had to take MORE pictures. We went to Six Flags this morning so that we could get our pictures taken for our season passes. Of course, we rode a few rides, too. DS#3 and DD wanted to ride on the kiddie train. DS#1 was so good and rode with DS#3 since he was supposed to only ride with an "adult over 54 inches". Notice that DS#3's hands are clasped again? He kept doing this on every ride. After this ride, the three of them rode on this mini ferris wheel ride where the seats were like little covered wagons. That's actually when I first noticed the clasped hands. At first I wondered if DS#3 was scared. Then I laughed to myself thinking, "Is he afraid so he's praying that me makes it through like his Mama does on rides?" :)

Next, DH, DS#2, and DD rode on The Gully Washer, a water ride. DS#1 was again such a good big brother and carried DS#3 so he could see down into the water. He kept saying "Wa Wa" and pointing. I guess seeing my kids helping each other always makes me smile. DS#1 is usually especially helpful.

This picture really makes me smile. DS#2 rode on The Gully Washer two times, the first time by himself and the second time with DH and DD. He was SOAKED! The last time he found himself underneath this waterfall feature that only got him and not DH or DD! DD was all giggly because the back of her shorts was all wet. That's why she's got her back to the camera, so I could take a picture of it. DS#2 was about to run away from the camera, but DH is holding on tightly.

After this, DS#3 saw the "big" train and demanded to ride it. DH and I found it very interesting that he was clasping his hands again. He was also mesmerized by the scenery passing by. This boy sure loves trains! By the way, he is sitting next to his "Choo Choo Ba Pa" that he got for his birthday. He is always pointing to that and saying "Choo Choo Ba Pa".

Tonight after dinner, I took the kids out for ice cream. DS#3 had allowed me to put this outfit on him earlier. The onesie says "Got Milk?" and my dear sis (?) bought it for either DS#1 or DS#2 originally. DS#3 also has his new red "Cars" shoes on. This was one of my purchases yesterday so this is the first day he's worn them. This whole outfit makes me smile, as does this sweet boy with the cheesy smile.

I can't pretend that my life is always full of smiles. Some things that didn't make me smile:
--DS#3 pooping in the bathtub during his bath.
--DD whining about practicing piano AGAIN.
Luckily, the "smiles" far outweigh the "non-smiles". I have to smile about that! :)

Cars Redux

Today I kept thinking that we should be at some soccer games, but alas, those games were still cancelled because of the Swine Flu scare. My BIL came to town for a Cinco de Mayo soccer tourney, though, and DH and DS#1 ended up going to part of his second game. It was a nice change of pace to not worry about being there 45-60 minutes ahead of time and not having to take the whole family, too.

I went shopping. In the morning, we did our usual banana chocolate chip pancakes and turkey bacon. At around 9AM I rushed off to the nearby scrapbook store for their "National Scrapbook Day" sale. I bought more than I thought I would, but I saved SO much! *WINK*

DD went with me. Since yesterday she got it into her head that she wanted to buy something with her "own money". She only recently started getting an allowance of $2 per week and I guess the money was burning a hole in her pocket. She decided she wanted to buy gum so we went to Target. We bought her some new shoes also (with MY money) and looked for shoes for DS#3.

He recently started wearing the "Cars" Crocs-type shoes that I bought him last year. He never really wore them when I first bought them, but ever since DH put them on him to splash in the puddle in our backyard, he always wants to wear them, even though they cut into his little ankles because they're too small. Actually, they cut into his ankles last Fall when I bought them, but even more so now. Well, they had a bigger pair at Payless. He didn't like the "Cars" red sneakers that I also bought him, but he almost demanded to wear these! Here he is in his little soccer "uniform" that DH and I bought him at Costco. The boys wear blue Adidas soccer uniforms, so this was too cute and too appropriate to pass up. By the way, he has a school bus in one hand and a Lightning McQueen car (red sports car from the movie "Cars") in the other hand.

After church we went to dinner at Chili's. Sometimes DH and I worry about how DS#3 always lines up everything. I turned and saw him lining up his milk sippy cup and his strawberry lemonade cup on top of coasters. It was just too funny that he had to put them on coasters. DH pointed out how he had lined up the crayons too. I just hope this means he'll be organized when he gets older!

Two Year Old Pictures

I was off today as a "comp day" for working last Saturday. I made an appointment for DS#3 to get his belated two-year-old photos at The Picture People. First of all, I had a hard time trying to find a safety pin to hold up his shorts. He himself got a little upset that his pants kept falling. He looked like one of those guys that have their hands at their crotch because they're holding onto their pants to keep them from completely falling down. Of course, I still had to practically chase him down because he wouldn't let me simply pin up his shorts, until finally, his shorts fell (again) and he got distracted by the TV.

Then, I couldn't get him out of the house this morning. I had wanted to go pick up my new glasses and contacts, but by the time we left, we didn't have time. When we got to the mall, he rode in the stroller for a few minutes, then decided that he wanted to run around untethered. So, this meant that he was upset that I made him go into The Picture People. He finally calmed down a little when I gave him Goldfish crackers to eat, but then he would not go over to the studio area to get his picture taken. At least after the manager entertained him while the photographer took pictures, they were able to get some good ones. It sure pretty hopeless, at first!

This is the frame and photos I bought today. I wasn't originally planning for this, but when I saw these black and white prints with this photo mat and frame, I had to get it. I'm planning to get similar ones for the other kids this year so I can put the whole grouping in that empty space above my bed. I'm sure the other kids will be thrilled, but I'm excited about this!

We got a little shopping done, and he got a lot of exercise walking around the mall. We ate at PF Chang's where, despite all the Goldfish and jelly beans he had eaten, he ate a decent meal. He was in a fantastic mood after that. I even videotaped him dancing in the mall while onlookers remarked at how cute he looked. I'm going to have to get DH to edit and resize that clip. He really does look adorable. It wasn't an easy day for me, but I still enjoy spending time with that little man. :)