Haircut

During the past week Aric has asked to have his hair cut.  When asked how he wanted it cut, he first said, "just like daddy's", then later on he said "just like mommy's".  Personally, I think Aric wanted a sucker, which is a reward at the end of the visit. 

We don't want our kids to think we are forcing them to have their hair a certain way.  So, yesterday I took Aric to have his hair cut.

He thinks it was a successful trip since he was given a soccer ball sucker at the end of the visit.  I'm just happy that his hair wasn't cut like daddy's or mommy's.  Next time, though, I might just buy him a sucker instead.

Aric the Shark

I'm Aric the Shark...

...and I get rocks for Kellyn.

That's what land sharks do.  Apparently.

Random Things

One day last week I stopped for a moment and noticed the random things that were lying around my house.  Random things in random places where they don't really belong.

A frog book left on the couch.  It's a particularly eye-opening frog book that teaches kids that frogs eat talking flies in a rather abrupt way.

Shoes kicked off in the middle of the floor.  I must have been distracted because I don't normally kick my shoes off just anywhere.

Kellyn's shoes kicked off before she climbed into her highchair.

A ping pong ball underneath my kitchen cabinets.

Bedding waiting to be washed and put on the new bed.

A mixing bowl in my bedroom.  Aric told me his stomach hurt, in anticipation of anything that might happen I gave him a mixing bowl.  He didn't want it, but Kellyn gladly claimed it, filled it with things and eventually discarded it in my bedroom.

Dresses from the wedding heaped on the floor.  I have yet to find a dry cleaner in town and drop them off.

A beloved tractor brought downstairs to show a beloved person who watched the kids for me last week.

A painting done by my grandmother that needs to be hung up.

A fairy princess dress waiting for a young girl to feel like a princess again.

Christmas in August

This Christmas Ryan and I decided that our gift to each other would be a king size bed.  Ryan has wanted one for a long time and I would have to agree with his decision.  We frequently find one or more kids sneaking in during the wee hours of the morning to sleep in bed with us.  A queen size bed was quickly becoming too small.  Neither Ryan nor I felt that we needed to be banished to one of the kid's twin beds in search of a restful night.

Last weekend we drove to Nebraska Furniture Mart and found a bed and mattress.  They were delivered yesterday morning.  While the bed now takes up most of the room, Ryan and I are excited about having more room to spread out and sleep.

What happened to our queen bed?  Well, we moved that down to our guest bedroom.  All we had down there was a queen-size air mattress and I hated making guests sleep on it.  Last weekend I finally got around to painting the guest bedroom and turned it into more than just the junk room that it was quickly becoming.  I am pretty pleased with the results and look forward to having guests.

Before:

After:

The Crown Royal quilt and Kansas State wall hanging were made by Ryan's grandmother.  We used the quilt on our bed during the first few years of our marriage. 

 

We like that the room is spacious and there are defined areas we can designate for the office and bed.

We had planned on painting the accent wall purple and have a Kansas State theme in the guest room.  The beige paint was used because I still have so much leftover from the living area downstairs.  I still have another full gallon and a half left, but I'm quickly running out of things to paint.

Things Heard Around Here

I get stew-ull.

Translation:  I need a stool because I just discovered Mommy is cutting up strawberries and I want some.

Still Dressing Up

Kellyn's affinity for dressing up hasn't diminished yet, especially since she was given a Tinkerbell dress and sparkly heels by Papa and Nana.

It's not a good idea to leave home without your wings.

Or your heels.

Of course an old Army hat and a bathrobe work well, too, when you get tired of being a fairy princess.

A hat and a purse are always necessary for trips to the park.

You never know when the weather might change and you need the hat to protect your face.

And Mommy's kimono is always a good fall back outfit.

My Aunt

This beautiful lady is my aunt Jill.  She and I have always shared a special bond.  My mom was pregnant with me when she was Jill's maid of honor.  I was born on Jill's birthday.  Every year we race to see who can call first and wish the other a happy birthday.  Coming full circle, Jill was my maid of honor when I got married.

Jill is the kind of aunt who lavished us with her time and creativity.  One of my favorite memories is when Jill made Ryan and I a hospital tent out of sheets in her backyard.  She used strips of old sheets for bandages.  Then she poured ketchup on her arm and came out to have us bandage her up. 

She showers the same amount of time and creativity on my children.  We stayed with her and my uncle Glenn while we were in Minnesota this summer.  Jill made the kids an extravagant cardboard house (I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of it) and a butcher paper road for Aric's cars (we still have and use the road).  The kids lapped up all of the extra attention.

Jill had no problem calling out my brother, Rudy, when I told her I was a bit perturbed that he ignored me at the wedding.  She went right up to him and told him he needed to give me some of his time.  If not for her I would've let him ignore me and then yelled at him later.

Jill and Glenn helped Ryan and I chase Aric and Kellyn around the boat.  I'm sure they (Jill and Glenn not Aric and Kellyn) were worn out at the end of the evening.

With three stories of boat and two precocious kids it was a lot of work and we were thankful to have the extra help.

Jill will always hold a special place in my heart.  I am thankful to have her in my life.

Fishing

While we were in Minnesota on our boat ride Aric asked my aunt if she would take him fishing.  Not really thinking I said, "you would have more luck if you asked Papa to take you fishing."  Aric latched onto my statement and would not let go.  Knowing that we were soon heading to my parent's house I simply called my dad and asked if he would take Aric fishing.  My dad loves to fish and I figured he wouldn't mind.  Thankfully I was right.

While we were visiting Aric and Papa went fishing together.  I was hoping and praying for Aric to catch a fish.  He didn't catch just one fish, he caught five fish.

Aric was excited about his successful fishing trip.  For the next few days he carried around a copy of these pictures in his pocket to show anyone and everyone who would stop for a second to look.

Near the end of our trip they went fishing again.  Ryan and Kellyn went along.  Aric caught another five fish, and Kellyn, she caught one of her own.

Ryan and I are almost scared to take the kids fishing now that we've returned home.  We would hate to disappoint them if the fish in Kansas don't bite as well as they do in DC.

My Brother's Wedding Part 2

Aric is smitten with his new aunt, but then he has been since he first met her.  She genuinely seems to love my kids. In my book that means a lot.

He wanted to tell her she had a "beautiful dress", but he was a bit shy and it took him awhile to summon the courage.

I think if Aric were older he might have given Uncle Rudy a run for his money.

Guess who caught the garter?  I think some single guys learned a hard lesson that day- you don't get between a three year old and his prize.

Aric was excited.  He spent a good deal of time playing catch with anyone and everyone who would throw the garter back to him.

I won't lie, I might've coached him a bit and sent him on his mission to retrieve the garter.

Lest you think we let our three year old keep a garter, we didn't.  The next day I went with my parents to Rudy's apartment to pick up and return his tuxedo and I left the garter hanging on their bedroom door handle. I figured they would enjoy the souvenier more than Aric would.

Things Heard Around Here

Who decided we were old enough to be adults?

Ryan said this last night after he returned from our nightly pre-bedtime ritual of carrying a sleeping Aric from our bed back to Aric's bed.

I laughed at his question, but I sometimes feel the same way.

My Brother's Wedding

A week ago my baby younger brother got married.  It's still weird to think of him being married.  Today they are returning home from their week-long honeymoon in Hawaii.  I'm sure they're not too excited to return to the real world.

They were married on a three story river boat, the Cherry Blossom, on the Potomac River.

The bride was absolutely stunning.  She's also one of the sweetest, most genuine people you would ever have the pleasure of meeting.

The morning of the wedding it rained.  They almost had to have the wedding inside instead of on the top floor of the boat.  Thankfully, our prayers were answered and the weather was perfect during the ceremony.  After they were pronounced man and wife we released butterflies in celebration.

The sky was full of big, puffy sandcastles.  It was like Ryan was in heaven celebrating Rudy's wedding day with us.

Instead of a unity candle (no open flames on the boat) they had unity sand.

After the ceremony, we went inside for a dinner buffet and cake while the boat cruised down the river.

My new sister-in-law has an ornery streak.  She will fit right in with our family.

Unfortunately for her, they had kissing bells on the table for everyone to ring.  After she smashed the cake in my brother's face, my dad came to the rescue and rang his bell rather exuberantly.

They really are made for each other.

They also make a good looking couple.

I wish them a long life of happiness and a love that grows deeper and stronger as the years go by.