Teacher Appreciation Week Day 2

Lakeshore Learning is one of my favorite stores.  I thought a Lakeshore gift certificate would be an appropriate gift for Lauren's sweet teachers but I wanted to present it in some way other than just an envelope...thus the bucket of apples.  Lauren and I wrote a little poem to attach to the gift certificate.

Teacher Appreciation Week Day 1

We are so lucky.  Both girls have absolutely wonderful teachers.  We couldn't ask for better.  I must admit that even though I'm so appreciative of everything they do, I don't often give them little gifts or let them know how I feel.  Lauren's school assigns a week to each student to bless their teachers.  This is our week and I'm so excited. 

I've been craving some more of Sarah's cake and so I asked her to make some petit fours for Mrs. Ralston and Mrs. Schmidt (Lauren's wonderful teachers).  Sarah is so cool because not only did she make the amount I requested, she made extra so I could have a few as well.  That's pretty spectacular in my book!

Here are a few pictures of our gifts from Day 1:

Snapshots

Yesterday we went to a local nursery to buy some plants for the beds in our front yard.  We worked with the nicest young lady.  While she was busy drawing out a plan and pulling plants for us, I walked around and took a few photos.  What an amazing place!

I couldn't decide if I liked the individual shots or collage best.  I decided to just add both.  What the hay!

Conversations with the Peanut Gallery

Some of the latest gems from our little peanuts:

Anna and Lauren were talking about Heaven and Hell.  Lauren asked Anna where to find heaven.  Anna responded, "Heaven is on a cloud in space."

It's tax time and so  everywhere we go we're seeing people dressed like the Statue of Liberty; trying to get us to come in to Liberty Tax to have our taxes done.  One place had a blow-up Statue of Liberty that was waving.  Her hands were otherwise empty.  Anna asked, "Where's her trident??"

Our last family night meal was Papa Murphy's sausage pizza.   The girls both love pizza and were chowing.  Anna stopped for a moment and began to examine a piece of sausage.  Inside the sausage there was a small fennel seed.  Excitedly, Anna said, "Lauren, it's a seed!  Let's plant it and grow some pizza!"

Anna is always making books.  She penned a book about princesses the other day and was having trouble getting it stapled.  Lauren came to the rescue and finished off the book.  Lauren told her, "Isn't it cool that I could do that for you?  If you need help again, just call me like this..."Lauren COOLEST!"

They say that bad things come in threes.  Well, the past few Thursdays have not been so great.  The first Thursday Lauren was sick....everywhere (#1). We had our babysitter Amanda over both times and on the second Thursday she dropped a bowl and it cut her so badly she had to get stitches on the back of her hand (#2).  I decided maybe we should avoid Thursdays and had Amanda over Tuesday instead.  As I was leaving I told her that I wanted her and both kids to sit on the couch and not move until I returned home!! :)  A few days after that Doug missed a step on the stairs  and twisted his ankle....there was #3.

Yesterday, the day started off a bit ominously as well.  Anna left a bag of craisins near the baby and he dumped the entire thing in his lap.  He then toddled over to the spice drawer and dumped an entire jar of whole cloves.  Doug was tossing pancakes to the kids (they love Daddy's flying flapjacks) and one hit Lauren in the eye and left a big red scratch down her cheek.  Who knew pancakes could be dangerous??  Then Jake toddled over to the ledge around the fireplace and fell, scraping his chin and biting his tongue.  Arrggh.  The day actually went well from that point forward and actually ended on a high note.  Doug and I went out for a bite at a Chinese buffet.  When we opened our fortune cookies, mine read, "Your true love is sitting right in front of you."  How awesome is that?

{The picture of Jacob was inspired by a shot I saw on a photographer's blog a while ago.  I cannot find the blog or picture and I would like to give that person credit.  If anyone knows who did it first, please let me know!}

Anna Banana

Yesterday I took Anna out for a few photos.  She's quite the poser but not a very brave model.  I must admit there were a lot of ants and other crawlies.  She held on very tightly to Mommy's hand whenever we ventured off a trail to find a suitable photo spot.  She checked every tree, branch and post for moss and red ants.  She was very thorough and kept me in stitches!

I loved the look of the brooch bouquets featured on Amy Atlas a few weeks ago.  Jan gave me permission to use Ruth's brooches to try and make one of our own.  Anna is holding the result in the first picture.  It's really quite special to have a picture of her with some special mementos that belonged to her Grandmother.

 

Are you there Spring? It's me, Sandy.

Old men must be snoring somewhere because all it seems to do around here lately is rain and pour.  Everything is so lush and green right now.  The trees and flowers are blooming like crazy.  I want...no, I need to take pictures!! Unfortunately, it's also raining.  Doug has reminded me often that my camera is not weather proof and I need to take better care of it.  So, yesterday afternoon when it stopped raining for 15 minutes, I ran to get Lauren.  She was taking a nap in the blow-up house and I hated to disturb her.  Instead, I grabbed the baby, stripped him down and took a few naked baby shots in the yard. (I'm sure my neighbors love me).  Drop by for those later in the week.  I mean, c'mon, who doesn't love naked baby shots? 

Anyway, I finally had to wake Lauren up in time to get Anna from yoga (or yogurt as my mom calls it...sorry, Mom, it was too funny not to share) and decided to dress her as if we were going to be able to take some pictures.  I drove to the spot where I wanted some shots (hey that ryhmes...it's 0400 in the morning so you'll have to forgive me) and sat with the kids in the car willing the rain to go away.  We finally gave up and went home only for the rain to subside.  I grabbed Lauren and we headed back out after Doug got home.  She was such a good little model for me yesterday.  She liked the fact that we both ended up with, as she put it, "soaking doaking wet feet".

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Whenever I see something this golden, I can't help but think about that line in the movie "The Outsiders".  Johnny is talking to Ponyboy and quotes the Robert Frost poem:

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Our friends told us about this field on Saturday and so we rushed over to take some pictures.  Last year I had taken some shots of Jacob in some of these flowers as well but it was just a strip along the highway in the back parking lot of the Ace Hardware distribution center.  I must say this is much more spectacular.