Living, Loving, Learning

Mango , Melon , Orange , Peach , Berry My kids LOVE my homemade smoothie pops!  It is a great low-cal, nutritious alternative to all those sugar laden treats that abound this time of year!  We have smoothies for breakfast a least twice a week. After breakfast I pour the leftover into ice cube trays and throw it into the freezer. 30 minutes later (I have to set a timer for this or I will never remember it!)  I insert Popsicle sticks (found in the craft isle of Walmart) into the more firm cubes. A few hours later, VOILA, frozen treats.  I often buy frozen fruit specifically with smoothies in mind, but I also freeze the last few pieces of the omnipresent fruit salad that I always keep in the fridge.  I don't mind buying a huge variety of fresh fruit to have on hand when I know that I can always freeze it for smoothies if we aren't able to eat it quickly enough.  YUMMMMY and Healthy - a winner!

Lucy grew me some grass for Mothers Day! One of the best presents ever! :)

Lucy has been super helpful with the wee garden this year. She loves to use her little watering can, pull weeds and of course, harvest!

They looooove the library!

Do you Pin?? I was HUGELY reluctant to join pinterest, and waited about a year but finally gave in when...oh well, best just to admit it, everyone else was doing it . I have been super happy I did join though, as I have found a ton of great artists, recipes, tutorials and kids activities through the sight. This is one such activity .  It is super easy...mix cornstarch and water and food coloring (I used gel dyes that were starting to get a little too thick to use in frosting anymore...waste not, want not.)  The kiddos, especially Lucy, LOVED this project.  Sooo much so that she asked me to make it up again when her buddies, the Solice girls were coming over to play.  I love the designs left behind on the driveway, and rest assured all traces washed away with the first heavy rain.  (We have an asphalt driveway, not sure if it would stain a lighter color driveway.)  A super fun, super cheap summer activity.

Griffin is doing so awesome these days! The last week of school was a great one for him. He was student of the week AND he won a medal for highest math scores in his class. Way to go Griff!! He has been getting super into to playing baseball lately. Our dear friends the Marinos sent him this awesome hat for his birthday. Too cute!!  Go Tigers!

Lucy had her very first dance recital last night.  I have to tell you, it was a major dream come true for me.  From the moment the ultrasound tech told me, "It's a GIRL", I started weaving dreams for this wee one.  I am not sure why a dance recital was one of my first and most vivid daydreams, but there it was.  I feel to blessed and thankful that not only did that day come, but Lucy loved it and had an absolute blast participating.  Truly a miracle when one considers the type of child she was for the first 2 1/2 years of her life!  Part of what made this such an extra special experience is that we were able to go through it with a couple of our dearest friends.  It was so fun for me to be able to spend the practices and the flurry of activity leading up to the big night with my dear friend Mandy and also make some new wonderful friendships with other Moms in the process.  So this is the best family photo out of about 20 taken...

Have I told you how much fun it is too have a daughter? Sooooo much! She has recently decided that she needs to wear the same nail polish I do. We are so excited for her very first dance recital tonight! Seems like a major right of passage.

The big man turns 8 today! He is having an awesome day, enjoying summer break (although, I did hear a wistful, "I miss my teacher and friends" this morning.) I could not be more proud of my little dude. He is so smart, so kind, so sweet and sometimes, let's be real here, so bratty and disrespectful. It's a right of passage and I wouldn't want him any other way. The lead up to 8 has had some trying times. He is testing our boundaries, BIG TIME, and while it can be frustrating, I know this is all a natural part of him finding his place in the world. I am so so thankful to be on this journey with him! He teaches me more about myself constantly and I am grateful for all the lessons learned. Last night he had a sleepover with his other BFF, Madeline. They have such a blast together! Today is Madeline's Dad's birthday also, which they think is so cool to share. So without further ado, he is this year's birthday interview: Birthda...

Griffin is going to get the best birthday present tomorrow...it will be the first day of summer vacation! As excited as he is for it to be over, it has to be said that he has had a remarkable year.  I feel a lot of that is due to his excellent teacher, Mr. Thomas.  Mr. Thomas is a kind and engaging teacher.  His ability to to grow his students knowledge and confidence is evident in Griffin's much improved standardized test scores, his increased zest for information and his excitement to go to school each day. Although the kids had a blast in this classroom, there was a lot of serious learning going on, even in their down time.  I don't believe the TV was ever turned on except for serious educational videos (such a change from our experience years past.)  The students became a large group of friends that enjoyed and respected one another without those cliques that plague other classrooms.  We really could not be more thankful for this wonderfu...

Breaking all the rules!! But how can I say no to a puppy snuggled on my quilt??

It has begun, the celebration of my eldest turning 8 next Tuesday!!!  WHAT?  HOW?  Wasn't it yesterday that I was wearing the green robe, ready to receive my diploma from MSU?  Wasn't it yesterday that I backpacking through Europe, looking for the next big sight/cold beer/new friend?  Wasn't it yesterday when I met that awesome dude, Bruce, who was sweeping me off my feet?  Wasn't it yesterday when we were in the O.R. and the Dr. turned to us and said, "It's a BOY!"  What a journey!  We are celebrating Griffin in many ways this year.  The first is a sleepover with one of his best friends, Jacob.  We gave the boys a choice of many activities, but they wanted to stay home and play Pokemon all night.  We talked them into joining us for an ice cream after dinner.  ;)  Over heard last night:  G: Jacob, you are the best friend EVER! J: You are mine too! Love this meeting of compatable ENERGY!

A few more shots from our Mother's Day camping trip. We had 24 hrs of perfection, 2 hours of picking ticks off each other, 4 hrs of steady drizzle rain before we called it good and headed home. Love those kind of adventures!

Lucy had her last day of school last Thursday. They had a fun water day outside where they played in baby pools, had a water balloon fight and ran in the sprinklers.  They had an absolute blast!! What a year it has been! We are so sure now that we made the right decision to send her to pre-school this year. She has grown so much. Her speech is so much clearer, she is so much more comfortable in social situations and just seems to be a more happy kid all around.   These ladies are the ones to thank for helping bring this huge transformation to the surface.  With her speech therapist, Ms. Sonja. With Ms. Karen. With Ms. Lisa And with her AMAZING teacher, Ms. Amy. Unfortunately, Ms. Cissy had jury duty that day, but she was an equally special part of Lucy's year. 

The oceans exhibit at the Indianapolis zoo is so good! It got us all excited for our trip to the aquarium in Chattanooga next month!

To be greeted by a lion before we even got into the zoo....well, it pretty much made Lucy's day!

Last weekend the kids and I met my Mom in Indianapolis. We had such a blast hanging out with her! I will be posting pictures from that trip over the next few days. There is a canal walk through downtown and it was such a great quiet and pretty place to walk. This was taken there.