Dirt with a Little J On It

It is J's lucky day week! They dug up a ditch around our building. So, not only does he get to watch a back hoe at work, he also gets to play in the dirt. And boy does he get in it. He has been watching tractors now for months as they have been doing a major overhaul of the pipes under the roads in our neighborhood. He loves the tractors! So he gets his cars and tractors and monster trucks to play in the dirt whenever he can. Even if our sole purpose in being outside is to get in the car, he has to stop and play in the dirt. (That part is extremely annoying). He begged all morning to go play outside, so finally this afternoon we were able to grant his wish. And he stayed out there as long as we could let him. 

 Here's a short story about J and the dirt:  once upon a time he needed to rub his eye (can't imagine why) which he tried- but ended up making it worse because his hand was covered in DIRT. Mom warned him to not use his dirt-covered hot little hand, but to find something else-like his shirt. J decided to use the first thing he could find: mom's flip flop. The End.

I do realize that by posting eight pics and a lengthy discussion about a dirty kid that I am exposing myself as a crazed mother. But what can I say? I am in love with this particular dirty kid!

Although the pics don't quite do it justice, the end result was just that: dirt with a little J on it.

Where's the Anteater Guy?

A few weeks ago some kindergarten classes from M's school went to the zoo. I couldn't be an official chaperon because they don't allow younger siblings to come. So, I came un-officially. There was no way I was about to miss out on this fun day with M! Anyway, they had enough parents come to help that each parent got 2-3 kids. They toured around and then we all met up for lunch. M was with a sweet girl and her mother. She took a few pictures of the girls together. 

 

After a much needed stop for lunch the kids had to get loaded up on the bus. (They had only been there for 1 1/2 hrs or so-not long enough in my opinion). So, the kids and I and this girl and her mother decided we wanted to go back in and see the rest of the zoo that we didn't get to see previously. We covered nearly the whole zoo again. It was nice chatting with the mom and the kids had a fun time. Here is M brushing the goats. (Little Miss P was very scared of them, poor thing!)

They also got to feed fish and ride the train.

Little Miss P finally gave it up. She held out for a long time though! She really liked seeing all the animals and made "meow" noises frequently through out the day! I carried her in my arms onto the train and then put her back in and she never woke up!

After we saw all the animals-except for the "anteater guy" who just would not come out of his house, we went to play on the playground just outside of the zoo. (J is still talking about how we didn't see the anteater guy or any giraffes).

There was more to this playground than this contraption, but I was busy running after three chilluns because P woke up and wanted to play too so I didn't get any other pics. Side note: she is getting much braver on slides and playgrounds.

This was a great day for all of us and I am really glad we were able to have this day together!

Afraid

I'm realizing there is something I am very very afraid of this summer: time. We are beginning our second week of summer holiday and already I feel it is flying by. I am so scared it is just going to be a big blur. So, I really want to document everything. For my sake, (my memory is horrible) and for my children's sake (I want them to know how happy their childhood was). And, since I am very, very behind I am going to do some big lump posts. I thought about doing it by week, but that sounds like a lot of work and energy! So here goes:

M's field day. Poor thing it was only 63 this day so she was a little cold with her sport skirt on, but luckily many of their activities were indoor. I guess these Michiganders know how to plan for their weather. She had a good time and was very thankful they had no relay races (she was worried she would lose for her team).

This is an activity my wild things have been enjoying recently: squirting each other with water. Thank you Dollar Tree for providing hours of fun. We have done this a couple times in front of our building. Thankfully the neighbors don't seem to mind!

On this same day little Miss P had her hair free. I loved it! It doesn't happen often so I had to get some pics of her! Looking at her hair just tickled me the whole day! She is precious!

I changed her into one of M's tees so she could play in the water, but she didn't like it. She was content to sit with me on the steps-and dig in the dirt.

I love to see my kids laughing and playing. Maybe you will enjoy it too:

J always has to get right IN on the action:

I took my vacuum to get serviced and so we made a stop at the beach since it was right around the corner. M was still in school at this time.

Getting a picture with both of these little people looking and smiling is very nearly impossible.

Emily got a wig:

Here is a handsome guy dressed up for the Sock Hop. One of the kindergarten teachers in M's school (she looks young-no way she is older than I) had bone cancer surgery so M's teacher and another teacher organized a fund raiser for her in the form of a Sock Hop. It was a lot of fun. We got dressed up (something we wild things like to do) ate and danced and had a good visit with M's teacher. Unfortunately this is the only pic I took from the night, so enjoy it!

Last Day of School

I cannot believe M had her last day of school yesterday! This school year has flown by as I have watched her grow and learn. Yesterday was a bit of an emotional day. For me, it was a day realizing she is not-so-little  now and never will be again. And not-so-little means not needing or wanting mommy nearly as much as before! For M, is was a sad day to say goodbye to her teacher and friends. She is quite the "social butterfly" and will miss being with her playmates (playground drama and all). She cried in the morning after I dropped her off (little did she know I was crying on my way out the door...). She said she was the only sad kid there! It just shows her tender heart-she gets that from her daddy. (Well, the crying she gets from me, but the tender heart she gets from her daddy!) She has learned a lot academically-and I think she really enjoys learning. She may not have been the smartest child in her class but she made great strides in reading and all other areas. She did her best and that's all we will ever ask of her. She brought joy to her teacher. She was helpful, and trust worthy, and cared about the well-being of those around her. I'm so proud of her for all of that. Mrs. Roth awarded her with the "Jolly Rancher Award" for being bright and cheerful every day! I'd say that describes M very well! Last night she told me her three favorite things about kindergarten are: Mrs. Roth, her friends in her class, and her friends from Mrs. Miller's class (they did a lot together).

Before:

And After: 

(You'll have to excuse the squinty eyed pictures! And now the rest of the quick photo shoot of yesterday:) 

This one is my favorite:

At the Park

Somebody was really accurate when they told me spring lasts a long time here in MI. They were right. We've had some warm spells, but overall it has been very mild they past month or two. (For example, today I wore a hoodie and shorts and was very comfortable.) It doesn't sound that long but coming from the good ole' south where spring lasts two weeks while everything blooms and then its just hot-it feels long! My point in all this rambling is that we've been able to sneak in some nice days at the park here and there. 

These pics were taken at a party in the park sponsored by Parents as Teachers. There were a lot of fun activities for toddlers. The kids loved it!