Warm Sun Fun

A Star Wars Transformer

You can't tell from the picture, but she was really excited to have this on. Minutes later she was crying because Cooper whacked her across the knuckles with a light saber. Poor girl.

Chuck E Cheese

Marlee and Cooper were invited to Chuck E Cheese today for Marlee's boyfriend's birthday. I forgot the camera in the car. I barely was able to use my phone to snap these pictures. That place was a mad house. I think there were more adults than children. Hopefully Will's mom snapped some  good ones.

Bed Head

Nothing like waking up from nap time looking this this. Poor guy. He slept for over 3 hours.

Meet the Newest Member of the Family

My parents are giving this sweet 3 year old Yorkie a new home. His name is Spike, and he will be the perfect medicine to help Nana heal from her recent surgery.

Get Well Soon

Updated:
Mom's surgery was rescheduled for Tuesday the 22nd. All went well! The tumor was benign! She's feeling good and up on her feet. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. We appreciated them so much!

Marlee painted her a rainbow to make her feel better.

Cooper drew himself and Nana. I think he might take after Marlee in the art department.

Nana (my mom) is having surgery today. So say a prayer for her, my dad, and myself. We pray for good results and a speedy recovery. WE LOVE YOU, NANA!!!

A Best Friend's Birthday

Marlee's little best friend, Kyndal had her 4th birthday this past weekend. She invited her 3 closest friends over to her house for pizza, cupcakes, and fun.

More Fun in the Sun

We had some nice, sunny weather this past weekend. The kids rode and rode their bikes. We drew with chalk and even played soccer with our new neighbors.

Marlee and Cooper were racing back. Cooper is winning. Look at that determination!?!?

She is so mad that she lost. She would not look at the camera.

All is right in Marlee's world.

He had to push it across the finish line. (Not really. When his peddle gets stuck he gets off and pushes.)

Library Love

We had a free morning to head to the local library for story time. The theme for today was bunnies in honor of the Chinese New Year. 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, so it was fitting. Marlee and Cooper were very well behaved and enjoyed the stories, songs, and rhymes.

They are able to color, put puzzles together, and play in the book tower while I search for new and interesting books. Cooper got his very own book bag for Christmas and was excited to try it out. Their favorite part of going to the library is reading the books on the way home.

I hope they always maintain a love for reading. I know I have enjoyed it for years. Even when I am tired, I always treasure reading books with them at bedtime.

Who Done It?

I thought Marlee and Cooper were disciplined enough to play upstairs unattended (for short periods of time) while I got a few household chores done downstairs. Well I thought wrong. Marlee had an old purse of mine in her closet full of crayons and a couple of pens. She was using it to carry around when we would go somewhere. Well one afternoon she and Cooper discovered the purse and decided to create their own masterpieces.

Cooper came downstairs and announced he had been drawing. I asked on what and he ran back upstairs. When I followed, Marlee announced she had not done anything. It was all Cooper. Those little stinkers drew ALL OVER THE WALLS! I couldn't believe it. I was so proud of myself for not getting mad. All Chad and I could do was laugh.

Here's the evidence. I knew Marlee was guilty as soon as I saw the horse. And no they were not washable markers. We tried magic erasers, but they didn't work either. Thankfully there is about half a gallon of paint in the garage. We'll just paint over it when move out.

A Hurtle Jumped

Marlee and Cooper have never been fans of strawberries. I love them and eat them all the time. When Marlee and I were at the grocery store I asked if she wanted to buy some. She said no, but I put them in the cart anyways.

When we got home I had her get a bowl and a kitchen knife. I let her take control of cutting them up and adding sugar to make syrup. We placed the bowl on the table and gave it about 30 minutes to sit at room temperature. She and Cooper kept stopping to stir the strawberries. Once we saw there was some syrup in the bottom, they each got a bowl and gobbled them up.

So hopefully the hurtle had been jumped, and we can now add strawberries to our list of favorites.