Our neck of the woods...

This week's highlights:

And this was an awesome week!  Every day the sun was shining bright and temperatures were in the 70's.  We tried to visit the park or a park at least once a day, if not before nap then certainly after wards, and if mommy was too tired for the park we took a stroll around the block in our red wagon, which to the kids is equally as fun!

Monday, after nap time we visited Grandma Donna and Grandpa Greg.  Notice how we feel right at home at Grandma's house and even partake in some vacuuming!

At Grandma's house we get our own bowl of popcorn, that Aunt Sara popped for us.  Popcorn is Mark's favorite after dinner snack (he thinks it is a dessert).  We only have it maybe once a week, but when we do it is a treat!  Mark was told, "You can have your own big bowl if you sit on Grandma's couch."  He marched his little self over and plopped right on down!  What a good listener he is!

I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of my Mark.  He is not only a good listener, and a good eater, but Mark has been keeping up with Julia's bible verses.  It takes him a bit longer to memorize the phrases but he just recently learned John 3: 16...it sounds like this, "For GOD so loved the WORLD that he GAVE his only SON!"  He emphasizes the words that mommy emphasizes and it is SO cute.  I put the pictures up in his room so he can continue to learn the rest.

Monday, during school we learned a new verse, with hand movements!!!!  Deuteronomy 6: 5, "Love the Lord your God with all your Heart, with all your soul, and with all your might."  Julia memorized it by Tuesday, and Mark knows the hand motions and the words, "with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your MIGHT!"  We are having a lot of fun practicing each morning!

We still review our bee facts and will be learning about a different animal each week during our science time which is after the kids wake up from nap and are eating their snack and drinking their milk.  (School time is best when coupled around the table I have found).

This week we learned about penguins and peacocks!

On Wednesday, Mom got a little crazy and decided to use the skills and ideas I learned at MOPS on Tuesday (Mothers of Preschoolers) and create my meal plans for the months of May and June!  It was a lot easier than I expected using a binder, and clear sleeves.  I've done this before but never using a binder and this is so much neater and magazine cut out friendly!  You can write on your recipes with sticky notes, you can slip in a recipe card, but everything is right at your finger tips and all you have to do is flip to that day of the week and your meal plan is there!

I'm going to explain this in more detail and share my monthly plan and some recipes on Monday.  I did this in about 40 minutes, and then throughout the evening I looked through magazines and finished up today.  I had so much fun with this and now I am really excited about planning the rest of my meals and getting in the kitchen and cooking!  Plus, I'll be able to save past months plans and copy ideas and add new ones!

This weekend my Dad helped John carry Julia's desk from the garage to her room.  I kept teasing her saying, "Julia once we put your desk in your room you are going to have to do all your homework."  Thinking this would make her smile.  Well the minute Grandpa and daddy finished putting it in her room, she set it up and said, "Mom, where's my homework?" Like it would instantly appear!  There is just no stopping my little book worm.  She would read books all day, and write and draw if I let her (as long as she could wear her skirt).

Today (it's Thursday as I type) I was thinking, when did my babies, become little people with ideas, opinions, and all this knowledge?  How did this happen?  Wasn't I just nursing them a few days ago and changing their diaper?  Now, they are just blossoming and growing so tall, (and heavy, I might add, mommy's poor back)  I can't believe it.  I tell John over and over how I want to freeze this moment in time...it's happening too fast they are growing up, and all I can do is watch it happen...

Mark's M and his bible verses, we are planning on writing John 3:16 on the wall

Mark's room has been getting a makeover for the past few months, I told John he deserves a BOY room by his birthday, and daddy came through and asked our friend Jeff to paint a picture of Daddy's and Mark's favorite super hero....SPIDER MAN!!!!

Mark thinks it is the coolest room ever, and that's what I wanted for him.  Now, you can find Julia and Mark playing in his room a lot more often.  However, I can't part with our rocking chair, that chair has to stay.  That's where mommy reads to the kids before nap time and bed time and it is just sacred.  I can't part with it, ever...not even when Marky is 3...it stays!  That chair was left by Sabine the former owner of the house (we reupholstered it) because she knew we wanted a family here.  She had three children and was so good to us.

And this is Julia's leotard for when she does her gymnastics recital on June 4th!  I can't wait to video tape it and show all of you, she is AMAZING...and I'm not just saying that because she's my daughter (well, yes I am, but really she is).  She knows her whole routine and she does each piece of equipment, the uneven bars, the balance beam, her floor routine and the vault.  It's awesome!  Every Friday when I watch her go for 45 minutes I am amazed at what her long flexible legs and body can do!

We had a great school week, play week, and work week!  Thank you God for my family!