Put a Smile on Your Face

Things that put a smile on Gwyn's face: Dora, popscicles, yogurt drinks, Hello Kitty, pink sparkly donuts from Strawberry bucks, princess anything, sliding down slides, going to the grocery store, singing songs

Things that put a smile on Jacob's face: Rocks, bugs, lizards, Annie, worms, cutting with his scissors, Gwyn, legos, batman/spiderman/any suuperhero, chocolate milk, driving super fast in the car with the window down

Things that put a smile on Annie's face: Jacob & Gwyn, shoes, playing in mulch, eating paper, anything that she can put into her mouth, swinging on the swingset, being held, splashing in the bath, walking around following people

These kids put a smile on my face everyday.  Today we were driving home from Jacob's school and Jacob said, "There are shapes everywhere Gwyn.  Look at that one, it is a rectangle, that one is a square!"  They are both learning so much, and it just makes me smile to listen to them talk to each other.  Gwyn stayed home with me and Annie today, she's had a rough couple of days which started from a runny nose from allergies that turned into wheezing...2 days and about 8 breathing treatments later, she is feeling much better. 

We joke that Gwyn has two volumes:  loud and really loud.  She talks, sings, laughs at such a high volume, that I constantly tell her to act like a mouse (which lasts on average about 7 seconds).  This was taken the other day at the checkout at the grocery store.  Annie was smiling (and of course stopped when I got my camera out to take a picture), and when I took this, Gwyn yelled, and I do mean YELLED, "CHEESE!"

We had a very good week last week.  It started off with me getting to go on a field trip with Jacob's preschool to a pizza place.  They were learning the five senses, and Jason was able to watch Annie for me so that I could go.  Jacob loves it when me or Brian are able to go to things at his school, and the pizza place brought back memories for me of going to Mazzios with my elementary school.  Jacob had fun, and surprise, surprise, only put cheese on his pizza (no sauce or pepperoni for him).  The funnest part for Jacob was that we carpooled on the way over there with another mom who had a drop down DVD player in her car and he and his friend got to watch Wubbsy.  Jacob thought that was the coolest thing ever, and I told him to talk to his Daddy about that (always got to put a plug in for my new car I'm needing!). 

Rick was able to stay the night one night last week when he had to come to town for work.  He arrived around 4 and was gone the next morning, but while he watched the kids I was able to fold and put away 3 loads of laundry and make a decent dinner (I have to take advantage of every opportunity I can or else we would never have clean clothes in our drawers!).  The kids love to see him, and when I told them that he was coming, the first thing Jacob said was, "He's coming to play with us!"

My mom came down for the weekend on Thursday and flew back early this morning.  It was so nice having her here, and Brian and I were both able to get some projects done.  Brian installed his landscape lighting project that he has been designing for sometime.  He thinks he's part electrician now, running power here and there.  He researched everything, and installed it all in two days.  It looks really good.  He put four lights on the house, and eight lights shining up into our large trees in the front yard.  My picture does not do it justice.  I was a little afraid it would be the Griswalds year-round around here, but it is amazing.  Brian is one very handy man!  This also gave Jacob the opportunity to dig around in the dirt with Brian and find numerous bugs.  He had a grub worm, he kept it in a light box over night, he would take it out and play with it, build little things for it, let it crawl on his arm...until...he accidentally stepped on it.  It was massive devastation, he was very upset, but then...he found another one!  He also freaked out when he spotted a lizard by himself.  He was so excited.  He also found a worm, rollie pollies, and a slug.  He somehow got the slug to crawl into into an empty water bottle and then brought it inside the house because he really wanted to show me.  This resulted in rule #6:  No slugs in the house.  We don't have many rules (be nice to each other, treat our brothers and sisters how we want to be treated, do what your mommy and daddy say, no whining, no toys at the dinner table), but I had to add one for this. 

I was able to get some much needed scrapbooking done.  This getting to do it twice a year takes alot of upkeep and organization just to have everything prepared when I finally get a chance to do it!  Annie's book up to date, add a yearly page into Jacob's book, add some family pages, and update all the kids' baby books.  My mom and I were also able to see a movie with Jason, get pedicures, and we had Jason and his girlfriend over for dinner one night too.  We loved having Nana here.  The kids made brownies with her, had a tea party, did crafts, played outside, played upstairs, etc.  I think we did wear her out though!

Here are a couple of pictures of things Jacob brought home from school this week, this M was working on AB patterns using pink/green marshmallows.  He now really wants to have marshmallows as a snack, and he's so excited to bring his cut out pictures of his Mommy and a monkey for his letter book.   He's torn between bringing a motorcycle and a monkey to show and tell (if anyone has ideas for X, they would be greatly appreciated!  Each week we cut out 3-4 pictures of things that start with the letter of the week, and then he brings one item for show and tell that starts with the letter of the week).  Jacob is very into this whole letter learning, and is constantly asking questions and thinking in advance for next week's letter!

 His "treasure" collection from 3 days of school (this isn't all of it, some lost in the dryer/pockets/car):

More projects...can you believe I actually made it home with that blob of runny noodle mess!  You should have seen me carrying into the house these things, Annie, a purse, a diaper bag, a lunch box and the mail...it is almost a challenge for me now to get everything in one trip!

Funny things the kids said this week:
Brian to Jacob after he proved to be extremely super-fast during a game of duck-duck-goose at church:  How did you get so fast?
Jacob:  God just made me that way.
Gwyn:  Jacob, you are a good brother.
Me (talking to myself):  I wonder where the Halloween stuff is (I was going to decorate the house).
Gwyn:  I know where the Halloween stuff is.  It's at Target!
Jacob:  My friends Peyton and Alex are going to come over to our house to see Annie.  Peyton can put her shoes in Gwyn's cubby, and Alex can put his shoes in my cubby.  (I can just image him bragging about his baby sister to them on the playground!)
Gwyn (to my mom):  We are going to follow you where ever you go!
Me to Gwyn:  Stop whining. (she is generally an emotional wreck, and says people, especially Annie, hurts her feelings all the time)
Gwyn:  I'm not whining, I'm just crying.