Rowan's New Bike

As many of you know potty training the girl child hasn't been easy. With her sensory issues she is getting over from her hearing problems it has been a fight for control over using the potty. I have pretty well decided that we needed to back off a little because we will never win a battle of the wills with Rowan. (OH the teenage years should be a ball!) Now we tried everything to encourage her. We went as far as to offer a dog if she would go on the potty. NO GO! However Kelton finally found something she really wanted, a two wheeler!! Yup it has been fun since the weather turned nice the kids have been riding their bikes, but Rowan was a little big for her tricycle spinning the front tire and she is too small for Victor's even though she tried. So we took her a week or two ago to size her and look around. Well she found this Princess bike at Wally World and fell in love. Dad told her if she could keep dry and do a number 2 on the potty for a whole day she could have it. Well after a lot of near misses SHE DID IT!!! Although when I asked her last night if she was ready for big girl underwear or still needed her pull up she said "still need pull ups." But she is doing good still today and we took her to get the bike. She was so funny at the store she didn't want to let go or get off so we could buy it and she sure didn't want to do the other errands. The cutest was trying to quickly eat lunch when we got home, she gave her dad the raspberry over having to wait even one more minute. I suppose the trick now will be trying to get her off of it.

Memorial Day!!

I would like to start with a Heart felt Thank You to all those who have fought and given their lives so that we could be blessed with the freedom that we have. I support our troops and pray for them. So we spent the day the best way possible, as a family with others of our family enjoying the great outdoors.

We spent the day at Bigelow Hollow. We had breakfast and lunch cooked by our Uncle Joel and Aunt Lori on the grill. The kids learned how to fish. Victor actually caught one but didn't get it all the way in, it was able to get off the hook at the waters edge and made a dash for the safety. He was a natural. He was so cute when we drove into the park he announced that this was going to be the best day of his life ever. Lori and Joel had got this great spot right on the edge of the water and we had an awesome day. Rowan loved reeling in the line and the bait. I thought that boys were suppose to be the ones that handled all the gross stuff but that Rowan is either going to be a Veterinarian or a Farmer. She started the day lugging around a pail with a shiner in it that she named Buddy. After a few hours she let him free but didn't understand why he didn't come back. She got into the worms, she was carrying them around and having worm races on the table but she eventually let them go too.

The kids only got a little wet. Rowan fell in only once but Victor who is oh so graceful fell in twice. We also had a snake that kept swimming into and by our spot. Joel is the only one who got good fish, two bass but Victor and Lori each caught a pickerel. I guess I have to share my oops of the day. We knew that Lori and Joel had got Victor a real pole to learn how to fish but figured we needed something to keep Rowan busy so Kel got her a toy pole that is Sponge Bob Square Pants. It came with a Plankton weight to cast on the end. So Kel gets her all set up and she loves it. We have pancakes and sausage for breakfast and then go back to the water. Well mom decides to help Rowan out and cast her line for her. BAD IDEA it don't know how but I managed to cast it so that the line snaps and Plankton goes flying out to the middle of the water. My poor girl!! She saw her fishing pole in the car this morning and goes "Mommy.. Plankton go far away." I felt so small!!! So after I dropped her off I went and got her watermelon for lunch as a special treat. Thankfully Kelton was able to fix it to day and got a new toy hung on the end and as I am writing this she is upstairs in her room in a laundry basket with her pillow, blanket, Webkinz and her fishing pole playing.

Daddy Wins!!

Well for three years I was able to be the boss but after all she is Daddy Girl!! I resisted as long as I could but Kelton brain washed Rowan that she needed a haircut. It is funny Victor is 7 and he just got use to going for hair cuts but Rowan is 3 and 1/2 and she loves to go for hair cuts. A few months a go I let Kel talk me into getting more than bangs and ends trim on Rowan and her hair was more labor intensive as I was trying to grow out her bangs. Rowan's hair is like magnetized to her face and it is hard to find barrettes that will hold it. So Kel wanted it shorter and I didn't, I mean I just got it back to ponytail length. But what can I say?Kel I can say no to but Rowan is another story. I didn't have to coach soccer this Saturday so I decided to take advantage of the holiday weekend by going early to run some errands before we had to be at the movie theater to meet Lori and Joel to see the new DR Jones movie. So I dragged myself out of bed and announced that I was going to go get my hair cut. Well no soon had I spoken the words than Rowan announced she needed her shoes on because she wanted to go get her hair cut too. It is probably my attempt do everything different that allowed her to go, I wasn't allowed to get my hair cut short till I was 8. But after a few before pictures we were off. It was kind of fun both being at the salon getting our hair cut together. I guess it was a foreshadow of all the mommy daughter spa trips we will have one day. Then we did what girls do best we went shoe shopping!!! She was so cute trying to figure peds out and trying on the same shoes as me. Even though I did get tired of calling her name I hope that she had as good a time as I did.

WOW Time Flies

It seems in my world that if I put off something for a day it is a month before I get back to it. You would think that a few mountains of laundry would cure me of procrastinations. But alas it hasn't. So what have we been up to? Well we ended our vacation on a happy note at my cousin Sue's wedding where I learned two things about my kids. One they both love to dance and tore up the floor dancing the night away, and that my daughter needs a video camera as playing with the food and making them act in front of my other cousins camera kept her busy for almost an hour.

Then I tried to get the kids to skip school and took Kelton to his first ever trip to OSV. Why do I take him any where? Victor my son steadfastly refused to skip school!!! Who's Kid is HE?

Then I couldn't find Rowan one day after school between potty time and lunch time and thought it is was odd that the food cabinet was hanging open. LOW and behold there she was climbing to the snack shelf!!!

The best story is the one of my grill. I love my grill cuz I love food cooked on the grill. Well it is that time of year again and while I can get away with grilling in the rain Kel puts his foot down about snow as where we need to draw line. Personally I would grill year round so thank heavens for George Forman. So we got our gill going and that meant getting a full tank and a new grill brush and getting out our grilling tools and checking it over for replacement needs so forth. Well I got the tank. A boy job that I don't mind doing cause it is also cooking which is my job. Well on one of our outings to Wally World Kel bought a new brush but it wasn't like any we had ever had before. We always get the ones with the long handles but he got this small hand held thing. So yes I know I saw it in the carriage at the store but that was it. Well after a busy day I get home from gym class and got ready to make dinner. Now I know we had talked about how soon I would have to start the pork lion if I was going to be able to get it done with indirect cooking on the grill and I had him open the rub for it. I was on the phone with Afton and started the grill and got the roast on. I am sitting at the table when I start to smell this awful smell, I ignore it at first then look out towards the grill and flames are shooting out the side. I think shoot the pam on the foil has caught fire so I rush outside to deal with it. When I open the lid it isn't a problem with the food the new scrubber that Kel got, he put in the grill on the top shelf and it has melted to a molten dripping mess. NOW who puts it in the grill??? I say not my fault that I didn't see black on black when it didn't belong there. He says he didn't know I had put the roast on and if I knew he got it why didn't I look for it or ask him where it was! MEN

In case you missed it we also had Earth Day. My son, because of what ever they have been being taught in school, has become a tree hugger!!! He made the wonderful sign for our front door and it is suppose to say Stop Polluting Make A Difference! But he didn't want any help with it and we had to keep it there till May 1st. He brings his water bottle home every day so we can recycle it.
So that is what's up in our life as of late.

A day at OSV and I just get these Rocks and a Messed UP Face

What can I say about Missy TROUBLE??? I can say that she should listen better. The last few minutes at OSV were me and 8 kids in an herb garden. There was some don't go there and stay on the paths but I made sure that I went to Rowan to tell her at her level not to climb and what does she do? Climbs on to a 4 and a half foot wall. After yelling at her I probably should have just waited but I didn't trust her to come over to me now that she knew she was in trouble. SO I sent Vic to go get her. BUT she made it off the wall and was running full tilt when they collided on the paved path. NOPE couldn't have been one of the dirt paths. Vic got a scraped knee but Rowan who always seems to fall on her face got a fat lip and scrapes from the top of her lip right up her entire nose. I know that it is because we are going to a wedding tomorrow and there will be lots of picture taking that this happened. Every time I plan to get her picture done she either hurts her face some how or ruins her dress. Yes she is my girl but she has the grace and luck of a klutz. Guess she is mine HUH. The worst part was having to meet Kel at Walmart and warn him that it was Rowan was okay before I let him see her and then having to call my mom as soon as we got home because they are spending the night on Saturday and I wanted her prepared. Poor Victor felt so bad that he kept apologizing all the way home and asking her if she forgave him and she just keep teasing him by saying NO. Later she was looking for him to tell him he was forgiven and they ended up playing nicely together for the rest of the night so I guess all is now forgiven!!

Old Sturbridge Village

Thursday... And we are off to meet up with some of our friends from church. We are letting the kids run a muck in the olden days to see what havoc they can cause in the early 19Th century. I haven't been up to OSV in years. Like before Kel years. Rowan is my trooper all I have to do is ask her if she is up to an adventure and she is running around shouting "I go adventure!!!" Victor I have to convince. So I told him about the world's BEST chocolate chip cookies, so he's in, and then said a small prayer that they still made them. It was another drive and I guess the "We are there when we get there" sunk in. So not to be out done today's question is Where are we going? Oh yeah that's right I guess it is another one of those long rides and I just forgot for a minute where it was you said we were going. Then as soon as we pulled off and saw a sign it was Victor-I smell Chocolate!! Rowan-Chocolate?!? I love CHOCOLATE!!! I tried to assure them that they could not smell it but they insisted. I guess the cookies are magic too. Well I have to say it was the "Best Day Ever"(sung like the song from Sponge Bob Squarepants) True I have a sunburn but the weather was perfect and 10 kids to play together and good company to share it with, what is better. I could let the kids roam cause dad wasn't there to micro manage. It wasn't crowded and the place is beautiful. BUT most importantly they still make the cookies!! Yes and they are still GREAT.

Gym Class

Wednesday.. With Rowan's gym class today we didn't venture anywhere far. With mom's allergies a mess with all the pollen we didn't even do all that I wanted to do. Victor is funny he claims that he doesn't remember gym class though he did it for a year and a half. We were hoping it would help with his coordination, it didn't. Rowan who is always dancing around and has been rocking out to the radio since before she was one I thought she would be my ballerina. NO GO! I know that a lot of it was her hearing and the teacher. Rowan who loves everyone did not love her teacher. SO after weeks of tear filled dance classes, not just her's either, mine too, I decided to try gym. Her therapist and others she consulted with wanted to see her into something because she is so flexible. Well I loved Victor's gym class and Rowan loves to climb and hang so I figured we would try this. Well I have to tell you I cried all the way home and called Kel on the cell to tell him all about it. I wanted to wash my hands of the dance class but he said no she needs to finish it I paid for it. Well I dragged him to both the following week. He had the day off and they were both on Wednesdays so we did dance in the morning. Five minuets in he leaned over and said I paid for this. YUP now you know why I have been a wreck on Wednesdays. Then we went to gym after lunch. When we left he looked at me and said Forget the dance class! Now we just do gym and it is great!!! I am so happy because they have summer sessions now so there are only a few weeks where we won't have gym. Now if I could find something for Victor to do this summer. The closest we came to agreeing on something was Rock Climbing Camp but when he said "YES but I don't want to climb high or hang off rocks outside because I don't like heights," I figured he didn't really get it.