Funnies: June Wrap-Up

Hey everyone!  Happy Fourth of July.  We're going to celebrate this morning with a collection of June's funnies.  I've been saving up so get ready for some fun!

We hosted our Community Group meeting at our house one week in June.  Although Megan did not do well when all her friends were over and they were playing with her toys, she was sure excited before they actually came.  She said, "My friends will be here just like at church!"  I felt bad for an older little boy at the gathering who was bored with the little girl things and kept asking if we had a Wii he could play - no, we had to watch our lesson on their shortly - and if there was a tree house in our back yard - I wish we had a backyard!

I think Megan's starting to realize that our house isn't as big as other people's.  Lately she's been saying that she wants a BASEMENT for her birthday!  I ask her what it will look like and she describes my parents' basement:  2 rooms, a window, steps and lots of toys!

We had to drive down a long gravel road to get to my aunt and uncle's house for a fish fry a couple weeks ago.  Because of Busytown Mysteries Megan was so worried we were going to get a flat tire the entire time!

Megan likes to give puppy kisses.  Megan likes to blow and catch kisses.  But did you know you can blow puppy kisses?  Yep!  Just lick the back of your hand and blow on it!

Megan: Mommy, why do we have to shut the garage door?  So the mouse won't get in?

Megan: Mommy, can I have some fruit snacks? (asked first thing in the morning)
Me:  I will give you fruit snacks to bring to Grandma Gennrich's house today.
Megan:  No!  Grandma will tell me I have to eat lunch first!

Megan was having a hard time getting to bed one night and ended up watching a recorded Celebrity Apprentice with us.  Well, this episode had Dennis Rodman on it who was dressed up in his finest sparkily attire and eye shadow.  Megan's commented, "Why he talking like a man?"  I told her that he was a man.  She said, "Oh, I thought he was a lady!"

I told Megan that Mommy was moving to a new spot to sit at work.  Right away Megan wanted to come see my new desk.  But I think she had other motives.  "I visit Mom at work and watch Disney Junior on Kim's computer and get snacks and treats!"

John's softball team was short on girls one night and I got roped in to playing.  I saw Becca's Facebook post earlier that day asking for girls and when I left for the game that evening I purposely did not look for any of my gear.  John called me when I was about half way to the game and asked if I heard about the girl shortage.  I told him yes but there was no way I could play since I was in flip flops and was not wearing a sports bra.  He told me that, yes, I was prepared to play.  He packed my shirt, shorts, sports bra, glove, socks and shoes but he would only ask me to play if they definitely needed an extra girl.  I got stuck in traffic big time during the drive that I didn't even care that I did have to play once I arrived - I was kind of in the mood to hit something!  Megan was so sweet during the game.  I played catcher and she cheered me on with every ball I had to throw back to the pitcher.  I struck out twice and then had a fly out.  Megan's response?  "Mommy, you forgot to run!!!"  Sorry Meg - Mommy forgot to hit the ball!

John's been recording Busytown Mysteries for Megan from the TV so we don't have to watch it on Netflix.  But with the TV version come commercials and infomercials.  I'm not sure that the infomercials are the best for her.  She doesn't want us to fast forward through them and we should let the TV do it on its own.  Silly girl just wants to watch the demonstration for the perfect pancake maker!  I think for Christmas this year she is just going to get As Seen on TV items!

Megan forgot her headband at Grandma and Grandpa Lewis's house.  I told her not to worry and Grandma would hold onto it and babysit it for her until the next time she visited.  Jokingly, I told her that maybe Grandpa was wearing it.  She said, "Noooooo!  Grandpa doesn't have any hair!"

One night as I was tucking Megan into bed I said, "Goodnight little friend."  She replied with, "Goodnight big friend.  I mean, medium friend!"

Some of my favorite Megan sayings right now are:

• "What kind of Grandma?"  She says this when we tell her that Grandma is coming over or we are going to Grandma's house.  Guess we have to be specific!
• "I had it a second ago"  She says this when we are looking for something and just can't seem to find it.
• "Just lucky I guess"  This is used quite often when I ask her questions like: How did you know ___?

Megan is very friendly with kids in the neighborhood.  This is a conversation between Megan and a neighborhood girl earlier this week:
Megan:  Hi.  What's your name?
Girl:  My name is Abby.
Megan:  *Gasp and face lit up*
Girl:  What's your name.
Megan:  My name's Megan and this is my brother Owen.
Girl:  That's a nice name.
(I proceeded to tell the girl that Megan knows a dog named Abby.)
Megan:  You have a dog too?
Girl:  Yes, I have two dogs named (I forgot the first one) and Buddy.
Megan:  *Face lights up again*  This is my little buddy! (she points to Owen)
Girl:  I'm going to go inside and see my sister now.  (she runs inside her house)
Megan:  Oh, I hope I can go to her house sometime!

Before we go, here are a few pictures extra pictures from the month.

Scout and Violet all ready to go!

Fun time at the park.

Boy cousins together at Father's Day and ready for dinner!!

The Circus Came To Town

I saw some signs up that a circus was coming to NYA last weekend.  I was busy with Seussical but thought John and Megan might like to go have some fun.  They invited Kristin and her family and Megan was thrilled that she could enjoy her first circus with her favorite cousin!

The weather was gorgeous on Sunday so a great day to be outside.  A little hot under the tent and a little pricey over all for this low-budget circus but that didn't matter to the girls.  I don't have too much to say since I wasn't there but here are some of my favorite pictures that I found on John's iPhone.

It was a small petting zoo with animals with just goats, llamas, a hippo, and donkeys.  The girls enjoyed feeding the animals as they always do.

 

No circus is complete without clowns and an elephant ride!

 

Time for the show to start!

 

Yes, Patrick was "that guy" that who got to go into the ring, be blindfolded, and thrown knives at!  I guess someone went up closer to pop the balloons by hand so he really wasn't in any great danger.

Then some more circus acts.  I think Megan enjoyed it.  Although she didn't say much after she got home I will get little snippets of the show little by little.  In fact, tonight she told me that at the circus she saw dogs walking on just their back legs!

 

 

  

  

Seussical the Musical

It was just a month ago when I got a Facebook message asking if I was ready to come back to community theater because CVFT needed a bassoon player for the summer show, Seussical the Musical.  It had probably been four years since I had been in the pit orchestra - before I even became pregnant with Megan. I remembered the long shows and rehearsals and just couldn't try to do it with a baby or even pregnant :)  But now that the kids are not babies any more it seemed like a great opportunity to dust off my bassoon and get back in the pit!

The pit director was a college friend of mine and an excellent director so I knew it would be a fun time.  I didn't know anything about the show but it was fabulous!  Now I wish I had read more Dr. Seuss books growing up because the show was a big medley of his works with much overlap in story lines.  And the music was fabulous - a good blend of rock, funk, jazz and ballads.  

I prepped Megan as best as I could for the show but watching Horton Hears a Who with her.  She absolutely loved Horton and, of course, recognized Dr. Seuss from other books we read and from TV.  I think mostly she liked watching the kids and adults sing and dance on stage.  I showed her where I sat every night so she got a good comprehension of where I went when I said I had to leave for the musical.

This is Megan being a stinker and not smiling at me.  She was just thrilled to be wearing Dr. Seuss's hat!

One night Megan asked that I babysit her puppies in the pit while I played.  Don't worry, they behaved themselves!

This is me with my bassoon.  Glamorous, I know.

And this is the pit.  There were about 24 people but this was a good sized pit so we all had plenty of room.  I wish we wouldn't have been completely covered up so we could have seen what was going on up on the stage.  There was a ladder on the right (you can see a bit of it here) where we would get cast and crew visitors every now and then.  There were many musicians that I had played with in prior shows but also had a chance to meet a lot of new people as well.

John was more than encouraging.  It meant lots of nights not seeing much of each other and him having to put the kids to bed but we got through it.  A big thanks to my mom also for watching the kids on several occasions.  The show itself was only an hour and a half long with no intermission, but we did have 11 shows over the last two weekend in June.  That is enough to drain anyone... But now back to reality!

Swimming Lessons!!! Puddle Jumpers I

We've been wanting to get Megan into an activity so we decided to start with swimming lessons first.  We're not sure if we want to do dance, gymnastics, karate or something completely different but she for sure will need to learn how to swim.  I was thrilled to find a Sunday evening class which works perfectly with our summer schedule since we are always so busy on weeknights - another thing to consider when thinking about other activities as well.

Megan's first swimming lesson was on Father's Day and she is in the Puddle Jumpers 1 class which is for 3-4 year olds.  We've had three lessons so far and the pictures below are from the first two.  Megan is having a blast and loves every minute of being in the water.  Her instructor, Lanie, is wonderful with the kids, is very patient and well respected.  It's a hard age to teach but the kids are having fun.  There are four kids in Megan's class so the perfect class size for that age group.

Each week Lanie starts out with getting the kids wet little by little with the watering can.  Megan has had plenty of exposure to the pool but you have to start out with the basics.  She waters their legs, elbows, and heads.  Then the kids have to get themselves wet by putting their mouth, ears, nose, and forehead in the water.  Lanie even has them blowing bubbles and Megan's been enjoying practicing that in the bathtub too!

Once in the water Lanie alternates activities with the kids individually.  Activities include trying to float and kicking on their back and front with instructor support.  Eventually, I think the kids will just have support of the floating devices.  They are learning some crawl arm motions and also the Tickle-T-Touch routine.  I also have to add that Megan is a powerful kicker - just have to get her to keep her legs straight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And each week at the end of class Lanie throws toys into the shallow end of the pool for the kids to practice retrieving them.  Of course they love it and it gives them a chance to move around in the water by themselves and build confidence.  

The only problem we have is trying to get Megan to leave peacefully.  Funny, but she actually wants to play in the pool after swim lessons before going home!  She also really wants to jump into the big pool and must think that she's an expert swimmer already.  Lessons learned are to make sure we go p**p before class.  The water is just too relaxing and we need to spend our time in the water instead of in the bathroom!

Overall Megan loves her class and we are glad she's able to go!

Tea Party Bridal Shower

As part of our busy weekend we were invited to a bridal shower for my cousin's fiance.  It was a cute little bridal shower with a tea party theme.  We were all encouraged to wear fancy hats and come dressed up.  I didn't take pictures of everything but Megan was in heaven when she saw where she'd be sitting along with another little girl.  A child's card table set just for her with fine china, little sandwiches, cups for lemonade, tiny silverware and a little fruit bowl!  Look down to the second picture below to find the table where she spent the other portion of her time!  The dessert table!

 

 

The dice game was the game of choice and there were lots of fabulous prizes.  Our favorite part was when rolling doubles the first time through, Megan grabbed the Victoria's Secret bag.  When it was time to open the gifts before we started stealing Megan pulled out a lacy, pink camisole and a pink pantie.  She sure beamed because she thought she scored new pajamas!  Funnier yet was that Grandma stole this from her right away - 60th wedding anniversary is right around the corner, you know!  In all, we came home with some nice prizes - Christmas ornament, necklace, cookies & cream goldfish, and mints to name a few.

The kids attention span was limited during present opening so we took a few pictures in the gorgeous, brand new house.

Kudos go to Megan for taking this cute picture of Owen and me!  I don't have many of just the two of us!

And I think I have even few pictures of just my mom and me.  I think this one turned out great too!

Father's Day Weekend

We had quite the busy last couple weekends and week and this upcoming weekend is going to be crazy as well.  Hopefully I can get caught up on some blogging because we sure had plenty worth writing about and pictures to go with!!

Let's start by wrapping up Father's Day weekend.  John, obviously, had to work the Saturday before Father's Day.  That left me and the kids to go to the chiro, run errands, go to the park and get ready for the Lewis party!  We all got together that Saturday evening for a fun Father's Day dinner of pizza!  After dinner we all gravitated towards park so the kids could burn off some energy.  Megan and Alexa also rode their bikes a bit, Owen and Ethan got some swing time and Owen and Lily even got to go down the slide together!

Too bad John couldn't sleep in on Sunday for Father's Day but we were up early for church.  Here was a quick picture I took before we were off!  Daddy and his kiddos!

Our plans for later that day were going to a graduation party and Megan's swimming lessons.  It was so nice out that I also wanted to spend just a little time outside as a family so we stopped by the Lowry Nature Center on our way to Eagan.  We only had 45 minutes there so didn't see much but just nice to get out.  The whole time Megan kept thinking we were at the jungle and was pointing out tigers, flamingos, snakes.... Of course there really weren't any of these but we did get to watch a Marlin and Owl presentation :)  Boy did her eyes light up when they brought out the owl!

 

 

Daddy and his kiddos on the dock.  The kids were trying to find tadpoles.  I was just praying that no one fell in!

Such a pretty little girl! 

At the graduation party, Megan assumed her station of the water and lemonade dispensers.  She was actually handing them out as people came in just for fun!  I'm so proud of how social she's getting.  We also had a fun time playing lawn games together.

Fly A Kite

We started Father's Day weekend off right by taking advantage of the breezy Friday evening to fly some kites.  We've had them for a while and it was time to get them out!  We first just had Megan's Pooh kite out and her and John shared.

 

 

Megan really enjoyed holding on by herself but I think she wanted a chair to sit on.  Must have gotten boring for her!

 

When I had to take Megan in for a potty break, Owen decided to "help" Daddy fly kite.

Megan helped get the kite back up in the air.

This was the picture that really made Megan not want to share anymore.  Time to go inside and get Daddy his own kite!

After both Megan and John had their own kites (John's was a rocket one) we were outside for a bit more.  Owen and I watched from the hill.  We knew it was time to go in when Megan let go of her handle and the kite took off across the busy road...  Fun time outside overall and hopefully can do it again soon!

Owen 13 Months

Our little Owen has changed so much in just the last month.  I wasn't sad about him turning a year but this 13 month stuff is a different story.  He is just changing so much every day!

Owen has sure turned into a giggly little guy.  I love it when he starts laughing and clapping when I walk through the door after getting home from work.  John loves the giggles he gets when he bounces Owen's tummy on his head!

 

Owen has been sleeping a lot better lately - sleeping through the night for the past couple weeks, in fact!  We've added a couple crackers to the bedtime routine.  Oh, and I can't forget about the books.  Owen's become obsessed with books and brings several to me at bedtime before he crawls up on my lap!  We do about three simple board books every night.  One more thing is I have to suck on his tiny little toes before putting him into his crib with fuzzy blankets.  He is surely a toe guy :)

Owen is in constant watch and observation of everything we do and then, of course, will try to imitate our actions.  Examples of this include:

• Brushing his teeth - If he sees one of us (including Megan) in the bathroom, toothbrush in hand, you'd better hurry up and get toothpaste on his little brush!  He actually does a good job of moving it back and forth!
• Combing hair - All I had to do once was take out a comb to try spiking his fuzz when he ripped it out of my grip to try combing my hair!
• Praying at mealtime - Yep, every time we pray he is there with folded hands!
• Covering his eyes to play "what's missing?" - A game Megan picked up from Daniel Tiger.  Cover your eyes while someone else pulls something off of the table.  Then try to guess what's missing!
• Rinsing shampoo off of his head with the bath pitcher - Doesn't quite get the pitcher high enough but gets the concept.
• Putting shoes on his - He surely knows what shoes are for and where they go!
• Blowing the dandelions - Although more fuzz gets in his mouth than in the air he is off to a great start!
• Hugs & Kisses - He sure wants to be in the action when hugs and kisses are being handed out!

 

Hmm, being that he is copying so much of what we do I really, really need to push that sign language thing on him.  Just learning a couple signs would help so much!  Although he is doing a great job of communicating the way he is now... For instance, if he is tired of a particular food or wants to get out of his high chair he will toss the food overboard.  If he doesn't want you to hold him back from going somewhere he will try to bite.  If pickles are on the table he will point and grunt until he gets one...  OK, maybe I do need to teach him a few signs :)

Owen is now saying "buh bye" very clearly and knows what it means.  He will go into the bathroom or closet and shut the door saying "buh bye, buh bye".  He will also wave and say it when going into the car.  We don't hear Dada very often but he can say that too.  At Home Depot last two weekends ago we rounded the corner where John was and Owen let out a great big "Dah"!  Balls are still a favorite thing too, although he won't just hold onto them anymore when I give him one in his stroller.  He likes to throw it like the big kids!  Yeah... Owen likes to throw a lot of things and make big messes in the process... That's why I call him "TornOwen"!

I am proud to say that Owen now likes noodles!!  What was I doing wrong?  I was giving them to him plain - but this kid likes flavor!  Also still can't find many types of meat he won't eat, with the exception of taco meat.  Owen knows the difference between snacks and meals.  When he's hungry and it's mealtime he expects hearty foods and will look past the Cheerios and wait for the good stuff.  Good for him for knowing the difference!  Owen is still on the bottle and I have just two more months for weaning him off of that thing.  Wish me luck!  We are sure going through a lot of whole milk and that transition went really smooth.  Just hoping that consumption will go down once we are onto cups full-time.

Other things this month are that Owen's starting to give 5's when you put your hand out.  He loves lights (sometimes I think he can even say "light") and always wants to touch them.  He also learned that he can climb onto the couch by himself!  Owen still has a "left-behind" anxiety.  It doesn't matter who is going where... he just wants to be a part of it!

I still haven't gotten professional 1-year pictures taken because he's had a constant bump on his forehead.  Hopefully in the next few weeks.  Until then, enjoy more candids!