Busy Busy!

Whew...a whole week of working!  I was exhausted!  With all of the snow days and special days off...this was the first full week we had at school in a long time!  And I am hearing bad rumors that we are in for some "blizzard-like" conditions early this week...ugh!  I treasure my summer days with the boys and this snow is just ruining that!

Wednesday we had the priveledge of having the Ottis girls over while their mom, Mary, had a meeting.  Even though it's 2 more kids, it almost seems easier to have all of them because they all have a playmate their same age, and they go off and do their thing!  Mason and Nora were playing with babies and books, and Zane and Madelyn were playing Mom and Dad (I got nervous when they closed the door and wouldn't let me come in the bedroom...) and school.


Nora and Mason reading books

Zane & Madelyn

Wednesday night we were watching American Idol and all of a sudden Zane came out with a "Zane" sign taped to the front of his shirt and a microphone in hand.  He told me he was on American Idol and started singing/dancing in the living room.  It was too cute!  Here he is "showing his stuff:"

Are you the next American Idol?

You're going to Hollywood!

Zane has really wanted to take pictures lately.  He will ask me, "Mom, can I use your camera to take pictures so I can print them?"  I usually let him because he comes up with some interesting photos...  Here are a few of his artistic images...

Mason and Mama rocking and singing before bed

Mason tucked in and ready for bed

Zane "posed" all of these creatures

Grinch with my purse

Grinch with markers and a notebook...because "Grinch likes to draw."

Then he tried a few self-portraits

Serious face

Then he wanted a photo of he and Grinch

And finally I had to help because he couldn't get everyone in the picture by himself

Saturday Zane and I headed to a birthday party for a little friend from his Pre-K class.  It was a "Hello Kitty" themed party, so as the kids arrived they were given a headband with kitty ears to wear.  Zane wore his, but drew the line at a painted nose and whiskers (thank goodness).  There were 2 other boys from his class there, so he had some friends to hang out with.  He seemed to have quite a good time, and I enjoyed talking with some of the other moms who I hadn't met before.



Reece and Zane decorating picture frames

Zane and Nathan playing

One of the party games

Zane discovering he likes cherries!

Today we went to church and Mason actually stayed downstairs the whole time!  Yea!  It was nice and relaxing to sit through church and listen to the message without having to handle Mason also!  At one point the pager they gave us said "Please come," so I headed downstairs only to see Mason with his blankie around his shoulders like a cape, walking around with a smile on his face.  I don't know what happened, but they didn't page us, so that's a good step for us!

Zane-isms

~Conversation with Zane and I on the way to the birthday party this weekend:

   A:  Zane, can you belive you are going to be 6 soon?  It makes Mom sad...stop growing up!

   Z:  Why are you sad Mom?

   A:  Because you will grow up, move away from me, get married, and have babies!

   Z:  Well, I will kill them.

   A:  What?!?!?

   Z:  When the guys come to get me to take me away from you, I'll kill them.  Even if they are cops.

   A:  Oh.  Zane, it's okay.  Everyone grows up and moves away from their Moms.

   Z:  But I like you.

   A:  And I like you too.  But it's okay.  I don't live with my mom anymore.  Maybe you will be a rich

         doctor and you can take care of me.

   Z:  No, I will be a skateboard driver.  Or a race car driver.

   A:  Will I have a special place to sit to watch you?
   Z:  Yeah, right in the front row!

Mason's Marvels

~Sometimes Mason will put his hand over your mouth and say "Calm down!"

~Jo emailed me the other day to say that she was playing some music and the kids were dancing to it.  She

  looked at Madelyn and said, "You go girl" and she said Mason's reaction was to put up two fingers (peace

  sign) and say "Peace!"  I have no clue where that came from!

~Mason can count to 10!  We practice each night and the other night he said, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 100!"  Then he

  clapped, wanted me to clap, then wanted to do knuckles, high five, a kiss, and a hug!  He's also been

  saying other numbers, such as 11, 12, 13, then 16, 15, 20, 11, 12, etc.

~One of Mason's newest reactions is "Cool!  Awesome!"

~Mason said "Oh my gosh" the other day!

~This weekend we stopped by the "dinosaur restaurant" but the dinosaurs weren't working (they move and

  roar).  Today Mason said, "Dinosaurs not nurking (working) (while his hands are making an "I don't

  know" motion).  I said "oh yeah, the dinosaurs at the restaurant.  What was wrong with them?"  He said,

  "Dinosaurs are dead.  They not nurking."

Another snow day?!?

A few weeks ago, Zane and Mason were playing around and Mason got hurt.  Zane cannot stand it when he sees Mason hurt...when Mason cries, he cries!  He went to hide in his room, as he normally does.  He kept asking me how to spell "am" but the kindergarten teacher in me kept saying "write how it sounds!"  He drug his feet, but eventually brought this note to Mason:

"I am sorry Mason." (MANY kids spell "we" wii these days)

Last Sunday we didn't seem to find the energy or time to make it out of our pajamas...

Watching t.v. on our self-proclaimed pajama day!

Monday was Martin Luther King day, so the boys and I spent another day together!  We got some new bar stools...just the right size for them to saddle up to the counter and watch cartoons!

Is Spongebob on?

We have to check the oven before turning it on these days...Mason likes to "cook" but doesn't realize you can only put certain things in there...we have now ruined a measuring cup, plastic bowl, and some plastic mint molds.

Chef Mason...

Even though the snow was quickly disappearing, Zane had to go out and make a snowman.  He kept bugging me, so when Mason took a nap, we headed outside!  We had a hat on him, but he didn't want him to wear it...and wanted to pose with his snowman!

Zane and his snowman

Having a snowball fight...what a way to stack your deck!

Wednesday we got hit pretty hard by 8 inches of snow...it was a little tricky getting home.  Matt usually takes 30-40 minutes to drive home from work and instead it took him 3 3/4 hours!  It was a long wait that night!  We were just glad he got home safe and sound!  Needless to say, the snow prompted another snow day...we're up to 4 now!  The boys and I ended up with 2 days at home together!  Zane's going to be so confused about school/stay at home days!  He always wants to sleep in the basement when he knows the next day is a "stay at home" day...and he's been able to do that a lot more lately!

Hanging out at home on our snow day

Mason will only wear a hat backwards!

Playing trucks and cars on the stairs

The boys have really had a lot of fun playing hide-and-seek lately.  It's so cute to hear Mason go around saying "Zaner, where are you?"  Of course when Mason hides and Zane said "where are you" he always says "HERE!"

Zane...where are you?

When Mason took a nap Thursday, we decided to use what was all around us...the snow!  We used the snow to make snow ice cream!  It sure was yummy!  As Zane was stirring it and said, "This is fun!  I've never made snow ice cream at my house," I knew it was worth it and something he'd remember forever!

Gathering our CLEAN snow...

Add some milk

Then some sugar

Stir...

And eat!

They were calling for more snow on Friday, so we weren't sure what we were going to do for the weekend.  We ended up staying home Friday night and headed to Iowa Saturday morning.  We hung out at the farm all afternoon, then headed to Greg's surprise 60th birthday party.  We weren't sure how well it would be attended...naturally the snow decided to really come down and blow around at the same time the party was starting!  It was a great time, Greg was surprised, and I even got a picture of him in a crown!

Uncle Buzzard...

Sweet Kenna eating anything she could get her hands on!

Aren't we cute?  :o)

Sunday we spent at Grandma Beggs' for dinner.  It's been a long time since I've been there for a Sunday dinner...probably a good thing as I'd be 2 sizes bigger!

Zane-isms

• Zane had a dentist appointment on Monday and he had a new hygenist clean his teeth.  Her name is Amy, she's younger than his other one, and she talked his ear off.  It's funny because this week he's been saying "Amy said...Amy said..."  It's been really easy to get him to brush his teeth better this week...we just say, "Remember...Amy said..."  They did x-rays on his teeth to check his permanent teeth and we found out that where his fused teeth are, there isn't an adult tooth to come in one of those spots.  I was pretty upset about it, but I hear it's not a big deal, and that it's quite typical on Matt's side of the family...Grandpa Beggs was missing a tooth, Matt's mom was missing 2, and Matt had an extra.  So...guess he's just following in their footsteps!

Mason's Marvels

• One day as we were driving home, Mason said, "Dat carry (that's scarry).  I asked him why and he said, "Because."
• Zane was looking for something the other day and Mason hollered at him, "Did you find it Zane?"
• Me:  "Mason, what do you want for lunch?"  "Nufin (nothing)."
• As we were playing, Mason grabbed my shoulders and said "You need to calm down."

Snow Day(s)!

Well, this was an interesting week!  We began with snow...lots of snow...enough snow to have a snow day!  It was kind of exciting to get the phone call and text Monday morning saying "hey, don't come to work, stay in bed!"  Even though Zane's preschool stays open on snow days, I kept him home so we could play in the snow!  About mid-morning, I was questionning my decision...as he was running around the basement saying "I need to get my energy out!  I need to get my energy out!"  We bundled ourselves up and went out right before lunch.  Zane was loving it and Mason...not so much!  He wanted to take his four-wheeler out, to which I told him that it would get stuck, but you know moms don't know anything, so I just let him try.  It went 12 inches before...STUCK!  As you can see below, Mason was LESS than impressed!  I tried to get him to play in the snow, but he is not a fan of the cold, so he wanted to go inside.  So now I had a dilemma...one boy wants to be outside and one wants to be inside...what to do what to do.  I convinced Zane to come inside to have lunch and promised that we would head back out when Mason was sleeping.  We did...and Zane played while I shoveled the driveway for an hour and a half...then we tried to make a snowman...the snow wouldn't pack...so we made a mountain and Zane jumped on top of it.  We got some energy out and had fun!

SNOW!!

"It's suck (stuck)!"

Getting ready to make a snow angel

Doesn't Mason look happy?  Only Zane got a sled ride...

I feel like I'm the only teacher alive who doesn't live for snow days!  Don't get me wrong, I love an occasional one here or there in the middle of the long stretches of winter...but we also had snow days Tuesday and Wednesday...3 days in a row!  This after just coming back for 4 days the week before...and realizing that winter is just beginning around here!  I personally would rather be home with the boys in May...when it's nice...and Zane actually can "get his energy out" by playing outside with out five layers of warmth on!  Plus...Mason will stay out there too!  As Zane quite obviously was bored at home, he went to preschool Tuesday and Wednesday.  They had such fun!  They made snow ice cream and painted the snow!

Brothers!  (Ignore Mason's messy face and pants...)

 Friday morning at Zane's preschool there was a "Donuts with Dad" sponsored by the PTA.  Matt went with Zane and he told me it was really neat to go there and see Zane on "his turf" for the morning.  I guess Zane was explaining all about the things that were there, what they do, where they go, etc, etc.  Someone there was going around and taking pictures of the dads with their kids and when she showed them their picture, Zane said, "I like that picture because it's just you and me Dad!"  Then he gave him a HUGE hug, and they took a picture of them hugging!  I can't wait to see those pictures!  Matt said to me, "it's the little things" and I completely agree!  Those are the things our kids will remember! 

Friday night Zane and I went on a "date" to the movies.  He chose to see Tangled (I asked my boys at school first...they said he'd like it and it wasn't too "girlie").  We ate right before, so surprisingly he didn't want a snack...but he did want some candy afterwards.  We had fun, just the two of us, we don't get to do that too often!

Zane and Mom at the movies!

Saturday we hung out at home, waiting for Papa and Grandma to arrive!  I had a wedding reception for a co-worker, who was married in Colorado on New Year's Day, to attend, so they came down to watch the boys so we could go to it.  It was a lot of fun! 

Graden girls...Lisa, Stephanie, Tara, Maggie, Sarah, Chris, Michelle, Me

Zane-isms

• The other day I said "something stinks" and Zane's response was, "I think it's your breath!"  Oh the honesty of children...

Mason's Marvels

• Mason has been singing the ABC's pretty well now...he gets almost every letter in (and repeats some).  At the end we've been inserting the name of someone we know ("next time won't you sing with Papa").  He thinks it's so funny and wants to sing it over and over to add new people's names in!
• Usually when I say "who's my baby?"  Mason will shout "Me!"  This week he's been saying "I no baby!"
• Thursday night I left (alone) to go get groceries.  I guess Mason was standing at the door saying "Mama!  Take me!  I get go-cees!"





Back To The Grind!

I put my memory card into the computer today and realized I forgot to post some of our pictures last week...whoops!  Over Christmas break, a parent of one of my students told me about open gym at her daughter's gymnastics place.  We took advantage of one of those evenings to get some of our "wiggles" out!  

Mason climbing the wall!

Monkey Zane

An Olympic star in the making???

Getting tired...the whole point of our visit!

Bouncy Boy!

Zane has a little boy in his class that comes with his hair in a mowhawk sometimes, and he's always asking us to do that to his hair!  He doesn't realize that he doesn't have quite the amount of hair as the other little boy, but Matt gave him a mohawk this weekend!  It didn't last long, he smoothed his hair down...I'm sure because it didn't look "just right!"

Mohawk

Side view of the mohawk

It's been pretty cold out, and we haven't been able to play outside much.  Matt's comment yesterday was, "Zane needs to go somewhere and run off some energy.  He about can't stand himself."  So last night we headed to McDonald's to let them play for awhile.  Zane loved it...Mason not so much.  Matt ended up crawling up there with him and then he wanted to do it over and over!  They were able to get out some pent-up energy, which was nice for everyone!

Coloring

Mason singing the ABC's

Zane-isms

• Today when we were eating lunch, Mason had a marker lid and Zane had the marker.  They actually worked together to put the lid on (instead of what they normally do...fight over who gets to) and when I told them good job, Zane said, "It's a problem solved!"

Mason's Marvels

• Yesterday morning when I had Mason look outside, he said, "It's snowing outside!"  Later, he said "Where the sunshine go?"
• Mason got this vet kit for Christmas...it has a little carrier, puppy, and vet supplies.  One item is a bone.  Matt was playing with him and said, "Here Mason, do you want the bone?"  He said, "No Dada, bone is for doggie!"
• When it started snowing again today, I said, "Mason, it's snowing!"  He said, "Oh, dat too bad."

Christmas, Part 3 and Happy New Year!

This week began with a trip to the doctor for Mason's 2 year checkup.  Little did we know that we would leave with 2 prescriptions...one for double pink eye and one for a sinus infection!  His eyes had been a little gunky, but I didn't DREAM he had pink eye!  We're doing well now though!  Zane had preschool Tuesday-Thursday, and I took him all 3 mornings, while Mason and I got a lot of errands and cleaning up around the house done.  Our Christmas decorations are all put away and we're somewhat back to normal, whatever that is!  I was lucky enough to be able to have Erika (Jo's daughter) come over Wednesday to watch Mason for me so I could go eat lunch with Zane at Preschool.  He has been asking for that for a long time, and it was really neat to see him in his daily environment!  I just wish he had those manners and listened that well at home!

Friday we headed to Iowa for the annual Bunch Christmas in Des. Moines.  Each year we stay in a hotel where we have a party room to gather and we just spend lots of time together.  The boys were excited to go swimming as Mason kept saying "swim in pool please Mom?"  He has great manners!  We did swim a little Friday...the pool seemed cold and the hot tub seemed hot!  Saturday we headed out to the mall for a little while and then hung out at the hotel until everyone got there.  Then we ordered pizza and did our gift exchange.  The boys went swimming again after that.

Zane posing in our hotel room

Mason played in the closet a lot!

Laying in bed watching a movie together!

Matt relaxing in the hotel room

A full house!  I think we had around 70 there!

Maddie posing for me

And her twin Katie not thinking I'm cool...

Cousin Ella

Zane with his gifts

Mason with his gift

So if there's one thing my family LOVES to do, it's play games and LAUGH!  In fact, Friday night another group of people were in the main gathering room and came into the party room to ask what our family was playing because it sounded like they were having so much fun!  If you've never played the game "Quelf," well, you should!  We discussed last night that we have no idea how anyone would have come up with some of these things...but it makes for an interesting evening when you play the game!  I wasn't in the room (thankfully) when the game began, so I was able to watch from the sidelines and take photos...I'm sure everyone's glad this was all captured on film!

Jamie had to keep her hand in a bowl of water until her next turn.

Joan had to slow dance with the person on her right...way to go Rob!

Diane had to act like a weeping willow tree each time the number 4 was rolled.

There were two things everyone had to say...one when someone landed on a red spot on the gameboard and one when a phone rang...and whoever said it last had to move back on the gameboard.

Susan had to wear something with a chin strap, hold a plunger like a sword (we used a water bottle instead), and wear a mask for the rest of the game (lucky girl to get all of those cards)!

 

 

Donnella had to stand like this and say something...I don't even remember what it was!

As you can see from the pictures, we had a great weekend!  This was the last of our Christmas gatherings, and as much as I hate to see them come to an end, it will be nice to get back into our routine.  We made many many amazing new memories!

2010 was a tough year for many, and our family didn't escape hard times.  We lost 3 amazing people...Grandpa Beggs, Grandma Kathol, and Grandpa Kathol.  We know they are watching over us every day, but we miss them dearly.  Can you imagine how much fun they all had celebrating Jesus' birthday with him?  2011 is already looking brighter...we have 2 weddings in our family...Sarah and Kurtis and Brian and Heidi...so we have lots to look forward to and be thankful for!

Happy New Year everyone!