Sillybands

I know that you all have heard of this crazy fad called Sillybands and can I just say, "Someone is making a butt-load of money off of rubber bands!!!" It hardly seems fair really, I mean, where is the genius behind that??? It's not like it is a new invention of something that we have never seen; like post it notes were at one time. Anyway, right in line with everyone else, we have succumbed to the silly band rage. Shelby doesn't really like to wear them, but she loves to look at her's and talk about them. She has a pig that is the official keeper of the silly bands and it looks like the poor pig is going to choke to death because she wraps them around the pig's next. Actually, you know that tribe in Africa that has the neck rings...well, if you do, that is what this pig looks like. It will be interesting to see if the neck is stretched out when Shelby finally decides to take the silly bands off.

While Shelby was quick to jump on board, JP was a little bit slower in his fascination with them and has just started to talk about them and wear them. The best part is that he doesn't wear them on his wrist like most children. It is kind of like he wants to be apart of the fad, but doesn't want to be like everyone else so he has decided to wear one or two up on each bicep and one or two on his legs above his knee. Everytime I see them I just smile to myself and think, "Only my child...only my child."

On another note...remember a year or so ago when Shelby had the dream about the bumpies under her bed?? Well, we haven't had any dreams worth taking note of since then until last night. Just before 5:00am Shelby started calling me so I went into her room expecting to find her with her nose bleeding because that is something we have been dealing with on and off during the night with her, but when I walked in there was no blood. Wondering what could be going on I asked her if she was okay and she started crying and said that she had a scary dream. I asked her if she wanted to talk about it and she said no so I comforted her, said a prayer over her, and after a few minutes left the room. I wasn't in bed for 10 minutes when she called me back in there. This time she wanted to tell me about the dream, and I have to say that it spooked me a little too, but I put on my brave face, checked her room where she said weird things were happening and showed her that she had nothing to be afraid of. We prayed together and I rubbed her back until she closed her eyes...a few minutes later the same thing so I just put her in bed with me.....totally weird, huh?!?!?!? I have been trying to think if she has seen anything or heard anything that would be scary or give the images that she was dreaming of and I couldn't come up with anything which got me wondering about bad dreams...where do they come from, what causes them, how to get rid of them, etc.

Is there a baby in your tummy?

I was just lounging on the couch after a very draining workout drinking a protein shake and feeling pretty good about myself that I accomplished what I did when Shelby looks down and touches my stomach and says, "Mommy, is there a baby in your tummy?" I said, "Does it look like there is a baby in my tummy?" She said, "Yes." Oh man, so much for all that hard work!!! Children say the funniest things!

Summer Nights

Last weekend Pratt was in a golf tournament and to celebrate his awesome job we took the family out for pizza and ice cream on Sunday night. I hate to admit it, but I have no idea what tournament this was, but Pratt played his socks off and came in 2nd place after shooting a not so shabby 69 on Sunday!!! We are so proud of you!! Anyway...pizza and ice cream...yes, that is where I was. So we went to dinner for pizza and then since it was such a beautiful night we went to The Ice Cream Cone in Coligny for dessert. Now, this place has very special meaning for me and Pratt because it is an ice cream shop that we both visited frequently while growing up on the island. I remember one time my dad and I went for some ice cream and when we left I forgot my lolly doll in the booth that we were sitting in. Of course as soon as we got home and realized it, my dad drove back and retrieved my lolly doll. We were such regulars that the people working there put her aside knowing that it was my doll and that we would be back.

In this picture it is kind of hard to tell, but this is a picture of Shelby and JP standing underneath an ad that ran in the Island Packet about life. Pratt and I were asked to take part in this ad campaign because we grew up on the island. It was pretty special and of course in talking about life on the island we mentioned how much we loved going to the Ice Cream Cone for ice cream as children. It is kind of neat that they still have it up after all these years....5 to be exact.


With ice cream in hand, we walked across the street to take a little stroll on the beach. It was the most beautiful evening and I am so thankful that we live in such a beautiful area. Shelby and JP were extremely excited to get to run around. As soon as his feet hit sand, JP took off. You would have thought that he had been couped up his whole life the way he was running around the beach. He was free and so happy. Shelby did more of a girl stroll, stopping to look at shells and other things. I just love watching the two different personalities come out in difference situations. We knew that there was no chance to keep them completely dry, but I did try to remind JP often that we didn't have any extra clothes and to please keep it as dry as possible. He did okay for a while, but at one point as he was running through a tidal pool he tripped and face planted into the water....so much that whole staying dry thing. He was soaked from head to toe and covered in sand. Thankfully my mom and dad live on the island so we stopped by to say hi, use the potty and rinse real quick in the tub. You would not believe all the sand that came off the two children, but it was totally worth it because we all had so much fun!!! JP had to ride home naked and he was a little confused by that (and a little uncomfortable); maybe next time he will listen...well, who am I kidding, he is a boy and that is what they do:)

Tuesday night we went down to the island with our friends, the Heintschels, to have dinner and watch the fireworks from their boat. These are the same friends that we were with for 4th of July. It was so much fun and the children were so excited to go to Ian's boat to watch fireworks again. Watching Shelby and JP when they are excited is so entertaining and exhausting at the same time. Shelby is in a stage where she already asks a million questions about everything and then when you add something that she is really excited about on top of that you can't even answer one question before she asks five more. Then JP just can't sit still. When we got to the boat he was in the cabin, out of the cabin, up the stairs, down the stairs, back in the cabin, out of the cabin, up the stairs, down the stairs, repeat a thousand times.

After dinner we had some time before the fireworks started so Tracy and I sat outside down stairs and kept an eye on things. During the fireworks the children stood still and when they were all done Shelby and Ian started yelling, "One more time, One more time." It was cute and annoying at the same time. At one point we saw our chance and while Pratt and Mark were slightly distracted and came down the stairs for something we snuck upstairs and enjoyed sometime sitting in the nice cool air enjoying and awesome breeze. It was so relaxing and if Pratt had waited any longer to leave he might have been leaving without me because I was ready to set up camp and sleep under the stars.

We got home rather late that night (like around 10:30) and logic would let one believe that you would get to sleep in the next morning...oh no, not with our children. I guess that they have such a love for life that they don't want to waste anytime sleeping because they, well JP, was up and at 'em bright and early. That boy needs less sleep than anyone I know! We had spent that day at the pool and then had a late rest time and stayed up late and he still was up before 7!!! Oh JP, one day you will sleep in....one day.

Confession time....so, we have eaten at Moe's 3 times this week (Sunday, Monday and Today). Is that bad? Do we need intervention? The really sad thing is that rumor has it that Moe's is going to close (haha-that rhymes) so I guess that we are just trying to squeeze in as much as we can before we won't have any more.

VBS and Other Things

This week was so great! We had so much fun at Vacation Bible School. Shelby and JP learned a lot and enjoyed all the activities that they did every day. But, before I talk more about that we are going to start with "the other things" that went on.

Friday after a very busy, hot, and tiring week we joined our neighbors outside for a little outdoor fun. They pulled out the slip-n-slide and kiddie pool and boy did we have a blast. Shelby completely shocked us by braving the slip-n-slide, and she actually enjoyed it! And JP didn't shy away either. It is rumored that even some of the parents (Gerrit, Pratt and myself) made a big splash on the slip-n-slide and there are two trenches in the Albert's yard to prove it:) It was so much fun and a great way to relax with friends after such a crazy week.

As if that wasn't fun enough, on Saturday the club had a pottery painting and ice cream party for the children. What?!?!?! Ice Cream!!! You know we were there! Shelby and JP painted little ice cream bowls and then they got to enjoy an ice cream buffet where there were all kinds of yummy things to put on your ice cream. JP went all out. He put on crushed oreos, marshmallows, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips and chocolate syrup. I had to keep reminding myself to exercise self-control and not eat his! Shelby went with the less is more approach and only had rainbow sprinkles and cherries. I made the mistake of letting a little bit of chocolate sauce drip on her's because I thought she said she wanted some so I "had to" remove that part with my own spoon....ooopppsss:)

Here is JP painting his bowl. He actually sat down and got into it a little bit. I can't wait to see what this finished product looks like and what he thinks of it when we get them back. Look at that concentration!

Ella Grace and her mommy joined us for the fun. Shelby and Ella Grace know each other through the Alberts and CBS and last year they were in the same class together. She is such a sweet little girl!!! Her mommy and daddy should write a parenting book because they have definitely done it right. Here is Ella Grace helping Shelby hold her bowl so that she can focus on the painting part. Shelby also did a great job with painting hers and I am sure that she is going to enjoy using it. There is just something so fun with having your own bowl!

Now on to VBS. Wow! What a great week! Gina and all the volunteers did such a wonderful job and I am excited about next year!!! The title was Space Probe 2010 and the theme verse was Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The children learned all about the beginning, but most importantly they learned that God loved them so much that he sent Jesus, His only son, to die on the cross so that whoever believes can have eternal life. Everything was done with the space theme in mind. All the snacks had cool space names, the salvation plan was given with space theme, and all the crafts they did were around the space theme. I am telling you if I had just one ounce of creativity that Gina has; well, that would be just great. Nevertheless, that isn't a talent I possess, but if you ever need your checkbook balanced, I am your girl!

This morning at church they had some of the children from VBS sing for the special music. It was so precious. I love how some children really get into it; they sing loud and motion big, while others (like Shelby and JP) try to be invisible and think that maybe if they don't participate no one will see them. We have had the joy of hearing and watching our children sing these songs and dance to them all week at home and that just fills my heart with such joy so it isn't too big of a deal that they don't go all out on the stage.

Chixlets

So, random thought...lately our children have been on this new kick of gum. I don't know where it came from or how it started. Pratt and I aren't huge gum chewers so it isn't around the house that much. Now, I am not saying that we don't chew gum because we absolutely do; we just don't buy it everytime we go to the store or keep it in stock in our house. In fact, nine times out of ten we don't have any. Back to the point, so, Shelby and JP on on this huge gum kick, or "dum" as JP would say. They are asking for it frequently and since we happen to have some leftover from Christmas stocking stuffers I have been letting them have some.

Shelby is getting the point and only chews it then spits it out after about 1 minute. JP isn't getting it quite yet. He chews it and then swallows it. Everytime I tell him, "JP, you chew it and then when you don't want to chew it anymore you spit it out." And he says, "Mom, I did chewed it." I guess I need to start leading off that conversation with the part that you spit the gum out since he is getting the first part.

Okay, on to the part about Chixlets. After we left Moe's today...yes, I know it isn't a Wednesday, but we also like to go on Sundays after church because it is quick and inexpensive...the children were begging for some gum so I gave them each half a stick and as I was listening to them comment on how the gum was spicy (I have tried to explain that it isn't spicy it is just minty) my mind began to wander to a time long ago when I LOVED Chixlets.

I guess it started at some point in high school. My dad and I would make special trips to the Food Lion up the street so that I could get some Chixlets out of the little gum machine. I would get my gum; then we would walk around the store just to look at all the groceries and come up with ideas of what we could do with them, and then we would leave. I definitely had my favorite combinations; I liked to put the pink with the red and the green, or the orange with the yellow.

Time went on and eventually I graduated from high school, but I still was having this love affair with this gum. My family dropped me off to college and I was a little sad...not nearly as sad as I thought I would be-I didn't cry like some of my new friends had, but I was sad. Pratt came up the next day and when he came by to see my new digs he surprised me with a big box (25lb box to be exact) of chixlets gum!!!! That thing lasted forever!!! And I loved every last bit of gum from that box, but after I was finally done with that box my obsession kind of went away and it has been a long time since I have had any chixlet gum....maybe I will get some soon.

And the Beat Goes On....

No rest for the weary in this house! If you can't keep up then you get off the train, or if you are the mom you turn on the tv in the morning and crawl back in bed for a little bit longer (okay, maybe longer than a little bit, but hey, I need my rest to keep up with these two).

We have continued to keep ourselves very busy through these last few days and have enjoyed every minute of it. Pratt has watched the children quite a bit every now and then and the tide is shifting from always wanting mommy to now wanting daddy! They have had so much fun with him!! Last week he took them to Home Depot to buy some wood so he could build a balance beam for them. Shelby was especially excited about this and has practiced walking on the beam every day. She has even asked me to throw things at her as she is balancing to see if she can stay on (see two pictures down).

This is a great action shot of Shelby and JP dancing to some show...I think that it is called Dance-a-Lot Robot and this particular one they were doing the "octopus" dance. It was so fun to watch them both following the movements!

Of course, with summer comes crazy heat and it has been H-O-T here!!! You can't stay out of the pool if you are outside. This weekend we enjoyed two days at the pool and when I say days, I mean nearly whole days! Shelby and JP love it so much. Shelby likes to show everyone that she knows how to swim like a mermaid and JP has recently discovered that he can put his face in the water and live! It is a miracle!!! Friday we joined Grammie at the pool with her niece Aubry and Saturday we met up with the Ussery clan for a little swimming fun! The children had such a great time and played very well together. It was nice to be able to sit on the stairs and have a normal adult conversation and actually get through most of it without being interrupted!!! Yay for us!

Now that JP puts his head in the water he is wearing his goggles a little bit more. It is so fun to watch them decided that they can do something new and to see their sweet faces light up with the feeling of accomplishment!

Here is a shot of Shelby, Jack and JP doing to ever so daring triple jump while holding hands!!

That same evening we had the Usserys over for dinner and of course, no dinner would be complete without dessert so that is what we did. After a productive rest time Shelby, JP and I put on our aprons to get down and dirty while making some yummy triple chocolate brownies out of a box, because when they taste as good as that what is the point of making them from scratch??? You have to check out JP's face in this picture! I just love that expression!!!

Busy First 5 Days

It is really hard to believe that it is only July 6th! I feel like we have packed a whole months worth of activity into these first few days and for as fast as this summer is flying by, it seems to have slowed down to a snail's pace. We have spent time with family, been in a wedding, celebrated the fourth of July, and many other things in these last few days!! It has been a whirlwind, but definitely so much fun!

Uncle Patricio headed back to Argentina yesterday and we are going to miss him so much. Aunt Suzy and Sebastian are on their way to Mexico for a little vacay before heading back to Argentina and I know two little ones who are very sad that their cousin is leaving. Shelby has really grown to love her little cousin and I can definitely see some motherly tendencies coming out when he is around. This picture really says a lot. Sebastian would squeal with delight every time we walked in the door at his house or when they came to ours. We can't wait for their next visit!



In between trying to squeeze every last bit of time we had left with Suzy and Patricio, we spent getting ready for Rob-a-Dob and Miss Jennifer's wedding. Pratt was a groom's man, Shelby was a flower girl, and JP was a ring bearer. After the rehearsal on Friday night I was definitely a bit concerned with how they would do. They are both very shy individuals and wouldn't even walk down the aisle holding my hand at the rehearsal with hardly anyone around. Thankfully Rob and Jenn were very understanding and said that if they didn't want to do it then that would be okay.


So Saturday came. All the men came over to our house for lunch and to chill before the wedding so I packed up the children and headed to grandmother and grandpa's for the afternoon; I also wanted to avoid the afternoon traffic since it is "change over" day for the island. We had so much fun with them. The children played outside, enjoyed some peanut m&ms, and all kinds of other fun stuff. After a bit we took baths and I made them go in their underwear until the very last moment since they both were wearing white. Grandmother got a little snuggle time with JP or so I thought.....

This is one of JP's favorite chairs in the house, and I can't blame him because it is a very comfortable chair. So anyway, after his bath he climbed up on Grandmother's lap and pretended to cuddle and then asked her to scoot over a little so she did. After this picture was taken he asked her to scoot a little more and then just said, "Grandmother, get up." That little Turkey!!! But Grandmother, being the kind loving grandmother that she is, got up and let him have the chair.....

We made it to the wedding with plenty of time to spare and it was so cute to watch the flower girls give each other a once over. Avery stepped up to Shelby and said, "Hey, I have the same dress" and after that they were forever friends. Shelby has asked repeatedly if she can can invite Avery and her little boy brother over to play. She hasnt' quite figured out that Ohio is very, very far away.

After the girls got aquainted I took Shelby over to say hi to Miss Jennifer. I think that Shelby wasn't quite sure what to do with seeing her in her wedding dress. It is almost like she knew that she shouldn't get too close so as to keep the dress clean. I tried to get a few pictures of them and this is the best shot that came out.

Here are the two girls. They did wonderful as flower girls and I have tons of really cute pictures, but I like this one because you can see their faces. They held hands all the way until they got to the top of the aisle, then they kind of glanced at each other, let go and started dropping the little rose petals on the ground. It was so stinkin' cute!!!

JP didn't do as well with walking down the aisle; well, he did walk down the aisle, but he was holding my hand. At that point I was kind of wishing that I had an invisible cloak on or something to make me disappear, but we made it regardless.

The reception was tons of fun. They had a great band and my mom was so very kind in taking Shelby and JP home so that we could enjoy our friends. We had a blast dancing the night away and working off some of those calories from a delicious southern meal and awesome cake. We are now trying to figure out how to have another dance party on a real tight budget....if you have any suggestions, e-mail me and I will make sure you get invited:)

After all that, we still had the Fourth of July to look forward to. So the next morning we got up, put on our suits and headed to the pool. The children never cease to amaze me with how much progress they have made with their swimming. Shelby gets all around the pool now and JP is finally dunking his face in the water. It was so much fun to swim with Pratt and I know that the children loved being with him that day.

That night we went to Mr. Mark's boat to watch fireworks. JP was so excited, almost like Christmas morning. He could hardly wait to watch them and then when they started he hardly moved until they were done. It was so much fun!!!!