Baka and Bakamama

My wonderful parents came for a couple weeks and we had such a great time with them. They bought me a wonderful present, a tripod for my camera, so we had a little photo shoot to capture the memories with the grandchildren and play with my new toy! There were endless hours of running circles around the house with Bakamama and giggles coming from all four of them. No, we didn't add another child, I think Bakamama giggled louder than the rest!

Dry Socket

Last Wednesday, I got my one and only wisdom tooth out. It was impacted, but the surgeon said it went so smoothly, better than they could have ever expected. The first two days, I felt almost no pain. I thought, "This is easy, why did they give me hydrocodon?" One day three, it started to hurt worse and worse and the pain got so bad at points, I would remember that I was forgetting to breath. It would wake me up every night and keep me up for an hour+ until the medicine could work again. I suffered through the weekend and Monday made an appointment with the surgeon. He said I had dry socket, where the nerve is exposed to air, food, etc. and he packed it with gauze covered in clove oil. It was magic! The pain was mostly gone and I didn't even care that most of my food tasted like strong cloves. If I ever eat pumpkin pie that has a lot of cloves, I might have a flashback of having my wisdom tooth out, but boy is that risk worth the wonders it did on my healing jaw.

Cuties

Happy Birthday 5 year old!

Sorry, I'm a little late with Whitney's birthday wishes. Whitney just turned five and will be going into Kindergarten. She has been watching Brooke go off to school and is so ready to go. She had Kindergarten Orientation where they actually got to go experience Kindergarten for 2 days and that just made her more excited!

For Whitney's birthday, Adam and I took her (the day before her birthday) to an Aveda salon to get her hair permed. It took four long hours, but she was such a trooper. She was all smiles for the first three hours, but by the fourth, she was done. It was like a long car ride and she just had to get out. When they finally took the rollers out, she was all smiles again. When Whitney was a baby, her hair was curly. It took a while for it to grow out and she always wanted her hair to be as long as Brooke's. In order to help them celebrate their differences, i would say, Brooke's hair is long and Whitney's hair is curly, but both are beautiful. As Whitney's hair grew longer, the curl faded. Lately Whitney had been asking when she could get her hair cut so it would be curly again. Since I wasn't sure cutting her hair would make it curly again, we opted for the sure fire way of getting her hair curly again - a perm. She LOVES it. I do too! I am afraid it won't last as long as I hoped. I already see the curl fading, but she is still happy, so so am I.

On her actual birthday, we went to the Arboretum in Madison. It is so gorgeous this time of year. This was my first time going, but it was so fun to see all of the gorgeous flowers and let the kids run around. Then, we went to Target at Whitney's request to get cold waffles. She wanted Eggos, not the kind I make. We had the Eggos with a fruit sauce and whipped cream and fresh strawberries for dinner. It was more like a dessert, but that is what she wanted. I think I also stuck in a bowl of green beans on the table. Then, we went on to have a mermaid cake! It was an okay cake, but for some reason Liam loved it and gobbled it up. Maybe because he didn't get the yummy Eggos for dinner. He kept repeating, "Yummy, yummy cake!" He had four medium sized pieces. Yikes!

Whitney is such a joy to have around and I will miss her when she goes off to Kindergarten. Whitney has really been focusing on helping me lately. She does the dishes often for me. On our way to get Brooke from school, I mentioned how dirty the kitchen was. As soon as we stepped in the door Whitney made a beeline for the sink and got every single dish done. Whitney has a gorgeous smile and loves to make others happy. She is very nurturing and takes care of her "babies" all day long. There is always a baby in the play crib, always a baby buckled up in the car and they always have different outfits on. She spends all day being a mother, just like me and I couldn't be happier to be her mother!

Summer Reading Programs

found this on THIS blog - 24/7 Moms - and of course i think that the public library should be first on the list, but that's just me

11 FREE SUMMER READING PROGRAMS FOR KIDS

#1 - Half Price Books Summer Reading

Half Price Books FREE reading program begins June 1, 2010 and runs until July 31, 2010.

Kids ages 14 and under can earn a $3 Half Price books shopping card for each week they read at least 15 minutes per day. Limit one per week per child.

Simple Steps to Participate:
1. Get a Feed Your Brain reading log at your local Half Price Books. or
Click here to down load and print your weekly reading logs.

2. Check off each day you read for 15 minutes or more.

3. Fill out your reading log, and have your parent or guardian sign it.

4. Bring your completed and signed log to your local Half Price Books.

5. Get a Feed Your Brain Reading Reward:
$3 Shopping Card good at all Half Price Books locations.

6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 every week through July 31, 2010.

Click here to find a Half Price Books location near you.

# 2 Borders and Books Double Dog Dare Summer Reading program


if you have children 12 or under you will want to check out this fun Summer reading program
- Read 10 books of your choosing.
-Download and print theDouble Dog Dare form
-List the books you have read on the form
- Bring the form into any Borders and Books store foryour FREE book by 8/26/10.

Click here for additional details

#3 Barnes and Noble Books:

Here's How It Works:

1. Kids read any eight (8) books of their own choosing.

2. Kids use the passport to Summer reading to tell us their favorite part of each book. A parent/guardian signs the journal when it's complete.

3. Children bring their completed passport to Summer reading to aBarnes & Noble store between May 25th & September 7th, 2010.

4. We'll give them a coupon for a FREE book! They choose from alist of exceptional paperback titles.*

* Eligible books will be listed on the coupon. Choices must be made from available stock. No special orders. Limit of one (1) form per school-age child (grades 1-6), please. Incomplete forms will be ineligible for free books.

# 4 Chuck E. Cheese Kids Rewards Calendars

Looking for a fun way to reward your kids for their accomplishments? Download and print free reward calendars to help your kids develop in areas that are some of the most common challenges of parenting.

1. Download and print out the calendar
2. Mark the days off with a pen or sticker as your child accomplishes their goals
3. Bring it in completed to Chuck E. Cheese's and receive 10 free tokens as a reward

Tooth Fairy Award NEW

Getting Dressed NEW

Reading Rewards NEW

Active Kid

Homework Helper

Potty Training

Sleep All Night

Magical Manners

Doctor/Dentist Good Patient Award

Stop Thumb Sucking

Clean Your Room

Teeth Brushing

#5 BOOKWORM WEDNESDAYS -

- Every Wednesday at 10:00 am beginning July 7th for six weeks. A fun and rewarding summer reading program developed to encourage young children to read during the summer months.BOOKWORM WEDNESDAYS entitles kids to free admission to a select children's film when they present a book report at a participating Showcase Cinemas, Multiplex Cinemas or Cinema deLux box office. Accompanying parents or guardians and children under six receive free admission and do not need to submit a book report. Click here for more information.

#6 - Pottery Barn Kids - Book Club


Kids of all ages are invited to join thePottery Barn Kids story time every Tuesday 11:00am to 11:30am. Members receive an official Book Club Card at their first story time, and a special gift after attending five story times.

To locate a store near you click here.

# 7 Sylvan Book Adventure

A FREE reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book lists from over 7,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes. Book Adventure

# 8 Scholastic Summer Challenge

Scholastic has a free online reading club for children which kicks off April 30. 2010 Scholastic Summer Challenge Campaign Uses Online Games and Community to Get Kids Excited About Reading "4 or More" Books This Summer. Children ages eight and up can log on to to read for fun, play games, and help read for the world record.



# 9 Book-It Summer Reading Program

This summer, BOOK IT!® invites kids across the country to take part in the Summer Break Reading Challenge Sweepstakes! From June 15-August 15, kids who were in grades K-6 during the 2009-10 school year and who meet the challenge of reading five books, will be eligible for a chance to win a slammin' summer prize package including swim gear, books, games, gift cards, and more!

Click here for more Book It information.

# 10 Old Spaghetti Factory Summer Reading Program


Click here for more details.



# 11 Library Reading Programs:Check with your local Library for their summer reading programs. check out www.summerreading.org for great resources.

A Bear in Sunroom

Whitney, Liam and I often pretend there is a bear that is going to get us when we get out of the car, so we have to hurry and get in the house and shut the doors so the bear doesn't get us. Well, Liam got this idea in his head that there is a bear in our sunroom. Saturday morning, he woke up in a great mood and was laying on Adam's chest for a couple of minutes. All of a sudden his head popped up and he yelled out the biggest, throatiest growl and said, "Sunroom." I then got the video camera and tried to recapture it, but it could never be as funny as the first time. I really wish I had it on tape, but writing it down will have to do.

Happy Birthday 7 year old!

Brooke turned 7 yesterday! It was a fantastic day for her as far as I can tell. She felt so special at school and shared rainbow cupcakes with her class. She got a crown from her teacher and Liam and I brought a balloon and treats to her at lunch time. When she got home we had a mini photo shoot and played outside 'til dinner. Adam came home a little early and played with them outside. Brooke got her very own set of scriptures with her name engraved on them. She was THRILLED! She read her scriptures for 40 minutes last night! She has the goal of reading the entire Book of Mormon before her eighth birthday. I also made her a fruit cake at her request. Since we brought cupcakes in to her class, she wanted a cake made of fruit.

Brooke is such a special girl. She is almost always happy and upbeat. She has pure desires and always wants to do what is right. She is so quick to say she is sorry and to show love. She is smart too, and an outstanding reader! We love you Brooke! Happy Birthday!

The Bottle Brush Bites the Dust

I was doing dishes and the brush I use to clean bottles fell down. I continued doing dishes until I heard some water swishing in the bathroom. I went in to find Liam helping out his mommy by cleaning the toilet.....with the bottle brush. That's okay, we are getting rid of bottles anyway, but it was nice for sippies.

Little Man - 18 months

This cute little boy is now 18 months old. When did that happen? He is becoming such a big boy. His little tummy has been having problems lately, mostly from MY mistakes in letting him get food with milk and/or soy. There were three mistakes within a month and a half and i guess the multiple exposures was not so good for him. He had diarrhea for 3 weeks straight, mucous and blood in his diaper for a long time and he is still not really eating. We get so excited when he eats a few bites at dinner. He will almost always take a few bites of banana and maybe some pretzels, but even his favorites he turns away. He has been cranky and miserable to put it mildly. He does not feel good. Someone said the other day, "Boy you have your hands full with him." True, but what they didn't see was the sweet little guy who hugs his sisters EVERY time they cry or the one who will not let anyone get left behind. If we are going out the door and someone (usually a sister) is lagging behind, he will run to them and pull them by the shirt and say, "'Mon, 'mon." (C'mon, C'mon) They also didn't see the sweet little boy that lays on me with his arms tucked under his little body or him saying, "Keek," asking me to kiss his cheek. Although he is in pain a lot and cranky because of it, he is the sweetest little boy. I couldn't have asked for better.

My Dear Sweet Daughter

Whitney, Liam and I were driving to pick Brooke up and Whit and I were having a good time singing along to a CD of primary songs. Whitney so kindly stated, "Mom, even though your voice doesn't sound that good, you are still a good person." Thanks for trying to make me feel great about myself Whitney.

Before and After

We are slowly, but surely making our house our own. Here are some before and afters of one room on the main floor. The colorful room is with the previous owners' stuff.

Pretty dramatic. And the answer to the question everyone asks, they did not have a daycare.

Notice the fantabulous shelves Adam built me! I am so impressed! This was the day they were built. I won't show you them now. Needless to say, a door is the next project for that room.

Finally..........a post!

So, I couldn't figure out what has taken me so long to post again and in doing this post, I realized why. I have been shooting in a different format and blogger won't accept it so I every time I want to post a pic. I have to export my photos and reformat them. Even just typing it out makes me not want to do it anymore.

So here is what we have been up to. Brooke had seventies day and I found out the night before. I used to be able to just raid my mom's closet when it was seventies day, but unfortunately, she doesn't have that luxury. Maybe fortunately for me. So I had to make some bell bottoms and headband for her. She is wearing her boots under her bell bottoms so they don't lay quite how they are supposed to.

We went sledding and everyone had a blast except Liam. He was a little cold.

We went to Chicago for the weekend so Adam and I could go to the temple and we took advantage of the hotel pool . I had to include the picture of Liam with the scared out of his mind look on his face. I couldn't predict so high he was going to go so the focus is way off, but I thought it was too funny not to share. Despite the looks on their faces they had so much fun and kept asking o do it again.

The last ones are pics of Christmas. It was really nice to have five days off and not really do much but be together.