Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Seriously, how many people are lucky enough to get a crown like this for their birthday?

Happy Birthday, Mom - we love you!!!! :)

The Edge

We spent the weekend at The Edge Waterpark in Duluth.  We went there over Christmas vacation without the guys, and now again to celebrate Mom's birthday with the guys.  The kids have a blast there - from the vortex pool, to the obstacle course, to the hot tub, down the lazy river, and finally, the tube slides.  There is no shortage of things to do there!  What a fun weekend!!!

Carter's Swimming Lessons

Carter is making such great progress at his weekly swimming lessons at Foss.  He has no fear of the water and is learning new things all the time.  I am so proud of this little stinker! :)

Scoops and kicks with the noodle:

Jet packs on!

No flotation device at all!

Practicing bird flaps:

Hanging out on the island waiting for his turn:

Human Pincushion

This is what round two of my allergy testing looked like today.  I had 48 scratch tests on my back during round one which unfortunately, did not yield any results.  It took the needle injections under the skin to test positive (a much more painful process).  This is my second time through allergy testing, during the first round of tests 18 months ago, I tested positive for cat, dog, dust, ragweed, oak, and birch.  This round I tested positive for cat, dog, maple, and ragweed.  Since I didn't test positive for dust and I was highly allergic to that before, he sent me on for blood tests at the lab.  I will know those results in a week.  I also have to go for futher testing (possibly a CT scan of my sinuses) as well as various other blood tests since we can't get to the bottom of the itching and he wants to figure out what is going on before we move to the allergy shots.  I just look forward to figuring this all out and getting the correct treatment - this has been a long, long road!

Jewelry

I had a rush order to complete last night and Ryan wanted to make a going-away gift for his classmate, Maggie, who is moving away.  Today is her last day of school.  Ryan will miss you, Maggie - good luck in your new school and I hope you enjoy your necklace! :)

Another Pink Slip

Ryan received another pink slip this week.  He met me at the door when I got home from work with the biggest grin ever.  He is so proud of his pink slips (and we are proud of him, too!)

Beans

I have probably posted about beans before.  When Ryan wanted to do a craft today, we pulled out the beans.  Nothing special about these beans, but pull out a few bowls, funnels, measuring cups, and scoops, they become a great passtime for the boys.  Not the most fun thing to clean up, but we worry about that after the fact! :)

Cutting

Carter loves to cut.  I remember Ryan doing the same thing at this age.  They will cut anything you let them cut (thankfully they ask before they cut - well, that, and I hide the scissors out of their reach!)

Glow Stick

This is what a glowstick:

looks like

in a

dark

bathroom

Birthday Party

We went back to Eagle's Nest this morning, this time for a birthday party for one of Ryan's classmates, Evan.  The kids had a blast.  Carter and I tagged along; we ate lunch at the tables in the lobby while Ryan and his friends ate in their party room.  Carter did well until it was cake time, then he melted down because he wanted to be included in the party.  Evan's Mom was very gracious and included him in the cake and gift opening, which was so nice.  I never go to the indoor playgrounds on the weekends, and now I know why - they are CRAZY!  There were about 1/4 of the people there yesterday than today.  It was so loud - which, I guess, is no different than our house on most days! :)

Lukas, Evan, Ryan, and Cate:

 Carter and I wandered around the building while the kids were playing:

Homework

Ryan is still at the age where he enjoys homework.  I know it won't last forever, so we'll enjoy it while we can!  We had his parent teacher conferences this week and I left there very proud.  He is catching on so well in all of his school work, especially reading.  He is currently reading at a level 10 (4 is needed to complete kindergarten).  I have a feeling he'll complete his first grade reading levels by the time he finishes kindergarten.  He has mastered his first grade sight words and will start on second grade next week.  Way to go, buddy - we are so proud of you!!!! :)

Eagle's Nest

Yesterday Carter and I spent the afternoon at Eagle's Nest Indoor Playground with Bethany (my previous job share partner) and her daughter, Abigail.  We had such a great time.  The kids had fun playing and Bethany and I had a great time catching up.  So much fun, apparently, that I didn't get any picture of the kids playing together - darn it!  Bethany is one of those people that you don't see for a long time and you can pick up right where you left off.  A true friend, and I so appreciate her.  Thanks for the great day, B!

Necklaces I made for her daughters:

Obsession

Ryan started taking pictures with Evan's cell phone.  He then moved to my cell phone, then my point and shoot, and now decided he likes my SLR.  He does a great job, but sometimes forgets to be careful with it.  He needs to learn not to knock the lens into the wall, the table, etc.  It'll take some practice, but he'll get there.  I hope he enjoys taking pictures as he grows up as much as I do!!! :)

Hawaiian Night

Tuesday night was Hawaiian night at Carter's Family of Christ Preschool.  They had a dance, craft room, movie room with snacks and play-doh, and a raffle drawing.  My kids spent almost the entire night playing play-doh.  You know, because that is not something we can do here at home.  Okay, so maybe it is...sometimes I don't understand, but we just go with it.  They had a great time and we lasted until the raffle drawing was nearly done.  A few tears because they didn't win the Zhu Zhu pet basket, but life goes on (at least for me, took a while for them to realize that! :)