I'm A Horrible Blogger...

 Yeah, I'm more than a little behind.  And for the past year I've been awful about blogging.  But here is a valiant effort to catch up.  The boys both played rec league ball.  Snug's last year for t-ball, LMM's last year for B-ball.

 Snug improved quite a bit.  We didn't know whether to move him up into coach pitch or not.  Grade wise he should have been coach pitch, but age wise t-ball.  We stuck with his age and he had a good season.

 It was easier to enjoy LMM's season NOT being his coaches.  #1 helped QUITE A BIT as, well, LMM is a bit squirrel-y.  He's always having a good time.

 Last day of preschool for LMM meant not long till Rosebud gets to start preschool...and she is EXCITED about that.  These "turtles" as she calls them get a hug EVER.  SINGLE. TIME. from her on the way in.  I don't think they're turtles, I think they're weird little people things.

 

 See you in a few weeks!

 This is LMM and LMM's apprentice.  She goes where he goes, talks how he talks, and acts how he acts.  But they're good buddies.

 Strawberry picking!  He must have gotten a rotten one :o)

 Now THAT is a good daddy.  She was very happy to ride on his back and eat strawberries!

 We picked three large buckets and I made about half a years worth of jam.  The other half will be red raspberry that we'll pick in the late summer early fall.

 The place we pick is very nice and lets the kids eat all they can and carry out all they can in their hands for free.  I think each kid probably ate a quart.

 A little boy I babysit for has Juveniele Diabetes.  We were able to go to a mini-golf benefit for him one morning.  Very fun!

 Rosebud could barely hit the ball.  Then she's pick it up, set it next to the hole and either "putt" or kick it in.  Perfect.

 Snug was the only one playing with any semblance of rules.

 The kids got their faces painted and then we headed over to see the goats (the event was at a local dairy).

 #1 and my dad are making a new bedroom in our basement.  Here are the before pictures.  If I am not as horrible as a blogger as I have been, I'll keep you updated.  Don't cross your fingers!

 I've wanted to get a little playhouse for the girls for a couple of years but they are SO EXPENSIVE.  I sold off some of the kids things they were not using anymore and was able to get this one pretty cheap on Craiglist. My plan was to power wash it and then spray paint it the color I wanted-something I had seen on my beloved Pinterest.  This little house was FILTHY.

 Here's a picture of it from the back.  It had dirt and crud in every crevice.

 It cleaned up so well, and Rosebud LOVES pink and purple, so I didn't paint it.

 Everyone has been playing with it, but Sweet Pea loves to open the door and squeal, then close it and say "buh bye".

  We're getting ready to head to camp and this hair was getting OUT of control.  It snarls easily and although she loves to have it braided and curled, she doesn't want to sit to have it brushed.

 So I bit the bullet and took her in for a haircut.  A friend from church cut it which was nice.  She's the second oldest of 10 kids so she knew how to deal with a wiggly little one :o)

I like how it turned out, and it is VERY easy to wash and brush now!

Sometime this week it is my goal to post LMM's 5th birthday party pictures.  AKA I'll post them in August.

First Days and Nine Months

 Back to school has come and gone, and now school is routine, but I still wanted to share our pictures.  LMM is THRILLED to go this year, unlike last year where he cried and clung to my leg for, oh, the first 6 months.  No longer!  I barely get a "goodbye".

 There are tears though, I assure you.  Instead of LMM clinging to me sobbing that he wants to go home...I have Rosebud clinging to the art table or whatever furniture she can get her sticky-from-breakfast hands on screaming that she wants to stay.  She'd give up something pink and sparkly to be at school.  She has the back-to-school-bug bad.

 MMMM.  I could eat this one up.  She is a mama's girl for sure, and I am loving it.  I'll admit most days it is hard to have her wanting me ALL THE TIME, but as she gets older...I'm learning to cherish it.  Her baby days are numbered.  Everything is new and exciting and she loves to explore anything she can get her hands on.

 And then she eats it.  Cause that's what you do at nine months.

 I have zero new growth to report this month.  She is not even registered on the charts for weight (14 lbs 9 oz...still not as big as Rosebud was at 6 months) and is in the 10th % for length (26.5").  http://www.babycenter.com/baby-child-growth-percentile-calculator

However...she is developing GREAT!  She is taking steps along the furniture, exploring standing unassisted, learning to open/get into/crawl around everything in her way.  She feeds herself gluten free cereal, nurses often and well (finally sleeps 4 hours at a time most nights and is transitioning to her crib more than cosleeping) and eats baby food.  While she'll eat my homemade rice cereal and advacado, she has a bad gag reflex with homemade pureed veggies and fruits.  She is doing better on jar first foods, so I have been buying 2-3 of those a week as well.  Three jars doesn't kill anything but my pride.

 Snug Snug Snug.  I can't believe my preemie is in first grade.  He is not as excited about school this year as last.  I second guess my decision to put him in school daily.  I am trusting I did the right thing, but it has been hard.

He's already had his taste of bullying, but his teacher handled it well.  Not ready to tell that story yet, but I may in the future.  It for sure upped my opinion of the teacher though.  He is a little bored as the work comes easily to him, but new things should be introduced soon.  He also started swim lessons yesterday.  We found really reasonably priced ones at the YMCA a short distance from us.  He loves the water and we hope this opportunity will not only teach him swimming skills, but also boost his self-confidence (something he has very little of at school despite knowing all the required work) and social skills.

I have so much I want to/need to post and am working it into my daily schedule.  Er...weekly schedule.  After my last post I really missed blogging and need to make more time for it.

As it is September 11th I have a story to share.

A few weeks ago our family added a new activity (cause really we have nothing to do, totally bored).  We started Letterboxing.  I read about it in Parent's Magazine (or was it Family Fun?).  We've only done it a few times, but MAN is it fun, and has proved to be educational for the boys and a great way to get some exercise and spend time together as a family.

We went to our local 9-11 memorial for our very first try (we either failed, or the box was missing).  While there we took the time to examine the monument which is constructed from some of the Twin Towers building material  .  We talked a little bit with the boys about why it was there.  We kept it very basic.

Fast forward two weeks to this past weekend.  We're at #1's softball tournament (where his team did FABULOUS, knocking out the #1 ranked East Coast team in Police Softball shocking everyone including themselves).  LMM and I are watching the other team warm up and he asked if "thems is cops".  I told him yes, everyone here is a cop...it is Police League Softball!  Then he said they were bad cops.

More than concerned, I asked why on EARTH he would say a thing like that.  He proceeded to tell me that they were bad because they flew airplanes into buildings.  Heavens.  I don't think he got one thing right about 9-11.  I patiently tried to re-tell him and correct what he was way off base on.

I also informed him that his daddy is a cop (which he doesn't believe anymore now that #1 is a detective and doesn't wear traditional uniform...my boys think that is quite the disappointment these days!) and he knows daddy helps people at work.  He had to think on that for awhile, but I HOPE he understands at least the part that the police officers (and firefighters and all first responders) were the GOOD GUYS in history.

Have you told your kids about 9-11?  Any tips?