I have Monsters!!!

I've created a couple of monsters. There are three to be exact. Each of them have their own things they have become addicted too unfortunately. Not really addicted but very very interested in the different things they have become monsters about.

Mackenzie has gotten to be addicted to buying books. It really is a great thing to be addicted too, especially so young I think. We love the fact she loves reading now. She and I got to looking online this morning and found the Harry Potter series she has been wanting on sale for under fifty dollars. If you have priced this book series out, the cheapest we have found it for around town and other places on line like Barnes and Noble and Hastings have been listed for as little as 89.99.  That is the price for all seven books. I happened to be looking on the Box Tops for Education website this morning, entering yet again for the drawing they have to win 10000 box tops for your school and went over to the shop online section. It links you to the different companies that have agreed to give so many box tops per 10 dollars spent on their website. Scholastic Books is on the website and I clicked over to it and we found the Harry Potter series, along with the Fly Guy series she has gotten into reading. She hasn't made her final decision if she wants to buy the books but I think she is leaning more and more towards getting them.

Kylie has become fascinated with us curling her hair in soft foam curlers. She loves that we can curl her hair and it looks like Lindsey. Lindsey is a friend of hers from school who wore her hair curled almost every day to school last year. We've tried it a few ways and found with Kylie's hair, you don't use mouse when you roll it. They fall out faster than anything if you do! We ust make sure it is a little damp, not wet, but damp and roll it up before bedtime. She sleeps in them just fine and then we take them out after breakfast the next morning and she has the most beautiful soft curls. I think she also likes it becuase it also looks a little like Taylor Swift's hair when she has it curled in the ends. (She is a big Taylor Swift fan as of a few weeks ago.)

Gabryle has become fascinated with loose change. Pennies, quarters, dimes and nickels. We haven't bought him a piggy bank yet so he hasn't had a place to put the change he finds, so I took an old bottle that I cut a slit out for change I find in the dryer and let him have it. He was thrilled!!! He keeps his pennies and quarters that he has in it and has found it is fun to sit all day and take the coins out then put them back in. It also appears he loves to sit and just shake the plastic bottle with the coins in it. He loves it, I hate it.!He has learned though if there is a coin in the floor for some reason to grab it as soon as he sees it and puts it in his coin bottle. That's the rule for the kids. Who ever picks it up out of the floor gets to keep it in their piggy bank.

Maybe next week they will have new fascinations. We shall wait and see!!




Till Next Time!!!

Zinnia Explosion!!!!!

I am loving doing a garden. I can officially say that since this years garden is going well, I will for sure plant one again next year also!! Who knows maybe I'll keep some potted plants in the house during the winter of flowers.  Kylie has named the zinnias. Not for sure why she did, but she has and she is extremely proud of naming them. Perhaps its due to me pulling out the weeds down from the garden that she called "her" plants. (I know I am so terrible for taking out some crab grass that was growing in the drainage from the garden.)

Half of the zinnias have bloomed and are opening up now. Such a mix of colors make them so beautiful! The rose bush has put out 2 more beautiful roses and one is just about to open, and there are still two more rose buds that are growing. The pansies hare still hanging in there, and keep putting out beautiful purple flowers over and over.  The pepper plants are doing great, and I have 2 peppers getting larger by the day, and another one that has just started to grow along with lots of blooms.  The tomato plants have gotten a lot bigger and greener lately. I have a new flower on one of the plants so my fingers are still crossed that they will provide tomatoes for us this year. I hope it does!!! I included some pictures below and hope you enjoy them!!!

Till Next Time!!!

Tomatoes!!!

All of the zinnias. 

Zinnias

This is Sunny Daisy. 

Sunny, Daisy, Mean Red and Pokey Sun.
Raisy Doll is the red flower in the very back. 

PEPPERS!!!

FATHERS DAY!!

Top of the picture frame cube.

 Fathers Day!!! The kids have waited so patiently for this day to come. They have waited to be able to give Jerrod his Father's Day gift we made. This year yes we made him a gift. Makes the gift all that much more special!!

Jerrod this year received a box picture frame that is on a little turn table that holds 4 photos. All three kids have a side with their name on it, and one for family pictures. The top of the box we plastered 2 photos to the top that will not change. The inside of course can be used for whatever Jerrod wants to use it for. I know he sometimes has a hard time finding a picture frame for multiple photos for his desk at work and we saw this and figured it would be a perfect choice! Heck, he could even put photos inside the frame if he wants.

For his card, each one of the kids traced their hand on a piece of scrapbook paper that we got from Hobby Lobby. They each picked out their favorite design and we used it. We cut two hands out and they wrote I love you on the front and on the inside we folded a strip of paper and wrote this much on it and glued it inside.

The kids seemed to enjoy picking out the colors for the frame and the stickers to use. I even let them pick out which photo will be used on their side. I picked the ones for the family side and what went on top.  Enjoy the photos!

Till Next Time!!!

Basketball

Kylie after she fell asleep during the game.

 The kids and I actually watched part of a basketball game last night. Most of you that know me know I am not that into sports. I can watch baseball all day, but besides that I am not that into watching sports. Basketball is not bad. I don't mind watching it.  The kids however, it depends on which kid you are talking about.

Mackenzie enjoyed watching the game last night. She was rooting of course for the OKC Thunder. She really got into watching last night. Every time "her" team scored a basket she cheered for them, which ultimately got Gabryle to do the same exact thing anytime either team made a basket. He didn't care who had the ball and even started to when they did not make a basket yell "no!"  I never realized that watching a game would be as much fun for little kids.  Plus the nice thing about it last night is I didn't have to keep explaining what was going on to the girls.

Watching some basketball.

 Kylie however, apparently found the game a little boring. The first half of the game we flipped back and forth between the games last night and Hell's Kitchen and Masterchef, two of my favorite shows. We watched the game during the commercials of the other two shows. Once both were over we just flipped to the basketball game and kept it on that. Once I kept it on the game, Kylie crawled up on the couch and laid down beside me. Within five minutes she was asleep. I guess basketball is really not her cup of tea.

I have a feeling if we watch the next game on TV Kylie will find something else to do than watch the game with us. I'll probably find her crawled up in her bed looking through a book or playing with Kenzie's Nintendo DS, while Kenzie and Gabryle sit and cheer on the players  with us.

Till Next Time!!!

More zinnias are coming!!!

Went out and checked my flowers this morning and had the yellow zinnia open up over night. A lot of the flowers have buds almost ready to pop open so it is only a matter of time. My rises are doing well also. I have three rose buds that are growing bigger every day and one is about to open soon. I have also started to have new branches grow on the roses also. Very glad at least one of the bushes have survived and is thriving.
It also looks like I should have some peppers start to produce soon also. I have never grown peppers so hopefully they work out. I still have not had any tomatoes produce on my tomato plants. I hope they grow. I still have had no luck growing cilantro. I have tried growing two separate batches of seeds and all just withered away after they got to be about three inches tall. Might have to find some that is already grown and just plant it in my planter. I will make sure to post some pics of the roses when they open up.
Till next time!!!

Washing some Dishes

A Kylie self portrait

I love how our kids seem to help doing some house cleaning. It doesn't happen that often but every now and then they really want to help. Kenzie loves to help doing the dishes. I think for the most part she loves to be able to play in the water, more than the actual washing of the dishes. Kylie enjoys sweeping and helping with taking out the trash (I know I have some strange kids but I wouldn't change them for the world!)

 Last night as I was washing the dinner dishes she steps up beside me and asks why she can't do the dishes like Kenzie. I told her that she needed to be tall enough to be able to turn the water on and off by herself. She reached and could reach the part of the faucet where the water comes out but not the handle. She stood there trying her hardest to convince me she was tall enough to turn it on when she couldn't reach it. She hates that she can't do much to help in the kitchen.

another self portrait

I just told her if she wanted to help do something she could get the trash sack out of the bathroom trashcan and that just made her day. She was so excited to get to help do that. After I finished the dishes I got the trash sack out of the kitchen and she brought the one from the bathrooms and we took it to the dumpster outside. Who knew taking out trash would be so exciting for a five year old.

and another (my favorite!)

and another.