Summer Thus Far...

We started summer with what is probably my favorite tradition of the year...strawberry shortcake for dinner.  Every year on the first day of summer (June 21st) we have strawberry shortcake for dinner and I think Laura and I look forward to it more than the kiddos do!  This year our friends Josh and Becca joined us (and gave us the great idea of putting some of the strawberries in our champagne) and we went deluxe.  We had the biscuits, strawberries and whipped cream (canned and homemade) of course, but we also had the options of vanilla yogurt, vanilla ice cream and/or chocolate syrup.  I had classic for dinner and then later had some with ice cream and chocolate syrup for dessert!

The kids were into the chocolate syrup and ice cream!  They loved getting to build their own "dinner"!

Also during the first week of summer, Haley and Abby went to Vacation Bible Camp at a local church.  This is their third year going and they look forward to it all through the year.  This year Haley made a very sweet little friend (as she tends to do wherever we go) and Abby, as usual was adored by her leaders.  It's funny dropping her off and picking her up, because she's the kid all the leaders know and think is so adorable!  This is a complete side-note, but I think it's really interesting that even though Haley is much more shy and reserved in new situations, she ALWAYS makes a friend and has a special little bond with that girl (so far no boys).  Abby, on the other hand is super out-going and charming, and she tends to be loved by, and really love, the adults/teachers wherever she is.  That's just something I've been noticing lately.  Not to say that Abby can't make friends, she just really like to engage adults!  Anyway, they loved VBC.  Seth and I stayed for the morning chapel every day, because he loved singing the songs and learning the motions and the verses!  He really wanted to go this year (although if I had actually been dropping him off, I'm sure he would have changed his tune), but I think he'll really love it next year! 

The theme was "Pandamania" and they wore these shirts each day.  Seth really wanted one, and he wore one of his red shirts each day!

The 3-5 year old chapel:)

The other thing we've been doing this summer is swim lessons.  All three kids at the same time:)  Their swim teacher is FANTASTIC and they are all really loving it.  Abby is really excelling at "airplane arms" (freestyle).  I've been loving a half hour twice a week to sit in the sun and just watch them.  Oh, and, the first day I kept thinking the teacher looked so familiar and she asked me if she had taught my kids before.  All of a sudden my lightbulb came on and I asked if she had gone to Camp Hammer.  I told her I was Snipe and she said "Oh my gosh.  Snipe.  These are all your kids!"  Such a fun little connection:)

Dance Recital 2011

The girls took ballet classes again this year and both did a really good job learning their dances (and making friends in their classes).  They had their dance recital this weekend and we are so proud of how well they did!

Haley and Abby with their beloved Teacher Ruth

Haley's dress rehearsal

Abby's dress rehearsal (her dance had flower props)

 The day of the recital, Abby had swimmers ear and it was hurting her really badly.  She was certainly not quite herself, but still loved getting all made up for the recital.  Both of the girls thought they looked SO gorgeous with the stage make-up on!  It was funny since really they looked kind of strange all made up.  They even asked me "is this how you did your make-up for your wedding, mommy?"

Seth looked at the girls and said "you look beautiful"

It was cold waiting to go backstage, so they shared my sweater!

Haley and Abby both looked darling and did a great job on stage.  I debated for weeks about whether or not to bring Seth with us or to have him stay with a babysitter.  I finally decided to have him come, and he LOVED it.  He sat nicely through the whole thing and really loved seeing the girls dance on the "big, big stage".

Pretty much as soon as I got the girls off the stage at the end of the recital, they fell apart.  I think Haley was overwhelmed by all the people there to see her, and Abby's ear was really hurting her.  I had a lot of pictures I really wanted to get, and I just had to let it go.  They just weren't up for taking pictures.

We got them out of their costumes, some more tylenol in Abby and took them (with Auntie Laura and Uncle Nate) to a self-serve frozen yogurt pace.  They loved putting on whatever toppings they wanted and we had a really fun time enjoying our yummy treats.

 Way to go Haley and Abby!  We love you so much and are really proud of you:)

On the way home!

Current Life

I've been thinking it's a good time for a general update on the life of the Webber family.  I am not much of a "reflecter" but I have been doing some reflecting lately.  With the girls going into kindergarten in two months, we are coming to the end of a very, very challenging and wonderful season.  The season that began almost four years ago when our daughters were placed with us and our lives changed from being a married couple to being...PARENTS! 

Right now, I am working on convincing my kids that if they are friends with each other, it will be like a playdate every day!  Abby and Haley are really good at playing together if they are supposed to be doing something else (like having quiet time or getting ready to go).  Haley and Seth are total buddies and play together really well.  Abby and Seth can once in a while play together, especially if they are playing "band" or practicing dancing!

Some of the things that they love are:

• playing Hullabaloo, which they call "the family game".  Seth constantly wants to play this game!
• swim lessons
• batting- Haley and Seth are both lefties and Abby is a really good batter.  I think that they all are, actually.  Especially considering what a terrible pitcher I am!
• being in a band.  Seth is in love with EVERY instrument and usually directs us as to who will play what instrument.  He just got a saxophone, and now he really wants an accordian (thank you, Backyardigans, for all of his instrument knowledge)
• playing hide and seek ("I hide under the covers and you come find me, mom"!)
• swinging on our porch.  Carey put a bunch of eye hooks on our front porch and we have a few different swings that we hook on and off.
• jumping on the trampoline

Seth loves to dress like his "sissies".  He recently told me "I not like boy clothes.  I like girl clothes"

Haley LOVES to make "bug homes" this particular one kept her happily occupied for a good 50 minutes! (That's a tiny little snail on her finger)!

Abby is very into making her hair look "perfect" (her version is perfect is VERY far from mine)!  The amount of hair clips she gets in there is incredible, and she will actually work on getting it just right for quite a while!

Swinging on the front porch!

Preschool Graduation

I LOVE that Abby's diploma is up-side-down!

My sweet graduates!

Today Haley and Abby graduated from Rocking Horse Ranch, which is really bittersweet for all of us.  The girls are going to miss their incredible, wonderful teachers, and all of the FUN things they get to do at preschool.  I am really going to miss it as well.  I adore each of the teachers and will miss seeing them four mornings a week.  When I drop off at preschool, we all go in and all three kids play while I chat and laugh (and sometimes get much needed fashion advice) from the teachers.  It's always a bright part of my day:)

Graduation was adorable.  All the teachers were dressed up, and they came walking out into the play-yard with the kiddos in their graduation caps.  They played that classic graduation song (maybe if I paid more attention to Little Einsteins I would know the name of it), and I got a little teared up.  All the kids sat around in sort of a circle, and Teacher Nancy (the director and most amazing woman) talked to the kids about how she knows that they are ready to be in kindergarten.  It was precious.  Then, they handed out diplomas and lollipops, sang a song, and it was over.  There was a potluck afterward, and we had so much fun watching the kids play and chatting with other parents and the teachers.  We will miss Rocking Horse so much, but only for the summer, because Seth will be there in the fall!

I thought it would be appropriate to end this blog entry with a list of things I love about Rocking Horse Ranch:

• they have animal time, where the kids get to go into the goats corral and pet and play with them, then collect any eggs that the chickens, ducks, or geese laid.  Then they do eenie-meenie-minie-mo to see who gets to take an egg home.
• they get to play in the mud.  They even get to use the hose to make mud.  One time when I got there to pick Abby up she was "surfing" (aka lying on a boogie board) in a huge mud puddle.
• the teachers absolutely LOVE and adore the kids.  Teacher Nancy, Megan, Johnny, Tara, Su, Kelly, Alyssa and Terri, we LOVE and ADORE you!
• if you are going to miss days because of vacation or whatever, you put a note up on a bulletin board and other parents can buy the days from you.  Also works out when you want to send your kid on a day that's not normally theirs, because you can almost always find a day for sale:)
• there are trees that the kids can climb
• I know I already said it, but I have to say it again...the teachers.  They are INCREDIBLE.
• One morning I dropped Abby off and there were a bunch of logs, nails, hammers, and even an electric sander for the kids to use.  Kids were just happily hammering away!
• They do things like set out bowls of flour, oats, and pasta with shakers full of cinnamon, some spoons and some glitter and just let the kids create and explore.
• The outside play-yard is SO big and the kids have so much freedom (supervised freedom, of course) to just explore, make up games, etc.
• It's mixed ages, so the 3-5 year-olds are all together.  It's really neat to see how the older ones know they are the older ones, and they really do look out for and help the younger ones.

Basically, I love everything about it.  I really don't think I could think of one possible complaint.  And now, we are on to bigger things...KINDERGARTEN!  Look out Mainstreet Elementary, here we come!

Family picture in front of the preschool (Seth was too busy with his juice box to look up)

Oh, That's What You Where Doing!

This evening, just before dinner, Haley and Abby were playing really nicely together on the front lawn.  They were taking turns sitting in a swing and pulling each other (or trying to pull each other)!  It looked like this:

I kept hearing the person sitting in the swing say "yah" as they pulled on the rope.  Carey and I both assumed they were playing horses or something like that.

Fast forward a half an hour, and we were all at the table eating dinner (if you can call apples and peanut butter and some cottage cheese, dinner).  At dinner we each say the best and worst parts of our day, and when it was Haley's turn, she said "the best part of my day was playing reindeer and Santa with Abby"!  Carey and I both burst out laughing as the lightbulbs above our heads came on!

Best Day Ever!

(Warning, this blog is mostly about me, and not so much about the "wonderful wee Webbers")

Okay, I don't really know why, but today was a SUPER GREAT day!  At 5:30 this morning, I walked out of my room and Seth, who was standing right outside my door, said "I was waiting for you, mom"!  So cute (even though I would have rather him be sleeping)!  Abby woke up and came out of her room at 5:45 (way too early for her) and when I told her she needed to go back and lay down...SHE DID!  No huge tantrum that woke everyone else up!  Then, the morning went along without any huge meltdowns, sibling violence, or any of the normal unpleasantness of mornings around here!

Around 8:00 we went outside to ride bikes, and ended up playing with the wagon.  Haley was pulling Seth along and Abby came over and said "hey, Haley, hook me up with a ride"!  Where does she get these things?  They had fun, Haley pulling and Seth and Abby riding, pretending they were on the Matterhorn, Space Mountain, and "the Happy Hollow" roller coaster.  Then, one of the WONDERFUL preschool teachers came over to babysit, and the doctors appointment that I had originally gotten the babysitter for got canceled, so I just had a free morning. 

My sister came over and we went on a run and ended up running 6 miles (a 10K!) and it was really fun and felt like a good accomplishment.  Then, I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to get a gift and the only one they had left was the display one, so I got10% off, plus I had a coupon for 20% off! 

I went home, and teacher Kelly stayed with the napping Seth while I dropped Abby off at her playdate.  When I went to pick Haley up from preschool, I randomly brought a gallon of milk that a friend had brought over and we didn't need, and preschool was almost out, so they were super stoked.  After that we picked up Abby from her playdate (on which it was reported that she was SUPER polite and well-behaved).

Once we were all home, we filled up a kiddie pool and the back yard and Seth played in the pool, Abby and Haley jumped on the trampoline and I (drum roll please)...sat next to the pool, in the warm sun and read a magazine!  I know...I felt like I was a mom on a sitcom or something.  And that really is how the rest of the afternoon was.  (I should note that Seth did come ask me to wipe him, and when I looked, he had poop all down his legs, on his feet, and in a nice little trail along the front patio.)  The kids played nicely and I enjoyed being in the sunshine with them.

For dinner we had tacos and margaritas, for Cinco De Mayo, and it was delicious.  Seth and Haley ate really well.  At dinner, Abby asked if she could be done and jump on the trampoline and we said no, because she hadn't really eaten and it was getting close to time to get ready for bed.  She started to whine a little (no big meltdown!) and Seth said "Abs, watch this: [turned and looked at Carey] Daddy, can I please go on the trampoline"!

Then, Carey and I went to Bible study, which was great!  And when we got home, my sister, who was babysitting, said all the kids went down super well!  Now, we're going to watch the new episode of Modern Family, which our Bible study friends said is hilarious:)

Easter 2011

We had a really fun Easter this year, full of celebrating the risen Christ, enjoying candy and other sweet treats, and fun with friends and family.  Easter morning we did Easter baskets and had semi-homemade cinnamon rolls (I used that pre-made pizza dough they have at Trader Joes).  Then I gave the kids the Easter clothes I had gotten for them.  The girls each got a tutu-ish skirt, and poor little Seth was SO sad he didn't have one.  He cried and threw a fit, then went into the girls room and grabbed a dress-up tutu.  He brought it to me and asked me to put it on him.  So, when we went to our church's worship gathering, all three of my kids were looking adorable in their tutus!

All ready for the kids to wake up!

Watching a show, all decked out in his Easter basket sunglasses and flip-flops...and a tutu, of course!

It was the first morning for our church to meet in our new space, and afterward we had an Easter egg hunt and a potluck breakfast, which was pretty darn fun!

The girls made out pretty well at our church egg hunt!

After the worship gathering we went home and took naps and "quiet time" and I finished getting things ready for having people over.  Then, our friends Lisa, Auntie Laura, Hannah and her kiddos (we missed you, Kevin) and Uncle Nate, Grandpa Steve and Grandma Jackie, and Carey's Uncle John came over.  And our friend Rachel stopped by for a quick visit.  We all enjoyed sunshine and food in the backyard, and the kids enjoyed another Easter egg hunt! (Unfortunately, I didn't get any good pictures of the actual hunting!)

Checking out their finds!

You can't really tell in the picture, but he's got a chocolate egg hanging out the side of his mouth!

Carey didn't feel very well, but then said that "barbequeing healed him"!