Craft Day At Lowes...

This morning we made it to the local Lowes for a free craft. This week was firetrucks! All 3 kids were able to make one. When arriving they gave each child a kit, apron, goggles, patch (they get a patch for each craft they do each month), name tag (it goes in a slot on their aprons), and a hammer. They all did an awesome job and were super excited that they could take all their supplies home (well not the hammer). Now I have the "mommy task" of sewing on their patch before the next project! Here are a few pictures I was able to snap before getting too into the project with Ava. Enjoy...

She NEVER stops READING...

I must start this blog off by thanking Liliana's first grade teacher from last year. For some reason this teacher made reading such a fun and interesting thing to do that Liliana has NOT put a book down since starting 1st grade over a year ago. I think its beyond awesome that she loves to read.

So often that I wanted to give Liliana credit for doing such a great job with moving 1 grade level above where she is expected to be at currently! She is just about at a 3rd grade reading level these days. This is great considering she is only in the beginning months of the 2nd grade!

Wondering often she reads in one day...

Its gotten to the point where I have to take the book away from her so she will eat, or take the book away from her when walking home from school so she wont trip on the sidewalk, or tell her to stop reading so she can go to sleep! I am NOT complaining though!! I said it above and will say it again... her liking to read is AWESOME.

She is being very funny about books lately... she was so interested in reading Junie B Jones books until I picked up a Dan Gutman book at the local thrift store a couple months ago. Dan Gutman writes books with rhyming titles (ex. Ms. Cooney is Looney and Mrs Klutz is Nutz). The books are very age appropriate and are quite entertaining for Liliana to read. She will usually sit down and read a couple chapters at a time sometimes even more. With the schools yearly Book Fair next week she is determined to make sure I buy her some of his books along with a few others she picked out. I can't complain though... my child wants me to buy her books!! So I end this blog with a BIG THANK YOU to her teacher from 1st grade. Mrs. Harmon YOU ROCK!!

Swimming in September...

Yeahup we are still swimming in Papa's pool at the end of September! The pool water this evening was 85 degrees (it was 97 degrees air temperature). The water is NOT heated by solar covers or a heater just by natural sunlight during the day. Even though 85 degree water sounds super warm... its starting to feel a bit chilly. The kids, of course, don't feel that chill as much as I do but once in the water it actually feels quite nice. Its amazing how far all the kids have come with their swimming skills. For various reasons we did not put any of them in swim lessons this summer. So their progress is due mostly to Papa. Liliana can now jump off the diving board and dive for things in the deep end, Dillon still swims around in his lifejacket (he is in "Dillon land" when in the pool), and Ava has a swimmy suit AND floaties that allow her to float around all by herself. Here are a few shots I was able to snag.

Funny Picture...

Ok so Dillon is now 4 1/2 yrs old. Not really an age where you would think he still naps. I am NOT one of those strict routine moms where the kids are put in a bed and MADE to nap. Not that I think anyone who does that is wrong for doing so. My theory is... Do what works for you! So with that said Dillon, since turning 4, has pretty much transitioned out of the whole napping thing! I figured once school started that he would maybe take a small nap the first few days/weeks until getting adjusted.

So now that we are 2 months into the school year I am shocked that he still takes an afternoon nap 9 times out of 10! I can't complain because its definately made for some nice quiet afternoons. However on those days where he doesn't nap in the afternoon but totally could have used it... I find myself eventually putting him in timeout for something...where he ends up sulking and falling asleep in the most strange positions!

This brings me to the funny picture I was able to take this evening! My poor little guy was so darn tired that he ended up in timeout for messing with his sisters and within 3 minutes of his sobbing and moaning and crying he was OUT! Look at how he fell asleep! Yes he is sitting on the arm of the couch and laying backwards so his head is where the back of the couch is! If you look closely you can even see a wet tear in the corner of his eye! My poor little buddy gets so upset sometimes that he just has to cry it out! Hes gonna make one awesome sensitive husband and father one day!! I just know it!

Dillon's Preschool Art Talents...

Dillon has brought home quite a few pictures that he has made so far in preschool this year... however this week he brought home two that were so cute and that he was so proud of that I just had to take a picture. The one is a teddy bear which he decorated by gluing brown string on the body and the other is a red apple with his name on the star in "gold"! For some reason the apple project didn't impress him all that much but glittering his name in gold was the highlight of that art project!

Another dancer in the house...

Let me start by going back to this past Monday night... Liliana was getting dressed for her dance class and couldn't find her dance suit. Reason being... Ava was in another room putting it on. Liliana had to convince Ava to take off the dance suit so she could put it on. Poor little Ava so badly wanted to go with Liliana to class and dance! All she kept saying in her sad little cry voice was "Me go dance class get big"! When it was time to pick Liliana up after class Ava came with me. While waiting for Liliana to get out of class, Ava decided to twirl in the hallway! The secretary decided to ask Ava if she liked to dance. So that of course started the sad face and the "me go dance class get big" line over and over again! The secretary of course jumped on that opportunity to tell me about a mommy and me dance class that I could put Ava in. The class was on Friday mornings...

So this brings me to today (Friday morning)...

Ava for the last few days has asked every morning if it was time to go to dance class! She was beyond excited when this morning came and I answered her question with "yes its time for dance class"! She let me do her hair in ponytails and dress her in her dance outfit! After dropping Dillon off at preschool, we headed to class. Its a short ride but not short enough... Ava impatiently kept asking "at dance school yet?" When we arrived we waited for the teacher to open the door. The whole time Ava told the secretary (same one from Monday night) all about "dance school and her big now"! The door opened and in Ava ran! Once the teacher closed the door the shy button was pushed! Ava was trying to sit on my lap and kept saying "mommy" over and over again! After about 10 minutes of warmup activities Ava was dancing across the floor and not so worried about where I was. It was nice to see her get used to that environment so quickly! Her teacher is super duper friendly so that helped ALOT! She liked the class and teacher so much that when class was over Ava began to get upset and kept saying "No me more dance no go home". After the teacher convinced Ava class was over we walked out to the hallway. At that point, the teacher informed me that Ava technically was too old for this current class BUT Ava definately needs to be in it for the next 1 1/2 months to get warmed up. I guess the class above this class is for students ages 2-3 yrs old. They do the exact same warmups and dance steps as the mommy and me class though. The only difference is that the older class actually does a dance routine in the recital! So once November rolls around, as long as at that point Ava is ready, she will move up to the older class! I have no issues with her moving up as long as she can handle me not being in the class with her! Anyway, for now I will enjoy my "mommy and Ava" time for the next month and half! I am so glad she had fun and liked the class.

Evening Backyard Fun...

Finally its starting to cool off just a bit! The kids LOVE

being outside, but lately it has been just too darn hot to

be out there even when the sun goes down. 100 degrees

is still 100 degrees! Last night it was about 95 so not too much cooler but cool enough for an hour of play after dinner! They had a blast. Dillon recently learned how to swing and pump his legs all on his own, Liliana jump ropes, and Ava usually goes from bike to swing set to kicking the kick balls! Its great to think about all the fun they will have playing together this fall not to mention the cooler weather that is on its way!! Even though the kids had fun playing outside they definately were more excited to have their nightly dessert... ice cream!!

Laundry Room is DONE...

I am happy to report that the laundry room project is now DONE! Well minus the last finishing touches!! Marc did an AWESOME JOB!! I seriuosly could not be any happier with the end results!!

5th Tooth Finally Out...

GREAT NEWS... Liliana FINALLY lost tooth #5! Thank goodness. We have been waiting for that baby to fall out for over a month! Here she is with her new toothless smile!

Update on "Shool"

So I figured since we are about a month and a half into the school year ALREADY I would update you all on how Liliana and Dillon are doing. Liliana so far likes school, however she definately misses her teacher from last year! (I miss her teacher from last year as well but shhhh) Her teacher this year has an overall good class of students, but from what I saw after helping out in class this past week, she needs to learn to take more control over the class! Thats all I am gonna say at this point in time! I am giving her time and the benefit of the doubt for now (even though we are already a month into the school year)!! As for Liliana, she is steadily improving on her reading level and bringing home bigger and longer books each week. I am so thrilled that she loves reading so much because I NEVER was much of a reader. She is overall a good student, excels in anything given to her. Loves challenges as long as she doesn't have to ask me for help!! She HATES the thought that mom and dad might know more than her! Geez I wonder where she got that from (ME)!!

Now Dillon on the other hand cracks me up every single morning/night. He goes to preschool 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. He gets so confused what day is school and what day is not! He has had issues learning and understanding that today is today and tomorrow is the day after today! So EVERY SINGLE DAY he asks "Mommy do I have SHOOL today or tomorrow"? Now depending on the day, I answer yes or no. Well if the answer is yes he asks the question AGAIN as if the yes I gave him was NOT an answer to his question. He usually gets frustrated and waits to see if he gets to watch a movie or just listen to music at bedtime, which tells him whether he has school or not the following day! As far as him liking school... he seems happy but is NOT very into telling me about his day. Every so often he might say a little something but never does he full blown tell me about that days activities. It really doesn't surprise me though since Liliana is the EXACT same way. The teacher says he is doing great but it is just preschool. He is also not just in a plain ol preschool program its a peer pals program. What that means is over half the class is made up of kids that have "special needs"! Special needs defines a HUGE group of children with learning hurdles. I had reservations with putting Dillon in this sort of environment not because I have anything against child with special needs but because I wanted to make sure there was going to be room for him to grow and not be held back. After much research I found that all the learning activities they do with the children are in leveled groups meaning Dillon is learning at his level while "Joe" is learning at another level but the same exact thing as Dillon! I really can't say anything bad about his class, teacher, or program which is an awesome feeling. Because as most of you know I have had my share of reservations about this school overall! I am predicting that this will be a pretty good school year. Lets hope Liliana and Dillon continue to like school as the year goes on.

My Sewing Skills...

So of course I am HARD CORE nesting and my poor sewing machine is getting more of a workout than anything else in this house! I recently came across what is called a "Hooter Hider" aka "Nursing Hider" aka couple other names! After looking at several pictures, I realized it was nothing but a receiving blanket with a neak strap! So off I went to Joann's to buy some fabric for a hider. I ended up making not just one but two hiders with ADJUSTABLE neck straps to make it even easier to take on and off!

Next on my sewing list was a few small projects I have been meaning to get to... my apron (the strap came off), some Halloween decorations I wanted to make, hemming Liliana's jeans into shorts, and cute little dresses for Ava. After all my little projects were complete I began to TRY making some cloth diapers for Ava! I was actually surprised at how good they came out for being my first try with no real template to follow! I made one diaper that functions more like just a cover and then the second diaper I made a pocket diaper! Ava is so funny... as soon as I finished making them she grabbed them, hugged them, and said "Aja's dapers"!! Here are a few pictures!

This is her flower pocket diaper!

Ava showing off her new diaper!

Ava's pink patterned diaper!

NESTING OR NOT???

OK so you guys can be the judge... here is a list of things I have decided to tackle.

1. Went through ALL of Dillon's old clothes, washed, folded, organized, and put away all clothes I will use on Garrison his first 3 months of age!

2. Rearranged Dillon's bedroom to fit the crib and extra dresser!

3. Made crib bedding for Garrison's crib. (Yes I sewed the bumper and all)

4. Made 2 nursing hiders (basically blankets with an adjustable neck strap)

5. Went through organized and gave away all clothes that Ava has outgrown since we are DONE having kids after Garrison!!!

6. Sewed a few pillows and table covers for my halloween decorations. Halloween is coming up rather quickly! I was gonna make the kids costumes but they found ones at the store they liked! I was sorta happy about that since making costumes can get complicated depending on what they pick!

7. Slowly going through closets and drawers, cleaning them out, organizing, and all that fun stuff.

8. Repainted the kitchen where Marc finished the pantry (I didn't like the yellow)! It was no odor paint no worries!!

9. Finally made it to the photo enlargement store to have the pretty desert pictures I took awhile ago blown up. Framed um and hung um up in our bedroom! Understand our bedroom is the ONLY room Marc picked the paint colors for! I HATE the color because its a hard color to decorate with... navy blue and white! I feel like I am in the NAVY! He picked the colors because of the Yankees. either way I will NOT decorate in a nautical or baseball theme!!! Its a slow and steady process that is beginning to sit better with me as I come up with creative ways to decorate while making the room feel more neutral!

10. Getting back into the swing of things with my scrapbooking. I am so BEHIND!

Ava... A Day In The Life...

Wondering what little miss Ava has been up to while both Dillon and Liliana go to school during the day? Well here is what she has been up to lately...

Yes that is her playing the Wii. She is a video game FREAK! She asks to play it all day and night long! I usually will let her play for a half hour at the most on the mornings Dillon is at preschool. Notice even though she likes playing her Wii she still wants to smile for the camera! SUCH A HAM!!

Here she is more into the game.

Here is a shot of her character in the game. Yeahup she won!!
If you look at the face closely Marc did a pretty good job making Ava's video game character look like her.

Kickets Mama Kickets...So GROSS

Ok so I don't know what it is about this time of year but we find UNwanted guests trying to sneak a free stay... So of course the older two kids "trained" Ava to spot the crickets so they can step on them... and then Ava (of all the kids) gets tissues, picks um up, and flushes um down the toilet... while usually saying something funny. Well tonight was your normal night... the older two went to bed and it was just me and Ava hanging out switching the laundry when she spotted the crickets hopping around... she quickly realized they weren't dead so she started screaming "KICKETS MAMA KICKETS" that is of course the universal signal for the rest of us in the house to kill the "kicket" so she can then pick it up and dispose of it "her way"!

The crickets have been trying to take up free stay for over a month now. No bug treatment has worked so far. Of course any kind of bug even a tiny little fruit fly grosses me out and makes me feel like I need to scrub the entire house even if I have already cleaned for the day! I just have to keep telling myself the season is almost over and hopefully they will stop coming in through the HORRRIBLY cheap houses they build out here in the desert! I am keeping my fingers crossed though... Marc got so frustrated the other day that he found this website with all natural ingredients that supposedly takes care of crickets and a few other bugs. So not only can he put it outside the house but inside as well. The stuff should arrive Monday so IT BETTER GET HERE ON TIME so he can try it out.

In the mean time anyone have any suggestions on keeping these UNwanted guests far away??