April 25- Brooker Creek Reserve

Today for my Mom's birthday we all went to Brooker Creek Reserve. I have researched a number of nature parks and put hiking and exploring as a summer activity. I want to so badly to be an outdoor and nature buff and to teach my kids to love and have an appreciation for the outdoors, but this outing did not start us out on the right foot. When I was looking over the website and planning our day, I blatantly ignored the wear long clothes and the need for bug repellent. I was thinking we weren't going to be out there for too long so we wouldn't need those things. Boy was I mistaken! It kind of makes me chuckle to think about it now. We were doing good until my Mom suggested that on the way back we take another path. We were hiking along the path back and happened upon standing water (it had rain earlier that day) and it was like swarm of the killer mosquitos. It was like 10 of them on all of us at any given time. I was ate up from smacking them off the kids. Ariel you swore off the outdoors completely. Cailin you were just plain terrorized and Rylie, sadly you are too young to know the difference.

April 25

Rylie today was the first day we let you feed yourself. I mean you feed yourself snacks and finger foods, but tonight I gave you a fork and a pieces of ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and corn bread. You cleaned your plate! We were so surprised because you were the first one to get done eating.

April 12, 2011

Today I brought myself two planners. At first, I was going to use them as lesson plans, but then it kind of evolved into a journal (as well as a planner). I figured one for the little ones and one for the big one.

Rylie, today was the first time you folded your arms. When you were upset at Ariel today at the track. It was something she had done to you. You just folded your arms across your chest and frowned at her. It was hilarious!

Cailin's View

Cailin has taken the camcorder and recorded random video. I found random video of the floor and ceiling, but these two videos I just had to keep.

Thumb Sucker (Day 8)

Odd Sleeping (Day 7)

Book Toss (Day 6)

A not so nice thing, she does these days is toss everything she gets in her hand on the floor. I find books on the floor behind Cailin's bed often. Makes me crazy.

Cailin Makes Music

Cailin likes to play the recorder that Ariel got from school several years ago. Check out those shoes. She loves them! She wears them everywhere! She would wear them out and around town if I let her.


....and making more music

High Heels (Day 5)

These are her go to shoes these days. She is such a girly-girl!

Dance Class

Most times, Cailin does great in class.

But ocassionally, she just decides that she will not participate.

I promised her chocolate if she would listen to her teacher. Ha!