Noodle Necklaces and Nose Rings

Well, in one of my earlier posts, I mentioned making noodle necklaces with the kids. They had fun doing that for sure. I added a little element to help take up a few more minutes, that was to color the noodles before putting them on the string. Peter's little chubby fingers were having a hard time with this task, so he gave up and just used them on the string. He didn't want his in a necklace, but pretended he was fishing off his chair. I love his imagination. Ella had a great time coloring her noodles with the green marker. She had it all over her fingers, but no big deal. We still have it hanging up for her to wear when she wants. They ended up playing with the dried noodles by putting them in pots and pans for their kitchen. I have been finding noodles all over, and John is very good about bringing them to me if he finds one. He thought at first to put them in his mouth, only to discover they didn't taste so good. So yes, a fun and very cheap project for the afternoon. 

Some of you know that back in February I went on a little outing and got my nose pierced. Yes it hurt, in case you cared. My right eye watered for a good minute. Since high school I have wanted a nose ring. Dad said no, mom said if I did it, she would too. So I didn't. Not even in college because my Grandpa would have flipped and after college I worked in schools and at a fabric store. Not the greatest places for a nose ring. Anyway, I thought, my job is in my home and my husband thinks it would be cute, so let's give it a try. Ella thought it was great. She even said, "Mom, I like the earring in your nose!" John always tried to touch it and would say, "ooohhh." If you have ever been close enough to me, you have probably noticed that I have a small nose. Well, not really caring before this, but it means I also have small nostrils. When you put a piece of metal in small nostrils, you notice it more than you should. I felt like a rabbit because I was aware it was in there and wiggled my nose. Then, twice I got a red bump next to the ring. I guess you can call me vain if you want, but I wasn't willing to have red cysts as a result of something I did to myself and that could be removed. So, after a little time of trying ointments to get the redness to go away, only to fail, Andrew helped me remove that little bit of rebellion from my nose. I'm not going to lie, I was a little sad at first. You know what's funny though? There were certain things I felt I couldn't wear anymore because they didn't match my nose ring. Like my nicer blouses. Again, back to the vanity, I have to match. Even if I mismatch on purpose, it has to be intentional. If I'm going to take the time to get dressed, I want to do it right. This has been a trait of mine since age 5. Needless to say, my nose is back to normal. Ella was actually disappointed at first, but I told her if she was 15, she would not have wanted me to have one anyway. No more "cool" mom (as one friend called me). I guess I will have to find other, less painful ways to be cool.

My last picture with the nose ring.

Missing the girlies...

MacKenzie Audeen

Haley Joy

These are my nieces. I wish I lived closer to them. Haley is much bigger now, but this is the first picture I took of her. My sister sent me the picture of Kenzie since I got her that outfit. Ella sure wishes she could play with her girl cousins more too. Love you guys!

Spring Tease

Winter: I am OVER IT. Spring comes and goes by the day. On Monday we were in t-shirts, on Tuesday we were in long sleeves, today, I am inside wearing my fleece coat and slippers. 

The kids had a lot of fun playing outside on the day it was warm. I cleaned up the yard and make it look a little less like I run a daycare, and we are still in debate mode over what to do with our falling apart back deck. A cement patio of some sort is what we have in mind. I just would really love to fall into some warmer weather so the kids aren't so cooped up. John's energy level is growing and he loves to be outside with Ella and Peter. They push him in the swing and Peter pretends John knocks him over all the time since it cracks both of them up. I love watching them play. 

Today was MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). I look forward to this every month. The kids love it since they play, sing, and make crafts and I enjoy time with other moms. Today we had a panel of our "mentor moms" who answered questions about mothering. I found it so interesting how different moms can be and how personal interests and even obsessions can influence how your kids are raised. They all had great things to say to us and I am thankful for their encouragement and words of wisdom. Here are a few things they said:

*Do not attempt HOUSE BEAUTIFUL, for right now, settle for HOUSE CONTENT

*Praise and encourage the relationships between your children. Show them how to love each other and even pray against sibling rivalry.

*Double batch dinner when you can make it, freeze the extra for busy days.

*Pray with thanksgiving for your children even in the midst of hardship.

*Remember Ephesians 4:29

***You cannot take your children any farther spiritually than YOU are, so keep your heart right with the Lord***

 As you can imagine, I came away from this with lots to think about and implement in my house.

Minutes with Pom Poms

The little boy in this picture is so thrilled at himself right now. He was literally giggling as he did this. My husband thinks I'm nuts, but these little pom poms have given the kids endless minutes of fun. I say minutes because I would be lying if I said hours. The fun lasts less than half and hour before it gets out of hand and I'm saying, "Ok, you're done, let's clean them all up now." That also lasts minutes upon minutes because as soon as they get them close to cleaned, usually Peter tries to be Mr. Funny Man and tosses them all out again. So, he showed John this trick and the little one thinks it's great fun.

I saw this idea of playing with these at the Children's Museum last year. I need to get some containers with slots in them like they had there ( just cut from yogurt or oatmeal containers), but they pretend it's popcorn and put it in pots, or "neat balls" which Ella says (meatballs), ice cream...they have great imaginations. 

I think we are going to try noodle necklaces soon.

Do you have any really fun ideas to keep the kids busy without lots of cost and mess?

Fireman Raincoats and Pretty Umbrellas

It was nice yesterday, we played outside for the afternoon. Today however, it is cold, wet and yucky. The kids woke up and said, "Why is it rainy again? Why is everything tipped over in the yard?" Two very good questions. I would also like to know why. I only know the answer to the second question. The wind. It howled all night long, slapping rain against our windows with a vengeance. It looks like our week may stay wet, but we went out to the library song time and to a friend's house for lunch despite the weather. Peter loves his fire man coat and calls my van the fire truck when he wears it. Ella has fun carrying her flower umbrella when it rains so today I took the camera out in the wet and caught some of their expressions. I love how kids can take a situation that makes us think it's going to be a gloomy day and turn it around for some fun, bright pictures.

Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.  ~Terri Guillemets

Still going through old pictures...

Every year the Cornelius side of the family has a gathering for whomever can come. In 2005 we were able to drive up from Loma Linda and be with the entire side of his family. I think that was the last time everyone could make it, so I'm thankful we got to go. Andrew's Aunt has access to some great spots on the coast, so we spent a few nights in Morrow Bay. It is so beautiful there, even in the winter. 

5 years later, Andrew's Grandparents are Great Grandparents to 8 little ones!

ENTER...

Enter little boy who is feeding himself (almost all the time)

Enter too much time spent inside this winter.

Enter the 2 cutest brothers (In my personal opinion)

Enter Linus (I mean John Lewis)

Enter the new haircut which makes my baby look like a toddler (oh wait, he's becoming one)

Enter TEETH!! He finally has 7. 

Enter playtime after dinner with Daddy.

Enter creativity.

Enter flying Linus. (His shirt says Ankle Biter. I love it.)

Enter Shaun the Sheep with Daddy before bed.

Exit with couch time turned into nap time before I could get him in his crib. (John I mean) ;)

These 4 people are what fill up my time and my heart.