Last Day of Summer Vacation!

Today was the very last day of summer vacation, and we wanted to make today special for Zach. He is usually so apprehensive when it comes to change, and I was certain the thought of a new teacher, and classmates would send him into a state of frenzy.
Instead, my big boy has surprised me, yet again. He is so excited about starting first grade. He can't wait to meet his new teacher, and his new friends. He says he even knows where is new class room is located, and he'll show me when we get there.
This is not the normal "Zachary" that I know and love. I believe someone might be growing up...
I had a few special things planned for our last day, to help Zach get excited about starting school. (And to help Kyle and I forget we are going to have to get up early, and travel back and forth to town twice a day...)
We cleaned out the van- after all... no one wants to show up with a dirty van to the first day of school!
Then we picked up our toys- after all... no one wants to wake up to a dirty room on the first day of school! (Ya see how I worked this one?... lol... )
We really did have fun things, we made back to school cookies. We packed all his new supplies into his new back pack... and we picked out which outfit he'll wear tomorrow.
Mom had a special art project planned... so after we got all our chores done... we painted small wooden trains I had purchased for the boys..




Kyle was so intent on painting ... I loved seeing his concentration. I was even surprised at how well he was doing...

Zach knew exactly what he was doing... and he wanted his train engine blue, his caboose red, and his coal car had to be black.

Kyle needed his train to be green. He was kind enough to let Mom help paint the caboose- and it was quite fun- I must admit.

It was such an incredible day. The weather was cool and breezy, and even though we did quite a few chores, it was such a relaxing day. I think we are ready to start our school year, and start the fall festivities.

We are even getting fall kicked off early this weekend. I am preparing a Thanksgiving Feast for 20-25 people... on Labor Day weekend. (Because that's how we roll around here... lol) I will write more about that later...

And I'll let ya know how "our" first day of First grade goes tomorrow...

Until then... Have a Great Day!

Last week of Summer Vacation...

Ahhh.... the last few days of summer vacation are winding down. We have been busy getting ourselves back on schedule, and prepared for early mornings filled with chaos. Doesn't that sound wonderful?
We started Monday morning out with our annual check ups for the boys. The Dr. said they were incredibly healthy, and he'd wished all his parents were more like me. We talked extensively regarding behavior modification and rewards systems. That's a nice change of pace from so many doctor visits we've had.
During Zach's blood pressure check, he threw one of his dramatic moments in for good measure. The cuff tightening around his arm must have scared him a little... or so it seemed. Once the Dr took the cuff off, he told me that throughout the entire episode, his blood pressure was smooth and steady. I think Zach has learned the fine art of playing his mom's emotions... and the Dr. found a nice professional way of informing me Zach was a 'faker'. lol lol After our visit, we went to Roseville for a little time to shop. We were going to the 'build-a-bear' workshop... but it had closed down. =( We still ended up finding this cool stuffed kitty cat. Zach named his "I Love" and Kyle named his "Steamer". The boys carried their kittens all over the mall, and every single grandma we passed stopped to talk to the boys, and pet their kitty.

Then, on Tuesday, it was my turn for a Dr appointment- or so I thought. I arranged for John to meet me at the park, I woke up early to shave my legs, packed the boys a snack... rushed to get all of us to town... just to find out my appointment had been canceled. AAARRRGH!
They said it was a 'spur of the moment' thing. They said they left a message on Friday... the only message I got was them CONFIRMING my appointment. How spur of the moment can it be if you know about it 5 days earlier?

At least we were up early for a nice morning at the park. Yuba City schools are in session this week.. so we had the entire place to ourselves!

My little munchkins want a sand box so darn bad. It's not a great thing out here in the country... but I might do some research to see how I can keep it critter free. They sure do love it...

The boys took it upon themselves to lay down in the grass. I took it upon myself to snap some dirty feet... because I can't think of anything cuter than 20 piggly-wigglys enjoying some fresh air. :)

I worried about them stepping in poop, or something sharp... but seriously... can you remember doing the same thing? Life is good barefoot.

Life is really good the last week of summer vacation. Zach is so excited to start first grade. He is usually so apprehensive about new situations (or so I've thought Mr. Faker). He worries about everything... but he said he can't wait to meet his new teacher, and his new friends.

This morning when he woke up, he asked me "Mom, I want to go to school. How many more days till I go?" I told him 5, and then asked what his favorite part of school was.

He responded, without skipping a beat, "Going Home."

I suppose that's the favorite part of my day, too.

Because when I get here, I usually have two little boys run up to me, with their arms stretched out, screaming "I missed you Mommy!"

And it doesn't get any better than that.

Today, the boys are on an adventure with the gal who's been watching them this summer. It's their last day together... so she's taking them to a fun kid park. to celebrate.

Thank You Emily for watching my boys this summer, and giving me time to make a good choice, not a hurried choice, for our daycare. It's hard to leave your babies with someone, and I always felt good about them being with you.

Now, my big boy is ready for first grade. I can only imagine how much he will learn this year. I don't even want to think about how fast it will fly by... I just want to stay barefoot a while longer.

Baers on a Ladybug Hunt~

It's exactly two weeks from today that school starts... and so to get used to our school schedule I set our alarm this morning to wake up earlier. After we enjoyed our 'morning coffee' we decided to pack up and go on a lady bug hunt. It was still early enough there the grass was wet... it was cool and peaceful that early in the morning at the park. Who knew?
The boys brought their bucket, and their lady bug book as a reference guide. I suggested it might be good luck if we made a wish to find some lady bugs. We prepared our habitat with some yummy leaves...

We checked our resources... lady bugs liked vines and leaves...

We looked high...

We looked low...Checked our book again...We looked all over the place, but just couldn't find one this morning. Perhaps ladybugs don't have to go to school in two weeks, so their mom's let them sleep in... We decided that we would give up for the morning... and head over to the playground. I brought a magazine to read while the boys played... but they just wanted to sit on the bench with me. I suppose it was a bi-product of still being sleepy.


Yeah, they must have been dazed... cause they both looked AND smiled for the camera!

I suppose I am really going to miss these mornings of carefree exploring. I really don't enjoy early mornings, and since I am the school bus, I will be up early and traveling 6 days a week.

However, if truth be told... I am looking forward to getting back on schedule. It's never easy entertaining two curious minds all day. Well maybe it is, if there wasn't all the household chores to juggle on top of it.

I think the boys are getting a little bored too. They're tired of swimming, and jumping on the trampoline... and there hasn't been a single frog tormented in a couple of weeks. Zach's even gotten so bored that he's been back talking... and arguing with his mom.

Tonight he asked for a granola bar for snack. I told him to take it outside... and he did. However he ate it all the way there, leaving a trail of crumbs on the floor. I pointed to the door and said "Out, Out, OUT!"

He pointed back at me, and kept eating his granola bar.

After spending the entire afternoon cleaning up food crumbs, and trying my best to keep the house ant-free... last thing I needed was another mess to clean.

He grinned, shoved the last of the granola bar into his pie-hole..

Launch sequence activated... And Mom hit the roof.

I shoved him, and his pie-hole full of granola bars out the door. Along with his cute side-kick...

Then I spent the next 15 minutes on a rant to the little-Baers, and their Leader, as to why I think it's about time they start helping me keep the house picked up.

Needless to say, the floor got vacuumed... and a couple of chores got done.

And I think that little Baer, and his smarty pants did a mighty fine job cleaning up the crumbs AND he learned a lesson about eating crow! HA!

Here's to a better tomorrow... :)

Fun this week!

I got home from work the other night, and my little fellow was on my bed~hiding under my pillows. He says he's a 'kitty cat'... and he won't answer you... unless it's a 'meow'.

We had a great week... we took our neighbor, Danielle, with us to the movies on Tuesday to see 'Despicable Me'. What a cute stinking kids' movie! Then we went to lunch, and came home to make 'Back-To-School' cookies to celebrate her first day. She started on Wednesday, but we still have 2 more weeks before Zach goes back because we go to a different school district.

These were taking from my cell phone... so they're a little blurry. My three kids wanted pictures in front of the movie poster, and shame on mom for not bringing the camera to a dark movie theater.

I'm guessing Zach will expect the same treatment for his 'last day of summer'... and I think popcorn is the solution for everything. :)

We also took the boys to their new daycare for a trial run on Friday. They came home exhausted, and said it was so much fun they want to stay there all the time. Hmmm....

Then, since my sister in law is finally home from France, we had her come up for dinner. My brother was already here working on my 'tin-tile' roof with John. The boys were so excited to see her, they barely stayed off of her... and first question this morning was "When do we get to go to Uncle Missy's house?!"

That's what they call her... lol.

I also got their closet cleaned out... and all the new school clothes washed and put away. I think the only thing I haven't purchased is Zach's new winter coat... and since it's still 90 degrees outside~ I'm probably okay for a while.

I also managed to make invitations for my brother in law's party. He's going into the Army, and we're hosting a 'Thanksgiving Feast' to send him off to boot camp. I haven't cooked a thanksgiving dinner in a while, since we always go to our family's house. I am really excited to host our family, and try out some new recipes!

I am also planning the boy's birthday party... if your planning on attending... put October 16th on your calendar.

I wanna be yike daddy.

Yesterday morning, I asked Kyle what he wanted to watch for his morning tv time. He said: "Race Caws! Just yike daddy!"
Moments later, I noticed him trying to do something with his pencil... he was trying to hold it behind his ear. He said "I wanna put it right wherew daddy do. Hind my ea-arw"
Sadly for him, he's got ears (just yike daddy's) and they stick out to far. And for the record, John did have one of those big pencil's from Zach's kindergarten pencil box!

And of course, I set the boys up at the small table in the kitchen for them to eat their strawberry shortcake. John sat on the stool next to them... and wouldn't ya know it... Kyle wanted to sit up there too! (He might have my dimples, but look at the vein in his neck starting to look just yike daddy's!)

Not sure who one that contest...

Yep, my youngest has his sights on growing up. He doesn't want help with anything... and if you try- well, watch out.

Ahhh... another baby has turned into a big boy. Mama no yike dat!

Thou shalt not lie...

I got a lil' kick in the pants about posting a new entry on the blog... so here ya go dad.



Let me tell you about the week we've had. It was mostly quiet to begin with... made progress on re-organizing my kitchen cabinets, unpacked some boxes from storage, threw a ton of crap away! John has been working hard on building his new shop, and all the other usual stuff that goes with having two small children.



On Friday, we were on our way to the baby-sitter's, and Zach was talking about trains. Kyle was admiring "The Boots"... our babysitter lives near the base of The Buttes. :)



Out of no where, Zach asks "Mom, do you think God knows I want to drive steam engines when I grow up?"

I told him I was sure he did, but we'd be sure to add it in our prayers. I wanted to cry... it was just so sweet that his heart is so pure.

Then, that afternoon at work, I got a 'walk-in' client. Her hair had been destroyed at another hair salon, and I didn't even know if I'd be able to fix it. She sat down, and started telling me about herself- I was trying to gauge how short we could go- the stronger the personality, usually the shorter you can cut their hair. There wasn't much left to cut...

Somehow in our conversation, she mentions she was a hurricane Katrina survivor. She is a nurse, and after returning to her home to salvage what she could, she found herself ankle deep in water. Her home was 26 steps above ground, and she thought she could retrace her steps back to her car. Her car was floating away, and she said she thought she could swim to the neighbors' roof.

She said the current was so swift, she looked up and saw a sea-turtle, tasted salt water, and knew her time was up.

I discovered myself sitting on a stool, listening to her story. She ended up homeless for 14 months, and came to California with a 'traveling' nurse's program to make some money. She's had one tough time of it, and luck has not been kind to her. She can't even get her furniture from a local store, because it's going out of business- and they're thieves.

I got back to her cut, and decided it would be the best cut she's ever had. I worked on her for almost an hour, and when she was done... it looked like she'd meant to cut her hair short and sassy! She even cracked a smile.

That's why I love my job.

So, I was feeling pretty good. It always feels nice to know you might have made a difference- for the better- in some one's life.

Then after a long, long day on Saturday I came home to hear my precious little boy tell a lie- right to my face.

Zach had been pestering John all day about building his train track. He has it in his head, that we are going to build a train table, and his HO scale train (fragile, and not kid approved) as soon as possible. John keeps trying to explain to him that we don't have the room, and most of his trains are now are in need of repair.

It had worn on my nerves after 20 minutes, I can only imagine John's frustration after the entire day. I heard Zach in the bathroom asking John about it, and he responded "No Zach, we're not setting it up... and stop asking about it. The answer is no."

So imagine my surprise, when my cute little innocent baby boy says to me "Mom, Dad said to get the train down, it's okay to set it up now."

Not only was it a lie, it was deceitful, and manipulative. (Did I just type those words describing my son?)

It broke my heart. :(

He's such a kind hearted little boy, I just couldn't believe the day finally arrived that he's willing to tell a lie to manipulate the situation. What happened to that pure little heart that I was bragging about less than 24 hours prior?

I am sure all mom's eventually go through this. It's just the first time I've seen him do it... and it stung a bit.

I always remember my Grandma saying, "It's not what you do when people are watching.. it's what you do when no one's looking that counts."

And in the grand scheme of things, it's not even on the rector map when it comes to the tragedy and heartbreak some people have gone through. I know that, I had just hoped to stay up on my cloud a little longer.

Ahhh... the joys of motherhood. I suppose it's part of growing up, and I know we'll get through this hurdle too, and there will be even bigger 'whoppers' to deal with.


We had a much better day, today. He even apologized to us... and John set up a 'table' for his wooden track outside...


And I spent the day cleaning out the closets for the new clothes. Well, new for Zach... hand me down's for Kyle... and a big ol' bag of clothes to another home. It always makes me a little sad to see how fast they are growing- and those labels make it loud and clear.

As do those lessons we all have to learn. :)

Banana Split Heaven... Seriously.

First off... I would like to offer an apology to your tushy for what I'm about to do.

I stole this recipe, and tweeked it just a bit. If you want the original, check out this website ~(http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/)

Banana Split Ice Cream Cake..
This recipe is made in a spring-form pan- the bigger the better.

In a Ziploc, or a food processor... smoosh about 20 oreos (filling and all!) and 2 tsp melted butter. Spread it in the bottom of the pan to make a crust.

Slice 4-5 bananas to make one layer in the bottom of the crust. Pour one jar of hot fudge, slightly warmed on the bananas. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes. (This would be a good time to pull out your strawberry ice cream/frozen yogurt.)

The original recipe calls for a pint of strawberry ice cream. I purchased an (almost) 1/2 gallon of frozen strawberry yogurt... and used about 2/3 of it. Spread it onto your bananas... doing your best not to mix up the fudge.

Place the whole pan back into the freezer, about 15 minutes... and pull out the vanilla (ice cream/frozen yogurt) container.

I used about 2/3 of a 1/2 gallon of vanilla frozen yogurt, but you could use your favorite vanilla ice cream. I think Vanilla Bean would be enough to send this into outer space~

Put this pan o' heaven back in the freezer. Do yourself a favor and keep it there at least all night- anything less and it's too soft to cut.

The recipe calls for a bag of frozen strawberries, thawed to garnish before serving. You can also put whipped cream, nuts and maraschino cherries to really make the full effect of the 'banana split'. I think the original recipe called for crushed pineapple, as a garnish too.

Ta-da... you will have the most incredible 'slice' of a banana split your waistline could ever handle! Enjoy... go forth and mix up the recipe and/or change the layers around to your liking.

Either way... it will remind you of when a banana split at the ice cream shop with Grandma was as Good as it Gets!

(BTW... when you get ready to serve it, run a knife around the edge, pop the pan open- slice with a sharp knife... and hide a piece for later.)

I'm just sayin....

My Train Birthday!

I try to teach the boys how to be compassionate... and how to think about others whenever possible. As my birthday approached, I asked the boys what they were going to do for Mom- since it was her special day.
There was about a second of hesitation... then they said they wanted to take me to the Train Museum!
So lucky for me... I got to spend the day with the most wonderful guys in the world... sharing their trains with me. :)

We started our day in Sonoma.. at Train Town. It's a place where the boys (and Mom) got to ride a train... along with other rides. (Thanks to Kelly M. for the 411 on this great destination for train nuts!)Half way through the ride, they drop you off at a petting zoo area... and a little developed 'town'.

There was a well, that you could pump water out of. I think the boys could have spent an hour doing this...

They kept saying they want one of these in their back yard...
I love them being so excited about stuff... Here they are checking out some engines in the roundhouse.

We tried our best to get them to ride other things besides the train. We got them on the roller coaster... and Zach screamed his head off the entire time! John and I couldn't stop laughing... I swear it wasn't that big... but it scared the be-jeeb-eez out of him! Kyle wasn't screaming... but he said it was 'scaw-ree'!

After spending two or three hours there, we were done. We decided to head back to Sacramento, and visit the Train Museum.

In the car, Zach said: "Mom, your having the best birthday EVER!"

After we spent a couple of hours there, we headed over to Chevy's (on the river!) and I got to enjoy a watermelon margarita... bay-bee!

We had a great meal, and then headed home. Everyone was so tired... but it really was the 'best birthday, EVER'!

Thanks so much to everyone for the birthday wishes... I'm a lucky girl!!