Stamp Out Hunger Day!

The US Postal Service has a yearly food drive we like

to participate in and today was the big day!

We tried to put a variety of items in the bag this year

complete with some yummy cake mix and icing!

Hayden carried the stuffed bag out to the mailbox, so that
our mail lady could collect it for the food drive~

Hopefully someone who needs this will enjoy the gift

we are sending out to them via the US Postal Service!

I think its awesome that the US Postal Service does this food drive

to give back to others in need...Kudos to you!

Somer Jane

Fairgrounds Park Day~

We love our park days and today went to the 'WHITE' park!

We have named all the parks we go to by colors so they can

request the 'BLUE' Park or 'Orange' Park and today it was the 'White' park.

This playground is a big jungle gym and the kids loved it!

Hayden the firefighter

The firefighter sliding down his pole~

WHEEeee that slide was fun~

Pilot Hayden getting ready for take off~

Lyza Jane is just like her daddy...

never wants to smile for a picture!

Of course we had to stop for some ice cream with

the free ice cream coupons mommy had on her!!

YUMMY!

Yes, they are spoiled and very much LOVED by their mommy!!

Somer Jane

Making BANKS for vacation savings~

The kids really want to go to the BEACH on vacation,

so I decided to teach them that we have to save

money in order to go to the beach!

Today we decided to make our VACATION BANKS!

We recycled some used containers and the kids painted them

with colorful paint schemes.

I cut a coin insert in the tops of the lids and we had our banks

ready to fill up with mula!

Now every coin we find lying around is dropped into the banks...

the kids actually get excited when they find a coin lying around

and race to put it in their vacation banks! ;-)

Hopefully can manage a trip before the end of the year

and drive down to the beach...in the meantime we are saving up!

Heres to BEACH WISHES!!

Somer Jane

River Barges & A Playground~

The one thing I'm happy about living in this city is

all the playgrounds they have scattered about town~

Of course you can never have enough playgrounds if you ask me!

Today we went to the riverfront playground...

usually I dont like this playground as much due to the fact

that you have to watch your children like a hawk since the

playground has no fence or barrier separating the big hill down to

the river and my children are very adventureous and try test their limits.

But overall today was calm and I only had to threaten their lives

a couple of times for leaving the playground gravel area...hee
These slides were cool~

Sometimes we get barges that pass by our riverside area....

today we got lucky!

The kids could have sat and watched the boats all day...

well Hayden could have anyways!

The river has flooded the riverwalk due to all the rain

so we were able to go swimming if we wanted!! ha ha JK!

Hayden was looking for fish or ANYTHING he could examine~

Walking hand & hand back up the walkway~

The barges were just loading up when we got there...

perfect timing!

Here is the second barge turning around to load up~

Hayden was really interested in the barges, it was nice to just

watch them float slowly by~

'Lyza found a swing to occupy her time~

PICTURE OP!

Somer Jane

Kids just love Playdoh!

Did you know that Play-Doh was invented by a young

guy named, Joe McVicker for the purpose of cleaning wallpaper?!

Yes, supposedly his preschool sister was complaining about

the modeling clay her class was using and he offered some non-toxic

samples of the modeling compound he created and wall-la

Play-Doh was born!

(that Joe guy went on to be a millionaire before he was 27!

Now why couldnt I think of something like that?! ha ha)

Anywho, my kids love the stuff...

I'm pretty sure MOST kids do!

Only parents have the problem with letting their kiddos play with it! ha

My mom was one of them!!

I dont recall having play-doh much as a child and boy I loved getting to

play with it over friends or cousins houses!

I guess since my childhood was play-doh free for the most part,

I want my kiddos to enjoy this fun invention thats been

going strong for over 50 years now!

I just keep the kiddos contained to the kitchen table

and keep my eyes on them~ no one gets hurt and the carpets

and furniture stay safe!! hee hee

Hayden begs every other day to play with the stuff~

'Lyza isnt as obsessed with the Play-Doh yet but she likes

doing whatever Hayden is doing!

A giraffe~

PLAY-DOH ROCKS MAN!!

Doesnt this little guy below look cute!!

I think I may have to search EBAY for this as a

Christmas present since it will be here before we know it~

Just click on commercial at this link to watch the Coco-Nutty Monkey in action,

it is going on the christmas list for sure now!! ha ha
http://www.hasbro.com/playdoh/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=0319CB93-7483-1014-9C14-D2081DDB4B4D&product_id=23544&src=endeca

Somer Jane

N is for NOODLE NECKLACE~

I think its a rite of passage for every kid to

make a NOODLE necklace at least 1 time in their childhood~

Today was Hayden & 'Lyzas~

First we had to paint the noodles~
Then we had to wait for them to dry~

Then the fun part was stringing the NOODLES

to make the NECKLACE!

'Lyza needed a little help with the stringing part~

WOW WHAT A SUPER COOL NOODLE NECKLACE HAYD'!

'Lyza Modeling her NOODLE NECKLACE!

(GO BIG ORANGE! ha)

Somer Jane

N is for Nature~

Today was a perfect day for looking at Nature!

And...Nature begins with the letter N~

We were trying to catch a glimpse of the turtle that lives

in our drainage hole out back today but he is shy

and never lets me get his pic.

But while we were looking at the turtle hole Hayden noticed

a grasshopper swimming for his life in the turtle hole.

So we saved him from an untimely death and in return

he gave us some photo ops with him as a THANKS! hee hee

Hayden calls them 'HOPPERS'

(he loves the movie Bugs Life)
'Lyza just wanted to know if he would bite her,
then she was intrigued when I told her he wouldnt~
He was a 'lucky' hopper that was for sure!
Bye Bye Hopper~
WHERES HOPPER?
(Can you see him)
The Dogwood is blooming in our backyard~
Its blossoms are pretty in the sunlight too~

Now this picture turned out a little freaky~

Arent wasps just freaky looking?

I mean this pic gives me the heebeegeebees! hee

But I couldnt help but taking a pic of this WASP on the swingset~
(Note: they dont ever bother us... they just fly around us and move on

If you just ignore them they will leave eventually

dont bother them- they wont bother you is my motto...)

The first Rose bloom on the rose bush~

Just Beautiful~

Hello little Carpenter Bee~ The kids love to get fallen branches from our willow tree

and pretend to use them as fishing poles and fish out back~

It really is creative imaginary fun if ya ask me!

Just a dandelion~
This picture is soo perfect...

she was just lying there looking up at the sky~

Wonder what she was thinking about!

Somer Jane