Finger Painting on the Driveway

So I decided this weekend was the weekend to try finger painting in the driveway. I have had it on my 'to do' list with the kids all summer but it has just been too dang hot!!  Eric went to work Saturday morning to see a few clients so it was just the kids and I and the paint.  We had a fun time, although you can see from the pictures both Maddox and Kennon had different ideas of  'finger' painting.  Maddox, as most of you know really doesn't like to get her hands dirty so I had purchased some foam brushes which she was happy to have. Kennon only actually sat and painted for about 1 minute and most of that minute he used the foam brush to pain his OWN HAND!!  I had to laugh. And then he was off to the races, running down the driveway and up the sidewalk or out to the street or to the rock bed to play in/throw the rocks. He was actually pretty tired by the time we got started painting so I chased him down and put him to bed for  a nap.  That left Maddox and I to paint. She enjoyed mixing the colors and doing something we don't normally do. Our neighbor, Hannah, came down to join us too.  It was a nice morning.  Luckily today it rained liked bandits, which washed away all the paint that got painted onto the driveway :0 Some quick funnies for the week.  Wednesday morning we went to the park with the Hannah, Jody and Charlie. We had a nice time playing and after an hour or so headed back to the van. I had parked quite a bit away so we had a long walk. It was pretty silent as I carried Kennon and Maddox walked along both tired from the outing. Then all of a sudden I heard Maddox say 'I AM a helpful smile'.......'I AM a helpful smile.......I AM a helpful smile'.  It took me like 3 times to actually understand what she was saying and then I cracked up laughing. Right now HyVee has on commercials with the 'faces' of Hyvee ( workers throughout their stores) and they phase in on each face and the person says 'I AM a helpful smile' and then they go to somebody else who repeats the same phrase and so on. There are probably 15 people showcased on each commercial and the commercial is on frequently throughout the day. I had no idea Maddox was even paying attention to this commercial as it really has nothing to do with her  ( unless you count the free cookie she associates with HyVee ) and it isn't a cartoon.  I still laugh thinking about it. She repeated the phrase almost the entire way back to the van. Too funny. Tonight at dinner we had Grammy's BBQ recipe. It is kind of like a sloppy joe and we put it on hamburger buns. We used to just give the meat mixture to Maddox but since she is growing up to be a big girl she has been asking for the bun too!! It is kinda messy but she generally does really well managing her meat and the bun. But, tonight it was very juicy. About midway through her sandwich I hear ' Oh no, it cracked'....meaning her bun had split apart and her meat was falling out. I though cracked was a funny way to put it!! But, super cute.  One other sentimental moment for the week. After the finger painting experience, lunch, and a couple of play sessions it was time for nap for Maddox yesterday afternoon.  She was really over tired by this time and burst into tears when she realized her blanket was downstairs on the couch and she was upstairs. I couldn't get her calmed down for probably a good 10 to 15 minutes....she just wailed at the top of her lungs and I couldn't distract her. Kennon just sort of toddled around her room and his stopping to read books, brush his teeth,  toss a few balls and basically he ignored her pitchy screams not seeming to be bothered by her.  When I did finally get her calmed down it was time to potty before nap time. Kennon followed us into the bathroom and almost immediately after she sat down leaned in to give her a big hug!!  It was absolutely priceless. It was a REAL hug and then he patted her ever so softly on her arm.   I have never seen him treat her quite that way. Usually he is pretty aggressive and boy like with his affection. That whole while it seemed to me he was ignoring her but in fact he was realizing she was having a hard time and he wanted to console her.  How darn cute.  He was so proud of himself too. He is starting to really develop into a little boy....not even a toddler anymore. Have a good week. Thoughts and prayers for Maddox on Wednesday morning as she starts her new pre-school at Our Savior. 

Kennon's paci served as 'paint to mouth protection'!! 

Look at how he is holding his paintbrush!!  Really good for his age....thank you Kindercare!! 

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This was as close to finger painting as Maddox got and she immediately wanted her hand washed :0

Maddox's Preschool Open House

'mom....I thought there were supposed to be school supplies in here?'

'mom said to cross the left over the right....and then....'

'oh wait...maybe it was the right over the left....and then ya pull....'

'oh yah and then I finish with this snap thing...whew....this is hard work and I haven't even gotten to school yet....!!'

So most of you know that Maddox ( in addition to her normal 3 days at Kindercare) is going to be starting at a new school next week. She will be going to the Our Savior Church pre-school on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Tonight was the Open House.  I was really hoping with all Maddox's 'experience' at Kindercare that she would run in and make herself at home. But, our shy little girl showed up at the door and got a little fearful. Thank goodness Grammy is going to be here next Wednesday, her first day, so she'll be able to stay home with Kennon while I chaperon Maddox into the school. The place is literally fabulous. She will be in a classroom of only 12 children ages 2 to 3.  You have to be 3 on or before September 15th to be in the 3 yr old room. Since Maddox misses that by ONE day she'll be in the 2 year olds but I spoke with them tonight about how they handle the 'older' children and it seems they are on track.  She'll have 2 teachers in the room....one from Orion that I recognized and chatted it up with right away...!!  Old home! Gotta love my Orion roots.  Anyhow we played in her room for quite a bit with Mrs Doyle, the teacher from Orion. She seemed to be feeling at home.  Kennon got in on the action and QUICKLY found a bin of box cars...he was having a ball too!! We checked out the potties to ensure that they were quiet potties and then headed to get her picture taken.  They don't do things like they did when I was growing up.  There was a profession photographer on site to take Maddox's picture. I forgot to get the password but when I do I"ll put it on the blog ( or email you) and you can check out ( and purchase of course :) Maddox's first official pre-school picture.  Maddox is supposed to have a backpack with her name on it to make recognition easy.  Maddox doesn't know it but one is coming from Potty Barn ( my addiction) and will be wrapped up for her birthday in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime I resurrected an old one that I had gotten from Aunt Kelly. It seems to suit her well. You can tell from the pics I took before we left  tonight she is still figuring out all the snaps.  She'll need a backpack for sure. We came home with her first fabulous kid's Bible and a folder full of stuff!!  I think it is going to take me a week just to read the handbook. This is quite the church pre-school. If you are interested their website is www.oursaviorbett.org . She'll come home daily with a 'what we did type paper' all filled out letting us know what they talked about, learned, how much she pee peed/pooped ( it looked like she was one of the few in her classroom that is potty trained...again the age thing.....) what activities they did both physical, art, music, social etc. We, as parents, are able to follow along what Bible verse they are learning each week as this is all written out ahead of time and in our possession right now.  It is almost somewhat overwhelming actually.  We LOVE Kindercare but it seems Our Savior is slightly more communicative with their parents letting them know specifically the curriculum/activities.  So we'll see how she does next week. Pray for a good transition for her. We call this 'school' but we have been calling Kindercare 'school' since she started there a year ago. So I"m sure this is confusing for her. She is officially in the 3 yr old pre-school program/room at Kindercare now. Yesterday was her first day and the teachers said she had a good day. It was funny when I picked her up all the kids were sitting calmly at their tables working on puzzles, doing activities etc.  When I would pick her up in the 2 year old room it was always sort of free play time and things seemed to be a bit chaotic....but a controlled chaos.   It seems things are going to be different, for the better, in the 3's. I like structure!! It doesn't seem like her 3 year old class at Kindercare is very full as of yet so hopefully she will get some good attention these first few weeks of transition. Maddox is very in to 'being safe' nowadays. Today we were driving to the park and she said ' Mom, I will keep you safe'...... I said oh, that's very nice of you Maddox.....she said 'I'll keep you safe from the rain Mom'.  I had to smile. How cute.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky this morning.  She says so many cute things. I need to keep a notebook close by to record it all. Kennon is mister mobile man. He is so much quicker on his feet and made it to the top of the jungle gym today before I even noticed he was gone.  He is developing a little personality and when he's not happy he sure lets you know. But, he has a funny little giggle and loves to jump and wrestle on Maddox's bed. He is a little climber and mastered getting up on it in no time. They both love to jump on it. Kennon just sort of stands there and lets the bouncing bed, compliments of Maddox, jostle him around till he falls off. Luckily it is only like 2 feet off the floor!!  We had a rough weekend with Maddox, many tantrums. But, I'm learning praise does wonders...DUH LAURA!!?? And she has been relatively happy these past few days.  We are home this weekend to get some jobs done around the home.  Oh, and I signed Maddox up for a gymnastics class at the Y today.  I wanted to get her into a dance class ( after seeing her moves at the Farmer's Market in Breckenridge) but the classes didn't jive with my work and our new Our Savior schedule. Whew....too long for you busy moms sorry!!  Take care till another post.

A Family Vaca to Colorado

Maddox going down the 'rock' slide downtown Breckenridge

A view of the mountains from downtown Breckenridge.  This was just down the hill from our house. 

Maddox spent a lot of our vacation dumping sand out of her shoes.  We encountered a lot of sand ( CO is a dessert!!:) and Maddox hated the feeling of it between her toes. 

So most of you know we took our first official vacation with the kids this past week or so.  It was kind of a family reunion as Aunt Brooke, Uncle Tyler, Grammy, Papa Dick,  Aunt Diane, Uncle Brian, and cousin Hannah all joined us.  Grammy and Papa Dick rented a FABULOUS 5 bedroom house for us to share in Breckenridge Colorado.  We had a blast.  THANK YOU THANK YOU Grammy and Papa Dick. It was so nice to get away from the monotony of work and house chores and to have an extra set of hands or two to help out with the kids. There are a ton of pictures and most of  them have captions that will describe all the fun stuff we were able to do.  All three kids played really well together. It was nice to see them interact and learn from each other. We got to take a gondola to the top of Breckenridge ski slope number 8 to catch some great views and to partake in the Fun City they have set up at the top of the mountain for kids.  Carter and Maddox got to ride a pony, pan for gold and jump in the bouncy house. They had a lot of other activities up there as well but a lot were for bigger, older kids. But, we still had fun and the views were amazing. One day we rented mountain bikes and went on a 20 mile bike ride to the neighboring town.  ( at 9500 feet this was no small feat!!) Luckily we had a tailwind on the way back and we got to eat a nice lunch at the halfway point.......phew it was hard work and I wasn't even pulling the kids. Kuddos to Uncle Tyler and Eric for 'dragging' the kids along, as the bike shop boys called it :) Maddox, compliments of Aunt Diane, got to go on an hour long horse ride along the Breckenridge ski slope/forest!!  Kennon unfortunately had woken up pretty unhappy that day and needed full on attention of both Eric and I to keep him at bay so we opted out of the horse ride. But, luckily Maddox was willing to ride with Aunt Diane. She was a bit scared at first as this horse was NOT a pony but a big size horse but once they got going she was all in.  We spent a lot of time hanging out at the house playing, some time at the pool, and eating fabulous meals cooked by Papa Dick and Grammy. Kennon slept like a champ both nights and naps but had a role reversal with Maddox as SHE was up most nights and did NOT nap the best. Ironic eh?  as I had been entirely worried about Kennon not sleeping. The weather was fabulous. Most days it didn't get above 75 or so and down to 40's at night with little rain.  Breckenridge is a cute little town with a city center, river walk and tons of cool shops and places to eat with a Market on Sunday mornings. It was a perfect town to keep the kids interested as there was a little rock slide at the center of the town and big open area for them to run around in as well as allow the adults to catch some great scenery views.  I'll let the pictures and the video do the rest of the talking. Again, thanks to Grammy and Papa Dick for such an amazing vacation. I"m already looking forward to next years reunion.

I love these Mary Jane shoes. Maddox is able to get them on by herself NO PROBLEM. 

These girls were eyeing Kennon. They thought he was adorable and you can see from his hammy look he was living it up. Downtown Breckenridge!! 

C'mon mom are you coming.

This is my 'I'm doing something I shouldn't be' look....and I use it a lot!! 

Maddox working on her rock climbing. She'll be ready next time we come back. River walk-downtown Breckenridge 

I'd love this photo of Maddox and the scenery if that family wasn't standing in the middle....oh well!! 

Maddox looking on at the River Walk in downtown Breckenridge.  You can imagine what is going through her mind!! 

A view of the mountains from downtown Breckenridge just down the hill from our house 

Maddox pushing Kennon ( one of her new favorite tricks) to downtown Breckenridge for some exploring. 

Getting a little assistance from Grammy 

Base of Breckenridge ski run number 8, just a a couple hundred feet from our house. 

Maddox and Eric River walk Breckenridge city center 

Kennon, Maddox, and Carter at the LONG table in our house. Feed us please!! 

A photo taken from Boreas Pass Road

A photo taken from Boreas Pass ( ski runs at Breckenridge)

Engine number 9 Denver South Park and Pacific Line. The train has a snow plow on the front to clear the snow from the tracks. It took its last run in April of 1937 put out of business by trucking lines. 

Not sure what he is looking for but I thought it was cute. 

Carter and Kennon enjoying a snack on the deck. 

Cousin Carter deciding if he likes ridding the pony while Mom and Dad look on. 

Maddox was very hesitant to get on Butterscotch but we got a few circles out of her before he sneezed and then she wanted off very quickly. 

Panning for gold at the top of Breckenridge Ski Slope number 8. 

Grammy and Papa Dick at the top of Peak 8. 

Snack time while cruising in the caboose with Eric at the helm. 

Eric and Uncle Tyler.  Cousin Carter observing from his caboose. 

Pasta at the halfway point of the 20 mile bike ride. Frisco Colorado. Kennon apparently needed some carbs for the long ride back :) 

Family photo after a 20+ mile bike ride. Way to go Dad for pulling both the kids up and down hills and into a headwind. 

Great family shot post the bike ride.  One of the highlights of the trip. Cousin Carter, Aunt Brooke, Uncle Tyler,  Laura, Maddox,  Kennon, Eric, Uncle Brian.  phew....what a crew. So much fun!! 

Maddox and Carter making brownies.

check out Carter's shirt.....appropriately worn on the day that we did a 20 mile bike ride.  Aunt Brooke was sure thinking when this went into the suitcase. 

A beautiful rainbow out our porch after a brief cool rain.  

Beautiful photo from downtown Breckenridge looking up at the ski slopes.  

Maddox and Carter dancing at the Street Market downtown Breckenridge Sunday morning. There was a dude playing some great Mexican type music and the kids loved it. 

The Knowles family before they hopped on their horses

Cousin Hannah and Maddox waiting to get on their horses. 

Cousin Carter and Aunt Brooke on Captain and Uncle Tyler on Blondie. 

Uncle Tyler on Blondie who proved to be slightly fussy about the flies that were biting her. 

Aunt Diane and Maddox on Shilo 

Almost ready to start the trail ride into the forest. 

Maddox and Carter saying good bye to the horses at the end of the ride. 

Two Mountain Dudes and two Mountain girls posing for a picture.   ( it was about the best we could do !!  This was the day Kennon was so unhappy....teeth??

Happy 40th birthday Eric