Relaxing Weekend at Home

The past week was a busy one! On Tuesday, I took the kids to a soccer game played by some of my past and present students. Russell was in Heaven watching the "big" kids play soccer. Thankfully I remembered to throw his soccer ball in the car at the last minute because he was happily kicking his ball around trying to imitate the players on the field. Russell didn't realize that these players weren't quite the pro-athletes he thought they were and didn't even notice when one of them kicked the ball into the wrong net:-) Sloane enjoyed people watching and befriending the spectators dogs. My students were thrilled to have me there and excited to see my children. I always enjoy seeing the students outside of school and visiting with their parents. On Wednesday, I was called out of work by daycare because Sloane was running a 103 temperature. I didn't panic, but dashed out of school to pick her up and make a quick phone call to the pediatrician. The nurse assured me not to worry, but to monitor her condition and call back if the symptoms got worse. Sloane remained at home the rest of the week while Aron and I took turns staying home with her. She broke the fever Friday and has been back to her normal perky self. After a very busy work week, we decided to lay low this weekend and enjoy some much needed family time. We spent most of Saturday morning in our pajamas building a fort in the family room. We used the sofa cushions, dining chairs, sheets, pillows, and many clothes pins to create a fort for all four of us (plus Mac) to fit in. Russell insisted we all stay there to rest and brought us blankies and stuffed animals to cuddle with. What can I say...I love those kids!!!

Hanging out with Dad in the family fort!

That was hard work building this fort. Time for a break!

Goodness, Mom! That flash is bright under here!

Petting Farm

We just got back from a fun weekend visiting my parents in Gladwin. While the men of the family had their annual day trip bird hunting, my mom and I took the kids to the petting farm. We had a BLAST!!! Upon arrival, the kids were given a bucket filled with animal feed, a bottle of milk, and a chore list. We had to follow a path around the farm and stop to complete certain chores including bottle feeding the baby lambs and goats, milking the cow, feeding the llamas, sheep, ducks, chickens, and bunnies, and collecting an egg from the chicken coop. We were also able to jump in the hay loft, ride ponies, and go on a wagon ride pulled by horses. Sloane absolutely LOVED feeding the animals!!! She is definitely our animal lover and I would not be surprised if in the future she brings home stray animals!!! Russell's favorite part was swinging on a rope in the hay loft and jumping around on the piles of hay. They both enjoyed riding the ponies. It was a terrific way to celebrate the last weekend of summer!!!

Rain, Rain, Rain!!!

It was raining when we woke up this morning and it is still raining now. After cleaning the house, running errands, coloring, painting, watching Curious George, reading books, and several other activities, I decided to let the kids play in the rain!!! As soon as I asked them if they wanted to go outside to splash in puddles, Russell yelled "YES" and told me he needed his swim suit and boots. So, we got on our swim suits and I dug out the snow boots :-) Russell put his boots on by himself and thankfully I bought too big a pair last year so they still fit! Sloane doesn't have boots yet, so she was happy to wear an old pair of shoes. Both kids practically skipped out into the rain in search of BIG puddles. We walked the entire block and got extremely wet splashing, kicking, and jumping (lots of jumping) in the puddles surrounding our neighborhood. We had several cars slow down to take a look at the crazy mother with her two toddlers out in the rain. We also had several neighbors perched at their windows smiling while the kids were giggling and running down the sidewalk!

Russell enjoying his first jump in a puddle!

Sloane joining in on the action!

Walking around the block in hunt of BIG puddles.

Let's do this everyday!!!

Back to School

We have had a whirlwind of two weeks at the Carlson house. School officially began on Tuesday, September 2nd and we have been trying to get back into the busy school year schedule...up at 5:30, out the door by 6:45, drop off at daycare 7:00, arrive to work at 7:30, pick up the kids at 4:15, home by 4:30, dinner on the table by 5:30, baths at 7:00, bedtime at 8:00, and do it all again... Thankfully we have a terrific staff of daycare providers at Grace Christian Learning Center where Russell and Sloane have transitioned beautifully back into full time daycare! Russell slid right back into his classroom as if he never left. Ms. Betty, his teacher is awesome!!! She welcomes him with a hug every morning and he is always eager to fill her in on his latest adventures. Sloane is no longer in her infant classroom and has entered into the toddler room. We miss her infant caregiver, Ms. Justine, but are excited for Sloane to receive the expert guidance from her new teacher, Ms. Linda. Linda was also Russell's toddler teacher. Outside of teaching, she is a mother and grandmother. I am always asking her advice on discipline and other difficult parenting tasks. Aron and I are constantly amazed at what Russell and Sloane learn at Grace Christian. I feel so blessed that my children are happy and well taken care of each day. My school year has been off to a busy start. I am at a new school this year and LOVE it!!! The staff is friendly, caring, and enthusiastic. I have a team of special education teachers to work with which has made lesson planning so much fun! I have a full classroom with 15 students. Each child is very unique and several are medically fragile which has brought new challenges for me, but I am finding it very rewarding as well. As sad as I am to say goodbye to Russell and Sloane each morning, I still am passionate about what I do. I am fortunate to go to work everyday and LOVE what I do! It has been crazy around here, but I am still finding time for my evening runs and yoga classes to help keep me sane! So, all in all, life is good!!!

Sloane gives Ms. Justine a morning hug.

Russell eats his breakfast at school.

Russell poses and gladly says "CHEESE"!

Sloane is busy collecting acorns as they fall!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. It began with a visit from Aron's mom (Grammy Carlson). The kids absolutely adored spending time with her! The first thing Russell did was try on his cowboy costume and then talked Grammy into being the horse! We laughed quite hard about the way kids can get you to do things you never thought you would!!! We spent Saturday in downtown Royal Oak at the farmer's market and window shopping along Main Street. The kids always enjoy stopping for popcorn and sitting on a bench to eat and people watch. On Sunday, we said goodbye to Grammy Carlson and then hopped in the car to head north for a visit at my brother's house. Uncle Keith's is always a favorite place to visit. He has a home on 80 acres of land with his own private lake. Russell loves to ride Uncle Keith's quad, golf cart, and John Deere riding mower. Both kids love to play in the water. Mac also enjoys his time running free and getting wet in the water. We were fortunate to join 15 other friends and family at Keith's house for a good old fashion BBQ!!! I have put together the slide show to share the events of our day at Keith's!

My Little Bob the Builder!

This week Russell has really been into his tools. He has had his tool belt on from morning to night, inside and outside!!! While the kids were napping today, Aron decided to sand and stain the back porch. When Russell woke up, he had to check out what daddy was doing and was quick to say, "I help daddy fix the porch". Well, the funny part was that Aron had his shirt off and before Russell would go outside to help daddy, he insisted that I take off his shirt. I obliged and sent my little builder out to help. Before I could turn away to grab my camera, Russell was yelling that he needed his tools and to not forget his drill. I laughed so hard and could not believe how grown up he seemed. These pictures are just too adorable!!!

Michigan State Fair

Today Aron and I took the kids to the Michigan State Fair. We went with our neighbors Jorge, Jen, Antonio, and Alejandro. Antonio is only 4 days older than Russell, so they have become BEST friends!!! Russell even refers to Antonio as "my Tonio." We had a wonderful time petting animals, eating fair food, riding the ferris wheel, and watching a magician. By the end of our visit, Sloane fell asleep in the stroller and Russell crashed in the car on our way home. Aron and I enjoyed reminiscing about childhood visits to local fair grounds (and Aron especially enjoyed the corn dog and cheese fries)! I used to love the fair rides, but after riding on the ferris wheel with Russell, I have decided I might pass on rides from now on. It seemed much more dangerous then it did as a child :-) Russell on the other hand was fearless. However, he did cry because he did NOT want me to ride with him. He kept insisting that he could ride alone with Antonio. We will definitely be making the Michigan State Fair a family tradition from now on. It was a fun day!!!