♥ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ♥

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Family & Old Friends...It's What it's All About

We took a road trip back to western KS over Memorial weekend. Whenever we go back, there are always so many people to see! Our first stop was in Hays at Grady's cousin Marla's house where Judy's side of the family was having a get-together. It was so nice seeing everyone. The girls had fun with Abby's rabbits and playing kick ball with Grady's cousin Peggy.

Then, we went to WaKeeney and spent the evening at my dad's house. We got to meet Amy's little guy, Nathan, for the first time...what a sweet little thing! While in WaKeeney, I enjoyed a "Girls' Night Out" with one of my best friends, Brenda. There are always a lot of people in WaKeeney over Memorial weekend due to high school reunions, so we had a blast seeing people we haven't seen in ages.

The next day, Grady spent the whole day with the Gaschler's in Ellis playing golf and cards...two of his most favorite things to do. The girls and I drove to Colby and enjoyed a relaxing day and night with my mom. Oh, how I miss her...

This trip really made me realize that I miss small towns and the feeling of simplicity that comes along with them. Life around here goes so fast sometimes...trips back home teach me to slow down and just enjoy life!

Friday, May 22, 2009

School's Out For Summer!

Wow! The school year is over, once again. I officially have a kindergartener and a 3rd grader! Emmy could start pre-school next year, but I've decided to wait another year...I want to keep her little for as long as I can! It just doesn't seem like summer already! The girls are so excited that school is out and they can't wait to spend lots of time at the swimming pool. I guess I'm the only one who is a little sad. These years are just flying by...

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Field Trip!

Last week all of the 2nd graders at Macey's school got to go on a field trip. I volunteered to be a parent helper. The kids were very polite and kept calling me "Mrs. Gaschler", but Macey told them, "it sounds weird when you call her that...just call her mom!". :)

We went to the Agricultural Hall of Fame. Honestly, I didn't think the kids would have much fun, but boy, was I wrong! The trip proved to be very educational, very hands-on, and a LOT of fun! Macey got to plant sunflower seeds (which she brought home and are now 3 inches tall), milk a cow (she wasn't real, but it was still fun), throw cow patties (again, not real, but they sure looked real!), grind corn into flour, wash clothes on a wash board, wring out the clothes and hang them on the line, beat dust out of rugs, go on a hayrack ride, tour an old farm house, learn about the importance of bees, and sit in a real one-room school house. Whew! After all of that, we got to have a picnic and play at a park. Needless to say, I was exhausted and so were the kids. One of Macey's classmates actually fell asleep on the bus on our way back to the school. It was a great day and I'm so happy that I got to spend it with Macey.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Kids Say the Funniest Things!

Jolee is definitely the comedian in our family. Some of the things she says totally crack us up! But, last night, I was actually in tears I was laughing so hard. At first I thought, I'm adding that quote to Jolee's list at the right called "Jolee's Funny Quotes & Questions", but, I also think it deserves it's own post. Here's the story:

Last night at the dinner table, Jolee saw Max under the table and she said, "Eww! Max is licking his peanuts!". Grady and I looked at each other and said, "his WHAT?", then Jolee said, "His peanuts! I don't have peanuts, I have a vagina!". We were stifling our laughs as much as possible and explained to her that the correct word is "penis". Then she said, "That's what I said, "peanuts!". By that time, we were in tears laughing out loud!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

What a Fun 5th Birthday!

Wow! What a busy 24 hours it as been! Jolee turned 5 yesterday (May 16th) and she was so lucky to have BOTH of her Grandma's and BOTH of her Grandpa Toms here! After our family party, 4 of Jolee's closest friends came over for a sleepover! First, we went to a fun farmstead where the girls got to see so many animals (including a bobcat eating a mouse!). They fed some goats (Jolee wanted to take one home), rode horses, and fished (I had to put the worms on the hooks...yuck!). Jolee was the first girl to catch a fish and she was so excited! Macey also caught one! After the farmstead, it was back to our house for a party. I couldn't have asked for a better sleepover. All of the girls were so great!! Jolee had such a blast! What a great weekend...

Jolee and the pretty Cross necklace Grandma Mary made for her.

I love you Mom!

Jolee and Grandma Judy creating driveway art!

What a great pic of the girls with Grandma Judy and Papa Tom!

Jolee and her friends hanging out...

Jolee and her big catch!

Jolee LOVES horses!

Silly girls wearing the sunglasses they created.

Silly girls with silly faces!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Mommy's Day

It is so hard to get Emmy to look at the camera!

I love hand-made presents. And, that is what I got for Mother's Day. Everyone (even my husband) made a special hand-made card for me. I loved every one of them! Grady and the girls also picked and arranged this beautiful bouquet of flowers. They are peonies out of our flower garden. I planted them because they remind me of my Grandma Frieda. Ever since I can remember, my grandma grew peonies and I will always associate them with her. I feel very blessed to be a mommy. And, I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful mom, grandma and mother-in-law in my life. Happy Mother's Day to you!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Graduation Day!

I know I say this all the time, but I just can't believe how fast the girls are growing up. Yesterday, Jolee graduated from preschool. It was an awesome ceremony. The kids demonstrated some of the things they have learned this year including facts about George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Christopher Columbus, addition, subtraction, Bible stories, counting to 20 in Spanish AND French and much more...it was pretty impressive! Look out kindergarten, here she comes!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Daddy's Notes

Grady left very early this morning to travel out of town. When the girls and I went downstairs for breakfast, he had left all of us our own little note. What a sweet thing to wake up to!

I LOVE this note! She has promised us that she will stay two. If only she could keep that promise...

Awesome Art!

Macey brought home several "story packets" that she completed at school. They are basically short, informational stories that they write and illustrate. I was very impressed with her artwork. Here are a few of the pictures she drew.

A hen and her chicks:

Brown cow and hay bales:

Rabbit:

George Washington:

Friday, May 1, 2009

Vroom, Vroom!

Here's a little video clip of Emmy riding her tricycle. Why do they have to grow up so fast?

Jo & Max

Jolee fell asleep in the rocking chair and Max was keeping her warm. Two peas in a pod...notice Jolee has tied the jump rope around Max like a leash (poor kitty)!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Busy, Busy Weekend!

We had great weather this weekend and were busy wheelin' and dealin' at our garage sale. Ok, Grady was busy, I was busy shopping the other garage sales! Macey wanted to stay home from school on Friday to help out, but I wouldn't let her, much to her disappointment. Jolee and Emmy had a good time hanging out in the garage. Emmy did not approve of people buying up things that were once hers, though! Grady would have to distract her so the people could carry the items away! By Saturday afternoon, we were all pretty tired...in fact, Emmy crashed out on the floor in the living room.

Max was tired, too! Macey took this picture.

Today, Grady and the girls planted our tomatoes and bell peppers in starter trays. When they get a few inches tall, we'll plant them in the ground.

Good little helpers!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Hey Batter, Batter!

Tonight was Macey's first softball game of the season. She is playing on the same team as she played on last year and it is amazing how well all of the girls have progressed! There were so many good hits and smart playing in the field! Macey hit 3 singles and tagged a girl out at 3rd. It was a lot of fun watching her! Great job, Macey!

Smacking the ball...

on first base...

scoring at home!

On the pitcher's mound...

fielding a grounder!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Tweet, Tweet!

The birdhouses the girls made at Lowe's are painted in the girls' favorite colors (Macey's is purple, Emmy's is pink, and Jolee's is blue). And, they are mounted on top of the swingset (that's where the girls wanted them). Today, we bought some birdseed and each of the girls filled their own birdfeeder. Hopefully we'll see some action soon! Come on birdies!

Dialogue with Emmy

"I love you with my most loviest heart."
Whenever she finds a coin on the ground she says, "Look! It's my lucky day!"
"Once upon a time there were 2 little girls: Mommy, Daddy, Macey, Emmy and JoJo"...
"Mommy, I love you every single day."
When asked, "How old will you be after your next birthday?", she replies, "Free".
Emmy: "I love you!" Mommy: "I love you, too!" Emmy: "I love you MORE!"
Favorite questions: "Why?", "Because why?", "What?", and "What's that mean?"
She's been saying this A LOT lately-- "I'm more hungry"...every 15 minutes!

Jolee's Funny Quotes & Questions

"I don't have peanuts, I have a vagina!"
Grady said: "Jolee, you have school tomorrow", Jolee said: "Oh, the PAIN!, THE PAIN!"
"Every time I push my belly out, my pants pop open!"
"Daddy, I love you so much that I can't let you out of my sight!"
"I'm warm...like a piece of toast."
"I have never, ever, EVER tooted in school!"
"Don't eat the yellow snow!"
"If we had a boy cat AND a girl cat, and they kissed...that would be GROSS!"
"Sometimes the world is a mystery..."
"What are bees' feet called?"
"Zip your lip and throw away the key!"
"Mom's the Mystery Farter!" Note: I'm sure it wasn't me...must've been Daddy!
When deciding whether or not to add chocolate to her ice cream she said, "I'm gonna go for it!"
"It smells like there's a butt in my nose!"
"Mom, I ROCK at this!"
"Tell it to the Judge!"

Macey's Corner: New things I've learned in school

In a handful of soil, there are more living organisms than there are people on the planet.
I have learned multiplication facts by two, three, four and five and division facts by two.
To reduce pollution when shopping, purchase items that are not in a box or that have little packaging.
A refuge is a place where animals and plants are safe.
In statistics, "mode" is the number that appears most often, "maximum" is the largest number, "minimum" is the lowest number, and "range" is the maximum minus the minimum.
A menorah is the candle holder in Hanukkah celebrations and a kinara is the candle holder in Kwanzaa celebrations.
In English, the days of the week start with a capital letter, in Spanish they don't.
In Germany a Christmas tree is called a Tannenbaum
Germany is a country in Europe.
Kwanzaa is a seven day holiday honoring the ancient African tradition of celebrating the year's harvest.
There is a difference between a food chain and a food web. Food chains follow a single path as animals find food and food webs show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them all survive.
Another word for collar bone is clavicle.
Not all spiders spin webs to catch food, some dig holes.
Today I completed 100 math facts in less than 5 minutes.
Amphibians are cold blooded animals.
In a math addition problem, if there are more than 2 numbers, find the facts of 10 and then add the others.
A fish that has spikes and puffs up is called a Puffer Fish.
Veteran's Day is also known as Armistice Day.
The phalanges are bones that make up our fingers and toes.
Check back often! Macey will populate this list.

Savin' Green, Bein' Green, Gettin' Lean

No Paper OR Plastic: Instead of buying giftbags for Christmas or birthday presents (especially for adults), buy re-usable grocery bags that the recipient can use everyday.
Cut it Short: In ALL of the baking I do, I always use less sugar than the recipe calls for. Even if you cut it just a little bit, every little bit helps. And, we never miss it!
No More White Stuff: The next time you have to buy flour, buy whole wheat flour. I use it in all of my baking and my family can't tell the difference!
Challenge Yourself: I got this idea from another blog I visit daily. Challenge yourself to not go to the grocery store for an entire week. This forces you to be creative with what you have on hand. It's also a great way to use up the odds and ends in your pantry. It got a little difficult at the end of the week, but we did it! Plus, the savings from that week were very noticeable on our grocery budget!
Rewards Cards: Take advantage of the rewards cards at stores you shop at often. For example, we use the Office Max rewards/recycle program and are able to get free stuff there with the rewards we've accumulated. I also get special discounts at Dick's Sporting Goods which comes in handy buying my running shoes every six months. Other cards I have are for CVS (they give you money to use on your next purchase), Hallmark (free coupons), all the grocery stores (you get the store's discount plus sometimes discounts on gas), shoe stores (special coupons), you get the picture.
Free Movie Nights: Do you have a Redbox kiosk nearby? If so, you can find Redbox codes online every Monday and Wednesday to get a free movie. And, even if you don't get the codes, movies are only a buck! Bye, bye Blockbuster!
Soccer Mom Must: Car pool, duh!
Don't be a Heel: Don't throw away the heels from your loaves of bread. I don't like eating them as sandwiches, either, but toss them in the freezer until you get several of them. Then, toast them in the toaster and throw them into your food processor...wala!...whole grain bread crumbs! And, they're a lot healthier than most of the breadcrumbs you buy at the store.
Behind Bars: Our family goes through granola bars like you wouldn't believe. I love that my kids like to eat this healthy snack, but I don't like how expensive they are. I found a great recipe that is so versatile you can tailor it to your own likes and dislikes. One pan costs pennies and makes 16-18 bars. Recipe is found above in "Janie's Kitchen".
101 Uses for Vinegar: I use it as a fabric softener (and no, our clothes don't stink!), mixed with water it is WAY better than Windex, my friend Stacy uses it to kill her weeds, I spray it on the counters to help get rid of ants, and this is just a few of things I can think of off the top of my head! Google it and have fun!
Stacking Coupons: Did you know that you can use a store coupon (ie. Walgreens, Target, etc.) AND and manufacturer's coupon for the same item? For example, you can print Target coupons (good only at Target) and clip your mfr. coupon to use on the same item. If you do this when the item is on sale, it's an even bigger bonus...many times you can get it free or almost free!