♥ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ♥

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Can You Say Bookworm?

When it comes to reading a good book, Macey is just like me in that we can't put it down until we finish it. On Thursday, Macey brought home a 170-page book and started reading it that night. The next afternoon, she came to me and said, "I'm done!".

The book she read is part of the state-wide reading program for the 2009-2010 school year. Students across the state of KS vote for their favorite book. The author receiving the most votes receives the William Allen White Award in Oct. 2010 at Emporia State University. In order to vote, students have to have read at least 2 books from the "Grades 3-5" list by April. However, students reading at least 6 books will get a medal. Macey wants to get a medal! I guess we'll be making LOTS of trips to the library!

Pumpkin Patch

Our Silly Animals: Vincent the Billy Goat, Macey the Sheep, Jolee the Horsey, Evan the Cow and Emmy the Piggy

The girls did not have school on Friday, so we, along with some friends, visited the KC Pumpkin Patch. What a cool place! We definitely could've spent all day there, but the mommies were freezing! The kids had a blast and we will definitely go back next year.

Jolee having a blast on the cool orange "bouncy thingy"

Emmy & Vincent riding the train

My Three Pumpkins

Jolee, Macey & Evan going down the slide

Ahoy Mateys!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Daddy/Daughter Time

Macey got to attend her 2nd Chiefs game yesterday. Grady's friend, Bernie, and his two oldest daughters Cheyenne and Sonni, came up from Dallas to attend the game, too. Bernie and his girls wore red and rooted for the Chiefs, but as you can see, Grady and Macey had the wrong colors on!

My two Cowboys

Brrrr.....

Here's Jolee at home trying to find Macey & Daddy on TV! :)

Saturday, October 3, 2009

My Little Writer

Some days my kids really surprise me. Last weekend, instead of playing Wii or running around outside with friends, Macey decided she wanted to go to her room and write a story. When I walked by her room and saw her, I had one of those "Mommy Moments" where I was so proud of her...(either that or just so surprised!), that I just had to take a picture. She wrote a story about a lost deer who couldn't find it's way home. It was pretty good! She told me that one of her favorite things in school (besides recess & lunch) is writing. I don't know where her writing ability comes from, but I'm happy she likes to do it!

My, What Big Eyes, Hair and Teeth You Have!

Halloween is such a fun time of year. Whenever we are in a store that has Halloween stuff, we've just got to check it all out. This mask cracked me up so I had to take out my phone and take a picture. Here's Jolee having a little fun in the Halloween aisle!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Who Loves Ya?

A humorous way of telling each other we love each other around here is asking the question, "Who loves ya?". Yesterday I asked Emmy, "Who loves ya?" and she immediately rattled off, "You and Jolee and Maxer and Macey and Daddy....I'm your's and Daddy's baby AND I'm your ROCKSTAR!". I'm so happy to know that she knows she's loved! She is constantly making us laugh...wish I could freeze her at this age...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Back in the Gym!

After taking the summer off, we are back in the gym for Jolee's favorite sport...gymnastics! She is learning a lot about gymnastics, but I think her favorite part is wearing the pretty leotard!

Getting help with her backward somersault

On the balance beam...

Practicing a hand stand...

A Cute Comparison...Two 3yr Old Gymnasts

2009: Emmy 3yrs old

2004: Macey 3yrs old

Emmy's First Day of Gymnastics

Today was Emmy's very first day of gymnastics. She was a little nervous the first 10 minutes, so I had to go in and do the activities with her. But, after that, she warmed up and had a great time! Her favorite part was when her coach, Miss Deborah, shouted out a color and they had to run and touch something in the room that corresponded to that color. She also LOVED getting a stamp on her hand at the end of class.

Cutie Patootie

My two little gymnasts

Emmy on the balance beam!

A rare moment...3 yr olds sitting quietly and listening!

A big thumbs up on a FUN class!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Pitching Debut

Macey has been playing ball since she was 5 and has just started in a "kid-pitch" league. Since the girls are just learning to pitch (and hit off of a kid pitcher), if the pitcher walks two batters in a row, then the opposing coach steps in to coach to his batters.

This past weekend Macey made her pitching debut! I was very excited but also nervous for her because I watched 3 other girls before her on her team struggle...and who likes to watch their kid struggle, right? Well, I guess our practice in the backyard paid off because she did fantastic!! She pitched the last 3 innings of the game and in her first inning, she struck out the first batter, caught a pop fly from the 2nd batter, and struck out the 3rd batter!! In the next inning she also struck out 2 batters and in the 3rd inning she walked two in a row so the other team's coach came in to pitch. I was SO proud of her! After the game I asked her if she was nervous and she said she was, but she thought it was fun, too. :)

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Wedding Fun

We traveled to Hays this past weekend to attend Grady's cousin, Taryn's wedding. It was a good ol' western KS wedding and we all had a blast!

Grandpa Leon, Rick & Keith

Emmy looking very mischievious...don't worry, it was only water!

Here's a pic of the koozies they were giving to all of the Gaschlers.

Grandma Diana & Emmy

Look at these handsome Gaschler boys!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Jolee's First Day of School

My sweet little blue-eyed blonde is a kindergartner! It's so hard to believe that we now have 2 girls at the same school. She was SO excited today and absolutely LOVES her teacher. Her teacher, Mrs. Starling, is very warm and fuzzy just like Jolee is. Grady and I both managed to get out of the building today without shedding a tear...but it wasn't easy...

After school, Macey and Jolee are to meet at the flagpole and walk together. Macey is a good big sister and Jolee did not leave her side.

2009: Kindergarten

2008: Pre-K

2007: 3yr Preschool

Monday, August 17, 2009

Macey's First Day of School

2009: 3rd Grade

Today Macey is a 3rd grader. The summer absolutely flew by and now it's back to early bedtimes and homework! As I look at all of these "First Day of School" pictures, I can remember each of them like it was yesterday...

2008: 2nd Grade

2007: First Grade

2006: Kindergarten

2005: 4yr Preschool

2004: 3yr Preschool

A Grand Weekend at Grand Lake

Our neighbors and friends, Keith & Tiffany, invited our family to spend a weekend with their family at Grand Lake in Oklahoma. They have access to a very nice lake house on a very quiet cove. It was just what we needed! Talk about peace and quiet!...well, except for the kids playing, yelling, sometimes screaming...you get the picture! :) Here are a few pics of our weekend...

The view from the deck...ahh!

Just a pretty picture of the sunset on the water

Jolee doing a backfloat

Emmy being a mermaid

Macey, our little fishergirl

...still fishing

Macey & Daddy fishing

Grady enjoying the peace & quiet

front of lakehouse...doesn't do it justice (it was very nice inside!)

back of lakehouse (where we spent most of our time)

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!