Lafayette Zoo

The zoo at Columbian Park in Lafayette has been closed for renovations but opened again this summer. There are still some of the old favorites - the monkeys, a Lynx, and prairie dogs - as well as some new exhibits. I took the boys to the park last weekend and we decided to pop into the zoo and check it out. (There is no admission charge - bonus!) Walking in, there are several animal statues and I like how child friendly everything. There are also sprouting water fountains that brought out lots of piggy toes from little guests who wanted to play in the water. Here is picture of Nicklas doing a penguin impression.



The prairie dog exhibit isn't fabulous but they have added some tunnels for the kids to crawl through, allowing them to pop up into the actual exhibit.



There is also a butterfly garden which excited Seeger as he reenacts butterfly metamorphosis on weekly basis since learning about it in preschool last year. (He starts as a caterpillar, eating the leaves off my plants, turns into a cocoon by wrapping up into a blanket, and the popping out of the blanket and "flying" around the house.)




My favorite new exhibit is the petting farm. In this photo, Nicklas is running from the tractor that Seeger is driving.



Both boys enjoyed the petting zoo (although Nicklas was a little leery about touching the animals) which had a miniature horse, a pig, and several sheep.




There is still construction going on so we're anxious to see what other changes take place. Everything so far has been a great improvement and tribute to some of the special treats one can visit in Lafayette.

Dollars and sense

First, I want to give a shout to my mom who is celebrating her birthday today. I called her this morning before I went to work, hoping to be the first one to wish her happy birthday but she was already at her work and had been wished happy bday by everyone there. Sorry I couldn't be with you today but I hope enjoyed the evening with Jon and Jake.

I love you Mommy!

With school in full swing (Nicklas had homework for the first time today!), Mike and I have been discussing what activities we want to put the boys in. I'm the first to admit that I'm a pretty cheap individual. I dislike spending money (unless I'm in a casino) and I try to be thrifty. I hope my cheapness isn't annoying to others. I try to hide it. I tell people I'm frugal. But really, I'm just cheap. Along those lines, I am constantly complaining about the cost of the kids activities. Swimming lessons for 6 weeks at the Y costs around $60/each. And they spend 80% of the time hanging on the edge of the while while the instructors work with other kids. I want to Nicklas in piano lessons but it's $15 a lesson. Soccer and baseball aren't too bad but now that Seeger is getting old enough to participate, I'm less excited about signing them both up for things but I just don't want to keep shelling out the money.

Nick's best sport is swimming and Mike and I think its important for both boys to continue taking lessons. (Maybe we've been watching the Olympics too much.) So it looks like we're going to have Nicklas go out for a swim team run out of Jeff High School. The callout is Monday. I know it's going to cost a fortune! I would have preferred to have him do soccer which is only $25 for the season but the games are held on Saturday's which means he'd miss most this fall since we bought him an IU football season ticket this year. I don't know how much the swim team will cost but I may nix the idea if I think its too much.

One very inexpensive activity the boys recently participated in this summer is Fine Arts Camp. This was the third year for Nicklas and the first year for Seeger. Held at the beginning of August and put on by a church in downtown Lafayette, they went to camp from 8:45 - noon every day for a week. At camp they participated in sessions like music, singing, dancing, and arts and crafts. On Sunday, the campers performed at the church service.

Here is a group shot.

Here is Seeger with the other preschoolers, getting ready to sing.

Here is Nick's bell performance.

And he also sang and did choreography. I see a future First Editioner!

After the service, there was an art show. Seeger made a flower and some sort of seashell/cement thingie. Nicklas painted a picture with a hockey theme and attached modelling clay in the shape of a hockey player to it.

Most summer camps run $100-$200 per child (See the side picture - Nicklas went to Y camp for $150) but the Fine Arts Camp was only $25 per child. What a bargain!!!

A key to a happy home is... organization?

With the start of school, I've been trying to be more organized with things. I feel like organization is the key to running a smooth household and maintaining a purposeful routine will be good for the boys. (We had a routine this summer but it consisted of lounging around, playing Wii, and the occasional visit to the pool.) My goal is to have all my dinners planned out for the week so I can instruct hubby on getting it started while I make my way home during the work week. (I feel like last year we spent a good portion of the evening deciding what to eat and if we had any activities outside the house, we usually ended up with fast food because we didn't know what options we had at home.) I've also created a daily schedule that outlines play time, dinner, homework time, reading, with some other activities sprinkled in. I want to make time for activities like game night, visiting the library, doing family sports activities, and visiting the park so I feel like having a schedule will help make this happen. It's only been a few days but so far it's going really well. Nicklas loves having a schedule to go by. I wasn't sure how hubby would like it but so far he's been great at playing along. I think he likes having carved out time for fun things too.

Mommy's little helper

Seeger has been a bit whiny lately. It's not his personality - usually he's a jokester who likes to make us laugh. But lately, not so much. I'm not sure if he needs more attention from Mike and I or if he's tired of everyone being home all the time this summer. I think it's a combo of both and with Mike and Nicklas back in school, he has the house to himself again. Hopefully this will help. I'm also trying to give him more attention but I definitely don't get to sit and play with him as much as I'd like to. As a compromise, I've been trying to involve him in helping me with the daily chores as much as possible. He loves to "help" carry the laundry basket, push the buttons on the washing machine, "wash" the windows, "sweep" the floors, etc. This week, I've also gotten him involved with dinner prep. Yesterday he set the table. Tonight, he helped cook.


First his choose our side dish, Lipton noodles. He filled the saucepan with water, got the margarine from the refrigerator, emptied the packet into the water, and helped stir.



He also chose which fruit we'd eat.



Since I was taking pictures of him helping, he decided to take a picture of his daddy grilling the pork chops.



I've found another benefit to getting him to help with dinner. It makes him more interested in the food we're trying to get him to eat. If he had his way, he'd eat the same thing every day - Life cereal in the morning, a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich for lunch and macaroni and cheese with cut up hotdogs in the evening. But since we refuse to make his meals different from the rest of the family, meal times have been a bit of struggle. I continue to offer him a range of foods, even if he's turned certain things away before. Some days he won't like something and other days he will. We're definitely getting tired of hearing him say, "I don't like that!" Especially when we know he does. But at least we're hearing it a little less these days!

First day of school

School time is in the air in Indiana as retailers are promoting back-to-school specials, parents are shopping for school supplies, and the kiddos are trekking to their bus stops. A few weeks ago, Mike asked Nicklas if he was ready for school and he didn't seem that excited. But after shopping for his school supplies and clothes with the grandma's (between the MIL and my mom, I didn't have to buy anything for Nicklas except Sure-Lock ziplock bags - how awesome is that?!) he definitely was ready. Lafayette School Corporation had the latest start date but even though, August 17 seemed too early!


Nicklas attends Edgelea Elementary and they don't offer any time to find your classroom and put away your school supplies except the 25 minute prior to the start of school. Given that he had 3 target bags full of supplies in addition to his backpack, big Harry Potter hard cover book, and his lunch, I told him I'd bring his supplies for him. He wanted to ride the bus on the first day so he was picked up at 7:15 and I met him at school at 8:10. He was very excited to see his friends and he was anxious to find out who had been accepted into the Challenge program with him this year. He was happy to see the majority of his first grade class with Mrs. Cahill is now with Mrs. Snyder in second grade although two of his buddies are no longer in the program. He's going for the rocker look this year and has decided to spike his hair every morning. He was also excited to wear his Guitar Hero III t-shirt today!

Star Fling

Even though I haven't had a chance to do much quilting lately, I've spent the past few days planning my next project. Or I guess I should say the next group project. The MIL and I have decided to make a quilt to donate to a fundraiser in honor of Mike's cousins son - a two-year-old who is currently undergoing cancer treatment.


I've only made one other quilt for a fundraiser. It was for a Lafayette social service agency so it was easy to go with a Purdue theme. Deciding on a quilt for this fundraiser was a bit more difficult. It's taking place in Hazel Park, MI (Detroit area and hometown of the in-laws). We wanted to choose a pattern that was traditional and required a bit more skill. My quilts tend to lean toward modern/contemporary but we decided this probably wouldn't appeal to everyone. So we're going with old-fashioned looking pastel prints with a muslin background. My friend Christy came across this pattern (called Star Fling) that we chose.



I've done eight pointed stars before and they seem to be pretty popular in my quilts so I'm excited about this project. Because of our fabric choices, our quilt will look very different so it will be fun to compare the two. On Sunday, the MIL and I are getting together to start the quilt and we've invited our quilting friends to come and quilt with us. Hopefully they'll contribute some of their fabric to cause! We have less than seven weeks to complete this project so I hope we make some good progress this weekend.

Am I hugger?

I thought I was a hugger. Several years ago a co-worker informed me I wasn't one. I took exception. Afterall, she and a few others in the office gathered in her office, in private, for a big group hug EVERY MORNING. I thought it was a little weird. (Why else would they close the door, making the event exclusive?) So I considered her comment but dismissed it as coming from a hugger who passed judgement on all who weren't invited in to her special group.

But since then her comment has haunted me. I like to hug. I enjoy the act and it always makes me feel good to hug others. But I think I've come to realize that I make hugging much more personal than some other people do. Since the comment, I've studied the extreme huggers - those who hug often and indiscriminately. I often look at them with jealousy, wishing I could be so free with my own hugs. But I'm not. It's not natural to me. I limit my hugs to my husband and kids, my mom and dad, and those family and close friends I haven't seen or won't see for awhile. That's it. I feel a little sad and I'm sure I'll continue to envy those who hug more freely. Perhaps in the next few months, I'll make more of an effort. But I'm sure it will taper off and those comments from the former coworker will continue to bother me. So know this - if I hug you it means that I care a great deal about you and I'm happy to be a part of your life. And please feel free to hug me. Push past the 'no hug' vibe I give and hug away.

Hugs to everyone,
Natalie

hidden talent

Hubby has a great talent for singing along to songs. He LOVES music and always has his iPod on. This is often a good thing for me as I usually find an album that I like and I listen to it over and over again. So when his iPod is playing, I get to hear songs that I've long forgotten or new music I've never heard. When we're driving, neither of us is afraid to sing along. The problem - I'm terrible at knowing the correct lyrics. I always make them up. I'm like those guys in this Cingular commercial.

Hubby though, he always knows the words. I don't know how he does it. I can only properly sing along if I've listened to something repeatedly and repeatedly whereas he can hear it a few times and jump right in. And to his credit, he doesn't make fun of me or point out how off my rendition is. I'm off now to listen to the Fratellis For the Girl. I'm going to have to pull their lyrics off Google so I can keep up with hubby!

the boy knows how to follow directions

Nicklas just reminded me of a quick story that I had to share.... When he was in kindergarten, Nicklas went to the morning program and then was bussed to the YMCA for afternoon child care. It was a great program and he loved it, especially packing his lunch every day. For the first time, I didn't have much access to his lunch eating habits. I never packed a lunch growing up and I rarely do it now other than the occasional dismal Lean Cuisine meal. So I didn't really know what to pack or how much of it. It was tough for me because I didn't know what he ate, the order in which he ate, and how much he ate. I felt like I overpacked (better too much than not enough?) and after a few weeks of realizing that nothing ever came home, I became concerned about food getting thrown away. Always the frugal person, I cringed when he told me about uneaten apples and wrapped granola bars going into the trash. So I asked him to please bring home food that wasn't eaten.

So I shouldn't have been surprised when he came home the next day with yogurt all over the inside of his backpack. Yep, he's great a following directions. He ate part of his yogurt and put the rest in his backpack. It was my fault for not clarifying that he should only bring home food that hadn't been opened!

NYC - Day 4 & 5

I know, I know - it's been awhile since I posted. I would have finished up about our trip to NYC sooner however I was in Austin and then Washington DC with only two days in between and very little computer access. (This helped a bit with my facebook addition however having the mobile application on my blackberry prevented me from going through total withdrawal.)

So day 4 of our trip was a big one. Hubby and I took the boys to the city to see all the sights. Seeger loved riding the train from Sayville to Penn Station, although didn't seem as impressed about going under ground into the city as I would have thought. I think he's just such a jet setter that it takes much more to make a true impact.

Upon arriving at Penn Station, we hopped on the subway to downtown and Battery Park. Our first site of the day was the Statue of Liberty. At my mom's advice, I prepurchased tickets online however I didn't do it early enough to get tickets for going up to the monument. So our tickets were for the ferry ride to Liberty Island where we could still walk around and see the Statue up close - we just couldn't go up. Last time I visited the Statue of Liberty (about 12 years ago), I was able to climb to the top of the crown and look out. After 9/11, they only allow access to pedestal. I thought the boys might be bummed about not getting to go up but after waiting in line to catch the ferry and seeing the second line for the pedestal, we were all fine with missing out this time around. It was a beautiful day and we took several pictures however my favorite is this one that hubby took from the ferry boat.

We were able to get a nice family picture with the Manhattan skyline in the back.

After eating lunch on Liberty Island and walking around for a bit, we skipped the tour of Ellis Island (I don't think the boys would have really enjoyed it) and headed back to Battery Park. In hind site, hubby and I decided we probably should have skipped the Liberty Island ferry and taken the Staten Island ferry instead. The boys still would have gotten a good look at the Miss Liberty and we would have avoided the expense and wait of going to Liberty Island.

I didn't realize it but Battery Park is now home to "The Sphere" sculpture that stood outside the World Trade Center until 9/11. We didn't make the trip to Ground Zero but I'm happy (and sobered) that we were able to see it.

From Battery Park, we took the subway to Central Park so we could hit up FAO Schwartz. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to see much of Central Park other than the stinky horses but Nicklas was exited to recognize the Plaza Hotel from one of his favorite movies, Home Alone 2. After grabbing some drinks, we headed to the big toy store which had lots of cool Harry Potter stuff (which Nicklas loved) but no Thomas the Tank Engine (a bummer for Seeger). Hubby and the boys rocked the house on the Big Piano.

We walked around the store and checked out the different areas and it wasn't until we got the candy section until either boy asked for something. Seeger's eyes lit up at the bubble gum so how could I deny him the 50 cent treat? Nicklas picked out some cotton candy and we left the store and headed to the Empire State Building. We debated on taking the subway but decided to try and walk the 25 blocks instead. It was hubby's idea to walk and he took the brunt of it by carrying Seeger on his shoulders for almost 18 blocks. He's such a rock star!

I had also prepurchased tickets to the Empire State building which unfortunately didn't mean we got to go up to the observatory any sooner than the thousand or so other people who were also visiting that day. I'm guessing we waited in line for about 2 hours but the boys did great and didn't complain at all about the wait. They are remodeling the 80th floor observatory so it was pretty crowded on the 86th floor. We were able to squeeze in and get a few shots of the city but miserably failed at getting a nice family shot.

We didn't spend nearly as much time at the top as I would have liked but with the crowd and evening time upon us, I was ready to get back to ground level and search for dinner. We made our way to Penn Station, stopping at Jack Dempsey's pub for dinner.

Hubby and I were successful in getting on the correct train the second time around however we didn't think about the fact that it was Friday and all the city folks were headed to the Hampton's for the weekend. Did you know you can openly drink beer on the Long Island Railroad? There was a definite party atmosphere and lots of confused people who kept stopping the train because they were missing their stop. But as it was our last day of vacation, we didn't mind the extra time it took to get back to Aunt Carolyn's. When we returned, the boys headed to bed and hubby and I enjoyed staying up to chat with Carolyn and Bob. It was a great visit and I'm always amazed at how much I enjoy family vacations with the boys - they don't fight or have tantrums and they always seem to enjoy the activities we do. We always end up having a great time. As they get older, I hope they continue to appreciate that we are able to have nice vacations.

Day five was Saturday. We woke up, bid farewell to Aunt Carolyn who had to go into work. We took a quick picture before she left.

Uncle Bob graciously drove us to LaGuardia for our 1pm flight. I started this post saying that Seeger is such a jet setter. Doesn't he look it in this photo at the airport?

We arrived all safe and sound in Lafayette that evening. Thanks again to Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Bob for having us. We can't wait to come back for another visit!

NYC - Day 3

Day three was a nice treat for everyone. Aunt Carolyn volunteered to spend the day with the boys while hubby and I headed into the city for exploring. We had decided the evening before we just wanted to walk around the city and check things out and maybe also cross the Brooklyn Bridge. When we woke up that morning, it was raining and had been for several hours. We debated on taking our exploring inside to a museum but fortunately by the time we made it the city, the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking through. The trip to Manhattan from Aunt Carolyn’s consists of 90 minute train ride (with a transfer at Babylon) to Penn Station. Carolyn had given me a book with points of interest in the various neighborhoods. We did A LOT of walking – through Chelsea…




Through Greenwich Village…

Here we ate at Patsy’s Pizzeria where they seated us in a table at the window overlooking the activity on the street.

Through NYU…

Through Soho…

Through Chinatown…

Through the Lower East Side and the Civic area…

Finally, we made it to the Brooklyn Bridge! As we began our trek over the bridge, it was really neat to see the different views of the Manhattan skyline as well as Brooklyn. The bridge spans over one mile long and was pretty busy with walkers and bikers. We stopped often to take pictures and read the various plaques.

And finally, we made it across the bridge…



Once we arrived in Brooklyn, we decided to grab a drink and take a break. We found a café close to the bridge, ordered some drinks and dessert, and copped a squat on a grassy lawn of an apartment building next to the café. In deciding on what to do next, we were informed that we were sitting on private property (we also noticed a car parked at the building that had a license plate for “Supreme Court 1”). Cutting our rest short, we found the subway and headed back to Manhattan.

The night before, hubby and I had decided to see a show while in the city so we purchased tickets to Avenue Q. We took the subway from Brooklyn to 42nd Street and found the box office so we could pick up our tickets. After that, we walked around the Theater District and through Times Square and then headed over to 9th Avenue. We were tired from all the walking and decided to get a drink at a pub and then find a place for dinner. We found a cute little trattoria where hubby had lobster ravioli and I enjoyed chicken parmigiana.

After dinner, we headed to the theater for the show. Mike and I had been wanting to see Avenue Q since our last visit to Las Vegas. I used to do puppeteering when I worked in social work (I did puppet shows for children about recognizing signs of sexual abuse) so I was definitely interested in how puppets would be incorporated into a broadway show. And hubby was attracted to the “adult Sesame Street” theme. I won’t say a lot about the show. It definitely was adult, it definitely had a Sesame Street theme, and it was funny. It wasn’t thought provoking but it’s always nice to laugh. It definitely was a one of the kind show.

After dinner, we scampered to Penn Station, hoping to catch the 10:30 train back to Sayville, knowing we would have to wait a full hour before the next train. While we made the train, we realized we were on the wrong one and had missed our transfer in Babylon which caused us to wait for the later train, putting in Sayville the same time as if we’d had taken the 11:30 train. But after the day of walking, walking, and more walking, we didn’t mind the rest too much!

NYC - Day 2

Hubby's chosen activity – a Yankees game – was on the schedule for day two of our vacation. Not wanting to keep the boys up late (or navigate the Bronx late at night), we chose a day game versus the Minnesota Twins. We leisurely got around in the morning with both boys getting back to the toys they’d discovered at Aunt Carolyn’s house. Nicklas stuck to the pirate legos, while Seeger and I did some play-do that Carolyn had borrowed from a neighbor. Check out the tiger I made!

Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Bob were nice enough to let us borrow their van to drive to Yankees stadium so we set off around 10 AM. We chose a scenic route that took us along the Long Island Sound and over the Throgs Neck Bridge. Getting to the stadium was pretty easy and parking was only $20. We had bought our tickets on Stub Hub a few months ago and went with the cheap bleacher seats. We didn’t realize it at the time but there is no alcohol served in the bleacher seats (which is nice since we had the kids) and there also isn’t access to the rest of the stadium (a bummer for all of us). So we were pretty limited with exploring but the popcorn, pretzels, peanuts, hotdogs, Twizzlers, and M&M’s that we bought were a nice distraction.

The game was a fun – what I’d classify as a good game since there were lots of hits and running the bases. Hubby rolls his eyes when I say this because he says that no-hitters are “good” baseball. But really, I think that’s just boring. I kept my eye out for Madonna since she’s such a big Yankees fan but I don’t think she usually sits in the bleacher seats.

After the game, we headed back to Aunt Carolyn’s where she and Uncle Bob made us an awesome tuna dinner (I hate tuna and I generally don’t like fish but it was really, really yummy!) with lots of veggies from their garden. We enjoyed the relaxing evening and it was nice to sit outside with them and share a nice bottle of wine. Their backyard is like a little garden retreat and certainly gets me thinking about all the potential we have for landscaping our yard. This is a photo of hubby and Seeger right before dinner.

Day three – coming soon!

NYC - Day 1

I've been meaning to post about our family vacation to New York so I thought I'd break things down by each day since I'll probably never have enough time to write about the entire trip in one sitting. Anyway... Last year, hubby, the boys, and I, plus hubby's parents flew to San Diego for a family wedding. On the way home, we took a bump from Northwest and each of us received a $300 travel voucher for any NWA flight. After the first bump, hubby and Nicklas took a second one and ended up spending the night in Minnesota. So we essentially received $1800 in credit from Northwest (and people wonder why the airlines are going bankrupt?).

So this summer, we asked Nicklas to choose some place in the United States that he's like to visit. I was relieved when he said New York City since I have an Aunt who lives on Long Island and is always asking us to visit - thereby making the vacation a bit more affordable. One night at dinner, we all planned the one or two activities we wanted to do during our visit. Hubby wanted to go to a Yankees game since this is the last year for their stadium. I wanted to visit Fire Island and spend time at the beach. Seeger wanted to ride a train, and Nicklas wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. We were able to incorporate everything and more into our visit.

We flew out of Indy pretty early, arriving at LaGuardia around 9:30. Aunt Carolyn was gracious enough to pick us up and drive us back to her house. Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Bob live on the southern shore of Long Island in the small town of Bayport, about an hour from the city. I'd been to visit her two other times and the older I get, the more I appreciate the beauty of the area she lives in - lots of cute homes/bungalows and charming down towns with cool looking shops; all with a definite influence of being located on the shore but not too "Hampton-y". After settling in at aunt Carolyn's, we took a quick drive to the ferry stop in Sayville.

As you can see in this picture, Seeger looks like he's winking. He's not! The day before we left for our trip, his left eye became very swollen from what we think was a bug bite. It didn't really bother him but it looked terrible! I felt so bad for him (although he didn't seem to mind!) After a few days and several doses of Benadryl, it finally cleared up!

The day at the beach started as cloudy and cool (after several days of hot and humid, according to Carolyn) but by the time we got on the ferry, the sun started to shine through. Our ferry ride took us to Sailor's Haven and the Sunken Forest. For those not familiar with Fire Island, it is a barrier island south of Long Island that is several miles long but it’s width is very short, ¼ of a mile at most. Ferries from various towns in Long Island take tourists and day trippers to the various small towns on Fire Island but the permanent population is very small (less than 500, I think). Most Fire Island towns do not allow cars and a few towns are very popular with the LGBT communities.

When we first arrived at Fire Island, we had a quick snack and followed the boardwalk across the island to the beach. It was the third time the boys had been in the ocean and as usual, Nicklas spent most his time with hubby, playing in the waves while Seeger played in the sand. It fits their personality so well. Nicklas likes big adventures like battling with and disappearing under the waves (as long as dad is there to talk him into it) and Seeger hangs back with mom and chills out, playing with the sand toys, rolling in the sand, looking for seashells. Hubby and I also enjoyed burying the boys in the sand.

I was a little nervous about the beach – you never know what can happen with tides, currents and sharks oh my – but thankfully, there were lifeguards there. There were also lots of jellyfish and remembering the episode of Friends where Monica had to pee on Chandler, I freaked out about one of the boys getting stung. One of the lifeguards assured me that the jellyfish weren’t the stinging kind though (and he was gracious enough to not make fun of me for asking).

I had to post this picture because after posting it on Facebook, one of my friends asked me if we were at a nude beach. I didn't realize it until she said it but it does look like I'm naked. I can assure you I am NOT naked - just wearing a strapless bathing suit! After a few hours, we headed back to catch the last ferry from the Island, stopping to walk through a portion of the miles long boardwalk that winds through the Sunken Forest. The Sunken Forest is surrounded by sand dunes, giving it the appearance that it’s below sea level (not the case) which is how it got its name. It was beautiful see the birds and trees which are twisted and shaped by the constant spray of the saltwater.

This is a picture of the boys walking from the beach toward the Sunken Forest. Below is a picture of the forest. I definitely wasn't able to capture the beauty of the forest and its twisted trees.

After returning on the ferry, Aunt Carolyn picked us up we went back to her house for a yummy chicken dinner. Although I had brought a backpack of toys and activities for Nicklas and Seeger, they enjoyed spending the evening looking through the toys Aunt Carolyn let them play with that are leftovers from cousins Andy and Molly.

Day 2 of NYC coming soon!

Kaffe Fasset quilt

In addition to helping my friend Beth with her quilt, I've been working on a new project for myself. I was inspired by several Kaffe Fasset quilts I saw on Flickr and thought I'd try my own version. I started by making a bunch of random, different sized blocks from scraps and strips I had. I love how there really isn't a pattern and I can make the blocks as big or little as I want. The downside is that I sometimes have to really cut down the blocks to get them to fit. But so far, I'm really happy with how its turned out.




The project has been on hold for a few weeks while Mike and I have been doing some decorating projects but I hope to get back to it soon. I'm in a fabric stashbusting contest with six other quilters so the more quilts I complete, the more points I receive.

Beth's quilt

As an avid (and addicted) quilter, I am always excited to find other quilters or those who are interested in quilting. About 10 years ago, my mother-in-law helped me make my first quilt. She was a great teacher and nearly 50 quilts later, it continues to be my favorite hobby. I’m fortunate that my good friend Christy shares my passion for quilting, as well as my mom. I have a few other friends who have recently shown interest and I’m doing all I can to encourage that interest. I’ve been giving quilting lessons to my friend, Beth, who is working on beautiful lap quilt. She started her quilt this past school year while she and her husband were living at Mississippi State for her husband’s one-year veterinary medicine internship. With his long hours, it was a good time for Beth to give it a try. She finished the top of her quilt and came over the other day so I could help her layer and pin it. I’m so proud of how well she’s done and I love the blue and brown fabrics she chose.

We went to Joann Fabrics to pick out fabric for the back and found some brown that matched pretty nicely but as we headed over the batting section, we came across this great mix of brown and blue circle that was perfect. For some reason it was with the greens.

Hopefully Beth will spend the next few weeks quilting away. I can’t wait to see the finished product!

scary movies

Nicklas thinks its funny that I get freaked out by scary movies. It's true, I can't stand to watch them which is unfortunate for Mike because he loves a good suspense film. I would feel bad about this except that he dislikes the romance movies I enjoy so I figure we're even. Anyway, I was a little annoyed that my seven-year-old is making fun of me when I realized that a scary movie to him is Harry Potter. (We are pretty strict on letting him watch PG-13 movies and would never allow him to see a movie that's rated R.) I pointed out to Mike that until Nicklas watches something truly scary/suspenseful, they're not allowed to make fun of me anymore!

the power of NO

I have to share a quick story about Nicklas. Hubby and I are so lucky to have Nicklas as a son. For the most part, he makes parenting easy. He was an easy baby - he slept through the night, rarely was sick, and was generally happy. As a toddler, he was easy going. He shared his toys and listened well to instructions. I can only think of one "tantrum" he had that ensued with a quick exit from WalMart.

Now that he's school age, his incredible intelligence and sensitivity guides him in life. He rarely challenges hubby and I and we expect a lot from him. (I know we probably expect too much as he's only seven but his maturity levels leads us to forget his young age.) I'm sure there are some that would say we're too hard on him. (The MIL made a comment once.) Maybe it's the fact that he's the first born. Or maybe it's because we're afraid to let up on him for fear he'll revert backwards. I'm not sure but balancing our discipline and parenting styles with his age and maturity is becoming increasingly difficult.

Anyway, back to my story. Last night we were getting ready to sit down for dinner and Nicklas was shirtless (he and Seeger had been squirting water at each other outside so he took his shirt off). Since we had a guest over who was joining us for dinner, I asked Nicklas to put a shirt on. His response was "no".

For those of you who know Nicklas, I'm sure you're surprised. He is typically well-mannered, helpful, and although he doesn't always appreciate my requests, he does them with little complaining. So the "no" thing is something new for him. He's getting older and learning he can make his own choices. And now, I think he's testing us. Or maybe he's just testing me because this is the fourth time he's responded in that manner - but always to me, never to hubby. (We're both tough but hubby's definitely tougher!) Every time he's said no, it's been with an air of uncertainty. He'll say it quietly or as he's turning his back to walk away. He learned at a young age that it isn't appropriate to say no to a parent; that if he's asked to do something, he's expected to do it. So this change in him has been a bit surprising. The first time was a few weeks ago. I don't even remember what he was responding to but as soon as the no came from his mouth, I gave him a warning, "Nicklas, you don't say no when I ask you to do something. This is a warning and if it happens again, no Wii for a week." The second time (about a week later) he said No and quickly apologized when he saw the look I gave him. (I let it slide, since he went to do whatever it was I told him to do right away.) The third time was not long after and since the no was tentative and barely audible, I didn't follow-thru on the original threat. I probably should have since my number one rule in parenting is to ALWAYS follow-thru. But we were on vacation and it didn't seem like the time or place. But I did give him a second warning, telling him I was serious about losing the Wii for a week if he said no to me again. And then it happened last night. So of course, I had to issue the punishment. When he told me no, I responded that he lost all electronic media privileges for a week. (We limit his total combined time on of watching tv, playing Wii, or being on the computer to two hours a day.)

The good news is he quickly apologized and was a sweetheart for the rest of the night. I know he felt bad and I'm sure it will be awhile (hopefully LONG while) before it happens again. I feel sad and bummed for him because I know he's sad and bummed but I also know he'll quickly get over it and it will be good for him to do more reading, outdoor time, and playing with his toys. Of course, he has all sorts of questions about his punishment. Does it apply when he's at other people's houses? Does it count when he's playing Harry Potter "Scene It"? He's not yet a teenager but he's already honing his negotiating skills!