Staff Appreciation

Mason's school is doing staff appreciation week and the theme is cowboy. Today is dress up like a cowboy and we did just that! We have one fine looking cowboy!!!

Rainy Day

It got quiet and I went looking for my pal and found him looking out the window reflecting on the rainy day!
They are right when they say the little things warm your heart! These are the memories I never want to forget or let fade away in my always buzzing mommy brain!

Bryson 19 Months

Not much has changed in the past month with Bryson other than the frequency he pats my leg to show me something or to lead me to what he wants. Not much of a talker, but I am sure that will change. He loves the cat and is usually nice to her, he does attempt to pick her up. Sometimes he is successful at carrying her around and other times not so much. I should get a picture, but poor DC is so old I feel sorry for her so I rescue her. He is easy with the cat, but mean to the dog. Which isn't good because Hudson is getting old and not doing so good in health. Thankgoodness his a gentle dog to the kids because Bryson isn't so gentle with him. All my other kids never took to using utensils. I am not sure they have taken to using utensils rather than fingers, but Bryson prefers utensils. Sure he isn't very good at using them, but he loves to try and we let him. He also LOVES bubbles. This man loves to play with bubbles, chase bubbles, blow bubbles, and pop bubbles. Anything with bubbles and he is captivated. I am sure I am forgetting to write something about him, but still a great kid. We get compliments all the time from MDO, church nursery, baby sitters, and the list could go on commenting on how sweet he is. All these places he is on his own without his sister. He worships what she does, but Ellery doesn't view it that way so they battle for everything. She is getting smart and learning that Bryson wants what she wants so she will give it to him and then go get something else so he will want that and then she gives him that and gets what she originally had from the start! I should start giving away tickets to the Chaplin household shows, they are a hoot!

Did you get the Memo?

At least I know I am somewhat fashionable and have good taste? We all showed up to Ellery's party dressed alike! We didn't send a memo, but it sure looks like we did! We are a "hot mess"!

Ellery 4th Birthday Party

Happy Birthday Ellery

We have a 4 year old! 

I don't have a tattoo, but I might as well get one that says sucker or deal catcher. I generally don't like to shop, but when I do watch out. I am either in a buying mood or not. I happened to be in a  buying mood when I hit toys-r-us. Phey on them for having mark downs. I had some deal bucks to spend and did I spend them. It really is a brilliant marketing ploy on their part. Spend money in our store and we will send you coupons so you can buy more. I had $40 to spend and I went in with the intentions to find something that was $40. Not spend an additional $40. They marked down this Barbie car to $90. I couldn't resist it so I got it for Ellery's big 4. When she turns 16 and asks for a car we can tell her we already bought one for her! She did have a really short list for Christmas, she wanted a Barbie car and a Barbie doll house. Now she has both! It did also give us a glimpse of what it will look like with Ellery driving Bryson around. He was a compliant passenger and happy as can be to be a part of her driving life. She was happy toting him around, we might have to show them their compliance in a few years! Mason was also super excited to drive and run after everyone!

Birthday Pizza Dinner

We took our little miss 3 year old out for a pizza dinner for her birthday. Not quite her birthday, but almost. I can't believe she is going to be 4. She technically isn't a handful yet, but sometimes we think she it. If you ask her she would tell you that she is handful. She is by far more opinionated than the rest of them. I have said it before and I will probably keep saying it. She knows what she wants, when she wants, and how she wants it and you have to plead a hard case to convince her otherwise. She loves everything life has to offer her and isn't afraid to try it. The only time she is clingy is when she is competing with Bryson for my touch. I always say my kids are my greatest accessory, but Ellery and Bryson would let me carry them to the end of the earth. Personal touch is high on their list. If I sit, one of them is in my lap. If that one gets out the other one will get it!
List of Ellery's likes:
She adores books. We usually have a book on us at all times. Not to mention her bed is full of them. If you move them off her bed she pouts and puts them all back in place. Sure it looks like they don't have a place on her bed, but she has her own dewy decimal system and it actually works for her. If we don't have a book she likes to bring a stuffed animal. She isn't stuck on one animal, but they are all named the same or similar names with an H. Hailey or Hayden are her current favorite names. She still loves her blankie and sucks her two fingers when she is tired or relaxing. I think we are going to have to take blankie from her to break this habit. She loves the silky textures. She is a huge fan of Barbie. She will play at her Barbie house for an hour+. Her Barbie house is also occupied by Lego men, my little ponies, Batman toys, and princess dolls. Princess dolls are a strong second for her. She also loves anything that is girly girl. She loves pink and purple. I could ramble on on about her. Rob keeps saying he is in trouble because she is a mini me. I take it as a compliment, but I really do understand what makes her tick! I am one blessed mom to have this little girl!

Pretend Birthday

Our breakfast discussions are a great time. I think my kids use it as a time to reflect on the day about to begin rather on reflecting on what just happened. I can usually reflect on what just happened after I listen to them. Ellery is very persistent and over breakfast she is talking to Mason about her birthday and how today she is taking treats to school for her pretend birthday. Mason is confused and asking her about her big day and about her half birthday. Ever since school lets the summer birthdays celebrate their half birthday he is a proud announcer that he is 5.5 years old and then wants to know if Ellery is 3.5 years old with her birthday coming up. I don't think he has the concept of 1/2 down? Anyways, she is telling him how this is her pretend birthday, her real birthday is on Sunday. He then keeps telling her that she isn't 4 yet, but still 3.5. It was all too funny, so I let them have a cupcake for breakfast! Mason then asks if he can have a pretend bite of her cupcake. Then he goes on well maybe a teeny tiny rabbit bite. Please Ellery can I just have a rabbit bite? He was denied his request and off she went to celebrate her pretend birthday! Siblings, no one really understands that relationship except the siblings!!!

No School

We didn't have any school today so a group from school decided to meet at The Playdazium at Skatedaze! Sure we just went, but the kids were super excited to go back again so soon! Mason's best friend Sam went with us and Mason and Sam happened to dress alike for the day! These boys just warm my heart!

Mail is Here

Papaw and Grandma Debbie are on top of sending presents in the mail. These cute PJ's are silky and came with cute house slippers. I thought when Debbie was ordering them, she was ordering for Christmas so I told her to get a bigger size, but they decided to send them for her birthday. I need to open my ears better. It really didn't matter because Ellery LOVES them and just wears the shirt as a nightgown. Her love for them will last more than one season, and who doesn't love that?!

Stormacaine

We have been learning a bit too much about storms around here. Ellery learned about tornado drills at school and has become obsessed with setting a plan in our house along with talking about them. Mason brought home a book from the library about hurricanes, and enjoyed reading and learning about a different kind of storm. It upset Ellery and she wouldn't go to bed because she was scared of the "stormacaine". It didn't upset Mason, but inspired him to draw at free choice center at school on recycled paper a tornado meets a hurricane!

Shoe Tie

Mason can tie his shoes! Finally! We bought a pair of tie shoes a month ago and set the rule that he could wear them if he learned how to tie them. The skill took more work than what Mason anticipated so he chose not to wear them. On went life and a few weeks later we decided to try again. Mason likes the Cars 2 matchbox cars so we decided to use them as incentive. Yeah, it worked. If he tied his shoes 7 times he would get the yellow car. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 I get a car-Yellow!

Another Mark

You know the slow motion times in life where you can't stop the falling object or catch the falling baby, but yet you can process "that is going to leave a mark!" We had one today!
Poor Bryson had a run in with a picture hanging on the wall in his toy kitchen. For some reason it was resting on top of the toy kitchen and not on the nail on the wall. He was busy cooking up a storm and when he got inside the refrigerator and closed it with a bang, the picture went bang! It almost missed him, but the edge of the frame cut him just below his eye!

RIP-Lucky

Oh, my goal is actually see what the average life span of a beta fish really is and not the lifespan they get in our household. While we were having a great time in KC, our fish wasn't having such a good time. He has been acting funny for some time, but we adapted to his normal and made it our own normal for a fish. He wouldn't swim to the bottom of the bowl and if he did it was sideways? So while we were gone, he floated to a better place. We didn't tell the kids, Rob just went and bought a new fish and put him in the tank and on our life went. Mason did get a bit suspicious.

Per Mason one morning discussing his thoughts on Lucky:

He was so different, but I am I don't know how he could be different?

Lucky got fatter. Also, when he got fatter he got a little more reddish on his sides and is moving more? I now keep looking at him every day to see if he is going to keep getting fatter.

I actually think he did all this growing fatter while I was sleeping?
I didn't have the heart to tell Mason that it was a "new" lucky. When we are gone on trips and he is ready to go home he tells me that he can't wait to get home because he misses lucky.

T-Rex Cafe

We couldn't go to GWL without hitting the T-Rex Cafe. I should tattoo sucker on myself, or Rob for that matter. I made him make the decision on if we were coming out with another animal this year. I knew exactly what I was doing because I knew he wouldn't say no to the kids and I secretly wanted to let them get another one as well! Our newest stuffed pets are Haley and Speedy. They are already loved dearly!
The funny of the night is that I downloaded pictures to the computer before we left, I also left the memory card in the computer. So when we were out eating and attempting to take pictures we figured out my forgetful moment when we couldn't capture the moment! Oooops

The Great Wolf Lodge

We took a mini family vacation to KC to hit the Lodge, The Great Wold Lodge that it! We met up with our friends and had a fantastic time! The kids loved everything the Lodge had to offer. Mason was tall enough this year to do all the slides, we did the great big green one that we refer to as the toilet bowl. We think it swirls you around like you are being flushed down a toilet! He was even brave enough to stand somewhat close to the big bucket that pours out water. Ellery enjoyed it as well, but she liked cuddling under all the towels to get warm. Bryson liked it, but not as much as we thought he would. It could of been us shoving him down slides and making him float the lazy river non-stop, but having a kid that doesn't talk so much does have its perks. He can't complain about the stay if he doesn't talk! Since he is a great easy going kid, we really didn't have a problem with him!
If you want to see other fun pictures of the event click on the link below. 
http://alittlebitofthisthat.blogspot.com/2012/02/quick-get-away.html

Parent Teacher Conference

We had Mason's parent teacher conference. He did get a great report. He is able to do all the work and grasps concepts, but he is loosing focus at school. Instead of doing his best work he rushes through his work or gets distracted by the other kids and doesn't do it the school way. Take his writing in the attached picture. The teacher read the book The Paper Bag Princess before she read the end of the book to them she asked them to write what they thought she should do. Mason has thoughts and visions, we just need to work on keeping him focused!

Mason's School Valentines Party

I have mixed feelings about being a head party mom. I don't know where the balance is with working with non-crafty moms vs crafty moms. It is fun to do crafty things for 25, but not for 75? So do you ask the non-crafty mom to do it or do you not do it? We were supposed to be doing the same party for all 3 classes, but scheduling conflicts due to busy schedules made it too difficult so I decided to plan my party and if someone wanted to use my ideas they could. I really do enjoy these things!Not that excited over the craft, but we were able to decide upon this as a group without meeting prior to crazy schedules. Mason enjoyed making one a sample for the group so I think it will be fun for the kids. Where our planners ran into problems was running stations. I like to run stations and have a group snack at the end and play a fun game if time permits as a group. In this case we would play Cupid Says. The other moms don't like running stations, but yet they wanted to place the kids in groups and do the activities together. I call that stations, but whatever works for you go for it?
here is what I came up with:

GAMES:

Pin the Eyes on Mrs. Farley - Played just like pin the tail on the donkey, blindfold one child spin them around and send them in the direction of Mrs. Farley and let them stick a googly eye on her.

Conversation Heart Toss - throw a conversation candy heart into a bucket. Place kids in two groups and see how many hearts they can get into a bucket while taking turns.

Surprise Kisses - A lot like pass the pumpkin to music, but this one is boxes and each time the music stops the kid with the box opens the box to find another box inside. Continue until no more boxes to unwrap. We tell the kids that whoever unwraps the last of the boxes has to give everyone a kiss. No one will want to do it, but when the final box is opened they will find they get to hand out hershey kisses to everyone in the group.

Stacking Heart Challenge - Set up a bowl of candy hearts on a table and see who can make the tallest tower by stacking them up onto of each other. Count the highest number they are able to stack. Our back up game is Steal My Hearts - Letting the kids try to use chopsticks and put them in a bowl or pile. No one will be able to use the chopsticks properly, but they should enjoy holding them in each hand trying to pick up the hearts. At the end of the game have the kids find their initials out of all the soap letters.

The party was a hit and I couldn't resist these two cuties! I hope their friendship keeps growing over the years. Sam and Mason are two peas in a pod!

Happy Valentines Day

Ellery went around the house giving out Valentines to everyone. She had signed her name to them and left one for everyone. The cat and dog had one next to their food source. She left Lucky's below his fish bowl. I had one on my side of the bed and Rob's was on his side, but on his night stand. Mine was left on the floor, while Bryson's was left under his crib so he wouldn't eat it. I wasn't sure what she was trying to tell me leaving mine on the floor? Mason's was left beside his bed as well. He got two one on his bedside table and one on the floor? She was very thoughtful in her giving and had put a lot of thought on exactly where to put them, we just don't know those thoughts!

Candle Light Dinner

I do love sitting at the table with the family at night. I might get tired of prep work and clean up, but I enjoy everyone. It is a great way to end the day. Usually someone has something very interesting to share or I should say interesting statements are used!
Since it was so close to Valentine's Day I treated us to hot dogs by candle light! We turned out the lights and ate while watching the candle flicker. Ellery was a bit concerned about the fire aspect, but we moved onto other topics before that topic could go any other place. Everyone was very excited and liked the ambiance. We actually talked about ambiance so Mason and Ellery had a good time. It was hysterical listening to them talk about the ambiance. Thank goodness we choose that word rather than romantic. I don't want to go down that path yet. Mason might not be that inquisitive, he tends to ask his question get his answer and move on, but Ellery likes to ask more in depth questions. One could only imagine what path we would go down with romantic!

Swim Lessons

I know I don't think correctly on this, but I sign the kids up for swim lessons in the fall/winter/beginning of spring and cancel in the summer. Silly of me really since they swim more in the summer, but I just feel silly paying for swim lessons while they are swimming all summer? I don't think anyone else can understand my thoughts, but the only one who matters if they understand my thoughts is me so this is how we roll in the swimming world! If they couldn't swim or were having difficulty I would keep them in year round, but they are doing great!

Rosie Rocks the Ranch

Oh Rob is such a good sport with my volunteer work. This year is was Rockin Rosie Rocks the Ranch. A great ranch theme where I did dress the part more than Rob. I wore riding boots, belt buckle, bandanna around the neck, and a hat while Rob rocked the bandanna around the neck only. We did our usual thing at the benefit. We had a lot of drinks and hit the auction tables. We only came out with the Razor RipRider 360 Caster Tricycle, cones, and signs that blow up that say caution, stop, etc. Mason will be super excited to play on his new toy! Thank goodness we were outbid on all the other items!

Tents

I can't resist a good tent making day! Sure you can hardly walk in our living room, but it is a great cave for reading and playing! Hours and hours of fun!

Ellery Coloring Valentine's Box

I think Ellery got bored with today's craft project and decided to color herself instead?

Mason had to make a Valentine box for school, so we had Ellery make one as well. My friend Ann had a brilliant idea to use a cereal box. Since Mason has a large class, they are cramped for space, so this worked out great. I did struggle letting the kids decorate the box, I wanted to make them what I consider pretty, but their pretty is open to interpretation. I wanted to make it into an animal or keep a theme, but I was overruled with stickers and coloring. These are the hard days for my perfect decorating skills. I must remind myself that it isn't my box, and making it a perfect pretty doesn't bring my children joy like it does ME!

Winter Wonderland

I know my snapshot doesn't even capture the beauty we woke up to this am. I wish I had camera skills that I could capture the beauty, but then everyone would have been late to school, so we just ewwwed and ahhhhhhed all the way to school this morning!

Bryson Position

It isn't that uncommon to now find Bryson sitting in chairs and getting into things that he really shouldn't be getting into. He loves digging through the desk drawer and finding items I didn't know we had. He still loves carrying around tiny objects, the tinier the better! He also likes to find the right size pencils and pens and drop them through the cane seat of the chair. Ellery then comes running trying to find her papers and pencils that Bryson isn't allowed to have, which then turns into our everyday situation. Bryson wants what Ellery has or anything that is hers! She loves pink therefore Bryson loves pink. He is biased to anything she shows a preference for. She is starting to figure the system out. Give Bryson what she has, go find something else so he will want that, he then drops what she originally had, and goes for the second object, she then gives it to him willingly. He now has something that she just had, but she got back what she originally wanted.

Super Bowl Sunday

Ellery went downstairs and came back up chanting "I'm a football player" wearing a football helmet. Not the correct ball choice, but still I got a kick out of it!

Rob is working all day and all night. I am secretly celebrating that we don't have to go to a super bowl party. I can watch the game for what I watch it for, the commercials. At the party everyone watches the games and talks during commercials and I treat it opposite, so I don't think anyone missed me either!

Snow Fun

We finally got some snow and had time to play in it. I was beginning to think that my snow pant purchases where going to go to waste! Bryson didn't have much interest in walking in it. He was very content being pulled around in the sled.

Hudson was sad that he had to stay in the yard while everyone went sledding. I did push Bryson down the hill a few times without much of a response from him?

Ellery and Mason had a great time playing in the snow!

God Made Me

We are playing dolls on the floor and Ellery is admiring the girl and wants green shoes like her with pink flowers. She then says she wants to grow her hair out so she can wrap her braid around to the side and have it over her front shoulder. Then out of the blue she states "Why didn't God make me beautiful like her" Pull out the parenting books! I haven't had to have these talks with Mason so I stuttered over my words with Ellery, but I think we are on the right path!

Family Picture

Without even planning it we did kid spacing spectacular. When Ellery is turning 4ish the other two are around their 1/2 birthdays and vice versa. So we call this Ellery's 4 year old pictures, Mason's 5.5, and Bryson's 1.5. BONUS!

Bryson wasn't very cooperative after the family shots, but I think everyone turned out cute! Biased, you bet cha! If only every day of motherhood was this picture perfect!

Mason Thoghts

Mason isn't as funny as Ellery, but he gets a few in.

Today he had a statement for me and he had given this one a lot of thought.

Mason: Mom, did you know even if your kids get taller than their parents, they are still the kids parents?

Poor Mason, he is tall for his age and it is hard for him and his friends to figure out that he is younger than they are but yet he is taller. Someone told him that taller=older and we have had to do some convincing him otherwise.

The other thing we are working on is that shoes don't make you faster. For some reason his green tie shoes make him run faster than his other shoes. 1. due to the shoes and 2. they are lighter than his other shoes making them able to run faster. No matter how I try to explain this one to him, he isn't catching on. We can't wear tie shoes on PE days because they make him run so fast that he can't stop himself before running into the wall?