Peanut Butter

My favorite pie is peanut butter pie. I like peanut butter on my pancakes, my toast, my apples, and of course, my sandwiches. On Monday, I made peanut butter bars. By Tuesday evening I was washing the pan where they once were and feeling a little sick.
When I was in kindergarten, I found a new way to enjoy my peanut butter. At that time, jam was not desirable on my sandwiches. So instead of slabbing PB on one slice, jam on the other and slapping them together, I would spread the PB on one slice, then top it with sliced cheese and microwave it so the cheese melted slightly. This delicacy was enjoyed by me everyday when I came home from kindergarten. Nothing beat Peanut Butter and cheese and listening to Paul Harvey with mom.
Today Lydia requested a piece of bread. Next she requested it toasted. That was followed by a desire for peanut butter. I laughed when she pulled out the cheese. A girl after my own heart! After a nearly 20 year hiatus from peanut butter and cheese sandwiches, I again indulged. And amazingly, it really was not that bad. However, I think rather than peanut butter and cheese, I will stick with my peanut butter bars and a belly ache.

Photography Friday

I follow this photography blog where once a week everyone is given a topic and then they post a photo that somehow relates to this topic. Wanting to stretch myself a little, I shall try to participate and post my photo's here. This weeks topic was: Less
This little girl goes to church with us and is also our neighbor. She is so cute, and that toothless grin doesn't hurt! I immediately thought of her when I read this weeks topic. I also tried getting a photo of the flag at half staff to commemorate Ted Kennedy, but it was too late at night and everything I tried still produced a very blurry photo. (I also felt kind of weird in front of the police station at 9:30 PM taking pictures of the flag.)

I can't compete

Lydia loves pre-school. I did not take a "first day of school" picture as I should have, but I will take a "3rd day of school" picture on Monday. Lydia only goes on Monday and Tuesday, but every day this week she has grabbed her Dora backpack and asked to go to school. I really don't know too much about what she has actually done. She doesn't say much. (Hence she is a speech intensive pre-school.) I have managed to get out of her that she ate goldfish for snack time and she was able to wash her hands all by herself at the little sink. Tragically, Lydia's first day of pre-school ended in tears. Imagine you are 3, you walk outside after 2 1/2 hours of stimulation with awesome new toys and activities, all with total strangers and then you see your mom. Usually a good thing right? You have all kinds of exciting things to tell the one who has missed you and wondered what you were doing every 10 minutes for the last 2 1/2 hours. But then you see it, the grand finale of the day- a big yellow school bus! There it is! You have watched it pick up the kids in your neighborhood since forever and now that you are finally going to school too, you will embark on this right of passage- the school bus! But alas, Mom is there to take your hand and walk past the school bus. 'What is going on?' Across the parking lot. 'What is our car doing here?' and to the car. At which point 2 1/2 hours of stimulation, not enough goldfish and heart wrenching disappointment culminate to a breakdown- which lasts the 2 miles home and then is temporarily forgotten when our neighbor invites us to play outside.

Cheese!

Lydia has been working on her potty training. We found that an effective method of bribery is the almighty dollar! Show me the MONEY!! Well, Lydia has been saving up her money in a tupperware container in the bathroom for quite some time now. Today she finally saved enough to buy a "pink" camera. (one of those cheap ones at the checkout lane in Walmart that you hate because your child cries when they can't have it.) Well now Lydia has it, and each time she pushes the button, she is reminded not only that she can go potty on the toilet, and save money, but that "she looks beautiful!"

More about Lydia's first days of preschool to follow.

Happy First

Today is Colton's birthday. Though rainy, the kids enjoyed themselves.
Colton was assisted in all his festivities by his sister. She was very good to wait to help him open his presents. He got a basketball hoop, but I don't know who was more excited about it, Him, Lydia, or me! It's really fun to shoot around and he even tries to shoot.
These pictures are in the wrong order, but this is the aftermath of Colton's cake.
Before. It took him awhile to get into it.
Happy Birthday Little Buddy!

End of Swim Lessons

Colton wandering around during Swim Lessons.
The girls waiting for lessons to begin.
Lydia finished up swim lessons. She loved going every day. All the girls loved riding in my van together too! You can see how Colton felt about being stuck with the girls.

Hair Cut

Colton has this fluffy, downy blonde hair, but it was getting to be a little too fluffy. I buzzed it, which actually got me emotional- something I didn't expect. Here are his before and after.