Decisions, Decisions

Choosing just the right birthday party theme is a big deal to an almost 5-year-old. So we tackled the task head on today and headed to the Party Depot in Salem. "We" waffled between Pirates, Power Rangers, and Batman for some time. Finally it was decided that Batman had some of the coolest treat bag goodies. So a Batman bowling party it is!

But my real reason for writing this post? Let me take you back to the Power Rangers aisle...We were deciding between these big, clunky rings (I'm sure they were supposed to have some superhero purpose) and some wristbands (a.k.a. bracelets).

Me: "Which do you think your friends would like better?"
Grayson: "I don't know, which one do you think is more stylish?"

Did my 4-year-old really ask me which POWER RANGERS accessory would be more stylish?!?! Yes, yes he did.

Seriously?

Seriously.

I mean it would be one thing if we were in McCall, but we're flatlanders here in McMinnville!!! And it's April 19th for goodness sake!

Life's Simple Pleasures

If there was a Peanut Butter Lovers Unite! club, my son would be the president. Likewise, he's also a big fan of playdough. (What kid isn't?) So imagine his pleasure (and Molly's) last night when we made PEANUT BUTTER PLAYDOUGH! Now if that isn't a match made in heaven. Yum.

We mixed...


We rolled...


We ate...


Even feverish Molly couldn't resist a taste...


Below is the recipe we used. The powdered milk makes it a little gritty but not too bad. I mean it's definitely not as tasty as cookie dough, but if you like peanut butter, it's edible.

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 cup powdered milk (plus a little more to make it not so sticky)

Friday Night With Uncle Jason

We enjoyed an all-too-short visit with Uncle Jason this weekend. He's been on the road all week coordinating alumni events (that's what he does for his alma mater, Whitman College) in Denver, Seattle, and tonight Portland. With PDX being so close, he was able to come spend one night with us here in McMinnville. The kids loved showing off their toys, taking him to the park, and listening to him read stories...among other things.







What a fun uncle you are, Uncle Jason! We'll see you in Umpqua!!!

What's a girl to do...?

...when her daughter outgrows almost all of her shoes at the same time AND her 2 favorite shoe stores are having a 'buy one, get one half off' sale???



Well here's 1 idea:



And another:



Or maybe this:


clearance rack, I must add!

Or perhaps:




Okay, admittedly a big reason for my "spree" was to erase the guilt I have felt since last weekend when the gal at the mall measured Molly's foot and said that she should be in a size 7. All this time we've still had her wearing size 5! And until yesterday when I finally put her in sandals and could actually SEE (through the slits of the sandals) her poor little toes curling over at the end, I had no idea that low and behold, her feet really have grown quite a bit! Poor girl. (Well actually not so poor since now she has 4 new pairs of shoes!)

**Don't worry, Grayson benefitted, too, with a couple of new pairs, but Dave woke up from his nap while I was snapping pics of Molly's shoes and thought that I was insane for doing such a thing! All in the name of blogging, my dear...

Proud Mama

So yesterday Grayson was playing with the pretend kitchen in the toy room. After much discussion about the job of a waiter versus the job of a chef, he decided to play the role of chef. Several minutes later:

Grayson: "Mom, I want to write a recipe."
Mom: "Good idea."
G: "You know, like you might need 1 cup of flour."
M: "Absolutely. You could start by writing a '1'."
G: "And I know that 'flour' starts with 'f'."

So after just a couple of minutes of me telling (not showing) him what letters he'd need, he came into the kitchen where I was working to show me this:



I was so impressed by the look of his writing but even more excited about the connections that he is making! He knows that words have purpose and yes, of course a chef would need a recipe! He even added a speech bubble--not sure about that one, but hey, he called it by name and it does, indeed, look like a speech bubble! Yahoo, my little writer! Kindergarten, here you come (after those dreaded 5-year-olds shots...ugh).

**Okay, only a kindergarten teacher would post something like this. Guilty.

Here comes the sun...

da da da da da...(or however that song goes). Anyway, it's not really sunny today, but I'm speaking figuratively. Things are looking a little brighter these days! Thanks to those of you who have been praying, especially for Dave and his work situation. He just told me that Premier Homes is working on its 3rd sale this week!!! That's pretty huge when you consider that the company hadn't sold a house in MONTHS. So bring on the sales!

Oh and some of you might not know that Dave picked out and purchased a new truck to replace his beloved (GAS GUZZLING!!!) Titan that he sold on 'craigslist'. Granted it's much smaller and only a 2wd, but I'd say it's pretty nice for a 'rebound truck'. Don't you think?!



Okay, in that picture actually it looks like a 'low-rider', but really it is nice. And we still all fit in it, car seats and all!

Happy Birthday?

Well, no, it's not Grayson's birthday yet, but he got to do a little early celebrating last week--thanks to Grandma and Papa. They were here staying with us and wanted to give Grayson his present(s) early since they won't be here in the middle of May for his actual special day. But boy did they make last Wednesday special for him! Making pizza and eating cake and ice cream was fun, but the knights' castle topped it all! Wow, he was/is in heaven. Thank you Grandma and Papa! And thank you for everything else you did for us last week--watching our kids, cooking, shopping--we appreciate you SO much!

Grandma will be impressed...

...to know that Molly got a haircut today! The child can see again...

Today was a day for running errands up north. Boy did we get a lot accomplished! First stop, the mall. New sandals for summer since Stride Rite was having a big sale--check. Next, Costco. Chicken and breakfast sausages--check. Then Trader Joe's (without the family in tow, I might add!!!). Last stop was Little Clippers Cuts for Kids. Oh. My. Gosh. This place was SO worth the $15.95 (plus tip) that I spent!!! I really wish that I had taken my camera. The place is a kid's dream come true. Play houses, climb-on toys, slides, Nintendo, movies, and more. And the kids don't sit in chairs while getting their hair cut. Instead they can choose to sit in an airplane, a jeep, or on a motorcycle...among other ones. The horse next to us was pretty darn cute, too! Molly did great. I mean, how can a 2-year-old complain when she's sitting in a stylish purple and pink jeep and watching a Mickey Mouse movie? (And if you know our daughter, you know that she is Mickey CRAZED!) Oh and of course the sparkly hairspray at the end was a big hit. We're sold!