A New Idea I Would Like to Try...

Today at a baby shower, I was told a wonderful idea. The lady I sat by has a 2 1/2 year old that loves to always need something when she is cooking a meal. To help with this, she decided to paint the top of her table with chalkboard paint. She said that it works out great because her son can color all over the table top. Supposedly it wipes off clean and the food doesn't bother the chalkboard. Isn't that such an interesting idea? Oh...and she painted it black, so it just looks like a black table top.

So here is what I am thinking....

We have a table downstairs that we don't use. I am thinking of bringing it up and doing this idea. Here is the recipe for chalkboard paint. (It is much cheaper to make the paint than buy it.)

Start with flat-finish latex paint in any shade. For small areas, such as a door panel, mix 1 cup at a time.

1. Pour 1 cup of paint into a container. Add 2 tablespoons of unsanded tile grout. Mix with a paint stirrer, carefully breaking up clumps.

2. Apply paint with a roller or a sponge paintbrush to a primed or painted surface. Work in small sections, going over the same spot several times to ensure full, even coverage. Let dry.

3. Smooth area with 150-grit sandpaper, and wipe off dust.

4. To condition: Rub the side of a piece of chalk over entire surface. Wipe away residue with a barely damp sponge.

To see the website, click here.

So the other part of this is there is a paint store near downtown that is next to the Habitat for Humanity Restore. You can get free paint here. They have left over paint that has been opened and not used by contractors and such. You can get the grout at Lowe's or Home Depot for around $3.

GENIUS!

The second part of this whole idea is that I want to start collecting cool mismatched chairs to go around this table. I went to Bass Pro's restaurant in Branson and this is how they had it throughout the whole restaurant. It looked so neat. So if you see an old table chair or you have one that you want to get rid of ...let me know.

Okay...that is my idea for the night!

Deuteronomy 11:8-9, "Therefore, be careful to obey every command I am giving you today, so you may have strength to go in and take over the land you are about to enter. If you obey, you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors and to you, their descendants..." (NLT).

I read this verse this morning around 5:00 a.m. because I couldn't sleep. As I read it, I thought of teachers. August 1st is approaching. Many teachers try to stay out the classroom until this date...some make it and others don't. We teachers, have already started thinking about this new year. It is like a new land that we are about to enter. A land that has new faces, new little hearts, new family stories, new behaviors and new learning styles. Each year, we as teachers, have to come into this new land with a strength that will last us throughout the year. I have found that the only true way to get through is to find strength in the Lord.

To all the teachers out there...I hope you find strength this year.

To all our beautiful students...we look forward to learning all about you!

Usually following a birthday comes a doctor's appointment....gotta keep up with the check ups. Today John and I got to go...just the two of us. I tell you what...this kid is funny. He talks all the time! I am not talking about just a word. We are talking about sentences and they are funny! As we were driving, John said

"Going to doctor", "I 2", and he was singing "Happy to You!"

My toddler is now 35.25 inches long (73%), 29lbs and 7oz (71%) and his head is 57 cm around (95%). The doctor asked if he could say 2 word sentences. Right as she said it, he said

"Read Elmo book please".

He is quite the little show off! She instantly said, "I guess so."

He is looking great and growing like a weed. My dad told me that if you double the height of a 2 year old, you can tell how tall they will be as an adult. If this is true...John will be around 5'10".

Favorite lines of John lately:

"Fia (Sofia), I like you."

"I stink...SHOWER!"

"Get ballgame on TV please."

"My bum hurts...make better please."

Birthday Time!

A great time was had by all! With family and friends we were able to celebrate John turning 2 in a big way! We had "Happy Elmo Cake", colorful bubbles, wild and crazy sprinklers, ball, and presents! The funny thing is that John was least interested in his presents. All he wanted to was play!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

My precious Sophia...

She had her "official" 4 month doctor's appointment today. My poor baby has the worst diaper rash, so I was very glad to go to the doctor to see what we needed to do to help her. We got a prescription and were told to lay the Desitin on thick. She still has a little cradle cap, which can cause a little rash (which she has on her face), so we were told to use Head and Shoulders on her little head. So we are going to get her all fixed up!

Some other things we found out was that she can start eating rice cereal. So we will start that tomorrow! Hopefully she will like it. It is hard to believe that she is already old enough to be eating rice cereal. It is also hard to believe that if she can handle rice cereal for a few weeks, she can start baby food. Time flies!

Of course, with all the wellness check ups, Sophia got 3 shots today. She did pretty well at the doctor's office, but when we got home...she decided she was sick of having a sore bum, a scaly head, and needle pricked legs. She gave us a LONG time of a screaming fit. We were trying everything, but nothing seemed to work. I think she finally wore herself out because she fell asleep.

Here is the kicker of it all....

She got re-weighed and measured today.

My baby girl now weighs 17 lbs 3oz. (94%)

My baby girl now measures at 27 1/2 inches long. (99%)

My baby girl has a head circumference of 43.5 (93%)

This girl is growing!

Since July 1st...the kids and I have spent 3 nights in our own beds. So when we arrived home last night at 10:30...there was a feeling of relief. Don't get me wrong, we had a great 3 weeks of vacationing, but it sure is nice to be home and on a normal schedule again. For those of you that don't know...we were in PA for a week, starting on July 1st. Then we were in Houston (while I did church camp) for a week, and then we headed to Branson for a fun vacation. A lot went on and we don't even have all the pictures because Matt decided to do film for the Branson trip...so there might be more pictures to come. So here is an overview of what we did the last 2 weeks in Houston and Branson.

Time in Houston with Nannee and Pops

Learned to sing "Jesus Loves Me". He even sang it in a microphone right before church started!

John got to sleep in his "big boy bed" and he loved it! He did very well...however, he did get up each night and ended up in Nannee and Pops bed.

Cooking in the sand castle...his favorite thing to make was cupcakes.

John and Sophia's first drive in movie, Toy Story 3. They both ended up falling asleep.

The Branson Trip

Castle Rock Water Park

This was an indoor/outdoor water park that we took the kids to. It was a blast and John LOVED it! There was slides, a lazy river, fountains and all kinds of pools to swim in. The indoor part was hard to take pictures because the camera would fog up.

Going down the slide!

Enjoying the view from the shade! Little Miss Sophia does not do well in the heat. She breaks out terribly. We had to be very careful to make sure she didn't get too hot.

The Branson Landing!

New steakhouse at the Landing...DELICIOUS!

She loved shopping with Mommy and Nannee. She also loved the light and fountain show.

The Light and Fountain Show

The Condo Hot Tub

Our condo was at The Cabins on Green Mountain. They were log cabins that were incredibly neat. There was a screened in back porch with a hot tub. John LOVED it. He got in every morning and swam around. It wasn't exactly a relaxing time to be in the hot tub.

The Showboat Branson Belle

I was very hesitant to take John to a show but we got discounted tickets to the Showboat, so I thought we would give it a try. It was a hit! He loved it and sat the whole time amazed at the music and the boat. He even clapped after each song!

Sophia slept through the whole thing, except to eat!

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

We decided to go to Eureka Springs one day. I had been when I was really little and I wanted to go back (I never got to stay at the tree house...an older post I did). My mom offered to let Matt and I go and they would keep the kids. I don't know what I was thinking....I turned it down and said we should all go, it would be fun. NOT SO MUCH! Eureka Springs isn't really a kid place...especially kids with a stroller. Plus it was flaming hot and we went on a day that most things were closed. To add to this craziness...we went a scenic route (advice from someone) to get there and it took us about an hour to get there. We thought it would only take 30 min. Before leaving Eureka Springs, we asked the best way back. This "new" way took us even longer and I got car sick. Not the best day...

However, Eureka Springs would be a great place to go to stay in a bed and breakfast and shop with your loved one...not kids!

This is what John thought of Eureka Springs...

We did get to see this awesome chapel in the middle of the woods.

This is the largest statue of Jesus Christ in the Northern Hemisphere. Matt and I have also seen the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio. So it was neat to get to see this one.

Silver Dollar City...

Waiting for the train...I think this is about the only time she was awake the whole day. She was so hot and miserable. I felt bad for her. We did try to keep her in air conditioned buildings as much as we could.

Looking for the train!

John rode his first amusement park ride. He loved it. I think we went on this ride 4 times.

She stayed like this most of the day.

He loved flying in the air!

This was the last day of our vacation. We headed home after Silver Dollar City. It was a wonderful time. My sweeties were so tired this morning. We didn't even make it to church. They both fell asleep at 9:30 on Matt and I's bed and slept until almost 11:30. They were all tuckered out!

Every morning, after John awakes...he and Pops get ready together. They make sure to shave everyday. Today he tried to shave my face.

Super Cute Idea:

In case you are looking for a growth chart (I still haven't made one)...here is an idea. It looks like a giant tape measure. You can make it with items that are used around the house. Here are the directions. I got it from Design Mom's blog...love this site!

Precious Sophia got weighed today since she is now 4 months. I have to say...we have a VERY healthy girl! She came in at 16 lbs and 7 oz and is 25 1/4 inches long. She is a growing! It is funny because we thought John was big at this age...however she is bigger. You can see their differences on my side bar on the blog. She is a growing, happy girl!

Trying to touch those toes!

She is working on rolling over...getting so close. Notice she is not all the way on the quilt? Well she started on it and has proceeded to move herself off of it.

Loves sucking on that thumb but still prefers the pacifier to sleep and calm herself down. Check out those cute rolls on her legs!

We ventured to Houston on Sunday...me and the kids...and are staying all week. It has been a great week. My dad and I did Children's Church Camp this week. My dad was the director and I was the worship leader. It was so much fun but very tiring! Those 3rd, 4th and 5th graders can wear you out. Instead of us going back to KC today and then driving down to Branson on Sunday, we decided to stay and spend more time in Houston. I have more pictures I want to share...but I am having to use my parents computer and my picture card is too small and I forgot my adapter...so I am using the pictures on my mom's camera.

My dad put a few new things on the swing set...one of those being a fireman's pole. He loves it and will soon be doing it himself. That little man isn't scared!

Sophia is just as happy as can be. She is grabbing onto those toes and trying to put them in her mouth. She loves being talked to and giggles whenever someone pays attention to her. So she is giggling most of the time! She is getting BIG! We saw a baby that was about a month younger than her...she was HUGE compared to him. I hadn't realized how much she had grown in the past few months.

How adorable is the "look book". It is made out of quilted pages. You put things that belong to your child such as photos of favorite things, photos of loved ones, art work, pressed flowers, or things they found on a scavenger hunt. Then you can carry it around with you and they can look at it. I think it would be pretty easy to make and looks so cute! If you want to see more pictures of the inside...check it out here
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51225092/look-book-childs-quilted-picture-book?ref=sc_7

Berry Picking Time!

Off to the Berry Patch we went today! It was so much fun! We woke up wanting to do something fun...but couldn't figure out what to do. So the Berry Patch popped into my mind and off we went! If you haven't been there, it is a must! It is very laid back and the berries are easy to pick. John was able to help us pick. In about 30 min, we had over 3 lbs of berries picked! They are so yummy! It made me want to own a berry farm. Oh another dream of mine!

Enjoy the pictures!

Little Miss was excited to go...notice she has berries on her shirt. Love themed outfits! If I would have had a shirt with blueberries on it...she would have had it on!

Mister Mister was excited to go also!

Picnic at the patch. They have picnic tables all over the place and it wasn't super busy so we had a few to choose from. They were all shaded too!

We had a visitor at lunch time....he ended up eating John's sandwich. This however, did not scare John. He was all about the dog. I dread the day that he asks for one!

Fia watching us picking berries and cuddling with her blanket. (I know it is 85 degrees outside but she always wants a soft blanket by her face.)

Daddy showing John how to pick berries.

John picking his first few berries...he really did enjoy it.

He's getting the hang of it!

Riding the berry train...I will warn you...it is VERY bumpy. John loved the bumps. The whole time he said "Bump, FAST!"

A little trick...

If you pick berries and want to save them in the freezer without the berries freezing together...my mom taught me a trick. Here are the steps:

1. Wash the berries

2. Lay them out onto a cookie sheet and let them dry for about 30-45 min.

3. Put the cookie sheet with the berries in the freezer overnight.

4. Put the berries in gallon bags.

This allows the blueberries to freeze individually, so if you want to pull out just a bowl full, you don't have to thaw the whole bag. It works fabulously!