Daddy...

I guess I am being a little selfish as I write this summer journal. I am writing about all the fun adventures the boys and mommy are having…well what about daddy? Isn’t he having any fun this summer?


So here’s a story about daddy…..

Jon is working hard this summer. He is in the mist of completing a large cabinetry job that will be installed in a beautiful home in Rhode Island. During daddy’s hard days at work, he still finds time to play with the boys. We are so lucky that daddy works at home. Most days we get to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with him. After lunch he will squeeze in a video game or two with them. In the evening he is often the one who takes them swimming after dinner.

If it’s daddy’s day off you will find him outside with the boys. They might be riding on the lawnmower with him or in the shop building something; from a marble rolling game to a dog made out of wood. Daddy also loves to play soccer with them. But during the summer he likes to take them swimming….you will find them in the pool playing a game of Sharks and Minnows or Marco Polo.

It really doesn’t matter what they do with daddy….they just love being with him.


Thank you daddy for all you do for us and how hard you work. We love you…..t t r


Note on picture:

Jon is not a nap taker…I think he has probably taken 4 naps in the15 years I have known him. Jon had just gotten back from his first trip to RI and was pretty worn out. He asked Ryan if he wanted to lay down with him for a nap. Ryan, who doesn’t take naps anymore, said yes. He just laid there with him….I peeked in and found this…..daddy sleeping and Ryan reading a book….a couple minutes later Ryan was asleep too.

Summer's half way over....

The summer is halfway over or should I sound more optimistic and say, we have half of our summer vacation left. Yah, that sounds better.

This morning, while watching cartoons with the boys I saw the first “Back to School” commercial and it made me a little sad. I am probably one of the few moms who is sad to see school start back up in the fall. I really love having my boy’s home with me. I love the slow pace of summer, pj days (there are a lot of them during the summer), popsicles at 10:30 in the morning, the smell of chlorine in their hair, and Sponge Bob on the TV all day.

Here's how we spent this summer day...

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I took the boys to the movies. Before the movies we went to our favorite Japanese restaurant nicknamed “the soup place”. After lunch we hit the toy store to buy a friend a birthday present. The boys had their own money and found some treasures for themselves: Tyler a crystal rock growing kit and a bag of marbles and Ryan a new stuffed little teddy bear. With purchases in hand we headed to the 1:20 showing of Despicable Me.

At the movies we made our way to our seats. The lights went out and the movie started. During the movie I couldn’t help but think how I love these moments with them….watching them munch on their popcorn as the movie plays, hearing them laugh at the funny parts. I realized just how much I love our summer vacations together….it’s not just about going to the movies, the beach, or the circus, it’s about getting to spend this time together with them. I know that in a couple of years I won’t get all these amazing days with them…it will be time for summer jobs and spending time with friends. No more of spending all day with mom.

I think this thought just as Ryan puts down his popcorn and climbs on to my lap to watch the rest of the movie. I won’t think about those future summers any more today. I will just hold my little one in my lap and enjoy this moment with them now.


Note on Pictures above:
I realized today while looking for a picture to post that I am not in many pictures. I really don't like to have my picture taken and often find myself being the "picture taker". I will try to make more of an effort to say "cheese" instead of hiding behind the camera making everyone else say "cheese". So in my effort to get out from behind the camera I tried to take a picture of the three of us.....no good...Tyler's face got cut out of all the pictures. (I posted one of these anyway).

So instead Ryan took the picture of Tyler and me, then Tyler took the picture of Ryan and me. I think they did a pretty good job.

Morning Time...

Morning Time ….

If you ask my boys or my husband what my favorite part of the day is they will all tell you…morning time.

This morning began as any other morning....the boys woke up and ran right into our room….hopped in bed with me (daddy is already at work…he’s up before the sun) and snuggled up to watch cartoons. Then it’s breakfast time. After breakfast the boys go play while I do dishes, start a load of laundry, and make up the beds.

This morning Tyler surprised me with a Scavenger Hunt. While I was making beds I saw him going in and out of every room. After a while he hands me a note and told me it was my first clue.

I used to make Scavenger Hunts for him all the time when he was learning to read. I would leave notes all over the house and he had to read them all by himself to find the treasure at the end. The treasures would usually be a new box of crayons, a new book, or stickers.

Let me say, when he handed me the note I was thrilled that he did this all on his own.
Second I was so proud of him (what a great lesson in writing and he didn’t even realize that he was doing a writing lesson).
And Third I couldn’t wait to see what my treasure was at the end.

He made me 10 clues. The last clue lead me to our upstairs bathroom and this is what I found: A note that said “We love you”, a picture Ryan drew, and 3 clay creations Tyler had made.

Oh…be still my heart ….I love these kids!! If you are wondering why I love the mornings…it’s because of things like this and great kids to wake up to every day!!!!!

Tah Dah....

Yesterday Ryan fell down out of his pet store (the little cubby hole behind him that holds all of his stuffed animals). Anyway one minute he is happily arranging his pets on the new shelf daddy put in for him, and the next thing I know I hear a loud thud. I look over and he has fallen right out on to his knees. It was one of those falls that I didn't know if it was going to produce a cry or not....nope! He looked right up at me, spread his arms out wide, and said really loud "TAH DAH!!!" I laughed so hard...my boys never cease to surprise me.

This picture is a reenactment of the fall yesterday.

Marbles..

Marbles....


Daddy taped a show called Dirty Jobs the other day for the boys to watch. This episode featured a toy marble making company called Jabo, Inc. I wouldn’t consider this a “dirty” job…more like a “really hot” job. It was interesting to see the marble making process.

It just so happens that Tyler and I have been talking about starting a collection. Starting a collection is one of the Wolf achievements this year that he has to complete. After seeing this show on marbles, Tyler decided he wanted to start a marble collection.

We began our marble collection with a lesson on collections followed by a trip to the library, where we checked out a book about Marbles.

We learned by reading in the book, to look for marbles in antique stores. So after our trip to the library we headed out to do some marble treasure hunting. We hit the jackpot at our first stop. We found a marble made out of granite. We hit some other antique stores, but no luck.

There just so happened to be a cute little “mommy “ “girlie” shop tucked into all the antique stores. After a stop for some lemonade at the tea shop we popped into “mommy’s” shop. Mommy didn’t find anything…but wouldn’t you know amongst all the cute “mommy” things the boys happened to find something for themselves. Some cute tiny animals (no bigger than a bean) made out of glass. Priced at only $2, the boys walked out with one each.

Ok…so back in the car to find more antique shops. We found a couple more…still no luck…no marbles. I happened to see another “mommy” store (this time the boys didn’t notice what kind of store it was…they thought it was anther antique shop). But as soon as I opened the door to walk in, I heard Ryan say behind me…”noooo not another PINK store”.

We ended our treasure hunting and headed home. Tyler remembered that Suzi had a big bucket of marbles that used to belong to Jon. After dinner we headed over and the boys hit the jackpot with several old and unusual marbles…best part of all they used to be daddy’s.

It’s now several days later. I know more about marbles than I ever imagined I could. Go ahead ask me a question about marbles….I bet I know the answer. And after several on line searches for local marble makers, I found a glass blower who is going to give our cub scout den a tour of his glass studio and show the boys how to make marbles….how’s that for marble collecting?

I found the marble that they made on the episode of Dirty Jobs…it’s $16.99 and called a “Luster” marble because of the swirl created when it is made that looks like gold. It’s the marble pictured above….and yes, I am going to get him one of these for his collection.

Resting Time....

Resting Time….

We don’t have nap time any more, but we still have a “rest time”. Every afternoon after lunch I turn on a movie and the boys play Lego's or something quite while they watch a movie.

The other day it got “really” quite during their rest time…so as any mom knows…..when it’s too quite it means they must be up to something….but this time this is what I found….



(Why is it that children dislike resting time so much….if only they knew how lucky there were to have a resting time!!!)

More pictures at the Circus

You can see (well I can see) the wonder and awe on Ryan's face as he watches the Circus begin. I love the way he is holding his new elephant.


I got to take the boys down to the Circus floor before the show began. This is a picture of Tyler waiting to get autographs from the clowns. Unfortunalty they started doing a juggling act and he couldn't get one. He was such a good sport and said..."That's OK"....I think he thought it was pretty neat just to get to see a clown so close.

The Greatest Show on Earth Continuted...

For Tyler and Ryan…who loved the Circus so much they couldn't stop talking about it all the way home. They had lots of questions for me: Does the lion trainer ever get hurt, what was my favorite show, how long does it take to train the animals. And they wanted to know when the Circus was invented and my who. I didn't have all the answers but told them I would find out when we got home...so that's what I did and this is what I found out.


The history of the Ringling Brother and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses separately until they were finally merged in 1919.

What distinguished the Ringling Brothers Circus from others was its honest and fair attitude toward the public. Unlike other small circuses of the time, Ringling Brothers would not allow ticket sellers to short change customers, nor did they allow games of chance such as Three Card Monte and shell games on their lots. This reputation for clean dealing and good value brought them success, and soon they were able to make the leap into the ranks of railroad circuses.

In 1889 two of the Ringlings went to Philadelphia where they purchased railroad cars and parade equipment from Adam Forepaugh, a venerable showman with a show on the road since 1864. With this change in transportation the circus was no longer limited to moving only 15 to 20 miles a night, and could now skip the really small towns that contained a limited audience in order to play larger towns day after day, therefore, greatly increasing the average revenue.

Barnum entered the circus business, the source of much of his enduring fame, at age 61, establishing "P. T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome", a traveling circus, menagerie and museum of "freaks", which by 1872 was billing itself as "The Greatest Show on Earth". Barnum was the first circus owner to move his circus by train, and the first to purchase his own train. Given the lack of paved highways in America, this turned out to be a shrewd business move that enlarged Barnum's market.

He was born James Anthony McGuiness in Detroit, Michigan. Orphaned at the age of eight, McGuinness was working as a bellhop in Pontiac, Michigan when he was discovered by Fred Harrison Bailey (a nephew of circus pioneer Hachaliah Bailey) as a teenager. Bailey gave McGuiness a job as his assistant and the two traveled together for many years. James Anthony eventually adopted Bailey's surname to become James A. Bailey. Bailey later associated with James E. Cooper and, by the time he was 25, he was manager of the Cooper and Bailey circus. He then met with P.T. Barnum and together they established Barnum and Bailey's Circus (for which Bailey was instrumental in obtaining Jumbo the Elephant) in 1881. In 1919, Barnum and Bailey's joined with the Ringling Brothers to form the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Today I took the boys to the 139th Barnum and Bailey and Ringling Brothers Circus. Jon and I took Tyler when he was two…but he doesn’t remember it of course.

As we made it to our seats, with souvenirs in hand (one stuffed animal elephant and one stuffed white tiger), the boys couldn’t wait for the show to begin.

I sat there next to them, watching Ryan hold his stuffed elephant and watching Tyler read the big glossy Circus book we also bought. I couldn’t help but think about going to the circus as a child myself and thinking how amazing it is that now I get to share this experience them.

The lights went off and the music started, both of them sat up tall and scooted to the edge of their seats in anticipation. I loved the look on Ryan’s face as he watched the elephants parade in….it was priceless.

I looked over at Tyler and he wouldn’t take his eyes off the stage (well three rings).

During intermission we decided it was time for a refreshment…..snow cones in elephant souvenir cups….what could be better.

When it was over, we held hands to walk out and Tyler turns to me and says….”Mommy, I know why it’s called the Greatest Show on Earth….because that really was the greatest show on Earth!!!”

Side note #1: As I write this Ryan is upstairs with me now going through all his stuffed animals and gathering the animals that were in the circus today….so far he has found: a dog, a zebra, his new elephant, a horse, a clown, and he just said he needed to find more.

Side note #2: Besides watching my boys have a wonderful time today and seeing the circus through their eyes I couldn’t help but think the following as I watched the performances….

1. How much doe these performers get paid?
2. How does one become a circus performer?
3. What do they do between performances?
4. Has the Tiger trainer ever been bit?
5. Do they wash those costumes everyday?
6. What would I do if one of my boys wanted to join the circus?
7. Is that lady lip syncing?
8. What is the markup on all this stuff….food, souvenirs, ect?
9. I would love to know how much profit the circus makes.
10. Do they travel by circus train?
11. Do they ever fall down?
12. How much do they practice?

I guess thoughts like these are what separate me from the children. If I asked one of them what they were thinking during the show…I think they would simply say…”this is cool!!!”

Playing in the water at the beach...

Playing in the water at the beach…..

You can't help but look at this picture and notice the color of the water….brown with a hint of seaweed. (Any one living on the west or east coast one would wonder why on earth any one would want to swim in such murky water) I often wonder the same thing.

Yet, it seems every year we take our yearly trip to the gulf and jump right in…well that is daddy does. I on the other hand only get my feet wet looking for sea shells. Until this year Tyler loved going to swim in the ocean with daddy (well by swim I mean daddy holding him while the waves crashed over them). It seems one of his friends this year brought a shark book to school and they read all about sharks in the ocean. We could not convince him there were no sharks were we were swimming…this is the first year he didn’t get in the water…..I guess I can’t really blame him…I don’t either.

On the other hand, Ryan had a ball playing in the water. He loved sitting and letting the waves knock him down.

Note: I think I need another adjective to describe the condition of the water….murky just doesn’t seem quite right.....how about yucky!

Playing in the sand...

Playing in the sand…..

So after clearing a spot on the beach and setting up the beach umbrellas and chairs, it was time to break out the sand toys and start building our sand castle. You would think that with a talented builder for a daddy we would have the best sand castle on the beach….well…..not so much. In this picture you can see their attempt at a sand castle (the squiggle drops of sand to the right of Ryan)…yah…that’s ours. I found a great picture on line of an amazing sand castle built by someone who actually gets paid to make them. I thought about posting it and claiming it as our….just kidding. Because you know what….our boys loved their sand castle, not because it was amazing or great, but because daddy helped them build it….that’s what it’s all about!!!

PS....for anyone who might think that is me in the background skipping on the beach...it's not.


Did you know?
It is commonly believed that the first artists to actually profit from their sand sculpting abilities surfaced in Atlantic City, NJ in the late 19th century. Spectators walking along the boardwalk would throw tips to the bowler-hat wearing artists. Some credit one Philip McCord with creating the first true sand sculpture in 1897 - it featured a drowned mother and her baby.

Making Recipes

Making Recipes….

From an early age, Tyler has liked helping me in the kitchen. He thinks its fun to “make recipes”…his exact words. But Tyler's definition of making recipes is very different from mine.

Making recipes: by Tyler

Get small bowl out of cabinet

Fill bowl with water

Open mommy’s spice drawer

Put as many shakes of each spice in bowl

Stir

When daddy gets home have him taste it.

Sounds good right….I have to say Jon is always such a good sport and actually tries it. I don’t know how he does it!!!!!

The other day we decided to make mommy’s recipe….box brownies. (Now I do love to cook and I make a lot of meals from scratch, but baking is not a favorite of mine. Thank goodness for box brownies and cake mixes, and pre made cookie dough!!!)

Tyler loves to crack the eggs…that is always his job. And his favorite part is licking the spoon! He is also very good at icing them and putting on the sprinkles.

I love this picture of him stirring the batter….notice the chocolate smear on his upper lip?????

We are not only making recipes, but we are making wonderful memories too!!!

Better Seaweed Picture....

This is a much better picture of all the seaweed....now you might see why I went to all the trouble to find a rake!!.....our spot was the envy of the entire beach!!

Seaweed....

It seems like every year we get ready for our annual week in Galveston there is a hurricane forming in the gulf. For the past two years our trip has been cut short due to a storm. This year a little storm named Alex decided to develop a couple of days before our trip. We still headed down there and only had clouds and rain for one day….thanks Alex…..it could have been worse. He did leave us with some yucky seaweed covered beaches.

Wouldn’t you know our resort's tractor (that cleans the beaches) was broken. The seaweed was so bad you could barely make it down to the water…..so leave it to this mommy to take care of the seaweed problem herself. I called the front desk to ask for a rake…I was (well…Jon was) going to rake a clean spot for us to set up on the beach. Well..no luck they said they didn’t have one. Ok….I couldn’t stop there. I had to clean the sea weed some how…..and I didn’t want to go buy one. We drove down to the maintenance dept of the resort and I asked to borrow a rake….I knew they had to have one…and they did. A couple of bucks for a tip and a big thank you and we were on our way. You might think….gee couldn’t you have just dealt with the seaweed? Sure, but I wanted to make a great spot for my boys to play in the sand and not have to worry about the yucky seaweed…..and it was worth it. We had the best spot on the beach!

Rainy day….

It’s raining today and the boys and I decided to get crafty. We found some clay at Hobby Lobby the other day that you bake in the oven. We made clowns, owls, dogs, colorful swirls, monkeys, bumble bees, you name it. I even showed Tyler how to make beads for a bracelet.

I am lucky to have two boys that love to color, draw, and create. More importantly I am lucky that they have the patience to sit down long enough to finish it. We started this morning at nine. After Ryan’s and mine were in the oven, Tyler was still in the kitchen creating more masterpieces. He wasn’t finished until noon…..now that’s patience for a seven year old.