Emma's big birthday bash

Throughout the year, Emma has been getting invitations for big birthday extravaganzas!  Kids invite the whole class to places like Pump It Up or the like.  Little girls having Princess Parties, Art Parties, Parties at their Daddy's Firehouse (as he is a fireman) and things like that. So, when the time came for Emma's party - guess what she wanted??  Actually - a low-key party at home, roasting hot dogs, and playing little games like a three-legged race and a sack race!  Lovely!  Thankfully there were no disagreements over her shindig and she was perfectly content to have her little girlfriends over to play.

The day came to much excited talk, bouncing, and "Emma - calm down"s.  "No, it isn't party time yet. Your friends won't be here for 2 hours!" But, it was cute. And, I was excited for the 12 little people to make their way over to my house for a 3 hour party.

They started to trickle in around 11 and then a mad rush of drop-off's and "we will be in the backyard"  "Any allergies?" things like that.  Then - chaos. But - good chaos.  I joked with my sister that my Sunday School teaching has prepared me well for 13 kids running around in my backyard.  Plus, all the girls were really good!  They seemed to get along well for the most part and just play.  They were swinging, running around, driving the gator and having a good time.

Tim was getting the hot dogs roasted; I was getting out chips, lemonade, watermelon, and utensils.  After the hot dogs, we roasted smores and let each kid roast their own marshmallows. This was a big hit and a good time-killer :-)   Tim was watching the girls (and Evan) around the fire and Kristen (who volunteered to help) and I were getting the chocolate and crackers ready.  After the smores, more running, playing, and girl screaming ensued.

  

Roasting marshmallows.



Evan was there and a good trooper throughout the girl drama.  I think Emma's friends liked him as he was able to sit on their laps and drive them around in the gator.  which was pretty darn cute, if you ask me.

Presents were next and this was the part that Emma was most excited about probably. After months of going to Target to pick out her friends birthday gifts, she was rewarded with Squinkies, Littlest Pet Shop toys, beach towels, a manicure set, a bracelet kit, a decorate your own messenger bag kit, many games, and other things.  I had to quietly remind her to look excited once, but I think she really enjoyed this part.  Personal thank yous are being worked on and on their way to those in bloggerland.





Seeing how many kids they can fit on a recliner doing present time.



After the food were the games.  Not everyone wanted to partake in three-legged races and sack races and opted to play on the swing set instead.  But, the ones that played had fun and got competitive as they hopped, fell, or ran across the yard to beat out the others.  I didn't have prizes for winners, but did actually acknowledge winners, which I am sure is to the chagrin of some "yea for participating" parents. All girls were given a goodie bag at the end with a little writing note pad, BFF ring, Shake It Up tattoo, and bag of chips.

Hopping along in the sack race.

The pinata came next and the girls (and Evan) each had like three different rounds to break open the butterfly pinata. Flying Candy meant running girls (and Evan) and munching and "how much did you get" and the like.  I told the girls (and Evan) they could each grab 8 pieces at first and then adjusted a few times to account for the left-overs on the ground.  Many came up to me afterwards with the "I got 10 pieces" and fun sentiments like that. 

While many kids asked me when they were having cake, Emma decided to forgo this birthday tradition and serve ice cream cones instead.  Birthday cake ice cream and cotton candy ice cream was served with about 20 minutes left to pick up time -- perfect!  The kids ate these outside and enjoyed their last few minutes of a fun birthday party in my mind.



All the kids!



Overall - It was a great, great day.  If the weather hadn't been so nice, I may not have as good of a report, but everything was outside, plates & cups were plastic, and the kids just ran and had fun.  Emma loved showing off her room, her monkey bars, and her home to her friends and we were happy to have them.  I don't know if we will do as large of a party next year, but as least Emma will have good memories of this one! 

A perfect day for a picnic

Evan loves his daycare days just about as much as his days at home.  Many times he wakes up excitedly "Is it a Theresa day, Mama?" (Meaning a daycare day) and sometimes he will do the typical Evan "OOHHH" (with great inflections for emphasis) if it is not.  Lately, since Tim has been home and the two of them have been working outside a lot, he really enjoys being home and helping Daddy shovel wood chips, plant the garden, and dig for worms.

This past Friday it was a Mama and Daddy day and while we were getting a few things ready for Emma's big birthday party the following day, we were also enjoying the beautiful weather.  It was so nice out, we decided to have a picnic!  Now, Evan LOVES making sandwiches and packing a lunch. I think he enjoys that more than the eating. So, he was busy making a peanut butter &jelly sandwich (his speciality), grabbing chips out of the snack drawer, bagging carrots, cherries, juice box, and moving all throughout the kitchen to get it ready. Then.. we head outside.

Yup, just as expected, he wasn't overly interested in eating - which is abnormal for him.  He loves eating and is a constant grazer during the day.  He just picked at this sandwich, cheese stick, and carrots, but was more interested in the flowers, the gator, or whatever else could take his attention away.  I could tell he was getting tired!

So, we headed in so he could take a nap.  And, of course - what did he want to do?  Eat!  "But Mama! My sandwich and lunch isn't gone yet!"  So, he took another 15 minutes to finish eating.   

Overall - still a great day for a picnic!

Mother's Day

Well, a bit delayed, but later is better than never....    Mother's Day!

We had a very nice day.  We relaxed at home and did exactly what I wanted - nothing!  I planted my flowers, spent time in the garden, and enjoyed the time with my two little ones who showered me with little gifts and nice hand-made cards.  Then, we enjoyed steak, mushrooms, bread, and strawberry shortcake for supper!



Emma loves self portraits!



My little pride and joys!




The nice cards and gifts.  Emma made me a little flower bookmark with her picture on it and a nice saying: Thanks for helping me grow.  Evan did the little picture frame and saying:
Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leaving my fingerprints
On furniture and walls.
But every day I am growing-
I'll be grown some day
And all those tiny handprints
Will surely fade away.
So here's a little handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small.

 It was nice to have some quiet time at home and for the kids to say thank you!  As many of you know, being a Mom is hard, trying, scary, and tiring.  But, overall, it is wonderful, joyous, special, and the best thing in the world.

Bedtime antics - part 2

Evan has struggled falling asleep lately... ugh... I hate it when the kids have trouble with that.  Usually I have dishes to do after they lay down, homework, blogging, reading, relaxing, laundry - you know the drill - and when my little ones do not want to sleep, everyone suffers.

Lately, Evan has been giving us trouble.  I am wondering if we should start having him "rest" and not nap. Tim just thinks it is because it is so light out now when they go to bed.  Not sure, but I want to solve it.  He is always up so early - usually around 6:15 - so I want him to lay down better at night.  Anyway...

Last night he was screaming "Mama!"    then... "Mama!  I am not tired!"    then... "Mama! I don't want to go to bed!"   then ... more "Mama!"  over and over and over...  Emma got up a few times because she was tired and couldn't sleep because he was pounding on their shared wall.  I try to ignore it and Tim tries to ignore it.  Doesn't work. He did this for about 45 minutes.

Then, I go up and threaten to take out his duckie or glow-worm or his precious B out of his room to get him to stop screaming. This gets his attention because then I get the "Well, I won't be your Mommy if you do that!"   -- Hmmmm? --

I am not sure what he means by that. So, I ask him "Evan - what?  You are my son and I will always be your Mommy." 

He thinks for a minute and then says "No.  I won't be your son if you take my BB out!  You won't be my Mommy!  You are a mean Mommy!"

So, I give him a kiss, tell him I love him, and leave.  Then, I send Tim up the next time.

Memorial Weekend!

Memorial weekend was spent up at the cabin and the Heuer clan was very excited!  I hadn't been there for about a month, Evan couldn't wait to go fishing as we are constantly digging for worms, Emma was excited we were picking her up in the "carpool" lane right after school, and Tim was just happy to relax.  We left home around 3:30 so we were able to get up there early and start celebrating the holiday.

We got to the cabin, unpacked, and headed down to the lake. Evan brought down the bucket of worms, Tim went to go get the fishing poles, and Emma bounced down to play in the sand.  Emma started to dip her toes in the water and jump around a bit and was having a good ole' time. Then, I mentioned "Emma - do you want to go swimming?"  Eyes perk up, Evan yells "Whatdya say Mama?"  And then two sprint up to their room to change into suits.  Of course, I knew it would be cold, but I knew they would be getting in this weekend, so I thought I would make them happy. Happy, they were!


Cold face!  Evan was shivering when he got out.  They lasted about 20 minutes.

  

Emma having a good time and exclaiming "Ah!  I am cold"  (But, refused to get out!)


 

Emma trying to surf.. . .  on a knee board.  Nope, didn't work.



And, just Evan.

On Saturday, we celebrated Emma's birthday with some more family and had yummy brownies, ice cream, appetizers, and drinks!  Emma, Evan, and their cousins made it down to the lake, while the adults chatted, to go fishing and splash around again.

The rest of the weekend was spent visiting more family, playing in the lake, playing with puppies, going on a pontoon ride, going for a jet-ski ride, getting some sun, fishing, paddleboat ride, and all the fun stuff we normally do at the cabin!  Along with some of the not fun stuff like laundry, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping floors and non-exciting things.

Not the best picture, but it captures Evan doing one of his favorite things - fishing with Daddy!  He caught a few and was very happy!



The crazy face I get now when I want to take his picture.




For some reason, I just love this picture of her!  We were heading out on the pontoon!




Emma and Nana.




Proof that I was there too!





Nana celebrating her first catch of the season.



And Sage.  She came along on the pontoon ride and whined the entire time.

It was so nice to get away for awhile!  It has been a bit stressful around here lately, work for me has been crazy, Tim is still working on the job hunt, Evan is still finding his independence, Emma is well, getting older.  It is crazy, wonderful, stressful all at the same time.  That is why, it is nice to have a cabin to get away to every once in awhile.

The Kindergarten concert

To celebrate the end of the school year, the Kindergartners have a little concert.  "The Seasons of Kindergarten!"  It included popular tunes such as the Star Spangled Banner, The Wheels of the Bus, and A Tisket, A Tasket.  Then, some new songs to celebrate the seasons like Suzy Snowflake, Kindergarten Storms, and Oh Mr. Sun.  Some poems were added in and the concert was followed by lemonade and cookies!

It lasted roughly a half an hour it was really, really cute. They did little hand motions for some songs, clapped their hands, made "rain", and were so proud of themselves.  It was cute because when the curtain was pulled back the kids were waving and cheering and smiling at everyone that came to watch! 

Emma found us in the crowd!



Their little hats were trees of the seasons. Emma was winter.

 

The Star Spangled Banner



 

And all smiles after the concert and having a snack.

The concert was just another little reminder of how fast this year has gone!  It seems like just yesterday that I was tearing up as she was getting on the bus the first day! Now, she is practically a first grader!  I told her today that she only had 6 days left of school and she cheered! She is looking forward to summer.

Kindergarten Field Day

Oh - the celebration of the end of Kindergarten continues :-)

Yesterday was their Kindergarten concert (more to come on that).  Tomorrow is beach day.  Next week is picnic day and probably a pajama day, and a movie day, and whatever they can think up to celebrate. Don't get me wrong, I love it.  And Emma loves it. And, I completely understand.  Just being a volunteer Sunday School teacher gives me enough experience to note that kids go absolutely crazy at the end of the year... squirrley... giggly... over the top - you name it.  So, every day something new and it is a lot of fun for Emma to experience.

Today was field day!  So, from 9:30 - 11:00 they were outside playing bocce ball, running bases, playing on the playground and having a good time.  Parents were invited to cheer them on and me, to celebrate the end of Kindergarten and enjoy a fabulous reason to work from home, decided to go and watch.  Emma was happy and I was happy to be able to attend.

I got there a little late - so she was a bit nervous when I got there - but she hung out at my side the entire time and wanted me to help her with things and play the games with her. It was fun! Here are some pics commemorating the event:

Emma at the running-around-the-bases station!



Getting ready to run!  She didn't have the fastest time, but her teacher mentioned to me that she had a nice running gait.  Which, I thought was funny!




At the playground station. Which, was just about playing.



On the monkey bars.  She absolutely loves monkey bars.





The tire pull.





T-ball station.



And finally - the tug-of-war station.  Her class was crowned the champions of tug-of-war!

Then, finally, the end of field day brought Popsicles  Emma said they were the best part (along with the playground station) because the Popsicles were those ymmy red-white-blue rockets.

Bath Time Antics

Evan was in the bathtub tonight, playing with his boat and fisherman and fish.  He kept making the fisherman dive, yell for help, and then sink.  So, always one to help, I grabbed Emma's Cinderella doll and tried to "rescue" the poor, drowning fisherman.

So, I make Cinderella dive under the water and try to rescue poor fisherman.  But, for some reason, Evan would not let the fisherman come up to the water.  So, I look at him and say "Evan!  Cinderella wants to help your fisherman!"

Evan looks at me, skeptically: "Um, Mama?  I don't play with girls toys."

And then kept on drowning the poor fisherman....   tough crowd.

glimpses

There have been times lately, when I get small glimpses of what my life may become in the next months and years.  Take now, for example, it is 8:10, and the kids are outside playing and I actually have time to myself!  I am drinking a cup of coffee, watching the news and blogging!  It is wonderful!  The past weekend in the afternoon, the kids were getting along and playing together and I had like a whole HOUR to myself!  It is amazing and wonderful and somewhat sad!  But, sad definitely in a good way.  My babies are now getting older and a little bit self-sufficient.  That is allowing me to do the dishes without little ones hanging onto my legs and crying.  It allows me to clean the bathrooms or vaccum without rushing through the task to rescue my kid from the exersaucer! 

It is lovely!  And I am highly enjoying it!

Now - off to see if the Pioneer Woman is on today :-)

Yea me.

The sleepover

After months of begging, Emma finally got her wish - for Kyra and Kaylee to sleep over.  She has asked quite a bit in the past and usually because of activities going on, the cabin, or just wariness from me, I have said no.  However, last night we had nothing planned and I thought, "Well, what the hell!"

So, we had supper at Kristens last night since our prospective husbands weren't around and the kids and I came home with strict instructions "to pick up and make your room presentable for your friends!"  (Emma's room is usually full of clutter and toys and knick-knacks that you can barely see the floor!)"  Then, down to the basement we went with pillows, blankets, night-lights, pulled out the bed-n-couch, made popcorn, got movies and glowstations, and everything else that goes with sleep-overs.

The girls came over around 8pm, had cotton candy ice cream cones, and then went down to the basement to start the fun.  Yes, Evan was trailing constantly like an obedient little puppy and was distraught when he was told (after lugging down his sleeping bag, B, and pillow to the basement) that he was not going to be sleeping down there.  Yes, there were some tears, but after a big hug from me and promise that he could sleep in my bed last night, he seemed to be okay.

They watched Shark Tail, ate lots of popcorn, did the little girl scream when Sage wandered down, and then settled in for the night.  Emma came up a few times, but then after that, seemed settled in.

By the time I got to bed after organizing pictures and transferring from camera's to external drives (all the fun things on my to-do list when school is out), it was 11:30 and Evan was laying sideways in my bed and completely zonked out!  I got him arranged and settled in for a hopefully, long night of sleep.

This morning came early with Evan waking me up at 6:15 with his usual question of "Mom!  Did I sleep good?  Did I sleep long enough?"  Sigh... So, I got him ushered into his room with his leapster, so I could hopefully get a few more minutes of sleep.  Then comes Emma at 6:45 with the "We are so BORED Mom!  Can we watch Austin & Ally?" So, I get up, bring Evan downstairs, and turn on the big TV in the basement and all is well.  Per the girls, they all were up around 6am and were playing glow-station and dolls and were SO BORED!

Then, breakfast with mini-donuts (courtesy of Kristen) fruit, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, and toast.  More TV and dolls and now they are outside!  It has been an easy and lovely morning and has quickly dispelled any concerns I had over the sleepover. (obviously, since I am able to blog at 8AM in the morning!  that never happens!)

They are now outside playing before it gets too warm and before the day really starts. 

And quickly -before I go to eat my breakfast -  

I worry about Evan and the fact that he may be ignored or not treated nicely by his older sister and cousins.  So, as he was trailing them downstairs, I ask:

"Are they nice to you Evan?  You make sure they are nice to you and play with you!"
"Okay Mom - They're pretty nice" ... then he stops and says... "Well... sometimes nice"
and then he bounds down the stairs.

Happy Weekend!

Emma through the years

And... here are a few pictures of my little lady throughout the years!

Emma - born May 17, 2006 at roughly 6:45pm.

This was minutes after she was born and getting her first bath!

Resting comfortably at home at 3 days old.

Emma - bundled at 6 months

Happy First Birthday Emma!

Yea!  You are two!

Emma at three, when she thought the swingset was her birthday present.

And - then at four!

Happy at the cabin for her fifth birthday!

And... my big girl!

Happy Birthday Emma!

My baby girl is 6 years old!  My, how the time has flown by!  She had a great, great day!

I felt bad, as I had to work this morning, so I couldn't see her this morning to wish her a happy birthday!  Meetings dotted my calendar this morning, so I wasn't able to go in late or switch schedules at all - I felt horrible!  Instead?  After bedtime last night, I went to a grocery store and bought some balloons for her.  Then, because sometimes I cannot resist, I bought a small bouquet of flowers as well.  I set them on the table, left a little note for her and Evan, and called her this morning to chat.  Per Tim, she loved the balloons and the flowers on the table!

Her day at school was full of birthday wishes, birthday songs, birthday journals & books, a birthday visit and lunch (home lunch - pb&j, bag of chips, piece of chocolate, yogurt - her favorite!) from her Daddy and Evan and then, mini cupcakes for her class as a treat!  When I got home from work, she was gushing about her day and anxious for the Kelloggs to come over and celebrate for cake.  But first - her birthday supper!  And what was on the menu, you may ask??  Hot dogs, box Macaroni and Cheese, and mashed potatoes!  After supper, talking about her day, and cleaning up the table, it was out to wait for the Kelloggs to come over.

Evan gets the blanket - Emma tells him where to put it... and then they wait.

And we see this.... nothing....



Happy Emma



It wasn't long before we saw them emerge from their house into their garage!!



The babies in the stroller, the big ones carrying presents and they make the short walk over!

There was lots of bouncing, jumping, hugging, birthday wishes and "come on in, we have cake!"

Then - PRESENTS!!!  Emma TORE into the presents - first, the Sorry Spin game. Second - earrings! (yup, we are taking her to get her ears pierced on Saturday)  then, a Mermaid Barbie, a 3D shark book, a WebKinz cat, an American Girl Doll outfit and scrapbook.  It probably goes without saying, that it went very well and Emma loved everything. (Unfortunately, I was taking a video of the present opening and have no pictures. I will have to round them up tomorrow to document!)

Rainbow cake came next, with cotton candy ice cream. 


"Happy Birthday" was sung to a beaming and happy Emma. The kids devoured the ice cream, left some cake, and then went off to play. 



All-in-all, a fabulous birthday for Emma! Now, only a few more parties to go to celebrate.... Eric and Gaeb are coming over on Sunday, Tim's family is celebrating over Memorial Weekend, and her friend party is June 2!  That one should be interesting... I have 7 little girls planning on coming over so far - plus more to RSVP.  Wish me luck!

Randoms

Just a few randoms for this evening.

#1 -  I love not having class.  While that probably goes without saying, it is so nice to play with the kids and not worry about studying.  AND - to be able to watch TV at night without feeling guilty.  Plus, I am reading fun books again!  I am refreshing my memory on the Hunger Games books and getting ready to read the final one.  Yea!  I never got around to that one,  but I am excited to read it now.  

#2 -  Emma is doing great with reading books!  I have to admit, I was a bit worried that she would not share my love for reading as she never really seemed to try or want to read on her own.  She didn't want to sound out letters and gave up pretty quickly.  However, her end of year Scholastic Book Order came home from school with her and she was all excited that I got some Level 1 readers.  That night, she and I took about 15 minutes and she read a Little Critter "Snow Soup" book all by herself.  I showed her how to slowly sound out words and she did it all by herself!  At the end, she was so proud of herself and that started it.  A few days later, she brought "Snow Soup" in to her classroom and she got to be the Royal Reader!    Now, every night she wants to read a different book.  AND, the nice thing is that it is garage sale season, so we are buying lots of little books for her to practice on.

#3 Stranger Danger!  Evan has been kind of obsessed with Stranger Danger lately.... really weird.  He brings up Stranger Danger in conversations now and a few weeks back, he went running from the front door, flailing his arms and hollering "Stranger Danger" as a FedEx guy dropped off a package on our front door.  He and Tim went to Cub Foods yesterday and when I got home from work that night, he had to tell me about Cub, the free cookie he got, and that there was stranger danger there.  The funny thing? We go for bike rides and yells hi to everyone he sees that is out on their lawn.  He even did a "Hey - I like your house" to one guy.  Plus, he does a pleasant wave to those that drive by.

#4 Many nights, passer-byers will see the Heuers in the front yard, on the driveway, riding our bikes.   With Emma practicing without her training wheels, Evan practicing with his training wheels, and me trying to keep the peace, we have been enjoying a great new past time. Even Tim has gotten into the action and got a bike of his own.  So, we ride to a close-by cul-de-sac so we can practice turns and have a little more maneuver space.  Emma isn't as good with turns yet, so that is a great place to practice. Tonight, we even went a little farther and went to a cul-de-sac about a mile or so away.  Emma did great and biked away from us so she could be on her own.  Evan did okay.  He isn't good with staying at the side of the road and makes me nervous.  Emma wants to go out on her own without me and it makes me so nervous! Is she old enough?  What if someone is texting in the car and not paying attention? What if she is not paying attention?! She is still learning how and doesn't have everything quite down yet.  All these questions and no real answers!

Yahoo!

Finally - Financial Accounting is done!  It was a long, hard road, but I am done (and had a little scrumptious dessert from Cafe Latte to celebrate!)

This week has actually been a great week thus far.  Monday was the last night of catechism.  And, while it was a great experience teaching and watching the kiddo's learn their lessons, it was a long year!  Tonight was my last night of class, after a grueling cumulative final.  Thursday I am taking a day of vacation and Kristen and I are heading out shopping.  Then Friday, Tim and I have a date night out at a wedding for the son of our dear friends.

The only thing that could make it EVEN better?  Some HR people calling Tim and offering him a job. . .   Hopefully I will have a good update on that one soon.

Emma is mad -- update!

She just came downstairs and started to tell me again, how I am a bad Mom and that I shouldn't have taken the pens out of her room.  She said that I should be sad that I did this and realize it wasn't right.  So, I went upstairs and took out her radio (her most prized posession).  She then yelled. "Mom! This is not going well!"  and then stormed back into her room.

Emma is mad!

As I was giving Emma good night kiss tonight and turning on her radio, I notice that someone has written on her white dresser in her room in ink.  A big black scribble and smiley face now adorn the dresser and as of now (just with water and a tissue) it is not coming off.  I have found these things before and have spoken to her about this before - it is NOT okay behavior. She, of course, denies any wrongdoing.  So, I tell her, "Emma, the next time I see new ink on your dresser or desk or ANYWHERE you will be punished.  Your desk will come out, or your radio, or you will not get to use my iPod again.  Even if you didn't do this, you need to tell your friends or your brother NOT to do it too. This is not okay."  Then... I look in her desk and take out all the pens and tell her she is not allowed to have pens in her room again.

So, this started coming from her bedroom:  "Mom!  I am so mad at you right now. I am so mad and I am going to stay mad.  Nothing you can do will make me not be mad right now."

I let that continue for a few minutes and then, so she doesn't wake up Evan, I go up there and tell her she can be mad, just like I can be disappointed.   Because I am disappointed and sad that she doesn't respect her things.  However, even if her mad state, she needs to be quiet!

Hmmm.. the joys of children.