photo shoot gone awry

We've been working on redecorating Joaquin and Diego's room.
Joaquin suggested a football theme...now it's headed for baseball...but when he wanted football, I thought it would be cool to get some shots of him tossing the ball around to put on his wall.

Well, you can't see the ball very well, but I love his eyes in this one.


Our photo shoot didn't last long...whatever Joaquin does, Diego wants to do, too.


And he can keep up pretty well. The next wide receiver.


So Diego decides to lay down in the grass.
I thought, 'How sweet. Ewwww. Bugs..' Then I thought, 'Kids used to lay in grass all the time. It's so soft and cool when you touch it.'


Isabela laid down, also. I really wanted to join them...but I realized.... we don't have any grass. It's all weeds and very pokey.


He looks like he's thinking the same thing. "This really isn't that fun." Notice the giant mosquito on his face.


And here's our little comedian. Always on the lookout for a good laugh. Should I put this on the wall?

an unexpected visitor

When we moved to this house in the country, I thought we'd definitely see lots of wildlife. I wondered if I'd even be scared to go outside. Maybe there'd be a bear!

Well, it turns out we're not that country...and the biggest wild animal attack we've had was when the skunk chased the cat around the house spraying all the way.

But the other morning, Joaquin looks out of the window and excitedly says, "A deer!" He was so close! A young Bambi. Didn't you always think Bambi was a girl's name?


I ran for the camera hoping not to scare him. We watched him for about 15 minutes...until Joaquin snuck out the front door, then around the side of the house and ended up making him leap into the woods.


Very cool, though. We're hoping he'll come visit again.

Seven

We celebrated seven last week. He's been saying he's seven for almost a year now. I'm not sure what his deal with six was, but now he can say it and mean it.

Birthday morning.
Bright and early. (Check out the still black windows.) His face looks like he's squinting from a blinding flash, or in terrible pain from some unseen person pinching him...but this is his "I'm so excited I'm going to burst face."


Then I made him wait for Dad before he could open his presents. Plus since he woke up at the crack of dawn, I think he's still in a little daze.


This is what he'd been asking for for months. Now it is put together, and he only occasionally freaks out when someone messes it up.


Strictly homemade cakes around here now. It's supposed to be a football field, minus the football and the goal posts. I was a little strapped for time. He did love the field though. He's sweet.


Isabela thought to make the posts with the candles, and formed a ball of sorts in the middle. Joaquin counted and noticed there were actually eight candles on his cake. Well, at least there weren't six.


Can you believe we forgot to smash his face in his cake??? He asked about it later and I felt so bad. What kind of parents are we?


So, in honor of our sweet seven year old, I thought I'd share seven interesting facts about him...

1. He likes to sleep with a nightlight on. I mean, he'll scream and leap from his bed if the light goes off without his nightlight on.

2. He wants to be a wild animal vet when he grows up. I see him more of a stunt man, or super hero, myself.

3. He'd probably say his favorite movie is Star Wars. (He's never seen it.)

4. His favorite sports are football and baseball. (He's never played them or even watched a game before.)

5. He can flip onto any cushion from any height. Well, we haven't tried the roof, but I'd bet he'd like to. He flies from the top of steps. He hits the ceiling before he jumps off his bed. I'm just happy we're in a one story house.

6. He can read for many hours straight. I checked out Bonjour Babar the other day...it's a compilation of six Babar stories...he was quiet for hours, took it with him in the car, slept with it at night.... until he'd finished it.

7. He's sweet, sensitive, and caring. Right after he calls you, "Butt", he'll apologize in the most sincere way...and make it up to you with an amazingly set table with folded napkins, tall wine glasses filled with ice water, dimmed lights, arranged silverware, and a precious smile.

We love you, Joaquin. You make us smile, too.

LEGO gift bags

We have a birthday coming up tomorrow. It used to be, moms sent cupcakes or cookies to school to celebrate. But I'm really not sure when that tradition started...I don't remember my mom ever doing that. And I, for one, am glad it's a no-no now. Those teachers don't need 25 kids full of sugar 25 times during the year.

What you can send in is a non-food item. Which is still a little confusing to me...the poor birthday boy is giving everyone else a present on his special day. But it's giving. And I'm all for anything that will help my children be more giving.

So this year...he's into LEGOS. And I found this amazing printable LEGO coloring book here.

I added a different cover for a boy or a girl...sewed the pages together...put them in a ziploc baggie...and added a little phrase on top of the bag. (Sewing paper is my new favorite thing to do.) Of course, I waited until tonight to do most of the work, so I just finished a few hours ago. But I think they turned out cute, and Joaquin is eager to hand them out tomorrow. Here's some pics:

first lunch

This weekend, I used a 50% off Michael's coupon to get some of those silicone baking cups. Two words.
LOVE THEM.

They make the kids' lunches look so fun, but more importantly, keep the food separated (for the most part)...and really, what kid wants their foods touching?

So I took a picture because I'm not sure they'll get another one this good. But I'm definitely doing the #1 mom tip this year...making the lunches the night before. So much easier!



This lunch had:
blueberries
cantaloupe
strawberries
carrots
turkey and cheese on whole wheat
kale chips*
apple juice
granola bar for snack

*These, it turns out, are best right out of the oven. The kids LOVE them though, and it's so healthy for them. The recipe is simple: Trim the stem off the kale. Wash. Toss in olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. They are crispy just like chips and delicious.

If you don't believe me, here's some proof:

first days

What an excited smile! First one up. Made his bed, cleaned his room, dressed and ready to go right away. But the waiting got to him.


This one was the last one up...but out on the porch fifteen minutes before the bus was supposed to come, dancing in the rain...she somehow made it out of the house withOUT making her bed or picking up her floor. How does she DO that?


And this one wanted to get on the bus, too. "I ride bus." "I go schoo."


Not yet, Isabela. We still have five more minutes.


The smile is starting to fade now. The nerves are setting in. I'm sure he gets it from me...I get very nervous before doing new things, but after many decades, I've learned to feel the fear and do it anyway (most of the time.) He's still new at this.


He ended up in tears, not wanting to go.


I'd made each of them a heart for their pocket in case they got lonely. By the first day of school, we'd lost all but one. Isabela thoughtfully gave hers up for her sad brother.


I think it worked. He wants to take it again tomorrow.

batter up!

Peanuts! Popcorn!
One evening during our blackout, Diego and I wandered outside. He found a black plastic bat in the overgrown grass. The kind that might have been run over by the lawnmower before. One tennis ball later, he was swinging like he'd been part of the team for years. That's the thing about baseball...once someone picks up the bat, everyone wants in.


The bugs were chirping in the grandstands. The air was cool...well, at least cooler than it was inside.


And you can hate on baseball all you want, but it's still a great game for kids...full of cool gear, turn taking, and strategy. Fast ball, perhaps?


I haven't seen this two year old share before as well as he did that night.


And...he caught it without evening looking!! Well, really he's throwing it, but it looks like he caught it.


Then Babe Ruth stepped up to the plate.


Some quaked in their cleats and hid behind their gloves.


But the competition was fierce...we all know the saying, "it ain't over 'till..." and that's especially true in baseball.


The outfield can sometimes be a lonely place...but it's also a time to gather your thoughts.


A half time show of a little dancing...


...and laughter.


But we did have to call the game early. Diego kept being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You know what I mean? When you keep getting whacked with the bat every time someone takes a swing? Still, it'll go down as one of my all time favorite games.