Brat Pack

With the arrival of spring finally here, we have seen an abundance of children gravitating towards our back yard. I'm sure a huge, cut down tree is part of the appeal!

I am so grateful my children love to play outside. And that they have their pick of friends to play with. And if that means broken toys (i.e. swings, light sabers, golf clubs, hockey sticks,...to name a few), so be it.

As long as they are being safe, having fun and being kind to each other, they can play at our house all they want.




P.S. We will be having a family night, though, on outside rules. When the hockey stick breaks because it's being used as a sword, I'm not as okay with that!

New Things

Some people wonder why I would spend so much time making these, but I just love these Cupcake Pops!! Aren't they the cutest? I made them for Leslie's shower today. The chocolate ones were YUMMY. The cherry vanilla ones were okay, but chocolate is more my taste. I found this idea on a fun baking blog, Bakerella. She even shows you how to make the cutest Hello Kitty Pops.
I see an Anna birthday party favor in the works!

My next new thing...

I have been oooooing and ahhhhing over the hand stamped jewelry at Etsy for months now.
And I've finally pulled it together and gotten myself the basic supplies!! Just in time for craft day on Saturday!! This morning I made this necklace for Leslie and it took only 10 minutes (seriously)!
It's on a 1" metal blank with a crystal charm. I love how it turned out and how simple it was. At craft day we'll be making the metal charms, crystal charms and the birds nest (from the Etsy photo). I can't wait.

And Rob just bought his own new toy...
Would anyone like some firewood?

Sticker Collection

Did you ever have a sticker collection when you were growing up?

I did. Scratch n' Sniff stickers. Puffy stickers. All kept nicely in a little sticker album.

Evan and Anna started their very own sticker collection today all by themselves. Not only once, but twice!!And the only joy I find in this...when they are older, I'll get to embarrass them like crazy!!

I have a problem...

I, too, have an addiction...to my laptop.

He crashed last night. Big time.

As we speak, he is on an airplane to San Diego with Rob because not even my computer whiz husband could figure out what happened.

I feel like my two best friends have been taken away from me.

Everything non-important to my life is on that laptop. My survival for when Rob is gone is all on that laptop.

I'm already feeling boredom settling in.








P.S. I'm actually kind of looking forward to getting some other things done this week. Like painting Evan's bedroom. That should keep me busy. Or maybe I'll mop the kitchen floor. Yeah right...that's pointless.

Confessions of a Chocoholic

Someone in our family has a problem and it's a very serious one.

He needs help.

Ready to prepare some favors for an event that I'm responsible for, I went to retrieve my hidden stash of bargain chocolates (bought them at an incredible price--I'm on a strict budget here). But to my dismay I found that 3 of the 4 bags had secretly been demolished over the past 3 weeks.

The first step is admitting that you have a problem.

He has done this (after much ranting and raving on my part). I think I even heard the words, "You are right." (WooHoo--I love those words)

But now what? I have tried to curb this problem over the years, but it is obviously out of my control. I'm at a loss. What should I do?







P.S. To those who think I am being absolutely cruel to my husband for outing him in this manner, I say..."Whatever." My next post will be about some fault of my own...now if I could only decide which one to chose!

Jared's turn

Well, the paparrazi was out in full force last night as the 1st graders put on their "Under the Sea" performance.

Unfortunately, most of our photos turned out like this...as cameras kept popping up in the middle of my shot!

Jared was such a hoot to watch! This kid has so much energy and enthusiasm!!! Definitely a ham! I almost feared the crazy antics that Jared and his buddy on the left could come up with...trouble makers in disguise. I seriously don't understand why his teachers keep saying he is quiet. I guess he knows how to put on the "good boy charm" when the teacher is around because he was the farthest thing from shy or quiet last night!!!

Oh my! Is that a wide open mouth? I can almost hear the beautiful music!!

Jared sang his heart out last night and put every ounce of power in his skinny little body to perform. We're so proud of him and happy that at least someone in the Kunz family has the ability and desire to be STAR!!!

Parenting lesson

Not a fan of this...

But I really love this...

And I don't feel one bit bad about this...

Impact.

Uuuugh...we did all that we could to keep them here for as long as possible, however our effort were in vain. But I'm happy for them that they will be back together as a family. I guess wives and mothers really are needed!


A few ways the Bott family has impacted us...

Exactly two years ago, Marlene found us our home. Along with that, we were introduced to a fabulous neighborhood, incredible neighbors and even better friends. I already miss your BIG BLUE VAN!


The Botts have added pounds to our waist lines. From dinners, to treats, late night raids for pie and the unforgettable cinnamon rolls...oh, how I will miss those cinnamon rolls. Leslie needs to get working on perfecting this recipe!!
This family has even made an impact on our physical features. And we will always have a permanent reminder of Mark's enthusiasm and energy.

They've taken care of my kids, taken care of me, picked us up from the airport, fed us, babysat, picked up medicine, loaned toys, picked up mail, mowed our grass, and the list could go on and on. Neighbors and friends like the Botts are irreplaceable and they will sorely be missed.

Now all we have to do is convince Chris and Leslie to stick around so there will always be reason for them to come back and visit!!

Progress

How do we know that Tyler is part of our family?

He doesn't enjoy singing (unless it's purpose is to be silly or make a complete fool out of yourself...then we're completely cool with singing our pretty little heads off).

In fact, his exact quote is "I only sing when I have to."

We have seen progress, though.

In Kindergarten, Tyler glared and growled at me the entire time (and I have video to prove it).

Now, in 3rd grade...his mouth was slightly open and I could sense (just a little bit) that he was actually enjoying himself. But don't tell him that I told you this because he would adamantly deny it!
I love watching the progression of my children and I'm proud of every little step they make.

What the...

I hope there is nothing important in here...

The contents of Jared's backpack.

9 Things About Tyler

As my husband runs off to get our "romantic" dinner (soup from Panera--I'm sick...), I've been sitting here thinking about why I don't care about Valentine's Day. And it hit me that it was 9 years ago that Valentine's Day became insignificant to me. I'd much rather be baking a cake, pulling together last minute party plans, wrapping presents, etc...I can love on my husband every day. But that special day when my child feels like a million bucks comes around only once a year.

So to celebrate Tyler's special day, I've come up with "9 Things about Tyler."

(click on photo to enlarge)

Tyler, I hope you feel better soon and I love you! Happy Birthday!

QUICK thoughts

I love that my kids have a backyard to play in. And I'm glad that we have a fence. A very tall one. Very, very tall.
They had fun. I just can't figure out what it all means.

And while they boys were out trashing our yard, Anna was busy.
Sigh...I love my kids.

psych you out

Are you a fan? I just love this show!!! And Shawn Spencer had THE BEST quote on last nights episode...

Look, all things being equal, I'd rather be scrapbooking right now. But that's not important.
--Shawn Spencer

Like I said, I LOVE this show!!

Good times at the Grocers

I've had a very thought provoking morning...

After dropping Evan off at school, Anna and I headed off to do some much needed grocery shopping. As I was loading up my groceries to check out, I hear Anna gasp, loudly, and exclaim, "HUH?"

I was in the process of retrieving the 100+ boxes of macaroni from the bottom of our cart (which is a Kunz family staple), but I was curious as to what caused this reaction from my almost 2 year old daughter. In slow motion, this is what I saw...

A pair of white, Reebok sneakers--you know the kind. I probably had a pair with Velcro in the 8th grade (oh no, wait, those were Tretorns)...
Followed by a pair of Mom jeans...(which, by the way, send me home if you ever see me in a pair, I'd rather be seen in sweats)
And then a sweater similar to this one...
Then to find out what Anna was so shocked at seeing, the woman behind us looked like this (except with long hair)...

I looked up to make sure that Anna wasn't struck with fear. She surprisingly, wasn't. Instead she stared in awe. And for the next 5 minutes she continued to stare. The woman and I engaged in a conversation about children, she told me about hers,...The entire time, I am so intrigued and I have so many questions...Did it hurt? Why did you do it? What made you choose purple and turquoise? Who designed it? What do your children think of it? What kind of reactions do you get?...

But of course, I was too chicken to ask any of them. I need to get over that because now I'm left thinking about so many things...

Today's lesson...don't judge a book by it's cover. She really was enjoyable to talk with. And thank goodness Anna doesn't have the vocabulary yet to express her curiosity!!

FYI...My Kids ROCK!!

We've always said that a family that plays together, stays together...

(Blurry but awesome!! I should be scared.)

And even on Sundays, when we have a "no video games" rule, they still ROCK!!

A Poll.

A. Sick

B. Not Sick
C. Biggest Faker in the World

Sorry, I'm not very sympathetic.

And you've got to see this video that Mark just shared.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz6DktXFvg4

My love/hate relationship...

For the past 8 years, I have been in a relationship with the Big K. In middle school this would have been the death of me, but now as a 30-something, I'm okay admitting it.

The lines suck. Customer service is non-existent. The cleanliness is awful. I, seriously, don't know how Martha tolerates her stuff being sold here. But...

The deals. The deals I have scored out of this place are incredible. My kitchen table and chairs, clothes for my kids, my most favorite and comfortable shoes (boots) surprisingly are from Kmart. And I can't forget our porch furniture, clearance Christmas items and the boys bunk beds.

Speaking of bunk beds, The Big K and I have FINALLY split up...
(long story, but goes something like this--no beds in stock, no one knows how to get one in stock, corporate doesn't know how they get them in stock, Dale City has one, they'll even hold it for me, oops...oh, they forgot to tell me it was extremely damaged, okay...could be forgivable with a hefty discount, What?? That is not a discount! Did you make me just drive to the dumpiest Kmart? EVER. You know what Big K...I'm DONE!!!)

And right now I'm just so mad that I haven't had time to be sad.

But good news, I think I found Evan a bed!

And I may be entering into a new relationship!!!

Week 3.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to keep up with this. My whole reasoning was to scrapbook them and have a little book capturing the year, but I haven't scrapped any of them. Maybe I'll just print them out and then write next to them in an album. And I'm thinking of putting the photos on my other crafty/scrappy blog...I don't know...just thinking out loud...


01.17.09
My husband is always busy--even when he shouldn't be. I admire his work ethic and his ability to "get the job done". Because of this quality, we now have ample room to park the van in the garage!!
01.18.2009
The day of rest. So they say. The boys had some friends over for the night. Rob made a fire. I made some cookies and they made marshmallow cookie sandwiches. And if that wasn't a sweet enough bribe for them, they ganged up and attacked Rob! He held his own, though against the 5 boys.01.19.09
The kids were off school today and Rob took some time off to spend with them. But turns out, their friends are much cooler to hang out with! Instead, Rob installed a new light and fan in their bedroom. Finally, let there be light!! The poor kids have been living in darkness for almost two years now.01.20.09
In living color...on a typical day Anna is hanging out near the cabinets in a pile of crumbs, rearranging the kids bowls and cups or setting the "table". And always while wearing a fashionable pair of rain boots (and today the added bonus of wearing one of Tyler's socks).
01.21.09
I hosted a playgroup today at our home. And naturally, the toy house turned into a boat. Whatever, the kids had a great time.01.22.09
Tyler is our King of Routine and I am SO grateful for this. I never have to worry about him sneaking off or trying to get out of his work. He works quickly (and thoroughly) so he has plenty of time to play. On Thursdays he vacuums the steps before he heads off to school.01.23.09
Some mornings I just don't want to wake up. Instead I just wanna stay put and cuddle. Unfortunately, my almost 4 and 2 year olds won't have it. I'm still not going to the gym, though!

9-1-1

Oh the Turkey...

I just saw Ev playing with my cell phone.

"Put that down. It's not a toy."

"But I'm talking to Daddy!"

"Put the phone down, Evan."

He listened. He put the phone down.

A few seconds later, my phone rings.

"Hello."

"Hi. This is Prince William County Fire and Emergency. I think your son just called us."

Geeeessshhhh...that child keeps me on my toes!

I wish I'd been quick enough to ask what they talked about!

He's so in love...

Because this will not be one of my photos of the day, I thought I'd show off Evan sporting his new shirt. He doesn't "get it" but he was so excited and gave me a BIG hug, exclaiming, "I LOOOOOVE my new shirt!" And when I dropped him off at school this morning, he immediately ran to his teacher to show her his shirt!

Glad he loves it because it's going to be around for awhile. It's sized 4T and it's HUGE on him. Hopefully a good washing will shrink it up a bit!