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!!