Friday, October 31, 2008

Gwenny Gwenny Bo Benny

Five years old. My middle baby. My drama queen. As a baby she decided that midnight was the appropriate entrance time and she's been bucking the system ever since. We brought Gwen home on Halloween day, Alyssa was 4 years old and so excited she didn't even care that there would be no trick or treating that year. Alyssa dressed as a cheerleader, decorated the house and did cheers for her sister...who slept through it all.
Speaking of sleeping...for about a year she slept on the living room floor. Nap time, bed time, any time. She would grab a blanket and pillow and find a good spot. I have at least a dozen pictures of her sleeping in various places and positions. It's amazing how fast she can fall asleep even today.
Gwen nursed until she was 2 and I had to wean her because I was pregnant with Victor. I think she would still be nursing. I remember holding her and thinking she was so tiny and I referred to her as the baby up until the day Victor was born. After holding her newborn brother, her two year old self seemed so huge!
Loud. What can I say...this girl is loud. She has a piercing scream that can set off alarms. It has taken quite some time and effort to get her to reserve her screaming for the outside. And then, it's enough to have the neighbors calling 911. Funny thing about being so loud, she is VERY uncomfortable with loud sounds. Excluding herself I guess. I took her to see Shrek 3 and she was ready with candy and popcorn, squished into the folding theater seat...and then it started. She immediately grabbed her ears and started crying. I tried to convince her that she would get used to it or that I could stick napkin pieces in her ears and it would help. Nope, she had to get out of there and fast. We ended up getting coupons to come back, sans Gwenny. She still hasn't been back to the movies and has no problem with everyone else going...just not her. She wanted to see Kung Fu Panda so badly she almost changed her mind, but in the end she decided she would wait for the DVD.
There are days when she says "Mom, I haven't watched a movie or played a video game all day" and my response is "And you're still alive!" This girl lives for movies and video games. I have to limit her to one movie and one game playing session (timed!) or she would be constantly glued to the television set. She has been playing Scooby Doo, Monsters Unleashed on Playstation2 for over a year. There was a level that no one in the family could get past and she kept on trying until one day...Victory! She was so excited she could barely contain herself. We were all proud of her for sticking with it. My determined little baby. She burns through her school workbooks so quickly, I finally bought her one with a couple hundred pages so it might last a couple weeks!
She has excelled in her gymnastics and tumbling class and looks forward to joining the Cheer Squad in the Summer. She is a hard worker and her teachers rave about her potential. I am excited for her. She loves books, whether read aloud or grabbing a stack and sitting quietly on her bed. She really enjoys books of the seek and find variety. Her favorite sweet is ice cream, chocolate. Gwen can't imagine a day without candy or ice cream or something sweet. She is currently into being a princess and asks several times a day if a princess would do this or that. She loves to clean...hallelujah~ She will clean anything. When she is desperate enough, she will take a spray bottle and paper towels outside and clean the swing set. Her favorite color is blue, but she chooses to wear pink a LOT. There are so many things about her that make you wanna squish her, but you just have to know Gwenny to appreciate all of them. I can't imagine our family without her and her crazy ways!!!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Halloween Candy Houses



Most excellent...this will be a yearly event!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Kaleidoscope Children's Museum Field Trip

This place is great! The kids had lots of fun and we could have stayed all day long.

They had a grocery store that was well stocked, although Gwen bought most everything available! LOL She's so used to the way that my grocery cart looks, she thinks they all have to be filled to the top! This section was the first one we visited and it was a hit right away.
They had a very cool Post Office set up with boxes and different types of scales for weighing packages.
They had a stage set up with LOADS of costumes and a real working microphone. By the end of the day, Gwen was singing every song she knew and a few made up ones. She promised the audience she would return for autograph signing and interviews. :)
Alyssa's favorite part was the 20 foot rock climbing wall that she climbed over and over again. She reached the top several times and had weak hands by the end of the day!
The staff was very nice and the moms and dads that I met were having just as much fun as we were. We will be heading here often and Gwen has decided she wants to live here...I'm thinking of working out an arrangement with them! LOL Some of the other sections include: a cafe, a jail cell, a crime lab and a fabulous climbing/sliding toy that will guarantee a good night's sleep for all who participate! I highly recommend visiting and enjoying the day.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Fun on the Farm


Friday was our annual pumpkin patch field trip and this year we went to Livesay Orchards in Porter. We brought our picnic lunch and enjoyed our sandwiches under one of the large tents with hay bale seats. Next we piled onto the tractor drawn hay ride and we were off to the patch. The weather was beautiful and the patch still had plenty of pumpkins to choose from. Of course Alyssa picked one so big she had to roll it from the patch. We ended up with four very nice pumpkins and sun bronzed faces.

In addition to lots of educational stuff, they had a hay maze, rocks for digging, fake cow teets for milking (eeeww) and fun carnival-y games to play.


Overall, it was a great day!

Friday, October 03, 2008

The State Fair

Corn Dogs, Orangeade, Turkey Legs, Gyros, Dippin' Dots..

Caged Animals, Freak Shows, Face Painting, Games Galore...

Creaky Rides, Loud Music, Fun and Thrills...


Alyssa tried the Trapeze Ride...and yes, I considered having to throw my body down to break her fall when she bounced off the mats onto the concrete floor...a mother's always ready!


We rolled home about midnight and everyone was sleeping before they hit the pillow...the State Fair Rocks!