Rainy Day

We had plans to make a Father's Day craft with friends, then go to the park for a picnic and playtime.  The day went much differently than I had planned...

 

Painting ceramics with a one and two year old is a lot more complicated and stressful than I thought.  This is an activity I won't do again without an extra hand, ha ha.  Trying to manage two kids during a painting activity surrounded by tons of breakable items was a logistical nightmare.  However, in the end, the kids had fun and we ended up with some cute gifts for Jimmy. 

 

Also, we were going to surprise Jimmy on Father's Day with their little painted figures, but as soon as Jimmy got home from work, Amelia explained, in detail, everything we made for Jimmy!  She even told Jimmy the exact colors Alex used to paint his lion and the colors she used for her ladybug.  So much for a Father's Day surprise! 

 

We had to cancel our picnic and playtime at the park due to the rain.  We were bummed out!  However, when we pulled into our driveway, I decided that the rain wouldn't stop us from having a picnic.  I saw the wagon in the garage and had the idea to have a "wagon lunch."  Amelia bought into the idea immediately and both kids jumped in the wagon immediately. 

I already had all the food packed and ready, so it was super easy.  We sat in the garage with the door open, ate lunch, and watched the rain fall.  It was awesome and the kids loved it!  They especially loved it when I pulled them around the block in the rain.  Getting sprinkled on by the rain was so exciting for them.  I think we will be having more rainstorm wagon lunches in the future.

Ha ha, Mimi was done with her cheese

When we finished lunch, the kids played outside in the rain. They enjoyed puddle jumping and just running around in the yard.  It had been a while since we played in the rain.  Again, this is something we need to do more often! 

I was very surprised when Amelia wanted to take off her sandals for puddle jumping.

"One, two, three, JUMP Akee!"

 

It turned out to be a good afternoon after all.  Some of the best moments are unplanned ;0)

Alex's Car Seat Giggles (video)

Cutest. Giggle. Ever.

 

Game Changer

We. Have. A. Babysitter.

She is amazing and I'm so thankful for her!  She's a college student studying to be a teacher.  She is very sweet and silly.  Most importantly, she is great with the kids and they absolutely adore her.  They don't cry when they are with her.  I am amazed.

Amelia is absolutely smitten with her.  Of course, she already has her birthday memorized, knows her favorite drinks, how many keys she has on her key chain, what kind of car she drives, and other random tidbits.  Amelia constantly asks when she will come back.

The real test was Alex's reaction.  Alex is very needy and well, cries a lot.  Amazingly, he has adjusted well and hasn't cried at all with our babysitter.  I am one happy mommy!

So far, I've only used the babysitter during the day for when I volunteer.  However, Jimmy and I are trying to figure out what we want to do for a date night!

I can officially cross this off my list.  I am so relieved, happy, and excited!  My New Year's resolutions are officially completed.
 

What Does the Tiger Say? (videos)

 

 

Strawberry Pickin'

Living in a somewhat rural area has its advantages.  Our little town is surrounded and filled with farms.  When we are on the back deck, we can actually hear cows mooing from a nearby farm! 

Our friends decided to meet up at a little strawberry farm near our house so the kids could pick strawberries.  Even though we went in the morning, the sun was blazing and the humidity was unbearable!  Despite all that, the kids had so much fun.

Alex and Amelia both grasped the concept of picking the strawberries quickly.  However, Alex soon realized it was more worth his while to eat the strawberries rather than place them in the basket.  Once his little belly was full of strawberries, he continued to pick them, only to squish each one in his hand.  Once the poor strawberry was squished to his liking, he threw it on the ground.  In the end, he left a trail half-eaten and squished strawberries for us to find our way back!

Amelia loved picking the strawberries, but nobody could touch her basket.  She had to have control of the basket at all times, ha ha.  She got a little freaked out when she got strawberry juice on her fingers, but other than that she did awesome. 

When Alex kept eating strawberries and Amelia kept telling him they needed to be washed and needed to go into the basket.  This frustrated her very much.  Also, Amelia kept asking about picking pancakes.  I'm not sure why she would think that!  She seemed confused when I told her there were no pancakes on the farm.  Toddlers are so silly!

After our visit to the farm, we went to our favorite park for a picnic and some playtime.  It was such a gorgeous day.

The strawberries were absolutely delicious!  We ended up with about five pounds, but it only lasted 2 days at our house.  They were so yummy and the kids had so much fun that we are going back to the farm next week. 



Yup, Alex ran off quite a few times!

 

Team work

 

"Akee, that's not a strawberry!"

 

The kids and their best buddy, Nolan

SQUISH!

SQUISH!

The farmhouse



 

They taste as good as they look!

 

We had a picnic afterwards at Liberty Park.  Here are the kids in their favorite play area which Amelia calls "the tunnels."  I think they just like it because I'm too tall to get in there. 

"Mommy, we're relaxing"

The kids ran off into Amelia's room while I was cleaning up breakfast.  It was too quiet (usually I hear screaming or giggling) and I was sure they were getting into trouble.  When I walked in, this is what I saw.  Amelia and Alex were just laying on the floor as calm as can be.  I think they were both still tired!  This is a rare moment in the Lehman household...

 

Hello Sunshine!

We have been spending so much time outside these past few weeks.  We have been taking daily wagon walks around the neighborhood, playing in the yard, getting wet, going to the playground, and just running around!  We even hosted a cook out for the lab at our house.

The water table is always a hit with the kids, but their absolute favorite thing to do is just run!  Amelia will say, "I want to run! I want to run!  I want to run!" 

Our house sits on about an acre of land, but only less than half of it is fenced in.  Although they enjoy running in our fenced backyard, what they always request is to run out beyond the fence.   

 

Water table

Reading outside

The area beyond the fence

(kind of sounds like a Game of Thrones reference, ha ha)

Diva Backpack

I was getting the kids ready to go to "school" (hourly care).  I looked over and saw Amelia packing, no, jamming a bunch of items into her backpack. 

What does Amelia think she needs for school?
Pink feather boa, Tinkerbell fairy wings, Hello Kitty cell phone, and Hello kitty sunglasses

Dr. McMimi

Jimmy started letting Amelia watch Dr. McStuffins a few weeks ago and now she's really into pretending to be a doctor.  I'm usually very weary about letting the kids watch TV, but it's a cute show and now Amelia's favorite. 

 

 

 

Alex bumped his head and started crying.  Dr. Mimi immediately got her doctor kit and went to work. 

Early one morning, Amelia could tell I wasn't feeling well.  I told her I was just very tired.  She gave me a check up using her doctor kit. Afterwards, she got me some "tea," told me to drink it, and said it would make me feel better.  I love this girl! 

Chalkboard Wall

I don't remember if I've posted about this yet, but here's our new chalkboard wall.  Jimmy also primed the wall with magnetic paint, so the kids can also use magnets on it too.  It is located in the kitchen, so it's a great distraction for the kids before and after meals.

Family Shoes

The boys' Converses were bought at the same time.

Amelia pointed this out a few weeks ago.  I didn't even realize we had similar shoes.  She's so observant.

 

Jimmy noticed this last week.

It's All a Blur

Blurry Camera Phone Pics...

Alex is balancing on one foot while standing on his truck.  He's a little daredevil!

My little man and I

The roles have reversed

Crazy under bite face!

Shades upside down

"I feel sad. I'm gonna need a Rhianna jam on the TV."
Amelia was talking about Rhianna's music video, Stay.

"Mommy, this Stegosaurus is eating Alex, raaarrrr!"