A Group Of Stahrs

18 Feb 2011

Friday Five

1. Jamie had an arctic presentation last week. She decided to share information about the walrus. Her teacher helped her put together a power point presentation with the information she researched.

She added the sound a walrus makes to her second slide and the class thought that was pretty cool!

2. Mazie and Jamie have been sleeping in separate rooms since Tuesday night. This is huge since they’ve been sharing a room since Mazie was 4 and Jamie was 2! On Wednesday morning, Jamie told me she had the best night of sleep in a long time. Mazie’s been throwing super fits at bedtime lately. It’s been bothering her sister and she’s had enough. We haven’t had any fits since we started this.

3. Jamie decided that it would be ok to take a picture of one of her cute new ‘dos. This is the one with her hair pulled to the side…

4. See what fun we have after school on Friday when a package arrives at our house?

and, no, we weren’t missing anyone. You have to know where Jacob is, right?

Yep, happily in the box!

5. The kids are off of school until Wednesday. Jeremiah is off on Monday. We are planning some fun things this weekend.

Happy Friday!

Posted in Random

15 Feb 2011

3 Comments

Ten On Tuesday

1. It has been in the upper 60s here for the last few days.

2. Jacob thanked me yesterday for vacuuming his room. He’s been sweet like that lately. I actually got a “thank you Mommy”.

3. Jacob has this thing where I have to fluff his pillow before he goes to bed. The other night Jeremiah went ahead and did it. When Jeremiah asked if he did it right, Jacob was so tired that he just said, “He’s learning” !

4. I have recently been hired to teach Wilton method decorating at Hobby Lobby. My first classes start in March and I’m so excited. Anyone want to take a basic decorating class or flowers and basket weave class? I hear the instructor is pretty cool ;-)!

5. Jeremiah found out today that he will be the AOC for squadron 6 in group 1. If any of that makes sense to you, you’re better than me. Jeremiah just went through how that all works at the academy and, while I understood it, it was minutes I won’t get back. Go Ragin’ Bulls!

6. Mazie was so excited to have her party yesterday with her Love Boat. She said so many people complemented her on it. She picked the paper and the decorations. I helped a little with the glue and tape to make it just so but she did most of the work. She was pretty happy it turned out so well.

7. Jacob has been singing the Black Eyed Peas song I Gotta A Feelin’ lately. I mean, complete with the oooohs and everything. It’s pretty funny. He typically starts dancing which is hilarious.

8. Speaking of dancing, if you haven’t already, you should watch Despicable Me. It is one of our favorites for all of us to watch. Jacob took some of the dance moves and made them his. Jamie quotes the movie all the time. For example, if she has an idea, she will say, “Light Bulb”. And Mazie just laughs her great laugh when one of the other ones does the above.

9. Jamie has been wearing her hair in different styles lately. The other day she had her pony pulled to the side. It looked really cute.

10. Re-reading this post tells me that I really need to start taking more pictures. Maybe I’ll put that on my to-do list that seems to never end!

Happy Tuesday!

Posted in Random

14 Feb 2011

3 Comments

Valentine’s Parties

We’ve been busy around here with all kinds of Valentine festivities. First, Jacob’s party at preschool was held on Thursday. I was so glad Jeremiah could join us. So was Jacob and other kiddos. When we got there, it was time for library time. Jeremiah was tasked to read and two or three other kids thought this was fantastic to hear him read!

Then it was music time. The kids were able to grab any kind of instrument out of their bucket and dance around the circle. It was fun to watch!

During the party, the parents were invited to go to outer space with the kids. We sat on the carpet and rode our spaceship all the way through space. The kids got out and walked on the moon (some actually acted like they had heavy boots on!) and we flew along the solar system. It was so fun to see the kids react to what we were doing. Jacob was asked to be the sun and stand in the middle. The rest of us held hands and rotated around him. He smiled the entire time!

Then it was time to hand out the Valentines. The teachers asked the kids what they liked about their friends. The teachers wrote what the kids said on the heart and then they presented it to the kids. Jacob loved his…

On Friday, Jamie’s class had their party. Again, Jeremiah was able to join us. The kids handed out their Valentines to each other quite orderly for first grade! Then the kids were able to decorate sugar cookie hearts. Jamie didn’t like hers so she let Jacob have it!

The kids were allowed to go through their Valentine’s while putting them into their bags to go home. They were also allowed to enjoy three treats while do this…

Jacob fit right in with the first graders…or at least he thought so…

Today was Mazie’s turn. I only got one photo of her party. The kids went right to work distributing their treats to each other and then ate their goodies. There wasn’t much else to do since it was at the end of the day. Jeremiah surprised Mazie by showing up toward the end of the party! For the party, the kids were asked to make Valentine boxes. This was what Mazie made…her Love Boat!

We love Family Fun! I hope you had a lovely day with your loves. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted in Holidays, Kids and tagged valentines

08 Feb 2011

2 Comments

Ten On Tuesday

1. There are cobwebs on this blog…I have a valid reason for not posting for a while…the kids and I got the flu and blogging was the last thing on my mind! Now with that said, let’s catch up. Last week the kids had “snow” days from school on Tuesday and Wednesday because the highs for those days were in the negatives! Yep, it was cold and we had no snow to go with it.

2. What did the kids do for those two days? Mazie worked ahead on her homework so she wouldn’t be behind. The other two snuggled and played with all the stuffed animals…

3. Did you see that? Yep, that’s where the virus began. All that playing around spread that stubborn virus. They were the first two to have it. Mazie had it the least of the four of us. I am still struggling with the ending of it.

4. I haven’t had the flu since the last time I decided to actually get the vaccination for it…before Mazie was even thought of! I hope to not get it again.

5. This weekend was the Super Bowl. Did anyone else follow the game? I was a great game. Both teams played well and clean. I like watching football like that. Packers won in case you missed it. Yes, I am from PA but I am a Packers fan. I would have rooted for whoever was against the Steelers anyway ;-)!

6. I had three orders for this weekend. Remember Super Mario Bros for the Nintendo? Well, now it’s even cooler with whatever gaming system they are apart of and I got to make a really cool cake for a birthday boy who was very pleased with it. Go to the Cakes site to see it!

7. Yep, I made three different orders while under the weather…I’m that good. No, really, my husband is that good for taking care of everything else so I could do just that and not die!

8. The kids got to work on some cool crafts they received for Christmas. Mazie is working on a stuffed, furry bear.

Jamie is sewing together parts for a pig…

and Jacob (with Dad’s help) is putting together a cool pirate ship…

Pictures of the finished products will be posted when they are, well, finished!

9. The kids had a snow day today too but it was because of actual snow. It was pretty out today but still too cold for them to actually go out and play in it.

10. I have my new iphone up and running on Verizon. I am loving it! If you have my old number, please let me know so I can give you my new number. The old number is for the cake business. Don’t laugh if you call on that number and I answer, “Hello, Stahrs Cakes”!

Happy Tuesday!

Posted in Random

25 Jan 2011

4 Comments

Ten on Tuesday

1. I made my first batch of bacon chocolate chip cookies on Sunday. The batch made 3 dozen. There are four left. They are, by far, the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten! I will be making them again!

2. Jacob’s the only one who doesn’t seem to like them. He eats the chocolate chunks out instead of eating the whole cookie. So not a normal thing around here…Jacob passing up cookies?

3. Since bacon and chocolate apparently go together, I’m going to try a recipe for dark chocolate bacon cupcakes tomorrow!

4. Jacob called me a “grownut” yesterday. He was telling me that when “grownuts” stir oatmeal it makes a funny sound. I guess he was kind of right on the sound and the nut part :-)!

5. Mazie told me that one of the toilets looked a little gross. Kind of suggesting that I should clean it. I felt like handing her the cleaning supplies instead of saying, “OK, I’ll get right on that”.

6. What’s too young for chores like that?

7. Jamie went to a birthday party on Sunday. Not normally a big deal but it was a roller skating party. She was so excited. She put on her skates and went around the rink with no fear. I watched in awe. Really. I broke my arm when I was 12 by not really roller skating. She really surprised me!

8. I have a feeling Jamie is going to surprise me a lot. *sigh*

9. I bought a gallon of milk along with some other groceries to hold us over until the big grocery day. I put the couple of bags and the milk in the back of the Durango like I always do. I opened the hatch when I got home and the gallon of milk fell out onto the hard garage floor and split open. Milk went everywhere. Jacob just looked at me and said, “uh oh”. That’s never happened before. I guess I have to find a new spot to put the milk next time.

10. I have to get my wisdom tooth pulled on Friday. I’m a little nervous. I’ve only had one pulled before. The other two were cysts so they never formed into teeth. Wow! I guess my mouth sounds like a science fair project.

Happy Tuesday!

Posted in Random

22 Jan 2011

3 Comments

Jacob’s Day

Last week was Jacob’s Show Week at The Little Gym. It’s basically the last day of his semester and the kids get to show off all their new skills to their families. It’s a big deal because they’ve worked very hard and are excited to show what they’ve learned.

This was Jacob’s introduction to his show. See his excitement?

Then the kids were divided into three groups. Jacob’s group when to the high vault. This was him jumping off all by himself, which is something I’ve never seen him do without someone’s hand!

Then they lined up and sang on their way to the next station. “Down by the station…”

This station was on the uneven bars. This is typically not one of Jacob’s favorites but he did such a good job. He flipped on the lower bar, kissed the upper bar with his belly, walked back and forth (side-to-side), and hung on the top bar without being held! See his determination with his tongue hanging out…

Then it was onto the last station. It was a floor routine and this was where Jacob really showed his stuff! Backwards roll…

some high kicks…

a monkey kick over the mat…

There was also a donkey kick, pulling his legs up to his toes, and then a big finish…

I love his expression there. It’s like he’s saying, “Yeah, I rocked that!”

Then there was a little free time for the kids to show off some other skills. Jacob chose the low beam…

The kids were instructed to sit along the wall and patiently wait for their medals. The teachers had some music playing. Jacob decided to jam a bit in line…

Then his proud moment of getting his medal…

This was the group of kids trying to get together for a group photo with the teachers. I can’t imagine trying to get all those 3/4 year olds in one group for a picture. I think Jacob was thinking the same thing…

We really love the things Jacob is learning at The Little Gym. The next semester already started. We are looking forward to what he learns this time!

Happy Weekend!

Posted in Adventures, Kids and tagged Jacob, show week, The Little Gym

19 Jan 2011

4 Comments

Wednesdays with Jamie

Jamie, as many of you know, is our quiet one. She loves to be by herself, reading or doodling. She got this huge white board for Christmas and just loves it.

And since there are so many colorful dry erase markers out there, her imagination can run wild. She was drawing a self-portrait this day. But since she didn’t have purple, she only drew her head!

She had a sticky note from her teacher this week. It stated that she has been doing such a great job with adding double digits. Her teacher writes these little notes of praise for the kids when she sees them do something great. She told Jamie that her and one other girl are ready for triple digit adding! She thought that was pretty cool. She likes praise like that. No one else has to know about it or make a big deal about it. It means a lot to her that someone is noticing her cool things but she doesn’t need all the frills like her big sister.

We love Jamie just the way she is!

Posted in Kids, Random and tagged Wednesdays with Jamie

18 Jan 2011

4 Comments

Ten On Tuesday

1. I can’t believe it is the January 18th today. Where did the first half of January go? Better question…what happened to Christmas? Wasn’t that just last week?

2. Sad thing is is that we are already gearing up for Valentines’ Day around here. Lists are getting sent home for all the cards and parties are being planned. Um, that is still on February 14th, right? Almost a month away?

3. I got a box today that was sent on December 10! I got it today. That’s more than a month late. I guess my mailman is a little behind…or he’s lazy…or both.

4. So, if you haven’t heard about a possible gift you may or may not have sent to this house and how we may be enjoying said gift, you might want to email/call me to make sure we even got it.

5. I went to the dentist for the first time in almost 3 years. Let me clarify that. The last time I went to the dentist I was one month away from giving birth to my now almost 4-year-old. I know, I know, but I went and it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad. I do have to have a wisdom tooth pulled. Yay me!

6. I vow to never go more than one year between visits ever again! I am hoping to just stick to setting up the six month checks right away so I don’t have a reason to forget…

7. I ordered crayons for a lot of the kiddos on our Christmas list last year from this etsy shop. She does a great job and she is super easy to work with.

8. Speaking of etsy, I finally had my dear husband take a photo of the new tees for the business! I worked with this etsy shop. I didn’t even know what I wanted and asked the owners what they suggested, giving them our logo and website to check things out. This is what they came up with…

No, not the goofy lady in the shirt, this…

I was so impressed! I placed an order and they were super quick with it. I even got a free bag that has the same design on it. Such a surprise!

9. Jeremiah started his last semester of his school today!

10. I was a hero this morning. I squashed a tiny (really, really tiny) spider and saved the day. The girls (ok, just Mazie while Jacob was trying to get a closer look) were freaking out about it when they were opening the blinds to let in the sunshine. I, fears aside, did what a mama should and took care of the little being. Fact: I probably would have trapped it and left it for Jeremiah to kill when he got home had it been any bigger!

Happy Tuesday!

Posted in Random

17 Jan 2011

4 Comments

Mazie Monday

Since Mazie’s birthday fell on a weekday, she had her big party on Saturday. This meant there are way too many photos to share here so I did a little collage that sums up the few days of birthday celebrating going on around here.

1. Mazie’s favorite cake, strawberry with strawberry icing. We had cupcakes while she enjoyed her star. 2. The birthday banner. 3. Yep, she’s nine! 4. Loving that Pop Pop was on skyping, singing along with the rest of us. 5. Blowing out all 9 candles. 6. Excited for her new mini-laptop. 7. She had a lot of funny expressions while opening gifts. This one was the best! 8. Pop Pop joining us on skype! 9. Mazie jumping into the pit at Ariel’s gym. 10. Jacob rolling one of Mazie’s friends in the ball. 11. Jamie enjoying a ride on the rope swing. 12. Mazie with THE boy *sigh*. 13. Jacob enjoying extra attention from Mazie’s friend. 14. The relay race that Mazie’s team one! 15. THE boy. 16. The Mickey Birthday cake (see more of this on the cake site).

Now onto the date. I feel this deserves its own special attention since it’s, well, special. Mazie looks forward to her date with dad every year. This year she understood that he has been teaching her how a boy should treat her on a date (in the distant future, of course). So it wasn’t just about spending time with dad (although she was really looking forward to that part of it too), she waiting for him to open doors for her instead of rushing to do it herself. She let him treat her like a lady!

Plus she was really looking forward to whether the flowers she was expecting would be pink! I can’t believe she’s nine.

I pity the boy who doesn’t come to the door with at least one flower in his hand for her. I also pity him if he doesn’t treat her well. Actually, I don’t really pity him. He just doesn’t get another chance, I think. She won’t go out with him if he doesn’t show some chivalry right away! That’s how it should be, right?

Happy Mazie Monday!