Author Archives: Jen
Owen reading “Dog Man” to Maggie. 💗
Owen said he wanted to read to Maggie so he thought she’d like “Dog Man.” 🙂
She loves sun anywhere she can get it.
Even if it’s on our windowsill behind the dresser behind the curtains.
Smiley girl at dinner.
Owen made new friends!
We have new neighbors moving in across the street but they haven’t officially moved in yet—and we haven’t even met them. But today I looked out and saw two boys about Owen’s age playing catch. So I told him he should go over and introduce himself. He was so excited he couldn’t get out of the house fast enough, saying “I feel really good about this!” 🙂
Of course I spied from the living room. 🙂
He ended up playing with them for hours and they were back and forth between yards and Katie even got involved for a little bit.
Owen reported their names, that they are in 4th and 5th grades, they will be moving in this summer, and they also have one more younger brother in 2nd grade.
It was great to see him so excited!
Dog legs.
This is new, too.
I thought I “felt” something above my head when I woke up.
Katie’s first official Lego build!
The official Lego rules state that you have to be six years old so we’ve been playing by the rules…but at the last build they asked why she wasn’t building and we said because she wasn’t six yet. They told us they don’t care and to just sign her up. YAY!
Of course Owen was done in a few minutes, but she kept at it and did it with barely any help!
Katie got to see the Frog Lady today.
As she told us “She’s not a frog, though.” See if you can spot her in the video!
https://www.facebook.com/jenhudson2001/posts/10157204993482542
This is new.
Did I just make it better or worse?
When you’re trying to come up with a new color palette for your #SAHMhustle and you think “How hard can it be to pick the color of a #margarita?” and you spend hours on #Pinterest and in graphics apps playing (I mean working!) and none of them are quite right (too neon, too pale, too pastel, doesn’t go with other colors) and then you remember you have a paint color sample ring and you wonder if that just made it worse or better?! #helpme #colorpaletterabbithole #pinteresttimesuck #valspar #lowes #rebranding #suitespring #maybeishouldbedrinkingamargarita #senegence #lipsense #livinglippy
She’s definitely got her own style.
Gone are the days when I could get her into super cute outfits without question…
You see the whole outfit, right? With the Halloween socks and gold shoes? 🙂
Easter Bunnies
The good thing about the kids getting older? I don’t feel the need to be up at 6:30am with them to look for eggs! (Tom was up, though–he’s always up!) I heard them excitedly searching for and finding them, then rolled over and went back to sleep for a bit. When I did get up, I made them pose with their because of course. 🙂
This is part of what it looks like while I’m trying to take them:
And then moments later they got their Easter treat: xbox time!
This is how they usually end up during a movie.
Two climbing monkeys!
I’m proud of both of them. He would never have climbed that high before last year. And at Katie’s age? No way. Yet there they both are!
We met friends for a play date and the playground was wet from overnight rain so Katie was running around drying things off (I planned ahead and had towels in the car). Owen went to the top of a two-story slide and said “It’s dry up here” as he started down…before I could warn him to look at the bottom of the slide. The next thing you saw was his legs and a huge gush of water spraying out of the slide. Maybe next time he’ll learn! He didn’t let his wet butt stop him from playing, though!
Walking home from a battle.
Owen was at a playdate and the mom sent me this pic. Yep, that’s my boy.
Dogs are weird, part 56.
A weekend with Uncle Rob and Miss Dee!
They came to visit us for the first time and to take the kids out for their Christmas presents—they had given them certificates for dinner and a movie!!
They also decided to take them bowling on base! The kids had a blast (they also got to play some video games and air hockey plus have lunch at McDonald’s).
On Saturday Katie monopolized Miss Dee doing puzzles and playing kitchen. That afternoon they went to a movie then to Unos for pizza!
Sunday we went out for breakfast and then it was time to say goodbye.
I might need to get back into cross stitching.
This is what she played outside in today. And I kept my mouth shut.
It was literally 30° out. She only lasted about 10 minutes…if that. Did I win? 🙂
This is how every morning starts for me.
Who else shares a bed?! 😂 🐈 What you can’t see (or hear) is the dog under the covers snoring. She jumps in after the kids let her outside.
The kids finally broke me.
When I imagined being a parent, I never thought I’d have to argue every damn morning about whether the kids had to wear a coat. Owen thinks a sweatshirt is fine. I mean, he stuck his hand outside and it wasn’t cold so that proves he doesn’t need a coat, right? When it’s windy and he has to stand at the bus stop for five minutes. 🤦🏻♀️
By the end of the day I’d actually decided that it was up to them to decide what to wear. I told them I wouldn’t care if they were cold, we would not come home to get a coat/hat/gloves, if they missed out on recess (or whatever else—I don’t know what rules the school might have) it was their tough luck. They thought that was grand and skeptically asked over and over if they could just wear the sweatshirt/light coat/hoodie. Like they couldn’t believe their good fortune.
Stay tuned.
At least someone is using the treadmill.
Student-led P/T conferences!
This was a first for us—spring conferences are lesmd by the students! Katie was first and took us to different stations around the room where she showed us the computer work they did (typing, recording voices, and drawing), some games they played, and all the sight words she could read… Ending with a review by the teacher.
This was her computer project. Her voice was recorded answering the question that she also typed out.
“What do you want to be when you grow up? when I grow up I want to be a artist becus i rillee want to eony [enjoy] make rille good pic chrs.”
Her teacher said she was doing really great. She knows all the sight words, she is right on par for her reading level, and she acts responsibly in class. They even have to do a self-evaluation (and the teacher marked her better than she did herself!). We won’t get to see the paperwork until it comes home who-knows-when.
Artwork from the classroom and halls (unrelated to the conference).
Then it was off to Owen’s school across the street. He had to lead us through his workbook as well, with the teacher directing him. He did well for his first time having to do anything like that. He also had a self-examination and he also rated himself lower than his teacher did. She said he’s a great kid and has really grown (he speaks up a lot more in class now).
A fraction rainbow.
Charlie finally discovered the forbidden cat food.
She would sit outside our bathroom and stare in. I watched her as she would sssslllooowwwllllyyyy move closer. And closer. Until she was right up at the food. So needless to say it was time to get an automatic feeder…
The curse of a long-haired girl on a windy day.
Buds.
Waiting for her ride.
Every once in awhile the neighbor takes the kids to school for parent drop off. Katie loves it.
This is what a successful party looks like.
A present tucked in for Daddy.
Katie left this on Tom’s side of the bed.
