Category Archives: Kids
Surprises while doing Owen’s laundry.
It kind of gives you a little scare to open the washer and see something trying to escape (sorry it’s a bit blurry):
But then you instantly recognize that it’s a zombie figurine and have a good laugh.
I’ve always thought a train under the tree would be cool.
It only took 44 years, a kid who loves Legos, grandparents who were willing to buy the set and the electronics 💗 and a last-minute extra set of tracks to fit around the tree stand… It ended up needing some parental intervention [to get the power hooked up correctly and the tracks in an approximate circle] but Owen did the bulk of it.
She doesn’t look sick does she?
I had to go pick up Katie from school yesterday afternoon because she had a fever. She did seem a bit worn out (and had been sneezing and coughing for a few days) but this morning she seemed quite okay—but I had to keep her out for 24 hours post-temperature. This is her “resting.”
I kicked ass at this game back in the day.
I was out shopping today and ran across this game.
Holy cow the memories came flooding back!
I kicked ass at it back in the day when my cousins and I each got it for Christmas. (Google tells me it came out in 1982, which is about exactly when I thought it was—I guessed I was around 8 or so.) This is what the box looked like then.
I asked on Facebook if anyone remembered it, and my cousins did—and amazingly, said her kids played the very game a short time ago!! I wish I still had mine, but I wasn’t about to pay $17 for it. 🙂
Two cutie pies before school.
Surprise trip to LegoLand Discovery Center!
We didn’t even know this place existed until a few weeks ago, so I found discount tickets and off we went! It wasn’t quite as exciting as I’d hoped it would be (and one of the rides was shut down) but the kids had a really good time so that’s all that matters!
This is pretty much what the whole front of the tree looks like.
And this is what I look like:
Owen learned to climb a ladder!
He had to rescue a toy he threw up and which landed inside one of the squares.
He didn’t love it (he doesn’t like heights) but he powered through.
Yes, that’s slime on the ceiling.
Welcome to my morning.
Owen threw it too high then tried to clean it with… Are you ready??… A nerf gun, a folder, and a coloring book.
#thishappenedfiveminutesafterwarninghimnottogetslimeanywhere
#thatboyhasnocommonsense
#thisthursdayismymonday
#slimeisnolongerallowedinourhouse
#isittooearlyforwine
I left it all day so he could clean it when he got home. Thankfully it came right off with a magic eraser.
Katie’s first love letters.
His name is Thomas and apparently he’s one of four who love her and want to take her out to eat and who chase her. Hoo boy.
Tonight’s dress up costumes!
Exhausted after nine days at Gramma’s.
Relaxing by the fire…
Grandpa build a fire downstairs to take some of the humidity and chill out of the air and Katie desperately wanted to be down by it. So I went down and sat with her and relaxed…for about five whole minutes until she got bored.
Katie’s fan-talking
Helping Gramma make soup!
Potato Helper
Gramma wanted Katie to check with me if we had enough potatoes for our Thanksgiving Dinner. I said no. I mean really, you can never have too many mashed potatoes.
Pink hair!
I had bought Katie some light pink shampoo at the same time I bought my dark blue shampoo, and I had Tom bring it back with him so we could do Katie’s hair. And boy was she excited!
Katie’s first manicure & Owen’s Brian Lewerke haircut!
Grayling has a beauty school where my mom gets her hair permed and cut so I went earlier this week for a blow out (it’s a treat for me since I suck at it—plus it was the first wash post-color and I thought why not let someone else deal with it?). Then I decided since everything was so cheap, I’d take Katie for her first basic manicure to see how she did (before I drop $$$ on a real manicure or pedicure). She was all about it. 🙂
Owen needed a haircut, too. He had decided to get the same cut as Brian Lewerke, an MSU Spartan player.
This is literally how Maggie spent the majority of her vacation.
Last night:
This morning:
The kids on the time out tree stump
There’s a stump in the back yard that we joke is the perfect time-out spot. Of course we’ve never had to use it, but that’s still what we call it. Katie is finally big enough to get up there by herself so this happened.
The kids doing pysanky with Gramma Jean for the first time!
They’re a bit behind—I started at age 3! They were both excited to sit down and do it. Gramma gave them a quick lesson on how to hold the egg and kistka, but unfortunately both of them forgot and ended up grabbing the hot metal end…which is why you see tears on some of Katie’s close up pics. They both had fun and enjoyed doing two eggs—I was only going to watch but then couldn’t help myself and had to jump in and “do a quick egg” which of course turned into more time than I planned and I ended up sitting there finishing mine while the kids were done and outside playing. 🙂 (Note: The eggs are done but are still at Gramma’s house being varnished so the finished product photo will come later.)
Two kids and a dog
A walk with Grandpa
It’s deer season and 25° so he had to bundle up in orange.
A Katie in the window
Then and now with Uncle Jim
Playing in the snow with cousins!
Apparently shoveling is fun if you’re doing it with cousins and not because a parent asked you to do it.
We didn’t bring snow pants so jammies have to suffice. She didn’t care one bit.
Attack on the living room window!
Cousins Gabby and Robert!
Wheelbarrow Dab
The kids love to dab an this is one Katie came up with tonight.
Cousins on the Schwalm side
Everyone was gathered for Aunt Florence’s memorial—and it was the first time our kids met the Hough side of the Schwalm clan. They are lined up by age, with Katie being the youngest at 5 and Gabrielle the oldest at 14.
Then we took a selfie because we haven’t done so in awhile.
Katie’s new antique doll
This doll used to be Gramma Jean’s when she was little, and then I played with her, and now she belongs to Katie.
