First Day of Kindergarten!

Yesterday felt like the beginning of a long journey. We sent Buddy off for his first day of Kindergarten.

He was very excited for his day. We had purchased a new backpack and some new school clothing for the occasion. He was up and already dressed before coming to wake me up that morning. By the time we got to the school, his excitement had turned to hesitancy. That of course, made me anxious for him.

The day turned out well in the end. He was smiling when I picked him up. He cannot recall a single name of any of his 20 classmates, apparently they worked on some kind of gingerbread man and they received a special cupcake for a snack. Other than that, I'm a bit in the dark as to what the first day was like.

He seems willing to go again tomorrow, so that's good. My little boy doesn't seem so little anymore.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Pre-school Graduation

I almost forgot to post about Buddy's preschool graduation. So, I thought I ought to continue my game of catch up and get the photos posted.
Graduation day was complete with awesome paper graduation hats. Here's Buddy being led in by his teacher.

and this is what he looked like for almost the entire ceremony.

At least until he received his diploma.

That perked him up a bit.

I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed the school he attended and his wonderful teacher. She really helped him blossom over the last year.

He loved his teacher, too. It's high praise when Buddy wants to buy you a copy of one of his favorite ABC books.

One of the best things about preschool was that Buddy got to be in the same class as his best friend and cousin. She is a real spit-fire and helped him to come out of his shell.

He told me that he wanted to marry her, but I had to give him the bad news that he can't marry his cousin. So, he decided that he'd marry his friend, S, instead. Clearly both girls love him.

Another picture of Buddy, his cousin, another classmate and Jellybean getting in on the action.

We're pretty proud of this kid.

I can't wait to see what Kindergarten brings.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Buddy's Easter Hat

Buddy's preschool put on an Easter parade complete with hats this last week. I had a fantastic idea for an Easter hat using the Stetson I inherited from my grandfather (it was such an awesome idea, too). Buddy rejected this idea. Instead we went with a Spiderman theme.

Since I'd never made an Easter hat before, we looked online for inspiration. Buddy was dead set that he didn't want a "girl" hat. That meant, no flowers and no bunnies. So, Spiderman was a great fit. And after a lot of nagging on my part, he actually helped with the hat, too. (I was not going to be making this all by myself.) I was a little concerned that our creation would not stack up to what the other kids were going to wear.

I was right that it wasn't remotely like what the other kids brought. All of the other hats were flowers, bunnies and eggs. Buddy's hat was in a class of its own. I especially love the spiderweb he created for the side. You also can't beat the scene on the very top with Spiderman duking it out with The Lizard. Awesome. All in all, my child definitely nailed it on originality.  It may not have been what I envisioned, but it turned out to be just perfect for the occasion.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

My Favorite

When D and I had been dating a while we started saying the phrase, "you're my favorite," to each other. We said it a lot, even sending messages to each other that stated: To My Favorite. When we became a family, I started having to qualify that statement.  Buddy is my favorite little Big boy. Jellybean is my favorite little girl. I guess you can't play favorites anymore when you're the Mom.
So, now I have my three very favorite people.  I feel so overwhelmed and amazingly blessed by these three people in my life.

Notice Jellybean starting to smile with her mouth full of chocolate milk.

I'm almost at a loss to describe that feeling I get when I look at that picture. I'm just so full of joy knowing that they are mine. If I had to describe what my "Happy Song" is, that would be it.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Stepping Out For Fro Yo

I remember my parents taking myself and my siblings to a frozen yogurt place called Yozen Frogurt.  I thought the name was terribly clever at the time.  Frozen yogurt seemed like a really special treat.  My favorite flavor then and now? Chocolate with gummy bears.

Am I crazy or is frozen yogurt majorly back in? I've seen frozen yogurt places popping up everywhere.  Because I love, love it, I made it a habit to treat my kids every once in a while.  When I discovered Red Mango, I started treating myself and my kids a little more often.  It's all natural, so I can justify eating it for lunch. It's delicious. I think I've become an addict.

I don't get chocolate with gummy bears, but I do get the mixed berry parfait.  My little ones like the original flavor with berries and mochi.  We have a good time of it as you can see.

I suggest stepping out and treating yourself (and your little ones) to your favorite fro yo.

Have A Happy Day!

~MJ


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Going On A Nature Walk

Step 1: Collection

On Friday, I handed two cellophane bags to my kids and we took a walk.  They each began collecting small items from nature.  Jellybean was way less selective than Buddy. She also listened better to the instruction: "Don't dump your bag until I get a picture!"

 Look at all the different colors and textures!

Step 2: Observation (i.e. destroy)

Dump out the bag.

Wait patiently while Mom displays some of the different items for a picture.

Now really start to experience the different colors and textures by crushing, pulling it apart, throwing it up in the air, pretending that you have really big lips, etc. Whatever floats your boat.

 Step 3: Storage

If you have a hat, that is where the remains of your nature collection should go.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ


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Chalk Numbers

We love getting out the sidewalk chalk when the weather begins warming up.  Usually you will find Buddy working on his ABCs. Here he's decided to switch it up and work on his numbers.

You have to love the beanie with a propeller.

There is something about having a large canvas that makes this activity so much more fun than writing on a piece of paper inside.  I love seeing Buddy's imagination and art skills blooming. Now he is drawing pictures for himself.  Though, I miss his requests to draw clocks on the driveway. Good thing Jellybean is starting to make requests. Today I drew an entire family of bunnies for her. 

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ


This post is participating in:

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Great Inventions

The car cart:

making shopping with these two toddlers bearable.

Happy WW! Have a Good One!

~MJ

Weekend Photos

Just a few phone photos from yesterday.

Last Sunday (Easter), my new nephew was born.  Jellybean is in love with him.  We got to see the little guy today at my parents' house.  Here's Jellybean checking him out. He's being held by his beautiful aunt (my sister-in-law).  D asked me if the new baby made me want to have one.  I said no.  Though, there is something particularly sweet about holding a newborn baby that you don't have to take home with you.

I have to make a note about Jellybean's cute outfit.  I scored this adorable Lauren Ashley dress and those sweet turquoise sandals at my favorite bi-annual consignment sale last week.  $6.00, not bad.

We spend a lot of time swinging on Grandma and Grandpa B's porch swing. Buddy, Jellybean and some of their wonderful cousins got to hang-out Sunday evening. They have so much fun together.

What a great start to the week!

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Can you tell the good plants from the weeds?

We have been blessed with some beautiful weather here and there is so much green coming up in the garden. I've been out with the kids for a little while each day weeding our flower beds.  Mostly, the kids will play while I weed, but occasionally, they come over and want to help.  This has brought up some interesting discussions on which plants are good plants and which plants are weeds.

Buddy thinks the concept of good plants and weeds is funny and makes a game out of it.  "Mama, you're a weed, I'm going to pull you out because I'm a good plant."

Jellybean, wants to help, but doesn't yet have enough understanding to do so.  Today, in her efforts to "weed," she plucked every bud off of a little plant that was just about to bloom.  After that, I kept a better eye on her and handed her the weeds I had pulled to place in my trash bucket.   

My gardening buddy.

While I've been weeding, I've been thinking a lot about how I'm trying to teach my children about the good plants and the weeds that they'll encounter in life. Each day, I am teaching them what is important and what isn't; What is good and what is bad.  It is sometimes hard to distinguish between the the good plants (things that will bring joy into our lives) and the weeds (things that will diminish our joy and drag us down). Sometimes, the weed is readily identified, has shallow roots and can easily be plucked out. Sometimes it is difficult to identify the weed before it has sent runners out and has taken over half of the garden.

This plant no longer has buds. :(

As a parent, I want my children to be able to see the difference between what will be valuable in their lives and what won't be.  I want them to have joy in their lives and not be hindered by the weeds that will inevitably pop up.  I guess the teaching starts with my example.  I imagine that a little weeding in my own life would be beneficial.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Swinging With Papa

Easter Sunday, swinging on the front porch with Papa.

 and a video, too!

Swinging with Papa from A Happy Song on Vimeo.

Joining in on Wordless Wednesday!

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ