Pinterest

I am kind of late to the "Pinterest" game, but I find myself using the site more and more.  I have done lots of 'pinning' but haven't really tried out any of the pins!  I have used a few quotes and cartoons in my classroom, and I used the parchment paper idea to hang pictures, but that is about it.  I did go out this weekend and purchased some felt to put on the bottom of my desks and chairs at school, instead of using tennis balls, for noise control.  What is it about teenage boys and the need to take dirty tennis balls off the chairs and throw them around the room?

I recently found an idea to clean an oven - our 'self-cleaning oven' isn't very good at self-cleaning.  And those close to me know that I have been in desperate need of a new oven because the inside is nasty - until now!  I found a pin about using baking soda and vinegar to clean the inside of an oven - and it worked pretty well!

BEFORE

AFTER

I'm hoping after another round or two I will have a spotless oven!

Photo Dump

Some recent pics...

Arts n Crafts - We made foam visors!

Leah in a potato sack race at Samson's birthday party

Hippa with soon to be best buds - Noah and cousin Willa

Cousin Willa

Noah snoozin with HIppa

Getting ready for Auntie Natalie's baby shower - Leah's first baby shower!

Waiting to FaceTime

So happy...blurry, but so happy!

Exersaucer for the first time - LOVES it!

The Chub!

First Day of School!

Leah had her first day of preschool on Thursday!  This is her second year of preschool and she was so ready to go back and see her friends, especially her best buddy, Austin.  She has a new teacher this year, Ms. Jenna.  Ms. Jenna said she an an awesome first day!  Leah said "it rocked!"

  

Getting up at 6:30 - this will be an adjustment!

It was Mommy's second day of school - 12th year!

Noah - 4 Months!

Noah was four months last weekend, and had his four month check-up.  As we already knew, he is growing!  Weighing in at a whopping 17.5 pounds (90%) and 24 inches (20%).  The good news is that his length percentile is increasing while his weight percentile is decreasing!  He loves the "I am going to roll onto my tummy and scream like a mad-mad because I hate being on my tummy so mommy flip me over so I can flip again before you have a chance to get away" game.  Oh what a fun game it is!  He is staying on his belly longer every day, but hasn't figured out how to roll to his back, which is supposedly the 'easier' way to roll!  We have also started Noah on a little rice cereal.  The first night Noah didn't care for it so much, but since then he loves it!  We will be moving on to oatmeal next and then to some orange stuff - yum!

Betty's Bunch

The Alzheimer Walk 2012 is right around the corner - September 15!

As you many of you know, I lost my dear grandma, Betty Snow, to Alzheimer's a decade ago.  And for the third year I am participating in the Alzheimer's Association Walk.  Please join my team, Betty's Bunch, to help raise awareness for this terrible disease.  If you cannot walk with us, please consider being a virtual team member!  Your donation and time is greatly appreciated!  To join and or donate, please click here.

Grapes

I took the three amigos to Parky's Farm yesterday with our friends the Printz Family.  After some time playing on the playground, we headed to the community garden.  Max was in heaven....there was a grape arbor!

Jumparoo and Soccer Too!

We decided it was time to dig out the jumparoo for Noah.  He is starting to spend less time in his swing and I felt like we was starting to get bored.  So in the jumparoo he went and he loves it!  His itty bitty feet barely touch the ground, so we have a book below his feet to give him a better push.  He hasn't figured out the toys yet, but Max and Leah help him with that!

And it's official...I'm a soccer mom!  Mini-van and all!  

Leah has been asking to play soccer for about a year.  Last fall I didn't know there was a three-year old league, and the spring we were too busy with Noah's arrival.  So we are going to try it out this fall.  One of the requirements is that she has to wear shin guards, so we did a little soccer shopping this weekend.  Poor Max was feeling left out, so we got him a ball too.

Yes, that is Max wearing a bracelet and necklace.  I asked him to bring me a pair of socks and he came back wearing Leah's jewelry instead!

Zoo and KI

Headed to the zoo and Kings Island this past weekend before the craziness of back-to-school begins.

Checking out the penguins

Who knew there was a Dewey's Pizza around the corner from the zoo?

They are getting a little better at driving the dodgems

Upside Down

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of Leah sleeping while "Hanging On".  Well this week as I checked on Max, I found him in a goofy position...

It might be hard to tell, but he is using his pillows as his covers and the covers as a pillow.

And since I'm posting sleep pics, I can't leave out the little guy...typical "touchdown" pose!

Photo Shoot #2

About 1.5 weeks ago my mom came down for a last minute visit with my niece Addison.  My mom has been saying how she wanted some new pictures of all of her grandchildren together, and since they are not together very often, we decided to give it a go.  It was also going to be a great surprise for my dad and Addie's parents.  Fortunately Jamie (my sis-in law) had packed a good assortment of clothes and we were able to coordinate some outfits.  And Leah, Max and Noah ended up with some good pics too that I was able to get some more for a good wall collection - now I just need to hang them!

This was right after Addie spun in a circle and said "peek-a-boo"  It was hysterical!

Still sporting the Einstein look