Five Sense Friday

I can't promise this will happen each Friday. (We all know what happened with Project 52. *blush*) But I'd like to try my hand at spending a day a week enjoying my world through my senses that I often take for granted. I think this will be fun to try to come up with images of everyday things...and some not-so-every-day-things (like eggs dropping on your rug).

If any fellow bloggers would like to join me on my Five Sense Fridays (or Tuesdays, or any day it gets done), I'd love the company and mental support and inspiration!

You can imagine my surprise when I woke up, after a beautiful 60 degree yesterday, to find this sight! My eyes were in shock!!!

Another first this morning was opening the refrigerator to the scent of wonderfully ripe strawberries. (That made the offending alarm of the snow a little less harsh.)

While the kids were in school, I practiced the piano and did a mighty fine job of making sure my hand placement was correct since I'm teaching myself to play the piano from Tarryn's lesson books. My treble-clef is fine (being that I used to play the accordian *hides head in hands*), it's the bass-clef that needs help. Touching those keys makes my heart soar.

My heart did the opposite of soaring, and sunk when I heard that all-to-familiar sound of an egg breaking when my adorable nephew decided to not get the dip out of the fridge for his chicken nuggets, but to try a hand at making his own.... On the rug.

But everything has ended well since Makade and I have tasted the fruits of our labor and enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie...or two.

Cut! (that's a wrap)

Did you know that there are superstitions regarding babies-first-haircut?! I found this out the first time I took Tarryn in when the hair-dresser was thrilled to be doing her first cut. She told me it brings the person (performing the cut) good luck and she was ecstatic to be the recipient of good luck in her life at that moment in time.

The girls at Cookie Cutters must have no trouble walking through life with sunshine galore and maybe even a bluebird on their shoulder. These wonderful gals deal with kids and young ones all day long! On the 20th, Ashley got the 'blessing' of cutting Kellan's hair for his first professional cut.

Psst....I'm sneaky and make sure that I am the first one to cut each baby's hair (since Tarryn) because I need all the luck I can get!

Anyway, it's not like Kellan has a lot of hair, it's just that he needed things evened out. He (predictably) was an angel while Ashley cut his hair. They make you feel like a star at Cookie Cutters and give you the royal treatment. Kids get to pick a movie (Kellan watched Dora), then pick an automobile to sit in (the fire-truck), and after the cut (or during in Kellan's case) they get to pick a balloon with (can you guess?) a cookie cutter attached to the string so it doesn't fly away. This is my kind of place when I don't have to fight my children to get their hair cut. And that's a wrap!

He even got a certificate for his first professional cut. How cute! ~~~Too bad I don't scrap-book.

Splish Splash...

They were takin' a bath... Long about a Saturday 'night.
Rub-a-dub, just relaxin' in the tub, thinking that their hair was alright.

Love at first sight.

After we went to the aquarium, we took the kids out to dinner at Red Robin's. Kellan was so captivated with his "boon" (balloon) he refused to let it go once we got home.

....Sooooo he took it in the bath with him (and we allowed it). ....And he watched a movie on the projector while holding it. (Try getting a kid dressed in pajamas while not letting go of a balloon string!) I'm just happy the balloon was forgotten half way through the movie so we didn't have to fight with him when it came to bedtime.

Somethin's Fishy

What a trip to our local aquarium! It never seems to get old seeing an entirely different world through glass windows. It's been a while since I've put up some pictures, and I'm REALLY excited because I was actually daring enough to take my new camera out of the house!!! (Yes, I've had Canon the Camera for 3 months, and it's never even been in my yard! I'm too nervous about having something so nice.) It was no surprise when Brandon wanted to take my temperature to make sure I was feeling okay. :)

Enough boring you with words. Here's some pictures from our aquarium trip...

Kellan scouting out some trout to shoot?!

Makade driving a boat. Eek!

Who's in this aquarium?

Looking over the side of the dock

Watery reflection

Look hard. There really are jelly fish in this tank, I promise.

This octopus has loads of 'pusonality'! He loves to play with a Mr. Potato Head!

Corban found Nemo!

Makade spying another Clown Fish.

Last time Tarryn pet one of these rays, her arm and hand broke out in a rash.

This time, she's keeping her hands to herself.

Makade's under-the-sea love, SHARKS.

Tarryn showing Kellan the shark and sting-ray tank.

Finally, a tank that's Kellan's height!

Crawling through man-made land coral as an end to our aquarium trip.

Potty Talk

We've discussed the wonderful world of potty training before. Even now that we're pretty much finished (minus night time pull-ups), conversations centered around the toilet are frequent in this household. Take for instance, after Corban's finished and is flushing the toilet; it's quite common to hear from his little mouth, "Bye bye pee pee! See you later!" I personally don't want to see it later, but it's cute of him to send it off with a sweet bon voyage.

Using public restrooms are an entirely different encounter for new potty users and brings a whole new level of fun for moms. Last night in the restaurant's bathroom, Corban and I got to experience this.:

Corban: Before getting onto the toilet, Mom, how do you flush it?

Me: You don't Corban, it flushes by it's self.

Corban: What?! But where is the button?!

Me: There isn't a button. Let's go potty and then you'll see.

Corban: After finishing his business he's still looking for the button while still sitting down, I don't see the button!!!

Me: Jump down and the toilet will flush by it's self.

Corban: After jumping down and working on pulling up his pants the toilet flushes, "Whoa!"

Me: See Corban, the toilet knew you got off so it flushed!

Corban: Oh!!! looking at the toilet, Thank you Toilet!!! Speaking out of the side of his mouth in a voice not quite his own, he made the toilet's reply,
Toilet: Your Welcome.

The lessons we learn....

Makade had a special play date today with a friend he's had since preschool. Daisy has become a great friend to our entire family, although Corban had no recollection of who she was so I decided to introduce her to him while we were at the table eating lunch.

Me: Corban, do you know who this is?

Corban: Nope.

Me: This is Daisy.

Corban: addressing his new acquaintance.... Daisy....

Daisy: What Corban?

Corban: I love you.

Giggles all around the table along with a couple 'ahhhhs'.

It always amazes me to see how open hearted children can be towards everyone no matter color, size, height, ability, or disability. At what age is it that we start making judgements regarding? What age do we start deciding that we have the right to make preconceived ideas toward another human being? What makes us think we have the right to have opinions on others that we do know and are past preconceptions?

The very same day, earlier in the morning at the breakfast table, we had Tarryn's friend Morgan over. Morgan has been around many of time for Corban to have ideas of what type of person she is. And sometimes, quite frankly, she's not the nicest of friends; other times she's the best.

Corban: Morgan. getting louder as the addressed party continues to ignore him.... Morgan. Morgan. MORGAN!

Morgan: WHAT!

Corban: I love you.

Morgan: Softening her tone and a big smile emanating across her face... Thanks Corban!


Have you ever watched kids while at a park or play land? They are happy as can be when someone new comes to play. They welcome them and make up a new game to play with them. They don't even have to know each other's names and are okay that their new *friend* doesn't know theirs. They don't think about what that person's opinion of them is. Kids don't care if this is a lasting relationship and if they are waisting their time. They don't come to play with fears of getting hurt. They are there with one objective... to have fun with that person at that moment in time.

Lets take a lesson from them... Enjoy your time and spend it wisely with the people that move in and out of your world. Don't worry if they are here to stay, or if they are a grain of sand that will quickly slip through the funnel of an hour glass. Enjoy them, learn what you can from them, for everyone has good in them to learn from. Without these connections, we most assuredly would be alone and wouldn't be able to grow or feel self worth.

Next time I go to the store, you can bet I'll be talking to the person waiting in line at the check-out stand with me. I might not use the words, "I love you," like Corban did to his new acquaintance, but hopefully my actions will say, "I care."