Question of the Day

Kobe:
"How do puppies grow?"
Answer if you can...

The Life of a Stay-at-Home Mom

This is what a day with four kids and a dog can drive you to do. It contains all the weird thoughts and feelings that might have bubbled up to the surface in a whirlwind of parenthood. It is disposable too!

Kobe Graduates From Cubbies

Tonight was Kobe's graduation from Cubbies at the Awanas program. He was very proud to stand up there and get his banner. He even sang some songs with his friends. He will now go on to be a Sparky in the Awana program next fall and will hand the baton off to Kian who will also be joining Cubbies in the Fall. After the ceremony there was an ice cream party where Karis proceeded to drip ice cream all down her dress! Oh well, at least she's washable. I cannot believe Kobe is moving to a higher level in Awanas. He is just growing up too fast!

Stay at Home Dad for a Day

Mommy left for work training with the school district, and Daddy is now in charge of the house, the dog and four kids all day. Karis is sad to see her go, and the rest of the crew is as well...

Question of the Day

Kobe:

"How do CDs work?"

Answer if you can...

Pajama Party at the LIbrary

Tonight the boys and I went to a Pajama Party at the local middle school's library. There was a fantastic storyteller who was able to capture every child's attention just by telling the story without pictures. She had them help her tell some of the stories by making animal sounds, counting, or repetition. The children were allowed to wear their pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal. The children had cookies and milk and were allowed to pick a free book to take home. Kobe chose a book about alligators and crocodiles, and Kian chose a book called "Five Little Ducks" which most of you probably know very well. We enjoyed the time so much that we didn't notice the huge thunder storm that was brewing outside. Thankfully, we got to the car and returned home before getting too wet. F.Y.I, Kobe looks sad in the photo because he didn't want to go to bed! He had had such a great time!

Coloring Contest

The children today were having such fun getting out the crayons and books to see who could color the best. Kobe achieved the best coloring overall for staying in the line, Kian won for having the most color on one page, and Karis one for being able to color multiple pages in one sitting. They all had a great time and cheered each other on to victory!

Question of the Day

Kobe:

"How do walls stay up?"

Answer if you can...

Question of the Day

Kobe:
"How do rocks get so big?"
Answer if you can...

Amused

The Pirates of Penzance (1980) (TV)

with Kevin Kline, George Rose, Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith and Patricia Routledge

The Broadway adaption of Gilbert and Sullivan's famed operetta is presented in this lively musical. It is the tale of a journeyman pirate who has just come of age and decides he wants to go straight. Unfortunately, his mentor, the king of the pirates, has other things in mind...

This is a stage performance of what later would be the motion picture The Pirates of Penzance (1983) with the same cast members with the exception of Ruth then being played by Angela Lansbury instead of Patricia Routledge (better known as Hyacinth in the TV-series Keeping Up Appearances.)

It is a good adaptation of the operetta by the infamous British playwright/composer duo, where the audience gets to enjoy the melodies that stick to your brain like crazy-glue. The quality of the recording is somewhat deteriorated and shows great signs of its age, but that does not take away from any of the performances. Some of the characters are perhaps a bit rough around the edges, and Linda Ronstadt is about as stiff as Queen Amidala in a George Lucas production. George Rose has a quick tongue, but seems to lack presence. On the other hand, Routledge and Kline make up for it all with their stage personas - even the Rex Smith Elvis impersonation is quite memorable. Would have been nice to see live though...

Knudegaard Rating:
7 out of 10

Setting Roots

The kids helped to plant a pine tree today, with the intention of letting it grow and leaving something behind. We found the shovel and started moving some dirt, planing the tree, filling the hole and watering it - only to have Snoopy run off with it. Then we had to do it all over. Only time will tell if roots will grow deep...

Paper Garden

Today after church, the boys and I went to a greenhouse for a special children's spring project. While we were there, Kobe and Kian were able to paint their very own pot, then they made some designs with recycled paper and seeds inside the paper. Kobe made a heart and Kian made a flower shape. They then put the paper into their special painted pot with soil in it, and now have the task of watering and caring for their flower when it grows. We also got a tour of the greenhouse and how the workers start the planting process. We saw many beautiful flowers and plants of course and had a hard time choosing one to take home. The boys also were treated to goodies at the end of the tour. When it was time to go, the boys were given a free Marigold each and picked out their very own flowers to plant when it gets warmer out. Kobe of course picked Orange flowers, Kian picked yellow flowers, and we picked some pretty dark pink flowers for Karis and Kyrie. When I tucked Kobe into bed tonight (Kian had already fallen asleep) I asked him what his favorite part of the day was, and he said "The Paper Garden!" I knew they both had built a happy memory.

Question of the Day

Kobe:
"How are balloons made?"
Answer if you can...

Family Movie Night

Curious George (2006)

Director: Matthew O'Callaghan

MPAA Rating: G

The man with the yellow hat works at a natural history museum that's fallen on hard times. The museum director's son wants to turn it into a parking lot, but Ted offers to bring back a mysterious statue from Africa that's guaranteed to pull in crowds. Unfortunately, the idol turns out to be three inches tall. But Ted accidentally brings back a lonely yet irrepressible monkey, soon dubbed George. They set off on a non-stop action, fun-filled journey through the wonders of the big city toward the warmth of true friendship.

Overall a good wholesome family movie that we have watched several times over the past few years. It has a couple of borderline questionable characters and off-screen actions, but nothing a younger child would pick up on. Good quality for some family entertainment.

Knudegaard Rating:

8 out of 10

A Trip to the Park

Nice weather warranted the casual stroll to a nearby park to relax for a few minutes, and for the kids to get some energy out. Not to mention a winter tired golden retriever. A nice Saturday for some family enjoyment.

Family Fitness Fun

Today the boys and I went to an activity for families called Family Fitness Fun. We did different types of exercises, read a story, had a nutritious snack, and went through an obstacle course. The boys loved every moment of it and even won prizes at the end! Kobe and Kian had never won prizes before and were very excited to pick out the golf clubs and jump rope they won. It was also special to have just the two boys with me to have some one on one time with them. I was constantly thinking, "This sure is easy with just two of them!" The girls had fun with Daddy at home too.

Sisterly Love

Karis was in the process of helping her sister in another fashion crisis. She would just not look right without a nice pair of shades. But before daddy could get the camera out, the shades were quickly removed - the sun glasses weren't color matched well enough to Kyrie's outfit... Imagine the embarrassment to have that captured and posted in cyberspace!

Nothing Is Leaking Through This

Karis loves her new pull-up diapers so much because they have Cinderella on them. She wanted to wear all of them, but since that was quite impossible, she put two on over her pants! She seemed to love showing them off to everybody. Oh well, at least her pants will stay dry...

Home Depot Day

The boys survived yet another trip to Home Depot to make new things of wood, glue and stickers. Everybody and their third cousin twice removed showed up and were packed into the space in the back of the store, helping their kids to nail the pieces together whilst suppressing silent cries when the hammer would hit parental fingers adjacent to the nails meant to penetrate the woodwork. A trip that on most Saturdays would take about an hour, was because of the bottlenecking of yearning workshop masses extended to close to two-and-a-half. The craft of the month was a beautifully decorated pencil box with a couple of wooden flowers to boot. Kobe and Kian both were so proud of what they had assembled that Karis also wanted to pose for the camera when her brothers came back home.

Question of the Day

Kobe:

"How do mice get inside the house?"

Answer if you can...

Songs I Heard

Cinderella

by Steven Curtis Chapman

Lyrics Songwriter: Steven Curtis Chapman

She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders

It's been a long day
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me
Saying "Dad, I need you
There's a ball at the castle
And I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone...

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
She will be gone

Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away
But I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

Kyrie Rolls Over

I was in the kitchen after feeding our youngest supplying water to our middle children when I heard a loud cry from the living room. At first I thought that the dog had done something he shouldn't, but he was wagging his tail right beside me, so that couldn't be the case. I peeked in the room and did not see our daughter where I had put her on her stomach on the floor. She had rolled over, and accidentally bonked her head on one of the toys next to her. After wiping away her tears, I made sure she knew how proud I was of my little girl...

Got Orange Julius?

For supper we all enjoyed an "Oranje Julius" frosty. Rebecca mixed the orange fruit with the ice-cubes and put our trusty blender to good use. It left traces on our faces as we gulped the liquid down. But mmm it was sure tasty. Just what we needed on a cold wet spring day like this Friday turned out to be...

Got Slime?

Kobe has been saving up his money that he has earned and decided to spend some of it at Target today when I had an errand to do. He was so excited to find this green slime with a dinosaur inside. It was the grossest thing I have seen in a while, with the exception of the dirty diapers I change everyday, but true to the boy's nature, Kobe loved it. Even Kian and Karis had to come take a peek. The coolest thing about buying something at Target, according to Kobe, is the receipt he received to show that he had made a purchase. The rest of his money has to be saved for the family trip that we are going to take at the end of the month to the Mall of America. I'm sure he'll go crazy with receipts from there!

Look Out!

Nap time was over, and it was reasonable to believe that the children would need to be woken up to get on with the day. I entered the boys' bedroom and did not see Kian in his bed. Instead I spotted a shadow in the window, spanning the frame like an X through the blinds. It was the boy not sleeping, but rather observing the activities on the other side of the pane while standing in the windowsill. Good thing we do not live in a multi-story home!

Need a Bath?

Today I found Kian inside the washing machine! I'm not sure if he wanted to get cleaner, or just to try out the spin cycle-either way, it made a great picture!

Question of the Day

Kobe:

"How do people make fake flowers?"

Answer if you can...

Kyrie Tries Baby Food

Our last little darling, Kyrie, has tried baby food. She ate some cereal with bananas and seemed to really enjoy it. Her brothers and sister really thought it was fun also. I tried to feed it to them but they just didn't think it was edible. Except for Karis, however, who very willingly opened her mouth to try the mushy food. She just laughed and asked for more. Hopefully she will not revert backwards and overindulge her taste buds! We are going to try something different this time, however. We bought a baby food grinder and are going to try to make as much homemade food as possible. We think this will be a little easier on our pocketbook. We shall see if Miss Kyrie feels the same.

Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is here and with that a yard that needs raking. Well, thanks to Grandpa rolling up his sleeves and contracting two helpers, they got the job done. The front yard looks very clean and beautiful and you can see the boys helping Grandpa load up the bags with the leaves. The backyard was supposed to be done on Friday by Trond but due to rain, it has to wait. If Spring would every get here, then maybe the outdoors could start being better maintained.

Question of the Day

Kian:

"How do people make pictures?"

Answer if you can...