Writing Valentine's.

What better way for a 5-year-old to practice writing his letters...




Jackson began writing out Valentine's cards for all his classmates.

It'll take him about a week or so to finish (he only does about 4 a day).

We're very proud of our little lefty!




One of the great things about Jackson's Pre-K teacher is her willingness to have an 'impromptu curriculum' for the kids. She observes her students while they are playing and creates new learning environments according to their interests.
So, the other day when Jackson asked if he could copy down the class schedule onto a piece of paper, she decided to make "writing the room" into a classroom activity.
All the kids in Jackson's class take their notebooks and go somewhere in the room and write the numbers, letters, or words they see.
Mrs. Lang says, "Good idea, Jackson!"

First taste of sweetness.

The kids and I made some cupcakes yesterday.

Lia sat in her high chair and watched as her older brother and sister enjoyed frosting and then eating their desserts.

Lia turned 9 months old yesterday - 9 months! ...isn't that long enough to wait for your first taste of sweetness?

I ended up giving Lia her first treat: a plain cupcake (without frosting).


She was very happy...





I think some pieces made it to her mouth...?

Jackson's Artwork.

It's no secret...

our son LOVES to color!

He will sit at school and home both, and color one, two, sometimes three or more pictures in a day.

Jackson is very good at coloring; he began to really catch on to the whole concept of "staying in the lines" this past summer. Wich is maybe why he is so into art now --he can create some pretty nice work.

I snapped a few pictures of some (about 1/3) of his artwork he's made since Christmas...









And, anyone that knows our son knows he can grow pretty attached to things, and not want to part with any of it.

So, as you can imagine, space, is sometimes a problem for Jackson.

To help him out, I gave him a fairly good-sized plastic tote with a lid.

Deal is: he can keep all his "important artwork" in this tote, but he needs to always be able to close the lid first of all, and secondly, when it gets filled up, he needs to choose what he'd like to throw away to make room for new things.

He seems to like this idea...for now --we'll see if he's still going to like the idea once it's full.

I will continue to take pictures of all his art prior to it hitting the trash can.

Someday, our little artist can look back at all of the wonderful masterpieces he created as a child.

Indoor Waterpark.

We took the two older kids to an indoor waterpark this past weekend, along with some friends and their two oldest children as well.

It was located at 3 Bears Resort, Jellystone park, Warrens WI.
This is the same Jellystone park we vacation with the kids every summer with the Mahlum side of the family.

The kids enjoyed the indoor waterpark just as much, if not more (because the water was heated), than the outdoor one.

Here are a few pictures of our big 5-yr-old and 2-yr-old enjoying the water on a 20+ below zero winter day...

Getting a little vitamin D in the winter...

Walking on roller skates?

We took the kids roller skating yesterday (for their cousin's birthday party).

The wheels on the kids' skates were tightened to a point where they could no longer spin; so in essence, they were walking in skates.






Jackson preferred to walk along the wall...


...and Jessica rather enjoyed spending her time in the play place instead of skating.

"Lazy Lia"

I was asked by a friend of mine the other day, "what's Lia up to these days?" --my response, "nothing."

Is she crawling? - no.

Scooting? - no.

Pushing up onto all 4s? - nope.



Lia just prefers to be moved around by others, have toys placed in front of her, be carried, and held.
If she tips over, she'll wait until someone helps to "fix" and re-position her.
Lia is, in Grandma Barb's words, "Lazy bones Lia!"

I snapped a few pictures of her after she tipped over while playing with her toys...







...ah yep, that's our little Lia...and we love her.

To my daughter, Lia:
Mom says that I want you to stay this way as long as you can.
I love your "laziness."
You'll grow up soon enough and then I will miss these days...the days when you willingly let me move you, carry you, and hold you all day.
Stay little, Lia, as long as you possibly can.
Love, Mom