LAUREL PARK

Sophie came through with inside info on another cool new (to us) park this week. We were heading to Jackson to pick up our race bibs (no race day pick up) and run some errands, so she directed me to a little, fun, fenced in park on Laurel Street, in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Jackson proper. Turns out it's actually sponsored by the National Park Service (which was nice because then we didn't feel like we were crashing the locals' playground). It was calm and quiet (only two other little girls there throughout our stay), but HOT. Especially in the sun. Temps have topped 100 for the past few days, and we're sweltering here in the Deep South. We really can't complain though, since it did wait until the end of June to get this hot. Only two more months to go...

James thought this snake was wild!

Too bad it had a wasp next inside...

Big man showing off his climbing skills. (Cora made it as far as where it turned horizontal a few times, but freaked out and had to be rescued since she couldn't/wouldn't do a sideways climb.)

Did I mention it was hot? Thank goodness we cut his hair. He was dripping with sweat!

Picnic lunch in the shade. (I suppose the reason they keep climbing tables and other things they shouldn't is our fault, since we do tend to allow such things in these settings. Our bad.)

Daddy was trying to freak me out by sending the kids flying in circles on the tire. Luckily neither kid got sick or even dizzy (amazingly). James was willing and able to ride facing out as well, but Cora was NOT impressed with that method.

FIVE MINUTE FEEDERS

As I was putting groceries away this afternoon, I set the kids up with a little project making bird feeders from pipe cleaners and Cheerios to keep them occupied. James thought it was awesome! Cora enjoyed threading her Cheerios onto the pipe cleaner, then promptly eating them off (therefore, she did not have a bird feeder to hang at the end of project time, but she also didn't care). Daddy made it home in time to make one too, so we were still able to hang 3 little feeders, which pleased James greatly.

Threading the Cheerios onto their pipe cleaners (good fine motor skill practice)

One for the birds, and one for Cora...

Mama's finished bird feeder

Proud little man (who also got a haircut today - the first one since Mama and Daddy buzzed him back in March, 3 whole months ago)

Hanging them where the raccoons and squirrels can't get them!
(And yes, we desperately need to refill the feeders...)

TOO HOT TO HAVE FUN

 The season of constant field trips continues. Sorry AMCA, but whose bright idea was it to take a group of kids to an unshaded park from 10:30am-12:00pm in the 95+ degree heat? Nobody consulted me, that's for sure! Most of the older kids just sat in the shade rather than play. Cora refused to do anything other than swing (which created a nice breeze for her, but not so much for mama, who just had to stand still in the sunshine and push). James and his new buddy Adrian played hide-and-seek the whole time. In the shade. At least my kids are smart enough to know how to keep a little cooler.

Hey! The toddler-sized play structure is finally fixed! (see James?)

Cora swinging with Maddie Kay (shared swing) and Coley, James' favorite girls at AMCA. Cora did NOT like having the older girls push her though - she just wanted mama and threw a fit every time she felt them touch Maddie Kay!

Bub Bubs was starving (and ridiculously sweaty, hence the spiked hair) by lunch time. He asked me to take him for a haircut tomorrow. Don't worry grandmas, we won't buzz it. We'll let the top keep growing out, but the back needs a big trim to handle this summer heat!

Both kids drank a TON of water today, thank goodness. We don't leave the house without at least one insulated Contigo mug for each of them, plus one boxed drink each (coconut milk or Fruitables). That plastic bottle pictured above came from his teachers, who had a whole cooler of extra water to ensure the kids stayed hydrated, so I had to give them props for that, despite the end of June playground idea.

 The best part was that after I finally got them back to daycare and settled for nap, I had to go back to work. DRIPPING with sweat and looking awesome. Probably not smelling too great either. Sorry about that coworkers... SO GLAD the next few field trips will be indoor, air-conditioned adventures!

TODDLER RUNNING SHOES X2

Jay and I signed up to run another 5K. The Watermelon Classic. It promises to be freakin' HOT (101 is the current projected high, and the race is at 7:30am - I've been running at 5:30/6:00am lately...), slightly hilly, and full of folks in a celebratory mood, since it takes place on Wednesday, July 4th. I'm told it's one of the largest races in our areas (as far as number of participants), and we have lots of friends running (Al, Sandy, and Ashley to name a few). Anyway, in addition to the heat, there will be, of course, WATERMELON. Yum! There's actually a whole farmer's market going on. And door prizes throughout the morning. The best part though (in my opinion)? They're having a Tot Trot! That means James can race again and not have to attempt to run an entire mile (no idea what the distance will actually be, but I assume short, since it's for kids age 3 and under), and Cora can give it a shot too. James is pumped for "his race" and has been running all over the place lately (complete with a "start lion", saying "on your mark, set, GO!"), and Cora has been doing her best to chase him. For the occasion, we wanted to get James a cool new pair of running shoes (he recently outgrew his "shiny shoes" that he's been wearing since the Run Through History), and Cora needed her first pair. We decided to get them Pumas, since they have a flatter base than most tennis shoes (Jay can't wait until James hits size 11's, so he can get him a pair of Vibram FiveFingers and let him go "barefoot"). We found light-up shoes for James with rocket ships on them. Seriously. I never thought I'd let James wear light-up shoes, but these are totally cool. When I told him I ordered him rocket ship shoes, he demanded I put them on immediately. Luckily we have VIP one-day shipping through Zappos, so they arrived quickly and I didn't have to hear him cry about his new shoes for very long! For Cora, we picked the model with the best reviews. Both models were reported to run small, and after measuring their feet (6" for James and 5.5" for Cora - they've both recently had a major growth spurt), James ended up with T10 and Cora is in T7 (for other shoe brands though, they're in T9 and T6 now). James' fit well with a little room to grow, but Cora was so borderline for sizes that hers are almost too big. In 20 minutes of running circles around the house tonight, she only tripped once though, so we're keeping them. She'll be fine. Besides, it's still summer for 3 more months here in the Deep South, which means they'll be mostly in their Keens anyway. Hopefully these running shoes will at least fit them until the Over The River Run in October...

Anyway, here they are, posing in their new shoes (they honestly asked me to take their picture for daddy, who was out having his own well-deserved evening off of kid duty tonight):

And here's a little video of James' lights (he was ridiculously happy to finally have a pair of light-up shoes like Cora, since I hadn't told him ahead of time that they'd light up):

(By the way, he doesn't actually run like that. He was so busy looking down to watch his lights that I couldn't convince him to keep his head up. And yes, he did hit a wall at one point tonight. When I asked him if they were too big, he answered me with "No they're not!" - SO WORRIED I was going to take them away!)

They love their new shoes so much that they refused to take them off for bedtime story time (I had to pry them off after their final trip to the potty for the evening):

(And yes, James is ALWAYS that serious when he's reading. The kid is trying VERY hard to memorize all his favorite books!)

KOREAN ESC AND KITTIES

Tonight was a Korean-themed Ethnic Supper Club at Sandy's house. She made Coguchang Pork and Spicy Tofu with eggplant and red peppers. Jay made Korean Pancakes (made with veggies and mung beans, or lentils/split peas when mung beans are not available) and a Korean Rice Bowl with brown jasmine rice, chicken, asparagus, and fried egg. And I made nothing, other than PB&J sandwiches for the kids (not sure how I keep getting away with not prepping or cooking lately...) Everything was delicious and we're psyched to have leftovers for lunch!

Sandy is helping to rescue a teeny tiny baby kitten. It is ADORABLE, and it was all Jay and I could do not to take it home. James was so sweet and gentle with him/her (we're not sure on gender), sitting still to hold it, letting it crawl on his legs and shoulders, and giving it kisses. Cora, on the other hand, thought it was awesome only so long as one of us adults was holding it. The second we put it on the ground and it started walking toward her, she freaked out and screamed and ran away, causing the kitten to chase her. It was seriously hilarious. She attempted to hold the kitten as well, but the moment it so much as breathed she got scared and tried to pull it off her. I suppose we won't be adding any new pets to our family anytime soon.

In celebration of the kitten, Sandy drew a chalk kitty outside after dinner. James watched her do it, as she explained the features she was drawing. Then he took a turn. We were pretty impressed with his kitty! Other than train tracks and bananas and volcanoes, this is the first thing we've seen him draw that actually looks like what he says it is. We may have a little artist on our hands soon!

MEETING ISAAC

Meet Isaac Lucas Hopkins. 8 lbs 3 oz of sweetness who looks a lot like his big brother Gabriel.

Love that handsome profile and those chubby cheeks!

Proud mama Michelle is doing well. (And look at all his gorgeous hair!)

There's just something magical about meeting brand new babies...

HOUSEWARMING

 Tonight we went to a housewarming party for my coworker Christy and hair stylist Mikey, and their baby girl Violet. The kids had a blast (kiddie pool, zipline, kitty and puppy - though Cora was, as usual, deathy afraid of the dog, baby toys, and a few little buddies to play with: Grady and Violet) and we enjoyed a smorgasbord of delicious food (Mikey used to be a chef before he was a stylist). Seriously, there are some GOOD cooks in this bunch. We had smoked briskit, two kinds of salmon, and homemade pretzel rolls to name a few. I can't wait to try my hand at the recipe! Though my waistline would be better off if I don't succeed... Anyway, we had a nice evening hanging out with our friends, and it was fun to just let the kids do their own thing throughout most of the party (they're getting old enough that they're really great at entertaining themselves and each other, and are actually pretty darn trustworthy these days, so our days of policing their every move are happily dwindling). Thanks again for the invite Christy and Mikey!

James on the zipline (with Mikey assisting)

Cora playing some type of coaster tossing game with coworker Jim

P.S. I have a hilarious video of James attempting to grab the zipline by himself. See that knotted rope? It is just long enough to be slightly out of his reach. I watched him try for almost 5 minutes before he finally knocked it downstream far enough for it to be lower to the ground, so he could jump up and grab it. Then he stood there with a confused look on his face waiting for an adult to come pick him up to the handles so he could go for another ride. I'll edit the video and get it up later this week...

SKIRT OR BLANKET?

Just our usual Friday night. A pizza picnic on the living room floor and a rented movie. After dinner, Cora decided snuggling on the couch with me was worth her time (we don't get as many snuggles these days, since she's SO busy all the time doing her own thing), and I thought it was hilarious that she wanted to tuck in and use my skirt as a blanket. (Side note, the kids eat pizza without shirts to avoid sauce stains. I promise she wasn't nekkid under there.)

THE HEAT IS ON

What? You don't like song lyrics as blog post titles?...

It's in the mid-90's today, with 40% humidity (and barely a cloud in the sky). That's hot. Especially at playgrounds without afternoon shade. So even though we learned of a great new park in town (thanks Sophie!), fenced in for safety with newish equipment in a nice neighborhood, the kids (and Jay) couldn't stay long due to the heat. Even with floppy hats and iced drinks. It's supposedly a nice shaded park in the morning though, so hopefully we can spend some time there on summer weekends.

The only bummer about playing in the heat? It results in car naps on the way home. Which results in delayed bedtimes. Oh well, they had fun, and that's what's most important!

P.S. James had his ear recheck today (yes, again - this one followed his 3-week-long round of antibiotics) and was given the all-clear for healthy ears! Hooray! Hopefully he'll make it through the rest of the summer without infection, and by winter he'll have grown out of his ear issues (as the good doc suspects will happen).

FRIDAY RANDOMS

Our usual Friday routine: a trip to the grocery store for last minute weekend essentials (i.e. beer, bananas, coconut milk, and other such things that we run out of by the end of the week), picking up a pizza or two (we rotate suppliers... Fox's, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Billy's), and stopping for a RedBox movie (kid-approved, of course) on the way home. Personally, I can't think of a better way to celebrate Friday!

This is what the kids do pretty much every time they get in the car. They each grab a book or "mag-zine", kick their feet up, and settle in for the ride. We subscribe to a few children's magazines (from National Geographic, Highlights, and some other animal-themed thingy that I forget the name of right now) and only use them in the car (not the house), so that they are "fresh" entertainment for car rides. Works perfectly, and we LOVE seeing our kids read to themselves and each other, or share bits and pieces of what they read with us while we drive. Turns our 15 minute rides to and from school into learning time, which is a nice bonus!

Cora got this light box and accessories from her Grambot and Pawpaw for her birthday, and both kids are completely in love with it. The accessory set came with different colored shapes, which are great both for learning and organizing by shape and color, and also for constructing pretty things like flowers and airplanes. The set also included a huge bucket of see-through Legos, which take building to a whole new level. This thing is so fun that even Jay and I are playing with it!

P.S. I haven't been blogging them, because I always forget to take out my camera and grab group photos, but I've been lucky enough to steal away for Moms Night Out a few times recently. Probably an average of once/month for the past 4 months. Normally we meet up at a restaurant for dinner and a drink and a LOT of mama-talk. It's SO NICE to have a little kid-free time that doesn't involve work, and I am very grateful for the opportunities (thanks Jay!) as well as the ability to nurture my adult friendships - I'm lucky to have a great group of ladies here to hang out with! Last night we lingered until 10:00pm. That's 4 hours of eating and drinking and gabbing. And it was awesome. Thanks girls!

HEADS AND FEET

Why do kids love to put things on their heads?

And why won't they keep their shoes on to protect their feet?

Just wondering...

FATHER'S DAY 2012

We had a low-key day following the extreme fun of yesterday. The kids happily presented their Daddy with his Father's Day gift after a big French toast and bacon breakfast. In support of his new running habit, we got him a Garmin GPS watch to track his miles, pace, calories-burned, etc. It does many things once it's hooked up to a computer and run data is downloaded. It's a gadget. Men love gadgets. James also made his Daddy a card and a poem (I assume Cora did as well, but daycare didn't send it home with her on Friday). We spent the remainder of the day (FIVE whole hours after naptime!) playing outside in our Redneck Waterpark (Jay and I ran through the sprinklers too) and Skyping with my parents, D&T and Eli & Addy, and Jean. The kids were super well behaved (until bedtime...), so that was an awesome bonus for us both - two days in a row!

DOUBLE PARTY DAY!

Our kiddos were lucky enough to have TWO birthday parties to attend today, the second being a dual celebration for Mason and his cousin Gage's 1st birthdays (born two weeks apart, similar to our family's James and Eli). The kids got to expend any remaining energy by swimming and bouncing and jumping and digging, while we were able to just relax in the shade and recoup from Cora's party. Thank you for the invite Michelle! Your little man sure has grown up this year, and we've loved watching him grow and change. 

Happy 1st Birthday sweet Mason!

Playing in a Cloud Dough kiddie pool with their buddies Coltin and Emma (who also attended 2 parties today!)

Checking out Gage's older sister's trampoline

Hanging out in the splash pool at the bottom of the giant waterslide

Daredevil Cora was ready and willing to give it a go!

Non-daredevil James was ridiculously cute while excitedly cheering on his little sister

Sissy wasn't heavy enough to maintain speed all the way to the end, so she had to scoot herself backwards out the second half of the slide! She sure was proud of herself - and she went two more times, climbing the ladder all by herself!

Bounce Houses are SO MUCH FUN for toddlers! (How sweet is Emma's smile?!)

This was James' first experience with water balloons. I think it's fair to say he's hooked!

I know, kinda creepy... He was being SO SILLY. It was a big day for these little kids!