Looking at the Stars

Claire noticed that I (finally) updated my blog this morning and asked me to put up a drawing she made. So here it is!

Claire's End of the Year Program

Claire's class had their end of the year program last Wednesday, June 13th. They recited some poems and sang some songs. No video for this one- left the camera that does video at home. But I did get a few pictures on my cell phone :)

Waiting for the program to start

As you can see, Claire was really excited to be reciting poetry :)

Really big smiles after it was over! And check out Claire's new front teeth!

Max's last day of Preschool

Here is the little program from Max's last day of preschool, which was May 18th. Better late than never :)

Recent artwork

Both kids brought home great drawings from school today!

If you are a Star Wars fan, you will understand Max's:

And Claire has drawn herself deep in thought:

Mother's Day Tea

This morning Max's preschool held their annual Mother's Day Tea.  It was a super cute event, complete with lots of happy tears from the moms.  Here's the video:

And here is Max's forced smile when I asked him for a photo after the show!

After the songs, we all had cookies and lemonade on special plates the kids had made. No tea. Oh well.  It was a fun event and the kids were so proud of themselves for making a special occasion for their moms. 

Zookeeper Max

This morning Max's preschool opened their zoo!  Every child in the class got to be a zookeeper. They each brought in a favorite stuffed animal and helped to build a habitat for it. Max and his buddy Grayson both brought in a stuffed elephant, so they shared their habitat. They had a watering hole, some hay for bedding, and a fence to keep them in. Here are the happy zookeepers:

Each kid dictated a statement about their animal to their teacher, and those were printed and put in the habitats.  Max's statement is below:

Here's a shot of Max with his elephant:

Max's view of me

Max brought this drawing home from school yesterday! I love the umbilical cord! He realized when he got home that he forgot to give me arms- so they are a more recent addition.

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It's a Girl!

As most of my readers already know, we found out yesterday we're having a girl! Here are some photos of the new little sister:




Here she is in profile!



And here are her little arm and hand!

Our Easter Weekend

We had a busy and fun-filled Easter weekend!

On Saturday, we went to the egg hunt at Nettles Park, which is sponsored by the city of Clemson. We go every year, and the kids really enjoy it! They divide up the hunts by age group, so Max hunted with the five and six year-olds and Claire hunted with the seven and eight year-olds.  After the hunt, they waited in a long line to go into the bounce house.


This morning, we had our traditional egg hunt here. We hunt for real and plastic eggs at home, and they are much better hidden than the ones at the park.  The kids also got some special treats in their Easter baskets, which they enjoyed after the hunt. We had Easter lunch with Joey's parents at their house. The kids enjoyed playing with an anole and a skink that had been unlucky enough to be on the screened porch at the time. I'm sure the lizards were relieved when we went home!   

Max before his hunt



Claire after her hunt



Yay! It's finally their turn!



Coming out the other end of the bounce house. Looks like they enjoyed it!



Easter morning egg hunt



comparing eggs



Taking my zoo to the Greenville Zoo

It's spring break this week for both kids.  We have a few fun activities planned, and today was the first- a trip to the Greenville Zoo!

We finished our morning chores, packed a picnic lunch and headed to Greenville.

The zoo borders a city park, and this park has an amazing playgound. The kids practically drooled as we were finding a place to park the car.  The playground was completely mobbed. I guess I wasn't the only mom wanting to take her kids to the zoo over spring break!

We ate our picnic in the grass and the kids went to play on the playground.

About ten minutes after they started playing, Max came over to me with another little boy. "Mom, can I talk to this boy? I know I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, but he's really nice." "Yes, Max. It's okay to talk with kids on the playgound." 

Max and the little boy ran a few feet from me and I could hear Max say: "That's my sister over there- let's go play with her." Then the little boy said: "do you have a brother, too?"  "No," said Max, "but my mom has a baby in her belly right now and it might be a little brother!" Then they ran off to play. 

I love overhearing kid's conversations (most of the time). 

After a good long playtime, we headed over to the zoo.

I found some photos from the last time I went to the zoo with the kids, which was September of 2008. Joey has taken them several times since then, but it was fun to look back at the oldest photos to compare! 

The first exhibit is the elephants. The kids love them.

Here are the kids admiring the elephants today.

Joey and Claire with the elephants in 2008



The kids posed with the giraffes today.




and back in 2008.



This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot I got today of a giant tortoise smiling for the camera. The kids love this photo.

The kids pose in front of the little waterfall.

A resting Ocelot

The kids riding the bronze bear sculpture this afternoon.

They needed help getting on the bear in 2008!

Claire jumping down the outdoor seating area.

Claire thinking about jumping down the outdoor seating area in 2008.

I never would have considered taking both kids to the zoo by myself in 2008. Today it was relatively easy. Fun, even! 

Early birds' morning walk

Claire is my early riser. It doesn't matter what time she goes to bed- she's up by 7. This morning, as Joey was leaving for work, he asked me to take some photos of one of his sculptures in the morning light. So my early bird companion and I went out to the hayfield together.

Joey's Catfish in the morning light



Claire waiting for me to stop taking photos




On our way back to the house, we came across Mud. She wanted a pat, of course.
Claire is squinting because the sun is in her eyes.




Then was saw one of our Barred Rock hens, also out for a morning stroll. 




Claire and I made a stop at the studio to check on our chicks. They are one week old today!
We have 15 Leghorns and 7 Bovans/Rhode Island Red mixes.



Claire holding a chick.

Our First Easter Egg Tree

Claire came home from school one day last week and said she would really like to make an Easter egg tree. One of the teachers had made one and she thought is was lovely. We decided it would make a good spring break project. As soon as spring break officially started, Claire started asking to make the tree. The kids hung all the eggs themselves!

The kids are very proud of their tree!

The tree from the other side.

Spring has Sprung

Spring is the best season in the south. It's short and sweet, but absolutely gorgeous!  I took these photos a few days ago, very early in the morning.



This is a camellia called 'Nuccio's Gem'.  I took this photo without the flash. I love the saturated color.



This is the same flower, but I used the flash this time. I love the detail the flash brings out.



A Loropetalum in full bloom.



This graceful blossom belongs to Magnolia stellata 'Waterlily'.




Old fashioned common lilacs don't grow well here, but there are some lilacs that will. This is Syringa meyeri 'Palibin'.
The fragrance is lovely, but it doesn't hold a candle to the common lilac.





This cool plant is a Viburnum macrocephalum, sometimes called a snowball bush. These heads get to be 8 to 12 inches
 across when all the flowers open. Some people think they look like hydrangeas.





Lemon Bars

I love a good lemon bar. Actually, I love just about any dessert right now. This pregnancy has brought out my sweet tooth in a big, bad way. So if I read a recipe that sounds even remotely yummy, I want to try it. Or if someone within earshot suggests a food that sounds even remotely yummy, I want to try it.  The other day the volunteers at my local co-op were talking about all the health benefits of wine and grape juice and guess what? I bought some grape juice. It was delicious. But I digress. On to the lemon bars. This recipe comes from Cookies Unlimited, by Nick Malgieri This book is very hit and miss. Some recipes are great, others either don't come out well or are bland. But this one is a winner.

Ultimate Lemon Bars

Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan

Cookie base
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour

Lemon Topping
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons strained lemon juice (about two lemon's worth)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (one lemon makes just the right amount)

Confectioners sugar for finishing

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

For the base, in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed. Beat in the confectioners sugar and vanilla and continue beating for a minute or two, until light. Lower the speed and beat in the flour.

Spread the dough over the bottom (and slightly up the sides) of the buttered 13 x 9 pan, using the back of a large metal spoon to smooth it. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden and baked through.

While the base is baking, prepare the topping. Be careful not to over mix the topping, or it will have a course textured foam on the top when baked. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs just to break them up.  Whisk in the sugar, then the lemon juice and zest.

As soon as the base is baked, remove it from the oven and pour on the topping. Immediately return the pan to the oven and continue baking the squares for another 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is set and firm.

Cool on rack until completely cooled.

Dust with confectioners sugar and cut into squares.

Claire's new work

Claire's drawing style is changing- evolving, really. It's fun to watch.

Max's Stitches

If you get queasy easily, please stop reading right now.  For those with strong stomachs, here is a look at Max's stitches without the bandage. As you can see, they don't seem to bother him one bit. In fact, when he first saw his stitches in the mirror, he said "cool!"

Emotional Roller Coaster

I had my first ultrasound this morning! I was very excited. I dropped Max at preschool and made my way to Anderson for the appointment, about 30 minutes from Max's school. 

Just before my ultrasound was over, my cell phone rang in my purse. I couldn't answer it, of course, since I was on a table having my belly read. Then, one minute later, it rang again. This time I got worried. I finished my ultrasound and checked my missed calls.

One was Joey. The other was an unknown number, but a local one.  I called Joey first and got no answer. Then I called the other number. It was Max's preschool. Max had had an accident on the playground and needed stitches in his head!  They said they had been able to get in touch with Joey and he was on his way. Phew!

I drove back as quickly as I could. I figured they would be at my pediatrician's office, so I headed in that direction. On my way, I spotted Joey's car in the Urgent Care Center parking lot (good thing we drive old and unique vehicles!). I'm so glad I happened to be looking in that direction at the time!  It turned out my pediatrician was out of the office that day. 

When I got inside, Max and Joey were already back in a room but had not seen a doctor yet. Poor Max! He was in shock and a little shaky. He had lost a lot of blood. He was relieved to see me, comforted that both parents were there.

Soon after the doctor came in and switched Max to a different room with better lighting and a better bed.  I wanted to stay, but once they uncovered the wound and I saw it, I started to feel light headed. And then it started to bleed a lot more. Oh no. The doctor sent me to the waiting room. They don't need a pregnant woman fainting on top of everything else. 

I sat there in the waiting room and listened to Max scream and scream. It took Joey and two nurses to hold him down while he was being stitched. I just hope the doctor was able to do a good job and that Max won't scar too badly. Max ended up with nine stitches. Based on the size of the wound, I thought he would have had a lot more. Any scar prevention advice would be greatly appreciated.

After it was all over, Max and I dropped off his antibiotic prescription and went to get some lunch. I let Max pick, as long as the place had a drive through. Luckily, the pharmacy had a drive through, too- I didn't have to get Max out of the car until we got home. 

Once we were home, I changed Max into his jammies and set him up on the sofa to watch a movie of his choice.  I took the photo below while he was watching the movie.

Max's best buddy at school was very worried and dropped by to check on him (with his mom).  He brought Max a big bag full of get well presents and a nice card. All the presents were quiet activities- puzzles, modeling clay, and Legos.  Perfect.  Max was so happy to see his friend and so touched that his friend brought him a get well surprise.  How lucky we are to have such good friends!  



Max during his quiet time this afternoon

Oh yes, and the baby!  The baby was wiggling all over the place during the ultrasound, which I saw as a good sign.  I thought I had been feeling it move for a week or so, and now I see why. The ultrasound tech had a hard time getting the photos as the baby would not be still long enough!  Although she could not tell me anything, I had a good feeling about the baby.  I heard the heartbeat again, and saw all the body parts.  Here are some photos! 

Here you can see its little legs, crossed at the ankle

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Baby with its hand in front of its face, possibly sucking its thumb?