"Boat"

I have to admit that Bro has taken to nature in a way that I have never witnessed before. He is just drawn to it, in a way that Lulu never was.

Do you know what his first words were/are: fish, duck, turtle, bird, and meow (cat). What do all of these words have in common? What does this mean for Napmom's future? Oh my - I'd better get in touch with my outdoorsy side soon.

At Lulu's party, Bro got his first boat ride of the season.

Now, almost every word out of his mouth is "boat" "boat" "boat."

A water tubing, camping, Tinker Bell birthday

Lulu finally had her Tinker Bell party. We had great fun. Since it was a water tubing part, for safety reasons, she was only permitted to invite three friends to her party. She invited Gator, of course, a cousin, and another close friend.

First things first... here is the Tinker Bell cake that I made.

Here is the Tinker Bell cake pan template.

Lulu and her friends loved the cake. I, for one, think that the cake looked a bit more like Cinderella than Tinker Bell. I probably should have included Tink's ear and added the black outlining as well. It would have made the hair seem scragglier and not so neat and clean.

Either way, it was a hit so I am pleased.

Luvs2Boat and I set up the sleeping accommodations a day ahead of time. Yes, I own a tent (look closely - it's a two-room tent) and will be using it more often in the near future.

The girls had lots of fun jumping off of the pier...

and riding on the inner tube.

Their favorite part had to be flying off of the tube, swimming back to it, and starting all over again.

After the first round of tubing, we ate dinner, went tubing some more, had cake and ice cream, made smores, played Guitar Hero (I'm not kidding), and c-r-a-s-h-e-d by 11:15 (which is mighty early for a group this age).

We woke up Saturday morning to Fairy Grandmother's signature heart waffles. Yummy!

I have to give credit where credit is due... I just arrived with the girls, Fairy Grandmother and Luvs2Boat did the rest. This might have been Lulu's best birthday ever! She says that she wants to do it again next year - I hope that her grandparents are ready!

Chocolate Pudding - by Bro

Today is National Chocolate Pudding Day. Guess what mommy did last night? I know, I know - I have a milk allergy, so she only let me lick the spoon. I ran around the kitchen like a mad man and she couldn't even get one good picture of me with that new fancy camera of hers. She did manage to capture this look as evidence though. Shhhh - don't tell Daddy.

Enjoy your day!

Chemically speaking, chocolate really is the world's perfect food.
- Michael Levine, nutrition researcher

There is a pirate among us.

I'm trying my best to get a cute picture of my babies with the American flag... for several reasons: (1) this would be a cute pic to place in our house, (2) we have some very close family members with July 4th holiday birthdays who would appreciate a patriotic pic of the kids, and (3) I need a cute blog pic for the patriotic holiday... which is quickly approaching.

I took some pictures of Lulu and Bro together and some (many) of them apart.

Lulu, of course, was perfect in every picture.

Bro, on the other hand, proceeded to act like a pirate, wielding the flag like a mighty sword.

On another day, he decided to play peek-a-boo rather than hold the flag with the dignity it deserves.

What am I going to do with him?

How Do You Get To Wonderland?????

Hello tadpoles! Where have you been? I mean, where have I been?

There is actually a downside to having a nicer camera... it takes two lifetimes (yes, two, to be exact) to load these freakin' pictures onto my ole gray mare computer. I can't even think about trying to edit them too.






The biggest and best news is that it is going to be a very 'Wonderland' summer. That is, Lulu got the part of Alice in the summer Alice in Wonderland play.


She is especially excited about this because her most recent parts were Wickersham brother, surfer dude, and guard #2.

Did I mention all of this already? It's been so long since we talked.

On a slightly different note. I searched the Internet for an Alice in Wonderland shirt for Lulu. I finally found one on Cafe Press. Have you ordered from Cafe Press before? Honestly, I wasn't too happy with this shirt, which I ordered. (I bought the print a regular shirt, not a tank top.) The picture was rather blurry. I'll have to upload a pic of the shirt when I get one. Is this a common cafe press problem or maybe just a problem with this one set of shirts?????

Note: Lulu is not frowning or moping in these pictures. This is the look of an actress who is diligently memorizing her lines.

Coming soon: Lulu celebrates her birthday with some friends, Napmom tries to capture some cute July 4th pictures, Father's Day, and more.

Ocean Conservancy: Help Make Overfishing a Thing of the Past!

Ocean Conservancy: Help Make Overfishing a Thing of the Past!

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Dear Friend,

Does your fish come from a farm? And even more importantly, what does that mean?

I just played a new game, "Go, Fish!" from Ocean Conservancy, and I think you'll like it, too. Plus, $1 will be donated to their work to end overfishing for each and every person who plays the game. Will you join me?

Go, Fish! is all about building support for our ocean and the wildlife, people and economies that depend on it while raising awareness about the ins and outs of the fishing industry. You can get started here:

http://www.oceanconservancy.org/playgofish

Plus, one of their partners -- Henry and Lisa's Seafood is giving away a Seafood Sampler to one lucky winner who plays Go, Fish! before the June 30 sweepstakes deadline. I hope you'll join me in helping to end overfishing by playing Go, Fish! today. You'll not only learn more about the complex seafood industry, you'll also generate a $1 donation to support Ocean Conservancy’s work to reform it.

Thanks!

p.s. I played the game and answered all of my questions incorrectly. OK - at least I'm honest. How did you score (it couldn't be worse than me)?

Mr. Independent

Bro still walks with his mail cart. It is his favorite outdoor activity.

I used to have to walk right in front of him. He needed to be able to see me at all times.

Now, he runs along, checking back every once in awhile to make sure I am still there.

Occasionally he finds a treasure to carry in his cart.

Here he is perfecting his "I'm not listening skills." It goes something like this.

Napmoms says, "Ew. Bro! That's disgusting! No! Leave that alone. That's not for Bro."

Again...

"Bro.

No.

Stop playing with that.

Bro.

Bro.

B-r-o!

No sir.

Mommy wants you to stop doing that.

Bro!"

And still...
"Bro.
No.
Bro.
Bro.
Bro.
Bro.
Bro.
Bro.
Bro."

Deep breath. Can you say "broken record?"

He also likes to do everything himself. Just today, he was sitting in his chair and motioning for some bacon. Like a good mom, I got the bacon, tore off a piece and put the piece on his plate. He screamed. Fine. So, then I put the rest of the bacon on his plate - the larger piece. He screamed again. Fine. I went and got a whole piece of bacon and put it on his plate. He was happy.

A bit later he found a snack bag of graham crackers. He brought it to me. I opened the bag and handed him a graham cracker. He screamed. I put the piece of graham cracker back in the bag. He screamed. I opened the bag and allowed him to grab his own graham cracker. He was happy.

Lulu was not like this AT ALL when she was little. With Bro, I hardly know when to be the boss or when to let him exert his own independence. On one hand, I certainly am not going to spend my life being bossed around by my children. However, I do think that some of his requests are acceptable. I can see that I will need to catch up on some parenting book reading.

Any suggestions?

Frolicking Farm Fun

I had the great idea to take Lulu and Bro to a petting farm, mostly because Lulu needed a picture with a live chicken. Remember?

I found Clark's Elioak Farm online and planned to take the kids. Well, Lulu had a friend spend the night and I so very excitedly asked them if they wanted to go to the petting farm - the obvious answer would be a loud an boisterous "yes." Right? Not so much. They both looked at me with a look like I had suggested that we interview math tutors for a few hours.

My feelings were a little hurt.

So, I changed it up a bit - cause I am smarter than they are. I told them that I had planned to take Bro to the petting zoo. It would be his first time at a petting zoo and would they want to go with me to help babysit him. How great would it be if the three of us could take Bro on his first trip to the petting zoo? Right? Heck yeah - they were all for it!

So, I took the kids we took Bro to the awesomest petting zoo ever. Not only is it a petting zoo... but it is an enchanted forest as well.

First, we looked through the Three Bears' home, sat inside the mouth of a whale, took turns sitting next to Humpty on his wall, and




slid through a hole in an Old Woman's shoe.



Then, everyone played on the playground and



kept Bro entertained for awhile.



We each took turns milking a fake cow.

And someone sat on a tuffet... until that spider came along.

We visited with goats, ducks, donkeys, rabbits,

and some live chickens.

This is definitely a great place to visit. I would say that you could easily spend 2 hours here. Plus, there are picnic tables for lunch as well (pack your own lunch because I only saw snacks for sale).

A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

Camp Cupcakes

These camp cupcakes are absolutely the cutest ever. Did I tell you that Emily and her friends are camping out to celebrate her birthday (a tad belated, I know)? I want to make these camp cupcakes, but I know that I am going to be forced to make a Tinker Bell cake. I mean, yes, I already have the Tinker Bell cake pan and all... but these cupcakes are soooooooooooooooooooo cute!

Black and White OR Color?

Gosh - I do so love a black and white picture, but each time I put the B&W next to the color version, I ALWAYS choose the color. This happens so often that I actually stopped playing with the little black-and-white button. It's a waste of time 'cause I ALWAYS pick the color... until today.

Here's the color version.

Here is the black and white version.

Never mind. See. I've done it again. I like the color version better. How about you?

Graduation - pics

Lulu is in the green dress. Here she is walking in with her class.

Standing with her class and waiting to sit down.

Shaking the hand of the Superintendent of Schools.

With Grandmommy and Daddy.

With her "mom you are embarrassing me" look.

What the heck happened to my hair?

Sigh - with her good buddy Gator.

Not Such an Act of Kindness

This morning, I gathered up my little man and headed off to the Farmer's Market. A few weeks have passed since my last visit and I wanted to see what kind of goods the Spring weather has produced.

The market is open from 7 a.m. to noon. Bro and I arrived to a relatively packed parking lot around 8:00ish. I did my little loop around the parking lot and saw someone pulling out from a spot - no big deal - so I backed up a bit so that this person could pull and what do you know... Broom Hilda was standing in the middle of the newly available parking space. Broom Hilda just stood there with her broom hands on her hips and stared at me.

I rolled down my window and asked, "What are you doing?" To which she replied, "You can't park here." To which I told her that, "I CAN and I WILL" park there. She stood there screaming some stuff back towards the Farmer's market (which I couldn't hear because I was listening to Mickey Mouse's Greatest Hits). I was pretty much prepared to just park my car right where I was and go to the market.

Well, a Kenny Rogers look-a-like Kenny Rogers came over to the car and asked me to move. He was so kind and nice. He explained that he should have put cones out to reserve these spaces earlier and that the spaces were for the band. He pointed out that there was a space opening up right behind me and that he would be more than happy to save that space for me. He apologized for my troubles.

I'm stubborn - so stubborn - but Kenny Rogers was so kind and I really didn't want to have a bad day so I agreed to move, after I yelled out my window to Broom Hilda - "YOU CATCH MORE FLIES WITH HONEY LADY!" Kenny Rogers asked my what I said and I told him that I was just telling Broom Hilda that "you catch more flies with honey."

I moved my car. Fine. A victory for Broom Hilda, but I can take it. I thanked Kenny Rogers for being so kind and asked him if he was married. I told him that his wife was a very lucky lady. He told me that he has been happily married for 37 years (yahoo) and that he is known to be a very patient person. I chuckled back that I know the secret to his happy marriage - he was very kind - most anyone else might not have been that kind to me.

We did some shopping at the Farmer's Market. And, when I walked back to my car, Kenny Rogers came over with some flowers for us. He was insistent that he didn't want me to leave the Farmer's Market on a sour note. I INSISTED that he didn't need to give me the flowers. (I mean really, was I THAT bad that I needed to be placated with flowers?)

I asked if he was in the band. He said that he was a farmer. I told him that I would be sure to check out his stand next time. He said that wouldn't be necessary.

We came home with mint (for mojitos) and dill (all seen in black pots below) and

black raspberries. The farmer said that they were fresh, just picked this morning, and did not have pesticides on them. Yippee! S-o-l-d!


I didn't see any tomotoes at the market and ours have not sprouted yet either. Yes, this is our upside-down tomato plant.

Are you craving a BLT? I am. What else can I do with the mint besides mojitos?

Sigh

Once upon a time, Napmom bragged that every little boy should be born with a 10-year old sister. For a little over a year Napmom reveled in the closeness of the two siblings; how the little brother was so sweet and adorable and the older sister just doted on her little brother.

Then, one day, little brother started hitting his terrible twos and big sister started reaching for her teen years.

Now, a slightly deflated (emotionally, not physically) Napmom is singing a different tune. It is called, "What the Heck Was I Thinking?"

Coming soon - I will share with you a little story about my run-in with two people who I now like to refer to as Broom Hilda and Kenny Rogers.

Wine... again

I have been tasked with making the labels for the wine. Dear Husband and his trusty brother dreamed up "Crab Town Winery" for the first set of labels/wine. Dear Husband has asked me to make wine labels for the new bottles of wine.

Disclaimer: This was his vision, I am merely in charge of making it digital.

We do have one question though.

How should we spell "Crab Town"?

a. Crab Town (as shown)

b. Crabtown

c. Crabtowne

You can try to respond using the blogger comment feature. Or, you can e-mail me at makingmelaugh@gmail.com while I try to fix the comment issue. Does anyone else have complaints from readers who can't leave a comment? It is totally frustrating.

Random Act of Kindness - Another Attempt... kinda

Still trying to practice a random act of kindness, thanks to Yummy Mummy's challenge.

Attempt #3. I was going through the toll booth on the way to a wedding this weekend. I thought that it would be great to pay the toll for the person behind us. I think that this is a fairly common Random Act of Kindness (RAOK). Then, I looked over at the driver of the car that I was in, my dear husband. He would have thought that I was crazy to suggest such a thing. So, I didn't even ask.

Someone did pay my toll for me once actually. I was so terribly frustrated. I was next-in-line behind them and I do not know what the heck was taking so long. Were they paying with a credit card? Getting directions? Who knows, but I was pissed. Then, as fate would have it, I got up to the toll booth and the attendant told me that the person had paid for me. Yeah, I felt like a schmuck.

Attempt #4. I was on my way home from work. I picked up Bro from daycare and as I was exiting the building I noticed some awful clouds that looked like something out of a movie. The wind was whipping up and there was debris flying all over the place. The thunder was loud and the lightning was cracking - this storm had come up out of nowhere.

Thus, I abandoned the idea that Bro and I would go to the grocery store and decided that it wouldn't kill us to have cereal for dinner. Well, more liked canned peaches and toast with butter - shhhhhh don't tell.

On the way home, I saw our female neighbor running in the neighborhood. The storm was HERE - the only thing missing was the rain. I pulled over, of course, and she got in the car... with heaps and heaps of 'thanks yous."

Does this count as a RAOK? See, I don't think so. I think that this was being neighborly, not really a RAOK. What do you think?

So, go with me here... we are now 4 attempts into trying to find a RAOK. Maybe I don't quite understand the definition of RAOK. I was thinking of going and picking up trash off of the side of the street, but I consider that to be community service not an RAOK. Augh!!!!!

In the meantime, I'll just keep being nice and hopefully a RAOK opportunity will come my way.

Have any of you practiced a Random Act of Kindness lately?

Let Me See Your Smile: Mission 13-15

More pictures for the summer photo contest.

Mission 13: An oyster 3 points

Yeah - I took least 100 pictures of this girl in her orthodontist shirt during the whole oyster project (which I still need to blog about)... and this (yes THIS) is the best picture that I got with Lulu and an oyster. Disappointing - very. You are supposed to be able to clearly see the shirt (to keep out the cheaters I suppose) so I hope that this qualifies. I am sure that they will recognize that this is their shirt.

Mission 14: A live chicken. 3 measely points

Mission 15: Under a bridge. 4 points

What is the technical definition of a bridge? Does this count? I sure hope so.


15 pictures down... 55 left to go!