So, You Think You Can Dance?

Here is Sprite's response to this question (wait for it...):


And here is the proof:

Today's Forecast: A Bright Future in Meteorology

Sprout: Daddy, I think it's going to rain... (long pause) or not!

Daddy: Sprout, I think you are going to be a great weatherman!

Sprout: Really?

Mommy: I think so too. I bet you can guess the temperature.

Sprout: 20 degrees?

Mommy: Higher!

Sprout: 30 degrees?

Mommy: Higher!

Sprout: 40 degrees?

Mommy: Higher!

Sprout: 100 degrees?

Mommy: Lower!

Sprout: 90 degrees?

Mommy: Higher!

Sprout: 91, 92, 93, 94, 95

Mommy: That's it; it's 95 degrees out right now!

Sprout: I knew it!


5 minutes later...

Daddy: Sprout you were right- it's raining!

Sprout: I am going to be a good weatherman (beaming with pride)!

You already are Sprout, you already are!!!

Parlez Vous Espanol?

The Hubs: "Sprout, in about 10 minutes we are leaving to go to La Bambas."

Sprout: "I don't wanna go to La Bambas."

Sprouts friend Vincent: "Dude, what's La Bambas?"

Sprout: "That's the place where everything is French!"

This One's For The Girls...

This one's for the girls
Who've ever had a broken heart
Who've wished upon a shooting star
You're beautiful the way you are


This one's for the girls
Who love without holding back
Who dream with everything they have
All around the worldThis one's for the girls

Boys, Boys, Boys

Kenny, Chase, and Sprout

Sprout had a lot of fun paling around with his older cousins while in NY. And like typical boys sometimes they played great and other times they fought like brothers. Especially Sprout and Kenny. They had a hard time sorting out their roles. Sprout is used to being the oldest and the leader and all of the sudden he was the baby. Kenny is used to being the baby and all of the sudden Sprout was the baby of the bunch. It made for some interesting dynamics as they tried to figure it out!


I was most surprised by how much my nephews have grown. We used to live close together and saw each other alot but we have all moved to other states and don't get to see each other as often. I remember when Chase was such a rolly polly baby and when Kenny was a daredevil of a toddler. Now they are DUDES! :0)

We had a really fun time all being together, even if was a little crazy at times for my poor in-laws...

-Like the time we filled the boys up with sugar from their candy kebobs and let them loose in the house.

Or the time the boys were playing hackey sak in the kitchen and somehow the hackey sak landed in a large pot of grease that Grammy had used to make fried dough, splashing grease all over the stove and wall! GOOD TIMES!!

Museum of Play

One of my favorite adventures of our trip to NY was going to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester. We went with my sister-in-law Amy and my nephews and had a fun-filled day. There was something for everyone, from 2 to thirty-something...

Strong is the only museum in the world devoted to PLAY! Strong National Museum of Play is an exciting, hands-on, welcoming place to play, learn, and dream; a place to pretend, wonder, and explore; a place to discover the past and imagine the future; and a place to rekindle memories and make new ones. Strong is the only museum in the world dedicated solely to the study of play as it illuminates American culture. (Strong National Museum of Play)

There was so much to see and do...we really needed a week to take it all in and experience everything the museum had to offer but we only had one day so here is what we experienced. No doubt about it-we will be back!!!

Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden, "a lush rain-forest environment and walk among approximately 800 brilliantly-colored, free-flying tropical and native butterflies that flutter about ."

This almost didn't happen because Sprite was eating a snack right before we were about to enter but you can't take food in with you so I had to put it away and, oh my goodness, you would have thought I took her hand with it the way she screamed and carried on! She is a lot like her momma when it comes to food- don't try to come between her and her food! We had timed tickets though so it was now or never. My sister-in-law Amy was so sweet and held Sprite while she was having her temper tantrums that day and let everyone think she was hers so I could have a break from the drama and the stares!!! Thanks Aunt Mamey! Once we got inside though, Sprite was so distracted by the hundreds of butterflies that we were able to enjoy the Dancing Garden!

Super Kids Market This was a Mini Wegmans grocery store where the kids experienced the entire grocery shopping experience. They pushed miniature carts around to shop for their groceries, placed their items on a working conveyor belt, and scanned bar-coded products at working checkout registers. They also had fun producing their own cooking show in the WKID-TV station.

Sesame Street

Sunny day - Sweepin’ the clouds away,

On my way to where the air is sweet.
Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street.

Adventures with Clifford the Big Red Dog

Sprout and his cousin sorted and delivered mail at the Birdwell Island Post Office.

Kid to Kid

The kids really enjoyed this area as their imaginations got to run wild. They climbed aboard a whaling ship, solved mysteries like Sherlock Holmes, entered into a fairytale, and became wizards complete with crowns and wands.

"It is a happy talent to know how to play."
Ralph Waldo EmersonAmerican writer1803-1882

A Tribute to Sarah Sue Hoo

My beautiful, bold and brilliant friend Sarah (she has a patent pending for crying out load) and her family are getting ready to move across the country to California-sniffle, sniffle. This is one of the hard parts of being in the military- having to say goodbye/see ya later to life long friends you've made along the way.

Our husband's met in Warrant Officer Candidate School and became instant friends- well, almost anyway. ;)

When Sarah and I first met I thought she seemed very cool, which to be completely honest has not happened all that often when meeting the wives of my husband's Army buddies. I've had a few interesting experiences to say the least and was a little shell shocked but Sarah and I quickly hit it off and realized that we had a lot of the same interests, primarily food and margaritas!!!!

Sarah is the only other person I know who gets as grumpy as I do when she's hungry! We were a match made in heaven and after a while it seemed as if we had been friends forever.

Our boys also became instant friends and at last we had found a friend that could keep up with our energizer bunny.

Of course, it takes a super hero to keep up with our son!

Sarah was pregnant when we met and that always opens up the door for conversations. Woman love to talk about their pregnancies and deliveries. I guess it's like guys and their war stories. These are our version of war stories and we have the battle scars to prove it!!! But we also have the brown-eyed beauties to show for it! Our girls have enjoyed sharing their first years together, even if Sprout didn't always play nice!

Sarah wrote this very sweet blog post, Saying “See you later” to my best friend… that made me sob into a box of Klennex. So I am leaving her with this poem today:

Forever Friends

you'r my friend and that is true,

but the gift was given from me to you.

we went thru moments that were good and bad,

even moments that were happy and sad.

you suported me when i was in tears,

we stuck together when we were in fear,

its really sad that it had to be this way,

but it has reached its very last day.

miles away cant keep us apart,

'cause you'll always be in my heart.

Like you said, this is only the beginning!
I can't wait to see you in Vegas- and remember what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!!!!

They Call Me Mellow Yellow...

We had Sprout's birthday party at Mellow Mushroom, our favorite piza joint. Sprout invited 5 of his closest friends and they got to make their own pizzas, bring them back to the kitchen and eat them fresh out of the oven. It really was the perfect party. The food was great, we were in and out in under 2 hours, I didn't have to clean up and everyone seemed to have a good time. Who could ask for anything more?

Thank you everyone for helping us celebrate Sprout's birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Sprout

I wish our scanner was working so I could scan some of your baby and toddler pictures to see how you've grown. Oh, how you've grown!!! You were such a rolly polly baby. You weighed 21 pounds at 6 months old and people used to ask me what I fed you to which I replied Miracle Grow! :) Six years later and you have barely doubled your weight from 6 months old. That's why I call you Sprout- because you are just sprouting upwards and growing up on me.

The last six years have just flown by and there are times when I wish I could stop the sands of time-just to enjoy these early years a little bit longer. You have grown a lot over the past six years and I have grown right along with you both as a person and a mother. You are an amazing little boy and an awesome big brother and I am proud to be your Mommy.

You are my silly and sensitive son, my master negotiator, my creative charmer, my energizer bunny, my imaginative storyteller, my fun-loving flirt, my loud leader, my blue-eyed boy...

And this is my wish for you:

May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the
warm rays of sun fall upon your home, And may the hand of a friend always be
near.

May green be the grass you walk on, May blue be the skies above you, May pure
be the joys that surround you, May true be the hearts that love you.

Happy Birthday Sprout!

I Love You- "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living my baby you'll be!"

Birthday Surprise

Background: Sprout comes into my bed on the morning of my birthday (Tuesday). The Hubs is already at work for a 5 am formation and I am squinting at him with one eye half cracked.

Sprout: Happy Birthday Momma!

Me: Thank you baby!

Sprout: Do you remember your iPod that broke during the thunder storm?... well, I can't tell you what we got you for your birthday but you are going to love it!

Me: I bet I am!!!!! (wide awake and smiling now)


When the Hubs got home I told him what Sprout had said and he laughed and told Sprout he could go get my present now.

A pretty, shiny, silver nano- 3rd edition to replace the one that got fried during the storm!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!

He did the same thing on our Anniversary last year. Except I had bought my husband a new wedding ring after accidently (I swear) throwing his in the lake.


They are so darn cute you just can't get mad!

Grampy B

Here are the Munchkins with Grampy B. Sprout is Grampy B's little buddy. Whenever we are there he takes Sprout across the street to the horse farm to look at all of the animals- horses, cows, bulls, sheep and ducks at the pond. Sprout just loves it and it is his special thing that he gets to do with Grampy. I think Sprite will be ready to go next time. I couldn't believe how quickly she warmed up to Grampy- just look at that face!

Finally- some pictures from our trip!

One of my favorite places to go when we are home is to the Lake (Lake Ontario). It is always cooler by the lake and there is usually a nice breeze- my kind of weather. The kids love to sit on the rocks and throw them in the water. Every once in a while I find a good skipper! Sprout had fun collecting rocks and brought a box full of rocks home as souvenirs.

Grammy and the munchkins.


Grampy and the Rock Collector

Sprite

Sprout -aka Dude


Don't mind my tree-trunk looking legs; I was trying to capture the clarity of the water. It was so clear this year while we were there.