An Artist at Work

What can I say? At least she's creative!



Note: All stickers were removed without any harm to the dog. Also, the dog did not ingest any foreign objects during his time as a living art project. Amazingly enough, Hannah's toes were not bitten at all during the art session.

That Dog!

Try as I may, I have yet to fall in love with our little mongrel - I mean dog. At 15 weeks old, this little Boston terrier continues to wreak havoc on the Peterson household; however, I must admit, at times, I can tell that he's calming down a bit! He has random moments of hyperactivity, thinks everything is his, and chews on anything within reach - children, adults, toys, shoes, socks, etc. I'm pretty sure he would chew on one of our cats if they let him get close enough.

At times, he amuses me almost to the point that I like him (see video); however, at other times (like when he's biting me or one of the children), I remember why he hasn't exactly won my heart.

He's a puppy, I know. Puppies bite! It's just I haven't had a lot of experience with dogs; I have always been around cats, so life with a dog is a major adjustment.

Lucky for him, he's cute! Those little ears flop over and he almost has me; then, he does something crazy (like chew up my shoes) and we are back to square one. At least I have a valid excuse for buying new shoes:)

The kids have learned that they are only safe from Petey when they lock him out of the playhouse or they are on top of the climber. Though Petey puts forth a valiant effort, he has yet to master going up the slide.

Under the Big Top

Okay, so we weren't really under a big top - more like an arena - but you get the idea! The circus came to town and Dee Dee just happened to be here to share in the excitement. The kids were thrilled to go to the circus because one of Hannah's birthday presents, a Dora video, talked all about the circus. They had both been asking to go to the circus, and lucky for us, we could oblige!

We arrived early for the pre-show events. Hunter couldn't wait to see the clowns. He got his chance to see them and hid behind my legs the entire time. One clown tried to give him a high five, but Hunter wasn't having that. So we sat down and waited for the show to begin. As soon as the show began and Hunter saw the clowns again, he wanted to give them a high five. Sorry buddy, maybe next year - opportunity only knocks so often!

We saw clowns...

horses, elephants, tigers, dogs, and so much more...

Hannah bounced from her seat

to lap to lap.

Hunter stayed on the edge of his seat.

And they were both completely enamored

for the entire two hours.

Of course, the cotton candy only made a great evening even better!

But I think mom's face says it all...The best part of our entire evening was just watching these two little people completely captivated and utterly delighted by The Greatest Show on Earth.

Not to mention the really cool circus hats that came with the cotton candy!

VBS 2008 (part 2) - Outrigger Island

After Dee Dee's VBS, we came home to our own VBS. We all had a blast at this one too. The songs were a little more complex this time which made it difficult for Hunter to catch on to the words, but he loved the hand motions and the props!

I taught the first and second graders which meant that, once again, Hannah found herself in the nursery - which I am pretty sure she would classify as cruel and unusual punishment if she could. Normally, she loves the nursery, but this time she was keenly aware of the fact that she was missing out on all the fun! My mom, who just happened to be in town that week, ended up staying with her for music and recreation at VBS then taking her home for her normal, early bedtime. Poor girl, her time is coming; waiting is just so hard!!

Hunter loved his class; of course, it helped that his teacher was one of our dearest friends. He kind of felt like the teacher's pet - trust me, he milked it for all he could!!

I didn't get a lot of pics since I was teaching a class, but here are a few from the last night. We had a little program followed by a luau, which was Hunter's favorite part of the entire week!

Boy on the Brain

The preschool offers a Tuesday/Thursday program for six weeks during the summer. On the way to school yesterday, the kids and I were talking about seeing their friends. Hunter proceeded to name each friend that he wanted to see, basically the entire class plus a few who don't attend his school. Then the conversation turns to Hannah:

Hannah: I want to see Carl.

Me: Do you want to see your other friends too?

Hannah: No

Hannah has a hard time saying some of the names (i.e. Marguerite) in her class; she usually only gets one syllable out like ('rite). Carl is the only one syllable name, so I was thinking that Carl was probably just the easiest name for her.

When I went to pick her up, she was still sleeping; so, I picked up Hunter first then we went to wake Sleeping Beauty. She's sweetly sleeping on her mat with her blankets and rabbit right next to Carl. Her teacher then tells me that Hannah woke up for a few minutes during her nap, re-situated herself, tried to use Carl as a foot rest, and went back to sleep. The teachers moved her before she woke him - too funny!!

This was Bakery Week at school and the kids had pizza together for lunch. On the way home, Hunter told me about his day and the pizza that he ate with his friends. Hannah's only contribution to the conversation, "I ate pizza with Carl!"

Saying Goodbye

Though it's never easy to say goodbye, it's a process with which we are all too familiar! This time we weren't the ones moving, at least not yet (we anticipate orders/moving by this time next year). My sweet friend Chanin and her family readily said goodbye to New Orleans and hello to Orlando. Quite the trade! I feel sure we'll see them again in a few years time! The kids have to see Mickey at some point!

Chanin and I met at a MOPS meeting when Hannah was just three months old, and Chanin was three months pregnant with baby Jack. Chanin's daughter, Anna Kate had just turned three and even though Hunter was six months younger, the two played very well together. Over the last two years, we met for play dates whenever possible - factoring in daily routines, illness, and other activities made scheduling difficult, but we always enjoyed our time together.

Prior to their departure, we crammed in several play dates which were such fun for everyone; however, I'm sad to say that these fun outings set Hunter up for quite the disappointment. I guess I didn't think about having to explain Anna Kate's departure to Hunter. We went to the zoo and the aquarium before they left; then, the adventures with Anna Kate and Jack just abruptly ended. Hunter keeps asking to go play with Anna Kate; I keep telling him that she moved to a new house. Hunter then tells me that he wants a new house too. I try explaining that we aren't moving right now, and we end up back on the subject of wanting to play with Anna Kate. Tough stuff for a three year old!

All of this has made me realize how truly difficult this next move will be for us! This will be the first time we really have to explain things to the kids. When we left VA, we left sweet friends and a great church, but Hunter was only 19 months and Hannah was just 5 weeks; neither of them really had a clue as to what was happening. This time, it will be different. Hunter is keenly aware of his friends and very attached to his school and church. Something to think about!!

A look at our aquarium visit (Chanin and I both forgot the cameras at the zoo!):

Check out those fish!

Did you see that shark?

Wait for me Anna Kate!

All that work and she's clearly not impressed!

Our absolute, very favorite exhibit in the entire aquarium - NEMO!

VBS 2008 - POWER LAB

Since my brother's first child was born seven years ago, my mom has been looking forward to the day that her grandchildren would attend VBS with her. When my brother moved away five years ago, she knew it would be a long shot, but she never gave up hope. When my brother and his family moved back home in March, Mom started dreaming again. This summer we made one of her dreams come true!

The kids and I drove up to mom's for the week of VBS. Mom was one busy woman that week, but she had more fun than I have seen her have in years. She loved having three of the four grandkids (Hannah was too young to participate this year - maybe next year) at church with her, every step of the way. Literally, the three boys followed her like little ducks helping her set-up and clean-up every night. They loved every minute of the week.

Hunter learned so much. He would come home and tell me all about his teacher and the stories she taught them. He loved the music so much that he actually performed on stage the last night - of course, it helped to have his cousins up there with him!

Even though I didn't participate in the actual VBS, my heart was truly moved by the whole experience. To see Hunter so excited to learn about Jesus and to listen to him teach the praise and worship songs (complete with hand motions) to his little sister made me so thankful for this opportunity and these precious moments in their lives.

Mom and her grandkids!
Hannah's stage debut! During the program Friday night, Hannah refused to leave my mom's hip. Mom felt so badly that Hannah hadn't been included all week that she just took Hannah on stage with her.
Hannah trying to keep those crazy boys in line!!

The first night of VBS I tried to leave Hannah in the nursery so that I could help with one of the classes - Hannah wasn't having that. So, she and I ended up playing in one of the classrooms for a little while each night before going home for bed. From her choice of toys, can you tell she feels the influence of her big brother?
The lighting wasn't very good, but it was so fun to see Hunter actually stay on stage. I guess there really is hope for next year's preschool music program!