Firsts

Yes, my kids are older - potty-trained and all of that - but we still have firsts! Tonight, I have a 'first' to share for each of the kids!

Mister J has been taking swim lessons at school, and today he swam on his own - face in the water, and no floaties - for the very first time! I'm so proud of him! He was very timid in the water last summer, so I'm incredibly excited for him. He has been so proud of his accomplishments after each swim lesson (twice a week) - and I can't believe he waited until bedtime tonight to tell me this!

Miss M - well, this isn't exactly the same kind of milestone, but I think all kids do it... Miss M decided to take things into her own hands today and take a chunk out of her hair. Thankfully, she only snipped off part of a little ponytail (just the front section of hair that I'd pulled back for her dance class this afternoon), and it seems to blend into the rest of her hair pretty well. However, "Dr. Sabrina" will certainly notice it at our next hair appointment!

Local $1 sandwich day

The line's only about halfway down the block and moving pretty quickly. The sandwich shop opened 9 minutes ago.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Jan Brett Book Tour!

We spent a large part of the afternoon and evening at a local bookstore for a talk and book signing by author and illustrator Jan Brett.

Our afternoon began with a wait in line to get book signing certificates. Aren't they pretty? (Don't know why blogger uploads this as a vertical picture - I've edited and resaved it horizontally. However, it's worth craning your neck for this one!)

Miss M was a trouper - she and I were at the bookstore for nearly 6 hours! She colored and snacked and sat in my lap while I read Town Mouse Country Mouse. I'd planned to take a quick break after that to go and get Mister J - but Daddy brought him to us! We went out to the Mommy-van for a while, read Hedgie Blasts Off!, had a little snack, then headed back into the bookstore for the big event! We got to ...

see Hedgie

hear Jan Brett speak and give a short art lesson

(the final product)

and then wait our turn in line to meet her for ourselves!

Mister J was particularly excited to go to the book signing since his class did an author study on Jan Brett earlier in the school year. We saw several of his classmates there, as well as one of Miss M's classmates and Mister J's teacher.

Jan Brett took a few moments to speak with each of the kids as she signed each of their books (including a small drawing as well), and I'm pleased to report that neither was too shy to talk with her.

What a fun afternoon/evening, and a great experience for the kids!

A Clue...

Any guesses?

Waiting patiently

For what? Scoop to follow...
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sounds Interesting

This sounds like it will be an interesting series. I'm planning to check it out beginning March 23rd. Click the badge below to get the scoop on this 10-week blog carnival!

Hair and Nails

Don't tell Daddy... Maggie was such a good girl during her haircut today that "Dr. Sabrina" polished her nails afterwards.

(Miss M has always called her Doctor Sabrina - that's the only way I could convince her to get her hair cut the first time I took her.)

Happy Birthday to Me!

I recently celebrated another birthday, and was totally surprised to receive a new camera from my hubby and kids. I've spent some time snapping photos, but really need to spend some time learning how to use a DSLR so I can get some really good shots. In the meantime, here are some of my don't-know-what-I'm-doing-but-I'm-sure-having-fun photos....

Big J and Miss M snuggling on the couch. She's was a bit worn out after playing outside in the long-awaited warm(er) and sunny weather.

Mister J hanging out on a lazy afternoon, having fun with his Le@pster.

My silly Miss M doesn't like to smile or pose for the camera. I think she was pretending to be a dragon, or maybe a pirate...

This guy just loves to smile for the camera. And I'm glad to snap as many shots as he'll let me.

More smiles! This was after sunset, and we hadn't turned the lights on yet, so I was playing with the flash. Like I said, he loves to smile for me.

I got her to hold still for the camera! Actually, as you can see, I crept into her room while she was napping today. She had a 'camp out' while Grandma RL visited over the weekend, and she's not quite ready to put her 'bed' away.

I snapped this one over my shoulder in the van this afternoon (while stopped - and when I looked at it, I realized that the headrest was adjusted for Miss M and not Mister J).

I'm just amazed at how different these photos look when compared to photos from my 'old' camera - and I don't even know what I'm doing yet. I can't wait to learn how to really use my new camera!

Laptop Lunches Special

Hi Friends -

Just a quick post as I'm still getting over the sickness and I'm also busy with our church's clothing exchange this week.

Laptop Lunches is running a special - check it out here. Quick details - the first 100 folks to purchase $85 or more will receive a super-cool gift pack - no coupon code needed. But hey - you might want to use my momsmagic code to get a little discount (make sure your order still meets the minimum before tax and shipping!). Happy shopping!

Oh, and it's snowing again....