SonQuest Rainforest, part 2

I was clearing off another SD card (we're working with 4 different ones between the cameras), and I came across more pictures from VBS last week. The little blonde girl is Margaret and the blonde boy beside her is Sully. They were both in the Monkey class this past year, and Brett was very grateful that they were in his VBS class, too. Margaret's mom was one of his VBS teachers this year.

I love this picture - it is the true vision of what a 4 year old does... Brett was hopping back and forth between the two steps, Margert was striking a pose, a few of the boys are rubbing their tummy, and Jameson is completely turned around. Gotta love the Pre-K kids :)

Singing their song

Apparently Brett and Margaret are singing to each other

The last song with everyone singing (the pre-K stayed with their parents). Brett really got into it and was singing loudly with the other kids. They got to sing before church on Sunday morning too - he loved it!

VBS

Brett spent every morning this week at his first-ever Vacation Bible School at Saint Francis. They had 3 classes of Pre-K - each with about 15 or so kids, plus lots of other classes, all the way up to 5th grade. They held it at TFS (The Franciscan School), which is the elementary/middle school at our church, and where the kids will eventually go to school. It was nice that it was at chuch, so Brett felt comfortable there already, and he even knew a few of the kids in his class - Jameson from his Shining Stars and Sully and Margaret from his Monkey Class. Jameson and Brett had some behavior issues during the school year and VBS week was no different. Luckily, the teachers were very understanding and worked with us to keep the boys apart as best they could.

Brett had soooo much fun at VBS! They had music where they learned the signs to several different songs, did crafts, listened to stories, ate snack, and played outside. Apparently everyone jokes that VBS week is always the hottest week of the year. I know that it was the hottest week of the year so far... the heat index was triple digits every day this week, so most of the outside activities involved water in some fashion! Brett was soaked through to the bone at least one day that I picked him up!

Friday night was the wrap-up program. Each grade level performed one song, complete with choreography, even the Pre-K. It was very cute to watch the little kids get up on stage and be all squirmy and jumpy and hyper until the music started and then they jumped right in... you can tell they practiced a LOT throughout the week! Here is a recording of the Pre-K song. I think you need to jump forward to the 1:15 mark to have them actually singing. The rest is cute, but it's mostly Kate screaming, "I see my Brett! Hi, Brett!" After they sang their song, they got dismissed to their parents for the remainder of the show. I was really impressed though - Brett knew the words and most of the signs for almost all of the songs the whole night. He sang some of them VERY enthusiastically - mostly the ones that he got to YELL during :)

addendum - I cannot get the stupid video to load right now. I'll try again later!

Just kick!

Todd and I had to facilitate the Wedding Orientation session at church this morning, so my parents came over at the "butt crack of dawn" to watch the kiddos for us. We only do this session once a year because there are so many couples involved and only so many sessions offered throughout the year. It's been a great way to get involved in a ministry that doesn't have a huge time commitment. Not that we have much on our plates right now, thank goodness, but during the school year things get a little hectic sometimes! Anyway, once we were done with that (around 10:30) we went home and told the kids we'd take them to the pool for lunch and some play time. I couldn't wait to try out my new toy - Todd gave me a new camera for my birthday, but not just any camera. It's takes stills and video, even under water. Very cool.



It's hard to imagine, but Brett has already come such a LONG way in only a few weeks. Now he'll put his face in the water and he'll actually kick in his float - both HUGE steps forward from where we were last month!

Museum of Life + Science

I haven't been to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham in years and I've been meaning to check it out again now that our kids are a little older and can actually get something out of going. I've been putting it off for several reasons... mainly the price - $12.50 per adult and $9.50 per kid. Kind of steep for just a short morning outing, ya know? I decided to take advantage of the fact that Brett is in VBS this week and Kate still gets in for free for a few more weeks (until she's 3), so that's just what we did. On Wednesday, we dropped Brett off at VBS and headed to Durham for the morning. I have to admit, I was definitely surprised at how many fun, cool things they've added since last time I was there (maybe 2 decades ago)!

We got to the train first... Kate couldn't wait to check it out!

She wanted to "go up high", but she didn't want to climb up. I had to put her up there myself!

Kate loved seeing all of the animals, but especially the pot-belly pig

The goat was pretty cool, too

This crazy duck kept trying to bite through the wire to get to Kate

Kate and the butterflies

She loved walking through and pointing out all of the butterflies that were flying around us

The Dinosaur Trail was pretty cool, but it was definitely starting to get pretty hot out, even at 10 o'clock in the morning!

The nest full of dinosaur eggs... Kate said that she wanted to stand there until the babies came out

Little Kate and a big dinosaur

Kate was building her own tower with the Keva blocks

She really liked watching the turtles

I think all of the space stuff was her favorite thing inside... she even made me go back to this section before we left.

She just stood there watching for a LOOOONG time!

This was part of a section specifically designed for little kids... she could climb up on a bench and roll balls down these tracks.

This was actually the end a contraption that they had there. First, the kids climb up into a treehouse and put a ball into the track, which goes around the entire room and then eventually over to this wall, where it zig-zags down the track and into a bucket.

You can sort of see part of the red track that went around the top of the room

Kate was making her own quilt with felt pieces

In the weather station... this big bowl thing filled with fog... Kate laughed hysterically when I blew it i her face!

Happy Father's day!

Happy Father's Day to my amazing husband and my awesome dad! We celebrated after work on Sunday by grilling out some pork tenderloin and eating the massive amount of leftovers from my party the night before :)

Kate and Daddy reading the footprint poem that she made in her class last month

Todd and the kids sitting in their new soccer bench!

Todd and Poppy were teaching Brett how to throw the Vortex (gotta get ready for the beach!)

Kate and Aunt Dithy swinging

Surprise!

My husband is pretty sneaky, and pretty mischeivous! He took advantage of the fact that I was working the entire weekend before my 30th birthday, and he planned a surprise party! I got home, opened the garage, and I could see about 30 sets of toes as the garage door opened. I was a little suspicious that something was going on, but I was still definitely surprised! Here is a little glimpse of the party:

Top to bottom, left to right:

1. I had just pulled in and opened the garage door - definitely suprised!

2. Brett started a water gun fight while Todd held me down so I got soaked!

3. I stole the water gun from Brett and chased him instead. Victory.

4. Brett got a different water gun and got Uncle Jeff... that facial expression is awesome. Kate is completely not amused and is standing there playing with the bubbles.

5. Memere got a hold of Brett's water gun and cornered him in the garage - busted!

6. Brett stole the water gun back and is on the run!

7. One of the two cakes - one was oreo ice cream and the other was chocolate kahlua (my favorite!)

8. Jay and Jack Watson

9. Memere and Kate

Thanks, everyone, for the birthday surprise!!

Little Fish

We took advantage of a low-key Sunday afternoon and headed to the pool after church today. Kate is a little fish in the water - she LOVES it! I bought them these cheap little rings at the "W store" the other day and that is truly all that Kate needs. She's learned that she can spin in circles and kick her feet and see her toes and all sorts of good stuff. She even got to go to the "deep end" to watch Todd do cannonballs off the high dive. She thought it was GREAT. Brett is another story... he is true testament that you should give your child lots and lots and lots of water exposure EARLY in life... at 4 years old he has a very real fear of the water, unless it is under 3 feet and he can touch and you're not asking him to do anything scary like trust a float or blow bubbles from his nose. Swimming lessons start on Wednesday... let's hope that she is a miracle worker :)

Tough guys wear PINK

Today was RACE day... Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I know that everyone has been affected by breast cancer - an aunt, a grandmother, a friend, a co-worker. In fact, most people know several people that have survived breast cancer. My co-worker, Jordan, is a survivor. In fact, her last chemo was on Cinco de Mayo. If I were her, I would have had one HUGE @$$ margarita that night! Woohoo! She kept an amazing attitude through the whole ordeal. In honor of her, we formed a race team within our pharmacy, Team JoJo! Take a look at the fun we had on race day!

Jordan pushing Kate... I think we gave her fiance, Josh, a heart attack when said she "needed practice." HA!

At this point, Brett was determined that he was pushing his own stroller for the entire race

Kate's ready to race, um, make that ready to ride... all the way to the pink shoes! I made her shirt with an iron-on from Michael's. I made one for Brett, too, that said "Tough Guys Wear PINK". Turns out, the white t-shirt that I used was actually about 2 sizes too small for him! For some ridiculous reason, I assumed it still fit.

Team JoJo crosses the start line!

25,000 people

The 5K course winds you through a residential area... people decorate their houses, their yards, hand out water, set up sprinklers and fans, and generally cheer you on throughout the race. The pictures don't begin to describe how cool it all really is in person.

One of the sprinklers set up by some homeowners

A local church choir was out there singing in front of their church

Start of the summer

Despite a little health drama (read below), we have started the summer with some fun things...

Kate loves to read books

We needed some exercise, so we took a walk around Lake Lynn and fed the ducks... to be noted, Kate still had a slight fever on this day. It wasn't until later in the day that we changed her antibiotic.

Brett liked bribing the ducks to come to him for bread!

All boy... all the time

Double fisting! (She has water in one and milk in the other, I promise!)

We've been to the pool a few times too, but I keep forgetting to bring my camera! One of these days we'll get some pool pictures posted!

Pneumonia?!

I still have no idea how she got it, but Kate has pneumonia! Seriously, in the middle of the summer. At least it explains the lack of updates and pictures, right? Unless you read my facebook page, and then I've been updating everyone on the fever, coughing, puking, etc. that has consumed the last 6 days of our house. It went something like this...

Day 1: Thursday, June 3
Brett had his 4-year well check at the pediatrician, so things were a little hurried in the morning. I did notice that Kate had a little cough, but didn't think a thing about it. We went to the doctor for Brett, went to the library as a treat, and then I dropped them off at home with my mom and headed to work. Fast forward a few hours... I got a phone call from my mom (who almost never calls me at work) to say that Kate had a fever. Ugh. Again, I didn't think much about it... she's 2... toddlers get random viruses all the time. Whatever... a few days and we'll be back to normal.

Day 2: Friday, June 4
Kate is a BEAR all day. When your Memere says you've been difficult, you know you've been pretty darn bad! She had a slight fever in the morning, but it sort of went away, and had no fever in the afternoon. We'd planned on going to the pool for Family Fun Night, and went back and forth as to whether Kate should go or not. She woke up from nap mostly happy, drank some milk, and still didn't have a fever, so off we went. Kate and I only stayed for about an hour because I could tell she was getting tired. We got home, checked her temp, and it was around 101, if I remember right. She got a shower and went to bed.

Day 3: Saturday, June 5
I had a massage scheduled for 3 weeks... part of my Mother's Day present from Todd and the kids. If I rescheduled the massage, I got charge 20 freakin' dollars... ridiculous. Kate woke up with a fever of 102.5... not the direction that we were hoping for. Our pediatrician has 7 different offices, one of which is open on Saturdays and Sundays... yep, the one clear across town. Because I couldn't reschedule and because my husband ROCKS, he took both kids clear across town to the doctor. Turns out, Kate has pneumonia... she starts on some Zithromax.

Day 4: Sunday, June 6
I had agreed to work for my co-worker months ago because her sister was in town, so off I went, leaving Todd at home with Brett and sick Kate. It was a rough day as you might imagine. Kate's fever was off and on, mostly on, which we expected. Her cough was AWFUL!

Day 5: Monday, June 7
My turn as the solo parent in the house... Kate's fever was around 101 in the morning and her cough was bad, still, but getting a little better. I, being the pharmacist, looked up to see exactly how much Mucinex Cough I could give my child, and I gave it. That helped, eventually, but not until after she puked a glass of milk all over the cough for the 2nd day in a row. Once she had her cough under control, I gave her the antibiotic, some Tylenol, and her breakfast. I decided that I needed to get out of the house and get some exercise, so we walked around Lake Lynn (2.5 miles) and fed the ducks. She was pretty content during the morning. She even ate lunch well, which is unusual for her... usually lunch is a battle. I even called Todd to say how well Kate was doing... apparently I jinxed us, big time! They went down for naps, eventually. I was about to get in the shower when Kate started SCREAMING, and she screamed for over an hour, no matter what I did. Fan-freakin'-tastic. We were supposed to follow up with the doctor on Tuesday, but I called and asked if I could go ahead and bring her in, which they said was fine, so off we went. Todd met us there. They checked her out and decided to switch her to Omnicef instead of Zithromax. They said her lungs actually sounded pretty decent and her pulse ox was 99, which is great. She'd been sort of grabbing her crotch off and on, too, so the Omnicef will treat a UTI if it's there, but, of course, she refused to pee for them, so I have to bring in a cup of pee for them today to run, just so we have documentation on her chart as to whether or not she had a UTI.

Day 6, Tuesay, June 7... today
After an eventful night last night (she puked in her bed from coughing too hard), I think we're finally swinging in the right direction. She woke up with no fever, asking for milk, and chugged the entire glass in under 5 minutes, then asked for more. This is the Kate that I'm used to. Let's cross our fingers and *hope* that the improvement continues. She's still grumpy as a hornet, so I'm a little relieved that I GET to go to work today... yep, sorry Mom! I really think that Kate will do better for someone else today. After yesterday, I think she and I need a break from each other!