Entertainment 101

Entertaining kids after 20 consecutive rainy days can pose a bit of a challenge.  When in doubt, combining a project with a snack is a sure bet.  On Tuesday, we decided to make "blue" rice crispy treats (after covering ourselves in stickers).  We melted marshmallows, stirred in rice crispies and dropped in some blue food coloring (get it, three kids, three steps - everyone gets a turn).  I must admit that it had been so long since we last made them that I had to look up the butter/marshmallow/rice crispy ratio for the recipe. Pitiful.  I made these things with Ashley and Mary Sterling every day after tennis for about 10 straight years as a kid.  Truly pathetic.  It is, however, why I thought to make them - tennis was rained out.

 

Barclay examines her yummy bite (I don't believe in waiting for treats to cool in a pan before eating - they are much better fresh - and I feel it's my maternal duty to pass this technique along to my offspring).

Madison preferred the squeeze and shove method of eating them...

... while Mac smeared them all over his face, then went about shoveling sticky morsels into his mouth.

Despite the rain, I decided to bid farewell to March with some fresh flowers.  I am going to try and keep some in my house throughout April - rain or shine, it makes us feel a little less gloomy.

Mac Will Rock You

Did I mention that I LOVE my husband?  I do - I do, I do, I do.  If it weren't for his brilliant, fabulous, wonderful, loving, skinny self I would not have had a video camera at the ready when I walked by Mac's room this morning.  You can see (or hear anyway) what transpired here.  I am sorry that the picture quality is not good (it was dark and I was afraid that I would lose Mac if I tried to turn on the light).  Rob, I love you.  Please remind me of this the next time I find your socks balled up at the end of the couch!

Hippity Hop Y'all

Easter has officially arrived at the McGinleys.  Barclay has made her bonnet (parade to be held on Friday - pictures to follow), eggs are being dyed, and we attended our first egg hunt of the year on Sunday.  Our church has an annual egg hunt/jumpy castle/petting zoo/face painting/butterfly release every year and this year it was at the Ronald McDonald House - which is pretty gorgeous if you ask me.  The kids wore their matching Easter duds that we forgot about last year (whew, glad Mom always buys a size too big).

One of the kids' favorite things to stumble across in Mobile is an Azalea Trail Maid or two.  Mac loves their fun skirts and the girls think they are beautiful.  A very Mobile-ish thing.  They were the ones getting the bad press in the Obama inaugural parade for being reminiscent of slavery and "Gone With The Wind".  Whatever.  Our kids didn't seem to care.

Did I mention that Mac loves petting zoos?  He does - and he was feeling particularly brave around this bunny.  I love him.

This is Madison holding her butterfly, pre-release.  She was so excited.  I was scared to death that it would not survive until the release, but...

...these were some fairly hearty butterflies and Alleluia! he spread his wings and took flight! Hooray!  I love Easter and Spring and Sunny weather.  I love my kids running around and playing outside barefoot.  I love the beach.  Good thing next week is Spring Break - we are ready!

Mac Visits Dad at Work

We stopped by to see Dad at work and he had a big surprise for us - a new Flip Video HD.  Mac had a blast running his car through the water and got sopping wet in the fountain.  You can see the new fountain video here.  I will try to work on more as I learn how to navigate my new high-tech toy - although I must admit, it worked like a charm within 5 seconds of pulling it out of the box - pretty impressive!

Fast Times

Mac got some new "Fast" shoes last week.  I was noticing that he was pulling off his shoes more than an average 2 year old (which is a LOT) and so I thought I would swing by our shoe store (J-Ray's) and check it out.  I had him in a 5, turns out he's up to a 7 1/2.  He is MUCH happier to wear shoes these days.

I have a new favorite thing.  Well, actually, things.  Barclay is really starting to get freckles across the bridge of her nose and on her cheeks.  (Sorry, you really can't see them in the picture like I'd hoped - but isn't she beautiful?)  If there were any way I could cover them with chocolate sauce and eat them with a spoon, I would.  They are the most precious things I have ever seen in my life.  Ever.  They suit her to a T.  Maybe this is God's consolation prize for not giving me a redhead.

This weekend was the Azalea Trail Run in Downtown Mobile.  I have run it every year since we moved here regardless of what pitiful shape I am in at the time (sometimes pretty pitiful).  This year, Rob and Madison joined me after the 10k for a 2k family fun run.  It was Madison's first race as a participant (although she did point out to me that she did the Race of the Cure in Little Rock with Aunt Ashley and Susu - but that was more riding and less racing).  She was so proud and got a ribbon when she finished. 

She and Rob came down to the finish line to greet the various and sundry McGinleys who were running (Kelly, Sarah, Jim and Daniel) and she donned her finest Hannah Montana shirt for the event.

It stormed all morning, so they postponed the race until 9:30 - which should explain why my face is the same color as my hat - it was HOT!  Madison did a great job and we finished the 2k in a flat 21 minutes.  Not bad for 6 years old with lots of walking breaks!  Dad is threatening to run the 10k with me next year - he's been knocking out some 5ks lately, so my money is on him. I, on the other hand, couldn't move much that afternoon!

I am not one for many product endorsements, but I feel like I have to give a shout out to the world's greatest vacuum cleaner.  It's self-cleaning, never seems to get full and runs on its own. What do people do who don't have dogs to clean up under their children's feet?  Thank you Bear.

4000 Jumps Worth a' Puddin

Madison has been practicing her jump rope skills.  She has gotten so good, in fact, that she has started counting as she jumps.  Yesterday, she presented me with a piece of paper that had a big heart colored in the middle with "4000 jumps" written out above it.  I can personally vouch for the first 1047 of those jumps, I heard every number she counted while Mac drove his tractor around in circles!

While Dad has been working late the last couple of weeks, we are all working on our patience and love for one another.  We have each come up with different ways to express ourselves - some of us have been jumping rope, some have been painting tables.  Still others have been covering themselves in chocolate pudding.  So much for the patience.  I found Mac like this as I was taking the girls to bed.  You would not believe how fast prayers went last night!

After the girls went down, I threw Mac in the tub.  He knew how cute he was the moment I got the camera out to document his puddininess.  So this is the little look he gave me when it was time to get out of the tub.  In case you don't read 2 year old, he's saying "good luck with that, Mom, I know exactly how cute I am."  

I am sorry that Barclay wasn't pictured in this post.  We had a major life lesson yesterday after school.  She has been begging me relentlessly about going to McDonald's to buy her a Happy Meal so that she can have the cheap version of the Littlest Pet Shop that they are advertising with their kids' meals these days.  I have not let her get one for obvious reasons.  So, feeling particularly loving towards my child and because she had finally given up on the begging after many weeks, I decided that I would let her get a Happy Meal after dance yesterday.  Barclay was so excited, she almost jumped out of her seat.  We ordered and pulled around to the pick up window.  She waited in a controlled frenzy, scarcely breathing, as the drive-through lady handed me the precious sack of nuggets, fries and her much anticipated prize.  I passed the meal back to her and she tore through it like it was Christmas morning.  Pause.  WAILING from the back of the car.  She had gotten the green goblin guy from Spiderman in her "happy" meal.  I plead with the drive-through lady to switch it out for us... but alas, they were OUT of Littlest Pet Shop toys.  Barclay was devastated and completely inconsolable for the rest of the day.  We got home and she put herself to bed.  Disappointment is a bitter pill and Barclay simply did not want to be awake to swallow it.  

Tangerine, Man

We were off to church this morning - in our finest again (I couldn't catch Mac, but he was wearing a precious little bubble, since Daddy was working today and left before I dressed the kids, therefor forfeiting his power of veto).  The girls have started back to cherub and youth choir, respectively, and are gearing up for a big performance on Palm Sunday.  Please note that Barclay is wearing Madison's Easter bonnet, again.  We will make her first one on Tuesday for the UMS parade - she is super excited.

I have been feeling really springy and dreaming about orange.  No, not Tennessee orange, more like a tangerine, or the color of a sunset - that kind of orange that you can only find on a Gerber Daisy (I have some on my front porch) or in a can of good old fashioned Rustoleum.  After church, we ran to the Home Depot for some wire scrapers and orange spray paint.  I found some super cool porch furniture on the internet last week - it was in the neighborhood of $1200 for the table - a basic iron table (much like the one you see upside down here) but in a lovely shade of Tangerine!  I decided this might just be within my skill set.  So, the girls and I got to work.  We scraped, we cleaned, we wiped, we primed, and we sprayed!  

It was another unbelievably gorgeous (and warm) day in Mobile - so we took a popsicle break while we let the primer dry.

Mac got into the action when he woke up from his nap, but did NOT appreciate being told that he couldn't touch this yummy looking treat in his backyard!  We ran out of paint before we finished up, so I cannot yet report on the outcome.  I plan to finish the table in the morning, and start working on the chairs in the afternoon.  I bought some turquoise, yellow, red and lime green - to paint the chairs.  This could be a total disaster, but at least I didn't spend $1200, just $2.98 a can.  Barclay told me on our second run to the H.D., that she wished every day were just like this one.  Me too, Barclay.  I wonder if she would enjoy mopping...