Reunited!

My old running partner and dear friend, Kathy Allen, came to town from St. Louis, and we met up for a few hours and had a really nice visit together. Her 9 year-old, Sydney, had a sleep over the night before with Ali and Kate, so they joined us at the park, as well. After an hour, it started to sprinkle, so we headed to my house to get out of the rain. She admired my new preschool, while I admired her beautiful baby girl, Rachel. :) It has been a year since Kathy moved away, and it was so good to be with her again. She's such a good example to me, and I cherish our friendship.

Cute little friends: Elyse, Emily, and Jon

Before Kathy moved, she passed on Elyse's old tricycle and some hand me down clothes to us. So when Emily rides her tricycle everyday, she likes to tell me who gave it her. She'll say, "That's nice of Elyse to share, huh mom? But I don't have to share it with Jonny, because it's pink, and only me and Elyse like pink!" :)

Later that day, Jon was under the covers on my bed playing hide and seek with Emily when I suddenly lifted up the covers to surprise him. Of course I had my camera ready because I knew he would have a cute look on his face. I was right.

Surprises

After being parents for 3 1/2 years, you would think nothing would surprise us, yet we still find ourselves amazed at the crazy things our kids do.
One day, Emily, Jonny, and I were playing in the backyard, when Ems all of a sudden goes into the house for a minute and brings out a basket of books and her computer. She told me, "I'm just setting up my office, Mom." It was so random. I couldn't help but laugh!
Sometimes Emily will take over the camera, and I won't know it until I discover pictures like this on the memory card. haha I love that cheeser smile of Jonny's. Good photography skills, Em!
One night, Wade found Emily like this. She had actually made herself a bed under the dresser!

And last week, I found Jonny on a stool sneaking into the dried mangos, his favorite. I just laughed and grabbed the camera. Sneaking into the snack cupboard is a regular daily activity for Emily, but this was the first time that her brother followed her example. What do you do with these kids?

Creepy Crawlies: Bug Week

My 3-4 year old class searching for bugs with their magnifying glasses; Emily, Nicole, Corban, Zach, and Cannon

We caught a spider, worm, and snail and put them in different jars. The snail was climbing out, so I thought it would be interesting to feed him. We gave him a piece of a cracker, and he devoured it within a minute. The kids thought it was so cool!
Zach, Emily, and Cannon building a tower with the Mega Bloks

I made the kids "ants on a log" as the snack for both classes on Tuesday

dancing like a butterfly
Emily painting her caterpillar green
Jon got a little carried away with the paint...check out his green arm!
Here's Emily's caterpillar all finished. How cute is he? Out of all my years teaching preschool, this has been one of my favorite crafts to do with the kids, once I figured out the most efficient way to stick those darn fuzz balls and eyes on. We first tried elmer's glue, then glue sticks, and the kids would say, "Miss Cafrin, it's fallin off!" It just wouldn't stay. So I pulled out my hot glue gun and presto, it sticks on like magic! I would add the glue and the kids would press the fuzz balls on, and we were both relieved that they finally stayed. Yeah!

Real Salt Lake Game and....

David Archuleta!

For Mother's Day, Wade surprised me with tickets to the Real Salt Lake soccer game and the David Archuleta concert afterwards. Wahoo! Truly the best part was having a whole month to look forward to it. Every time I was having a rough day, I would think, "Oh yeah, but my hot date with Wade is coming up." :) My sweet sister, Ruthanne and her hubby, Austin, even took the kids overnight since we would be getting back late. So we were actually able to sleep in the next morning till 8am! That's a big deal for us, considering our kids are the early to bed, early to rise type (ie: 6:30am)! It really was an entertaining game. I think the last soccer game I had been to was my senior year watching some of my friends play on the Snow Canyon High School soccer team. Yeah, THAT was a few years ago! Wade loves soccer and even played in high school, so he was enjoying it, fo sho!

The concert was awesome! I love this kid...and I love watching 12 year-old girls get so giddy to hear him sing in person (not to mention 26 year-old girls) haha

The day after the concert, I read a blog post which asked the question, "Why are we attracted to Edward, Dr. House, and other dark, mysterious, melancholy men, yet we marry the boy next door, like David Archuleta?" I loved this question! It's true. There's something sexy about the serious type, but when it comes to who we want as our children's daddy, we chose the sweet and fun type. I thought this would be a fun topic to debate. So what are YOUR thoughts?

When it rains, it pours!

I was talking to my mom this week about all the different trials our extended family has been experiencing lately, and she said, "You know Cath, it seems like when it rains, it pours!" It's true. Besides a few bumps in the road, things have been going smoothly for our little family, and then BAM, life happens. Someone crashed into Wade's car, and totaled it. We're just grateful he was safe. But in order for the insurance company to give us any money, he had to give up the car and begin the LONG, grueling search for a new car...that we could actually afford.That same morning, he found out he did NOT get chosen for a career as a Seminary Teacher. They only chose 10 out of 50 to student teach for a year, and from that 10, they'll choose about 4 to teach full time (usually more, but not with the economy how it is). Wade was a little relieved to at least know NOW, rather than a year from now, but I was crushed because I knew how much he wanted it, and what a good seminary teacher he would have been.
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Then my sister-in-law's dad died suddenly, and I was overcome with grief for her and my brother. And everytime I thought about it, I ached inside, wishing I had a better relationship with my own dad.
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Then I was yelled at for 15 minutes by the person who rents our basement apartment.
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Then we received their 30-day notice, and I was stressed out night and day, trying to find new renters, but secretly relieved the mean ones are moving.
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Then our camera broke, and everytime my kids did something cute and funny, I was so disappointed that I couldn't capture it on camera.
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Then we found out we had to custom order the gate for our backyard, since a normal gate size won't fit our driveway. So it will take weeks longer and cost hundreds more.

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Then I started my Summer Camp, which is so fun but also so stressful when I DON'T have the time and energy to plan and prepare adequately with these other things going on.
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And Wade continues the job hunt.
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And with all the stress we've been feeling plus the lack of sleep, of course there's more tension in our marriage.
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And I KNOW the kids have felt the tension, because they've been more ornery and defiant.

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Then there was a turn-around. After my Institute class on Thursday, I decided to choose to be positive because I knew, "This too shall pass." It hit me. And it hit me hard. Heavenly Father gives us trials to strengthen our faith and character. I really have SO MUCH to be grateful for. I've spent a summer in a 3rd world country. Remembering the poverty in Ecuador, alone, is enough to humble me to tears.

That night, Wade and I prayed as a couple as we usually do, but this time, with more sincere gratitude, even for the hard times. After we prayed, he went to the computer to continue searching for a car that would replace the one that got totaled. He found the perfect vehicle and we both knew it! It was a red '92 Toyota Previa, which I would drive, and then he could drive my '97 Honda Accord.

So Friday morning, we bought it for only $2700, and with only 117,000 miles on it, we have hopes it will run for a long time. And guess whose camera we took this picture with? Ours! It finally started working again. Crazy, huh? Then this morning, after showing the apartment to a ga zillion people, we found someone we have such a good feeling about to rent from us. I can't begin to express how thankful I am that everything is working out, but even more importantly, that we decided to be happy, even when it wasn't.

Kids in the Kitchen: Food Week

Week 1 of Summer Camp was a success! The kids loved being little cooks, and I loved teaching them how to make the Fruit Popsicles and Banana Muffins that are so healthy and yummy, too! I was originally going to make real cupcakes with the kids, but because I wanted to teach them about the importance of eating healthy, I pulled out my Banana Bread recipe and made muffins with it. I even use unsweetened applesause instead of butter, and they are still just as moist! So here are my recipes, if you want to make them at home with your kids...or with your husband, who's really just a big kid and needs simple directions. ;)

Fruit Popsicles
2 cup strawberries (stems removed)
2 cups bananas
1 cup fresh spinach
½ cup apple juice

Combine in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into ice cube trays and stick a toothpick in each. Freeze and Enjoy!


Mini Pizzas
Package of English muffins
Pasta sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Toppings of your choice (ham and pineapple, pepperoni, sausage, etc)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread pasta sauce on English muffins, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings. Set mini pizzas on a cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.


Banana Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
½ cup applesauce
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
½ cup milk
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups (I use a muffin pan that makes mini muffins because the kids love it!) In a bowl, mix the flours, with the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar and applesauce until well combined. Mix in the eggs, mashed banana, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Divide the batter among the muffins cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15-20 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.

Summer Camp

Some of the moms whose kids will be in my preschool classes in the fall suggested I hold a Summer Camp. I decided to do it, and once I started planning, I had so many fun ideas and interested parents, that things have just fallen into place. It's every Tuesday and Thursday from June through July with a morning class for 2-3 year olds and an afternoon class for 3-4 year olds. Yesterday was my first day, and it was a blast! But of course I was worn out and took a nap after both classes were over. ;) Here's a glance into our Summer Camp activities:

June 2 & 4 “Kids in the Kitchen”: Food Week Your child becomes the cook! We’ll learn about the food groups and then experience food hands-on by making our own pizza, fruit popsicles, cupcakes, and more.

June 9 & 11 “Creepy Crawlies”: Bug Week What child doesn’t LOVE digging in the dirt searching for little creepy crawlies? Well, that’s exactly what we’ll do after learning about a variety of BUGS.

June 16 & 18 “Ready, Set, Race”: Car Week After discovering the different types of transportation, your child will feel like a real race-car driver as we hold our own races!

June 23 & 25 “The Music in Me”: Music Week Every week, we’ll sing songs to help us learn about the different themes, but this week we’ll especially focus on the different ways we can create music, including making our own instruments to take home. I’ll also record the children singing on a tape recorder so they can feel like a real “star!”

June 30 & July 2 “Create it”: Art Week Your child may just find the Picasso within him/herself as we learn about different art forms and create our own masterpieces, including a patriotic-themed one just in time to help us celebrate the 4th of July.

July 7 & 9 “Let’s Get Movin”: Dance Week We’ll have a lot of fun as we explore creative movement and dance. Then your child will even learn a dance to go home and teach the family.

July 14 & 16 “Scientists Explore”: Science Week With a dozen experiments to help us learn what, why, where, and how things work, your child will feel like a real scientist.

July 21 & 23 “Splash Time”: Water Week As we find different ways to explore with water, we’ll definitely get WET :) so send your child in his/her swimsuit both days.

Call me crazy, but I love being a preschool teacher! It feels so good to be able to bring in a little income for our family while playing with kids all day. Babysitting can wear me out, but with preschool, I have dozens of planned activities to keep the kids happy and engaged. It's awesome!