Archive for May, 2009

WOOHOO!! School is done.

Another school year has come and gone. It was a year of adjustments for both kids, but they did great and learned so much. I am so proud of them and their accomplishments. I now have a first grader and a second grader. I picked them up at school today so we could celebrate with milkshakes from Steak ‘n Shake. Delicious!!

Launching Airplanes

2009 05 26 landed

Jared pick out a really neat toy the other day. It is an airplane that you launch with a rubber band. He has been having hours of fun with it. And it flies really well and high. Kahla, unfortunately, cannot be outside while Jared is playing with it. She likes to chase it and eat it too much.

2009 05 26 Jared ready to launch 22009 05 26 launched
2009 05 26 Jared grabbing his plane2009 05 26 Kahla watching Jared 2

“Mom, I’m Bored!”

I absolutely hate that phrase. But I also have the bad habit of telling them to watch something on TV when they say it. So I guess we all have our bad habits.

The weather was beautiful here Saturday and Sunday, so there was plenty to do to stop the boredom. I set up a water gun shooting course for the kids. They had a blast taking out ninja turtles, horses, and other miscellaneous action figures. There was also a target practice range where I had things hanging from a clothes line for them to shoot.

It was the perfect way for them to spend some time outside while Mom got to read her book.

2009 05 23 Jared taking out the horse2009 05 23 Beka doing target practice2009 05 23 Beka and Jared in the sprinkler

Outside Art

A couple of Saturdays ago, it was beautiful outside. And I wanted to be able to read outside, so I moved the kids arts and crafts outside. We spent an hour outside painting, drawing, and playing. I got to read my book and Andrew got to take a nap. It was a really good afternoon. It is amazing how toys are new when you take them to a different venue. Jared hadn’t played with legos for months, but outside the legos were exciting again.

2009 05 02 Beka and jared doing crafts outside2009 05 02 Beka watercolor painting outside2009 05 02 Jared drawing with stencils

Jared Spring Sing

Every year the kindergarten class puts on a concert of sorts for their families. Jared was up this year. I love this time. The kids are still young enough to enjoy singing to their parents. The classes did some songs that Beka did last year, but there were some new ones too. They sang about 3 songs about the alphabet. One was the backward alphabet and I loved it. Jared looked like he was having so much fun up there. He was really nervous when I took him to his classroom, but once they started singing he got into it and had fun.

2009 05 14 Jared  s kindergarten Spring Sing 32009 05 14 Jared  s kindergarten Spring Sing 22009 05 14 Jared  s kindergarten Spring Sing

Kahla part 2

Kahla has been a wonderful addition to the family. Andrew has worked very hard to make sure we have a well-behaved well-trained dog. And we certainly do. Kahla sees Jared as a playmate and they will chase each other around and around, fight over toys, and romp everywhere. With Beka, Kahla is a protector. I don’t know why, but Kahla goes out of her way to make sure she knows where Beka is all the time. I really enjoy having her around. Now, if Andrew can only train her to cook and clean, I will be in heaven.

2009 04 11 Kahla watching over Beka
2009 03 14 Jared and Kahla with stick

Kite Flying

Beka and Jared talked me into buying them some cheap aka $1 kites this spring. Andrew really didn’t think they were going to fly and to be honest I didn’t think they would do very well either. We took them out one day where there was a light wind. And amazingly, they did great! The kites just kept going up higher and higher. The kids had a blast flying them for about 20 minutes and then got bored. But it was wonderful while it lasted.

2009 04 04 Beka flying kite2009 04 04 Jared flying kite

Jared turns 6

This year it was Jared’s turn for the birthday party. It was a wild time. Jared has these foam swords, and that is all the boys wanted to do was beat each other with them. I think they kept themselves entertained for the whole party and they were actually upset when I told them it was time for cake and ice cream. Also, Jared doesn’t like cake and didn’t want a cake. I found a recipe for these decadent peanut butter pan cookies. They are sooo delicious that I will not make them for the family anymore because we can go through a 9×13 pan of them in 24 hours.

My little man is now six. He is growing and learning so much. I am so proud of him. He has better impulse control and his reading and writing skills have just exploded. Kahla and Jared get along great! It makes me smile everytime they start chasing each other and playing. Jared is also getting more and more responsible. He is definitely not a baby anymore. He is outgoing, social, intelligent, and just all around wonderful.

2009 04 02 Andrew  Beka and Jared2009 04 02 Jared and Beka in front of balloons2009 04 02 Jared the birthday boy

The pictures are from the day of his party not his actual birthday. And I did a really bad job with the pictures, but they are still memories.

Back to Blogging

Okay, people, we are going to pretend the last few months didn’t happen and I have happily been blogging all along. I have so much to catch you up on. Jared turned 6, Kahla has gotten big, and spring has sprung. We have been busy flying kites and planting butterfly "gardens". Hopefully, once the seeds spout I can get some pictures. The kids are growing a tomato and green pepper plant just to see if they can. So since I can’t do a post without some pictures, I will add some random ones to this post. Over the next week, I hope to get everyone caught up on what the Westberg household has been up to.

2009 03 15 Beka on rock

2009 03 15 Jared being pulled