Sweet Memories...

Brian and I took the kids to Hershey Park for Memorial Day. This was the first year that we didn't go to our ward picnic...

Brian's not a big fan of amusement parks, but we've been hearing so many great things about Hershey and so decided that it would be a fun treat for the kids...

Boy!--were we right!!

The drive to Hershey was beautiful! It was about 2 hours from our house...

Lots of rolling hills and farm land...

It's such a cute park!--Everything is so clean and the staff was wonderful!

The scrambler was the first ride that I went on with the kids...

For whatever reason, ever since I've had children, I get dizzy on rides that I never used to...

I shant be attempting "scramblerish" rides again...

I'll stick to rollercoasters...

Jake was a little scared, but Reilly didn't even flinch!

The park measures the height of each person by candy categories...

Jake was a Twizzler...

Ellie and Reilly were both Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Jake's first roller coaster...The Comet!

He was scared out of his pants!

We all actually went on this one...

The girls seemed unfazed...

We all waited in line for the bumper cars only to be told that Reilly and Ellie were too small to go-

They both erupted into a puddle of tears...

This was about the time that we started to see "donkey ears!"

Brian and I were both laughing about the fact that the kids had that greedy look in their eyes...

We were just waiting to see some tails emerging as well...

To appease the donkeys, we went on a little kiddy water ride...

This seemed to get everyone smiling again...

and then took a stroll through the zoo that they had...

We all fell in love with the prairie dogs...

Is it possible to have these as pets???!!! If so, I'm all over it!

Brian had the privilege of going on this 4 times!

The frog hopper was another favorite...

But nothing compared to this!

The Tidal Force!

We got so utterly soaked! It was a glorious ride! We went on this 4 times!

Note to self: Next time--bring bathing suits!

Midafternoon snack...

sweet friend!

we stopped here for souvenirs...(Reilly chose $10 barbie sunglasses...the same ones that Target sells for $4...) I kept trying to encourage her to get something that was more unique to Hershey, but she wasn't taking my advice--go figure!?

On our way out of the park, we stopped off at Chocolate World for a quick little tour. It's not an actual factory tour, but it is a little ride that takes you through a virtual tour and explains how chocolate is made...It was very interesting

We each got a miniature Hershey bar at the end...

All this talk of chocolate gave me a massive craving for it! I get the same way every time I watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...

I'm not a huge fan of regular milk chocolate, (I prefer dark), but I swear, I never enjoyed chocolate more than I did that sample!

It was a great day!! The weather was perfect and the park wasn't overly crowded! Bonus!

I remember counting my lucky stars that Ellie hadn't fallen like she usually does--when, at one point as Jake and I were coming back from the bathroom, Brian told me that she had slipped on the sidewalk and sliced her knee...

Thank goodness Brian works for Johnson and Johnson! We go through bandaids by the hundreds!

As that was our only casualty, I'd say the day was a smashing success!

We definitely will look back on our trip to Hershey Park with fond memories!

**Have you ever been to Hershey Park?

**Are you a fan of roller coasters?

**Do you prefer milk or dark chocolate?

Five for Friday

1. Two weeks ago, I took Reilly to see a ballet performance of Sleeping Beauty. Our neighbor, Regina Day, was dancing in it along with her sister, Emalee (who is Reilly's buddy).

I was very impressed with the performance, however, it was almost 3 hours long with 2 intermissions. I think Reilly lost interest after the first hour, but it was still fun to go and show our support to the girls.

I'll go ahead and admit it, I really want to appreciate the ballet more than I do, but I just have trouble following the story when there isn't any talking. I feel the same way about the opera...Both of these things make me edgy! There!--I said it!


I wanted to take them flowers, however, I was having trouble finding single roses that looked decent or gerbera daisies.

I decided to purchase a dozen roses and make my own arrangements. The orange roses really stood out to me, so I bought those ($10 per dozen--thank you Wegman's!) I used spirea (the chartreuse color foliage)--it's actually a landscaping shrub, but I use it a lot in arrangements because the color always pops whatever else I have in there. I also used lily of the valley
and pink azaleas. Lately, I've been loving the pink and orange combination. It's so cheerful!

I was very pleased with how these arrangements turned out...(I actually made 3 of them). My friend Heather and her daughter also went with us to see a friend of theirs that was performing in the ballet as well.

2. Ellie's last day of pre-school was yesterday. I must admit that I'm slightly relieved to have that be over with for the summer. Although it was nice to have 3 mornings a week where I had 2 hours to myself, I always dreaded the interaction with the other moms while we were standing in the hall waiting for the kids to go in to the classroom.

I never understood how everyone would chat during the field trips that we went on but then the next day, act like they had never even met you. I was perplexed by this and struggled all year with this "cold shoulder" kind of attitude.

Perhaps everyone felt like, since this is pre-school, we'll never see each other again after this year is over? Whatever the reason, it made for many awkward hallway moments, trying to act extremely interested in some kids artwork just to avoid having to talk with one of the other mothers.

No, this is not one of my daughters!

3. Jake's third grade class has been learning about Egypt, so they all had to dress up for a big Egypt day celebration. Apparently the men back then wore eye make-up as well as heavily jeweled collars.

This was what our costume interpretation looked like.

I was so ticked off with him yesterday because he forgot to take in his collar! (One of the main elements to the costume). Not only did I spend $14 on a huge bag of jewels, but I ended up having to hot glue every one of them on after the elmer's glue that he had used didn't work.

I get very frustrated with his scatterbrained ways!

4. After school yesterday, Brady and Jake got together for their usual frogging escapades.

I had to laugh when Brady came running over to tell me that he found a pregnant frog. I asked him how he knew, and he said it was because of all the eggs that were on her belly.

I'm no frog expert, but I'm pretty sure those aren't eggs but rather pores or something along those lines...

5. I just had to document this! Just one of the many things I did yesterday--a freshly vacuumed van!

I really should have taken a before picture to fully appreciate the magnitude of my accomplishment! Let's see how long we can keep it this way!

**Are you a fan of ballets?

*Do you like orange and pink combinations?

**Have you ever been snubbed by pre-school moms?

**Would you have laughed at Brady's remark about the frog eggs?

**Do you struggle to keep a clean car?

Back to the blog...

Thanks to this stuff, my cold never fully manifested itself, but I took advantage of some extra time off from blogging...(I keep getting in these blogging lulls)

Meet my new nightly obsession!

A friend of ours lent us his entire collection of the tv show, 24-- (up to season 7). I have never been so hooked on anything in my life!

I don't think I could even handle watching it on a weekly basis. I wouldn't be able to deal with the commercial breaks and waiting an entire week to see what happens next.

Every episode keeps me wanting more! I am totally addicted.

It's been nice because Brian and I have been watching it together, and so it has actually brought us closer since we have this nightly routine to look forward to.

Reilly and I went to a mother/daughter play held at the middle school the other night. It was based on the book Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

A group of about 5 actors from New York tour around and perform this at various schools. The young girls all really enjoyed it, but lets just put it this way...at the end, the mom's were able to relate to Alexander's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!--It was gruelling to sit through!

It still was a successful night for Reilly and I though, as we made a date out of it. I got a sitter for Ellie because Brian and Jake were on a father and son's campout).

Reilly and I went to Panera Bread for soup and salads. It was a huge hit for her and I felt like we had somewhat of a break-through moment. I will make a point to make these "one on one" outings a tradition. I think that's the key!

I really hate this picture of me--but I wanted to include this self portrait in this post as a memory to her someday of the fun time we had together.

Did you gasp like I did when you saw this poppy?!

I do it every year! The sight of these never ceases to take my breath away! They almost don't look real!!

The salmon colored ones will be blooming shortly as will about 10,000+ rose buds! I wish I had a camera that takes more detailed pictures up close.

This one one of my projects yesterday. It's right up there with mowing the lawn for me! Instant gratification and a total stress releaver. Our holly bushes by our front porch needed some attention, so I fired this baby up and did my thing.

We went to Reilly's end of the year Daisy picnic last night. She had loved being a part of Daisies this year. It was a great way for her to meet some girls from other kindergarten classes.

**Do immune supplements work for you when you feel a cold coming on?

**Have you ever watched 24?

**Does the sight of poppies take your breath away?

Partners in Crime...

I'm getting another cold...!

I've been feeling it coming on for the past few days, but have been in denial.

Who gets a cold in late spring?!--I've been racking my brains trying to figure out where I could have picked it up from and then it hit me...

These are the culprits!

Look at them just sitting there laughing and mocking me!

They're so smug!

I took Ellie to the library a few days ago and agreed to let her check out 2 puppets. Our library has huge bins of puppets that they allow kids to play with and borrow. I don't usually let the girls take them home because of the germ factors, but I was trying to redeem myself the other day since I've been on a yelling jag, lately.

See where niceness will get you?

The irony of the whole thing is that she picked out a RACCOON and a FOX for crying out loud!

Both are extreme enemies to ducks and therefore ME! I should have known they'd find a way to make my life miserable.

Forgive me for taking a bit of a blogging break while I get the cobwebs out of my head...

**Would you let your kids check out these bacteria traps?

Mother's Day

Why is it that the week before Mother's Day, I seem to feel the most undeserving of being honored as a mother? This week was no exception! Hormones were kicking in and I was being down-right crabby to everyone who dared to be near me!...

Apparantly, no one held any grudges against me because when I came downstairs this morning, this was waiting for me at my spot at the table...

AHHH!!! the breakfast of champions!

I found this to be amusing and cute that the kids thought that since I'm such a candy nut, I would enjoy eating this for breakfast! Notice the milky way on the spoon?! I was very touched by their thoughtfulness.

Even better than having a candy breakfast was the fact that no one was fighting or arguing! They were all just sitting there, anxiously awaiting my arrival to the table! How great was that?!

A poem/card from Jake...(interesting analogies )

(I must admit I said "what the?!" a few times!

A card from Reilly that she made in school...(I was intrigued by the fact that she included "my mom takes me to Disney World" as what she likes me to do with her)-- P.S.--we've never gone there!--is this one of those "not so subtle hints"? She also wrote down that I'm good with math and numbers...(maybe she misunderstood the question!--I suck at math!! That's one of the perks to being married to Brian!--he's the polar opposite of me!! He used to be in the math club!)

Do you think I should be troubled by the fact that she thinks I'm special because I have her help me clean the floor? What does this say about me as a mother??! Yikes!

Ellie's contribution...(so cute!)

We went out to eat last night as an early Mother's Day present...

As an added bonus, "The Relax Shop" was offering free foot rubs and face tickles!

This is such a treat for me! When my sister, Katie, was around Jake's age, I used to get her to tickle my face and arms with a paintbrush by bribing her. I had a drawer in my room that I kept old semi-dried up nail polishes and cheap perfume. Who wouldn't want a chance to get into THAT bribe drawer?! I mean, REALLY!

Here I am in a state of relaxed euphoria!

And now for my Mother's Day quote for the day:

"It is the mother who inculcates in the lives of children a nobility of soul that leads them instinctively to love the beautiful, the genuine, the virtuous, and, as instinctively, to turn from the ugly, the spurious, and the vile. Home is the center from which woman rules the world. It is there she teaches her child self-restraint, develops in him the confidence and strength that spring from self-control. It is there the child learns respect for the rights of others. It is in a well-directed home that men and women first develop a consciousness that true happiness lies in conforming one's life to the laws of nature and to the rules of social conduct...

"Yes, the woman wields a mighty influence! Let that influence be felt even more potently throughout the Church and our communities in the protection of our homes from the impurities that are now sweeping the nation. The Lord bless every mother, every woman, that she may be wise and strong in teaching our boys and girls in maintaining ethical standards and in being exemplary examples to young people in all the world."--David O. McKay

I am grateful to my own mother for being my rock throughout my life...even when it hasn't always been easy to support some of my decisions.

She has been a tremendous support and example to me...

Happy Mother's Day!

Duck Tales!

Today, when I went to Davis Feed Mill to get this...

and this...

I saw bins and bins of these!...

And it got me thinking about the time when we got our first batch of ducklings! (spring 2006)

Everyone was so thrilled with our new additions!

Ellie was the most thrilled, I think! (I'm not sure this poor duckling shared in her enthusiasm)

Pleased to meet you!...

One of the neatest things about raising ducklings is to watch the imprinting process take place. It was so much fun to see them waddling after the kids trying to keep up.

They were right on the cusp of entering their gangly stage here...

And then I remembered how much work it was! (this was what I woke up to every morning for about 3 weeks!)

Ducks grow on an average of 1 pound per week!--They eat a lot! And as you can see, that means they do a lot of something else too!

I started them off in an old pack-n-play and then after about 2 weeks, had to move them to this wire enclosure lined with carpenter strength plastic bags and towels...(I changed the towels at least twice a day).

Fortunately, now that they are grown, you never see any mess in the yard. Unlike the mess the occasional goose couple make!

We took them outside when it was warm, but until they were fully feathered, we had to keep them inside our downstairs guest room.

This was a challenge for an compulsive cleaner such as myself, (look at the wall!) but it was worth it in the end.

I always loved it when they would come up on the front porch to peek in through the glass door.

Since my original male died 2 years ago, they don't do this anymore.

This was our Christmas card two years ago...

Now you know where the inspiration for my blog title came from!

Do you have any "duck tales" of your own?

Tea for two!

Ellie's pre-school class hosted a special Mother's Day Tea for the moms today...

Each child met their mom at the door and took her to their seat...

Her teacher read some of the highlights of the "interview" she had given the kids a few days before about their moms...

Here are my particulars (according to Ellie)...

She was slightly off with my weight and height...ahem!

Each child got the opportunity to tell something that makes their mom "excellent"...

It's hard to understand her, but Ellie is saying that I make her hair look pretty.

I'm really rotten at doing hair, so this amused me...I think she thinks I like doing hair because I'm always insisting that I fix it. It's just that if I didn't, she would look like something out of Children of the Corn!

I videoed one of the songs they sang, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to rotate the footage...

I see a stiff neck in your future!--Watch at your own risk...

We were served homemade "icecream bread" as well as fresh butter that the kids all helped make last Friday... (the bread was very good!--I'll post the recipe on Wednesday)

We each got our very own handmade jewelry box and pin...

Ellie woke up this morning with a big smile and was so excited about the day...!

I felt very honored!

**What has been your best Mother's Day gift ever?

**Have you ever heard of "icecream bread"?