So, today Brennen’s preschool class took a field trip to the cosmetology school on campus. The kids have gone every year and have fun. The girls in the school dye their hair (washes out when washed) and paint their nails. Last year Brennen went with orange and black dye so he could be a jack-o-lantern. This year he went with purple and blue spiked hair. When I picked him up from school I told him that we would give him a bath and wash out the dye in a little bit. He said, “I know because it washes out.”
After we had been home for a while, Griffin was sleeping soundly and Brennen disappeared for a few minutes. Finally he came into the kitchen where I was and walks up to me like nothing was going on. I looked at him and saw that the top front of his hair was gone! I asked him, “Did you cut your hair?” He replied, “Yes.” I Said, “WHYYYY???” and he said, “Because I didn’t want my hair blue anymore.” I told him we were going to wash it out in a little bit and he said he had already put water on it and the blue didn’t come out so he decided to cut it out. He told me like it was the most logical thing in the world to do.
So, I had to wake up a sleeping Griffin (he never naps so I wasn’t too happy that I had to wake him up!) and lug them into the salon so he could have his hair buzzed. I was afraid if she buzzed it any shorter that he would look sick so in some places he had bald spots showing through! The women at the salon got a kick out of the situation and joked with us that since he had gone to cosmetology school he figured he could cut his own hair!
The photos above show his hair after his own haircut and after the salon hair cut.
After I got the boys out of the bathtub I glanced back and saw Brennen’s wet footprints on the towel. I thought about how quickly they will dry and no longer be visible. How quickly my children will grow and little footprints (and fingerprints on the windows and drawings on the walls and messes in the kitchen and cries in the night and … ) will no longer be visible. It was a good reminder to me that I need to live more in the moment with my children and enjoy them while they are little.
We are so blessed to live near my parents who have a swimming pool. We spend most of our summer days there. I sat on the lawn chair today watching my kids. Ella and Preston were swimming and Brennen was playing by the side of the pool with Griffin. Griffin was sitting in a baby seat and Brennen was dropping water in his face over and over. Griffin loved it. I sat there with joy in my heart watching my two little red heads playing together.
It was a warm, wet, spring day. The kids were excited to go out and play. The older three went out while I stayed inside with the baby. I went out to check on them and this is what I found! In our backyard by their clubhouse, they found a perfect place to play. At first I was worried because I knew their dad was going to be mad about the mud hole they created. He’s pretty meticulous about the yard. I quickly set that aside and grabbed my camera. One of my favorite memories from childhood is playing in the mud with my brother and best friends. It was so fun and the look on my mom’s face as we came to the door covered from head to foot was priceless. Yes, their dad was a little mad but this was a fun memory for them too (it was fun until Preston got mud in his mouth!).
This is who I spend most of my days with. If Spiderman isn’t keeping me company then some other hero is here to visit.
While most people were shopping during “black Friday” my family decided to do some service. My family, my brother and his kids, my sister and her husband, and my dad went to our church to spread mulch. Everyone had a job and everyone helped.
Brennen’s job was to babysit Griffin. He pushed him around the parking lot the entire time and did a great job!
My dad has always loved nature hikes. Some of my favorite childhood memories involve hiking. Dad almost always takes a hiking stick that he uses to point out different trees, plants, and animals. I’m glad he’s passing that love on to his grandchildren. (Brennen)
My mom has always loved music. She got that love from her mother. I have many fond memories of both my grandma and my mom singing and playing the piano. I’m glad she’s sharing that love with her grandchildren. (Ella)
Brennen has an incredible imagination! Everyday he is a different character. One day he is Bob the superhero, the next he is Santa Clause. I have to call him by his character’s name all day long and it can be very hard to have a serious conversation with Bob the superhero!!!
Today I cut a pumpkin and several face pieces out of felt so Brennen could assemble a jack o lantern. I showed him each of the pieces and he definitely has much more imagination than I do. He told me my mouth was really a crown, my mustache was really sleepy eyes, my glasses were really a superhero mask, and my bat wings were really a cape. The photo above is his “Happy Superhero.”
“Hands” are the theme for the photo challenge this week at “iheartfaces.” As I looked back through some of my photos I realized that I love taking pictures of hands. They can tell a story all by themselves. I had to pick the photo of Preston’s dirty hands handing me flowers from last summer as my entry. I loved the flowers but I loved his dirty little hands even better! Here are a few of my other favorites.
And I simply couldn’t resist this photo-it’s Mr. Potato Head’s hand holding Ella’s tooth so the tooth fairy can find it!
