Last night, Matthew and Hannah went camping for the first time. They were so excited that they were both running around, giggling, talking about camping... Ron had gone into work, so it was already past Hannah's bedtime when he got home, and then we headed out to the tent in the yard. The birds were so loud, there was no way they were going to go right to sleep. Ron went back into the house to have dinner and get ready for bed, and then it was my turn to get ready for bed. At that point, both of the kids decided that they had to go potty, so we brought them both back into the house...

The good things about camping were that when it finally got dark, we could see millions and millions of stars in our backyard. I don't think there are words for how spectacular it was. The kids got to help Ron put the tent up, so they learned about something new. We woke up to fresh air and birds chirping.

The bad things about camping were that the kids had to get up often to go potty (thank goodness we were in the yard so the bathroom was not far). The temperature dropped to the 60s overnight so the air was quite chilly in the tent. In the morning, there was condensation on the inside of the tent so the other thing that woke us up was water dripping on our heads. And, no one got enough sleep.

I think that next time, I would bring Matthew's cd player out so that we had a little white noise to help us all go to sleep, and we would get the kids to bed earlier. Next time, though, I think we need to finish blowing up the air mattress for the grownups...

Matthew and Hannah started swimming lessons this week. Even though Matthew is 5, he is taking parent and tot with Hannah. The first time he took it 2 years ago, he was terrified and wouldn't get his face wet. Last summer, I was "bad mommy" and got them signed up too late. Tonight, he was floating on the noodle, kicking with his feet, and scooping with his hands in some awkward doggy paddle/freestyle combination that was fun to watch. He did so well, that he is going to start level 1 lessons next week. He is growing up so quickly it is hard to believe.

Hannah loves to jump into the pool and be caught at the last possible moment before her head would go under the water. Just listening to her giggle made me smile. On the other hand, when she does her back floats, she bends in half like a taco, and it is hard to get her to put her head back, even with my hand underneath it. There is a slide there, and she got out of the water to go down the slide, then started to cry because she was so cold. She climbed the stairs, then shot out the bottom like a cannonball. I was worried that I wouldn't catch her, but I did. After that, she wanted to get out of the pool as fast as she could. She is not as bad as Matthew was with his first lessons, but I think that she will need at least one more year of parent and tot before she is ready for level 1. I suppose that is a good thing - Hannah is still my little bird.

I miss my kids. Right now, I am in Rockville, MD, staying at a cousin's home. I would say that I am staying with a cousin, but I am here, they are not, hence, I am staying at their home. Last night, I spoke with Hannah briefly before she went to bed. She told me that she built a sand castle. She was very excited about it. Then I spoke to Matthew. When I called the kids, I was still out to dinner with a group of IPC volunteers at the Dogfish Head Brewery (I had half an Aprihop and shared the rest). Matthew asked me what the noise was. I told him that I was with some people in a restaurant. He asked me who was there, so I gave him the list. It was pretty cute. Finally, he said goodbye and blew me a kiss. Then he asked me if I was cold, so I told him yes. He blew me another kiss, and I told him that it was so cold that everyone that I was with was shivering. He was so excited that he told Ron about it. It was too cute. I wonder what he is going to tell me tonight...

When blogging about kids, sometimes it is hard to know what to blog about. Considering that my kids are 3 and 5, that may sound a little strange, but at that age, the kids flit from mood to mood, moment to moment, and change in a heartbeat. This morning, Hannah went from having a fit about her shirt being too short (this involved kicking, screaming, and me holding her while Ron put her shorts on), to singing "A Spoon Full of Sugar" in the car just moments later. Notice, I said that we had to hold her to get her shorts on. The shorts had nothing to do with the shirt (although she did see one of her skirts outside her door in a small pile to be put away), so we could not figure out her problem. Last night, Hannah picked both the shorts AND the shirt herself.

So we got in the car, and the kids immediately wanted kid's music. We have a CD of Disney songs in the car. Matthew wanted "A Monkey's Uncle," which is one of his current favorites. Then I played Hannah's song. It is funny to listen to her because she sometimes says scoop instead of a spoon. I guess that she likes things pretty sweet.

When we got to day care, Hannah was cold. She didn't want to put on her extra shirt, though. Matthew came over and put his arms around her to snuggle her and asked her if that was better. He is such a sweet big brother most of the time. In spite of Hannah's rough start, I really feel blessed to have such great kids.

The candy fairy came to our home today. If you have never met the candy fairy. She takes away candy (parade candy, Halloween candy, etc.) and replaces it with a present. I can't take credit for the idea. I must have read it in a parenting magazine somewhere. The first time I tried it, the kids were in the house, and by the time they asked me a million questions about her, they were terrified of her. This time, I did not tell them that she was coming. It was pretty funny. They both insisted that they saw her pink car in Galesville this morning, and heard her burp. Hannah asked me to call the fairy and say thank you for the lip gloss. Both of the kids wanted wanted me to tell the candy fairy that she would be healthier if she ate five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Hannah was a little sad. She wanted to know when we were going to get more candy. It was very funny.

This morning was a rough one for Matthew. He has always been concerned about his clothes. For some reason, he hates anything that is big. Long shorts - forget it. Right now, he is somewhere between a 5T and a boys 5, so everything is either too big or too small. Matthew is pretty miserable about the whole thing. He had a major fit about wearing the clothes he picked out last night. He has a rule that he has to wear what he picks out, so we ended up with a major disaster. He was so upset, he ended up with a stomachache, and I ended up with a headache. Fortunately, he must have had a good nap, because he was really good at gymnastics tonight.

Hannah was even good at gymnastics tonight. All week, she talked about doing her bear crawl on the beam by herself. Not only did she do it herself (even on the high beam!), she also did her stretches very well, and she actually stayed focused until the end. Not bad for a 3 year old. Now if I could just get her to point her toes...

Hannah also "read" me "The Foot Book" tonight. It was terribly cute. She turns the pages from left to right, but reads on the pages from right to left, and not necessarily from top to bottom, so it is pretty silly. I had a hard time not laughing. Then, she read it again, while sitting on the potty. Too funny!

Matthew just loves to do the dishes. Yes - you heard me correctly. My son actually thinks that it is a fun thing to do. It must have something to do with all of the bubbles. I realize that at some point here he is going to figure out that it is not as much fun as he thought it was. In the meanwhile, he can do all of the dishes that he wants.

Tonight, I sent the kids (and the husband) into the yard to "hunt." Matthew got his binoculars, Hannah used the big ones, and they went to hunt for strawberries in the garden. They were very excited when they came back in with EIGHT strawberries. They each got to eat two - they were very excited!

Matthew and Hannah went fishing for the first time today. They had a free fishing day in Galesville, WI, with free lunch and prizes for the kids. Hannah was really sad about not winning a prize. She did catch a fish, though - a 4" long Bluegill. She was so excited to tell me about it!

Matthew was not very patient about fishing, and kept reeling in his line to quickly. He didn't seem to mind the whole worm thing, which was good. I mind about the whole worm thing... Although Matthew didn't catch a fish, he did get to help throw Hannah's back in the water, so all things worked out pretty evenly.

There is nothing that can compare with the look of bliss on a child's face when they know they have your unconditional love.

Today was dentist day. I schedule all of the appointments at the same time so that we don't have to go back and forth numerous times. Fortunately, my appointment was 45 minutes later, because Hannah decided to be shy at the last minute, and I was able to stay with her. She was excited about getting her new toothbrush (Elmo), and her temporary tattoo. The cutest part was afterwards. I took her into the waiting area to color, but she decided that she wanted to "go see how my Matthew is doing."

Matthew was very excited about going to the dentist. Last night when we told him, he was practically jumping up and down. While I don't mind going to the dentist, it certainly isn't anything that I celebrate... I hope that he keeps this attitude for a long time.

Tonight, the kids had gymnastics. Hannah is in Parent and Me, and Matthew is in the boys novice class. One of Hannah's favorite events is the beam. From the first class, Hannah was able to balance on the beam on her own. Later, she lost some of her confidence, and started asking for more help. She was doing kicks on the high beam tonight as I held her right hand. After the first few kicks, she asked me to hold her on the other side. As a mom, it really illustrated the problem to me - we can't be everywhere at once, as much as we would like to. How can I teach Hannah to balance, when I can't balance myself?

Matthew and Hannah love our backyard. We have bird feeders outside our back window, and the kids love watching the birds fly in. This morning was quite colorful - I saw an Oriole and a Cardinal. The kids have even learned to identify male and female robins. The other excitement is the bunnies. Hannah wanted me to buy bunny food when we were in the animal section of Menards. I explained to her that the bunnies find enough food on their own in the backyard, and she stopped worrying about it. She was concerned that the bunnies might get to hungry.

Besides the wildlife, we also have a new slide/playhouse in the backyard. We still need to add a swingset, but it has a fort section, and looks like fun. It has one of those twisted tube slides, so Matthew loves it, but Hannah gets a little scared of the covered slides. Hannah is definitely the more cautious one, but sometimes she surprises me. Of course, now that they have played in the bounce house, I think that Hannah would do that in her sleep if she could.

Hannah and I went shopping today. She was quite the hit at the mall. We went to have her glasses adjusted, and she had 3 men waiting on her. She was in heaven. Not bad for a 3 year old. She just had a ball helping mommy shop - that's my girl. Stores used to be closed on days like Memorial Day. Now, it is a big sales day.

Kids don't necessarily understand the whole holiday thing when they are as young as Matthew and Hannah are. Last night, Matthew asked me about Memorial Day and I tried to explain it to him. He understood, but I really don't think he understands the concept of war. At age 5, this is a good thing. I am sure that Hannah has no understanding of Memorial Day whatsoever. I am glad that we at least put the flag up. That is something they understand.

There is nothing that can compare with the laughter of a small child. Today, Matthew and Hannah got to take a walk in Trempealeau, play in the park, and bounce in their bounce house. With each of these activities, the laughter just flowed. It really lifts the spirit. I wish that I could bottle it and sell it. I found myself laughing right along with them.

The kids also had a ball planting in the garden. Last night, both Hannah and Matthew were planting corn. Tonight, Matthew was helping Ron put the melons and cucumbers in. They love being in the garden and seeing things grow. They are so full of wonder. I would love to recapture that feeling of wonder and awe with the things that are around us.

I love putting my kids to bed at night. I sing Hannah a lullabye. Our song is You'll be in my Heart. Then Hannah gives me a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and sometimes a zerbert. When the song says, "Just take my hand," Hannah quickly grabs my hand, and won't let go.

Somehow, I never got into the habit of singing to Matthew at bedtime. I am not sure why, because Matthew loves it when I sing to him. Matthew has to have music on at night to fall asleep. Lately, Matthew has been into sign language, and we sign "I love you" to each other several times. He can also spell the word "hug," and uses it to ask for one more hug. Matthew is very sweet. Sometimes, he will say, "Mommy, you are so beautiful." "Mommy, you are the best Mommy in the whole world." and the best, "Mommy, I love you so much." There is something totally amazing about hearing this from a 5 year old.

Even after a hard day, tucking the kids is always amazing.