Mo Ladz

Ella had a tent up on her bed and was playing "big girl" stuff. She came to me with paper and wanted me to make a sign for her door to keep Lars out. I smiled and asked what it should say. She proudly announced, "No Lars." I told her she could do it and that she should find a book that has the word no in it. She went and found one of our favorites, No David. We found the word no together. Then she wrote Lars- as she can spell his name out loud. The following pic was the result.



Now when shall I break it to her that her little brother can't read yet?

Fall is here!

We were able to rake a small pile of leaves and the kids just loved it! I particularly think the picture of Alice may be one of my favorites of her. Happy Fall!

Make Your Own Monster!

Lars Crawls- Flashback Friday

Now that I have figured out how to post video- I thought I needed to get my favorite clip of Lars when he was crawling. He really figured crawling out fast. He is so little here and so cute! I forget how hard it is for them at first. You would never know it now, as Lars runs a mile a minute- smiling the whole time!

Trunk Show

We have a date & a place!

Mon. 10/13 6-9pm at 907 Fairchild, Iowa CIty

Please save some time that evening to come over to my friend Kim's house to preview Boden's goods. The rep will bring samples of womens and children's clothing so you can see the quality and check their sizing. I have not been able to figure out their womens' sizes for the life of me.

The perks are: 15% off and free shipping & returns on orders over $150. You also get to handle merchandise and see for yourself why Boden has become such a hot clothing line. I have several used pieces and I think they are great quality and such original designs and colors. Boden is a company that has a bit of a retro feel but they certainly combine patterns and colors in modern ways. their colors and combinations are so well liked that I have really begun to notice their influence on others clothing companies who are imitating their styles.

Invitations will be sent out soon, but if you know someone who would be interested, please tell them to stop by or have them email me: jhackathorn@gmail.com

It is not like a typical Pampered Chef party where people stay the whole time and are subjected to a testimonial or presentation. Typically people stop in to check out merchandise and place orders before leaving. Usually they are there for 10 minutes or as little as 5. I recommend checking out the great website - one of my favorites to get inspiration from for my kids clothing!

Ella Reads

This might be a little hard to understand. She is reading a book called Kites. This is my first video post! Woo hoo! She reads what kind of kite each one is. See if you can hear the last part "a tangled mess."

Willowwind Memories

Counting using the Montessori beads.

Ella & Frankie playing with clay.

Ella mixing & cooking.

Elena, Ella, Gilly & Rebecca all snuggled in to read.

Hanging out and reading a book on the pillows.

I was so surprised the other day when I opened an envelope from Willowwind, Ella's preschool last school year. Inside was a lovely thank you from her teacher Marissa and a CD full of pictures and some video clips. Ella loved looking through the pictures- as did I. I still find it hard to believe how much she has grown up in the past year.

Trains, Football & Friends

Big Boy Bed

So we have finally admitted that Lars is no longer a baby. He has made the move relatively well. He stays in the bed and hasn't fallen out. he does however, like to use his bed a stepping stone to climb on top of his dresser and find things. I have fun orange sheets coming! It really is such a comfy bed, he loves snuggling in it at night. I just hope he will soon learn to go to sleep without all the checking on him and negotiating. Sometimes he is fine but others he just pushes it so far!

Monster Ears

He entered the bathroom to quietly brush his teeth. Four short minutes later he was quietly transformed into the monster we see here. Lars came out so proud of himself and his short time alone (what was I thinking!!?) in the bathroom. He discovered the Q- tips and presented himself as a monster, scaring Ella and mommy. Like all good mommies, I grabbed my camera and took a picture (after being scared and laughing), then we sent the jokester in to see daddy. After scaring daddy we took them out and explained you cannot put sticks in your ears. He was very very sad and began crying and told daddy he wanted his monster ears back.

Seriously- who is teaching my children these things? I would like to know! Class clown anyone....?

Need Ideas

I had a successful Goodwill run and found these cool retro 70's towels. Now, Ella loves the pink ones. I am thinking of ideas...I am willing to take some ideas if you have any. Watch to see what they become.

Busy Weekend

I think this picture sums up all the fun we had today. Might be one of my favorites ever of Lars. I think the dimple is perfectly captured!

We began Sunday with a breakfast at the airport and the kids got to see airplanes take off and land. They sat in a helicopter too. I think Lars' favorite hands down was the ambulance and firetrucks he could explore. He would have stayed there all day if they let him and if I was comfortable with him around that many buttons.




In the afternoon, we visited ACT for their yearly family picnic. This year the theme was Pirates! They kids happily dressed the part and had fun as they partook in the activities like the treasure dig, carousel ride, and train ride. We all had our pictures taken on the pirate ship but I am still awaiting to see our happy pirate family. I think we all had a great relaxing afternoon, but I do not ever remember it being quite so crowded. Perhaps next year we won't have to wait until 3:00 to go- obviously nap time still dictates our social scene. I can't wait till there are no naps but I also fear the day there are no naps.