Fun While It Lasted...

One of the gifts the kids got for Christmas this year was a trampoline.

It even had the safety netting that went around the entire thing.

Jeremy put it together one warm Saturday in January but it never got warm enough for the kids to jump until recently. I kept thinking that I needed to get a picture of it but hadn't gotten around to it.

And now I never will.




Apparently we had a pretty strong storm move through here this afternoon. I got the call from Jeremy that it was coming so I took the kids to the basement. We stayed down there until it had passed and then we ran some errands with Jeremy just to get out of the house. We have all been sick the past week and we had cabin fever.

You can see our house from the road and on our way back Jeremy noticed that the trampoline was missing. We knew that meant it had to have been carried away in the storm as those things aren't usually a stolen item.

We went to the back yard and looked around and couldn't see it anywhere. The back yard slopes downwards and as we walked further that direction, we saw the pile of twisted up metal.

MAJOR BUMMER.





Wyatt couldn't believe that was our trampoline. And I couldn't really either. The wind had carried it about 300 yards and then dropped it in a field. At least it didn't hit a person, a house, or anyone else's property.

This picture shows the back of our house way off in the distance behind the trees.




These past two weeks, when the kids have gotten home in the afternoon, that is where we have been going. I wasn't a big fan of the safety netting originally until I realized that it was a safe area for Chase to crawl. I could take him in there with us and he would crawl around, bounce, lay down, play with the balls, and we didn't have to worry about him falling out. You zip yourself inside.

But I have to tell you - they aren't cheap and I don't see replacing it any time soon. I am sure there will be more Spring storms in the next couple of months. Then I would think it would be so hot to be on it in the Summer. I wonder if these things ever go on sale? I will have to watch the papers for a deal and convince Jeremy to spend the time putting it together again.

Typical Tuesday

Hey You!




Yeah you. Mr. Innocent.




I see you playing with that baby monitor.




You are not supposed to be doing that because you like to beat it into the floor with your hand.




So you need to find something else to play with. Perhaps a toy? Do you see one?




Hmm, that is not a toy either. Looks like Daddy didn't put his belt away.




Go on. You have an entire living room filled with toys.

Now where did he crawl off to?

But of course. His favorite play area.

Our shower.




"Look Mama. Phoebe wants to play in here too."




"Ok Mom. Fine. I will play with this ball. The one designed for a kiddo like me. Happy now?"




"The minute she turns her back, I am so playing with Mr. Robot."

Bieber Fever!

Last weekend I took Morgan and her BFF Hayden out for a girls night.

First we went by the mall to Justice and Claire's where the girls perused $5 jewelry and hair bows for much longer than I thought possible.

Then we hit Rosie's for a yummy dinner before the pièce de résistance of the evening - the Justin Bieber movie!

Oh My Goodness!

I think I am still in recovery from going to see "Never Say Never" on opening night.

I knew we were in trouble when I saw that about 98% of the audience was between the age of 8 and 14.

Then the chanting began.

And I quote:

"We say Justin, You say Bieber"

"JUSTIN"

"BIEBER"

"JUSTIN"

"BIEBER"


Really? How about I say "Shut" and you say "Up".

And did I mention the movie was in 3D? Oh yes. They had concert footage where he would be reaching his hand out towards the camera and girls in the theater were screaming and reaching out to his hand. Like he was real.

Overall, the movie content was interesting to me because I am a big fan of documentaries. I will watch just about anything if it is a true story. Although I think 16 is a little young to already have a "life story", the footage they did have of him as a child did show off his natural musical talent.

Yes. I said talent. The kid can play the drums, the piano, and he has a nice voice...for now.

Anywho, I am a sucker for home videos especially of cute little toddlers playing the drums really well.

And he has sweet grandparents who helped his mother raise him because she was a young, single mom. At one point in the movie, JB goes to stay with his grandparents for a visit. His old friends came over and they were going to go play basketball but his grandmother wouldn't let him go until he cleaned his room. Ha!

So the format consisted of interviews with people from his life mixed with home video clips and current day footage. All current day footage elicited high pitched squeals from the audience. The.Entire.Time.

At one point, all the girls stand up with their cell phones lit up in their hands and they are swaying back and forth to the song. Now I am 30 something years old. I am not standing up and swaying to a JB song.

And then I hear:

"IT'S JUSTIN BIEBER. GET UP ON YOUR FEET."

You know what?

I got up on my feet, took my camera and faced it backwards, and lit that girl up in the face! Oh yeah - as we like to say in the Donaldson House - I burrrrrrrrrrned you.



Sorry but I had to get documentation for my blog.

Then I proceeded to sit my 30 something year old tail back down for the rest of the show.

So we got through it. All 90 plus minutes of it. And then in the lobby, the minions (not mine of course) busted out into a spontaneous rendition of his hit song "Baby." It was like being present for a flash mob.

And you know what I realized at that moment?

Justin Bieber makes people happy. Well, he makes tween girls happy. These girls were on cloud 9 and I could think of worse things or people that they could be obsessed with. So I decided to give the movie 2 lit cell phones up.

Happy Birthday Wyatt!

You are 5 years old! I can't believe it! This seems like the end of the little boy phase to me. I am looking forward to seeing you continue to grow and learn. You amaze me all the time with your vocabulary and your ability to figure things out on your own.

You are such a skinny little guy. Part of it is your metabolism and part of it is you don't slow down or eat enough. You weigh 36 pounds and are about 41.5 inches in height.




This year you have been exposed to new situations and you have done so well.

The biggest change is you became a big brother. You are such a great big brother to Chase.



Many times when he is upset, you do your best to console him and let him know "big brother is here." You are a great helper to me especially when you play with Chase. I am looking forward to seeing what all you teach Chase this year. I can already tell that he wants to do everything you do.

You played soccer for this first time this past fall and did so well.




You loved being on a team and enjoyed the exercise. When you would score a goal, you would run over to our sideline and give us all high fives! I loved watching you have so much fun.

You also started a new school and attended 4 year old Kindergarten. Each month you keep mastering the Kindergarten Readiness Skills that your class is working on.




You have given basketball a try and I think with the right coach and team, you will enjoy this as well. Even though you can't get the ball to the basket yet, you still go out each game and give it your all. I have a video showing some of your fancy footwork that I have been meaning to post.

You have a contagious giggle and I love that dimple of yours. You have a kind and sensitive soul which I hope you keep as you get older. You truly do care about others' feelings.

You love dinosaurs, vanilla pudding, DS games, legos, your cousins, and Berenstain Bear books.

Here is your 5 year old interview we did this morning. I think it does a great job showcasing your little personality.

We love you Wyatt and thank God for you. You are a gift.

(Video is 5 minutes so you may need to pause it after you hit play to let it load.)