Dancing girl

I have always loved the quote..."dance like no one is watching", but now when I hear it I think of  Kendall, our dancer! Since she could stand up on her own she has been dancing! Really, I have tons of video of her bopping around in just a onsie! I'm not sure where she gets it from. Jeremy and I sure aren't blessed in that department, but none the less she LOVES to dance!

Kendall has been taking dance lessons since she was three years old. I still remember how excited she was when we bought her first little leotard and pink tutu! And the ballet slippers, oh they were so tiny! I remember how very nervous she was going into that first ballet class, but how excited she was to go back! They used to twirl around and pretend they were princesses. The teacher would pick one little girl to be the Fairy princess and that lucky girl got to make all the other princess go to sleep and then wake them up again to dance! It was the simplest little dance, really, but so special to those girls and their moms! I mean every mom thinks their daughter is a little princess, right!

Kendall continued with ballet and quickly added tap/jazz when she was four! She loved to perform for us, we would sit on the couch and be her audience! I could tell even at that age, dance was going to be an important part of her life! Fast forward five years later...our girl is still dancing! She has picked up hip hop and will soon start conditioning her body to practice on pointe! She amazing me with how much she can remember and how quickly she can learn steps! She hears a beat and goes with it.

Today, at dance class I was watching her before class started. She was hanging out with some of the same girls (her dance friends) she has danced with since that first year of ballet. They were choreographing some of their own moves to a song that was on the radio, they were laughing, and having fun! I thought, "dance like no one is watching" and never change! She just seemed so happy and full of life! We could all stand to practice that once in awhile...

Daddy & kids make a Volcano

I can't believe I forgot to blog about this! About a month ago Jeremy and the kids sat down and created their own Volcano! And boy was this an elaborate volcano. It had a whole little village surrounding it! Dinosaurs and trees, little fish in the river, and a bridge made out of Popsicle sticks! The actual volcano was made by paper macheing it and then painting it brown. The kids enjoyed this and it kept them busy for a few days! I gotta say, Daddy earns a gold star for this one!

 

 

 

            Kendall pours in the baking soda

                 Max looks on in anticipation - love that little face!

Science Fair...Here we come!





A Walk in the Woods

What a beautiful day! The pictures should say it all

 

 Nicolet College - such stunning colors

There is always time for fashion-even when you walk in the woods

kids enjoyed the nature trail where they played on the obstacles

Max really is a monkey at heart

Looking up

Stopped for a rest and to pick some leaves

 Hubby and I get a rare photo together

My munchkins really do love each other

 

Happy Fall!

catching up

It's been awhile since I last blogged. It's been crazy busy over here in the Iwanski household! With the start of school, came after school activities...dance, karate, girl scouts, and not to mention PAC meetings and homework! Today, I actually have a day to catch up! Catch up on my blog, catch up on laundry, catch up on housework, you get the idea!

Fall has really hit the Northwoods the last week or so. We have been spending time outdoors when we can. Last weekend we went hiking through the trails at the YMCA and Buck lake. The kids enjoy this simple activity and they especially enjoyed the hot cocoa afterwards!

We have also been spending some time crafting. I actually made two super cute fall projects that I found on pinterest. I don't know if I am more happy at the outcome of the project or just the fact that I actually had time to finish them! The kids had a blast glittering pumpkins!!! Oh yeah, we brought out the glitter!

School is going well for both kids. Kendall's school has started a positive behavior program where each week when you are showing one of the 4 B's (be respectful, be here, be responsible, and be safe) you earn a Hodag paw that goes in a drawing for a prize. We are so proud of Kendall! She received 4 Hodag paws this week. She told me she has opened doors for people, helped friends on the playground, and turned in her work on time. That's my girl!

Max is adjusting to 1st grade well. He has started spelling homework and has gotten a 100% on all three of his tests! Way to go Buddy! This week his class went to the apple orchard and I was lucky enough to chaperon. We had a nice time except for when that darn bee stung Max in the nose! He took it like a trooper! It was so nice to see all his friends concerned for him and making sure he was okay.

Jeremy and I had a date night the past weekend!!! Jerm's sister and brother in law came up and we had a nice dinner at Holiday Acre's. The scallops were delicious and the best part was No KIDS WERE THERE, which meant there were no chicken nuggets or french fries on the table! It's the simple things really!

These beautiful jack be little's were grown in our garden!

My fall tulle wreath - it looks great on my door


 

Superhero Mania

There is a certain little someone in our house who LOVES superheros right now! He likes to dress up like them, read about them, watch them on TV, and make his sister play them! I have to admit, I love it and relish in the chance to take pictures of said events!

The other day a friend of ours gave us 2 huge bags of little boy dress up clothes (her son had outgrown them). You should of seen Max's eyes when he looked in the bag and pulled out the WOLVERINE costume!  Currently, Wolverine is top dog in Max's world, so he was in heaven and couldn't wait to try the costume on!

The funniest part is now, Max has to try to do everything with his Wolverines claws on. He has rode his scooter with them on, ate snacks with them on, opened doors with them on (that one is tricky). What a hoot! I am so excited for him to see all the superhero's at Universal Studios when we go there next month! What a dream come true for a little boy who loves superheros! and for a big boy who still has a soft spot for them (wink wink Daddy)!

my top ten

Usually I blog about my kids or family but today I've decided to write about ME! This time of my life is very busy!! I am going to school, carting the kids to all their events, keeping up with all the crap housework at home, and trying to have relationships with my husband and friends! When I get a few moments to myself I relish it!

What do I like to do in my free time?

1) Read (and not a parenting magazine)! Something that takes me to a different place and time. I have always loved reading, it is such a comfort to me!

2) Take a bubble bath! It has to be really hot and the bubbles have to be up to my neck! If I can read and take a bath at the same time, I am in heaven! My favorite bubble bath is lavender.

3) Go to the movies! There is nothing better than sitting in a dark theater with a good friend or hubby, sharing a bucket of buttery popcorn and getting lost in a good movie! No kids movies here! Can't wait until November when the last Twilight comes out!  Can someone say Girls Night Out!

4) Check Facebook ( had to put it on here) or Pinterest! They are so addicting!

5) Scrapbook. I love to take pictures and preserve memories. Scrapbooking really is a creative outlet for me and I can get so lost in it (when I have the time) I usually save this for my girls weekend getaways. A few friends of mine scrap also and we have a blast all weekend long!

6) Bake (NOT COOK) and then eat it of course!

7) Have a good glass of wine!

8) Spending an afternoon with my friends who I wish I saw more! Love catching up with them and hearing all about their kids and families. Hopefully we can start our crafting day we have been talking about!

9) Take a nap! especially on a rainy day or a day where you can feel a nice breeze from the windows.

10) Shop! Lucky for me I live in a town that only has a kohl's, jcpenney's, and walmart! I do like to go garage sale shopping and check out resale shops. I just scored Max a super cute Columbia jacket that looks brand new for 5 bucks!

So, there is a little about me! I think I shall get off this computer and go take a bubble bath :)

When did that happen?

As I watched my six year old sit at our dinner table and do his first homework assignment I got to thinking...when did that happen? When did my little boy grow up that he needed to learn to spell the words 'cat' and 'sat'? When did he start receiving phone calls from little friends of his, asking him to play? Wasn't it just yesterday that he couldn't even reach the phone or better yet actually have a conversation with someone that made sense! When did he go from this chubby baby...

to this handsome little guy...

 

 

Later that day I was putting Kendall's clothes away and I happened upon a few new sports bra's we bought for her. I know crazy, right! Again, I was like when did we go from little frilly tutu's to little purple sports bra's? When did the little girl who played with dolls grow up into the tween who loves makeup and tweeny bopper magazines (the posters of One Direction are splattered over her room)? It seems like just yesterday she looked like this....

 


now she is my little fashionista... Just let me breathe people!