Eggs and Fakin'

Do they look like real eggs and bacon? Hope so! I saw the idea/recipe in the Family Fun magazine in the April Fool's foods part. Thought it looked cute to send to school for Jackson's class for snack on April Fool's Day! Of course, Kristen wanted to take it to her class, too, so now I've got to double the quantity. But the eggs are melted white chocolate chips with an m&m in the middle, and the bacon is tootsie rolls and caramel! I don't usually get into the April Fool's stuff, but I thought it might be cute and it didn't seem too time consuming!

But before I could tackle the eggs and fakin', I had to create Jacob's Easter hat for his Easter parade at school tomorrow. Yikes. Was NOT inspired before, during or after creating it, but fortunately, he's 3 and really doesn't care! But here's how it turned out, he thinks he's an Easter cowboy!

Hopefully he doesn't look too goofy!

Only dial 9-1-1 in an emergency . . .

Yeah, right. Or when you're 4 and bored at the Feltman house after a long day with no nap! Yep, that's right! Saturday, we were dropping Brenna off after having been to a 2nd grade girls basketball game, a fabulous Easter party, and Cedar Hill Farm, and Jamey's phone rings. He hangs up, and says 'apparently, someone from this address dialed 9-1-1.' Great. called Jackson into the room, and he blames it on his younger brother, who can't yet read. So he admits it. I make him apologize to the really nice policeman who responded, but later Saturday night, Jackson came to me and says 'I guess I should have stayed in the car at Brenna's.' Poor thing, I'm just hoping he learned his lesson!

Anyway, as previously mentioned, we had a pretty good Saturday. Here are the girls at the fabulous Roberts Easter party. Madison, Halle, Elizabeth, the wonderfully talented Easter bunny named Wanda, Brenna, Kristen, and Hannah.

Bring on the straightjacket.

Or the valium. Or, at the very minimum, the largest size Oreo Overload possible from Cold Stone Creamery. I swear, today is one of those days where I'm thankful I don't know how to use the shotgun J gave me for Christmas. (Really, a shotgun? Since when do I look like I want to be armed? but that's beside the point.) At the very least, the traffic idiot this morning who didn't think he should have to stop for the school bus with the flashing lights and the stop sign out should be thankful I'm not armed. It's just one of those days where everything seems to get under my skin! Like when you get a letter from your youngest's preschool saying you owe more $$ (and not just a couple) for the days he attended during the big school's spring break. Um, I wasn't getting a tuition break because the big school was closed during that week, so why do I have to pay extra? I'm still paying the outrageous monthly amount, so why more? And when you get a bill from the propane people, because you've run out of your pre-bought propane already, and it's only March? And the weather is still having cold spurts? And when the former big cheese of the company saunters in to your cube on his semi-monthly walk-through and says he's heard that your husband's company is in trouble (which it isn't, as far as I know (and hope)). And when you get a note from the youngest's teacher about the Easter hat parade, where I need to create an Easter hat by the 1st. Which is fine, but how many masculine Easter decorating things are there? I'm hoping Michael's has some sort of foam cowboy hat and some not-too-feminine Easter stuff. And how about the fact that I can't even go to the grocery store without it being some major ordeal, and I get at least one comment about how I have my hands full, and a few bless-your-heart looks! Will I ever be able to go anywhere and not be publicly humiliated? What am I doing wrong? All these other families manage to calmly go down aisle after aisle of food (or stuff) and not spend it screaming or being screamed at! And will the kids ever just do what they're told, the first time? It'd be so nice to have a morning where there was no fussing or fighting or whining! Where everyone just got up, did what they knew that had to do, and got out of the house? I could probably go on and on, but if anyone's read this far, I probably shouldn't, for fear that noone will read me again!

So here's how I guess I'm going to avoid the padded room. Or try to, anyway. By chanting the following to myself.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr

And probably by indulging in the smallest possible Oreo Overload. maybe.

From monster trucks to flip flops

We had a pretty busy weekend (for us), doing everything from seeing the Bigfoot monster truck on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning (there was a new tire store opening in Hernando, so I guess he was making a public appearance for their grand opening. Worked for us, it was free, and we walked away with a stuffed monster truck and some posters signed by the driver),attending two simultaneous birthday parties (dropping Kristen at the bowling alley for one party, then heading across Goodman Road to the skating rink for one of Jackson's friends) at noon Saturday,and then going to watch our friend Hannah play basketball with the 1st & 2nd grade girls at SBEC at 3 Saturday.Sunday wasn't as busy, our friend Brenna came to play for the afternoon, where she and Kristen made their own flip flops!

Not too bad for our first attempt at flip flops! I ended up trimming the strips after the girls finished tying them on, but I still think they're probably a little too long!

We don't have a pond for the crocodiles?!?!?!?

Huh? Those words were spoken by my newly 3 year old yesterday morning, as he woke up screaming his little round head off. And I do mean screaming, like someone was stabbing him repeatedly (which I was pretty sure wasn't happening, since his brother and sister were still sleeping, were being the operative word)! It took Jacob about an hour to settle down, from whatever funky crocodile dream he was having! Even just sitting and holding him, he was thoroughly terrified! Of course, putting him down to get him and his now awake and oh-so-grumpy brother and sister was completely unacceptable, apparently, so yesterday morning was horrible! He didn't calm down until we were halfway to SBEC, after my right arm had gone completely to sleep from reaching into the middle row to hold his hand!
I wish I knew what had gone on in his head, but the only thing I could get out of him was that single bizarre statement, we don't have a pond for the crocodiles. I can only come up with the fact that he has watched Pirate Dora within the last few days, and they go through Crocodile Lake on their way to Treasure Island. I couldn't even come up with a comforting response, because what do you say to that? Yeah, you're right, we don't, is all I could come up with!
One day, I'm sure all this will be fun to embarrass him with, as long as I can remember!

The Planetarium and Learning to Shoot

Friday, the K4 from SBEC visited the Sharpe Planetarium at the Pink Palace. Not a great photo taking opportunity, but here's a couple of pictures. One is Jackson waiting in line with his cousin Carter. And another is Jackson in front of whatever the big projection thing in the middle of the room is called! He had a good time, it was "cool!" He wanted Jeremey to come home from AL so he could ask him if he had any binoculars that he could use to look up at the stars once it was dark.

Yesterday, Jeremey decided to begin to teach the boys (and me, for whatever reason) how to handle a gun! So he got out a BB gun, and Jackson absolutely loved it! Jacob shot once, then ran off to play on the swingset. I shot enough for Jeremey to let me stop, I hit the target so I guess he was satisfied. I am just not that interested! Kristen was at my IL's house, the thought of her behind any firearm is a little frightening!