Pumpkins, Babies, Pictures, Bobcats, and Weathermen!

We did some pumpkin carving this week at the Townsley house.  It was interesting to say the least.  I will just say, "Thank you, Mom!!!!" A few years ago she got me the kid-safe carving knives for pumpkins and cooking.  Had we not had those knives, I think Kaiser may be missing some digits or appendages.  He was so happy to just stab the pumpkin in the middle and dig out the guts with the spoon.  Boy did my kitchen look pretty after we were done!  We had pumpkin guts from wall to wall and all over the floor.  Emma had it in her hair and Kaiser had pumpkin seeds in his diaper.  Did they have fun? Sure they did.... that's all that matters, right?

Can you guess whose is whose??

We also recently had a baby shower for Baby Townsley. Emma got to hang with some cousins she hasn't seen in a great while.  I’m so excited to soon have another nephew to cuddle!  He got lots of nice things including these one of a kind onesies and diaper cake.... and Becky made some rockin’ malted milk ball cupcakes!  We can’t wait to meet you, Baby T! 

The day of the shower we also had some random family pictures taken by a farm just across from my father-in-law’s church in Walford.  Amazing background for pictures!  Thanks Becky!

Emma had Benny the Bobcat AND Joe Winters in her classroom both in one week!  She thinks she's quite the superstar!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!  Shine on!

Homecoming: Through the Years

We've been doing this since Emma was a baby, and I send a word document out to my family members each Homecoming with all of the pictures.  This is the Townsley family on Homecoming morning since Emma was 6 months old...

 2006
Emma - 6 months

 2007
Emma - 18 months

2008
Emma - 2 1/2 years

2009
Emma - 3 1/2 years

2010
Emma - 4 1/2; Kaiser 9 months
Daddy switched jobs to STC = Mommy can't be in the picture!

2011

Emma - Kindergarten & 5 1/2; Kaiser - 20 months

(Mommy even wore a different shirt!!!) 

SASS - A - FRASS!

Lots of Firsts at the Townsleys!

Kaiser watched his first tractor ride and loved it.  He watched in amazement as over 60 tractors drove by!  He even got to watch Poppy drive by in his tractor and sit in Uncle Mike's Oliver!

Emma had her first sleepover with all of Aunt Kookie's great nieces and nephews (minus the babies!).  They went to a movie and stayed up late!  She had a blast getting a make over with the girls!  Looks like quite the crew!

Emma started kindergarten.  She loves every minute of it.  She comes home every night and says, "No homework...." like she's disappointed.  Eric keeps telling her he's going to have to talk to her teacher...!  Emma confessed to me the other day that she had her first "Boy-chasing recess" where they played "My Babysitter is a Vampire."  Um.......... what is THAT???  "Mooooooooomm, it's a TV show!"  Lord help me!

We went to Adventureland with Nana, Alison, Nolan, and Mason.  Emma rode two big roller coasters. I was way too scared to even go near a roller coaster at her age, so I was very proud of her.  She didn't get sick, but she sure looked queasy when it was over!  On the way up to stand in line for The Dragon, she said, "Uh, Mom, I'm not too sure about this!"  When she saw Aunt Ali coming up, I knew I'd be able to get her in the seat.  The trip brought back tons of memories from my younger years and I actually enjoyed myself and had fun on the big-kid rides!  After she was soaked on the log ride, she screamed out, "THAT WAS N O T FAIR!" When she saw that Nana and I didn't get nearly as wet as she did!  She also went on a huge slide at the water park after a mini-melt down.  She was scared of how high it was but after her first time, she wanted to do it again and again!  The magician at the magic show gave her a balloon flower during the show and she got extremely embarrassed.  We've got some work to do with this area - she seems to do this at the oddest times!  It was a great day... as Emma screamed from the top of the Lady Luck, "Best! Day! Ever!"  I also included the picture of Emma and her cousins from the ride home.  They were pooped!

Kaiser had his first experience with surprising his mommy!  This morning when we were leaving, I walked into my bedroom and found Kaiser coloring (the underside of) my bedspread with an ink pen.  So, needless to say, he got a scolding.  When we walked out the door, he walked into the car door so he got to daycare with a huge smack on his face.  At about 10 o'clock, I get a text message from Melissa, his daycare provider, and the caption says, "Did Kaiser have a pen this morning by chance?"

This was hands down the absolute funniest text I've ever received!

Eric and I've got a future Picaso on our hands!  

Shine on, Friends!  

And DON'T leave a pen lying around with this 20 month on the loose!

It's That Time Again!

We've had an amazingly busy summer!
It's crazy to think that we go back to school tomorrow.  I've been busy getting my classroom ready and putting together a 175 page poem book of Grandma Kaiser's poems.  We've gone to the zoo and spent an amazing week in Minnesota on Gull Lake.  We were very fortunate to be able to spend time with both Old Papa Kelly and Great Gramma P.  I spent a few days at a conference in St. Louis for work, and Emma and I spent a week at Vacation Bible School in Van Horne.  We had family reunions on both the Morrow and Kaiser side and celebrated Addalynne's 1st birthday with fireworks.  Kaiser and Emma both had swimming lessons, and we spent some time at Grammy and Poppy's farm.  Kaiser has had his share of tractors and his vocabulary is developing by leaps and bounds daily.   We've spent more time outside playing on our play yard and swimming this summer than ever before, because Nana and Papa put in an amazing pool at their farm.  School starts tomorrow, and I will officially have a kindergartner. I'm sure Kaiser will miss Big Sis at Melissa's every day, but they'll make up lost time in the evenings :)

Here's to another great school year!
Shine on!  

On Poppy's tractor with Uncle Matt, Daddy, and Poppy

Oliver loving running on the farm

Loving the pigs at the Iowa County Fair

With Miss Iowa County - 2011 - Rachel Kelly!!!

Emma and Oliver 

Nana and Papa's pool - with Cousin Izzy at the Morrow Reunion

Shakin' it up at VBS

Camel rides at the Blank Park Zoo

Kaiser and the giraffes

Poppy and Papa at the Keystone Tractorcade

Riding on Uncle Mike's new Oliver

Emma and Mrs. Fisher at Open House

Family Tree - author unknown

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Family Tree - author unknown

In the center of life’s garden,

a mother gently sows

a special seed, a seed of love,

that sprouts, then grows and grows.

From day to day, from year to year,

she nurtures it with care.

Yet understanding of its needs, she gives it room for air.

Through winter and through summer,

through sun and rain filled hours,

the seedling reaches upward, it branches and it flowers.

In the center of life’s garden,

grows a thing of majesty.

Rooted well with Mother’s love,

a blessed family tree.

Grandma's Hands - author unknown

Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, 

how they have served you well throughout your years.  These hands though wrinkled shriveled and weak,  have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.  As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer.  They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.  They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.  They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.  Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world  that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook  when I buried my parents and spouse. They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors,  and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair,  and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.  They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.  And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well  these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands  that God will reach out and take when he leads me home.  And with my hands He will lift me to His side  and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.' I will never look at my hands the same again.  But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore  or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of Grandma.  I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

Let the Summer Begin!

Preschool graduation is in the books and we officially have a kindergartner!!  She can't wait to start school and already wants to go shopping for her backpack and lunchbox, clothes and supplies.  

We took an afternoon to visit Grammy and Poppy's farm in Deep River and had lots of fun on the tractor!

We've gotten to check out the pool at Emma's friend Zoey's house.  We're gearing up for Nana and Papa's pool to be finished in a few weeks.  Swimming lessons this week!  We're excited!

It's been a while since I've last posted, so I'll give you a recap of what we've been up to!

Summer has finally started!!!  I went to a three day conference in St. Louis with nine coworkers and got lots of great ideas and insight on professional learning communities. Of course, we did some sight seeing and had a great time.  I signed up for Twitter (@townsleyaj), which I never thought I would do.  Eric has been an avid "tweeter" for some time... (@EricTownsley).  I can't believe all of the techy things we can do to stay updated on best practice in the classroom!  I'm still working on my master's degree through Graceland University, with which I continue to keep busy.  I'm also trying to keep up with getting all of Grandma's poems typed.  This has turned into quite an adventure, but I'm enjoying every minute of it!

Emma is trying to learn to ride her bike. She's working on it, but we've got a ways to go. She's also putting more and more sounds together to form words and starting to read.  She's a miniature teacher, and she loves to work on her books.  Emma does a great job with helping with Oliver and her little brother.  She's turning into a little lady right before our eyes!  It's crazy how fast she's growing!

Kaiser loves to chase Emma around when she's on her bike, so this makes for an interesting sight :)  He also enjoys being into everything EXCEPT for what he should be....but this is typical, I guess. Kaiser has recently learned to climb, and he climbs up on anything and everything he can reach, and finds a way if he can't reach.  This will be an adventure, I'm sure.  He goes in for his second haircut this week.  Hopefully he does as well as he did last time!  His favorite words are NO!, ball, Mommy, Daddy, Pup, Buzz, Sis, n-night, sit, up, you, please, more, milk, and eeehhhhh!  He loves his tractors and cars, and I'm working on teaching him how to say, "John Deer yucky..."

Eric is staying busy with work, golfing, and things around the house.  He is excited to actually be able to spend the WHOLE week with us on vacation this summer in Minnesota....and so are we!!  He doesn't have football practice to get back to, and he has a few weeks off in July...minus his work trip to Orlando, again!

That's all for now.  Maybe I can be a little more regular with posting this summer, but then again, we hope to be outside as much as possible, so I can't make any promises :)

Shine on!