Why celebrate LABOR DAY?

Because I have children, I find myself getting more and more questions on a daily basis that I sometimes don't know the answer to! The question I got last night was "what is Labor day" and I honestly and shamefully, couldn't give them a "good" answer other than it's a day that we get out of school and work to have picnics, etc. So today, trying to be the resourceful mom that I want to be, I looked up why it is we celebrate Labor Day. This is from Wikipedia:

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create "a day off for the working citizens". Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894.^[1] All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday. The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday—a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement. Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer.

So there you have it...to explain this to a 4 and 5 yr old might be a little too much but now I know the specifics.

We as a family have no "labor day plans" as of yet but are thinking about having a picnic and going hiking on Monday since Kevin will have the day off, which is a treat in itself!

Samuel will kill me when he's older...

We went to Build-A-Bear about two years ago for Caden's birthday and Samuel wanted a Hello Miss Kitty and he was young enough that we just couldn't tell him that those are typically for little girls. So being the good parents we are, we let him pick it out, stuff it, put a "meow" sound in it and even bought a pink robe to go with her Two years later, it is still one of his favorite animals that he sleeps with and it's just become so common to see him with it that I don't even see it as "gender" specific anymore. Here is a picture from earlier this week with Samuel fast asleep...I took this knowing that the day, when Samuel is all "man" and he brings home his bride-to-be, this will be one that I'll have to break out to show her!

Splish Splash, she's taking a bath!

It's been awhile since I've taken any photos of the children while having a bath and so I broke out the camera tonight. Isabella loves bath time and especially the bubbles! Tonight she got curious about the soap, as she screamed "mine" and wouldn't let me have it so that I could wash her! I got it back but not before she got a good look at the bottle and studied the ingredients!

The Soccer Season Begins!

Saturday, August 16th

The soccer season once again started bright and early this past Saturday morning at 8:30 am! And this year, Caden finally gets his try at it! It was a hectic morning, what with them both practicing on different fields at the same time and Kevin being at work, but with the help of some of the other soccer moms (it takes a village!), I was able to go back and forth to watch them both play and to also meet their coaches. Samuel had a friend from his team last year on this year's team and so seeing a friendly face in her mother was a relief and we were able to sit and catch up on what has happened with our families over the last year. Keeping Isabella occupied was a small task but with the help of a juice box and some goldfish crackers, I was able to keep her content!

Just Hangin' Around

Samuel constantly amazes us with his strength and yesterday, after watching some of the Olympics on TV, he decided to try and see if he could become our next Olympic hero! I was sitting on the patio, watching the kids play and I see Samuel, holding himself, upside down....I couldn't believe it when I saw it! I got him to do it again tonight so that I could get a picture! Maybe we should invest in some gymnastic classics?

Samuel's First Day of School

Samuel's first day of kindergarten was today! He was so excited but for me, it was mixed bag of emotions...excitement, sadness and nervousness for him. Of course I didn't let some of the tears flow until after he got on the bus! He came home telling us what a "fun and cool" day he had. I'm sure the excitement will wear off eventually but I hope his eagerness to learn continues.

Isabella being goofy!

Isabella has just been in a super goofy mood today, without even taking nap! Here is a picture of her eating her "after church" snack...she's so happy! We are so blessed with our children and when days are tough, when you get a smile like this, it lights up our hearts!

Christmas Quilt for Dad

For Christmas this year, I decided to make my father a "rag" quilt. I haven't made a quilt in years and I've never made a "rag" quilt, which for those of you who don't know what one is, stayed turned for updated posts to see the finished product. As you can see, I've picked out three combinations of fabric in blues and greens and tonight, I started in on cutting the main blue plaid. It took me not quite two hours to cut 96, 6.5" squres and so one down, two more to go, after which I'll be able to determine if I need additional fabric. Wish me luck!

Learning to Golf!

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008
Today, Papa Lewis came over to teach the boys the very basics of swinging a golf club and hitting the ball. While Caden tried his hand at it a few times, Samuel took right to it and practiced for almost a full hour!