Barron of Blog » kids http://mike.shannonandmike.net Wife, Kids, and the Pursuit of Happiness Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:01:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Fan Fort! http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/12/05/fan-fort/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/12/05/fan-fort/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:45:33 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=6642 One of my favorite indoor activity with Libby is building forts. We have made pillow forts, blanket forts, and laundry basket forts. But I think we really outdid ourselves when we made this "fan fort":

To construct this fort we cut open 5 large trash bags and taped them into an approximate teepee shape (original plan was a large tube, but we ran out of tape so we improvised). After attaching a small fan and checking for leaks we inserted a table lamp (and loads of toys) to brighten the space up.

This fort is a perfect little hideaway. Despite being a small dark plastic cave, the fan fort is very soothing. The constant whir of the fan drowns the world outside, and it's the perfect place to read books or pretend with a friend.

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/12/05/fan-fort/feed/ 0 Ride for Will http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/11/22/ride-for-will/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/11/22/ride-for-will/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:32:58 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=6604 Libby rode in a charity bike event this summer in support of one of their friends who has juvenile diabetes. The first lap of the "race" was lead by a fire truck and police car with their horns wailing and their lights flashing... very exciting!
The whole group of kids on the ride Lining up before the race Libby was very excited to race!

Libby did great - she rode for several laps and did a great job keeping up (and even passing) some older kids that were there.

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/11/22/ride-for-will/feed/ 0 Encounter with a Wheel Bug http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/10/24/encounter-with-a-wheel-bug/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/10/24/encounter-with-a-wheel-bug/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:56:24 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=6542 Alternate title: "How to unknowingly expose your kids to a potentially dangerous bug and live to tell the tale."

This past weekend we went to pumpkin fest - it was a gorgeous, perfect day to spend sliding down a hay slide and playing in some corn pits. Near the end of the afternoon we came upon a large bug which the kids loved to (carefully) play with and investigate:
A wheel bug hanging onto the edge of a finger The wheel bug slowly crawls from hand to hand Letting a wheel bug climb up Sam's arm Libby posing with a wheel bug on her sleeve

We did not know at the time, but that bug was a Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus):

The [wheel] bug plunges its beak into its victim, pinning its prey with its front legs. It then injects enzymes into the victim, paralyzing it and dissolving its insides, and proceeds to drain all of the victim's bodily fluids. The bite of a wheel bug is painful and may take months to heal (sometimes leaving a small scar), so caution is highly advised when handling them.

Yikes! Guess we won't be handling these bugs in the future (at least not with kids :) ).

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/10/24/encounter-with-a-wheel-bug/feed/ 0 Reading with Tim http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/04/27/reading-with-tim/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/04/27/reading-with-tim/#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:45:44 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=5978 Libby just loves our friend Tim (and of course his two sons Henry and Sam), especially when it's story time!

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/04/27/reading-with-tim/feed/ 0 A Princess, a Geisha, and a Zebra Walk Into Our House… http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/04/11/a-princess-a-geisha-and-a-zebra-walk-into-our-house/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/04/11/a-princess-a-geisha-and-a-zebra-walk-into-our-house/#comments Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:23:43 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=5914 Betsy and her three wonderful kids visited a few weekends ago - a lot of fun was had by all:

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2011/04/11/a-princess-a-geisha-and-a-zebra-walk-into-our-house/feed/ 0 Annual Halloween Picture http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/11/03/annual-halloween-picture-2/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/11/03/annual-halloween-picture-2/#comments Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:00:24 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=5390 Our neighborhood takes an annual picture from the back of a truck each year. Here is this years pic:

(previous years: 2009, 2008, 2007)

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/11/03/annual-halloween-picture-2/feed/ 0 Breakfast for Dinner! http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/10/08/breakfast-for-dinner/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/10/08/breakfast-for-dinner/#comments Sat, 09 Oct 2010 02:44:48 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=5260 Tonight we had an "upside down" dinner, eating breakfast food for dinner! It was quite fun - might even become a new Friday night tradition:

We had scrambled eggs, sausage, and breakfast burritos.

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/10/08/breakfast-for-dinner/feed/ 1 West Side Bar-B-Que http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/09/11/west-side-bar-b-que/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/09/11/west-side-bar-b-que/#comments Sun, 12 Sep 2010 03:32:35 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=5168 We hosted a fun bar-b-que with high school friends at our house at the beginning of August (yes, this post is long overdue!). Here are a few pictures from that event - it was great to spend some time with everyone and celebrate those out-of-towners who we don't usually see.
Kids table Kids table Purdue graduates playing with IU bags The group lounging while watching the kids slip-and-slide What Colonel Sanders would look like if he sold cupcakes instead of chicken Mikey The west side group A group of kids in adult bodies Pete Molly Zach My lovely wife

For those keeping count this was our 3rd "annual" high school BBQ (2007, 2008, no idea why we didn't do one in 2009...).

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/09/11/west-side-bar-b-que/feed/ 1 Calvin and Cooper http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/07/22/calvin-and-cooper/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/07/22/calvin-and-cooper/#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:01:10 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=4931 Brent and Heather brought us a wonderful dinner last night (thanks!). It was great to see them; here's Cooper laying next to Calvin:

EDIT: Holy crap, I just noticed that Cooper happened to be wearing the same outfit as a couple days ago. Impressively unlikely, given the number of outfits/changes he goes through each day!

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/07/22/calvin-and-cooper/feed/ 2 Libby, Paige, Parker http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/06/03/libby-paige-parker/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/06/03/libby-paige-parker/#comments Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:08:50 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=4771 Proof that princess dresses are just as much fun if you're a boy:

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/06/03/libby-paige-parker/feed/ 3 Ella and Libby at the Park http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/04/05/ella-and-libby-at-the-park/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/04/05/ella-and-libby-at-the-park/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:00:55 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=4633 Ella and Libby at the park (she is one of Libby's close friends):

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/04/05/ella-and-libby-at-the-park/feed/ 0 Friends at the Park http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/04/04/friends-at-the-park/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/04/04/friends-at-the-park/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 01:19:42 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=4630 Libby and a few friends at the park (a combination of neighborhood friends and friends from Shannon's mom's group):

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2010/04/04/friends-at-the-park/feed/ 0 Zoo Lights http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2009/12/24/zoo-lights/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2009/12/24/zoo-lights/#comments Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:40:36 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=4231 We went to the Zoo lights with the Oskay family and had a great time watching the dolphin show and riding the train. Here's a picture of the girls:

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2009/12/24/zoo-lights/feed/ 0 Annual Halloween Picture http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2009/11/02/annual-halloween-picture/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2009/11/02/annual-halloween-picture/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:59:51 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=3876 Here is the annual Halloween picture our neighborhood kids take each year:
Annual Halloween pictures of the neighborhood kids
(here are the pictures from 2008 and 2007, if you're curious).

]]> http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2009/11/02/annual-halloween-picture/feed/ 1 Ring Around the Rosie… http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2009/10/08/ring-around-the-rosie/ http://mike.shannonandmike.net/2009/10/08/ring-around-the-rosie/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:49:56 +0000 Mike B. http://mike.shannonandmike.net/?p=3690 Libby playing "Ring Around the Rosie" at a birthday party:
Playing "Ring around the Rosie"

On a side note, the popular notion that "Ring Around the Rosie" is really a song about the bubonic plague is incorrect.

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