life with girls

right now

2011-12-23T13:44:00.000-05:00

I really do want to start writing here again. But things are so busy right now, and I am trying very hard not to overwhelm myself! I want to be able to actually enjoy this season with my family. So here is a quick pictorial offering of what we've been up to and what is inspiring me in our home right now. Happy Holidays!!

[It has been in the 70's wayyy too much this December. It was downright hot the day we got our tree!]

[looking for the perfect one]

[found it!]

[the kids in the back of the truck at the tree farm]

[stella stringing popcorn and cranberries]

[daisy]

[hazel]

[stella]

[lyle]

[my love]

[the wreath i made from extra branches and some holly from our yard]

[the stockings are hung]

[The Ghostly Man-Child, our resident statue, is all decked out]

[he even has his own mistletoe, in case any lady statues happen his way]

[and a bunch of handmade and locally purchased gifts under the tree]

[Happy Holidays from our family to yours!]

update: family

2011-12-01T08:16:00.001-05:00

While I was digging through the photos to get the updates on the kids done, I found a number of family photos I thought I'd share too. We've been making an effort to set the timer on the camera more often and get a shot with all of us in it, and I'm so glad we have. They aren't studio portraits, but I think they are better. They catch us right in a moment- the way I'd rather remember us!

Halloween 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

Christmas tree outing- front seat (pretty much the only time we all cram in our little truck!)

Christmas tree outing- back seat!

Just us, sitting on the wall along our driveway last summer

Camping at Richard B. Russell State Park

Don't forget to do a crazy shot sometimes too. Relieves the tension!

Our most recent camping trip- to Hard Labor Creek State Park

And Halloween this year. Including a dismembered hand!

This weekend, do something with your family and take a picture of yourselves together! You'll be glad you did. :)

update: daisy

2011-11-21T08:32:00.001-05:00

And now, on to Daisy. My first child, the one who seems to be slipping away from childhood faster than I can believe these days!

For Daisy's 15th birthday, she and I went out around town for a little photoshoot. I really need to do this more often- it's really refreshing to shoot the kids intentionally in an environment other than our yard. And Daisy has always been so cooperative and photogenic (even though I have to re-shoot all the time because she closes her eyes so much in pictures!). Sometimes I really can't believe that she came from me & Jason, because she is so stunningly beautiful.

She and Jason went to a Japanese restaurant for their annual birthday date. Quite a lot different from when he took her on her first one at 5 years old. :)

I'm going to just jump right to the biggest thing in Daisy's (and possibly our entire family's) life this year: her new status as a licensed driver. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am old enough to have a child out legally operating a motor vehicle in public. Alone. But, I am also still in possession of a good amount of nerves and patience, because Daisy has spent the past year and a half working very hard at becoming an excellent driver. And I have to say, it wasn't as bad teaching a kid how to drive as I thought it would be. I am thankful that this is the one we had to teach first, but it still went even more smoothly than I had imagined.

So now while Hazel is taking pictures like this:

she also gets ones like this:

and if that picture doesn't capture the joy of being a new driver, I don't know what does.

You may have noticed Jason and I riding in the back seat in some of the other pictures in these updates- now that Daisy has her license, we don't have to have a licensed driver over 18 in the front passenger seat all the time. It's been fun to mix it up a little and get the perspective from the back seat now and then. Daisy is under a probationary period right now (state law), where she can't drive with any kids other than her own siblings in the car, so she can't pick up her friends yet. But she can tote my kids all over town if I need her to, and that has already been such a huge help to us. She drops her sisters off at their friends' houses! She stops at the store! She returns books to the library and drops off the recycling! She checks prices and sends me photos with her phone when I don't want to do my own shopping! She goes to yoga and the library without needing to be dropped off! It's just the most fabulous thing ever. And because I let her drive every. single. time. we went anywhere during the year she had her permit, I feel very comfortable with letting her go out on her own now because she has proven to me that she is a safe driver. Well done, my dear!

Besides driving, the main thing we see Daisy doing these days is reading. She devours books and can read for hours on end. She also reads in lots of different places.

That last one was taken at the library, where Daisy is a regular fixture. She has been a faithful attendee of the teen program there, and counts the librarians among her favorite people in the world. That program and staff have been an awesome source of social and creative activity for all of us, especially Daisy. She has volunteered there in the past and would love to get a job there (if they were hiring, which they are not. Sigh.)

Daisy is always busy being a big sister too, whether she likes it or not. She has always been so helpful to me, and as she has gotten older it is so nice to have another set of able hands to help me with everyone's needs. Since Lyle is the youngest, she often ends up paired with him to help out. They seem to get along pretty well together.

I don't have nearly as many pictures of her with Hazel and Stella, but every once in a while she tolerates being around them too.

Daisy's creative outlets recently have often been put together with her personal style. She does all kinds of cool stuff to her hair- we are always oohing and ahhing over the braids and up-do's she can accomplish. Her hair is so much thicker than mine, making it perfect for wearing long. She also does all sorts of things to her nails- always a different color or pattern. Daisy makes a lot of her own jewelry and hair accessories too- with all different materials. She has very steady hands and the patience to manipulate tiny things. Paper cutting and folding comes natural to her, and her art goes in that direction. She does lots of magazine collage work, as well as oragami. Like Hazel, I am finding that I don't have good photos of her work or her process, so I am going to have to work on fixing that.

Here are some of the other photos of Daisy I found while looking back over the past 18 months:

Enjoying a nice fall day last year with Jason

In the back of the truck on our Christmas tree-finding mission last year

With me during a kayaking trip this past summer

Roasting marshmallows on a camping trip this fall

Dance Dance Revolution with me at Lyle's birthday this year

Frisbee with Lyle

With her ratty friend, Ezra, in her hair

Canoeing!

Flying a kite!

Looking cool on some monkey bars!

Funky glasses rule!

Oh yeah, and her SIXTEENTH birthday in June! This post is hopelessly mixed up chronologically and I'm not even going to try to remedy that. Some days I am just all over the place, people. And that's ok.

I only got pre-date shots this year, no portraits. We had a veterinary emergency that day and I just got back to the house in time to get these before they left for their date. This year they went to dinner at a fondue restaurant and to see a play. Daisy carried some of the gorgeous gardenias from our yard.

She had a crazy fun weekend with her friends including a trip to the Renaissance Festival, and somehow we ended up having cake twice :) Cheesecake and a mud pie from trader Joe's. Mmmm.

Daisy has become a young lady before our eyes. It is exciting and fun and also a bit scary watching that happen, but I am so proud of who she is. She is a responsible and caring person and carries herself with poise and a quiet confidence. She is talented and creative, and I love having her around to bounce ideas off of. She is helpful to me in so many ways, I can't even list them. Thank you for that, Daisy. I love you.

update: hazel

2011-11-14T08:55:00.001-05:00

Ahh, Hazel. What can I say about Hazel? She is the only one who didn't have 2 birthdays while I was away, but she did plenty of changing. A little chameleon-like, she is.

When I last posted, she was sporting dark hair with purpley streaks. Next came blue.

Then was orange, which I really liked. That was around her 12th birthday in March. She and Jason finally got a day without snow for her birthday date after 2 years of terrible weather! It still rained though. Early March is apparently a very temperamental time for a birthday if you want to take pictures outdoors.

We had some problems with the icing for her cake, but it ended up looking very cool. We just added a nice label so people would know what it was. She loved it!

Next, her hair was black with turquoise streaks at the front.

And then red streaks. She also gets a different color of glasses every year- I am loving the red ones!

Then she went bleached blonde for Halloween this year (she dressed up as Draco Malfoy, and did a right fine job of it too!)

And these days we are back to blue (which I love too! It might be my favorite). Here is a shot she captured in the van of all four of the kids together :)

Oh yeah, and she got braces last month too. Just on the front teeth for now, but it's been a new adventure for us- everything is so different from 20 years ago when I had braces! She is handling the side effects well and we can see her teeth straightening out already.

Photography has been something that has interested Hazel quite a bit over the years. In all honesty, she has become my right-hand man in the area of documenting our family's life with pictures. I am really noticing this now that I look back over the last 18 months to do these updates- she has taken a good half of the photos I have been posting! I am so thankful that she has taken up the slack when I have been too busy or just didn't have the energy to lug the camera around. There are a lot of photos that just wouldn't have been taken if she hadn't been interested in doing it. I am also finding that I get a very unique view of things when I get to see the world through her lens instead of just my own! For instance, I do not take many pictures of our pets. And I will even admit to trashing a bunch of the ones she has taken, when I see 20 or 30 shots of a dog rolling in the grass! But as is often the case, when you take enough shots, you are more likely to get some really good ones- and Hazel has documented our dogs well. I know we will appreciate this down the road, as long as I manage to dump all the surplus ones and just keep the great ones.

We also have a few new pets that have not been mentioned here. Allow me to introduce our rats, Ezra and Mango. Hazel takes LOTS of pictures of them, too. I mostly just feed them kitchen scraps. And more kitchen scraps. They are huge as a result.

I also get to see lots of photos of Hazel's shoes...

And little pictures showing me her point of view from a moment frozen in time.

Also a good number of mirror self portraits. I used to take these all the time too!!

Most of the time this is stuff that I am somewhat aware of as it is happening, but I just get a different view of it through her eyes. But what is really crazy is when you find photos taken late at night behind closed doors. These photos prove two things: 1) Hazel is a crazy wierdo 2) Hazel has lots of fun exploring her creativity and is not afraid to look a little silly! I love that about her.

This is how I often find her in the morning. In a heap of color. Have I mentioned that I love lots of color??

The camera is often filled with great close-ups of the flowers in our yard too. She's got a great eye and is fine-tuning her skills with the camera.

I can't believe I don't have any photos of Hazel drawing!! I guess it has to do with her being the one taking a lot of the pictures lately... but one of her other amazing talents that just keeps getting better is her drawing. I will make a point to get some photos of this soon. One of her specialties is recreating people we know in recognizable cartoons. She loves drawing all the little details and has an uncanny ability to make the drawing really look like the person, but in cartoon form. She has also come up with these little popsicle stick people- all different little characters with lots of different little details. So she has some mad glue gun skillz too, yo. Makes me glad to have lots of crafting supplies at the ready for when projects like this take off! We have dozens of these little guys around the house now and they are SO fun.

Here is Hazel bowling at Lyle's b-day party. Or is she playing volley ball?! It's hard to tell.

Hazel is truly a person who loves life and loves having fun. I am enjoying watching her change and grow, and explore who she is and who she wants to be. I am thankful for the energy and color that she brings to my life- even when we butt heads because she is like me in sooo many ways. There is never a boring moment with Hazel around- I love that and I love her! :)

update: stella

2011-11-09T20:12:00.001-05:00

Our little Stella has had a very big year and a half since I last posted. She turned 7 years old in August last year. For their annual birthday date, she and Jason decided to visit the restaurant at the Georgia Botanical Garden, which is right here in Athens. So instead of taking their photos in our front yard like I do every year, I took their photo in the truck first and then followed them in the van to the gardens for a much nicer photo background!

I'd say that the most life-changing thing that has happened for Stella since then was becoming a competent reader. This has given her so much confidence and independence, and opened up so many new opportunities for her! She has helped out so much by being able to read to Lyle, and can fill those hours of "boredom" with lots of reading. She can visit websites she enjoys without needing help from others, and is now learning to spell with more confidence and writes all the time.

It was a lot of fun watching her become a reader, since she is the first of our kids to learn to read outside of a school environment (we began homeschooling when Daisy and Hazel had just finished 4th grade and Kindergarten). It was a very natural process and has reinforced to us that this is one thing that we have definitely done right. We read all the time at our house- to each other and to ourselves. Ever since they were born we have read to the kids, and now we couldn't stop them reading if we wanted to! Not once did I sit down and try to teach Stella about phonics or encourage her to drill words or even sound out an assigned set of words- we just read to her. And helped her when she asked how to read words she did not know. We talk about why words are spelled how they are when they come up in a book or in her writing, or how crazy some of the rules are for the spelling and pronunciation of words in our language. She learned to read by being around avid readers, and by just doing it herself. She may have learned a bit later than the average kid in school, but she did it at the pace that worked for her, and now she has the skills she needs to learn about anything she wants for the rest of her life. That is so exciting!! Among her current favorites are the Penderwicks series, the Emily Windsnap series, and the Judy Moody and Stink books. She and I are also working our way through the Harry Potter series for our evening reading- she mostly listens but can read several pages at a time with help on the big words. We are more than halfway through book 4 right now!

Writing is something that is also coming along well, and Stella has learned not to worry about whether things are spelled perfectly, and just enjoy the process of putting her thoughts down on paper. The spelling will come along naturally, just like the reading did- by doing it all the time! Recently she decided she wanted to learn about Abraham Lincoln, and do a report about him. We went to the library and got books, and she copied down facts she found interesting about this very important president. We all learned some things we did not know about him in the process, and she learns spelling by copying text out of books.

Stella has learned many new things in the past 18 months. She is tying her own shoes, had her first sleepover with her best friend, Bernadette, and is sewing on the sewing machine (with supervision).

Here are the pieces for the quilt Stella is working on right now- a rainbow!

She is also newly able to get across monkey bars!

Stella & Hazel have come together many times recently over their love of taking silly pictures.

I do not know where they learned this from.

Stella also got a camera of her own for her birthday this year, and is taking some great photos. Here is one she captured of herself and Bernie :)

Embracing her love of nature, Stella has spent a lot of time outside. She especially enjoys the cooler months, when there are fewer bugs and you can use layered clothing to adjust your body temperature (she does NOT like being hot, and likes mosquito bites even less...) Here she is on our recent camping trip, with a bag of acorns she had gathered. She really loves being in the woods, and so do I.

This is a bit out of order, but I need to back up to her 8th birthday in August this year! She and Jason went on their date, this time to Ryan's buffet, which was Stella's choice.

Hazel got this great photo of Stella blowing out her (trick relighting) candles! Notice the pierced ears that were also one of her birthday gifts. Another big step for her!

Stella is growing into such a wonderful girl, and I am having a lot of fun being around her as she explores all these new and exciting things to do in life. She and I have learned a lot about patience together, and I know we will continue to learn along with her as she grows into a young lady in the coming years.

update: lyle

2011-11-07T14:31:00.000-05:00

We've all changed so much in a year and a half- especially the kids! So I thought I'd start out with a post about each of them and tell you all what they have been up to. And of course, show you what they look like now! Starting with Lyle :)

When I last posted, Lyle was still 3 years old. In October of last year, he turned 4. He had blue cupcakes and helped Hazel put the sprinkles and candles on them.

He has shown a very strong love for playing with little figurines and small toys, and there is almost always a little assortment of his current favorites lined up somewhere near him- even at the table.

It has been really fun for me to watch Lyle & his Dad become good buddies. They have really been enjoying their time together, and look for opportunities often to have a little bit of "life without girls". It's not only our first time having a boy to watch grow and change, but also our last child so we suddenly have the luxury of having no toddlers and no diaper bags to keep track of! So the guys are really enjoying their time together and I love seeing them bond.

Lyle has really started doing a lot more drawing and writing letters too. He has a great talent for drawing robots and aliens, and writes his own comic books to share with us. Here is a family portrait he drew on the white board.

Lyle also has fully embraced the idea of dressing himself. He has some very interesting combinations and they often include a lot of accessories. Sometimes they include safety gear and important things like sunglasses (he HATES bright sun!), and sometimes comfort is the main concern (pajamas are more comfortable than jeans... who cares what time of day it is!). Other items are purely for the sake of decoration. Wings, tattoos, the odd silly band or two, and gloves made from old socks are just a few of the things he likes to wear.

Sometimes you see parts of old Halloween costumes working into his wardrobe too. Well, actually this happens a lot. Here are the pants from his Super Why costume along with a new shirt he got for his birthday. ("They match so well!") I adore photos where his hair is blowing out behind him like this. I just love his hair.

His play is so silly and creative, and I think I am enjoying it differently this time around because I don't have a baby to deal with while he is in this stage. So I get to focus on playing with my 5 year old!

Here he is making a "food angel" after making snow angels last winter. :)

Everyone has a person who they just love to spend time with and who they really connect with- and for Lyle this person is his best friend, Andy. Here they are reading together last year.

We've been trying to have Andy over once a week so these guys can have lots of playtime together. They love playing make-believe and can stay in character for hours it seems. They have so much fun together! Andy also accompanied us on our big outing for Lyle's 5th birthday last month.

We used a Groupon we had purchased ahead of time to go to a nearby family entertainment center. The boys got to have pizza in the restaurant and then play arcade games as well as bowling. They had a BLAST and we saved a load of money planning ahead with the Groupon.

When we got home we had cake and then Andy spent the night. They were so cute snuggled up in Lyle's bed together!

This being Lyle's 5th birthday, he and I got to go on our first birthday date! He wasn't too keen on taking a lot of photos, but we managed to get a couple. Pictured also are Lyle's game card from the bowling alley, and the robotic arm he got from Andy for his birthday. It's important to keep your favorite things nearby at all times.

Lyle wanted to go to Burger King and play in the tunnels. We actually had a better time at the park we stopped at afterward, but now he knows what it's like to go out and he can pick somewhere different to eat next year. We had a great time together, and he loved being my only focus for the whole afternoon!

Thinking back over the last 18 months with Lyle, I mostly think about what a beloved little guy we have here. His big sisters love him so much and would do anything for him. He gets to experience such a varied bunch of activities because of them- he learns so much from them. And we all learn from him as well- mainly to slow down and take the time to do lots of fun stuff together! He is a really cool guy and I love him so much.

i am back

2011-11-05T10:53:00.000-04:00

So. You probably noticed I took a little break. You know how you don't realize how bad something was until it gets better? How dirty it was until it has been cleaned? Or how disorganized it was until you've tidied it? That is how I feel about the inside of my head. I didn't realize how overwhelmed I was with my life until I just dropped everything at once (Emptied the entire cabinet, I'm telling you. Scrubbed it bare.) and started slowly and carefully putting things back one at a time. Organizing everything from the ground up- starting with my thoughts.

My only regret was that I didn't know what I needed enough to make an announcement here way back then. I just stopped blogging one day and never came back to it. I've been very quiet online as well as in real life, but it's been so good for me and just what I needed. I'm sorry to leave everyone hanging without explanation, but it's just what had to happen for me to get to where I am now. Which is ready to begin again. Thank you to everyone who reached out to me while I was away from the blog- I appreciate your thoughts more than I can say.

muted monday: cat nap

2010-05-10T10:07:00.000-04:00

sandbox

2010-05-05T00:23:00.002-04:00

These are long overdue, but I wanted to share the photos from the day we put the first load of sand in the completed sandbox. We still need to tidy up the area in the background- most of that stuff will be moving out and we'll plant some flowers or something, but the sandbox itself is all finished!

Toy boxes all finished with kid-safe hinges that won't slam on their fingers.

Playing in the sand while it was still in the truck!

Hazel helped Grandpa steer the wagon full of sand down the hill to our back yard.

Dumping the sand in, and discovering the stash of new sand toys we had hidden underneath!

The kids got busy playing right away, while Grandpa made more trips with the wagon. I didn't get in on the hauling much during the first load, but I did the whole second load myself the following week- and I had the sore shoulders from shoveling sand to prove it!

Daisy even practiced her Zen Garden techniques a little.

Everything turned out so great- just how we had pictured. My dad really did an excellent job on the construction, as always. All the wood is so smooth and the toy boxes/bench are really nice. I am sure this will bring many years of entertainment for the kids. Thanks, Grandpa!!!

checking in

2010-05-03T09:30:00.001-04:00

We are still here- but had a crazy week with Jason out of town on business, so not a lot of computer time. Also, said computer is locking up because it is nearly full and I need to burn photos and videos to CDs so I can get them off in order to upload a bunch from the camera. I plan to do this tonight, so look for some photos of the completed sandbox as well as some Maypole photos in the next day or two. Thank you so much for stopping in!

almost finished!

2010-04-23T12:28:00.002-04:00

Grandpa has been working hard- today we get the sand! Here are a few photos from the construction yesterday.

project

2010-04-21T12:25:00.000-04:00

My parents are visiting from Minnesota this week, and our project with Grandpa is to build a sandbox for Lyle. Well, all the kids can play in it, but I am guessing he will occupy it most of the time.

We picked a spot under the deck where the kids can play in the shade and where we can sweep the sand off the patio easily. Nothing grows there anyway, and this space has just been collecting junk and could use some sprucing up. So now we can reclaim it and fix it up. Updates later in the week!

muted monday: coffee break on the patio

2010-04-18T22:49:00.002-04:00

drinking: Jittery Joe's Tanzanian Peaberry, reading: Philippa Gregory's The Other Queen.

living outside

2010-04-15T12:49:00.001-04:00

The kids have officially taken up residence outside. At last! The weather has been perfect for being out in our yard- warm sun (with lots of shade to balance it out!), gentle breeze, clear blue skies with puffy white clouds, and of course no bugs yet. We are all loving it because we are exploring and rediscovering our outdoor space, and working to make it more functional and beautiful.

And I just love when I look out and see them living and playing out there in harmony together. That picnic table we built is getting loads of use now!

We eat outside almost every day for at least one meal. Breakfast and lunch on the patio or at the picnic table have been so wonderful!

I adore a good summertime sandwich for lunch. We don't buy deli meat every week but it sure has hit the spot lately! Oven roasted turkey and provolone, with lettuce and tomato, pickle, mayo & mustard, on lightly toasted 9 grain & seed bread, with Kettle brand Salt & Black Pepper chips... YUM! I love living outside!

muted monday: springtime is hard work

2010-04-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

staying hydrated

2010-04-06T16:20:00.001-04:00

As we move into warmer weather, I am trying to create some better habits in regards to drinking water. I saw an idea recently to help you remember to drink 8 glasses of water each day: put 8 pennies next to where your water glass sits, and move them over to the other side each time you empty the glass. I keep my glass right above the kitchen sink, and I decided to use plastic pirate coins left over from Stella's birthday party (They are still everywhere. Not a day goes by when I don't see those things around our house now!) because they are bigger and easier to stack, and they look cool next to my glass. This type of thing helps me so much, because I am a very visual person. There are days when I don't get them all moved over, but I know I am drinking more water than I was, so it's an improvement. I will often make myself stand there and drain the glass, just so I can move the coin over. It's funny, but it works!

For the kids, I have started filling up their water bottles with nice cold water and just putting them nearby as often as I think of it. They are much more likely to drink the water if it is right there and icy cold, and less likely to go looking for something sweet to drink.

muted monday: the perfect weekend breakfast

2010-04-05T08:15:00.000-04:00

flowers on the cheap

2010-04-03T05:00:00.001-04:00

I used a $2 off coupon to pick up this flower bouquet at the grocery store for $13.

Then I separated all the flowers out and made 4 smaller arrangements to place around our house. They are so bright and cheery! I did add a few clippings from a dark green shrub in our yard to fill in with. But I think 4 vases of flowers for $13 is pretty great! I probably could have gotten 5 or even 6 if I wanted to stick with the smaller vases too.

So now we have some in the front entry, along with a camellia blossom from the yard...

another little bunch in the bathroom...

and the largest one in the kitchen window. The other tiny vase is also in the kitchen window but I might move it somewhere else. I usually move flowers around and pull off any wilting blossoms so that the rest still look nice and last longer.

Having fresh flowers around the house really goes a long way for us- it makes us smile, adds color to our lives, and encourages us to keep clutter off the surfaces because the flowers look so pretty there. Pick some up the next time you get a chance, and spread them through the house! It will be a gift to yourself and your family.

census 2010

2010-04-02T07:54:00.000-04:00

Have you sent yours in yet?

muted monday: chess in the front yard

2010-03-29T00:01:00.004-04:00

random thoughts

2010-03-25T16:20:00.000-04:00

I keep thinking of random things I want to share here, so I'm posting them all in one jumble. Maybe it's laziness, maybe it's just a busy life. You decide!

Everyone is finally healthy after about 3 weeks of passing a nasty cold/flu thing around to each other. We still have some lingering coughs and sniffles, but the fevers and headaches are gone and we're back in business! We're DONE with winter and ready for springtime.

I've been working in the yard. We've lived in the house for 2 years and aside from a few bursts of cleaning up leaves here and there, we've done basically nothing to keep up the yard. So I just started at one corner and am working my way across one side. There is a lot of english ivy to battle with, and lots of dead wood to cut out of the azaleas. Some overgrown holly bushes and of course- lots and LOTS of leaves. I'm experiencing a love/hate relationship with the trees right now.

My beloved 17-85mm lens was broken. And now it is fixed- HOORAY! I heart KEH Camera!! Their sales and repair staff are top notch and every transaction I've had with them has been excellent. Check out their selection of used equipment too- I've picked up some great equipment that way and saved a lot. Especially if you don't live in GA (no sales tax!)

I have a new toy that I want to talk about too. I've been trying to increase my activity level lately and picked up a pedometer to help me see where I was at. This thing is AWESOME. I have amazed myself both by how many steps I can acquire on a nice brisk walk, and also by how few steps I get on days when I don't intentionally go out to walk or run. It is definitely motivating me to park further away from the store, etc. to get in the extra steps. Very easy to use, and clips onto my pocket so I don't even have to think about it falling off or getting lost.

That's about it. Everyone have a great weekend!

muted monday: lyle's new shirt

2010-03-22T06:00:00.005-04:00

bluebirds of happiness

2010-03-16T21:00:00.002-04:00

My friend Rachel (who says she isn't very crafty but is NOT fooling anyone...) knitted this ridiculously cute bluebird and gave it to me at Hazel's birthday party. It is filled with split peas so it has a nice weight to it and sits nicely in my kitchen window.

Yes. Those are Christmas lights on our deck railing. But we have now taken to calling them "party lights" and are embracing their ongoing presence fully.

And- bonus! It looks lovely with the glass Bluebird of Happiness I was given by my friend Shannon at Christmas. Now I have a little reminder of each of them there in my window to greet me every day.

muted monday: cold day at six flags

2010-03-15T00:37:00.004-04:00

{I know a lot of you come looking for a new post on Mondays when you are back at work, school, and the regular routine. In an effort to help me get going after the weekend I'm going to try putting up just a photo from our weekend on Monday mornings, with little to no text. No promises, but we'll see if we all like it.}

birthday party à la wonderland

2010-03-11T00:54:00.003-05:00

I'm late! I'm late! This post should have happened several days ago, but The Sick has been here in addition to plenty of routine craziness, so here they are at long last.

Hazel's birthday party fell on the opening night of the new Alice in Wonderland movie, so naturally she wanted us to take the party to the theater so she could see it with her friends! The kids had the idea to dress up as characters in the movie, and as always, amazed us with their creativity and willingness to have fun and dress up in public!

Even though Hazel had just invited girls (for the sleepover), most of her friends also had little brothers who wanted to attend the movie with us. Some of them even got into the masquerade aspect of it and donned a costume as well. It was so much fun to see them all dressed up!

Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

The Mad Hatter and Alice

2 White Rabbits!

The March Hare and another Mad Hatter

And one more Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat (OMG! The tail!!)

And of course our beloved (if somewhat unwilling to be photographed) Megan in her fabulous chinese dress. Is she the Red Queen? Or maybe a Dark Alice? I think a little of both.

After pictures it was off to the theater to collect our 3D glasses and find a seat. It is hard to take pictures inside movie theaters without flash (see above). So I waited until the end credits were rolling to snap one of the older girls who had not yet run off (below). Hopefully I did not blind anyone!

They attracted a lot of attention at the theater, just like they like it. And I love that they are willing to do such fun stuff.

I mean, how often do you see a gang of tutu-clad delinquents running around town? You can't help but smile.

The noise level was very high on the way home. VERY high. CRAZY high. But what can you say when the little darlings are belting out a rousing chorus of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat" on the way home from this movie?! Nothing.

Hazel got some very sweet gifts from her friends after we got back home, and then it was time for cake and ice cream. Jason always does such a nice job with the photos while I bring out the cake. One of the only times I am consistently in pictures is at birthday cake time!

Once it started to get good and late, we gathered our supplies for our "tea party", which was Hazel-style all the way. Hot chocolate with all the fancy fixings, just like at Borders. Whipped Cream in a can, chocolate shavings, marshmallows, chocolate and caramel syrup, chocolate sticks and Twix bars. It was so much fun and the girls created some beautifully artful cups of yummy chocolate goodness!

They then proceeded to go crazy with the whipped cream. Like I didn't see that coming. (What's a hot chocolate bar without all the whipped cream you can eat?)

There was lots of dancing late into the night and- surprise, surprise! They managed to end up like this not long after 5 am. Or so I heard tell. I took this photo at 8 am. If you look closely you'll notice the TV was still on, and so were Hazel's glasses. Ouch.

We sent the girls each home with a tiny tea-party charm tied on a ribbon as a keepsake. An amazing time was had by all! Thank you to all our wonderful friends for making this a party Hazel will never forget.

birthday photos

2010-03-03T11:35:00.001-05:00

It was a pretty crazy day, weather-wise, and we were limited to standing on our front porch for most of the photos. They turned out pretty well, considering, and at least we have documentation. This is the often the only time of year that I take portraits of my kids, and it is good to be able to compare from year to year.

Hazel put together a fabulous outfit, of course. She had purple and red flowers to match her hair and her stripey clothes. Too bad it was so cold she could barely stand still for photos!

We had blueberry pancakes for breakfast, by request, and we ate it at Hazel's usual breakfast time of 11 am. They went out to a late lunch at Panera Bread (again, Hazel's choice) and then headed downtown to Ciné to see the selection of Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short Film. They finished the evening with hot chocolates at Borders, our favorite late evening dessert spot. Seriously, the hot chocolates are FABulous and they have incredible cookies and brownies too. And they warm them up for you-MMMMmmmmmmmm. We really love it there. :)

Enjoying popcorn and cream sodas at Ciné.

The festivities will continue on Friday, when Hazel and her friends will be seeing Alice in Wonderland on opening night and then having a sleepover. It's going to be great!

Here are some more photos from yesterday. Hazel, we are so proud of who you are becoming as you grow older. We are so thankful you are a part of our lives!

snowy birthday... again

2010-03-02T13:43:00.000-05:00

That's right, it is snowing for Hazel's birthday again this year. She was a bit unhappy about this, but it looks like they will still get to go out as planned, because it is turning to rain and will not accumulate like last year. Still crazy though- 2 years in a row!

I'll post again later after we get some photos with Hazel & Jason.

Happy birthday, Hazel!!!

pet peeve

2010-02-28T23:39:00.001-05:00

You all know I don't spend much time on this blog complaining about anything. I prefer to keep this space about the bright side of life as much as I can. But I also want to make the world a better place and sometimes you have to speak up!

Recently I stopped at the small local grocery store to pick up just a few things. I don't shop there often, but when it is most convenient it works fine for a few necessities.

I did not have reusable bags with me, and was in a hurry so I wasn't paying attention at the checkout. And my purchase of SIX items was packed into FIVE plastic shopping bags. These bags were so obviously underpacked, that I felt like I was walking out of there with an armful of plastic and a few groceries.

Here is what these groceries looked like when I got home and re-packed them, just out of curiosity.

Does that really look like too much to handle? It actually looks EASIER to carry, if you ask me.

One bag. ONE. That is all it took. The milk already has it's own handle, and everything else fit into one bag and actually weighed about the same as the milk when I held it in the other hand, so nice and balanced. It just makes no sense to me why someone would put this many items into five bags for their customer to set in their car and then carry into their house. What a waste. Can the stores not see the cost savings to them in using less bags? Not to mention the post-consumer waste reduction in sending a customer home with one-fifth of the packaging material?

This happens more often than not when I am shopping, and not just at the little local store. Every once in a while I notice that a grocery bagger has actually used the space in the bags efficiently, and it surprises me. Guess it's time to start emailing some of my favorite stores and see if we can encourage some change.

lots of chips

2010-02-25T08:59:00.000-05:00

What do you do when you find 6 bags of corn chip crumbs in your pantry?

You make Taco Casserole for dinner. YUM.

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups tortilla chips, crumbled
1 package taco seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
2 c. water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Toppings:
sour cream
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
chopped avacado
chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion; drain fat. Add taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, tomato sauce, black beans and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Gently fold in corn chips and most of the cheese; pour into 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with toppings, as desired.

sick

2010-02-20T22:09:00.001-05:00

Well, it's that time of year. The weather was cold and now it is warming up, and the sick germs are everywhere, looking for people to make miserable. I went to bed feeling pretty rough on Friday night, and woke up Saturday morning feeling downright BAD. So I went back to sleep after Jason took Lyle & Stella out of the room (snuggles were still top priority)

Imagine my surprise when I woke up at 10:30 and was brought breakfast in bed! My family takes such good care of me!!

There were sausage and scrambled eggs, a biscuit (one of my own homemade, frozen for later baking) with honey, and the largest assortment of beverages any person could ever need! I had coffee, OJ, milk, water, and even a glass of raspberry Emergen-C, which I've been chugging in order to fight off this cold. What a fabulous breakfast! And I'm here to tell you, food tastes SO much better when it is cooked for you and served on a tray in bed.

YUM. I think I'll get sick more often. ::wink::

more snow photos

2010-02-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

I had a lot of fun photographing this snowfall- the flakes were huge and sticky and our area was transformed into a winter wonderland before our eyes!

The camellias have been blooming on and off all winter.

The deer crossed the neighbor's yard during the snow! How perfect.

As darkness approached, the light was so blue it was amazing.

And these are after dark, when the sky was so bright I was able to shoot just by the light of the porch light and front lamp post.

The sky was so bright and looked almost pink! The color is a little exaggerated in the pictures though.

The street light gave a very orange-y glow, that almost looks like a fire is blazing in the background!

The yard showed all the evidence of the kids playing hard before it got dark. But it was still coming down!

OK that's all for the snow photos- thanks for letting me share! I'd love if we got this type of snow every single year.

let it snow!

2010-02-15T00:09:00.001-05:00

Our yearly snow storm arrived a bit earlier than last year, and thankfully it was not as destructive. It started coming down Friday afternoon in big, fat flakes, and didn't stop falling until late that night. In all we got about 4 inches of snow in our yard, although I'm not sure what the official measurement was.

We had a blast and took many, many, MANY photos, which are on my Flickr and I might do another post with cool snow shots in a day or two as well. The snow filled our weekend with lots of fun and play and exhaustion, and we're a little sad to see it go with the 40 and 50 degree temps we had Sunday. I'm not really sad to be done with the ginormous production of helping everyone into and out of their gear several times every day, and getting all of the gear dry in between times. But the snow was such a huge part of my childhood growing up in Minnesota, I am so glad when these guys get an opportunity to experience it as well.

valentine cookies

2010-02-12T00:45:00.006-05:00

We've been wanting to make cut-out cookies for a while, and it just didn't happen during our hectic holidays. So we decided to bust out some heart shaped goodies and make up a platter to bring our wonderful library staff in the Young Adult department. We love them. A LOT.

We made the actual cookies the evening before, so these photos are in the morning when I had to drag the kids out of bed to get these done before it was time to head to the library. That's why they are in their jammies :)

It was great having Bea with us for this project. We haven't seen enough of her lately and we've missed her. And of course, these three made it lots of fun and wowed me with their creativity. They made some gorgeous cookies!

We had a lot of fun and made a big impression on the staff when we brought these in to them! We just wanted them to know how much we appreciate all they do for our teens, all year long. They are fabulous!

We used store bought black icing in a tube for our cookies, which really made them stand out. We also used red food coloring to dye some coarse sugar for the sprinkles, which worked really great. You just put the sugar and food coloring in a zip lock bag and squish it around until it is evenly absorbed. Oh and we used coconut to sprinkle on some of the cookies, which looked really pretty and tasted delicious.

I know some of you are going to ask, so here is the recipe we used. It's the one my mom used when we were kids, but I'm not sure where it came from before that. It's pretty basic but oh-so-good.

Cut-out Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Cream together butter and sugar, then blend in eggs and liquid flavorings. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to sugar mixture a little at a time. The dough will be quite stiff and you'll have to make sure to work in all the flour. Chill for 2-3 hours (DON'T SKIP THIS PART!) and then roll out on well floured surface to about 1/8" thick. Cut with cookie cutters and then bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes or until cookies just start to brown slightly. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 T. softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
TINY bit of hot water
food coloring

Blend ingredients together with electric mixer and beat until fluffy frosting consistency. Add more water as needed, but just a TINY bit at a time. Add more sugar if it gets it too runny. Frost cookies and enjoy!

vintage goodness in the mail

2010-02-11T03:09:00.001-05:00

My cousin Jodi emailed me a few weeks ago, wondering if any of my kids would be interested in her childhood Barbie dolls that she was ready to part with. I assured her that one very lucky girl would be thrilled to take them into her care.

Stella didn't know anything about this package coming her way, so she tore into the wrapping of the mysterious package with her name on it, squealing with delight when she saw what was inside. She quickly set up in my room (where there was some open floor space and a door to keep her brother out) to explore the contents of her new box of Barbie treasures.

OK, she was hamming it up a little on that last photo. But you can see her great 6 year old vampire teeth so well in it! She is so cute with her new teeth growing in right now.

It didn't take long for her to get her brand new dolls from Christmas out and start trying on the jackpot of vintage clothing that Jodi sent. And I had to laugh when I saw the old and new dolls all nestled together when it was time to put them away. What a contrast between the two- painted on lashes and pink streaked mermaid hair, next to the real (if made from plastic hair) eye lashes and a modest blond bob.

Lyle was SO excited to see the little bag of stickers and other goodies that was included in this special package, with him in mind.

He stopped watching Speed Racer long enough to inspect and lay out the contents of his bag, and to plaster stickers all over himself and the furniture. And he REALLY likes Speed Racer.

Even the packing materials were fun!

Thank you so much, Jodi, for making their day! I am so grateful for the connection this blog has helped us keep with our relatives and friends far and wide, and it is so cool to receive something fun like that in return for sharing our lives with everyone here. Your dolls will definitely bring many hours of joy to Stella and I know that is exactly what you were looking for when you generously offered them. Thank you!!!

my kitchen window

2010-02-07T23:44:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite spots in our house. I was thrilled to see this wonderful place to put plants when we first looked at the house, and it has proven to be a tiny sanctuary for me in our often chaotic life. Not only is it a safe place that is unreachable by small hands- therefore making it the perfect spot for beloved or breakable items- but it is also the center of the room I spend the most time in. Which makes it the perfect place to put things that are meaningful and beautiful to me. That way, when I am wringing out a rag to wipe sticky fingers with (again) or when I am scraping dirty dishes or draining pasta, I can look up and get a splash of color to make me smile, or I might notice something sitting there that makes me think of a friend or a place we've been or one of my kids. Sometimes a little boost like that is all you need to get through the rough parts of the day. Being surrounded by beauty- from the natural beauty of fresh blossoms to the quirky beauty of treasured souvenirs and the memories attached to them- makes the difficult times a bit easier and the wonderful times even sweeter.

Click on the picture above to see details about all the items in my window (mouse over to see the notes)

rainy day

2010-02-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

It's super short, but we thought it was funny (and appropriate, since all we seem to have lately are rainy days...)

sweet sixteen

2010-02-03T06:30:00.004-05:00

Today marks sixteen years since I married my best friend. He used to bring me white daisies when we were dating so I thought I would get him some this time. :)

We have spent almost all of our adult lives together- learning and changing and growing. There have been problems and solutions, mistakes and apologies, pain and healing- but always love. Love and acceptance and friendship and support.

Happy anniversary, Jason, and thank you for your love. I am so glad to be here with you right now and for the rest of my days. I love you with all my heart.

we rearranged

2010-01-26T01:18:00.002-05:00

Our whole house. And now what was once our dining room is my parlor, where I receive my guests. Hee hee! We actually are calling it the parlor, and it is the first room people see when they walk through our front door.

So this chair was in the living room, but when we moved the TV and sofa to the basement to create a little den, we did not need this to go along. So I put it in the parlor and decided to paint it.

Next will come a new cover for the cushion and a pillow for the back, as well as some additional treatment to the paint to rough it up and make it look a bit old.

I am finally starting to feel like this is MY house!

cleaning club: the blog

2010-01-18T17:36:00.000-05:00

Cleaning Club is all grown up now and has a blog of it's own! Check it out at CleaningClub.blogspot.com.

sleepy & super

2010-01-14T19:54:00.002-05:00

A fairly recent development: Lyle does not take naps anymore, and instead goes to bed at night EARLY and EASILY. And doesn't wake up when you turn the lights on to take photos of him in his cute sleepy positions. :)

And here are just a few photos of Stella & Lyle's alter egos.

S H A Z Z A M !

crochet hook use #3167

2010-01-12T01:35:00.000-05:00

Pulling out buttonhole elastic that has gotten sucked up inside the waistband of your kids' pants.

It's the worst- trying to retrieve that pesky stuff if it slips off the button. We have found that a few of our pairs have needed larger buttons installed in order to keep this from happening repeatedly. But when you need to get that elastic out quick so your kid's pants won't fall down, just grab a crochet hook and pull it right out. What a nifty trick!

catching up a bit

2010-01-10T21:17:00.001-05:00

Whoa. So it turns out I just need a month off every winter! Who knew? I am feeling back into the swing of things now that vacation is over and I have triumphed over a pretty nasty cold. I knew I was ready to get back to blogging when I started noticing tiny things that I wished I could share, if only I weren't so behind. So this will be one big catching up post, and then on to the current events and everyday life this week.

Decorating our tree:

Oragami cranes by Daisy for the tip top this year instead of a star. And berries that we actually found growing on the trees at the farm! So pretty.

And our Christmas Pickle. We hide it in the tree over and over again during the holiday season, and take turns trying to find it. Everyone has a lot of fun with it.

We visited with family and had lots of fun with cousins and grandparents

And had a very merry Waffle House Christmas breakfast before everyone headed back to TX and OK. This is one of our most beloved holiday traditions!

When we got home from Waffle House, our own family's Christmas began- with lots of presents to open from our MN relatives, and from each other. We spent the weekend playing with new stuff and settling back in to our quiet(er) house without all the extras. We had so much fun visiting but it was good to be on our own again too.

Stella lost a tooth on Christmas Day, and we went for a drive to enjoy the lights and a snack of fries and Frosties from Wendy's before bed.

The lights downtown always look just like a starry sky. I love it so much.

Well- that's just a quick wrap-up and some pictures of the kids. We had a really crazy but really great month, and I am looking forward to posting about some non-holiday related stuff that has been going on around here since. THANK YOU so much for coming back to check on us here even though I have not posted in so long. We appreciate every single reader we have! Happy New Year to everyone!

getting back to normal

2009-12-25T23:39:00.000-05:00

I had really thought that the reason my blogging fell off so drastically last December was because I was burned out from NaBloPoMo. Obviously that is not the reason, since I didn't do it this year but have still ended up taking a big, long, unplanned break! I think I just try to do too many things this time of year, and something has to give. I end up taking a break from things that aren't as high on the priority list whether I plan to or not. I'll try to get some photos posted this weekend of all the stuff we've been up to in between rushing around and shopping and visiting with family. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

tree time

2009-12-14T02:22:00.001-05:00

Going to get our tree last weekend. We went to Jack's Creek Christmas Tree Farm again this year, and were very happy with it. They have several varieties to choose from, and they have a little petting zoo, a shop with a nice Santa Claus to visit, and a stand with boiled peanuts- YUM.

The kids love riding in the back of the truck while we wander about looking for which kind we want to get.

Maybe over there!

Lyle did not want to leave the truck though. He was tired and crabby (we have started to go without naps most days and he is still transitioning). Jason finally got him to come and be carried around, and he eventually got down.

I'm not sure what these were called, but we really liked the silvery color they have at the ends of the branches. The needles are very wispy looking too, which we liked. We were so excited to see some bright red berries growing on a vine in many of the trees- we picked a few to bring home and adorn our tree with.

Once we found "the ONE", Jason got busy cutting it down.

Daisy picked it right up and carried it to the truck (with a little help from her sisters) and then we were off for home.

More photos soon of the decorations at the house. Hope you are having a lovely December with not-too-much stress!

hopscotch

2009-11-29T21:50:00.001-05:00

Cold, windy day outside + masking tape + bean bags = hopscotch fun!

flashback.5

2009-11-23T23:45:00.004-05:00

Some more random photos, this time they are pre-Lyle. And if you haven't seen them already, go check out the pics on Daisy's blog from the girls' trip with my parents. They are exploring in Florida and having a wonderful time! I am jealous (I've never been to FL) but enjoying the time as a mom of only 2 kids :)

[Daisy jumping]

[Hazel jumping]

[Stella in her star outfit]

[Daisy and Daddy]

[Jason & Hazel at the beach]

[One of my all-time favorites, Jason & Stella snuggling]

flashback.4

2009-11-22T23:45:00.001-05:00

A very random assortment of old photos.

[tiny toddler feet outside]

[Daisy with an ivy crown]

[YEEE HAAWWW]

[Grace & Hazel milking a very large cow]

[Cold. And UNHAPPY.]

[Sassy Stella]

[Daisy Superior]

[I just love this picture so much.]

flashback.3

2009-11-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

A few of our favorite video clips featuring Stella & Lyle.

flashback.2

2009-11-17T23:45:00.003-05:00

A few photos with our friends, India & Grace. This was at the skating rink on January 10, 2008- just a few weeks after we met them. They all look so little! 2 years can make such a difference when you are a kid.

flashback

2009-11-15T22:20:00.001-05:00

I've been digging through old photo and video files in a desperate attempt to free up some space on my almost full laptop memory. And I also thought it might be nice to have a little break from the blog sometime soon.

So, to combine both of those ideas, and to make sure the blog is taken care of while I visit with my parents over the next 2 weeks while they are in town, I've decided to bring you a series of flashbacks. I am going to schedule a number of posts over the next two weeks with a sampling of old photos and videos- some of which have appeared on the blog previously and some have not. I will be taking advantage of the time off by doing a little extra sewing and knitting, but I'll be sure to take some fresh photos to share with you when I return after Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

doughnuts

2009-11-13T02:01:00.002-05:00

We ventured out into the heavy rain* Tuesday night to go to Krispy Kreme and get some of their pumpkin spice doughnuts. Of course, the hot light came on just as we arrived so we had to go in and have some regular glazed too, hot off the racks. Mmmmmmmmmmm

Krispy Kreme is something we love to indulge in now and then, and we tend not to hold back once we're there. Ahem.

I think I have mentioned the pumpkin spice doughnuts on the blog before, but we enjoy them so much AND I had the camera with me, so I thought I'd post about them again. Pick up a dozen (or three) and take them home to warm up and eat with vanilla ice cream on top. Just delicious.

*Enough, already! We are so OVER the rain!

hazel + georgia

2009-11-10T07:39:00.001-05:00

Georgia is one of those dogs that you do not throw a ball to. Unless you have several hours available to play with her. Because once she starts she can NOT stop! In this case, they actually had to stop because Georgia tore up the ball they were using. But not before I got this really great shot- look at her go!

fall color

2009-11-05T09:09:00.001-05:00

I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at the changing leaves of the maple in our front yard, especially on a beautiful sunny day. The quality of the light coming through those golden leaves is just amazing. And laying in the hammock with my camera pointed toward the blazing canopy was just what I needed the other day when I was about to lose it during a stressed-out mommy moment.

Instead of opening my mouth and letting a bunch of ugly words come out (which wouldn't have done any good anyway since the teachable moment had long since passed...) I just grabbed Sally and headed out the front door for some photographic therapy. To their credit, just looking at the beautiful leaves themselves would probably have had a similar effect. But there is something about capturing those colors and shadows with a camera that gives me the surge of satisfaction that calms my nerves and helps me get in control of myself once again.

wax lips

2009-11-03T21:47:00.002-05:00

We brought a little bit of leftover Halloween joy to Shannon & Michael tonight. You know you're dealing with a seasoned and laid-back mama when she will let you put wax lips on her baby. Hee hee!

And, the picture we forgot to take at the birth (whoops!):

spooooooky

2009-11-02T09:21:00.003-05:00

Our second annual Halloween Masquerade was Saturday night and we had a blast! It was a lot of work but the girls and I really got into the decorating this year and now that it is over we just want to share all the details:

The Costumes

We actually got a photo of all of us together this year! Daisy made the coolest skirt from tulle netting, using a pattern we found on Etsy. She added a cute hat and a pair of fishnet tights and had a really cool costume! Hazel came up with her alien costume idea with her 2 best friends, and I made her dress to her specifications. She painted polka dots on her tights and added a wig, glasses, and antennae to complete her look. I couldn't locate my camera when we had the 3 aliens together, so I'll have to snag that photo from Sarah when she gets it uploaded, because they looked GREAT together! Stella wanted to be a Native American and I was able to sew her costume very quickly from one of the easy patterns they put out for Halloween costumes. She had a great pair of hand-me-down boots to complete her look (thanks, Hubbards!!) Jason was sporting the thrifted scrubs we picked up at the Goodwill and looked great as a nurse. The hair net that I had kept from my only hospital birth was the perfect accessory to complete his outfit too! Lyle has had a fascination with Super Why lately, and he was so thrilled that I was able to come up with a costume for him. I got the green shirt and pants on clearance at Target and then added the logo and cape and mask for his transformation into Super Why. He looked so cute! Lastly, I was very excited to find a formal gown at the Goodwill that fit me perfectly, and had a lot of fun wearing it since I never EVER dress like that! I added some pale makeup, gigantic false eyelashes, and a spider web shawl to make it a little bit creepy.

And just look at the fabulous costumes our guests came up with!

The Pumpkins

Daisy did everything for hers this year- the cutting and all, and made our first ever puking pumpkin. :) Lyle's is the "mean" one on the right, Hazel's is he one with the little fang, and Stella designed the big smiley one. We also invite our friends to bring their pumpkins to display during the party, so we have an even larger group out on the porch. They looked great together!

The Decorations
We are starting to accumulate a few more items here and there, and had a lot of fun putting our displays together. More candles than last year, and some branches and dead flowers again, as well as a few new ideas.

Stella helped me make this ghost garland out of freezer paper, and it looks so great on our black walls in the entry way! We also tucked a piece of fabric around the light fixture to give a nice orange glow to the front hall.

A piece of sparkly fabric draped over the mirror made a really nice effect too. Hooray for buying fabric on clearance during the off season for $1 per yard! That really helped me bulk up on draping material this year.

The vase above was something that was in the house when we bought it, only I updated it a bit :) It was all white so I took some acrylic paint to it and made it into a beautifully spooky Halloween vase. I added some silk flowers and I just love it!

And lastly, our mantel was the biggest project and got lots of ooohs and aaahs at the party. Our display of creepy specimen jars:

We scoured the internet for tips and picked up creepy items from dollar stores, craft and toy stores to put these together. We got jars and bottles from the Goodwill, and Jason even scored us some authentic laboratory glassware from work. Water colored with neon food coloring made all the stuff look even creepier, and candles placed behind lit it all up so everyone could see them well.

This is turning into a long post, so I'll just throw in a few photos of the fun quickly so I can get off the computer and start packing all the spooky stuff away until next year. Thank you to all of our friends who helped us celebrate- we had such a great time and can't wait for next year!

More photos at Flickr. Hope you had a Happy Halloween!!

Update: the 3 Crazaliens! Gracie, Hazel, and India. Thanks for the photo, Sarah!

cleaning club: birth edition

2009-10-29T02:53:00.007-04:00

Yesterday Rachel and I had the great honor of being present while Shannon gave birth to her new son, Michael Francis.

Shannon had asked me early in her pregnancy if I would photograph the birth, and I was quick to agree! I have never attended a birth other than my own, and I was excited to capture the day with images for Shannon and her family.

And look! Rachel in action doing a bit of laundry before we left the house so everyone could rest. I helped by taking pictures of her :)

Now, I know that this all seems very far outside what you probably would consider normal for a little group of women who get together to clean each other's houses. But we say that this is how things *should* be! Women working together and supporting each other through life. The time we have spent in each others homes; helping with cleaning and organizing projects and supporting each other emotionally through all the daily trials of motherhood; has given us all such an amazing sense of trust and love for one another. It was truly a gift for us to be able to share this day with Shannon and her family, and I know we will never forget it as long as we live.

Happy birthday to Michael! And congratulations to Shannon and Pat- you guys did great and he is just beautiful. I am so thankful you are a part of our lives.

(I almost forgot: Michael's little hat is the Umbilical Cord pattern from Stitch 'N Bitch, adapted for sock yarn on size 3 needles. I used self striping yarn and it turned out so cute!)

fire station field trip

2009-10-21T02:23:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we visited the fire station with a few of our homeschool friends.

We saw the living areas and kitchen that the crew uses when they are on duty, as well as their bedrooms. Even though my kids and I had been to a fire station before we had only seen the trucks and had not gotten to visit these areas, so it was really cool. We heard about how the 3 shifts of 7 people each (at this particular station, anyway) work and live as a family of sorts while they are there, preparing meals and maintaining the station while they wait to be called out.

We saw the locker room where their gear is kept, and the machines that are used to fill the air tanks that they breathe with in a fire.

Then we went out into the bay where the trucks are kept. Unfortunately, the big truck was out on a training exercise, so we didn't get to see that. But we did get to see the rescue vehicle and watch one of the firefighters put his gear on.

They explained about how the clothing is not fire proof but rather fire resistant, and that every area of skin has to be covered completely. We heard the guy in the suit breathing and everyone thought it was pretty cool that he sounded like Darth Vader. He said some of his ABC's so we could hear what he sounded like with the mask on, and he knelt down so everyone could touch his suit and see him up close.

Then we went back into the living room and sat down for a talk about fire safety, and the kids got to ask all the questions they could think of. We went over the basic stuff about what to do in a fire, and heard about some of their personal experiences (the biggest fire they had fought, etc.) We found out that they do not have a fire dog (this was of great interest to Stella!) and that most of the household fires they are called to are due to human error or bad judgment. One other interesting thing we found out is that the firefighters on this particular shift do yoga together! Everyone was surprised at that and thought it was really cool.

This was a great trip. We learned some new things and we also got to know our fire fighters a little better. I know it has sparked some ideas for things we need to talk about in our family regarding fire safety, and I think the kids will all be much more comfortable and unafraid if they are ever in a situation where one of these guys is helping them out of a fire or other emergency, now that they got to spend some time seeing what they do.

spider web

2009-10-19T00:21:00.005-04:00

We're finally getting going with decorating the house for Halloween, starting with a giant spider web in front of the house. Daisy helped me get it made and I thought I would outline it here, because it was so easy and looks really cool. We borrowed one from a friend last year and decided to make one of our own this time.

You start with a small circle of yarn, about 2 inches across, tied nice and tight with a knot. Then you tie strings going out from the circle to nails or hooks around the outside of your web area. We have some small nails along the top and sides of the porch, and on some wooden planters on the ground. We made loops on the end of the strings so they could just be hooked onto the nails, and will come off easily.

Then you just tie your yarn to the center area, and start weaving the web. At each string, tie a half knot to secure the yarn. Keep working your way outwards in a spiral, making sure the strings are all about the same tightness. I like making them look a little uneven here and there too.

Daisy not only helped me with a lot of the tying, she also took some pictures of me while I was working. I hardly ever get in the photos!

Now we just need a big spider to live on our web and we'll be all set!

Oh! And speaking of Daisy, go to her blog and check out the really cool mobile she made for her friend. It turned out so cool and I can't wait to have one in our house! Great job, Daisy.

lyle's birthday

2009-10-10T12:48:00.005-04:00

We had a nice evening celebrating Lyle's birthday with him on Thursday. We went out to eat (nothing fancy- Chik-fil-A! Everyone likes it and there is a play area, so off we went and I didn't have to cook.) then we came home and opened presents and had cake. He wanted "tiny" cakes but a big cake is easier for all of us, so I made 3 cupcakes in addition to the large cake. So he got to blow out 3 candles on each!

I was so excited to give him his "I Spy" quilt, and he likes it a lot. Although I think he likes his Lightning McQueen shirt and coloring book more... for now anyways.

He has enjoyed spreading it out and talking about all the stuff on it, and I'm sure he will come to like having it over him more as the weather cools down. For now it has been quite warm again so even that new shirt he got was making him sweaty. Not blanket weather yet!

Here are some more photos of the quilt- it was a lot of fun to make and it is far from perfect, but I know he will get a lot of use and enjoyment out of it.

There ended up being 99 squares, and since I made matches of each fabric that left me with one odd one. So I made one with his name to go in the center, and I love it. If I had come out with an even number I probably wouldn't have even thought of that.

The squares are about 3 1/2 inches across, and the entire quilt measures about 36" x 44". I made the back out of flannel, so it is soft and warm. I machine quilted it by stitching in the ditch, so that there wouldn't be any additional stitching on the front to make it more busy. I bound it with my favorite method of continuous binding, except I machine stitched the last edge instead of hand stitching it, mainly due to time constraints. I am very happy with how it turned out though, especially for a kids quilt that will be on the floor and washed a lot, and I will probably skip the hand stitching in the future more often. Like I said, there is a matching pair of each fabric, so it is like a game as well as a blanket. He has really enjoyed looking at all the designs and searching for the matches. Thank you again to everyone who sent me fabric way back last year- it helped make this quilt even more special and varied!

three years old

2009-10-08T08:58:00.004-04:00

I can't actually believe it. Three years have flown by and my baby, my only little boy, is getting so big. We are nearly done with diapers, and he is talking our ears off and doing so many big kid things every day. It's all bittersweet, since he is the last one, but we are enjoying watching him grow and change so much.

Here are a few photos from the first weeks of his life:

We are having cake after dinner tonight and I'll be giving him the "I Spy" quilt that I am *finally* done with! Photos of that coming tomorrow. Happy birthday, Lyle!!

lyle + stella

2009-10-05T07:28:00.004-04:00

We have been crazy busy (do I say that all the time?) so I've been a little slack on the blog posts. So I thought I would throw up some recent photos real quick, and all I found were ones of Lyle & Stella. I guess I need to get those other kids in front of the camera more often!

As you can see, Lyle pretty much exists without clothing these days. He is learning to use the potty, so this makes things much easier for him and he prefers being naked anyway. He actually does wear a shirt a lot of the time (he will choose one and then wear it as many days as he can until I have to beg him to let me wash it), but somehow none of my photos reflect that.

More rain again today, which has foiled my plans for the Cleaning Club to help me wash the outsides of my windows. We'll do the insides and hope for better weather on my next turn. Hope everyone has a great Monday!

field trip

2009-09-30T14:27:00.002-04:00

A few of our favorite families got together yesterday for a field trip to our local newspaper, the Athens Banner-Herald. We gathered at 11 am and met up with the tour guide, who was very nice. We had 14 kids and 6 adults, so a pretty nice sized group for a tour. Jason even came from work to meet us, which is a treat for our kids because it is usually just me and them during the weekdays. Now that he has built up some vacation time to spare, he will be able to join us now and then for our outings, which is great not only because he gets to experience some cool stuff with us but also he is able to help with Lyle and Stella and I can enjoy myself a bit more with extra help.

My camera battery died halfway through our visit (DOH!) so I missed out on the group shot at the end of the tour and also the offices and old camera and other equipment that they used to use, but I did get some shots of the big press, which was very cool and the highlight of the tour I think.

We saw the presses from up above while they were not moving. Our guide talked to us about the paper, the ink, and the machinery.

Then we went downstairs to get a little closer to everything. This area is where the folded papers come out of the machines, and are then stacked and sorted and put together with the other sections of the paper.

Then we saw how the plates are made for each page of the paper, before being put into the press for printing.

We learned about how the 4 colors of ink combine to make full color photos in the newspaper, and how they have to adjust them all to line up properly since each color is printed onto the paper separately.

Then we went upstairs to watch as they started the presses up. It is very loud down in the press room so the workers wear ear protection and we had to be outside the glass.

They ran the press at a slow rate at first (which looked pretty fast to us!) while they made adjustments to the ink and alignment of the paper. Once everything was lined up right they turned the press up to full speed, and that was an amazing thing to see! The paper flew past and was cut and folded and out the other end in no time. It was very impressive.

Even the smallest kids in the group thought this part was pretty cool.

(Daisy and Bea had not seen each other in a few weeks so they were very happy to be together again! And look at Daisy's new haircut- she got bangs and some layers and I LOVE how it looks on her! Bea's new cut and color look awesome as well. I'm a sucker for some bright hair!)

Although I don't have photos, we also saw the circulation area, the reporters offices, and the old cut-and-paste area where they used to get the papers ready for printing back before the digital process which is now used. They used to manually piece together the page, then photograph it with very large cameras and then make the plates for the printing press from the negatives. Now they just send it straight from a computer down to the plate making room, so this whole area is now just for historical reference. We saw how they archive the papers into big books, and found out that we can go there to look up old newspapers if we ever need to. We heard about how the reporters are often out during the day getting their stories (the offices were pretty empty when we were there!) and saw where they sit to write up their articles in the evenings.

It was a great field trip- we learned a lot and had fun! Taking that crew into the Mellow Mushroom downtown afterward was a little crazy... but even that was lots of fun and the kids really do so well together. The big ones help with the little ones and everyone gets along. What a great group! Thank you all for a wonderful day. We love our homeschool family!!

it's raining. again.

2009-09-26T18:43:00.002-04:00

We are fortunate- we haven't had the flooding they have had in other parts of the state. But it sure has been wet here, and stuff is starting to get moldy... A little sun would be nice.

As a side note, did you know that snow and rain look a lot alike in photographs?

the week in rap

2009-09-18T10:12:00.005-04:00

I found this while looking for some good internet resources for current events info directed at teens. It just covers a few items but it's pretty cool and might help spark some interest in the kids. Check it out! If you go to the Week in Rap site, the lyrics are below the video, with links about the main items make it easy for kids to get additional information. I love it!

Untitled from Week in Rap on Vimeo.

self video portrait

2009-09-15T01:57:00.003-04:00

Just a little look at the magic that is Stella. She has been asking to use the Photo Booth program on our laptop a lot more since we upgraded and have video capabilities. This is just one of the many awesome videos we have found on there!

For anyone reading who does not know Stella personally, this video clip is a rare look inside her personality when nobody is watching her. We don't get to see this very often!

road trip

2009-09-13T08:22:00.003-04:00

This morning Jason loaded his saddle bags to the brim, had a good breakfast, and headed out for the 4 hour drive to Tallassee, TN- where he is meeting his dad and brothers for a guys getaway.

They have a house rented to stay in for 2 days, but the main attraction is the Tail of the Dragon at Deal's Gap, NC. They will be riding it over and over and over again, as a part of his Dad's last motorcycle riding hurrah. He is having an eye surgery next month which will make riding impossible for him in the future, so the guys planned this trip together to have one last chance to ride together.

Dad and Michael and Lance are driving from TX, pulling their bikes on a trailer. But since we are so much closer, Jason decided to just ride to meet them on his bike. I have a lot of confidence in Jason's driving abilities, but this trip still makes me a tiny bit nervous with him being alone. So I wanted to post these photos right away so our readers could be sending him safe riding vibes today!

I have some photos on our other computer from the trip we made there with Jason's folks a few years ago, so I am going to try and dig those out. In the meantime, watch some of this video that gives you an idea what it is like riding the Tail of the Dragon!

reading together

2009-09-10T07:24:00.003-04:00

Reading is a very big part of our life here. We have always read to the kids a lot, and Jason and I set the example of reading a variety of materials ourselves every day.

Walking into a room and finding this scene is what makes me realize that of all the things we could still improve on as parents and as a family, THIS is something we have definitely done right. The older kids read to the little ones and the little ones actually sit and listen. They look at books themselves even without being able to read yet. The older kids almost always have a book nearby, and can easily spend several hours plowing through a good read. They all love books! And the love of books and reading will allow them to learn and do anything they want to in their lives.

Hazel and Lyle here in particular have a special connection going these days. She is very willing to read to him, and I have found that her taking over his bedtime stories can give me an extra few minutes to straighten up the bedrooms before we lay down, which really helps out. It is also great when he will let someone else take care of some of his needs, because there are so many things that he just requires Mommy for. It's just a great sibling bonding time too, which I love to observe.

art supply makover

2009-09-08T00:14:00.004-04:00

My kids love to draw. All four of them, all the time. And of course, our art supplies need to be sorted and reorganized from time to time because they just get messy when they are not put back properly.

We've been wanting to organize the crayons and colored pencils by color for some time. It just seemed like it would make drawing and coloring easier and more enjoyable. Plus, I am just a pushover for things arranged in rainbow order. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Sometimes I walk into a store where fabric or yarn or paint is arranged on a big wall in rainbow order and it absolutely takes my breath away! So, yes- I am a freak for color.

What we did: purchased 2 Rubbermaid kitchen caddies on the clearance rack at the grocery store, along with one set of small jelly jars and one set of taller ones. We labeled the jars with the handy labels that came with them, and sorted all the pencils and crayons into them. Voila! beautifully organized drawing supplies.

This way, the kids can easily find the exact shade of blue they are looking for, or just check to see what different types of green are there before they choose one to use in their project. The jars are clear, so they can pick it up and easily see even the shorter pencils or broken crayons that might be of use to them. If the jar is too full, we just go through and purge out the ones in really bad shape or those with too many multiples.

And one more great development that came from this sorting project: we got a shiny new pencil sharpener. We used to have an electric one, but that had too many limitations: it only took one size of pencil, it got jammed fairly easily by broken leads, and it ate up the pencils way too fast- which is a major concern when you are talking about decent colored pencils, which are not cheap.

Here is how our broken and dull pencils looked before we got the new sharpener. The kids would just get frustrated because the pencils were so bad and we didn't have a good sharpener.

We went to an office supply store and picked up this all metal pencil sharpener- Old School style- and mounted it in the kitchen on the end of a cabinet where it is out of the way but easily accessible to the kids, as well as nearby where they usually are to draw at the dining room table. My friend Rachel said it made her feel all nostalgic just using it and I agree. We had one mounted on the wall in the basement growing up, and of course used them at school. You just can't beat the super sharp tip you get from this bad boy, and you can go slowly and do just as much as you need without wasting a lot of the pencil in the process. We are very pleased and highly recommend this piece of essential home equipment.

And I just love the fact that my kids get big thrills from super sharp drawing pencils. Sigh.

stella's birthday

2009-08-31T00:37:00.006-04:00

Some of you may have noticed that Stella's birthday came and went without a post from me. Yikes! Well, my excuse is that I was busy putting together a fabulous party for her- the first one she has ever wanted! She knew exactly what she wanted (a pirate party!) and she sat down and made a list of eleven kids she wanted to invite. So we put a lot of effort into making it a really great day for her and her friends. I have a LOT of pictures, so settle in with a mug of something yummy, and I'll tell you all about it :)

The invitations

These were an even bigger hit with the kids than we had thought! Some of them found their bottles waiting in their mailbox, while others with bodies of water nearby were lucky enough to find their bottle at the edge of a creek or pond (what wonderful, cooperative parents our kids' friends have!) We even had one who dug her bottle right out of the sand at the lake. And then Stella was thrilled one afternoon to receive one of the bottles back with a reply from some of her guests! These were so much fun for everyone.

We had seen this idea several places on the internet, and we got extra elaborate with it. We printed the text on parchment colored paper in an extra pirate-y font, then crumpled them all up (which was a LOT of fun), flattened them back out, and burned the edges with a lighter. Then we rolled them up scroll style, tied them with twine, and stuffed them into clear glass bottles (from the Yoo-Hoo binge I let everyone go on so we could get the bottles) with sand and a few seashells in the bottom. Then we stuck a cork in the top (regular wine corks- we had a few lying around...) and labeled them on the side with the kids' names. The labels were on the same paper, crumpled and burned, then stuck on with double sided tape. They were hand written though, because I didn't think to have some printed out. I got pretty good with my calligraphy skillz by the time we finished all the labeling for this party!

Stella helped fill the bottles with sand and stick the messages inside.

And here is what they looked like inside:

You can read the text a bit easier here. We got the wording from combining several ideas we saw around the internet. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but don't forget to use your pirate voice in your head while you read this- the effect is much better. :)

The decorations

Daisy & Beatrice helped me cut out all of these wonderful little skull & crossbones to make flags for the doorways- they turned out so great!

We used our Halloween tablecloths to decorate the table, but added a red cloth in between. We sprinkled some skull and bones confetti around as well as some gold coins, and the girls each painted a little treasure chest to put out. We gave a little plastic skull a nice pirate-y bandanna and set Stella's message bottle out as well. It turned out great! We also had black plates and skull and bones napkins, thanks to the Halloween stuff being out in the stores already!

We picked the cookie cakes up from the grocery store, where they did the lettering and the borders but were unable to do the skull and bones because they said they couldn't draw (wrong profession, maybe? could we get someone who can draw to work in the cake decorating department?) so I talked them into giving me a little icing so I could do it myself at home. I was in a rush so it's not my best work, but it looked pretty good and they were just going to eat it anyway. We also added gold plastic coins to the borders for an extra touch of pirate treasure goodness.

We also had balloons on the mailbox to greet our guests.

The party

As the kids arrived, I had Stella stand outside the front door where the pirate flag was hanging and took their pictures. This was the first group to show up, and I got lucky to get this one shot before Stella abandoned most of her pirate outfit ("It's too hot!") She had been wearing it around the house for several days before the party, but the heightened emotions of the big day made it all too much. So we quickly came up with a pared down version before the next kids arrived, and she was comfortable for the rest of the party.

I realize now looking through that I missed one of the boys in these photos- sorry Yonah!
Everyone looked so great in their costumes- it really helped set the mood for the day to see how much everyone had gotten into it!

After they arrived, the kids went in and got tattoos applied if they wanted them, and got to choose a pirate name tag too. This is the one other thing that I missed getting a photo of. But we had name tags with silly pirate names made up for the kids to choose from, and Hazel did the temporary tattoos wherever they wanted them. Some of the kids were into this part, some just skipped it altogether.

Then we moved into the kitchen and did a quick craft project. We made little pirate ships based on the idea we found here. They were a little tricky for small hands, and the moms needed to help a little with gluing the sails to the toothpicks, but they turned out really cute and I think the kids had fun. The craft also served the purpose of occupying the earlier arrivals while we waited on the later ones, so that we were all able to begin the first game together. The ones who got there late just took the craft home with them to do later.

On to the games! We passed out some little loot bags I made up ahead of time to each of the kids. I used black fabric that I had on hand for the bags and purchased just a half yard of piratey fabric to make a patch for the front of each bag, so they were really cheap! The bags had a little tag with their name on it so they could keep track, and each one had a plastic eye patch for them to wear.

We went outside to the front yard and had a big coin hunt- Daisy had sprinkled gold plastic coins all over the yard and the kids just ran around picking them up and adding them to their loot bags. They had a blast! We had gotten a bag of 400 gold coins at Party City and it turned out to be a great amount so that each kid had a good little supply in addition to all the ones we used for decorating.

The first thing they did when they got back inside was to dump out their bags and start counting their loot!

Then it was time for cake and ice cream. We sang to Stella and watched her try to blow out the trick candles. She also tried to act like she was surprised when they came back on, even though she specifically requested them- ha ha!

We also had fruit and cheese cut up, with some skull and bones party picks to spear them with. The drinks were "sharks blood" with cherry kool-aid ice cubes in sprite, which looked great in the skull and bones cups we found at the party store.

Finally, it was time for the big scavenger hunt for the treasure chest. We made up the clues ahead of time and got them hidden around the yard.

You can read all the clues more easily here.

We assigned Hazel to be the official reader for the hunt, since none of our party guests are reading yet. She did a great job reading the clues and giving gentle hints to help them along.

When Stella grabbed the treasure chest out of the cabinet it was in, she went straight to the middle of the floor to open it. It only took a second for the mob to surround her!

The chest was something I picked up at Hobby Lobby, and it was filled with a bag of chocolate coins for each kid, plus a gold pirate earring and a party blowout for each. The presents had also been moved to the same location as the treasure, so we opened them as soon as everyone settled down with their chocolate coins.

Stella got some wonderful gifts from her friends- several really great books, lots of fun paper dolls, a new umbrella, and some pens and notebooks too. She was thrilled!

After she was done opening gifts, we told everyone it was time to walk the plank! Jason had set up some different sized boards on the front walk for the kids to balance on, which turned out to be really fun. After that they all scattered- climbing the trees and playing around the yard. It was a really great way to end the party.

WOW! That was a lot to cram into one post. I really wanted to document all the details of Stella's big day because we worked really hard to make it happen for her and it went off without a hitch. Thanks so much to all the kids who came to celebrate with us and to the moms who stayed and helped out- we had a blast and it would not have been the same without every one of you!

officer bray

2009-08-26T11:46:00.006-04:00

Stella got a little police detective play set recently, and it really got her into full character. She kept putting all this stuff on and ringing our doorbell, pretending to be investigating some crime or just running checks to make sure everyone was safe. She would even drop by in character and invite herself to dinner.

She asked me to come out and take these photos, and was very specific about what she wanted. She said we needed to be in the road (?!) and she made all the poses herself. I was just following instructions (Yes, officer. Right away, officer!)

This last one we took to put into her ID badge- look at that beautiful confidence! I love when she lets herself get wrapped up in imaginative play- it makes her so happy.

waffle day

2009-08-25T00:25:00.004-04:00

What do you do when it's National Waffle Day and you are running too low on milk to make your famous Belgian waffles? (I had a busy day and forgot to check or I could have had Jason stop at the store on his way home from work)

You load the family up and head to Waffle House, that's what you do. The big bonuses: Mom doesn't have to cook, you get to have hashbrowns (covered and chunked, thank you) with your pecan waffle, and of course- the jukebox. Who doesn't love loading a jukebox up with some choice selections before they sit down to eat?

Hope you had a very happy Waffle Day!

a different kind of bubble bath

2009-08-18T07:17:00.000-04:00

The other day Stella and Lyle took a bath with our bubble machine blowing into the tub. They were thrilled to find that the bubbles stuck to their wet skin instead of popping like they normally would. What fun!

And the best part: they couldn't wait to take a bath again! In fact I had to tell them no to a second bath in the same day (water being the finite resource that it is). But they happily climbed in again the next day to wash off and play with bubbles again. Good thing the bubbles are cheap and I have rechargeable batteries in the machine!

I tried to find a link for the machine but couldn't. It is a Super Miracle Bubbles machine, purchased at Toys R Us earlier this year. A great buy- inexpensive and lots of fun.

drawer fix

2009-08-14T09:43:00.003-04:00

We had some very sticky drawers in an old desk that sits in our kitchen. This desk holds our scissors, tape, charging cords for the phones, etc. and a few tools. So we go into it every single day and the sticky drawers were just bothering me. They were also a mess, so while I was cleaning them out and organizing them I took a bar of soap (Don't worry Ansley- I used one of those hotel bars! Your precious soap is too good for this project!) and rubbed it along the bottom edges of the drawer itself as well as the place on the desk where the drawers sit, and then along that middle support that the drawer track rides on.

When I popped the (newly organized) drawers back into place they were able to glide in and out with ease. It is amazing what a difference it made! And then I just tucked the rest of the bar in one of the drawers so I can redo it if they ever get sticky again. I know I read this tip somewhere a long time ago but I can't even remember where- maybe Martha Stewart? Anyway, I love when there are simple, free solutions to little annoyances like this. You don't even realize how much that one little thing bothers you until you fix it and then it seems like such a joy to do.

soft snail

2009-08-13T00:10:00.005-04:00

I made this for our friend Luke's 8th birthday gift a few weeks ago. He turned out so great that I just had to share him!

We have so many friends and family that I can't possibly give them all hand made gifts for every occasion that comes up, but when I get a real inspiration I try to just go with it. The snail is one of Luke's favorite creatures, and the idea for this softie came to me one day while we were on the beach at Sandy Creek. I sketched it out on the back of the pattern I was knitting from (yes, I knit while my kids play in the water, and yes, sometimes my knitting gets sand on it) so I wouldn't forget any details, and then just started making it in my head. Does anyone else do this? I turn the idea over and over in my head, piecing things together and figuring all the little steps that need to be done before actually starting to cut any fabric.

He went together almost exactly like I had envisioned, except that his head seemed so bare. So I made him the hat! And then there seemed to be some other small thing missing... so I made him the bowtie! This felt like the perfect stroke of brilliance, since Luke is a very stylish young man who enjoys dressing up and is known to go out on the town sporting a very nice bow tie.

Ahhh, my labels. I just love using my labels. They make me feel so permanent, like someone a hundred years from now might speak my name as they enjoy using something I have made. That is really cool to think about.

Luke (and his mother) loved the snail very much and at last inquiry I was told that he was given the very appropriate name of "Snaily". I just love watching my creations go to homes where they are so loved and appreciated!

The blue fabric of the body was something I just had on hand, and all the prints are from that same box of wonderful, vintagey fabric goodness I got from an online friend a while back, and that I used for Lyle's dragon (which, you should know, he has named Willy Dragon and brings to bed with him every night). That stuff is going to show up in project after project and I will be sad when it comes to an end. I love fabric.

pile o' kids

2009-08-10T07:16:00.003-04:00

They don't often all play together in one group (they just tend to pair off more often) but when they do it usually involves wrestling around on the living room floor. The giggling is so fun to listen to!

painting

2009-08-04T16:54:00.000-04:00

We painted our bedroom last week at cleaning club. It was really great because I had kept the room nice and straight after we worked in there the previous time, so all I had to do was mask off and move the furniture to the center of the room to prepare.

The colors look very bright on the computer screen, and it IS quite bright, but these photos might look a little more than in real life.

Just look at Rachel's concentration. You can't pay people to care this much about your paint job!

I paint with my mouth open. And we all often show up to cleaning club without showers, especially when we'll be getting dirty. That is a sign that you know your friends love you, when you can come over with bedhead and smelling funky!

Shannon manned the roller most of the day, and supervised a lot from the bed. The baby is getting big!! (I can't wait!!!!)

I did not take any full photos of the room after we were finished- I am shopping for duvet covers and curtains right now and I want to wait until I have them to reveal the finished room. So you'll have to settle for these photos of us working. The old paint was a dark cream color on 2 walls and a taupe color on the other 2. Jason and I chose a orange-y red and a yellow-y orange, but once they were up they really look like dark orange and a golden yellow. We still love it but it is definitely tricky to make choices based on those tiny swatches!

While we are doing cleaning club, the kids pretty much occupy themselves. They do well most of the time, and the older kids watch out for the younger ones. Lyle and Andrew (the youngest two kids) go back and forth- one minute they might be playing really well and the next minute one of them is clocking the other one with a toy over the head.

And then there are the things I only find out about when I see the photos...

Thank you so much you guys! I really love it and your help made it a one-day job instead of a whole weekend the way it would have been if I'd tackled it on my own. I can't wait to get things up in there- it is already becoming such a sanctuary for us and you have helped me make that happen. I heart cleaning club!!

teen film fest

2009-07-29T08:55:00.006-04:00

Saturday night was the Teen Film Festival at the library. Daisy and Beatrice worked very hard filming and editing their videos together. They included a number of their friends (and even some of the parents!) in the films, and everyone got dressed up to go to the big premier together!

It was so awesome to see how much support and love these kids are surrounded by, evidenced that night by the twenty-one people we packed into the front two rows of the auditorium! Everyone was so excited just to see the films and cheer for Daisy & Bea. And then came the award ceremony! Between the two of them they took home 5 out of the 9 "Lucy" awards given away, including Best Film. It was a fantastic night!

Posting these videos to the internet has proven to be a bit of a challenge for me, mainly because they used some copyrighted music in the films and YouTube removed the audio for one of them. (lesson learned for next time!) For now, hopefully you can view the first film right here (below) and the second one is available here on YouTube (I posted that one below the first one now). They do go in order, so be sure to watch "What's it all Mean?" first, followed by "What Happened Before?" Thanks for watching!

I am so proud of these guys for following through to completion on this project! We all learned a lot about the software and also about the steps of putting a film together while working on this, and I know that the kids are all brimming with more cool ideas for upcoming films. I also want to thank Jason Hubbard for being such a great sport and doing whatever the girls asked them to for his part. That really made a huge impact on their project!

Update: We were Spotted!

in the mail

2009-07-27T22:33:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite things in the world is getting a package in the mail. Especially an unexpected one! Yesterday afternoon a box arrived from my friend Ruth, who we stayed with one night while we were in Minnesota. 3 packages of home-roasted coffee!!! Perfect timing too, because I had just finished the last of the beans she roasted for me when we were there. I feel so spoiled!

She also included this rad postcard, which will now be a part of my kitchen decor for ever and ever because I love it so much. Thank you Ruth! You are the best! XOXO

what we've been doing

2009-07-27T00:36:00.002-04:00

Other than unpacking and getting settled back in since we returned from Minnesota, we've been pretty occupied with our new toy, iMovie '09. Daisy and her friend Bea had a film project due for their library summer reading program and at the last minute we decided to upgrade our iMovie- and boy are we glad we did! If you are an owner of the '08 version we highly recommend the upgrade, it is WELL worth the money (even if you have to upgrade your operating system first like we did...)

We're working on getting their finished films uploaded online so we can share them and tell the story of their fabulous night in the spotlight- hopefully that will happen soon! It was an exciting evening!!

postcards from the road 5

2009-07-21T12:01:00.002-04:00

(the last batch from Minnesota- we're on the way home now!)

group hug!

every little dude needs a pink car!

the whole group together (observe the flannel shirts- it was like fall in Minnesota!)

postcards from the road 4

2009-07-20T19:45:00.005-04:00

(I wasn't able to get to WiFi as often as I had thought! So here are a bunch from our last few days)

the Cherry Spoon at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

tree hugging cousins!

got the heels turned on the socks... stay tuned!

digging takes a lot of concentration

fun at the rope park

Stella lost her first tooth!!!

postcards from the road 3

2009-07-13T10:16:00.000-04:00

backyard picnics

shucking corn with Grandma

backyard bonfires

with s'mores!

finding critters

rolling in the soft grass

postcards from the road 2

2009-07-09T20:25:00.005-04:00

sleeping kiddos

sock knitting

stir-crazy kiddos!

our fearless leader

postcards from the road

2009-07-08T23:36:00.004-04:00

Off we go! We are planning to leave around 4 am (otherwise known as "crazy o'clock) to head for Minnesota. I'm going to post photos whenever I get a chance but probably not much text. We'll be gone for 13 days! Please send us lots of safe traveling vibes and cross your fingers for me that our car stays nice and organized like this. Yeah, right.

warning:

2009-07-08T00:58:00.006-04:00

Seriously. Sometimes I talk to people who know me only through the blog (or who aren't around me much in real life) and I realize that they have a very idyllic impression of my family and our activities. This, while extremely flattering, is not entirely accurate.

This blog represents the very highlights of our life here- I talk about and take photos of the beautiful and wonderful parts of our days, and completely avoid almost anything negative. I don't usually complain or rant about anything and I actually tend to just not post if I'm in a bad mood or going through a stressful time. All the posts that do appear are dedicated to the sweet and happy times that I want to share and remember, sort of like a scrapbook or photo album.

I have fallen myself into a strange sort of admiration/obsession for several different wonderful blogging mamas over the years I've been reading- especially the crafty ones. I have gotten a fairy tale idea in my mind of how these ladies must be happily crafting with their delightful children at their sides, everyone laughing and chatting together as they clean up the mess they have made, and then going off on a nature walk to observe local wildlife and collect items for the next day's craft project before returning home to cook dinner together out of homegrown vegetables and eggs from their own chickens. After all of that they tuck their smiling children into beds draped with handmade quilts and tell them amazing stories out of their own imaginations, kissing them each on the forehead on the way out of their rooms.

It's hard to remember that even though a mom can take lovely pictures and craft a wonderful scene for you out of words, her life is still probably very hectic and messy. She might even serve frozen fish sticks (the cheap kind) on a regular basis and make her kids wait until another day to do the craft they have been begging to do for weeks while she desperately tries to dig her way out from under the laundry pile and get the baby to take a nap. She might be crabby and say things to her kids that she would never want repeated (especially on her blog!) and her counters might never get cleared off, let alone wiped down. And let's not even discuss how her floors might look.

But we all want to forget that part of life and focus on the pretty parts, don't we? So here we are! Let's get on with it (and don't forget to bring the camera!)

P.S. Thanks to Hazel for painting me the perfect picture for this post!

new look

2009-07-06T16:08:00.003-04:00

You might have noticed there have been a few changes since your last visit. I am still tweaking a little bit, but I wanted to get the new and improved banner up before the summer was over and the swimming picture was all out of season! Please let me know in the comments if there is anything looking weird on your end so I can fix any problems. Thanks for your help!

cheerio treats

2009-06-28T14:25:00.001-04:00

I did a search and I can't believe I have never shared this recipe on the blog before. That is crazy, because it is one of our favorites. A great treat to make up quickly for an evening snack or to take to a party and share. They are always a hit with everyone and even though they have sugar (marshmallows), the plain cheerios and good peanut butter balance it out a bit and make it a fairly healthy snack as far as sweets go. Making them in the microwave makes them super fast, although I'm sure you could do it on the stovetop too. This is literally the ONLY thing I use our microwave for anymore, so I have to carry all the ingredients down to the basement since that is where I keep it now!

Cheerio Treats

2 T. butter
1 bag of mini marshmallows, 10 1/2 oz.
3/4 to 1 cup of peanut butter (I use closer to 1 c.)
6 cups cheerios (I use store brand)

In a large microwaveable bowl, melt the butter and then add the marshmallows, stirring until coated. Microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until marshmallows are completely melted. Working very quickly, stir in the peanut butter until blended, then heat mixture for 30 more seconds. It cools and solidifies very fast, so you have to be quick in order to keep it from hardening before you are ready. Last step is to mix the cheerios in (VERY quickly!) and then put the mixture into a 9x13 cake pan, pressing down with your hands. We often sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of one half and then stick it in the oven for a minute or two to get them all melty before spreading the chocolate over top.

new cups

2009-06-26T18:46:00.001-04:00

I was absolutely showered with wonderful gifts from friends this past birthday, but the ones I wanted to make sure I shared here (because I promised!) are my new coffee vessels. I showed up at cleaning club (yes, they are such a wonderful and regular part of my life that nearly every sentence I speak includes them...) the week of my birthday and was presented with not one but two new coffee mugs! Both were chosen from my friends' personal collections and have already become a welcome part of mine. Currently I am trading off between the two, and there are things I love about both. I love the size and feel of the handle on the smaller one, and I love the beauty and sturdy, non-tip base of the taller one. But best of all is that they make me smile when I use them because they make me think of my friends.

Oh and hey! If you aren't tired of hearing about it already, go on over to Shannon's blog and read about the difference the club made in her dining room recently! Hooray!

to the rescue!

2009-06-23T12:21:00.001-04:00

Cleaning club at my place yesterday.

Messy bedroom- stuff piling up on all the surfaces, furniture in need of rearranging, dusty ceiling fan and cobwebs in the corners...

We got the surfaces all cleared, the blinds and corners vacuumed, ceiling fan and doors/doorknobs cleaned, and rearranged the small bed and got rid of one of the little tables. Later in the afternoon I got the dust ruffle put back on and clean sheets on the bed (these were in the wash during cleaning club).

And a finishing touch of some fresh flowers from the yard, which actually are a sampling of the color palette we want to bring into this room soon. We're tired of the subdued blues and greens and are going to be doing red and orange in there hopefully before the summer is over.

I just know that if I had made the decision to clean up my room on my own, It would have taken me all day (instead of just an hour!) and I probably would not have rearranged or brought in flowers. I just love cleaning club for those reasons- we all marvel every week at how much we get done and how much more fun it is to work together.

Thank you so much Rachel & Shannon for helping me get my room back! I love it! And it is truly a gift to have your help making my home more functional for my family. THANKS!

a very happy birthday

2009-06-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

I cannot even begin to tell you how loved and honored I felt last night when my family pampered and spoiled me for my birthday! It had already been a wonderful day full of phone calls from dear family and friends wishing me a happy birthday, and even some time alone to do a little shopping (thank you Rachel for taking the kids to the pool!!) and then a nice afternoon visit with my friend and birthday mate, Melissa. I've never had a friend with the same birthday as mine, and now I have one who lives just a block over from me and who is a wonderful person! That is so cool.

I had a very difficult time just sitting and relaxing while dinner was being prepared- I guess I'm so used to being the one doing it all. That is why this was a wonderful gift! Before dinner there was cheddar and blue cheese with crackers as an appetizer, which were so good. Then there were pork chops from our local meat market, grilled with homemade barbecue sauce, and a wonderful cold pasta salad with cucumbers and herbs that was really delicious. And some Georgia muscadine wine to go with them. I was thoroughly enjoying this when Jason got up from the table and came back with a beautiful plate of berries drizzled with a mouthwatering dark chocolate sauce which was also made from scratch, and a glass of sparkling blueberry wine.

And THEN there was yet another dessert (this was MY kind of meal!) called a chocolate raspberry clafoutis, which is sort of like a custard but sort of like a cake too. It was delicious as well and I was beyond stuffed with all this good food, as well as amazed at the cooking SKILZ Jason was dazzling me with! All I said was that I did not want to cook dinner on my birthday, and he did all the research and preparations for this amazing meal. The girls set a beautiful table including a bouquet of roses and lavender picked from our yard, and fancy folded napkins. Daisy helped Jason in the kitchen quite a lot too, and he said (as I do on many occasions) that he could not have done it without her.

And then there were presents! I was very surprised and excited to receive the DVD set of Freaks and Geeks, one of our all time favorite TV shows, as well as a membership to the wine of the month club at Gosford Wine! I get 3 bottles a month of their choice, along with tasting notes in my email box. I am SO excited about that! Now we can try out some new wines and look for some new recipes to try along with them, which I am looking forward to very much.

After presents we got the little kids in bed and I came out to a spotless living room- picked up and vacuumed by Daisy & Hazel- and we settled in to watch our first installment of Freaks and Geeks. We had our second helping of fruit with chocolate sauce somewhere between episodes 2 and 3 I think. What a fantastic night! I feel completely spoiled and loved, and I am hearing from my friends that Jason has raised the bar for birthday celebrations, which I just love. Everyone should feel so well taken care of on their birthday! Thank you Jason for making it a truly special birthday for me. So far I am loving 35!

Thank you also to everyone who commented on my last post- it is wonderful to see everyone checking in. Here's to another great year!

whew!

2009-06-12T08:22:00.004-04:00

Well, summertime is in full swing, and we are swimming swimming swimming, reading lots of books for the summer reading program, and having lots of fun with friends. I was trying so hard to keep the blog updated but another week slipped by there without me hardly noticing!

Today is my 35th birthday. There are lots of plans tonight and over the weekend, so I will have to post AFTER they happen, but I promise to take pictures. The highlight is definitely going to be the meal Jason is planning for me tonight- there was advance preparation going on last night that smelled SO good. I can't wait!

As I've done before, I would just love it if each and every person who reads this would leave me a comment, even if you don't make a habit of doing so. It always gives me a boost to see that there are in fact lots of people checking in with us, and it will help motivate me to keep posting through the summer. Thank you!!

fourteen?!

2009-06-05T14:56:00.003-04:00

Somehow I just can't believe my Daisy is fourteen today. It is amazing how quickly that time has passed by us!

Jason took her out today for a lunch date instead of dinner, because there is an evening event at the library she wants to attend (have I said how awesome our teen program is at the Athens library?) and then she is having a few friends over to celebrate tomorrow night.

In these pictures she is sporting my newest creation and birthday gift to her, a skirt made from neckties. She is completely in love with it and I am sure she will wear it often. It looks great on her and twirls out to a full circle- and who doesn't love wearing something that twirly?

I am so proud of the young lady Daisy is becoming- she is trustworthy, helpful, and honest, and is still very much my sweet little girl even as she heads towards becoming a woman. I enjoy very much the time I get to spend with her and love watching her try out her wings as she gains more and more independence. She is an awesome daughter, sister, and friend- a person I am thankful to have in my life. I love you, Daisy girl. Happy birthday!!

in the market for a new favorite

2009-06-03T08:53:00.001-04:00

Lyle broke my favorite coffee cup. Just swiped it carelessly from the table with a flick of his wrist, and in one moment I went from enjoying a lovely cup of joe to picking broken pieces of pottery out of a puddle on the floor.

I've completed the mourning process now, and am ready to look for a new love. It has to be just the right size- not too big, and the handle has to fit at least 3 of my fingers and not be too thick. This one was store bought, but I think I'll go for handmade this time. And of course it must be beautiful.

I hate losing a beloved object, but I love the chance to search for a new one! I'll report back when I have been successful in my quest.

a little carpentry

2009-06-01T01:06:00.001-04:00

My dad gave Jason a really awesome table saw a while back and we've been wanting to start doing some projects around here to put it to use. We decided that a basic picnic table would be a just the thing to get us started, so we found some plans and went and bought our lumber and other supplies last week.

We started cutting the wood around 11:00 Sunday morning, and before it was dark we had our picnic table all finished! We are really pleased with how it turned out and are excited to start planning our next woodworking project. Here are some photos from our day:

Projects like this are a great way to put our math skills to everyday use: measuring lengths, adding fractions, and figuring angles.

Everyone helped out in some way throughout the day. Stella wasn't very interested in all the loud cutting and drilling, but she liked screwing the nuts and bolts together.

Jason and I always enjoy making things together- we make a good team.

It was almost dark when we got the last support boards in place- just in time!

Lyle loves to help carry heavy things.

And, the finished table! We plan to keep this out in our front yard where we can sit in the shade with friends when they stop by to visit. It is sturdy enough for the kids to climb all over/under and even use as a stage, fort, or whatever it will become. We do plan to paint it and I'll be sure to post photos when we do.

We found the free plans online here and purchased our lumber, bolts, nails, etc. at Home Depot, spending just under $100. We actually saw a kit there for $99 that would have taken us way less time, but this was a great learning project for us and it is super sturdy. It was a lot of fun to build and I know we are much more proud of it than if we had used a kit. Hooray for making things from scratch!

recent conversation

2009-05-31T14:47:00.000-04:00

(while Lyle was making some kind of big mess- I don't remember what)
Mom: Lyle, you are a trouble maker.
Lyle: No!
Mom: Well, you're a mess maker, anyway.
Lyle: No, Mommy. I'm a happy maker!

Indeed. This guy is The Happy Maker if ever there was one!

a little knitting

2009-05-27T14:36:00.003-04:00

It seems like quite a while since I posted about any knitting- mostly because I haven't been doing a whole lot of it lately. It's finding the time that I have trouble with! I do have a knitted bag finished and ready to felt too, so I'll post about that soon.

For now, here are the socks I started recently. My mom gave me this yarn a long time ago, and I've been wanting to get another pair of socks going for a while now. So I thought they would make a good summertime project since they are small and the wool isn't bulky and hot, and that way when fall comes around I'll have some new socks to wear!

The big difference with these from the others I did (and the ones I see my friends knitting) is that they are both being knit at once and they are also started at the toe and knitted upwards. I am really excited about both of these things, because not only can I try them on easily as I go and make sure I get the perfect fit, but I can also use up all the yarn giving me maximum length without worry of running out before finishing the toe AND they will both be completed at the SAME TIME! Anyone who knows me is well aware that I have lots of big ideas and start lots of projects, but it is the FINISHING that I often have a hard time with. And getting one sock done and never getting around to the second one is pretty much hard-wired into my personality. So doing both at once will help me avoid that.

For anyone who is interested, the pattern is a free download from Knitpicks- although I am using 2 circular needles as opposed to magic loop, because I greatly prefer that method. So far this pattern seems really great because you do the fitting as you go, making the sock fit exactly to the foot it is intended for. The yarn is Regia Silk Color (wool/nylon/silk blend, self striping) in #190, and I am using #2 Addi Turbo needles. There is also a really helpful page here for extra info about knitting 2 socks at once on 2 circulars.

Now lets see if I can manage to get these done before sock wearing weather!

last day in DC

2009-05-24T00:15:00.000-04:00

On Sunday Hazel was feeling better again and were all able to go out together. First we went to the National Arboretum, and the first attraction was the fish pond! There was fish food to buy, and the koi were absolutely jumping over each other to get it! The kids could have spent hours there, but we had to drag them away so we could go see the bonsai trees.

The bonsai garden was really beautiful. We just could not get over the wonderful shapes and everyone kept running from one to the next saying "Come look at THIS one!" We even got to see a demonstration about how to get a bonsai tree started, which was really interesting.

This azalea bonsai was just at it's peak and SO beautiful.

Then we walked down to the National Capitol Columns, which were really cool. You can read about them here.

We took a group shot on our way back up to the buildings, and I really liked how the silly one turned out. The regular one is in my Flickr.

After the Arboretum, we headed for the White House, which we had saved for when Hazel and Jason would be with us. Everyone was very excited to see Obama's house!

The kids enjoyed the visitor's center and we all spent some quiet time looking through books and doing some worksheets they had out. It was nice and quiet as they were about to close.

Lyle finally fell asleep in the carrier as we walked around to see the other side of the White House, and we were ready to head back to our hotel. We were all very tired but had a great time getting to see Washington, DC, and I know we will jump at the chance to go back since there is so much more that we were not able to fit in during this visit.

more sightseeing

2009-05-23T12:46:00.003-04:00

I'm only a week behind now, and almost through with photos from our trip. I'm going to go ahead and get caught up and then we'll be back to stuff at home, moving into the summer routine!

Last Saturday, we headed into DC for some more sightseeing, but things were different than we had planned. Hazel was still recovering from the stomach bug that hit her Friday evening, so Jason stayed at the hotel with her, and kept Lyle there as well. Of course I hated that Jason & Hazel missed out, I was excited about a whole day not having to tote that heavy boy around on my back! And we were able to do several things we would not have been able to do with him, so it was very nice.

First stop was the East building of the National Gallery of Art. We had stopped in the main building for a few minutes on Thursday, but Lyle was NOT interested and was very unhappy. This time we got to take in a little bit more of the art before Stella decided she did not like all the security guards freaking out every time we turned around. She also thought it was preposterous that there were so many things which looked like something you could sit on, but were in fact art and therefore could not even be touched. We did get to see Jackson Pollack's "Lavendar Mist", which is cool because Daisy recently learned about his work at the teen library program she attends. We also got to see some of Alexander Calder's amazing mobiles, but no photos were allowed in that room. The older girls and I could have sent hours in this one museum, but we were thankful for what we did get to see.

Next we headed for the capitol, which turned out to be a really awesome visit and we all learned a lot. We never would have been able to stay as long as we did if Lyle had been along, but Stella really enjoyed herself and we got to read and look around and watch the films about the Senate and House of Representatives. The visitor's center was very nice- engaging and informative. And outside the building was such a great backdrop for photos! I think the kids felt like they were in a movie shoot or something. :)

Stella even took a picture with me in it- she loves shooting with my big camera!

Lastly, we headed for the National Portrait Gallery, where we were looking forward very much to seeing Shepard Fairey's portrait of Obama. It was really cool to see it up close and get to look at all the detail that is lost in the reproductions.

We headed back to the van then, very VERY tired and ready to get back and relax. Daisy and Bea suffered from the over-tired giggles that evening and were laying under the sofa bed while I was in and out of the room doing laundry- our visit was almost up and I needed to start packing again!

DC at night

2009-05-21T15:12:00.002-04:00

Friday evening we went into DC to see everything lit up at night. First stop was the Washington Monument, just as it was becoming dark out. Everyone was really amazed at the hugeness of this monument as we looked up. It really made you feel so tiny.

We had a bit of excitement when Hazel got sick in the car on the way downtown, but we thought it was just car sickness, so we went on with our plans. We ended up seeing less than planned though, as it became evident that she was actually sick and feeling worse and worse as the evening went on. We did manage to see the WWII Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, both of which were so beautiful lit up.