Busy, busy

We took the boys to Laser Zone for their "good report card treat." At report card time, they get to choose where we go for a family outing- usually it is something involving laser tag. All 3 boys (including Daddy) had a great time hiding behind walls and ducking around corners. I was a frequent target as I was feeling a little under the weather and wasn't giving them the competition I usually do. Laser Zone is a three story, very dark building with ramps and lots of places to hide. I'm surprised Ethan didn't get nervous wandering around in the dark by himself. We were the only ones there, which was nice as it wasn't crowded; however, fewer people mean fewer targets!
My brother has been working on getting a website up for me. Very exciting!

back again

Ah, what a week it's been. Ethan came home from school with 102 degree fever last Friday and was sick all weekend. We went to the doctor Monday afternoon where we were informed that it was only a virus and should be just about done. Lovely. While I am very glad that my son is nearly better, it cost me $21.60 to be told what I pretty much already guessed.

Sunday night he felt well enough to soak in the tub. I got him set up with music in the background, toys, and a spa bubble maker, then I crossed the hallway to straighten my scrapbook area. Within a few minutes I heard, "Mom, look!" And this is what I saw:

Chloe in the tub with Ethan! I don't know which one was having more fun!

I've been having some great creative bouts lately. Last night I made a card for a contest. I'm not usually a card maker, so I felt that I needed to do something a little unusual with it. . . so I made it out of burlap! Then this morning, I cranked out a one page layout for another contest. Whoo, I love being productive!

This weekend, I'm heading out for a girls' weekend with some old friends of mine from nursing school. We're headed to San Marcos for the Creating Keepsakes Convention and for a little sight seeing. Looking so forward to it!

ideas

I've been looking at lots of blogs lately and getting lots of ideas for albums. Can't wait to get started- do I start with the "He Said, She Said" or "A Day in My Life" or maybe "All About

Me". . . I just don't know. . .

Here's a recent picture of Chloe. She's such a big part of the family.

Sweet!

The other night, we were invited by some friends to go to an Astros game in a suite. Let me tell you, it was sure sweet! I've been to a few games before, and I always enjoyed them. But this was something else! 12 of us had a room with chairs, tables and our own set of bleachers. The food was phenomonal! We even had an ice cream cart come to our suite and we got to choose what kind of sundae we wanted. Unbelievable! We had so much fun!

Oh, the game was great, too.

Ahh, the sweet days of summer. Phil was watering the yard today, and Ethan decided to have a little fun. . . what is it with little boys having to stick their tushies in the spray?

busy, busy, busy day

Whew! What a busy and productive day! I began the day teaching a class at The Scrapbook Village. We made a vacation journal out of envelopes, graph paper, a map and cardstock. We all had a great time! I truly enjoy teaching. The two pics above are the finished product.

Then I got to help with a make and take. My technique was making a layout out of a paper bag. See photo above. It was quick, easy, and only slightly messy (we used paint).

Once I finished up at the Village, I hurried home to pick my darlings up from my mom's. We ate dinner together and watched a dog superhero movie.

Believe it or not, I then mustered up the strength to clean my house! I swept, mopped, scrubbed the bathrooms, and straightened the kitchen. Yowza!

I just LOVE productive days!

It's hard to believe, but this little boy turned eight today! He's actually been celebrating for the last three days! On Saturday, he invited four close friends to a pool party. They had a blast! Phil had taken the day off from work, so he swam with them.

Then we had my family over to celebrate. We watched baby videos, he opened lots of G.I. Joe stuff, and we ate a dinner of his choosing: chicken sandwiches, corn, and tater tots (okay, the corn was not his idea- I just try to get veggies in them whenever I can). He also requested apple pie instead of cake. I knew my brother and Sammy wouldn't eat pie, so I also made brownies. While Sam and Ethan played with the new toys, the rest of us giggled at the home videos. These boys were such dolls!

Then he got lots of birthday attention yesterday in his Sunday School class. He tried talking me into letting him open a present from us early. I declined.

First thing this morning, after I made his requested birthday breakfast of monkey bread, he was ready to open his gifts. We surprised him by getting a Nintendo DS and a couple of games. Our boys have never had any type of game system, so this went over pretty big. He and Sam took turns with it all day. I told them they could have a day or two of unlimited use, but then we'll have some time limits (I know, I know- veggies with your b-day meal and time limits on video games- what kind of mom am I?!)

Exciting weekend

Well, this was an exciting weekend! On Saturday, I helped with a Technique Make and Take at the Scrapbook Village. I was showing some ladies some tips for using transparencies when my phone rang. Usually when I'm busy, I don't answer my phone. This time I did, thank Heavens. It was a very nervous Phil calling me to tell me that he was taking Ethan to the ER with a hole in his head. Apparently he had been sitting on a gate which opened (go figure) and caused him to fall on the cement sidewalk. (Later Ethan informed me that he had climbed onto the garbage can to get onto the gate to use a broom handle to pound a pipe that was on the roof.)

By the time I got to the ER, his head was already bandaged after getting 3 staples. He was most impressed by his hospital bracelet. He said, "Look, Mom, they called me ED." I said, "That stands for Emergency Department." Oh.

By this morning, the dressing had fallen off. He showed his staples to nearly everyone in church. He was a big hit with all the kids!

My sweet husband is simply the best. He doesn't much care for blood, and because I wasn't home, he had to handle this whole thing by himself. He stopped the gushing coming from Ethan's wound, dropped Sammy off at my mom's, and got Ethan to the ER. Phil rocks.

The boys only have 13 days of school left. Whoo hoo! I am one of those strange moms who actually looks forward to the summer.

This is what went on at our house today. These boys had a blast. When they were done, I had to hose them and the dog off before they could come in the house! When my husband sees the holes out back that they dug out to make mud, he's going to be quite unhappy.

Here are two projects I've worked on this week:

I got this printer's drawer at a yard sale. I cut up scraps of paper for each opening. Can't decide what else to do with it, though. Right now, it's sitting on the floor in my livingroom below some freefloating bookshelves.

The mini book is a make and take project I made for a crop I'm going to on Friday. It's a few library cards tucked into a library pocket. On one side of the card is a photo with a list of that person's favorites on the other side. Quick and easy!

My children never cease to amaze me.

First, we went to a bookstore. While we were in the children's section, Ethan, my mom and I were actively looking. Sam, on the other hand, instead of looking, had a seat at a miniature table and proceded to do his homework!

Then at Bible Study, they were sitting under the table (as usual). Ethan and his friend Wallace had two tiny Lego dudes and a miniature ball. First, they were pretending that the dudes were kicking the ball back and forth. Then Ethan got a pad of paper and I quietly watched to see what he was up to. He labeled the numbers 1, 2, 3 then made one that said home base. Then he and Wallace proceded to play a game of miniature baseball! Truly, I do not know how they come up with these ideas!

Here are a few photos of a class I'm teaching at Scrapbook Village on the 18th. It's a "Mom's Memories" book- basically a place to jot down the everyday stories. Should go together rather quickly and easily (I hope!)

I'm finally feeling better after three days of feeling sick. Man, I hate being sick!

The boys and I were eating out tonight with my mom. Sam was eating his ice cream with a plastic spoon. For some reason, this comment came out of his mouth, "Mommy is probably the only person in the world who washes plastic spoons!" (Yes, sometimes we reuse plastic spoons. They're clean. I didn't realize it was such a big deal!) He said it like he couldn't believe that I do that! My mom and I laughed and laughed.

Well, I got the fourth book in the Twilight series. I can't wait to get started reading it!

twilight and stuff

Okay, so I've started reading the Twilight series on a friend's recommendation. And, oh my word, these books are fantastic! I started reading the first book on a Sunday evening. 498 pages and three days later, I was done- and hooked!
I'm now a third of the way through the third book. I have been finding all sorts of spare time to read, like when I dry my hair or while I wait for dinner to boil . . .

Yesterday while I was waiting for the boys to get out of school, I got to the last two pages of book two before the fellas hopped in the backseat. We went through all the stories from the day as we drove home, as usual. Then, we ran some errands. I really wanted to finish those last two pages. So, I told Sam to let me know when the light turned green. We did this for several lights in a row, and I finished!

Then Sam pointed out that there were some cars waiting at a green light instead of moving. Ethan piped up and said, "Maybe they have somebody in there reading a Twilight book and there's nobody to tell them the light changed!" (That boy sure can call 'em!)

Phil has changed from third shift (11p-7a) to second shift (3p-11p). We think this shift may allow him more quality time with the family. So, tonight the boys and I drove out to the plant to bring him dinner. He loved the tacos and salsa, and I think he enjoyed our loud company. Sure, he had to tell Ethan to stop hanging so far out the window, then had to tell him to get out from behind Sam and go sit in his own seat. Certainly, he wouldn't be able to find this kind of company in the breakroom!

My kids go through phases where they get really excited about something, but before too long, they lose interest. Examples: Pirates of the Carribbean, Marvel superheroes, Bioncles. . . Well, you'll be surprised to hear their newest obsession- chores! Yep, they have been coming home excited to check things off their chore list. Now, before you start thinking grand things about these boys, let me tell you something. They have an ulterior motive. They want money! We've had a chore list for at least a year. Almost every week I print off a fresh one, but it would stay pretty empty. Last Friday, I took the boys to Target and let them spend all the money in their wallets, so now they feel they need to earn some money! (That was my ulterior motive!)
On one hand, it's great that they're finally helping out around the house. On the other hand, it would be nice if they were doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. I guess I shouldn't complain. . .

Our little Chloe is getting bigger everyday. . . and I'm falling more in love with her everyday! What a doll! I'm pleased to announce that she is potty trained! Yep, she stands by the back door when she wants out. If somebody doesn't notice right away, she gives the door a little scratch. Man, I'm proud of her!

Here's a picture of a project I made. I used an envelope and part of a free sample of some Sassafrass Lass paper to create this. The paper felt retro to me, so I used a picture of my husband when he was little.

I'm working on creating a "Mom's Memories" journal/scrapbook for a class at the Scrapbook Village. I'm pretty excited about it. More pics to come soon.

Cute story from earlier. Ethan was singing to himself this afternoon. Here's what I heard to the tune of Take Me Out to the Ballgame, "Buy me some crackers and Applejacks. . ."

Oh, boy. My kids are something else. They spent the afternoon out back making mud pies, digging holes, and chasing Chloe. They even made a "fort" out of random things they collected from the yard- a soccer goal, lawn chairs, large rocks, a football practice net. . . . It seems that their idea of a fort is my idea of a mess!

I was talking to Phil yesterday while I made lunch. I happened to glance out the window and had to stop my story to holler, "Sam, make Chloe stop licking the lawn mower!" Then I went back to finish my story. Phil laughed and said that sounded like a line from a sitcom. Funny, but that's how it goes around here! I find myself saying things that I never thought I'd say:
"Chloe, stop eating the fireplace!"
"Who put a stick in the windmill?"
"Who hung a dirty sock on the wall?"
"Chloe, stop eating the table!"
"Why is the pepper outside?"

Yesterday, the boys and I decided to walk over to my mom's house which is three blocks away. I filled a basket with games and jackets and hooked Chloe up to her leash. Sugar, my tiny toy poodle, never really walks on a walk, so she rode in my basket. We took off. Ethan got to hold the leash first. Chloe decided she'd rather run than walk. Ethan was fine with that. Then when it was Sam's turn to take her, he only made it half a block before he tripped and dropped the leash. Of course, Chloe took advantage of the opportunity. She took off with Ethan trying to chase her down. Sam started crying more from being afraid of getting in trouble than from being in pain. I think we looked like a mini circus coming down the road! There was a lady out checking her mail, and she just watched us with a smile on her face until we passed.

These are the days! And I wouldn't trade them for anything!

Phil and I celebrated our 13th anniversary yesterday. We had a date night last Friday, so last night (Monday), we didn't plan to go anywhere. Instead we decided to order pizza and watch cartoons with the boys. When I told Ethan that we were ordering pizza for our anniversary, he looked at me and very quietly asked, "Do we get to eat some, too?"



Ethan and I finished up another project. He was chosen to be the Superstar of the Week in his second grade class. He brought home a poster to fill out about himself. He said we had to use scrapbook paper on it. I looked at it and couldn't figure out how we could do that. Finally, I talked him into a frame made of rectangular scraps. He is very frustrating to work with. He has his own ideas and doesn't budge easily. "But Mommy, I was thinking we could do it like this." or "Are you sure that's how you spell it?" Anyway, this is how it turned out.





This is a picture of Ethan's "How to" poster from last week. The pictures crack me up. Daddy was the victim. When he was heading out to the backyard to take the picture, I asked him to please pretend like he was really trapped. He told me, "Honey, I know how to fall in a boobytrap!"




This is Sam's cobra project.

After all of this, I've decided that the next project that comes home, Daddy gets to help with!

Wheew! Both boys have had projects to work on this week. We finished Sam's last night and sent it to school today. He had to do a report on the king cobra (his choice of animal) and also do a project to go with it. He and I had a great time working on the project. We turned a small box on its side and turned it into a habitat. It really turned out cute.

Ethan's project is a "how to" poster which isn't due until next week. He is unlike his brother, though, in that he doesn't wait until the last minute to do it. Last night, we took the pictures for his poster. His topic is "How to make a booby trap." It's a lost art, you know:) My boys seem to be experts at making them (I guess it's from years of practice!) He dug a hole, laid sticks over it, covered it all up with leaves, and got his daddy to walk into it. If nothing else, his teacher should be entertained by it!

"A boy is truth with dirt on its face, beauty with a cut in its finger, and the hope of the future with a frog in its pocket. . ." -unknown

Had a nice weekend. Ethan woke up on Saturday feeling much better. He's been pretty laidback all weekend- not full force just yet.

My grandparents were down from Iowa. They always stop on their way to the Valley, and then again on their way back. We had two nice evenings with them over at my mom's house.

Yesterday when Sam was getting ready to go over there, he came out dressed in his camo pants and hat. I told him that he looked like he was ready for combat. I guess that gave him some food for thought because he came back to me and asked if he could ride on the side of the car on the way over to Nonny's house. Then he was sitting in the bathroom when I went to check on him. A flashlight was sitting on the counter. He asked me to turn out the light so he could "practice going to the bathroom without power." Another brillant idea from my little genius! lol!

Here's a look at the make and take I'm helping with next Saturday, Feb. 7 at The Scrapbook Village. It's supposed to show my style.

Kids are like sponges: they absorb all your strenght and leave you limp. But give 'em a squeeze and you get it all back. -Barbara Johnson

I truly am blessed with my boys. They delight me to no end.

Finally, I'm posting again!

First of all, here's a picture of baby Chloe. Not such a baby anymore. She is growing like you wouldn't believe! She's only getting up once a night now, and after a trip outside, she goes right back to bed without complaining! Potty training is going pretty well, but we still have work to do. We are all totally in love with her!

Ethan is home sick today. I woke up at 4:10 a.m. to a little voice saying, "Mom, I feel like I'm going to throw up!" He wasn't kidding. Lesson learned: next time you feel that way, head to the bathroom, Mom will meet you there!

Dropped off my layouts to the Scrapbook Junkie last Sat. Here's a look at them. I used the scraps from the wedding papers to make this heart project. I backed an acrylic heart with a transparency, slapped a picture on it, then hung it with a little tulle and silver beads. The other layout reminded me of the seventies, so I did a layout of me when I was little. For a while, I was stumped about what to journal, but once I started jotting down memories, they just started flowing!

Made a family favorite last night: White Chocolate Chip Lemon Cookies. They are delightful! Here's the recipe:

2 sticks margarine 2 1/4 cup flour

2/3 cup brown sugar 3/4 tsp soda

1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt

1 egg 1 pkg white choc. chips

2 tsp. lemon extract

Beat margarine and sugar til creamy. Add egg and lemon extract. Beat until fluffy. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add to wet mixture. Stir in choc. chips. Bake at 350 for about 9-10 min.

The boys started back to school today. Ethan was very anxious, as I expected he would be. Whenever he has an extended break from school, he has a hard time starting back up. Sam, as usual, wasn't worried about a thing.

I put the finishing touches on my 25 Days Until Christmas album (see photos in earlier blog). I am so tickled with how it turned out! This is the project idea that I got from Ali Edwards' blog. She is so inspiring!

Our family has a new addition. Her name is Chloe. The boys got her for Christmas. She is delightful and endearing. Even though she's constantly nibbling on us, she has captured all of our hearts.


No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich. - Louis Sabin