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. . ."