Park

I took my new baby to the park on Friday and got some nice shots of the boys. I am not a professional in the slightest and my mom said I am using the wrong format or something like that... I will learn, honest.

Slides are best when you go down on your belly.

"No, don't take my picture!"

"Hey!"

Rock climbing fun.

Almost to the top.

He's so cute. Goofy sometimes but cute.

Painting

My happy quilting is being interrupted....


soon we'll be painting the boys room...

Nationals

My daughters FPS (Future Problem Solvers) team is going to Nationals in Michigan! There were 7 teams at the junior level and the 2 teams with the highest scores would be invited to Nationals. They came in second. I can't believe it. They worked very hard all year and they truly earned this one!


Of course, now we have to figure out how to raise the funds for them to go. Our school is poor! It also turns out that it's the same weekend her Girl Scout troop was supposed to go to camp... nothing is ever easy.

Congratulations Hannah and the whole team. Especially to their teacher/coach!

More yard

I don't have any before pictures but here's the front of the house after the yard work was all done. The yard will look completely different in the summer when all the hostas are up and the hydrangeas are blooming!


I'll get back to the quilt pictures soon. I've got the baby quilt all basted, now to quilt it...

Backyard transformations

My yard was looking pretty awful. All over the mulch was gone and the black plastic showed through. The kids play area had turned into rich black soil. I needed mulch. Bad. I needed the yard cleaned up too. I called the guys who mow for me all summer and had them come out. They did it all in a day. It would have taken us days and days. I love them.

Before

After

The front of the house got a dramatic face lift too. Do you want to see? I can take a picture...

It isn't quite time for spring planting yet but I am eager to get some pretty flowers in now! Hey Mom, are you ready?

Camera!

I got my camera! Hurray! I haven't figured out all the bells and whistles yet. My mom stopped by yesterday and helped me play with it and figure some of it out.


I am going to read the manual too. Just like Seth did.


It's soooo pretty. So very, very pretty. A belated Happy Birthday to me! The pictures are so much better. At my moms suggestion, Dan got an external flash for me. It makes a big difference. I kept taking Hannah's picture yesterday. She was like, "God mom, can't you stop." "Ah, no." Click.


I don't have any exciting updates to share. I didn't get the quilt top done yet. Pure laziness on my part. I have been distracted by a book. We're reading The Time Travelers Wife for book club. I've read it before and had no qualms rereading it because it's such a fabulous book. You should read it if you haven't. I will work on the quilt this weekend though. I sat down to work on it last night but I was pooped from the Kickboxing class. I had to miss the last two classes but I intent to go every Friday if I can. I need it and it's free. That's one of my favorite words. But speaking of fabric and quilting I got some yummy stuff online that should be coming in the mail soon. It was all 50% off. How can you say no to fabric at 50% off? I can't.

Oh, Hannah is all in the clear with her braces stuff. She now only has to wear her retainer at night and she doesn't go back for 6 months. Of course in 3 years ish when her adult teeth have all grown in I bet we'll be back there paying for more braces. Maybe not... but probably. Then we get to do the same thing with Simon and Seth too. Oh, they're gonna love us. We will single handedly keep them in business.

But who cares. I got my camera. I got my camera.

New week

Since there is a never ending list of to-dos around here it's always nice to be at the start of a week. I feel like I already accomplished a lot because I got the silly swim classes taken care of. There is only one place for the kids to go without joining the Y and if you don't get signed up within minutes of registration opening up you aren't going to get any classes. SO silly. You'd think they'd figure it out and offer swimming somewhere else, we are paying for it after all and most people like to make money...

Anyway, this week has lot of fun in store for me. Dentist, girl scout outing, our usual TKD and gymnastics, orthodontist, moms club stuff, pto meeting, and another meeting for future problem solvers. Hannah's team gets to go to State this year! Pretty cool if you ask me. I don't think they'll make it all the way to the National competition but they worked hard solving all their future problems so they deserve to move on I think.

We had Said here with us the last two weeks so I didn't use my office as much. I did get the blocks pieced. I'll get the top sewn this week and maybe even get it sandwiched together. Maybe I'll even get started on the quilting...


Another cute one! (Yes, I have made ugly quilts. I don't know if I'll ever show you because it's fugly!)

Dan and I also waved goodbye to his hard earned money and bought our tickets for Denver this summer. Hurray! Who wants to play while we're there? We'll be out for the last 2 weeks of July. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone that I haven't seen in 2 years! I can't believe it's been that long since I've been back home.

One thing after another

Things can get so busy sometimes that I hardly get a chance to sit at my computer for more than a few minutes.

I celebrated my 33 birthday rather quietly last week. No need to make a fuss. After about 25 what mile stones are we aiming for anyway? Old enough to run for president or over the hill. I am however very excited that I am going to get a new camera! Yay for me! You'll know when I get by the shear number of photos I put up!

Friday Simon had his belt test. He's now a High Purple Belt.

I love Master Sonny!

He's really loving it since he joined the Black Belt Club and he gets to do sparring. The mommy in me is all sorts of nervous about him sparring and maybe accidentally getting hit in the back of the neck but I logically know that probably won't happen. I'm still nervous though. He is even doing some TKD moves for the school talent show with 2 other kids. I have to suffer through talent show practice and the show this Friday! Most kids want to show off their singing skills... that they really don't have... it hurts.

Saturday the kids practiced for the talent show for a while then in the evening I got to go on a date with Dan! (Thanks, Said!) We had some yummy sushi and then went to see a movie. The movie turned out to be not so good... it was actually awful. He's lost his movie picking privileges for some time. Yeah, it was bad.

Sunday we got to see Misty!!!! Hurray!!!! She was down in DC for a swearing in ceremony and managed to get her way up here for the day. I feel special. It was so awesome to see her! I miss having her here with me. You have to band together! I'll see her again this summer and more of my fabulous friends too!

Yesterday after running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get too many things done I realized I had a quilt guild meeting that I volunteered to help set up at! God, we had girl scouts and TKD after school, I was befuddled. I hurried out of the house and when I got there I realized we were going to be playing a game. I forgot all about the fun strip poker game! Don't go there, it's just 2 1/2 inch fabric strips not a whole bunch of grandmas taking their clothes off. One of the ladies offered me some of her strips so I could play. It was fun and I managed to come home with quite the eclectic mix of fabric strips since she didn't want them back. Let's face it, if you're looking at losing fabric you won't take your favorites with you. I think I'll make a charity quilt out of all of this.


I have started piecing a baby quilt for my nephew who's due to arrive this spring. The blocks are soooo cute. Slowly but surely I'll get it done.


One last little picture for fun. Sometimes when your butt is too small it causes problems.

Tears of joy

Today I made Simon's teacher cry. I'm such a bully. Just kidding. We had a surprise party for her and I gave her the quilt we made. She loved, loved, loved it!


They all swarmed around her pointing out which block they made. She told them when she is missing them she can look at the blocks they made and she can show them to her baby.

Invasion

We're being taken over by Little Brownie Bakers!


Cookies, cookies, everywhere. Now, to sort them ALL out...

Sledding

It's sooo much fun! The kids and I hadn't been sledding together so I borrowed my wonderful neighbors sleds and off we went after school today. A good time was had by all!

Sliding backwards is fun.

Ready, set, go!

Back up to the top.

Obligatory, smile for the camera picture. Yup, her hair is always in her mouth.

Strike a pose! Isn't he handsome.

Beware a long afternoon of sledding. It'll knock you out cold while mama cooks you dinner...

Snow again!

Before bed last night the kids made sure it snowed a lot by wearing their pj's inside out, putting pennies in the window sill, placing a spoon under their pillows, and putting toothpaste on their little noses. I had never heard of these silly things before. Have you? Some kid told Hannah that this worked therefor it's gospel. I told them that the weather forecast already called for over a foot of snow and that school would most likely be canceled. Of course, now that the school is closed for the day and the snow is still coming down they'll think they did it. It's like the Indian Rain Dance. If you dance until it rains, eventually it will rain...

Dan tried to get to work. It didn't work.

So here we are again with a snow day. I love to be snowed in. I like the big, white, fluffy flakes all over. The only problem is entertaining the midgets so they don't drive me insane. I can't just let them watch TV and play on the computer all day. They probably won't last outside for very long either. Maybe some board games and crafts are in order. I'd like to play with fabric but don't I always want to do that?

Totally changing the subject here...

I really want a new camera! I take pictures and I don't like what the pictures look like. I don't like the direct flash but without the flash it's all grainy from the low light. Grr. I have no control over the pictures. You get what you get. Period. My mom suggests getting a Canon Rebel, any other suggestions?

Flash.

No flash.

The pancakes we had yesterday were very delicious though. I made plain ones for the kids and mixed berry for myself. Yup, there's a reason I don't look like a model. I like to eat!

The kids are ready to go out and play. Let the bundling begin!