A little glimpse of us

Sweet Baby Boy... Announcing Baby Ben!!

2011-05-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

So after more than a year without a single post.. a friend of mine "found" my blog and pointed out that I hadn't updated forever. (Thanks liz! This post is for you!) So, not that I can promise I can catch up but for tonight - here's the most important announcement: Benjamin Samuel Fisher was born on January 27th, 2011 at 6:53am. He was 7 lbs 12 oz and 19 inches long. Such a sweet little guy and is absolutely adored by his siblings! We had some absolutely beautiful and AMAZING newborn portraits taken, which you can view HERE.
So while you stare at this sweet face (hopefully not for months and years this time) I will work on some catch up posts.

The big 9

2010-06-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Michael turned 9 on Feb 4. Here's also a few photos from his actual birthday.. he's been into Diary of a Wimpy Kid (books) so he got the entire set for his birthday. He thought that was pretty cool!

Mr. Smarty Pants

2010-06-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Luke won an academic award near the end of January for doing so well in Spelling and Math - he aces nearly all his spelling tests, including all the bonus words. He loves being so smart and likes to rub it in! He was pretty proud of this award but I think he was actually more excited for the gift certificate for Wingers he got as a result of getting the award!

Pottery Barn Kids Inspired Floral canopy

2010-06-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

My Inspiration: (This was a photo from a PBK magazine)

I basically just used a craft wreath base and wrapped with with 2 inch satin white ribbon, then I hot glued the heck out of the flowers. It still looks like it's missing something and I'm not sure how much I like the ribbons hanging down.. they almost look kind of awkward. Maybe I need to shorten them a bit and add a few more?! What do you think? Brynley loves it and it adds a perfect princess feel to her room!

Korean Exchange Student - Haemin

2010-06-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

We got a flyer from the boys' school about a Korean exhange program. We thought it would be a good experience for the kids to experience another culture. It was for about 6 weeks and he would attend the same grade school as the boys. It was fun, but there were a lot of cultural differences that made it difficult at times to fit him in with us. The kids had a lot of fun with him and miss him, but we were happy when the time came to say goodbye and be back to just the 5 of us again. I think it definately benefited Haemin to learn what it was like to be a little more independant and part of a different family. My kids definately learned some things NOT to do :)

I learned that a 9 year old is far to young to go on an exchange. My experience has always been with high school exchange students and a student this young is definately takes a lot more energy and work! There' a blog I started (and didn't totally finish.. ) with quite a few pics on it if you want to take a look: http://haeminsadventuresinidaho.blogspot.com

Christmas 2010

2010-06-20T19:16:00.001-07:00

AND.. Last but not least...My Favorite Photo of these three kids - They are SOOO cute!

Halloween with Darth Vader, Black Spiderman and Alice in Wonderland

2010-06-20T18:43:00.001-07:00

Punkin carving

2010-06-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

This face TOTALLY cracks me up.. I guess Michael's not too fond of pumpkin guts! :)

Girl always has gum!

Luke has NO problem with guts!

Family Photos - October 2009

2010-06-20T18:00:00.001-07:00

The family pictures were taken by our friends, Kevin & Maria Draper - who are in Nyssa, Oregon.

The PUMPKIN Patch!!!

2009-10-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

October has been a blur! We started off with Luke being sick for an entire week (just tummyache, nausea and a little throwing up about every other day.. but no fever or upper respiratory stuff like in the the flu), then Brynley with a fever of 102-103 for 6 days, me not feeling too well (but not "flu" like) and I think we are finally DONE being sick for now! We finally found a day that we were all healthy, and it wasn't raining.. to hit the pumpkin patch! Time was limited since it was getting dark (and starting to rain), but we had fun and grabbed some great pumpkins! Here's a few pics from the day (this is also one of my first attempts at going manual with my camera - not too shabby, but certainly some room for improvement!):

We also had family pics taken this past week by our friends the Drapers, and hope to be posting the results here soon! We have one preview pic of Brynley back that they posted on Facebook (if you're a "fan" of mine on facebook check it out on my page, and if you're not a fan - request me and you'll see it there!)

It's been difficult to keep my head above water with school and kids being sick. It definately didn't slow down enough for me even though the kids were sick.. now I'm FINALLy starting to feel like I got caught up and and where I need to be! I can't WAIT for Thanksgiving and Christmas to get a bit of a break! It's been fun, but exhausting!

Last week I ALSO got an opportunity to visit with a fun photographer - Carly Carlson. That girl ROCKS! I did a mentoring session with her and am excited to get to share my journey in photography with her as time permits. She suggested starting a photo journal to track my progress, so don't be suprised when a few random pics show up - i'll just be super excited to share! I can't wait to buy photoshop and get moving on editing skills! (In case you ddin't know - it's a little less than $200 for the "student version" of photoshop - such an AWESOME deal! I'm totally buying it while I'm still a student and save myself some money!)

Do you need a budget?

2009-10-02T08:30:00.001-07:00

I do. Fabulessly Frugal is having 10 days of give-a-ways and today's give-a-way is a FREE download of "You need a budget" software. Check it out on the site. There is also a coupon code good for 15% off the download in case you don't win! www.fabulesslyfrugal.com

FABULESSLY FRUGAL!

2009-10-01T08:40:00.001-07:00

I love this website... Fabulessly Frugal. I check them nearly everday to find the latest and greatest in deals and couponing. They are local (Boise) and are having their first anniversary - and a whole string of give-a-ways! What are you waiting for? GO CHECK THEM OUT!!!!!!!!

can you say... SLACKER?!

2009-09-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

Yes.. I AM alive.. and a total BLOG slacker. School is crazy and takes up a lot of time. I'm trying to keep my head above water with all the typical mommy stuff, steven's business and nursing school. Anyway here are a few of the more recent highlights ...

1) We put an offer on a house.... the offer sat and sat (short sale) until we finally got fed up and looked around for something else. After a few weeks of searching listings religiously we finally found THE HOUSE! We walked into the deal with bank approval letters in place We signed the last week of July and moved in the couple of weeks after that! SOOO exciting.. finally we are homeowners (or at least in 30 years we will be!) Since we were first time home-buyers we qualified for the $8000 tax credit. SWEET! This house is so awesome and we were very fortunate and blessed to have found such an amazing house at the price we did. The virtual tour is still online here. We payed less than the listing too!! YAY for short sales! It's just too bad the owners lost out on this home. Brynley is in the "second" bedroom, the boys share the "third" bedroom and i get the 4th as MY OWN CRAFT room! YAHOO! It also doubles as the guest room, my office/study space and for anything else we might need it for.

2) The boys FINALLY learned how to swim (their confidence is growing!!) It was such a warm winter and there were SOO many beautiful days for swimming - we spent a lot of time at the pools!

3) We got a puppy. She was a suprise from my parents and the kids had SOO much fun playing with her all summer. Her name is Daisy, she's an irish setter (so she fits in with ehr red hair!) and she's a wonderful dog. She has a great temperment and when all the normal puppy stuff is outgrown she's really going to be a great family dog! The kids love her and she definately loves them!

4) The boys started school up again! They are in 1st and 3rd grades and we were able to get them into a year-round magnet school (it's magnet subjects are math & technology) so our summer was cut a couple weeks short but I am REALLY happy with the school and the boys are doing very well. Their teachers are great and they are both doing extremely well.

5) Brynley started her first dance class with Miss Kim at Elevated Dance Project. That's right - Miss Kim.. as in Kim Machado! She used to teach me in La Grande in high school and I'm SOO excited I have her to teach Brynley. This girl absolutely LOVES dance and loves Kim. She dances all through the house.. and even in the shower! It's so adorable and she's SO excited to go each week. Now if only things would slow down a bit - I could go too! Kim's studio is a little far from our house so right now with school I'm not able to make the drive 2x per week - but as soon as school is done I am TOTALLY back in!

7) We FINALLY made it to the Oregon coast again! The last time we went was a week or two before I found out I was pregnant with Brynley. The boys didn't really remember it and Brynley had never been so it was a lot of fun. They loved the ocean and I can't wait to take them again!

6) I started school back up again. This semester we actually get some time in the hospital. We do a 12 hour clinical in a local hospital 1x per week for the entire semester. So far I've learned a lot and my confidence is growing. It's so nerve-racking that first time you walk into a patient's room! I'm excited to learn new "skills" and eventually get to where I can finally be done with school. It's been a LONG time coming and I'm excited to finally have the opportunity.

I'm sure I'm forgetting things .. and I will add some pics later. But for now - I can say I've UPDATED the blog.. FINALLY! :o) My goal is to do this a little more often - it sounds like a nice sunday afternoon project!

March 20th - MARIO BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

2009-04-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Luke's "friend" party was held on a BEAUTIFUL day. It was SO warm, so we decided that the kids all needed to be outside in the backyard. It was quite chaotic here for about 2 hours, but the kids had a blast. We did a MARIO theme (again) and Luke wanted an "Invincible Star" cake.

We also had a pinata - a Mario Kart pinata (just a race car with mario's photo glued onto it - which just happened to be the perfect colors!).

We had a nice little game of Mario, Mario, Luigi (Duck Duck Goose).

Through all this, we only had 1 bee sting, 1 minor sprained ankle (she was up walking about 20 seconds later), and one puking incident on the trampoline. Luke had a great time being the center of attention with all his friends. It was so cute when the first guest arrived. He said "YAY! MY FIRST FRIEND IS HERE!" And then it was "MY SECOND FRIEND" and so on, until he was too busy to keep track of how many kids had showed up!

March 19 - HAPPY 6th BIRHDAY LUKEY!

2009-04-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, the 19th of March my little Lukey turned 6! Here's a pic of him as a tiny baby and at 3 months (luke came just before the age of the DIGITAL CAMERA!). I can't believe he's 6 already!

He was SO excited to have a birthday. At school he was the snack guy so we brought cupcakes. He is still TOTALLY addicted to Mario Bros. so he wanted invincible star cupcakes. After doing about 6 cupcakes with stars on them I ditched that idea and went for red and green mushroom cupcakes.

MUCH easier! The snack guy for the day is also the line leader and basically the teachers helper that day. ON a day that there is a birthday, right before snack all the kids color a picture to put in the "birthday book" for the birthday kid, w hile he passes out the snack.

Then they all sit down and wait for the "snack song" which starts out "Put your hand in your lap, in your lap.... put your hands in your lap and you're ready for a snack.... " Luke then got to tap each student on the shoulder to go find their place at a table for snack time. (this isn't different than any other day, but it's still cute!). Here's luke is the chair waiting for his turn to "tap" each kid on the shoulder. Try to ignore the kid picking his wedgie. Nice timing huh?

Then they sing happy birthday. Here is luke's expression during the happy birthday song.

I love how each kid gets to feel extra special at least once a month on their "snack" day, and especially on their birthdays. His teacher is excellent and does a wonderful job.

After school we went to Fudruckers for dinner (it seems to be a tradition we go somewhere fun for a birthday dinner), then home for presents. Luke is my artsy kid, so we decided that since we were tired of his "art" being ALL over the house he needed a place to put it. Our cheap solution was a bulliten board to hang above his bed. It was a BIG hit and it's always got his most favorite creations on it. He also got some other fun little things - and of course, it was time for a tennis racket!

March 18 - Recycle Music Program

2009-04-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Michael had his Music Program on March 18th. It had a theme of RECYCLING, and saving the earth. For months his class had been collecting "trash" (recyclable stuff) to use as decor, and to make a very strong point. The gym looked awesome with the kid's artwork everywhere and strings of pop cans, milk jugs, cereal box covered backboards and trash laying EVERYWHERE. We actually had to move stuff off our seats in order to sit down. The program was recognized on the local news and michael roped me into buying the DVD of the program and still watched it all the time.

Time for a Change!

2009-04-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a total slacker in the Blog department. Some might say I have good reason to be a slacker (aka... NURSING SCHOOL, and HUSBAND STARTING NEW BUSINESS, and... well, those are probably enough reasons) but STILL! I'm not really into writing in a journal. This is my form of a journal - my blog. SO... to get me in the mood I decided my blog needed a slight make-over (the snowmen just weren't doing anything for me anymore) and now that I've gotten the header done I'm pooped for the night. Tomorrow will be a perfect day for me to update with all the latest (we have had 2 birthdays, holidays, scout stuff.. etc etc.) For now you can just admire those cute kids at the top of the blog. These were Easter pics I took on Easter Sunday. By the time we were actually ready to go take pictures the sun was getting too high in the sky. Anyone have tips on fixing shady faces in photoshop?

What we've been up to

2009-03-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

So our life has been completely crazy for the past few weeks. Steven decided to leave his law firm after deciding it just wasn't working out with the new partners they had recently joined with. He has a little bit of work and some job prospects, but we're trying to figure out what will happen next. If he is not able to get the job he applied for with Ada county, he can continue to be on his own for a while and we would probably just do fine. It has NOT been a smooth transition and there are some disagreements with the firm, so it's been a very stressful and frustrating couple of weeks.

School is going well for me and I really enjoy it. Brynley loves her babysitter (and the 2 babies that she gets to play with during the day) and even gets to go along with preschool with some of the other kids. It makes leaving her so much easier when she loves where she goes and has such a great time. She tells me that Johnny is her best friend - and they have a blast together.

Lukey will be 6 this week - on Thursday! I can't believe it! Can you believe it's been six years since the day we bombed IRAQ? (Yes, I will always remember that Luke was born about the same TIME the first bomb went off over there - it was on TV in the background and Dr. H and the rest of us would turn toward the TV during pushes to see the latest breaking news! Gotta love that epidural!) Anyway, now that you've been educated about March 19th, back to Luke. He's SO smart and his behavior has improved dramatically these past few weeks. We decided to implement the "Stamp" system. He has to behave ALL day (not just in the classroom, but at recess too), no excessive teasing or hitting, and he gets a stamp on his hand at the end of the day (much easier than him remembering to bring home a progress report) For every 4 stamps he gets, he gets his "choice" of what he wants. It may be lunch with mom or dad (at the school), Wii time or whatever he may come up with. Since starting he has really only missed 2 days. (and it's been a couple of weeks). He is so proud of himself and talks about getting that stamp all day long. This is SUCH a nice change from the behavior we had about a month ago. We got several white slips in one month and Luke is such a sensitive kid to weather change and any colds/asthma stuff that I think he needed some extra help remembering to behave himself.

Because Luke and Brynley's birthdays are just a couple weeks apart (brynley on April 6) we are just going to have a joint party for the two of them with family over Spring Break.. We'll probably just decorate the gym at the church half pink and half "mario" so they can still feel like they get their own parties! (Brynley wants a pink birthday with pink presents!) Here's the digital invite I made up this afternoon .. I love playing with photoshop and digital scrapbook kits - there is just SO much cute stuff out there, and it's quite a bit cheaper and less time consuming. I just took the kids out to snap some photos this morning, worked on the invite after church and I'll have these printed up tomorrow at costco and in the mail on tuesday!

Shake it

2009-03-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

This was too cute not to share! Brynley is obsessed with this song by Beyonce. She walks around shakin her hips and singing all the time.

Life has been INSANELY busy since I got into the nursing program. I am finally starting to feel like I'm not quite so overwhelmed. I seem to be doing well in my classes, even though I feel like there is just so much information that I could never learn it all. I'm slowly figuring out how to manage kids/household stuff/school/ and eventually blogging will creep back into the picture. I'm definately looking forward to spring break (in just a few weeks) and then summer, when I won't have to take any classes and can do some fun stuff!

Michael is now a boy scout and he is SO excited and loving every minute of it. He finished his bobcat with dad's help in less than 2 days, and was able to "Advance" at pack meeting last thursday. He also did the flag ceremony, which made him feel pretty big! I'm really excited for all he is going to learn and do with the Scouting program

Now it's Luke's turn finally - Luke will be turning 6 on the 19th of this month. More to come on Luke later.. it seems like all posts last month have been about Michael! I think maybe we need more of Luke's art! He's doing REALLY well with trying to spell words and figuring this whole letter sounds thing out. He is reading and still loves to write and draw pictures (and make little books or random things). Today he put one of my flower shaped post-its on my door and wrote "hello" on it. It was cute! (and it's still there).

Will you hit me in the face and knock my tooth out?

2009-02-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Today at recess Michael and another kid were playing a game and Michael (who I remind you, HATES pain, FEARS pain and is totally scared of losing teeth) asked his friend to knock his tooth out. SO.. being the great friend that this kid is, he elbowed him in the face, knocking his tooth out. It is a baby tooth, and it was loose - just not that loose. Then, Michael being the great friend that he is decided that it hurt to have a tooth knocked out by the elbow and decided to tattle on his friend to the duty. She either did not understand what happened, or didn't care because she told them to go work it out. (I think I need to have a word with that duty!) Apparently it's cool to lose a tooth at school because you get a cool little treasure chest, or a tooth shaped box to carry home your tooth in. He also lost his other bottom tooth last friday on the way to school. That one also came home in a little treasure box.

So Michael... was all that pain and blood worth it for a tooth shaped box on a string.. and a dollar from the tooth fairy? Who actually ASKS to have a tooth knocked out? (at least one that's not very loose)

(He's REALLY starting to look like a jack-o-lantern now!)

It's Great to be 8!

2009-02-09T20:17:00.001-08:00

Michael's baptism was on Saturday. He was SO excited and a little nervous all at the same time. (mostly because of the water and worrying it would go up his nose). It was a crazy day with lots of family in town. I forgot my camera's battery, so when Michael was all dressed in White and ready to go, I had no way to snap a photo! Luckily my bro ran home, so I was able to get a photo right before he was actually baptized. None of the photos of my family turned out that great, but the one with our immediate family and steven's family both turned out ok. Luke is in the goofy face stage.. and if I would have realized he had made these goofy faces I would have had more pictures taken! We are so proud of Michael and are happy that he chose to be baptized. It was a special day and I hope he will always remember it.

One excited boy with his proud daddy
Our little family

Brandy's Family

Steven's Family

Fisher Family Cousin's

(sorry for the un-edited photos.. part of it is laziness, and part of it is not knowing how to deal with indoor lighting or the BRIGHT sun in the other photos)

AND... a quick birthday cake photo!

Happy 8th Birthday Michael

2009-02-04T18:59:00.001-08:00

Today is Michael's birthday... his 8th birthday! I can't believe my little boy is 8 years old already! It just seems like yesterday that he looked like this...

This picture sums up Micheal the best.. even though he was only 7 months old it still rings true for today. He is full of life and energy. He has (and always has had) a very contageous and infectious laugh. He's a very sensitive kid (especially when it comes to pain, losing teeth, flu shots, strep cultures... etc) He is a great friend to everyone and is very kind and thoughtful of others.

He is so excited to turn 8 and be baptized on Saturday. He is ready. He knows the gospel and was so excited to get his first "real" set of scriptures tonight with his name on them. He told me that this was the best birthday he's ever had... because he got "ALL" the scriptures. He's also completely excited to start the Boy Scout program, with his first meeting TODAY on his birthday! He also got some scout stuff for his birthday (I know.. I'm way too practical this year!)

Michael is a great kid and we are so proud of him! We love you Michael! Happy Birthday!

I DID IT!

2009-01-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I'm saying this.. but I actually got into the nursing program! They called me this afternoon and apparently some students have dropped, so I made it in! YAY! I've missed the first week of classes, so that's not good - but luckily the bulk of the classes are on monday - and since monday was a holiday I'm not too bad off! I'M SO EXCITED! YAY! :o)

Can he really be almost 8?

2009-01-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

That's right!! Michael is ALMOST 8! Just a few more short weeks, and my oldest little man will be all grown up. He is so excited to get baptized and to join the cub scout program. He is especially excited that he gets to go to scouts for the first time ON his birthday!

We've been busy talking about baptism, and tonight we had a Family Night lesson on Baptism. I have found a ton of cute ideas on this website, including the lesson we used for tonight! Go check it out!

I've also been busy trying to create a baptism invite/announcement. After seeing my friend Rachel B's announcement she did for her son (and another friend's son) I was so excited to attempt to recreate it on photoshop. It took me forever since I'm not too photoshop savvy (and I only have the Elements version!) I still never figured out how to put a frame around Michael's cute little face.. but I like the way it turned out, and they looked great when Costco printed them up for me! So THANK-YOU Rachel B. for the idea and I hope you don't mind that I scrap-lifted your design. It was just too awesome not too! Oh - and sorry about all the nonsense in the invite. I hate to add too much personal information on the blog (for obvious reasons!) I had a hard time choosing between the photo above and this one, but eventually chose this one because of the darker background. He is so handsome in both! The one below shows his cheeks starting to turn red. We were literally only outside for maybe 8 minutes and we were freezing! Anybody know how to edit the red cheeks?

Now off to plan a MARIO party. Both boys want Mario this year, so at least that cuts down on the amount of creativeness I have to try and display! Luckily Birthday Express just came out with mario themed stuff.. but since I'm cheap, my kids will probably only get the cool plates.. and maybe the wall clings (since those can be used twice!). If any of you bloggers out there have some awesome mario ideas I'd love to hear them!

Kiddie Kandids wanted my business

2009-01-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

I was in the mall making a return today and a lady from kiddie kandids walked up and said they were looking for kids to take pictures of - and were giving free 5x7's just for letting them take my kids picture. So I thought, WHY NOT? I had just gotten her a cute spring/summer outfit from the Children's Place, so off we went! (I think the only clients they had all morning were "free 5x7" clients!) She was loving every minute of her "photoshoot" and of course they turned out cute.. I ended up purchasing a montage of all 3 of the pics. So Here's my illegally scanned and posted copy of the montage I came away with today.

The letter "N"

2009-01-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

The letter of the week in Luke's kindergarten class is N. He is in charge of snack today, so here's what we came up with! (Nuts are banned from the class due to allergies, otherwise we'd have used those too!)

Nilla Wafers, Nerds and "N" shaped ham and cheese sandwhiches!

No Tears!

2009-01-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

Michael lost his fifth tooth tonight while eating pizza. All his previous teeth came out with lots of tears (especially the one kicked out by Luke when Michael got to close to the swing!) But tonight, no tears - just lots of excitement! Michael can't wait for the tooth fairy to come tonight.. or in his case, the tooth superhero!

What Brynley learned in Nursery today...

2009-01-11T19:08:00.000-08:00

Yes. I think had dropped off the face of the earth - at least for a little while. I debated whether or not to actually try to play "catch-up" with what I've missed, but for tonight I'm just going to leave you with this little video of Brynley. I shot this right after church today - she's now in the "senior" nursery because she's a big girl now.. meaning, she's turning 3 this year. This is just too cute! I can't believe she's growing up so fast!

Everything she hears or sees she just absorbs and repeats. It can be so cute.. and at times SO embarrasing. She is so curious. Today at church she was eyeing this baby in front of us. The mom decided to nurse during sacrament meeting (we were almost in the last row - so not like she had a big audience), and brynley kept asking what she was doing. So I told her that the baby was hungry. So she asked "Why is the baby eating her blanket?" "Why is she hiding, mommy?" "What is baby doing under there?" I have a feeling if I tried to tell her HOW the baby was eating that would have started another long sequence of questions, (which was why I kept dancing around her questions) but luckily the baby was a very quick eater and I was able to keep Brynley's curiosity under control.

Heidi Grace Apron & Hot pad

2008-12-22T14:24:00.001-08:00

So.. I'm actually quite proud of myself! I made this apron without a pattern, and it actually looks like an apron!!! I used the Heidi Grace fabrics (SO CUTE!) and a little ric rack and VOILA! This one is just being "tested" by Brynley. It's going to her cousin Makayla for Christmas (who is getting a play kitchen) Brynley's apron will come later and will be more of a PINK version. Oh - and now Michael has come down with strep.. so we are just loving the antibiotics right now. Nothing like 2 office co-pays and 2 sets of antibiotics right before Christmas. HOPEFULLY the little one will be spared the wrath of the Strep bug.

More Strep

2008-12-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Luke woke up complaining of a sore throat. I coudln't tell if he was coming down with a cold (the sore throat was his only complaint) so I gave him some motrin and took him to school a little late. (he didn't want to miss his last day before Christmas break!) When he came home he seemed fine, but as the motrin wore off he complained his throat was hurting agian. So.. more motrin, but by dinner (despite the motrin) he was breaking through with a fever and had a horrible stomachache. Luckily our clinic was open late (until 7) and waited for me to bring him in instead of telling me to wait until tomorrow (THANK-YOU DR. ROY!), where he tested positive for STREP! This is the second time in 2 months. Poor little dude. But thank-goodness for antibiotics! One dose and the fever and stomache ache are gone. He should be feeling even better by tomorrow or monday, and just in time for Christmas! We just hope the others don't end up with anything. We don't need to be spreading strep around at christmas time! (here's the little dude laying on the couch with his bowl of baby oranges, one of his favorite snacks! And yes, he still has his bear - sleeps on/with him every night still!)

OH SNOW!

2008-12-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

The snow has arrived.. here are my little slaves out shoveling the sidewalks and driveway!

I ELFED my kids!

2008-12-11T11:55:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Card 2008 under construction

2008-12-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

So here's my start.. I'm tempted to leave it at this. I'd like to add ribbon - but that would exponenetially increase the cost of my cards, or I could stamp a word on it - like Joy or something.. any ideas? Or should I just leave it as is and send them out! (well - I have to make them first, this is my "test" card!) If you're in the Boise area and you have a cute word stamp I could use - call me! Isn't this paper adorable? I was so bummed when it sold out at both archivers and paper cottage. I was in craft warehouse yesterday and this paper caught my eye as I was rushing by with brynley. They had TONS of it! And I mean like over 100 sheets of each paper in the line! I was so excited! If you're a digital gal - this entire line is online at sweet shoppe designs. There is even premade christmas cards, blog kit, and a mini album kit. I have it downloaded because I thought I was going to have to make digital cards since I couldn't find the paper! Now I'll just be using it to redo my blog! (and stationary for my christmas letter I'll stick inside the card). (sorry - my scanner really wanted to cut off the right side of this card)

So what do you think? Leave it? Stamp a word on it? Add some ribbon?

Fun Christmas ornament ideas

2008-12-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

I've been searching the internet for cute/unique ornament ideas. (As IF I really need more projects.. there must be something wrong with me. I have finals coming up and I'm looking for more to add to my plate! HA!) Anyway... here are a few that I found that I might actually attempt here in the next week or two!

Sweet Lil Apron Ornament tutorial from pumpkinlittle.typepad.com

Acrilic Ornaments - from archiversonline.com Mine are actually going to be on little tags since they sold out of the postage stamp looking ones - and apparently can't get more in! Shame on them for making such a big deal and not supplying the demand! Oh well, mine will still be cute - and bigger.

and I'll be making these for sure.. Pottery barn looking ornaments from V & Co.

I've still got a few things on the "To Do" list as far as handmade stuff for Christmas - I'm beginning to wonder what I was thinking when I set out to do some homemade stuff this year!

Still Here!

2008-12-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

Whew! Things have been crazy around here! I took a much needed blogging break and have been making things like crazy. My niece is turning 3 and we'll be coming home for her birthday party this weekend. I've gotten her doll blanket and pillow completed, now just to finish up her felt donuts! You can find for the felt donut tutorial here. (only one of mine is finished so far - and Brynley declared that it was hers!!!)

She's going to be getting a little "kitchen" so this will be something fun for her to play with! Brynley has approved the blanket and pillow - we even tried it with one of her dolls. Now to make something for Brynley's dolls too! (Grandma is getting her a doll cradle, so I need to make something that matches her bedding with the fabric I have).

Give-a-ways!!

2008-11-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for giveaways - and for winning one! Check out what I will be getting from StudioJK vinyl here. One thing I am NOT grateful for today is a speeding ticket. ARGH! I honestly didn't even know or think I was speeding - and when I saw the cop and glanced down I wasn't speeding - so I must have spaced out while driving down the road. Luckily the tickets in Idaho aren't quite as spendy as other states!

I am thankful for visits from old friends!

2008-11-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like a visit from an old friend to brighten the day (or week)!!! My friend Jovane came to stay for a few days while her husband was finishing up ISP training. When I lived in moscow I babysat her little guy (Cael) during the summer before we moved away. (Yes, I was somewhat insane taking on a 7 month old with my newborn Brynley!! But he was such a great boy and Brynley was such an easy baby) Now she's got another little guy - Eian! Brynley and Cael got along SO well! I was so impressed that there wasn't any fighting between those two! All the kids fought over who was going to hold baby Eian, and the boys think Cael is hilarious. They think he talks like a chipmunk. I think it's just because they are used to Brynley's voice and don't hear other little kids very often! Here's a few pics of the trampoline fun, and of course, holding baby eian! Thanks for visiting Jovane! It was great to see you again!

Look at that face!!! I don't think Cael had ever jumped on a trampoline before, but this was total excitement to him! He absolutely loved being bounced all over the place!!

All the kids needed their turn holding baby eian! Most of the time Eian didn't seem to mind too much! I even caught a few smiles and "cooing" from him!

M&M's and Pretty Panties!

2008-11-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

For today I am thankful for M&M's and pretty panties. Brynley is now *knock on wood* potty trained. She LOVES having pretty gymboree panties (they really do have the best underwear for both boys and girls) AND she loves her M&M reward for using the potty. But the best part of all... Brynley waking up this morning and telling me she needed to go - and still had a dry pull-up! Yippee! I've even been so brave as to take her in public several times in panties successfully - with her even using public toilets! I think it's safe to say that she is potty trained!!

More 5 year old art...

2008-11-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

My friend Lindsy is listing something she is grateful for on her blog every day. To get in the spirit of thanksgiving I thought I would give this a go too! So.. today I am thankful for 5-year old art.

This is a self portrait he drew at the beginning of the school year.

I love how he signs his name too!

Apple Art. Take an apple and cut it through the middle to show off that "STAR" in the middle! They had lots of fun stamping with Apples in class.
This is apology art. Luke has a hard time keeping his hands to himself, and when asked why he pinched the poor girl he said that she kept saying the same thing OVER AND OVER again and he pinched her to get her to stop. Ya. We're still working on the "using words" instead of hands thing. We're slowly making progress because he didn't hit... which used to be his thing.

Sorry if some of you find this next one a little offensive - or just plain bad. luke does draw us many nice pictures and "letters" but this was what I caught him draing the other day. This is what my sweet little 5 year old boys is into drawing lately. (where do they get this stuff?!!) I now have a folder on my desktop labeled "Luke's Art" because I don't want to miss any of it!

What am I going to do with this boy? It's a good thing he's so cute!

For Lindsy K.

2008-11-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

This post is for my friend Lindsy (and any of her family that may stumble upon the blog today). I just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you today! I miss your dad too! He was such a great example to me! I love you!

5 year old artwork on little sister

2008-10-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

OH Luke!!! If you're going to color on your sisters face then come down and tell me that she got a marker and did it to herself, don't sign your name across her forehead! (How did you know it was me mom? Um... let's see... Your sister can't write YOUR name on her own forehead!) At least it was a washable marker and not a Sharpie! (these are the kinds of things that happen while I'm trying to cook dinner!)

Family pictures and a hairclip holder

2008-10-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

YAY! We had family pictures last night, and well.. they're up on the photographer's blog already! As soon as I get the CD I'll post them here! If you'd like a little preview click here.

I finally got sick of finding Brynley's clippies EVERYWHERE so I went to craft warehouse and picked up a canvas board, some pink polka dot material, and matching ribbon to made her a holder for all those clippies. It was SUPER fast and easy to make. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner! Everything cost me around $10.00 total (except for the staple gun that I ended up purchasing.. but that can be used for other things too!) And, it's much cuter than a little set of plastic drawers from Wally world! For those of you that have little girls... What do you do to keep track of all the clippies, headbands, elastics.. etc?

Boo at the Zoo... NEVER again!

2008-10-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Trying to get all my kids to look and smile (Nicely) at the same time. It usually doesn't happen as you can see!

We went to "Boo at the Zoo" today in hopes of having a good time! Let's just say there were WAY too many people, and all the parents were stressed out trying to watch their crazy costumed kids in all the madness! 2 hours was all we could take. We left with a screaming 2 year old and 2 whiney boys - and a very stressed out mama! The kids did get to see the new African Plains exhibit - giraffes and lions! I don't know what I was thinking. My first thought should have been to throw away the flyer when I noticed they were limiting admission to 13,000! The kids were NOT interested in pics at all. I did get a few of brynley that were cute - but would be MUCH cuter if she'd SMILE! Little Stinker!

Michael and Luke are "Mario and Luigi" Complete with plungers (which are getting them into a bit of trouble!)

Here's luke hanging from a huge tree branch. He LOVES to climb!

Such a cute little witch! We got the tutu from hannah's tutus. It's ADORABLE! She's still not fond of the hat though. I can usually only get it on her for a few seconds, then she wants it off!

AE Kids!

2008-10-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited! American Eagle FINALLY launched their kids line!!! GO check it out! (AND.. a big bonus, I can use my all access rewards toward purchase of the kids stuff!! WHOO HOO!) I'm so in heaven right now!

PS For some reason if you try to get to ae kids from the regular AE site it doesn't work - click on my link and you'll be able to browse around the shop!

Lil' pumpkins

2008-10-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

ON V & Co's blog the other day she had a tutorial on creating a quick little applique, and well, it got me thinking I could use some of her SIMPLY SCRUMPTIOUS scraps that I won from her blog a while back to make some little pumpkins on a shirt for Brynley. It's not really as bright as the photo shows - but I think it turned out kinda cute! Thanks for sparking a creative moment!

More Pumpkin Patch Fun

2008-10-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

We finally hit the pumpin patch as a family yesterday. It was SO nice outside and despite Brynley's crankiness from being up too late the night before we had a good time. There were so many pumpkins! Luke grabbed the first one he saw, then proceded to look for corn. Brynley didn't like the vines tripping her, so we hunted for pumpkins with her attached to the hip. Michael looked at several and finally with mom's prompting picked one out. Here's a few (too many!) pics from the day.

Ready for the hayride

Scraping the mud off with a stick (they have to be clean you know!)

Look mom! More corn! (he was quite disappointed when we told him it would NOT be ok to eat it for dinner!)

OH! So heavy!

Best Buds

Mario & Luigi

2008-10-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

The boys want to be these guys for halloween...

Simple enough right? WRONG? Apprently all denim overalls in Michael's size are MIA. I've searched thrift and retail stores - with no luck. I can find some at Target for Luke, but since they want to match they are getting stuck with Carhartts (not the right color - but at least they are overalls). I could have made blue fabric ones - but who really wants to do that? (And it's diffficult to find an "easy" overall pattern in Michael's size as well!) Now off to dollar tree to grab some cheap plungers!

pumpkin patch no. 1

2008-10-16T18:01:00.001-07:00

The kids and I went to my parents over the weekend and helped grandma pick out some pumpkins for her house, and had a little fun in the maze. It was SOOOO cold on Saturday! The wind was horrible and the kids were freezing, but we still got a few smiles out of them for pictures! We'll be hitting a pumpkin patch around here somewhere this weekend and our ward is having its Fall Festival so my camera will be seeing plenty of action!

BINKY BE GONE!!

2008-10-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's gone for good. This past week we've been talking alot about getting rid of the Binky, because BIG girl's don't have Binky's. I even threw in a bribe of getting a new dollie if she threw her binky in the garbage. Yesterday she saw a commercial for this doll by Fisher Price that goes potty and you can wash her hands, brush teeth, give her a drink, etc. Not a cheap doll. She saw that commercial and ran to get her binky and threw it away, then proceded to tell me - "I want that dolly, I throw my binky away, I want a new dollie. I be a big girl now." Why did she have to pick an expensive toy? We instantly ran to Toys R Us in search for the doll (or in hopes of something cheaper) but she stuck to her guns.

She is so proud of herself and apparently realizes that the Binky is gone for good. She didn't cry or ask for it last night or this morning. She constantly claps for herself and tells me she's a big girl now and "no more binky my whole life." (she is quite grown up sounding these days!) Maybe that's the key. Talk up giving the binky to the garbage for a week or so, then let them decide when they are ready - then of course there is the INSTANT gratification part. I don't think that the binky fairy idea (where she sets her binky's out for the binky fairy, only to get a prize the next morning) would have worked for her. She wanted rewarded instantly and well, for us - IT WORKED! Hooray! Now maybe this doll can get her potty trained too!

I DO IT MYSELF!

2008-10-09T20:15:00.001-07:00

The pictures pretty much say it all.

Utah Vacation.. the good and the not so good

2008-10-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Utah for a little vacation while the kids had a 4 day weekend from school. We did a little outlet mall shopping in Park City.. while i was doing that, Steven took the kids up to Olympic Park to check out the sites. Brynley got to running down the hill (ON ASPHALT!) and took a dive on her face. (WHY? why does it always have to be the face?)

Here's a pic after the "accident" when she fell asleep in the car. Besides the outside cosmetic "damage" she had a good sized cut inside her top lip and the force of the fall PUSHED one of her front teeth backward a bit. That really freaked me out (my little girl is NOT going to lose a front tooth!) and luckily there was a pediatric dentist up in Park city that was sweet enough to let me bring her in and check her out. Brynley is such a binky girl and this actually turned out to be a good thing because the dentist said that by sucking on the binky it would help bring that front tooth back into position. I can actually tell a difference from Thursday to today. So I guess Binky's aren't all bad!! (and the fact that the binky has also caused a little bit of a cross bite also worked in her favor in this situation!) but seriously - I've never heard a dentist say that a binky was a good thing! :o) Brynley was certainly happy to be able to have the binky as much as she wanted and needed!

We stayed with Steven's brother and his family for a couple of nights. Their little daughter Millie is so cute and the kids had a blast playing with her. She is almost as tall as Brynley and a year younger, but weighs MUCH less than brynley as well). I think Millie loved the attention she got from her 3 cousins! Here's all the kids lounging on the bean bag at my BIL's house.

We also took the kids to HOGLE ZOO. Michael has a report on an animal to do for school, so we thought this would be a good time to see some different animals and pick one for his report. he chose a Rhino - so we got a good pic of him in front of the rhinos!

We also went to Thanksgiving point to check out some dinosaur bones and play in the sand.

Such a happy dead dino..

Building a dinosaur (with pieces that are a little worn and don't stick too well anymore!) The one one Brynley's hair COMLETELY destroyed her braid and we had a really hard time getting her hair unstuck from the velcro!

Brynley decided to WASH and line up each plastic dino.

Luke grabbed me and said, "MOM! Take my picture right here!" Such a handsome little DEVIL! (and I really do mean that in the nicest way only a mother could say!)

We also went to temple square Friday afternoon after the zoo and snapped a few pictures.

Because of the rain I didn't get more than a couple photos of the kids dressed up on Sunday, but here's the best one of the 8 or so that I took.
We also learned last week that kids under 8 aren't allowed in the conference center! it will be FOREVER until we can take all our kids to conference at the same time. We enjoyed Sunday morning session in the taberbacle though and it was good for the kids. They actually behaved somewhat decent too! YAHOO! It was great to get out and do a little something fun. But, there is something about a vacation that just WEARS ME OUT! I think I came home more exhausted. It definately makes vacationing more of a challenge with kids. Despite the exhaustion, I can't wait to go somewhere again... where to next? President Monson DID just announce temple in Rome, Italy. Maybe we need to go over there for the open house!! (we've got a while to save up!) Ya right.. oversees trip with kids. Am I just asking for trouble?!

Asthma.. Strep... SERIOUSLY!

2008-09-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Ok so this weekend and TODAY has been another one of those "SERIOUSLY" days for me. (For all you Grey's Anatomy Fan's - this word seems to be something I use as much as the characters in the show!) Luke's Asthma flared up and he's getting very little sleep. This is not good for my mischevious, red-headed 5 year old! It makes for MUCH crankier days! The Poor kid coughs so hard I swear his lung is going to come out of his mouth one of these days. We are so lucky that his asthma isn't where he's wheezing and short of breath. That gets to scary, but this is scary enough for me.

THEN, as if we needed more - Michael woke up with a sore throat and stomachache today. I didn't know if it was one of those "I don't want to go to school" excuses or if he was really sick. I decided to go ahead and let him stay home (I figured with all the tears I got from ONE dose of Ibuprofen something must be up). I finally had him take a little nap when he looked like he was going to drop, and when he woke up his fever spiked to 102. First, this kid NEVER takes a nap. It doesn't matter if he's sick or not, he WON'T nap. So that was clue number 1 that he wasn't ok. Clue number 2 is the obvious fever. Michael is my super-immune kid that never gets sick. So for him to be this down and out had me calling the doc. Sure enough, the rapid-strep came back positive. SERIOUSLY! We want to go to Utah this weekend so I really hope this doesn't hit anyone else. Or if it does it has to happen tomorrow so I have enough time to get drugs in these guys before we head out! ARGH!

Oh well. On a lighter note - Ms. Brynley had a great time playing "mommy" to sick brother (before we realized it was strep). After her nap she wanted to "snuggle" him and read him a story. So cute!

PS. So what did you Grey's Anatomy Fans think of this week? I think there's some good stuff coming up. Those previews had me a little worried! I also watched ER later and was quite disappointed they would kill someone off in the first show of the last season!

New Project..

2008-09-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

I came across Sandi Henderson's blog and fell in love with her boutique style patterns. Her website just came up and I just ordered the cupcake pin cushion (I just HAVE to have one of these.. even if I do have to make (or attempt) to make it myself. I also bought the Claire Pattern, which is absolutely adorable! Now to just get some fabric... and try to remember some sewing skills from back in my 4-H days!

I want new bedding..

2008-09-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

This would make me happy (and broke!)

I love Potterybarn.. and I would love BLACK nighstands and some type of BLACK bed.. we still don't have a bed frame. In Dec. we will have been married 9 years, and we still do not have a real Bed frame (that metal thing doesn't count - and we only recently got a metal bed frame. We used to use cinder blocks so we could store stuff under there during our "college" days.) Oh - and the bedding I have now definately doesn't match, and I'm using the SAME down comforter and cover that I took to BYU with me 10 years ago! Paired with nasty flannel sheets that need to be replaced.. Yuck huh! The other downside is we're still renting, so any decorating ideas would have to be somewhat limited. sigh. Either way - I'd LOVE to have this comforter cover at the very least (with matching shams of course!)

It's almost here...

2008-09-22T12:03:00.001-07:00

I have been waiting ALL summer for the return of Grey's Anatomy. I don't know WHY I am so hooked, but I am - so nothing better get in the way of my Thursday night obsession!

A little light reading...

2008-09-18T11:46:00.001-07:00

Brynley has been telling us lately when she needs to use the toilet to poop (too bad she hasn't gone pee on it yet!). She was sitting there doing her thing while I was tidying the bathroom counter and when I turned around to check on her, this is what she was "reading." I guess we're starting young around here! It was just TOO funny! The look on her face is just so serious!

Waiting for the food to cook

2008-09-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

Too cute!

Here to Protect

2008-09-12T19:46:00.001-07:00

Some things have been happening at school that I NEVER in a million years, dreamed that a child of mine would have to deal with, let alone even KNOW about. There are so many horrible things, words, actions, etc. in the world today - how can I possibly keep my children safe from everything?! Today I learned that I can't. It's amazing that children so young can have such problems and can have such troubled lives. I just really hope that I can teach my children enough to stay strong and to do what is right in a world where right may not be the popular choice. I hope that as this situation is resolved we can handle it in a way that can strengthen him. It's too bad they can't stay little and naive forever.

WINNER and that darn vampire book...

2008-09-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

3 down, 1 more to go.... so far I'm really into number 4, but I've only gotten through the first few chapters. I'll be into the book until it's finished. I'm so glad I didn't start this series until the last book had almost come out. I don't think I would have been able to stand the wait between new books!

This has been a busy weekend. Steven and I went to Time out for Couples at the Boise Center on the Grove. It was SO good! The speakers were so funny, and the music was great. Saturday we spent some time down at Julia Davis for Art at the Park. My uncle was helping one of the vendors so he stayed with us for the weekend. It's always fun to see him - my kids think he's SO funny! Then we went to The Little Gym (where Brynley and Luke take gymnastics) and it was their open house for the opening of the new Boise Location. We put in the kids' names for the drawings and Brynley's name was drawn for a Free Birthday Party! WHOO HOO! I'm still undecided if she'll get to use it or we'll let Luke use it. She seems a little young, but I know she'd have a blast. That's still over 6 months away - plenty of time to decide! Back to the daily grind of school. Brynley is getting her ears checked again tomorrow, hopefully we'll be in the clear and we won't need to do tubes again! She has done so well, no ear infections, but it's the fluid they've been checking for.

Meet Zoe

2008-09-03T21:11:00.001-07:00

Yes... we now have a hamster. She is a dwarf hamster and supposedly doesn't have all that ammonia in her urine so she shouldn't be as "smelly" as other types of hamsters. We'll see about that! This is all for the kids - to help them learn responsibility.... Still trying to decide what I think. The kids absolutely love it, which makes it a little better but the darn thing BIT me and drew blood today while I was carefully trying to free it from its cardboard box! Not starting off to well are we? Michael thought of the name Zoe and all the other 2 cheerfully agreed - so here's ZOE.

Flower Girl

2008-09-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

More to come....

Dress Help!!!!

2008-08-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

So, Brynley is supposed to wear this dress for my nieces wedding saturday and it isn't scheduled to arrive at my house until thursday (tomorrow) we are leaving friday morning and I could not find someone that wanted to hem it for me that quick. (I'm totally assuming it needs hemmed because Brynley has such short little legs!) I have NEVER sewed on Organza and I have no idea what to do or what I need to sew on this. I'm just hoping I don't totally screw it up. Please help!

OH! And if anyone has ideas on what to do on such FINE and STRAIGHT hair for Brynley - her hair doesn't hold curl at all!

2 down, 1 to go...

2008-08-26T19:49:00.001-07:00

Well, two kids are now in school full-time. We decided to place Luke in the All-day kindergarten (they do charge a fee to go all day), so they are both gone from the time the bus arrives at 8:05am until the bus drops them off at 3:40. I still have Brynley at home so I'm not quite "FREE" yet, but it will be a nice break. Here's some cute photos from yesterday. They are SO excited to be going to school and especially to ride the bus. I'll have to get some photos of them with the bus (with my camera that just arrived today! WHOO HOO!) - tomorrow will be the first time they BOTH get to ride to school together!

AND.. for any of you that have heard of the HUGE fire the ravaged through a Boise neighborhood last night - luckily it wasn't ours, but it was across the street from our subdivision and up the hill. The whole area along the road we travel down on the south side is blackened. It was definately a little too close to home. For those of you who haven't heard you can read about it and see photos here. I'm sure it will be front page for a few days. It really reinforced in me the need to be more prepared. Many of these families only had seconds to get out of their homes. One lady did not make it out. Some homes burned completely to the ground in just 3 minutes. I think the count was 10 homes completely lost, 9 damaged and around 50? were evacuated. If I were to have just minutes to evacuate would I know where all my "important" stuff is? (Uh.. no, it's all still in boxes of course!) Just a little something to think about (and perhaps a new project!)

Awesome Freebie, Birthday Party and... She's on the way!!

2008-08-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

So check out our new FREE piano! I was sitting at my computer when I got an email from my previous RS president, stating she knew of someone who's caregiver was giving away a piano... FOR FREE! On one condition.. it had to go to a good home where it would be appreciated! I was ALL over that email and called as quickly as my fingers could dial! We picked it up this weekend when we were home and our only costs were gas and the small uhaul trailer we used to bring it home! Not bad for a free piano! It seems to be in pretty good shape too! It's probably a 1960-1970 Werlitzer spinet with a matching bench. Steven says it smells like "Old Person," Which I guess is true - anyone know how to remove that type of smell? It has improved a little bit since cleaning it (it was very dusty and I assume it was in a smokers home for a while by the amount of yellowish dush I cleaned off of it) But despite the smell we are very excited!

We went home this weekend for my nephews 1st birthday party. Here are a few pics - my nephew's name is Mason and his sister is Makayla. These are the only cousins so far on my side of the family and my kids love seeing them! I love the construction idea. My sister (annie) had "sack lunches" for us and the coolest cake. Makayla is a celiac so she couldn't have any cake - but she really enjoyed the chocolate off the Haagen Daz Bar! Mom found the cool construction cone drink containers and my kids thought they were awesome. There are other pics, but they are on Annie's Camera!

And last but not least.... she's on the way! Now I just need some input on lenses that you guys like and use - eventually I'll be able to invest in some different lenses as well. I think it will be here Wednesday so I'll be able to test it out at my nieces wedding this weekend (yes, another trip to La Grande this weekend!)

Digital SLR's

2008-08-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

So.. I need some opinions out there. Which is better -Canon or Nikon as far as Digital SLR's? There is a new rebel in town.. but I don't know too much about Nikon so I need some input!

Temple Photos & Roly-Poly's!!!

2008-08-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

For some reason the last couple of times I've tried to upload photos blogger has had issues! ARGH! Anyway - here they are. It was cool to be able to take the kids and talk about the temple with them. It was so neat to be in the temple all together with my little family (even if Brynley wanted to run around and play!) It was so neat to be able to talk a little bit more about the importance of temples and when they would be able to attend.

***********************************

The other day I'd washed out back patio off and i started to notice little roly poly bugs crawling up out of the grass onto the patio. The kids thought these little bugs were the best thing ever and decided to start collecting them in a little pail. Here is their winnings for the day - and this was only because they were tired of picking them up! There were SO many! Who knew these would provide entertainment for such a long time! I'm ready for them to come out and play again!

Soon to come....

2008-08-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

We just arrived in Twin Falls a couple of hours ago with plans to attend the Twin Falls Idaho Temple open house! Photos to come tomorrow......

PS.. I've been totally swamped with school this week - but today I finally finished up my last class (well, for summer anyway!) Now I've got just a week and a half before the boys and I start back in the fall... I'm excited for them, but not so much for me. I'll be taking it MUCH easier this term, so I should have plenty of time for play.

Sweet addiction

2008-08-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Need I say more? (I'm just glad we're not on the same side of town as this sinful shop!)

ShaZAM!

2008-08-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

My mom came and picked the boys up yesterday to take them camping so we had brynley all to ourselves this weekend! She got this cute dress (from grandma) yesterday and we just couldn't resist taking her picture! Here is the original straight out of the camera...

Then I tried Jessica Sprague's ShaZAM technique on it and here's the result....

And then I thought I would see what happened when I turned it to black and white with the overlays- first one is without the "screen" overlay, and the second photo is with both overlays.

I LOVE photoshop! It's so much fun playing with pics! I can't wait to play some more! If you have some fun tricks that you do with your photos please share! I'm just getting started and I need all the tips I can get! Steven thinks I'm a computer addict because I spend so much time on here "playing!"

Girly Hair

2008-08-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Ok - so I just LOVE having a little girl. Last night I was checking a friends blog, which led to another friend from BYU that I haven't seen or heard from since 1999. Anyway, on her site she had some fun girly hair blogs and I tried this one on Brynley today. She thinks it's pretty cool! She kept asking me to do "one more" I can't wait to try some more fun stuff!!! I'll post the blogs I find on my sidebar a little later. If you have a girl - check these out! Tons of cute ideas!

Serious CUTENESS!

2008-07-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

Check these out! They are going to be for sale on V & Co's etsy shop tomorrow (July 30) at 2pm MST. Check out her blog for more details and a link to her etsy store. Brynley would LOVE these! (Of course she loves all bags.. but none of them are as cute as these!!) This could make a perfect quiet bag for church! hmmm... maybe I don't need to make some now!

"Hole" update

2008-07-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

Update: This was TOTALLY our fault. The ground may have been a little unstable to start with, but it was definately all cause by Michael leaving the hose on. Nice huh. As my english teacher put it, "Our kids don't sit around planning ways to make our life miserable. It just happens." But does it always have to "happen" during the end of a term???!! Apparently the "Disaster Kleen-up" crew had NEVER pumped a crawl space from outside the house. They had also never seen kids play in their "disaster kleen-up river" either. We can add those two items to their list of stories!

Anyway, our "hole" is probably going to be filled by the end of the week! As for the rest of the repairs... the mud under the house is still pretty moist. Our "estimator" said he thought another week or more to dry it out. He figured it's still wet enough that if he were to step in it, he'd sink a few inches. Yuck! This is going to be SUCH and expensive project! Those fans are "rented" at approx $120 per day (plus how ever much electricity is surging through the meters right now). I just found out today that our insurance won't cover a penny of it - because it was due to "water" damage. The only type of damage they would cover is fire, explosion, or smoke. I think I'm going to be looking for different Renters insurance because I can't even "add" additional water damage protection to this policy. Anybody know of a company with GOOD coverage for renters?

We are definately NOT in good hands with Allstate.

Lucikly my landlord has great insurance and supposedly they are going to cover it. We'll keep our fingers crossed! We haven't been able to fix the AC yet. The guys don't want to crawl in the mud, so we can't do that until it's dry. Luckily it still works, it's just not as effecient since they had to slit the ducts to get the water out. Oh well... what's money anyway? Never had it before and it looks like even if we get some, it's already spent! I'm SO scared to see our water bill from this! They figured the hose had to be on at least 3 days. That is a LOT of water!

I've been super busy with school and can't wait for a little break so that I can breathe! Just a few more weeks.... then it's time for the boys to start school! This mom is probably the most excited of all for her kids to start school... uh, I mean - OH DARN! Is it time for school to start already?

A little game...

2008-07-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

While reading a few blogs tonight I found this little game on Rachel's blog and since I posted a memory on hers, I've now got to place this game on my blog! It really is fun to hear neat memories that people have of you... I guess as long as they are good ones!!!

Play along.. it might be fun! :o)

Here are the rules (I cut and pasted these word for word from Mrs. Rachel's blog!)

1. As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. But you don't have to play IF you don't want to.

Oh.. and on the house - So far the sink hole looks HUGE (I can actually SEE the bottom the foundation and could stick my arm under there if I felt like playing in the mud) The water has been pumped out (as much as possible) and there are fans attempting to dry everything out down there. The guys said they thought there was a little more water down there today than yesterday when they left. YIKES! So there couldn't definately be another underlying problem somewhere. We are stuck without A/C and the "estimator" dude that was supposed to come today will be here tomorrow instead. It might be next week before we get A/C. I sure hope not though - it was 85 degrees in the house all afternoon and evening! YUCK! I can't sleep when I'm too hot, so I've already had one night of NO sleep. Watch out.. mama might be getting very cranky in the next couple of days!

Disaster Kleen-up

2008-07-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

Never a dull moment at the Fisher home! I came home from class today and noticed water running into the street. Wierd, but I wasn't too worried at first. I just figured the neighbors had just watered or maybe something was up with a sprinkler somewhere. (Our dirt has a lot of clay in it, so it doesn't absorb water too well. about 10 minutes of watering is all the lawn can handle at one time). So michael proceeded to show me a huge puddle that was forming on the side of the house... SEE PHOTO!

This is not a puddle - this is a POOL! IT's at least 2 feet deep. A huge sink hole on the side of our house. Michael had left a hose on for what we are assuming is probably a day (maybe 2) - but is it really enough water to nearly FLOOD OUR HOUSE? The whole crawl space was flooded up to about 1 foot below the floor. Luckily we noticed the problem today. OH! And our AC is disabled as well. Good thing it's supposed to storm tonight so we can get some cool air! SERIOUSLY! We really dont' know what the problem is, hopefully (for our bank account's sake) the problem is not our fault and our Landlord's insurance will take care of it. But, with 3 little kids running around, you just don't know what you're going to find.

And yes - I did what any other white trash mother would do and let my kids play in the "disaster kleen-up river" flowing down the street. More pics to come and I'll post as soon as we figure out what happened. It's going to be a LONG night for those two poor workers!

Money Makeover

2008-07-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

For my english class our last assignment is to do a book review on a book related to environmental issues or consumerism. My friend Lindsy posted about this book a while back and I decided that I NEEDED to read this. since I'm not much into reading "for fun" I decided to use this for my assignment, then at least I'd only have to read 1 book! :o) It's not like any other information I've read on getting out of debt and what to do with money. The author, Dave Ramsey has so many good ideas and I like that he speaks from experience. With all of our debt, school related or not, and with starting a new job I'm excited to put this book to good use! If any of you out there are not happy with your money situation, or just need a little jump start GET THIS BOOK! He has other books to, which I have not read, but am also interested in his Financial Peace book as well.

Quiet Bags

2008-07-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

Check out these quiet bags for church (or just when you need the kids to be occupied and quiet!) I think they are a great idea.. and if I don't win, I'll have to try and come up with a way to make one myself - or just buy one of hers if she ends up selling them!!

SHE DID IT!!

2008-07-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I convinced Brynley to get her ears pierced! All I had to do was bribe her with a piece of candy when she was all done and she was all excited to do it! She's so proud of her "pretty earings!" (I can't get that girl to OPEN her eyes during a photo! She's thinking smiling has to be done with eyes closed!!)

I also got her little quilt finished up. It's definately got it's issues, but it's put together and is perfect for her mini-carebear. Yes - I was actually crazy enough to try again, despite my "pierced" finger! I really ought to be more careful when dealing with sharp objects! Hmm... what will my next project be? I'll have to see what inspires me when I get the scraps that I won from V & co. YAY! Winning things is so much fun!

Accident Prone & Cabin fun

2008-07-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

So I have yet again managed to hurt myself. This time I was trying to finish up the binding on Brynley's Doll quilt. When I was lifting up the foot to turn the corner, somehow my finger got in the way and I ended up breaking the needle OFF into my finger! OUCH! After an urgent care visit and tetanus shot, I'm not sure that sweet little quilt is worth all th trouble! I guess that's what I get for sewing instead of doing my Chemistry homework! If I have the courage to try again (and assuming the sewing machine is ok) I'll get that quilt bound and post a pic!

We had a blast at the cabin. It was totally shocking to wake up saturday morning to 35 degrees though! But, it warmed up quickly and topped out at about 80 for a good part of the day.
We caught butterflies

played with fish (brynley is holding the fish in this pic)

rode four-wheelers

Michael got to shoot guns with his uncles

painted "ladybug rocks"

played with cousins Makayla and Mason (annie's two kids)

Jumped on the tramp, pushed kids in the swing, threw rocks in the river, saw lots of deer, roasted smores, let off fireworks, and ate lots of food!

Michael even got his other front tooth knocked out. He got too close to Luke while he was swinging and Luke ended up kicking him in the teeth! That tooth was only starting to get loose, so you can imagine how tramatic that was! So now he's missing both front teeth! That's two teeth that Luke has accidentally knocked out!

FABRIC GIVE-A-WAY!

2008-07-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

V and Co. is doing a giveaway with some of her scraps and a couple of charm packs. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to win these! That would just help fuel the fire a little with my new addiction of sewing!!! If you mention my name in your comment, I get MORE chances to win (plus you get a chance for leaving a comment too!) Please enter for your sake and don't forget to mention my name! I'll go back and mention you too if you leave me a comment that you'd like me too! :o) Good luck!

Go to: http://adayinthelifeofthechristensons.blogspot.com/2008/07/simply-scrumtious-scraps-givaway.html

PS. So how do I make it to where I can do a hyperlink without having the whole address showing? For example - I just want to type "click here" and have it go where I want? Anybody that knows could you please share?!!

Lost Tooth, Swim Lessons and does anybody have one of those butt donuts?

2008-07-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday luke accidentally smacked Michael and knocked out his loose tooth! I am SO happy that I didn't have to pull it because I totally tramatized him the last time I pulled one. He came running up to me to show me his tooth was out and when he smiled his mouth was red from all the blood. I told him to run and rinse out his mouth and he FREAKED! He doesn't like blood, and even though he wasn't in any pain, he was crying from his dislike of bleeding. That poor kid needs to get more used to it because he has a lot of baby teeth left to go! The other top (right) is getting loose as well, so I'm sure for his 2nd grade pictures he's going to have a huge toothless grin! He's still cute though, and that dollar from the tooth fairy made it all worth it.

The boys started swim lessons last week and are doing really well. Michael looks like he's about

to drown as he swims, but he's getting there. Luke is still a little reluctant to actually try to swim without the teacher's support, but we'll see how the rest of the summer goes.

And... does anybody have one of these?

I think I broke my tailbone today. I slipped going down our stairs and landed super hard right on my keester. I just layed there on the stairs for like 20 minutes until the pain subsided a bit, then braved the last few stair down to the couch. I am really not needing this pain right now! Thank goodness my dear ol' doctor from Baker loaded me up with pain killers during my sinus infection a couple months back. I will be taking advantage of that bottle tonight! BUT...How on earth am I supposed to sit in my classes for 2 and 3 hours in those horribly hard chairs?! YIKES! Maybe I can get a handicapped sticker for my car so I don't have to make that 15 minute walk from the garage to my class.... Hmmm.. I'll have to check on that one tomorrow! :o) I'm so excited to carry a pillow, donut or something soft to class to sit on... that's just going to be awesome. (NOT!)

Project 1: Doll quilt

2008-07-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

As if I needed anything else to do, I thought I would TRY to make a quilt. I figure since I've never done it before, I'd start with a small one for Brynley's doll's, then if it turns out decent, I'll try for something bigger. Here's my fabric for her "dollie" quilt, and I'll post the finished quilt when I'm finished. Any tips or tricks you guys have learned that you could share? I'm hoping I don't screw it up too bad!!! :o) I'm just doing small 2" squares, then I'll figure out how to quilt it later.

Happy Independance Day Weekend!

2008-07-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

****ALERT! LONG POST WITH WAY TOO MANY PICTURES!!!****

Whew! This weekend was so busy for us. (and not just this weekend, but the past couple of weeks!) We had to get new carpet in our rental last week. The previous renters had a dog that used the upstairs carpet as a bathroom a few too many times, and since our landlord lives out of town, nodbody knew until we arrived. So, we are finally starting to get things "REALLY" put away after removing everything during the carpet installation.

School is CRAZY. I'm not sure that an "Accelerated Essentials of Chem" (Chem 105) should be a summer class or not... we are covering 3 chapters a week and my head is litterally starting to spin! Between Chem and all the reading and writing involved in my English class I'm ready for a break!

ANYWAY...Here's a few pics from this weekend. Our ward was invited to another ward's July 4th breakfast. The kids had a parade with their decorated bikes. We had so much fun decorating the bikes, and I think I had WAY too much fun on Brynley's! She looked SOOO adorable on her little bike and I got some pretty cheesy smiles out of her!

We also watched the parade downtown.

Then went over to Ann Morrison Park and layed out UNDER the fireworks. Check out some of these awesome pics I got of the fireworks!! Brynley was not excited about all the noise. She kept saying "Don't like it.. pops" (referring to the noise of the fireworks as they exploded in the air). But, we were there and it's not like I could go wait in the car with her! She toughed it out and now talks about it constantly.

I hope you had a great fourth! Life has been insane, but I'll try to post more often. We'll be going home next weekend to the cabin so I'll have lots of fun pics to post next week after that little vacation!

PS. Saturday I heard music playing and looked out the window to find the ICE CREAM TRUCK! I think it's hilarious that the name for this guy's truck it "SCARY LARRY'S ICE CREAM" since my dad's name is Larry! HA!

Help me!

2008-06-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

I've had this since we got married, and the poor thing needs some TLC. (notice the green original artwork by at least ONE of my kids - luckily the picture actually makes it look a little better than in real life!) Before we moved here it's use has been for my recipe books and the drawers just held pens/pencils and our small wimpy baker phone book. The poor thing looks worn and tired. I just can't decide what to do... obviously an overhaul with paint/stain - SOMETHING! All you bloggers out there that have a good eye for restoring stuff - post some ideas for me! My school brain can't seem to turn off lately - and I am in desparate need of some creative time!! Try to ignore the TOTALLY disorganized mess of recipe books inside - I have too many to fit inside now!)

(So if I do decide to actually paint *gasp* this treasure, what is your favorite paint to use.. something that will actually stand up to my kids for the most part?!!)

YUMMY!

2008-06-19T12:45:00.001-07:00

It's been quite a while since I've purchase this yummy stuff, but I decided to grab some when I was in Costco the other day. I don't know if any of my kids have experienced Nutella yet, but they have now and it's a big hit at our house!! Brynley was the only one with a messy face, so of course she's the one who gets photographed!!! If you haven't tried nutella - you must go get some! Our favorite way to eat it is spread on toast. YUMMY!

Happy Belated Father's Day

2008-06-18T15:10:00.001-07:00

Ok I know.. so it's WEDNESDAY already and I haven't posted a thing about father's day. Here's he is... Steven... He's a great father. All our kids totally love him and even though Brynley is SUCH a mama's girl, lately she has been calling out for her daddy. He always gets down and plays with them and they love that about him. He's great about helping around the house (he's done dishes almost every night since we moved here! WHOO HOO!) teaching our kids about Jesus and reading scriptures (and other stories) every night. He almost always does bedtime for the boys (sometimes Brynley) and he is a hard worker. He has been very dedicated at his new job, leaving early - staying late, and even working a little after the kids are in bed to make sure we are going to have what we need. It's nice to be here in Boise where he isn't working full time and doing a little research on the side. So far, no callings - which is awesome since Elder's Quorum Pres was a little time consuming! We got a new Bishop the first week we were here, so I have a feeling it might be a little bit before they catch up with us! It's been nice going to church TOGETHER, rather than at separate times! We love you Daddy! (Steven!)

Here's a few pics from Saturday when we went up to Lucky Peak for the afternoon to play in the water. The kids had a blast!! (and I got a little red on the shoulders! ouch!)

We're alive... BARELY!

2008-06-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, we made it to Boise. My mom and dad took the kids on friday, and we came saturday morning. I am TOTALLY reminded why I need to get rid of a bunch of crap each time we move. The nice thing is this house actually has room (and too much of it!) for all our stuff. It's easier to organize when you aren't thinking of creative ways to stash stuff! We have a living/family room both, so right now we are needing another set of furniture!! The house is nice and the kids love having space. I'll post some pics someday, when boxes aren't strewn about!

We have also been battling the flu. Luke puked ALL over the backseat(s) of the car on Sunday. Brynley was sick from Monday until ... well, she's still a bit queezy today and not eating too much. Anything she has eaten runs really quick out the other end. NOT FUN! But at least we have moved on from the puking.

I have started new classes this week, and take my last finals tomorrow as well. I will definately feel a bit relieved when tomorrow's exams are over. I don't recommend doing finals and starting new classes in one week.. on top of puking kids and trying to unpack. It's amazing I haven't sent to the loony bin by now! (maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing.. some quiet, alone time?! Hmmm....) Oh - and note to self... Boxes are such cheap entertainment!

Mommy's Little Helper

2008-06-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

I just realized how big of a whiner I've been the past week or so! My goodness! I have to put up something positive - here's my cute little helper. After the guys put in the new window, I was vacuuming the floor behind the couch, so she ran and got her pink vacuum to help me. She said "Look mommy! I cleanin too! I helpin'!!" She's SOO cute!

PLEASE! Just shoot me now!

2008-06-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ok.. so you're not going to believe this... so that's why I took a picture. So much for getting any of that $1050 security deposit back.

(the story: that large table you see is a ping pong table my mom brought over for our yardsale last weekend. It's SUPER heavy and huge. It was sitting on the porch, leaning up against the railing. That smaller table is a train table. So - the wind blew the ping pong table, into the train table, then into the window - Kinda like dominoes!! And no, I'm really not laughing - but seriously! at this point.. I'm just expecting MORE to happen to us this week!)

Summer Fun!

2008-06-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Check out this idea... How fun is this? I totally signed up for it!
http://elizabethkartchner.blogspot.com/2008/06/wanna-play.html

Who's Next?

2008-06-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

I think the flu bug has plagued our house... Victim number 1: Michael (2 days of school missed) Hopefully he can go to school tomorrow and thursday because the last week of school is always the most fun! Just please don't take any more victims until AFTER saturday's move!

SERIOUSLY!

2008-06-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ok.. so who is going to get hurt next this week? This afternoon Michael and Luke were helping me shred some old papers, and I reached up to hand michael a paper and well... Paper cut his eyeball! Seriously?! What are the chances of that? So I called our eye doc, with 5 minutes before closing, hoping to rush in a get some numbing drops, but instead she wanted us to come in so she could check him out. Sure enough - a vertical slice on his little eye! Poor guy! He is totally tramatized by the whole thing. He's such a sensitive kid as it is! She added some antibiotic drops to prevent infection (which TOTALLY freaked him out) and we're just adding "fake tears" as michael calls them for the next couple of days. Ok.. ranting is over... for now anyway! :o)

Obsession

2008-06-02T13:04:00.001-07:00

My daughter has an obsession with these two guys... She has to watch it ALL the time.. and she has to watch it on "mommy's bed!" As I type this, I have put her down for a nap, on my bed, to Monster's Inc. Bad Mommy i know! I have never let my kids fall asleep to a movie, but this past week has been so crazy with trying to get stuff done, that I know if I pop that in for her, she'll be out in no time! It's like a comfort thing for her.. another binky. When we get to Boise I'll be able to crack down on the naptime.. But for now, it's just survival mode!

G'day from the land down under!!

2008-06-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

On thursday night Michael's class presented a program on Australia. They had been studying Australia for the past 6 weeks or so. It was so cute and the kids all did very well! They each had their own parts to memorize and we learned all kinds of things about Austrailia. We learned where Austrailia is and how it broke apart from the other continents long ago, it's flag, different animals that live there, even how some kids go to school by walkie talkie instead of in a real classroom! Here's a few pictures from the evening. The one of Michael on the horse is him getting ready to "ride out" during the song Waltzing Matilda. They had their own "coral reef" display, along with Austrailia's flag and pictures of austrailian animals and the student's own artwork and projects on display. They were told to wear something they thought the people of Australia would wear, so he came home and told me very specifically that he wanted to wear a Camo shirt with Khaki shorts! Funny kid!

Bring it on...

2008-05-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

As if I didn't already have enough to do during the next couple of weeks, I got to spend a few hours in the ER today. Brynley (being quite a little shorty) cannot reach my bed. Usually she asks for help to climb up, but today she decided to pull out my bottom drawer and use that to boost herself up. When she decided she wanted down, she smacked head first on the wooden dresser drawer. It knocked her out for a few seconds, and gave her a minor concussion. We had to do a CT and everything! She was a champ and held still, and they didn't have to sedate her. Thankfully it was normal and she seems to be acting ok. The mark (which was a HUGE goose-egg a few hours ago is right near her hairline, so if I don't pull her hair back with a clip, then you don't see it. It doesn't look terribly horrible right now, but I know the coloring will only get worse!! (and yes.. as you can see from the picture I still give my 2 year old daughter her binky. Sure - she's got a little bit of a cross bite now - but that can all be fixed later... sanity is much more important at this stage!!)

But, like I said - do I really need anything else added to the stress???!!! I'm starting to feel the craziness even more from trying to pack, sort, get ready for the yard sale, school work...... etc etc. Anybody feel the need to write a paper or take a final for me??!

Let Us Remember

2008-05-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

My maternal grandmother died suddenly of a massive heart attack right after Steven and I got engaged. I was fortunate enough to have my truck break down just down the street from my grandparents house. I walked down to their house and got to visit a little with them before they helped me get my truck started. Amazingly it started right up. If my truck had not had problems that day I would not have gotten to see my grandma that one last time. I will always remember the great big hug she gave me as she said goodbye after grandpa had gotten my truck started. She always had those GREAT big bear hugs. I only wish she could have lived a little longer to have become a great-grandmother. She would have loved seeing her great-grandchildren. After she passed it was a difficult time for my grandfather. But it was really nice to get to know him a little better before he passed a few years later. It was neat to hear of some of his war stories and to hear of the hero that he was for our country. I hope you all have a chance to visit the cemetary today and pay tribute to loved ones and to those veterans who served our country faithfully.

Announcing...

2008-05-24T10:03:00.001-07:00

The new website for the firm is up! Check it out!

http://www.millerandfisher.com/

Jumpin' Jacks Preschool: Class of 2008

2008-05-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the grad - my little Lukey!!! Luke graduated from preschool this week. It was a nice short little ceremony. They sang a couple songs, then got their diplomas! They had a "weather" theme for their graduation. They sang songs about the sun, rain, etc. and wore yellow tie-dyed t-shirts! During the "rainy" songs they wore umbrella hats! It was just too cute! here's a few pics - the lighting was absolutely HORRIBLE and i really couldn't get the best photos - but oh well.. I did get some! :o) (I tried to post a video clip but blogger seems to have issues) In the picture of him with his teachers, the one on the left is Mrs. Godes - she was the assistant, and Mrs. Hawking is to the right, she was the actual teacher. I just LOVED this preschool. Luke learned so much. They had the coolest activites and lessons, and he even got to go on field trips! I can't wait to scrap his preschool year! :o)

Digital Creativeness....

2008-05-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

So this is only my third attempt at photoshop/digital scrap stuff. I'm getting these ready to send out to friends/family to announce our move and new info. What do you guys think? Anything I should add or change up a bit? (Sorry 'bout the blurred info.. but you get the idea!) They will be printed up as a 5x7 matte finish photo.

Cramming ideas anyone?

2008-05-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ok - so our landlord JUST called me and said he'll be here tomorrow to show our house to some prospective tenants. My house is a mess! Not a super huge mess, but messy enough it's not in showing condition! I've been sorting and boxing and there is stuff everywhere!! Any ideas on how to make my house presentable and FAST without using my usual stashing places of closets and my room?!!!! AHHH! Panic mode has officially set in (and I have a test tomorrow that I need to study for!! Why do I do this to myself???) I know, I know... if I was a great little housewife, my house would be spotless, dishes always done, never behind on laundry, kids would always have their hair combed AND I would still be able to get my classes done with time to spare.. but who really lives in that kind of a world anyway? If someone does... tell me how you do it?

Small & Simple

2008-05-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Jenny is making (and selling) the sweetest little bracelets. Check these out! They are very reasonably priced and so adorable! I'm definately going to be ordering some for Brynley! You can pick from the ones she has shown on her site or custom design your own. Check her out at http://smallandsimplebabybracelets.blogspot.com/ or send her an email at smallandsimple@gmail.com.