February!!

So, I finally have had some time to update all of my readers on our goings on! And, we have been busy. I have been spending just about every waking moment on the yearbook for Logan's school. I never imagined it was going to be so much work and take so much of my time. I now know why they have to ask someone new to do it every year. NO ONE wants to take on this responsibility; however, I have learned a ton, and it has been a great way to get involved with the school but keep my distance from the politics.

The boys have been crazy busy too! I took Luke up to the school this last Friday and registered him for kindergarten...I had to catch my breath. I am really having a difficult time imagining him getting on the bus next year. Maybe it is because he is my last one. Maybe it is because he is just so different from Logan. Logan begged to go to school and could not wait to ride the bus. He still gets excited every morning. Luke is my little old man who really likes to be at home and is perfectly ok being alone. While Logan thrives on the energy of others, Luke is very content playing with Legos in his room all day. It will be an adjustment for him and me both! I am trying with everything in me to be excited for him and talk to him excitedly about school. I don't want him to be upset about it or dislike it. It is just going to be sad next year when I put them both on the bus and come home to an empty house. Of course Lyndon has a great solution for that; I just need to get a job. And, I have considered a bunch of options. I think for next year, I am going to just stay home and get Luke (and myself) through kindergarten. I will say that Luke seems to really enjoy being read to and loves to do "homework." He is already learning to read sight words and is writing. I think he will love that part of school!

 

Luke and a group of his friends from school got to visit a planetarium!

 

 

 

They got to become planets and demonstrate how each planet moves around the sun! Luke was pumped to be Earth!! He worked it like a rock star!

 

And, they got to watch a cute show on the stars staring Big Bird and Elmo.  All I could think about during the show is all of the controversy surrounding them both.  Big Bird getting caught up in politics and Elmo becoming part of the disturbing issues in our society.  It just made me sad as I watched Luke become more and more excited with the show. 

 

Luke has decided to by my new Terminix person.  The gun in the front there is used to take out the rats...

 

And, Logan has had his own crazy going on!  This child just does not sit still. Ever. I know most small children have energy, but this kid amazes me.  I believe that he would do a sport every night of the week if I would let him.  And, during the time he is not doing a sport, I believe he would be outside running just for the hell of it.  I keep waiting for someone to suggest that he is ADD, but his teacher assures me that he does what he is told in class and manages to get his work done without issues.  I watch him do his homework in the evening, and he stands to do most of it, sometimes moving his feet around while writing something.  So far, though, his school work is great, and he has discovered that he really loves reading (thank God for that)!  I am not sure how he reads as he does it while moving around, but he manages it.  He loves school and, minus the argument about doing homework most nights, he loves learning!

 

Logan and our sweet neighbor were both chosen to read during the school pep rally last week!  We rehearsed for several days, and he was a bit nervous, but he did beautifully!

Proud is an understatement!

 

We also finished up the basketball season!  He loved it, but I think football will be is favorite (insert small heart attack for me here).  I am not a fan of football.  I think it is brutal, and while Logan may have height, he is about as big around as a twig.  He broke his leg falling off his bike.  Why can't he pick swimming?

 

Just wanted to throw this in.  I am trying to make them both well-rounded for the benefit of their future spouses! Next is laundry!

And, last but not least, Logan had 100 Day at school last week.  The kids got to dress up like they were 100 years old.  I had to pay Logan to dress up.  It cost me $2 (I swear he will be a lawyer one day)!  But, I managed to get him in this ensemble, and he wore most of it all day, so I will pay up.  What you can't see is the sweat pants.  I really wanted him to wear some black pants and suspenders, but he wasn't having it. At least I got this!   

 

I hope everyone is having a fabulous February! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas 2012!!

Putting out reindeer food!

Papa watching the kids. He refused to go sit outside in the cold. It wasn't really that cold, but his Texas blood just couldn't handle it!

This is what Daddy did.

Sorry it has taken so long to update the blog, readers ( I like saying that as if I have a huge following)! Blogger has been having issues with their picture upload, so I had to figure out how to work around it. Just so we are clear, I didn't rewrite a code or anything, I just had to go to find out what Blogger suggested. Sorry if the pics don't look like they normally do :-(. Anyway, here are the Christmas 2012 pics! I am pretty sure they are self-explanitory. We had a very quiet, calm and peaceful Christmas complete with a rediculous amount of food, Christmas movie classics, Christmas Eve candlelight service, more food, lots of wrapping and unwrapping, crafts, parties, gatherings, more food, and a lot of fun. I always love this time of year and what it means. I am also very grateful for my beautiful family and the time we have together! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a perfect start to 2013!

And, more Christmas stuff!

The boys are enjoying their Advent calendar.  They have gotten money, candy, silly string, giant pens, and they got to put together a gingerbread house! I realize it looks like they did it in the dark, but I just forgot to reset my camera.

Happy crafting!

Just Some Pics!

They were not happy I made them wear the hats, but seriously.  I could not resist!

 

Daddy wanted one with the hats on backwards.  I got the best smiles from them after that...typical!

So very grateful for these two.  I am always amazed at how they can drive me to the edge and bring me back all within one second!

XOXOXO

 

 

More Christmast crafts!

I filled the bottom with some tissue paper so I would not have to pour a ton of sand in fill them up.  I just wanted to put enough sand in so they would not easily tip over.  

So, we are hosting Lyndon's work Christmas party at our house this year, and I really wanted to do something for the tables!  I looked around at some arrangements, but they were soooo expensive!  I just couldn't justify the expense, and we know I am cheap frugal.  So, I came across some really cute glittered pieces at a craft store, and I decided I would just make them work.  The containers are actually bed risers that I found at Big Lots, a package of 4 for $5!  I also bought some foam inserts and added a little sand to weigh them down. Then I topped them off with some snow flakes to cover the edge.  I sprayed the outside of the containers with some spray-on glitter.  I was happy with how they came out considering I spent about $7 to make each one!

I also saw a cute pic on Pinterest for cork Christmas trees.  I have been collecting corks (sadly, I have not been collecting for that long), and I knew I would find something cute to do with them.  I think that maybe some would suggest that I have a problem, but all the same, I added to my Christmas decor! I just glued them together, and it is sitting on top of a small terracotta pot which I had in my stash of craft stuff.  I also had the moss and twine, but you could use almost anything to fill or tie onto the container. I sprayed the actual tree with my left-over glitter from the above arrangements! 

Happy Christmas crafting!

Christmas stuff!

This guy is back...

Zelk will make the top ten list of "Things I Hate Now but Will Miss When the Kids are Grown." It ranks right up there with packing lunches and stepping on Legos! I have woken up in the middle of the night, twice, because I have forgotten about him.  I have seen all of these cute ideas for him, but honestly, I am not willing to make a mess that I know I am going to have to clean up later.  Right now, he just moves around to high places (I am worried what the kittens would do to him...hmmm).

 

We have also started our homemade Advent calendar!  So far the boys have received some flavored chapstick and their very own hair brushes (I was excited about this one so they will leave mine alone!). We also came across our first service activity which was making brownies for the firemen! They are always very kind and grateful when we deliver goodies!

 

Thank you to Fire House No. 9!  The boys enjoyed their visit!

 

And more painting!

I knew that doing the kitchen cabinets would open the gateway for other projects. At least this one was pretty painless and fast.  I decided that the dining room needed an update.  Fortunately for me, there was already a chair rail in place.  I just wanted to strip the wallpaper and paint the bottom half. Eventually, I would like to add frames on the bottom part too, but for now, I just wanted the wallpaper off.  It was not bad wallpaper, but it was starting to peel, and I needed something that would flow with the kitchen. 

I used hot water and vinegar to remove the wallpaper.  You can buy wallpaper remover, but this method works just as well, and it is cheap! I didn't measure the amount of vinegar.  I just dumped some into a hot bucket of water.  I really wanted to do a basic white on the bottom because at some point I may decide to add frames, but for now I was excited at how much the white opened up the room!