beating the heat, part dos

Last week, to escape the hot house, we decided to have a picnic dinner at the park. It seems a lot of others had the same idea since the park was full of people. We enjoyed our meal except for a run in with some rotten carrots - you don't really want to know. Let's just say that Derek and Em thought they were flavored carrots. When I convinced them they weren't there was some gagging going on. The surprising thing!?!...Luke ate a bunch of them before we discovered they were bad and never said a thing. I would say that is pretty gross but on the bright side he and his stomach will be ready for a foreign mission.

Derek watching the kids play frisbee

Luke loves this park because of all the rocks. We have already determined in previous posts that I tend to be a bit paranoid so I spend a lot of my time at this park trying to keep Luke from falling in to the duck and turtle infested waters.

It was nice to sit by the water and just enjoy one anothers company. We also started a walk around the lake but never made it all the way around. Their are exercise stations placed throughout the park and the kids wanted to stop at everyone they saw - it made for a long walk so we had to cut the walk short. No worries though...the exercise was good for all of us and we learned a few things about me and Nate - we can't jump to save our lives. A few of the exercises required jumping - just forget it, Nate and I caught no air. Any dreams Derek may have had of seeing Nate play basketball were shattered I'm sure.

beating the heat

Last week, or was it the week before (?) we had some way HOT weather. We were pushing close to 100 degrees for a few days. The kids spent an afternoon cooling off in the sprinklers and had a blast. The community pool would have been their first choice but with too much needing done at home the best I could pull off was the sprinklers.

treasure hunting

When Luke and I walk to school he likes to look for treasures. His "treasures" usually consist of various rocks and flowers which I always end up holding so his hands can be free to find even more treasures.

Last week as we were walking to school Luke found this little beauty - a lizard tail. Do I even need to tell you what my reaction was? We were still a ways from school and there was no way, let me repeat - no way, that I was going to carry his treasure all the way to school and then back home. He agreed to finding a hiding place for it so that HE could pick it up after school and bring it home.

So now I have a lovely lizard tail in a glad container decorating my kitchen counter. Oh the joy of boys!

fathers and sons

It's time to play catch up with posts - we got behind a bit.

Last Friday was our Fathers and Sons campout with church. Every year the men take their boys camping over night at a local campground. Nathan and Luke love going and always come home filthy and happy. I spend the whole night worrying that the dads aren't watching their boys well enough and I am always sure that boys will be lost and never found. It doesn't help when Derek says to me, as we are packing them up, "make sure the boys each have a flashlight and then one for me so I'll be able to find them when it gets dark" What?

We never get any pictures from the actual camping trip so I took a "before" of the boys as they loaded up the car.
This shot is of Luke before leaving on the campout. See how excited he is to be going camping?
This is the after! Nothing like coming home after playing in the dirt for hours and getting no sleep. Luke came home so dirty and so tired. It made for a fun Saturday.

I wouldn't trade it though. The boys love their yearly adventure with dad, especially since I am not there hovering. If I was there, there would be no chance of them getting lost but where is the fun in that? I know they love just being with Dad.

photography 2

I started my photography 2 class a few weeks ago. We are working on portraits and lighting. Each week we turn in one photo for our homework assignment - the one of Nate is what I turned in last night. I'm learning a lot but am still finding it hard to convey in the photo what I'm picturing in my mind. I'm trying to observe more and to be aware of light, distractions, etc. when shooting but sometimes it all seems like a lot to remember. I am enjoying myself though and it is nice to have a hobby, especially one that allows me to create.

feeling blue (& pink)

We mentioned earlier in our blog the Coble Family. The funeral for their children was Saturday. The community is still mourning the loss of these 3 precious children and fundraisers are happening all over town. While out grocery shopping today I had to pull out my camera and take a few pictures of just a few of the hundreds of ribbons that are tied on trees, posts, bushes, bridges, etc throughout the area. Wherever you look you see 2 pink ribbons and 1 blue ribbon tied together. Whenever I drive through town and see these ribbons I cry. I just can't imagine. It is nice though to see the outpouring of love and I hope that it brings at least a little bit of comfort to the Coble family.

we're still here

No, we have not dropped off the face of the earth we just seem to be overly busy at the moment. The regularly scheduled blogging will resume - eventually!

nate's eight

So Monday was Nathan's birthday - the big 8. Here is how we celebrated...

Derek and I went up to school for lunch and brought cupcakes and water for the kids to have during lunch. The cupcakes were a bigger hit then the water (surprise, surprise) but I personally thought the water bottles were better then cupcakes, but what do I know - I'm not 8. We also took up little gift bags that Nathan passed out to his classmates at the end of the day. Nate felt like he had a little party and I hardly did any work - I might have to turn this party at the lunch tables thing in to a tradition :)

One of our birthday traditions is the birthday boy or girl gets to pick the meal for dinner. Nate picks the same gourmet meal every year - frozen chicken nuggets & tater tots - is your mouth watering just thinking about it? The afternoon ended up being a bit overbooked and the grocery store quickly ended up at the bottom of the long to do list. Nate was easily swayed to go out to dinner at a restaurant of his choosing so we ended up at Chili's and enjoyed a nice dinner complete with birthday serenade by the talented wait staff.

We concluded the evening with a birthday gift trip to Target where we each picked up a gift for Nate. We put our very posh wrapping skills to use and wrapped the presents in the back seat of the Suburban using the beautiful and graphic Target bags, handed the gifts to Nate in the middle seat where he opened the bags and found all was right with the world. A rousing rendition of Happy Birthday and we were home for bed.

remember this family

Some of you have heard about the car accident that happened here in our area Friday night. A family lost all three of their young children. More information on the accident can be found here.

A website has been set up to honor the Coble children. As you kneel down to say your prayers remember this family. I can't imagine the pain and grief that they must be going through. Events like this remind us how fragile our lives are. We could all be better... speak kinder, be slow to judge, say I love you more and hug a little tighter.

on to saturday's activities

Saturday was party day...Luke had a party for a classmate/neighborhood friend at our local little park. He was having a great time until we had to pick him up early so we could head out to the next party. No child wants to leave a party early - you can imagine the tears I'm sure.

As a family we went to celebrate Abby's 1st birthday - what a great celebration for a very special girl. You can see pictures from her party here. It was amazing to see such a happy, healthy little girl so aware of her surroundings when it wasn't that long ago that Derek and I saw her in the hospital after her birth. She truly is a miracle.

I had fun putting together her birthday present. We put together "Abby's Bedtime Box" and filled it with books, a blanket and a cd of lullabies. I reused my birthday label that I made for the apple but I changed the words. I knew I would find other uses for it.

After the party we did a quick change into church clothes and then went to our Stake baptisms. Our friends the Wrights baptized their youngest son. After the baptism the Wrights invited family and friends over to their home for a meal. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it. Max (the mom) is an amazing cook. She does catering on the side. She prepared an amazing feast of Chinese food that was enjoyed by all.

whew...what a weekend

We have had a busy weekend. Friday night was Emily's Daddy Daughter Dance. Her date for the evening was very good looking and a perfect gentleman. I had to help at the event so I took my camera planning on getting a ton of great shots but only got his one. The self timer had been set on my camera and I could not figure out how to turn it off. Whenever I took a picture we had to wait a very long minute for it to shoot and then the flash would go off - the shots did not turn out well so I gave up.

Emily had a ton of fun. She enjoyed learning new dance steps with her dad. Derek has always said that he got married so he wouldn't have to dance anymore but I think he forgot about things like daddy-daughter shindigs.

Emily looked really cute in her new dress. She and I went on a shopping spree and she loved finding the polka dot dress. She looked very grown up to me which made me feel a little sad. My kids are getting so big.

you're invited to a princess ball

Emily has her yearly daddy-daughter activity days date with Derek tonight. She is so excited to go out with her daddy. She has informed me that she needs to go and get a suitable dress today after school. She actually really does need some new church dresses so this is a good excuse to go out and find something. I'll post pictures after the big date.

Nate is getting way excited for his birthday on Monday. The big 8! He is eager for his baptism on June 9th. He misses the Stake baptisms for this month by 2 days. We are not having a birthday party for him this year because of his baptism. He doesn't seem to mind at all so all is well. I am going to go up to the school on Monday and decorate the lunch tables where his class sits and bring pizza for all the kids. I have been working on some personalized labels for the water bottles I plan to take up with the pizza. I need some ideas to help me finish them. Maybe I will post what I have and see if anyone has ideas for me. Check back for a water label post and please share your ideas.

no time for cupcakes

It's been one of those days. You know the ones where you are busy and running around all day but you're not really sure what you accomplished.

I wanted to deliver a birthday treat to a woman in our ward but there was just no way I was going to get cupcake baking into the day. I ran to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and got a yummy apple pie apple and then did some simple packaging.

I have probably said this before but I love labels. They are quick and easy to make and add a great personal touch. I know that there are a few of you out there that make labels too - the fonts I used are walkway bold (thinking of, on your special day) Jane Austen (all cursive) and the "YOU" I can't remember but it was a basic font - arial, maybe. The label is pink and brown, although in the picture it looks black.

This would be a great little gift when neighbors need a little pick me up, for teachers, for visiting teaching or to remember someones birthday. I just plan to change the wording to fit the occasion when I use this idea again.

stepping back in time

I will upload more pictures soon but for now here is one I love. How cute is this of Megan and Luke? The Faire was for the middle schoolers but the elementary kids were invited to come for a shorter time (they share a campus) Luke was excited to be dressed up as a knight although we had a bit of turmoil deciding on the right type of knight (more on that later) He was thrilled to find Megan on the field and to be able to walk around with his big sister. Megan was happy to hold his hand and show him around and she never felt bugged or embarrassed by having her little bro tag along - it warms a mommies heart.

About the knight costume...Luke comes home from school with a note saying that the kids should dress up as a princess or knight. For a split second I think I will attempt sewing one but quickly decide against it - costume castle will work. So Luke and I begin talking about the costume. I ask if he would like a certain color, does he want a sword, shield, etc. His reply..."Mrs. Fish says we can dress as a Jedi knight - I want to be a Jedi knight" What? A Jedi knight at a medieval faire. Mind you, I am a huge "stick with the theme" kinda gal. I realize a good, nurturing mom might say "sure honey, if that's what you want to be" and then let her child go on his merry way secure in the fact that his mother trusts him to make decisions on his own. Not happening with me. The thought of sending a jedi to the faire makes my stomach feel sick - a theme is a theme. If you think I am over exaggerating my feelings on this - ask my husband. After more then a few discussions and a bit of crying (told you I wasn't nurturing :) Luke realizes that my mind ain't a changing and agrees to be a knight. If it makes anyone feel better he did love his knight costume and was thrilled to be wearing it. Had he shown up as a jedi I am sure that he would have been scarred for life and would have had a life long aversion to all things Star Wars. See, I helped him - maybe I am a nurturing mother after all.

i heart blake

No worries for Derek - I don't love Blake like that, I love him in a "I would buy tickets to a concert" kinda way. Did you not love this performance?!?!

check it out

Ok, so look what I found today...Martha Stewart Craft. I'm not a huge fan of Martha but she (or at least her staff) comes up with some great ideas. Imagine the party possibilities with all these goodies. And the cute cupcake liners & the boxes - I'm giddy with excitement.

watch out spielberg

the finished product

The gypsy costume is complete, here it is...


Since we posted the original pictures of the costume we have added...skirt trim, coin belt, leather belt, tons of jewelry and some sandals we picked up in Tijuana on one of our trips (they work perfect with the costume) We also added suspenders. Suspenders? Yes, suspenders. After I got the trim sewn on to the bottom of the skirt I realized that we had a definite problem - the skirt now weighed a ton. I took in the elastic waist 2 times but the skirt just continued to fall right of Megan. The suspenders work perfect and if Megan wants to change up the costume a bit she can be a farmer gypsy - that's sure to win some originality awards at a costume party.

We got a good laugh at about the skirt and how much it weighed so tonight we did a little experiment. Megan got on the scale with the costume on and then with it off. The grand total...the costume weighs 6.2 pounds - it's all that skirt and jewelry.

three cheers for em...hip hip hooray!

So Emily is not one of our bravest kids when it comes to amusement park rides. Over the last year or so she has gotten much better about trying out some rides when we go to an amusement park but she still tends to stick to her comfort zone rides. Her big step was a while back when she finally made it on to Indiana Jones at Disneyland. She loves that ride now and I think it gave her the little push she needed to try other rides.

Last night we went with our friends the Smiths to Disneyland and had a great time. The highlight for me was watching Emily make the move towards a fast ride - Big Thunder Mountain She had a bit of a nervous moment while in line but she pushed through it and ended up loving the ride. We're so proud of her for learning to overcome some of her fears to try new things. Our Disneyland experience has changed so much now that she is willing to try more things - she just has a way better time at the park. Now if we could just get Luke to try a few more rides.

un-lucky charms

OK, General Mills has a problem. Take a look...
No marshmallows...not a single one. I am sure that this is General Mills fault and couldn't possibly be because of one of my children. I mean come on, is it really possible that Luke would sneak into the pantry and pull the cereal off the shelf and then sit and eat every marshmallow out of the box? We do have a lock on the pantry and I know Luke would never use the broom handle to secretly open up the pantry lock to get to the cereal. And if he did do any of this, which I know he hasn't, he for sure wouldn't do it everyday without my knowledge -what kind of mother do you think I am? So see it must be General Mills fault - are they owned by Best Buy :)

school project # 5,649

Another school project for Emily but this one required all of us and a friend. I took the kids and one of Megan's friends to the park this afternoon because Emily needed to finish up a book report. She read Bridge to Terabithia and for her report she filmed a scene from the book. The project is now being handed off to Derek so that he and Emily can work on the editing. Perhaps we'll try to download the finished masterpiece. Here are some shots of the kids dressed up as Terabithians...
Emily's shot is actually of her playing at the park after the filming. She was a great Terabithian however.

my little nacho libre

So these pictures make me laugh. We spent part of the afternoon at the park helping Emily film a book report (more on that in the next post) We had costumes with us and Luke was running around in his mexican wrestling mask that we got in Tijuana the last time we were there. How nice to be able to run through the park with reckless abandon not caring what anyone thinks - I guess when your face is covered in such a fantastically silky, colorful mask no one is going to know it is you any way.

By the way...the navy rain boots with shorts add a nice touch to the ensemble.

derek is feeding my obsession

So I have a Sharpie obsession. Even with all the damage they can do (we have black sharpie'd window sills - thanks Luke) I still love them. Every time I go into an office supply store my heart races a bit when I see Sharpies in all their glorious colors. I nearly have a heart attack when I see the huge multi pack at Costco.

Last night Emily and Derek were out buying a protractor at Staples and they came home bearing a gift. Yes, you guessed it I am now the proud owner of 24 colored Sharpies - life is good! I colored for about an hour or more last night thoroughly enjoying my vibrant colored doodles.

a moment of silence please

We will miss you little Sanjaya...

Now let's enjoy the show!

gypsies, tramps and thieves

Derek hates the song I used in this post title. It's by Cher and for whatever reason it reminds me of my childhood - no I was not a gypsy, it's just a song I remember hearing in my childhood and I still can remember nearly every word of it.

On with the post though...

So here is how Megan's gypsy costume is going. These pictures are just the very basic costume - she will have lots of gypsy "bling" added to it. In the pictures the vest looks a bit big because I don't have it laced up in the back. I especially love the poses. Meg and I were laughing a bunch while taking these pictures because she was trying to pose like the models on the front of the pattern envelopes.

I'll post more pictures when the finished product is all put together.

laughing ourselves silly

After our eventful afternoon we dropped the kids of at Grammy's house and Derek and I went to see Brian Regan in Long Beach. As always, we laughed a ton - he is so funny. If you haven't seem him you really should - you will not be disappointed.

us and mickey...drowned rats

Derek had Friday off work so we decided to brave the weather (finally rain in California) and we headed off for Disneyland. We tried to prepare ourselves the best we could but we never really stood a chance against big bad mother nature. We handled ourselves ok for most of the day but at one point the rain was coming down so hard there was just no hope...we were pretty soaked through. We quickly left Disneyland and headed over to California Adventure for free tortillas (hey, how often do you get anything free from Disneyland) and then into a store so I could buy a purse I have had my eye on since January - I was able to use my birthday money - what a fun gift!

After all that we were all rather cold (some of us were freezing) and looking like drowned rats so we called it a day.

let the fun begin

Nathan and I took our first trip to the Scout Shop. Nate will join Cub Scouts in a few weeks and he is excited (not sure if he'll still be excited when he is 14 or 15 but for now he is) He is the proud owner of a cub shirt and all the other "stuff" that he has to wear with it. I don't know how excited I am to sew on patches and attend cub day camp but I'll smile and go along with it.

can you handle more cupcakes?

Here are the latest cupcake creations...

Derek has been in the middle of quarter end closing the financial books. He has spent a lot of long hours at work so as a little pick me up I delivered these goodies for him to share at work. I think these cakes would also be a great April 15th Tax Day treat.Some family friends made plans to travel to Hawaii with their family for Spring Break. To give them a proper send off we delivered these beach cupcakes complete with graham cracker sand and flip flops.

welcome home

I almost forgot...our computer is home and resting comfortably.

pinch me, i must be dreaming

Can it be? Is it really true? Can we finally say Sanjaya Good bya?!?!?

Once I got over the shock of seeing Blake in the bottom 3 - what's that about? I mumbled under my breath "please be Sanjaya, please be Sanjaya" and the American public heard my cries - yipee! For whatever reason the song Ding Dong the Witch is Dead from The Wizard of Oz has been running through my mind all morning - funny, huh?

I really do have a life despite what my frequent American Idol posts might lead you to believe. I have been busy the last few days sewing a costume for Megan. At the end of the month is the middle school's medieval faire and she was assigned to be a gypsy.

Here is the costume she liked. We couldn't find one pattern that would fit the bill so I have combined a few patterns in order to try and recreate this costume. We have made a few changes but for the most part it looks fairly similar. Megan agreed to wear this for Halloween too so by the end of this week I'll be a 1/4 of the way done with Halloween! Since my machine is out I may start in on the other kids Halloween costumes as well.

Speaking of machines...I got a new one! It has a ton of fun capabilities but since I'm just trying to get this costume done I have not ventured off into the unknown world of digital sewing - I'm sticking to my boring straight stitch at the moment.

in case you're wondering....

Still no computer. Have we told you how much we love Best Buy and the Geek Squad?!?!?

do i have to bring this up again?

Really people, what is going on in your minds? Sanjaya is safe and Chris Richardson is in the bottom three? I can't believe Sanjaya is around another week. Please don't think I'm a meanie - he sings ok but he just seems boring. Do we really want him to win?

If anything good happened this week it's that Hailey is gone. I'm glad that Simon commented on her choice of clothing (Lakisha could use some guidance too) Her outfits were too much, especially for a family show.

I'm still a Blake fan. I can't wait to see what he does each week.

good mail

This post is way late and so my apologies go out to Kristi. Kristi is a new blogging friend that couldn't be nicer. Just a few days after we spoke by email she sent me Good Mail. I was thrilled to get tons of fun ribbons from her. I have already used a lot of them and have plans for the rest. A girl can never have too much ribbon. Thank you so much Kristi for your thoughtfulness.

I have really enjoyed learning more about good mail and I love the concept. What a great way to stay in touch with family and friends . Everyone loves to know they are being thought of.