What we've been up to lately

can you say busy? what a week! I'm glad it is almost over.

It's been windy and cold most of the last couple of weeks. We had another delayed start to school this morning because a snowstorm came through last night, after it was in the 70s just the day before. Spring can be awfully crazy here in CO sometimes! I took Brenna and Sarah out for a walk early last week trying to beat a storm and we didn't quite make it- it was snowing lightly before we got home, and I heard thunder too. I don't think I've ever been in a thunderstorm quite like that before! Brenna asks nearly every day when summer is going to be here as she is tired of the cold LOL I have to get her kindergarten registration papers filled out and turned in soon as I want to have the best shot at getting her into a morning class. I just think she will do better temperament wise in the morning rather than the afternoon.

The older kids all have major report projects they are working on right now. They only gave Bryce one week for this project which he has to have a poster for and do an oral presentation. He wasn't real pleased with having to actually work on it over the weekend when he usually doesn't have to worry about homework- mean Mama ;) His report is on the ebola virus (this is a science report on an infectious disease). I am happy to report that he has it all finished up and ready to turn in/present tomorrow- yeah! This project has not made him a happy camper at home with me pestering him all of the time about whether he has gotten anything done on it. He doesn't seem to have grasped the concept that if he just spends a few focused minutes on his work, then he would get things done much faster. Also the fact that if he doesn't understand what I've told him to do that he should ask another question or two until he does, instead of sitting there stewing about something he doesn't understand and wasting his time. It's done now- thank goodness! The twins have reports on inventors that thankfully are being done over a longer period of time and in smaller increments. Beth is studying Alexander Fleming (discovered penicillin) and Carissa is doing Ruth Wakefield- chocolate chip cookies. We have to come up with costumes and props for their presentations. I'm hoping that I still have a lab coat hidden in the bottom of my closet somewhere for Beth, and I'm sure that we will be baking a batch or two of Tollhouse cookies for Carissa.

journaling: In March at our dentist appointments we were finally told that it was time to take Bryce and Beth to the orthodontist. They got their new braces during spring break.
credits: By Dani Mogstad: Pop Rocks, Pop Rocks Mini Tag Album, stitched tag from Fresh Air, dark purple paper from Scared Silly with Jacque Larsen; LO template from April Girl Talk blog challenge; Pop Top Poppers by Kim Jensen at Scrapdish; beaded wire from Denim Garden by Misty Cato; Playing with Wire Alpha by Weeds and Wildflowers; fonts: CK Sketch

Bryce and Beth both got braces over spring break at the beginning of the month. We had to go in for extra visits a couple of times because of lost spacers and broken brackets and wires, so I spent way too much time at that office over the last couple of weeks. Bryce's estimated time-line for treatment is 24-36 months. Because Beth still doesn't have a lot of her permanent teeth in, she is only supposed to have them for about 10 months this time. Then, after she gets a few more adult teeth in she will probably have to have them put on again for another short period. They seem to be adjusting to the OK for the most part.

I went out last Friday evening and had dinner with a bunch of old friends from my MOPS group. We shut down the restaraunt, sitting in a corner in a back chatting away about what we had been doing lately. It was lovely and I really enjoyed it.

journaling: Jolin and Tina organized a MOPS reunion dinner so that we could visit and catch up with what everyone has been doing during the years since we all served together on steering at Pulpit Rock. A few people I had run into on occasion around town, but most I hadn’t seen in several years. A few I had even been thinking about not too many days before. We sat in a back corner of the restaurant and chatted for over 3 hours- it was wonderful and like it hadn’t been so long since we had last seen each other. ~April 11, 2008
credits: Circle of Friends by Christy Lyle at SweetShoppeDesigns; Folded Mats and Photo Grids #2 templates by Jen Caputo at Scrapbookgraphics; fonts: TXT Stonewashed, DB Florography, Century Gothic

Brenna received a late birthday package from Aunt Megan today, much to her surprise. I didn't even make her wait to open it. She loved it and spent most of the afternoon and evening changing her clothes and trying to put the tiny little shoes on Cinderella. We only had one mishap with a pink shoe right before bed time when Sarah was being a pill and shoved it in a crack in the floor. Luckily Mama was able to get it out with her trusty pair of tweezers from the scrapbook tools. Once again craft supplies save the day! whoo hoo! LOL

and a couple of other random pictures I've been meaning to post. Has anyone heard of Speed Stacking? Some of our friends' kids participate in the team version of this through their schools. Our kids became enamored after giving it a try at the last young families potluck, and when the cup stacks went on sale the next week I gave in and got two. Even Sarah like to try it, though she doesn't get the whole concept quite yet she likes to try and stack them in her own fashion.

Last month, Becky asked me for some help with designing a logo for their school's speed stacking teams. Obviously the logo that was done for them the previous year was made by someone with graphic arts training as it was quite complicated. And of course the head coach wanted something similar. I have yet to see an actual printed shirt, but I thought the overall design came out pretty well. They needed the shirts to wear to the big Speed Stacking competition in Denver at the beginning of April. Hopefully Becky will get the pictures from the competition off of her camera soon!

and here is my cutie-patootie trying her hand at using a hand punch.
I was trying to work on a project for PrimaHybrid the other day and Ms. Sarah kept coming over and snitching my tools and then trying to 'help' me. I finally convinced her that she wasn't to touch the project I was working on, and gave her a piece of scrap paper to play with. That satisfied her for about 5 minutes and the next time I turned my back on the real project for a minute she was back trying to put some extra holes in it for me. She is just a little too much like me sometimes! LOL

Tomorrow is Bryce's 12th birthday bash. It looks like it is going to be a small group this time- only 2 or 3 boys. They are spending the night and they are going to be watching the Ben 10 moveis that will be on Nick tomorrow evening. A nice quiet party- just the type I like these days ;) All of the kids that are coming are nice and have always been well behaved so I think it will be a nice time for everyone.

Oh, and before I head up to bed. Check out this article in the New York Times- RAKscraps got a mention in the section about digital scrapbooking!