School’s Out!

It’s been a busy couple of days getting all of the end of the year activities done, and as soon as Bryce gets home in less than an hour it will be the official start of summer vacation.

Kindergarten graduation was yesterday, so Brenna is officially a first grader now! yeah, Brenna!  Here she is belting out the little song that they learn for their program: Hey kindergarten, we had a lot of fun but it’s time we say good-bye. See ‘ya later, alligator!…. and then it ends with them all yelling “First grade here we come!” Bryce, Beth and Carissa all sang this song at the end of their kindergarten years too :)

Brenna and her teacher, Mrs. Bonser.

And today was the 5th grade graduation ceremony. It started off with the presentation of the Officer David Pratt award. Officer Pratt has been the DARE officer assigned to our school for many years and this award was established by him to honor the 5th grade student who best exemplifies leadership and citizenship.  This Officer Pratt:

and after Mrs. Patchen finished reading this wonderful letter and tribute to this year’s chosen recipient, it was announced that it was our Elizabeth!

They didn’t tell us beforehand, though Beth had a sneaking suspicion it might be her. She knew Mrs. Patchen was presenting it, so it was someone in her class, and her classmates were all guessing it was going to be her. Here she is accepting her award from Officer Pratt.

 

She received this engraved glass plaque along with a copy of the letter and a certificate. Her name will also be engraved on the large plaque that hangs in the hall at school with the names of all the past recipients.

and we are also very proud of Carissa, who along with Beth, was given an award for getting all A’s every quarter this year. There were only three students who achieved this this year.

Mark is visiting his mom this week, so he didn’t get to see the end of the year ceremonies. I am very thankful for Grandmama who was here to share the honors with us, and who helped keep Sarah entertained during the hour.

Carissa and her teacher, Mrs. Mootheart.

and Elizabeth and her teacher, Mrs. Patchen.

and look what Bryce brought home from school today:

Those are awards for all A’s this year and perfect attendance. He says there was some sort of ceremony yesterday after school, which he didn’t tell me about. He picked up his t-shirt, medals and certificates at the end of school today when his band teacher let him know about them. He’s improved a lot on keeping track of assignments and homework on his own over the last couple of years, so I guess next year we will be emphasizing letting his parents know of before and after school activities that he would like to attend in a timely manner!

Prima Canvases

One of my May projects is on the Prima blog now. Art canvases were a project I had wanted to do for a long time.

digital credits: Melody papers by Valerie Foster

traditional credits:
by Prima Marketing: Essentials 3 Rue 88 flowers (517267), Mulberry flowers (711856), Artful Leaves (523862), The Bigger Bag (516703), The Bitty Bag (506988), Silk Road Can (515867), Voila Die Cut Art Strips (881641), Butterfly A (528355), Butterfly B (528362), Build-a-Bauble (400033), Say It in Crystals (711436), Say It in Crystals Swirls (517328), Whispered Words (812027 and 812027)
other: 8x8 canvases by Masters Touch Fine Art Studio, Avery Ink Jet T-Shirt Transfer sheets

Oval Gift Box – Prima Style

One of the projects I did for Prima in April. It was featured on the Prima blog on May 13th, along with some other gorgeous hybrid creations by Amy Martin and Julie Ann Shahin.

digital credits:
Rue 88 coordinates by IOD
Silhouette Gem Strips Hearts by IOD

traditional credits: Rue 88 "Fueilles" paper (602062), Elysee Ribbon (519513), Essentials 3 Rue 88 flowers (517267), Mulberry flowers (711474), Sprites 2 black (517229), Build-A-Bauble hearts (400323) ovals (400262) and circles (400316)
other: Kleenex box, Scotch foam mounting tape, glue dots

Things that have happened in May

There are a bunch of things that I keep meaning to blog about, but then don’t get around to so I’m just going to start a list and add to it for a while as I think of them.

*Sarah is done with potty training! whoo hoo! She’s gone over two weeks now without an ‘accident’ so I think she has finally gotten it down. She likes to say ‘I do it myself’ when I go to check on her. She’s even stayed dry overnight except for a couple of mornings.

journaling:   Once again it wasn’t quick or easy, but Sarah is finally done with potty-training and wearing her Pony underpants. She likes to tell us that she is a big kid now, and we agree that we don’t have any babies in our house any more. We are very proud of our big girl.
credits: by Tania Cordova Shaw: Happy Accident, Grow Blossom Fly, Today Was; P52 Week 20 template by Tracy Blankenship at FunkyPlaygroundDesigns; Clipping Masks Set 3 by Kim Hill at cgessentials; pink string from 365: International Edition Take 2 by Monica Guerra Leiria (mgl); blue string from 8 Days a Week by Mel Wilson; alpha from Every Day by Jen Yorko; Alphapalooza Clearly Mixed by Corina Nielsen at funkyplaygrouddesigns; date label from Shabby Week by Chris Grieser
fonts: CK Becky

*May 10- It's overcast and threatening to rain, but we took advantage of the clouds to get some of the yard cleanup done that we had been putting off. There is still more to do in the back to do, but I had had enough and stopped after I got the majority of it done. Mark turned the water on to the sprinkler system so we could water tonight and the pipe in the basement bathroom ceiling held for all of three minutes before splitting. So, he has to rip out the ceiling down there again to fix it, and he and the kids are going to take turns getting the lawn watered tonight. Why he just doesn't put out a sprinkler I don't know. Beth and I found one tossed in some of the bushes I was trimming from last year :P  I guess he wants to torture the kids a bit- I get out of helping with that since it is mother's day LOL – update on this: the pipe is fixed and the sprinkler system working, but the hole in the ceiling isn’t fixed. Since he will be out of town for 10 days in a week, I have a feeling this isn’t going to be done right away. It’s a good thing the girls don’t use the shower down there.

*Carissa has officially passed Tap 4 as of May8! Way to go, Carissa!

* Things are wrapping up with both school and dance. This next week is field days  at the elementary school and putting together the twins’ science projects posters. Brenna is counting down the days until she is officially a first-grader. Yes, she will be passing. She worked hard and is doing well. There are things we will need to keep working on over the summer to build up her confidence in herself more, but we can certainly do that. Her teacher said to keep doing whatever it was we have been doing. Yeah Brenna!

*Saturday (yesterday, May 16) started out not so good- stumbled over my own stupid feet and whacked my little toe on my right foot on a chair leg. I'm pretty sure the bone is cracked. I do not have a good history with my toes and ankles, and that seems like that will follow me all of my days <sigh> it isn't too badly swollen but one side is an ugly purple color and it hurts like the dickens. Nothing to do but tape it up and try to stay off of it. My left ankle - the one I strained so badly last January- has been aching off and on lately too for some reason, though I can't think of anything I've done to it lately. 

*We went up to Denver yesterday to use our science museum membership one more time before it expires at the end of the month. That was fun, everyone had a good time there even though the special exhibit was pretty crowded because it was the weekend. Then we went to a pizza place for dinner where one kid after the other had a meltdown. We were intending to go to the drag races after dinner, but decided with all of the pouting, fussing and fighting that it wasn't that appealing any more. They really raised the cost for family members who weren't covered by the wrist bands that two of the girls earned so that was a factor too. We have passes to another place - some NASCAR track in Denver - that three of them earned that are good through September, so we promised we would do that another summer weekend. Thankfully they were all OK with that.

and the other layouts that I got done this week.

journaling: We decided to do something different this year for Bryce’s birthday. Since all of the teenagers are into videogames these days, our son included, we took them to the IT’Z Family Fun Center for several hours of unlimited videogames. They earned tickets they could exchange for gifts from the shop. There were fun things for kids of all ages to do, so the whole family had a great time celebrating Bryce’s birthday. April 24, 2009
credits: FEMNZ April Grab Bag at scrapbookgraphics; Double Takes Set #1 by Hillary Heidelberg at scrapbookgraphics
fonts: Times New Roman

journaling: We are standing next to the footprint of a sauropod, one of over 1300 documented dinosaur footprints in the Picketwire Canyon in Colorado. History is all around us, we just have to be willing to look for it.
credits: everything at FunkyPlaygroundDesigns: PreHIStoric Play and PreHIStoric Play Addon by Valorie Brown and Laura Bratcher, Tiny Tabs by Laura Bratcher, P52 Week 19 template by Tracy Blankenship
fonts: SBC Distressed Typewriter

journaling: Grandmama took us all to see the dinosaur tracks in Picketwire Canyon. The early morning wakeup and bumpy ride down into the canyon was worth it. It was amazing to see where dinosaurs had walked preserved in the hardened mud. Experiencing history firsthand is one of the best ways to learn it.
credits: Photo Overload 1 by Hillary Heidelberg at scrapbookgraphics; Gumnut Gully by Flergs at scrapbookgraphics
fonts: SBC Distressed Typewriter, SP Wonderful Wendy

journaling:  Sarah had been asking for days to blow bubbles. Finally it was warm and dry enough to go out and let her give it a try. She was persistent and didn’t give up, and after nearly half a bottle of bubble solution she was finally able to blow bubbles all by herself.
credits: Glorious Spring by Mystique at scrapbookgraphics; Jumbo Watermasks Set 1 by Hillary Heidelberg at scrapbookgraphics; Bubble overlays by Antonio Rafaello
fonts: CK Ali's Writing, SP Wonderful Wendy
keywords: spring blow bubbles

and a layout for the circle journal project I’ve been working on for a long time. Yes, we are moving really slowly with this project. I’m the only one who is closed to finishing all of the layouts so far. Cassie wanted us to scrap what was outside of our front door- which is of course Pikes Peak for me.

journaling: I love seeing Pikes Peak from my house and van windows. Each day the view is slightly different- the clouds hanging over it, a weather system approaching from the west, or just the way the sunlight shows off the peaks and valleys of the smaller mountains surrounding it.
Picture taken April 7, 2009
credits: At scrapbookgraphics: Wishes and Angel's World by Line, Folded Overlay Templates, A Fine Mess of Grids, Curlies Alpha by Birgit Kerr, Autumn Glory by Birgit Kerr and Flergs (fall leaf overlay), The Kiss of the Winter Princess by Glam Fairy, Impressions of Heritage alpha by Flergs; Purple flowers from Delicate Flowers by Line Designs for Digital Artist Magazine May 2009; Trixi Pix by Jessica Bolton; Sprung by Creashens from DigiFiles 4; Messy Glitter Sprays by Micheline Martin from Digifiles 3; DailyDigi kit by VeraLim from Digifiles 1; aspen leaves by me
fonts: CK Cursive and CK Becky

and an accompanying page that shows some of the different ‘moods’ of the mountain.

journaling:   Each day brings  a new view of the mountain that defines our city skyline. Beautiful colors begin and end the day and a glance towards the mountain top gives you a hint at what the weather will hold in the next few minutes.
credits: At scrapbookgraphics: Wishes by Line, A Fine Mess of Grids by Birgit Kerr, Impressions of Heritage alpha by Flergs; NSD09 Template by Jen Caputo; grid paper from Just Another Memory by Jessica Bolton; Messy Glitter Sprays by Micheline Martin from Digifiles 3; Layered Up In You- rounded by Lauren Grier at SweetShoppeDesigns
fonts: LD Letterpress, CK Becky

journaling: I’ve been seeing photos from around the world for two months of spring flowers.  The warm weather comes late in the seaon here, but it has finally arrived in Colorado. The neighborhood is filled with colorful blooms.
credits: Delight in Photographs 3 by Jessica Bolton; Layered Up in You - Borders by Lauren Grier at sweetShoppeDesigns
fonts: CK Becky

I think there were more things I was wanting to write, but I can’t remember what they were and I can’t find the list I made, so I’ll just say goodnight.

Walking with the Dinosaurs

My mom took a tour of Picketwire Canyon in the Comanche National Grasslands last September to see the dinosaur tracks, and she thought it was neat and wanted to share it with all of us. So, she got us reservations and yesterday we all got up at the crack of dawn to be able to get to La Junta in time for the start of the tour at 8AM. It’s a bumpy ride down to the bottom of the canyon, but it was neat to see and hear about some of the history of Colorado. The first stop on the tour is some indian petroglyphs.

There is a neat sandstone arch down the road at the second stop, and you can also get a good view of the canyon around you.

Rusty picked up a stomach-bug from his backyard eating adventures and wasn't feeling his best, but he is a good traveler and the kids had fun walking and spoiling him with attention during the day.

The third stop on the tour is the spot with the largest area of preserved dinosaur tracks in the US.

The long 'gashes' you see in this picture are spots where dinosaur tails lay in the mud.

The really spectacular sets of tracks are across the river, so we all got to take our shoes off and walk to the other side. Beth, Bryce and I chose to walk over the newly constructed dam where there was only a couple of spots with rushing water.

Mark and Carissa went a little further upstream where the water flow was a little slower as he carried Brenna and Sarah across. Sarah was a bit upset that she didn’t get to take her shoes off too LOL (this picture is actually of him carrying them back across after we were done looking at the tracks).

There are spots where you can see two sets of sauropod tracks walking side by side.

Here's an aerial view from one of the signs along the trail. It was taken several years ago and the dam is not in the photo. We were looking at the tracks on the left side of the photo.

We ate lunch at the dinosaur tracks stop, and then continued on just a bit further down the canyon to the spot where the mission was located.

And the last stop of the day was the Rourke Ranch. It was established in 1871 and was a working ranch until the early 1980s. What started out as a 40 acre holding grew to over 50,000 acres under the care of three generations of the Rourke family. I admit to falling in love with the old barns. The wood parts are all washed a really pretty green color and are weathered, along with white washed plaster for the walls. It has that shabby, abandoned look that is really cool. It would be a great place for a photo shoot. If we ever go back I'll have to torture my family by making them wear coordinating clothes and letting me take photos of them there.

Thanks for taking us on the trip, Mama. It was a fun day and one we won’t forget!

P365: April 2009

 

credits: Peter Cottontail by Irene Alexeeva at scraporchard (previously at scrapbookgraphics); 365 Project Templates by Amy Pearson