Thursday, September 30, 2010

We meet again at last...

Reid came into the kitchen a couple nights ago while I was still cleaning up the dishes. He was looking for a glue stick. I pointed him in the right direction and went on with KP.

When I had finished, I found Reid like this:
My genius 4 year old used the glue stick to glue paper directly onto his face. (No eye holes.)

He was Darth Vader.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Perspective

Today has been chilly. I don't think it's even hit 60 degrees yet and it's 4pm. I pulled my box of sweaters off the top shelf of my closet this morning. We sipped hot cocoa from snowman mugs when Park came home from school.

Come spring, a temperature like this will mean pulling summery skirts off the top shelf of my closet and breaking out the sandals.

But today it feels like fall and I am loving it.

Ba-da-ba-ba-ba....I'm lovin' it!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Scenes From Saturday


Happy birthday little man!

A Celebrity in Our Midst

David Archuleta was at church yesterday.

The poor older primary girls... The bishop was coming to speak to the primary kids for a couple minutes right before church was over. Without remembering there was a pop star at church that day, I announced that we had a special visitor coming to speak to them. Naturally, they assumed I was talking about Mr. Archuleta (Bro. Archuleta?) and were quite disappointed when the bishop walked in.

Too bad the only time I ever voted for an American Idol was his season. And I voted against him.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

So Providential

Just another one foot advantage...

I can shoe shop for Reid without having to take him with me.

Reid got a new leg last week. A new leg always means new shoes. The only shoes Reid could fit into were Parker's crocs. So I left at bedtime to shoe shop....with Reid's leg, without Reid.

Reid's prosthetic leg never embarrasses me or makes me uncomfortable. I have no problem with people asking questions. We've embraced it. But I'm not gonna lie, carrying a child's leg around while shopping was a bit awkward. I don't have a purse large enough to conceal it. I'll tell you what, I turned quite a few heads.

Shoe shopping for Reid is a treat. His prosthetic foot does not have the same flexibility as a normal, flesh and bone, foot does. I have to be able to get his foot in a shoe flat footed. It really limits the shoes he can wear and always results in buying a size or two larger than he would normally wear. But because I had to get a couple sizes larger, I found a smokin' deal on clearance. The last pair left. It was providential.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Party People

Spencer's schedule is out of control busy this fall. Between camp outs (yes he's the scout master around these parts...it's the bane of my existence), classes, ushering football games, and conferences (Spencer is presenting a paper at one in few weeks...awesome right?) I don't get the hubs on weekends all that often. It kinda stinks.

We were stuck at home without a car this past weekend while Spencer was living it up at a BSA scout leader overnight training.

So what's a mom to do while stuck at home with three crazies?

DAY 1:
A perfect pajama party.


DAY 2:
Saved the world from the comforts of our own home.




Gray didn't really get it. This picture cracks me up every time.

So we survived this weekend. But I'm not sure how many pajama parties we can have before they're no longer exciting. (Or before I tire of kid movies.) (Or before our teeth rot from too much candy.)

Friday, September 17, 2010

Strike a Pose

I'm tellin' you...there are very few ways to have more fun on a girls night than renting a private karaoke room. There were doubters in the midst, but I'm pretty sure most of them were converted by the end of the night (and they weren't even drunk).

Whether you sing or not, it's a riot. A riot I tell you!

Try it. And you'll like it.

Thanks for humoring me my friends.

I swiped Abbey's pictures off facebook. The crazies ruined the USB port in my camera and I cannot currently download my pictures.
Kids! Hmff!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Extreme Budget Makeover

This summer (per the request of three crazies), we moved all the boys into one bedroom. I sold a few things from the boys room on Craigslist to make room for Gray and that's where my budget came from. Brilliant.

Brace yourselves.




And once more...just to lock in the ugliness:
Now soak it in:


If you click on this pic, you can see Gray's artwork is starting to take form...not bad for a kid who's not yet 3. (His are the vertical clipboards.)


The run down:

  • Paint - $0 (It was leftover from the living room. I paid for it once, but leftovers count as free.)
  • Striped fabric - $8 (IKEA had a duvet cover on clearance and I turned it into curtains, pillowcases and pennants. It was genius. There is no way I could have got that much fabric for so cheap otherwise.)
  • Curtain rod - $2 (IKEA)
  • Fitted sheets - $8 (IKEA 2 @ $4)
  • Metal book bins - $13.98 (Target 2 @ $6.99)
  • Clipboards - $12.96 (Walmart 9 @ $1.44)
  • Fabric for shelf slipcover* and pennants - $0 (scrap fabric, same as paint-it counts as free.)

Everything else was already in their room.

GRAND TOTAL: $44.94

* This was not my ideal color scheme, but I had to work with that army green. It was the only fabric I had on hand with enough yardage for the slip cover.

Gray is currently sleeping on his toddler mattress that we slide under the bed. We're planning to buy a real trundle bed. And I think they need a picture or piece of children's art over the dresser. And I'm still contemplating this rug. The good news is I still have money leftover. I'm sure the room will evolve over time. And although I could dream up something better, I am happy with the results. Especially considering the price.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

This Day in History

September 7

1533 - Queen Elizabeth I, of England, was born in Greenwich.
1813 - The nickname "Uncle Sam" was first used as a symbolic reference to the United States. The reference appeared in an editorial in the New York's Troy Post.
1822 - Brazil declared its independence from Portugal.
1860 - American painter Anna Mary (Robertson Moses) was born in New York. Today it is known as "Grandma Moses Day."
1880 - George Ligowsky was granted a patent for his device that threw clay pigeons for trapshooters.
1888 - Edith Eleanor McLean became the first baby to be placed in an incubator.
1896 - A.H. Whiting won the first automobile race held on a racetrack. The race was held in Cranston, RI.
1921 - Margaret Gorman of Washington, DC, was crowned the first Miss America in Atlantic City, NJ.
1927 - Philo T. Farnsworth succeeded in transmitting an image through purely electronic means by using an image dissector.
1930 - The cartoon "Blondie" made its first appearance in the comic strips.
1963 - The National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, OH.
1966 - The final episode of the original "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was aired on CBS-TV.
1977 - The Panama Canal treaties were signed by U.S. President Carter and General Omar Torrijos Herrera. The treaties called for the U.S. to turn over control of the canal's waterway to Panama in the year 2000.
1979 - ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, made its debut on cable TV.
1981 - Katie Benson Smith was born to Kevin and Lauri Benson of Phoenix, Arizona during a Jerry Lewis telethon.
1984 - American Express Co. issued the first of its Platinum charge cards.
1986 - Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins threw his 100th career touchdown pass, in only his 44th NFL game, which set a NFL record.
1986 - Desmond Tutu was the first black to be installed to lead the Anglican Church in southern Africa.
1989 - Legislation was approved by the U.S. Senate that prohibited discrimination against the handicapped in employment, public accommodations, transportation and communications.
1998 - Mark McGwire set a new major league baseball record for most homeruns hit in a single season. The previous record was 61 set in 1961.
1999 - Viacom Inc. announced that it had plans to buy CBS Corp.
2001 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) became the only the fifth player in major league baseball history to hit 60 home runs in a season.


(all information, with the exception of year 1981, from onthisday.com)

Thursday, September 2, 2010

(82) Days of Summer

I was feeling bad sending Park back to school after a lame summer break. We didn't take any sort of a trip. But as I look back at the pictures I took over the summer, it wasn't so bad.

WE...

...celebrated.

...(mostly me) worked on projects...way more than pictured.

...discovered that the city pool is worth going to. No pictures...you try watching three non swimmers at a pool alone AND take pictures. (Though Park did learn to swim by the end of the summer.)

...bowled. (Thanks to Groupon and Abbey for purchasing a summer pass.)

...added a little culture to our lives via Columbus Symphony Orchestra's summer concert series.


...had a visit from Grandma.

...spent many Friday nights listening to live music in the park.

...went on a few outings. Most of which my camera never left my purse.

...went out to the ballgame.

...of course hung around the spray ground.

But mostly, we played LEGOS.

Adios summer! Until next year....