Totally easy homemade Jesse costume...

When I should be doing homework I...
I get crazy with the markers!

A Sunday shirt Little Bro has outgrown, a belt that never gets used, a pair of Number 5's jeans, cardboard, a remnant from Little Nicki’s space ranger costume,some sticky back Velcro,  a little magic with red, yellow, black, and brown Sharpies, and….voila! Number 5 will be Jesse for Halloween! (I hope the $1 store still has those cowboy hats, and it’s driving me NUTS that I can’t find her other BOOT!!!)
We also got crazy with markers (and scissors and beads) for LaLa’s costume-pics to come.

Water bottle covers.

Little Nicki: MOM! My water bottle is SO boring.  All the other girls have cute ones. :-/

Me: Ok! Let’s make a case! I’ll find a remnant.
Nicki: A WHAT?!?
Me: sigh. Some cute fabric to cover your water bottle.
Nicki: But what? but how? but will it? but why can’t I just. but Wal-Mart has. but. but….
Me: (next day after school) See? I made one for Luke. I got you a remnant, too.

Nicki: sigh OK. I’ll have a Toy Story one…(with a defeated tone)
Me: I’ll make you a different one, that you’ll like a lot-with strawberries, ok? See? (showing her the remnant) Like Strawberry Shortcake.
Nicki: (unsure look.) Can I have a play day with my friend?
LaLa: (today) I’m bored. Mom, can I make a water bottle case, too? Like a cute one with a strap like a purse?
Me: Well, there is a Supergirl remnant in the laundry room somewhere…

LaLa: Cute! Can we make one for my friend who’s coming over, too?!
Nicki: Can we make mine now? And can you put thing like Laura’s like a purse on mine, too?
Me: Of course.

Nicki: Oooh!  (Followed by a very long list of all the ways she can carry it to school, store it in different places around her desk/classroom, and use it in her room at bed time)  :-D

Off to school (weeks ago)

  
With the older kids gone to school…

Little Bro gets to be the big brother!

13 Years!

So we've been married for 13 years now! We tried to find some fun 13's to take pictures with, but didn't find very many, so we had to improvise.

Love you, Babe!

Dying MOSTLY eggs...

Ok, so we always get a little carried away when we color eggs-it all started a couple years ago when my sis-n-law (I soon shared our genious with my sisters, too!)and I decided to use white t-shirts instead of newpaper or a table cloth under easter eggs to get totally cool tie dye shirts. We took cool pics of all the kids in the shirts. The colors washed out, so each year we've been improving on our method. This year we did straight tie dye in buckets for the shirts. The shirts turned out cute but, in keeping with tradition, some people dyed more than just shirts. We did skirts, shorts, *cough hands cough*...oh...and eggs.

Front yard party

I think Kyle really just wanted an excuse to hang out with friends all day and ride around on a skidsteer, so he...Went out front and tore out the pond. And bushes. Removed and recycled the fence. Cut down this huge tree. (two of them, actually)Then, some friends (and my big brother) showed up to help remove this massive stump and over a ton of cement. (literally!) Shovels, dull chainsaw, sawsall, one big dodge truck, chains, skidsteer, sweat, tears, gatorade, pizza, and hours later...SUCCESS! (and the definite need for a broom)

Thanks everyone for all the help! Our front yard will look great when we finish the sprinklers and grass!

JJ! 12? HoLy CoW!

JJ celebrated his 12th birthday this month. He's such a blessing in our home. I LOVE THIS YOUNG MAN!

He was a spider in the ward roadshow (a traveling skit) at church. So cute! He jumped right in and did a great job. (sorry about the red-eye-I'm in the market for some good photo editing software)