nesting project #1

problem: i got 'caught' throwing away colins school papers a couple months ago & ever since then he carefully places all of his papers in a folder at the end of each day which leads to an overflowing mess in the kitchen drawer.

solution: the binder with page protectors +

a couple of pictures +
a personalized name tag =
one happy colin enjoying his very 'own' book !

he loves flipping through the binder.

he loves reading his daily journal pages.

he loves watching himself evolve/change/progress.

he loves adding to his new book.

he loves project #1.

(and so do i !)

reflections

{picture from campus at ut...april 2008}

" Walk in the rain, jump in mud puddles, collect rocks, rainbows and roses, smell flowers, blow bubbles, stop along the way, build sandcastles, say hello to everyone, go barefoot, go on adventures, act silly, fly kites, have a merry heart, talk with animals, sing in the shower, read childrens’ books, take bubble baths, get new sneakers, hold hands and hug and kiss, dance, laugh and cry for the health of it, wonder and wander around, feel happy and precious and innocent, feel scared, feel sad, feel mad, give up worry and guilt and shame, say yes, say no, say the magic words, ask lots of questions, ride bicycles, draw and paint, see things differently, fall down and get up again, look at the sky, watch the sun rise and sun set, watch clouds and name their shapes, watch the moon and stars come out, trust the universe, stay up late, climb trees, daydream, do nothing and do it very well, learn new stuff, be excited about everything, be a clown, enjoy having a body, listen to music, find out how things work, make up new rules, tell stories, save the world, make friends with the other kids on the block, and do anything else that brings more happiness, celebration, health, love, joy, creativity, pleasure, abundance, grace, self-esteem, courage, balance, spontaneity, passion, beauty, peace, relaxation, communication and life energy. . . to all living beings on this planet."
-bruce williamson

thinking today

reflecting today

enjoying today

living in today

go.live.now.today

weekend recap

i love our weekends together.

i love watching the boys play football.

i love seeing their commitment & teamwork.

i love our blue sunny skies.

i love our car races home.

i love relaxing with friends.

i love watching spy kids with the boys.

i love their excitement when we pick them up from sunday school.

i love it that they actually like to go grocery shopping.

i love sunday night grilling.

i love sippel stories.

i love our silly family weekend traditions.

honoring uncle pat

raconteur

executive

worldly

outrageous pig roasts

amazing woodworker

husband. brother. father. uncle

christian friend to all

we love you

we'll miss you

your stories will be our memories always

peace

friday snack snapshots

friday snacks are the best snacks of the week...

no homework to do...

just a big glass of milk & a bowl of teddy grahams for colin...

one quick game of hyperslide...

relaxing with pokemon and milk & pretzels for nathan...

two full days of fun ahead...

tgif!

panther bowl tonight

take 1 panther football team

take 1 set of panther team moms

add 1 football field & nerf football

put flags & sneakers on everyone

and you get the first annual panther bowl!

tie score 6 - 6

lots & lots of fun

thursday snapshot

'a successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.'

- mignon mclaughlin

-

happy fifteen !

heres to the next fifty !

wednesday snapshot

"never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is Gods handwriting."

- ralph waldo emerson

-

happy birthday aunt mary !

heres to jiffy pop popcorn.

your cool apartment next to schuller park,

whenever i read edgar allen poes tell tale heart, i always tought of that place.

your first floor laundry room on heim - you were ahead of the times.

pool parties in watertown

enjoy your day!

tuesday snapshot

{a couple games of tri-ball...perfect for 3 players...today}

'the art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.'

- henry ward beecher

-

top 5 joys today.

surprise lunch dates with steve

reading lawn boy with all three boys

playing tri-ball & laughing

watching reruns of friends

green lights

monday snapshot

{classic game of 4 square today}

"you're not obligated to win. you're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day."

- marian wright edelman

sunday snapshot

"what we see depends mainly on what we look for."

- john lubbock

-

is colin...

a) balancing a ball on his head or

b) playing an intense game of blind volleyball with taggert and riley?

-

correct answer: b

friday family fun night takes a field trip

6 ways to enJOY friday night...

#1) hang out on the green grass with blue skies.

#2) soak up the sun with a glass of wine & a smile.

#3) eat hot dogs from hooters.

#4) cheer & clap for your favorite team.

#5) savor the flavor of blue cotton candy.

#6) enjoy the sunset with a blanket and curly fries.

season game opener for the round rock express

dell diamond

sunny and 70

all american field trip

tfig

{colin picking dandelions after football - april 2008}
"The richest man is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least."
- author unknown

quote sent to me from steve today - thanks!

thursday fun

download passport application forms online...5 minutes
connect printer to laptop to print forms...3 minutes
load new ink cartiage & print 12 pages...15 minutes
complete above forms x 3 boys...28 minutes
find the boys social security numbers for above form...10 minutes
take boys for passport pictures at walgreens and wait for them....30 minutes
get three notarized letters for steves part...10 minutes
search internet to find closest open location available on thursdays...7 minutes
keep boys home from school & write tardy notes to school for 3 boys...2 minutes
load purse with birth certificates/drivers license/checkbook/forms/photos...5 minutes
drive like a manic to be the first in line when they open...10 minutes
realize that 11 other people had the same idea...1 minute
wait in line at passport application window...2 hours and 30 minutes
hear that colins passport picture from walgreens DENINED due to size...1 minute
review the dilemma & pay $15 for onsite photo of colin...1 second
crossing "get passports for the boys" off the list...priceless!

creative minute wednesday

i printed these mini pictures last september and today i took 10 minutes to make this mini book for colin...i filled it with 10 pictures of him and his cousin daniel to keep on his dresser...the clear plastic pages are badge holders i picked up at office depot...talk about a simple project!

the history of the blue bowl

{picture found yesterday - scrapbooked today - story began on xmas eve 2006}

Once upon a time there was a dirty santa gift exchange.
There was a girl who really, really wanted to end up with it.
She promised all sorts of things to her husband to obtain it.
She went home with it.
She often brought it to parties and filled it with delicious treats.
One night as she went to leave a super bowl party and it was missing.
She searched high and low but it was nowhere to be found.
She left the party without it. (Very sad I might add)
The next morning a ransom note was found on her windshield.
Yet days went by with no further words.
One night as she was about to get into bed, it appeared -
BUT it was only a piece of the beloved bowl.
And the rest of the story is history.
The real bowl was found and returned.
Pieces do still appear here and there and in refrigerators everywhere.
It now has an identical twin on the path.
They appear together often.
They even have a matching platter.
To be continued….

a sword story in pictures...

#1#2
#3
a day in the life of a busy pirate and a sword.

pictures. pictures & more pictures

{inner space caverns - december 2006 - photo taken by sarah}

download pictures from camera...free

upload pictures to kodak gallery...free

order pictures from march with coupon...free

organize pictures from january...free

file folder february pictures...free

charge camera to take more pictures...free

burn pictures to cd for backup...free

finding one lost great picture...priceless

five little monkeys...

{zilker park - sunny sunday afternoon - april 2008}

five little monkeys hanging on a branch...one ran off to play on the slide, then there were four.
four little monkeys hanging on a branch...one ran off to ride the train, then there were three.
three little monkeys hanging on a branch...one ran off to see the clown, then there were two.
two little monkeys hanging on a branch...one ran off to sit on the swing, then there was one.
one little monkey hanging on a branch...ran off to find the other four monkeys!!

40 acre saturday

one college campus + one large texas flag +one charlie brown & ninja turtle +
one energizer baskeball game +

one brother on this side going for a basket +

one brother on the other end of the rope on this side +

one adrenaline rush +

one inflatable game of twister =

lots of fun

lots of sun

lots of laughs

lots of memories

winning soda at the hoops game

winning pencils & candy at the price is tight game

at ut 40 acres of fun!

swinging into the weekend

One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.

-michael korda

fridays mailbox

look what we found in our mailbox the other day... some very special mail....
"i love you mom and dad"
a very special delivery from a very special guy
made at sunday school last week.
happy friday
happy weekend

sweet treats

{photo from martha stewarts web site}

i am seriously thinking about baking these gorgeous mini cupcakes on a stick this weekend...the three part recipe can be found here and its slightly intimidating in length and numerous steps especially for a mom that finds making easy mac overwhelming...but they look so yummy...keep ya posted on any attempts in the kitchen...sweet dreams.

another spring sighting

a couple beautiful bluebonnets at the sink today reminds me of

the boys standing in a sea of bluebonnets last easter (april 8, 2007)...i never knew what a bluebonnet was until we moved to texas and now they truly represent 'spring' to me...love just driving down the highway and seeing a field of these wild flowers...their color is beautiful - a combination of blues with a hint of purple...the smell of spring is filling the air...happy day and don't forget to take time to smell the flowers!

going bananas over...

step one: defroststep two: bake

step three: eat

justin had a very special treat this weekend...he absolutely loves it when ms. sarah makes her world famous monkey bread and often has been found sneaking more than his fair share at neighborhood gatherings...so, this weekend ms. sarah taught justin how to make it all by himself...he took careful notes...babysat the defrosting rising rolls...carefully transported them back to ms. sarahs for some secret sugar dusting...and baked them into a delicious treat !! talk about a fun and memorable event...as you can see, the monkey bread did not last long and colin and nathan are already begging him to make another batch! thank you sarah for a special baking class & taking time out of your busy schedule to teach justin a life long recipe - i can already see him baking this in his college dorm !

happy 29th nan!

{nan and colin - february 2007 at justins bball game}

happy birthday nan !

wishing you a vin-chet daffodil cake with 29 candles on it on a warm sunny beach with a beautiful sunset !