Party ready!!

I'm a little slow getting things on the blog, but I could not forget this one.  We just loved that everyone came to visit for Austin and Grandad's b'day weekend.  As everyone knows, you always want to look your best for a good party.  This party was no exception.  Elizabeth decided to help Uncle Matt and Aunt Margaret with their party looks.

Grandad and Charlotte resting up for all of the crazy party fun to come!

Rested and ready for her pool debut.  So fabulous!!

Happy Birthday Austin and Grandad!!

Well, our little guy made it to 5!  It does not seem that long ago that we were pulling out of the driveway at 11pm to go meet our Austin.  He wanted a Star Wars birthday this year, to include a light saber cake.  It turned out to be a wonderfully big party with the whole family here to celebrate.  We had all the grandparents, aunts,uncles and cousins.  (I totally forgot to take pictures of everyone).  Even new baby Charlotte made it from Houston!  Thanks to her mom and dad for bringing her for the festivities.   Austin was SO excited to share another birthday with Grandad, as well.  Thanks to everyone for making it such a special day. 
May the birthday force be with you.....

Happy Birthday Bean!  We love you!!

Elizabeth's new chair

Elizabeth and I have been working on a little project this summer.  She bought an ugly chair with a smile at our neighbor's garage sale in Kansas.  We moved that chair here, then tore it apart!  When appropriate, she helped with each step of the process.  First she picked out her fabric and paint color.  (This was a major thing).  Then she helped remove fabric and staples.  She was not too sure about the sanding, but tried it.  She did not like the way the vibrations made her hands feel.  Once I finished the sanding, we painted.  She did a fair amount of the painting, with me just coming behind to smooth out and catch drips.  The staple gun was a Mom thing, although she did help hold the fabric tight or the chair still.  I've included the before and after picks.  I'm happy with the way it turned out and I'm proud of Elizabeth for sticking with the project.  She saw the fabric, knew what color she wanted and went for it!  Good job LadyBug!!

The before "ugly chair"

It's going to be all mine!

Ta Da!!  Complete w/ sparkle trim.

First day of school 2010-11

Yipee!!  Today was the first day of school! Austin started Kindergarten and Elizabeth, 2nd grade. They were both quite excited about starting the new school year at Miller Elementary.  I set their alarms for 6am.  At 6:02, Austin came in my bathroom, fully dressed, "Hi Mom."  They were both dressed and ready for breakfast quickly.  Everything went so smooth that they even had time to play with the zuzu pets a bit.  We took some pictures, then headed out the door at 7am to walk to school.  It only took us about 12 minutes to walk, but I think we may consider bike riding.  It just goes faster and has a cooler breeze.

After school they were both all smiles.  Elizabeth made friends with the girl that sits next to her, Anika. Her favorite thing was indoor recess.   Austin said he made friends with a nice girl, so he shared a block with her.  He also ate all of his lunch and had fun.  The only negative thing he said was he thought they spent too much time in circle -it was boring. 
The walk home was very hot, so we're jumping in the pool!

American Girl Dolls

Elizabeth just had her first American Girl Doll experience.  Casey, Creighton and Marshall gave her this for her birthday.  It was some crazy fun!!  First, we walked the whole store wishing for everything.  Then, we took Elizabeth doll to the hair salon for her special "do of the month."  After that, we got down to the serious business of making a purchase.  The choice was almost impossible.  She finally decided on a fancy historic holiday dress and cape, as well as a navy dress w/ matching shoes.  We also had lunch at the cafe.  It was actually a wonderful lunch.  The food was quite good and the doll got a special chair and china at the table.  Big kudos to the chef, as well.  When asked about nutrition info., she came out to our table and gave the exact carb count of Elizabeth's meal.  Fantastic!!  The first restraunt to ever do that for her.

Thank you Auntie Casey and Marshall!  What a fun day......and a word of warning.....she has a huge wish list with pictures.   

First blog post.....ever.

Well, check it out, I'm heading into a word of uncharted technology.  I've decided to start this blog so that Andy (and family) can see what we're doing a little easier.  I want to be able to give more detail and pictures than I'm comfortable putting out on Facebook.  Now, I just have to make myself post regularly. 

The first pics I'm posting are of Andy and the kids the night before he left for Tucson.  They were about to head to bed and giving kisses.  Austin, in his nomal silly form, gave Andy a big lick instead of a kiss. 

So yuck.