Packed and Ready to Go

My middle child is very popular with his friends and gets invited to many sleepovers.  In fact, I don't think he has slept at home for even one Friday night this October.  So this time the sleep over was down the street.  He packed his things and we started our "hike" around the corner to the party.

On our way, we had several smiles from neighbors.  I assured them, that he wasn't running away, he was walking to a sleepover.  So that you could share the experience, I took one little photo (mommarazzi style).

October Eyes

Hello All!

Well I made my kids give me an after school snap shot.  They have been to school for a while now and I haven't posted much in the way of photos. So, here are a few of my babies growing up and showing their true colors.

Wondering what is going on with these kidlets?  The youngest is in 1st grade and in gifted and talented at school.  His assessment scores exceptional. He is now active in Boy Scouts. He went on his first camp out last weekend with his father.

Middle child is also exceptional at school and recently joined in the student council run off for President.  He didn't make but, he was gracious and genuinely happy for his friend that did make it.  He is camping with  his father this weekend.  He reluctantly gave me a chance to take his photo.

First born is, of course, exceptional.  School is going well for her and she is now active in the Student Council and in Girl Scouts. Looks like her mom but, is so much like her father.  Spend most of her time on GT class projects and with her best friend the phone. :D 

What am I up to? I am spending a lot of time volunteer at our elementary school.  I have also been able to maintain a good boundary between home and volunteer time. Yay me! 

April you wear me out!

With a lot of love and appreciation, April, you wear me out.  There are so many birthdays in April to celebrate.  I have at least 6 special birthdays children and adults included in April.  But, aside from my whining about my social life. There are two kiddos going through some major rites of passage in our house.

First let's give a nice big hug to my big boy who is now the big 1-0!  He is an amazing guy.  He took my breath away the moment we met.

 I caught him crouched by the tree waiting for candy to fly out of the pinata. He was just there and needed to have a photo taken of him being so stinkin' grown up.

Now here is the one that is truly pulling at my heart strings.  She is absolutely the most amazing girl I have ever met in my life.  She is brilliant and beautiful.  She is brave and strong and soft and considerate.  She is all I wish I had been. Happy #13 Sweet Heart!

These are her posed photos.  It was not as easy to weasel a smile out of her.  But, I got a few. :)

And here are my favorite pictures because she is relaxed and we can see her sweet smile. They are blurry and beautiful.  My sweet baby all teened up.

Science Fair Winner!

My big boy won the science fair!  And we could not be more proud of him... This was his first Science Fair Project.  And as much as he wanted to avoid the writing and documentation, he learned so much from the experience.  He typed every single word.  He built all the parts for his experiment and endured all of the advice of his parents (be assured we had lots of advice). He really did his entire project on his own.  (I even resisted straightening the lettering on the project board).

It paid off for him! 2nd Place overall and 1st Place in 4th Grade Level.  He was just beaming.  I will always remember that glow of self confidence and pride.  Priceless.

 

This photo is courtesy one of his excellent Math and Science Teachers.  He really has a great support system of teachers.  I am still getting kudos from his teachers, they are all so proud of him.

I must also say that this week was really positive for him, he was even recognized for good character.  He found money and turned it in and the school Principal recognized him on their morning announcements for having integrity.  

Can you see me beaming with pride over my young man?

Happy Birthday Sweet Heart

My sweet heart just had his 6th birthday celebration and I am just beside myself with how quickly my babies grow up.  I know that when I am struggling to keep wholesome dinners on the table and all of the appointments in order, that my kids are flourishing.  I just wish the time was a little more forgiving and that I could spend more of it with them than with my household chores.

So here is to my sweet baby boy who warms my heart and takes my breath away.  I am so glad that God sent you to live with me. And I love you "like a everything".

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

 

Super Batch Sunday

In honor of  $uper Bowl $unday, I decided to pull out my biggest mixing bowl (vintage of course) and make a super batch of something.  I made cookies--->LOTS of cookies!


The first two shots are of Cinnamon Chocolate Snaps.  They are my family's most recent favorite.  Same batter, just different sizes and shapes.  This one is a dense cookie with a satisfying snap to them.  The flavor is chocolatey but with complex spice flavors that seem to come in waves.  These are not sweet sweet cookies. A really excellent cookie. 

This last shot is of Old Fashioned Coriander Cookies.  These have a nice texture and delicate spice taste to them.  The kids devoured them.  I was pretty surprised by this because they are not overly sweet either.  I have to say that I was pretty hesitant to make this cookie because I didn't want to waste my fine baking ingredients on something that might be, well, unpalatable.   But, again, I was not disappointed. 

 

I shot all of these photos right here next to my desk as quickly as I could because I wasn't sure if they would last very long. Feast your eyes on my zero calorie non fat cookies.