...chocolate air...

costumage.

Here it is, just a few days into November, and I'm already posting Halloween pictures! I am really on the ball. And for the love of flashbacks (or severe procrastination), I'll also share photos from the last couple of years.

Zach 2010 (Swamp Monster)

This was the first store-bought costume he ever picked out, incidentally (we were kinda busy around that time...), and he was so excited about it.

Zach 2011 (Cloaked Skeleton)

Zach 2012 (Vampire)

Can you tell we're on a kinda-creepy-costume kick?

Jem and Scout 2010 (Bear and Bunny)

Handmade hats we already had, matching jumpers, cute little animal noses. Adorable... and all I could manage at the time. A far cry simpler than the circus strongman and tightrope walker outfits I was dying to make for them.

Jem 2011 (Cowboy)

Scout 2011 (Indian)

Jem and Scout 2012 (Hansel and Gretel)

Imagine two curly blonde heads with goofy grins and big blue eyes. The kids are way cuter than their costumes.

Mike and Amy 2012

And ummm... here's us. Mike's a rock star, of course. And me? I'm his groupie.

You can't really see my zebra miniskirt and purple skinny jeans here. You're welcome.

I'm wearing this image on my shirt.

(Because he totally does.)

I'm not a stalker, folks. Just a fan, just a fan.

a perfect kind of day.

Yesterday was a nice day of play, from one end to the other. We started off at an archaeological fair at the site of a huge American Indian civilization that was right here around 1000 years ago. Way fun. Zach learned to make arrowheads, throw spears, classify bones, and play Native American games of all kinds. A boy's dream, essentially.

We headed home, where he spent the whole afternoon with some cousins and friends... slipping and sliding and turning the yard into a swamp.

And then we ended the day at a picnic with members of our church, where we ate good food and enjoyed an all-ages softball game. My guys did great! (Although as catcher, my boy might have had more success had he turned his mitt around. And maybe not worn flip-flops.) And I was more than happy to be the photographer/cheerleader/water-girl for them.

Aaahh... a weekend just as it should be.

 

nine.

I'm not going to write a long, gushing post about how Zach is growing up at the speed of light these days. Suffice it to say... he is. He really, really is.

I will say, however, that I love this kid. I love who he is becoming. We are so very proud of our boy.

We had a simple cute party for two turning-nine boys... more pictures and details on my friend Heidi's blog.

Star Wars, of course. Because what else is there nowadays? (Well, I guess there's also Harry Potter, Legos, and girls. That's right... girls. The speed of light, I tell you.)

 

a boy lives here.

Boy quote of the day:

"What's all that screaming down there?"

"Just zombies."

"Oh. Okay."

We have a boy. If you do too, then you really need to read How Do You Tuck in a Superhero? by the lady who brings us the Testosterhome blog, the daily stories of survival with five young boys (and now a little girl!). I laughed (hard); I cried (equally hard); I came away with even more love and appreciation for my all-boy all-the-time kid. Enjoy!

camp with the cubbies.

I've spent the week at Cub Scout day camp. A few items of note:

1. I'm pretty proud of these caps I made for the boys. They cost me a grand total of $1.40 each, and I love how they came out, even if the colors did bleed a little under the boys' abuse. The dots were drawn on with colored Sharpies, and the designs are ironed on. If any of you are Cub Scout leaders and would like me to send you the file for the iron-ons, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email address, and I'll shoot it your way.

 

2. It was 95 degrees out there all week. I've got the scalding to prove it.

 

3. Boys are goobers. But ya gotta love 'em.

oh, the possiblities.

We had a mimosa tree in our yard that I loved for its pretty leaves and flowers, and even more for its climbability. Unfortunately, some bug species did it in last year, and this week it was cut down by my husband and some friends (thanks, guys!)... you know, to avoid the whole "falling on the house" thing. Mike was all for chopping it to bits and taking it away to be burned, but I was actually excited about this big heap of logs and sticks. (My poor husband... oh, the things I put him through.)

I had them cut carefully to save the long, straight pieces. I've been planning teepees or forts or something along those lines. Just somewhere awesome to play. Simple, rough, imperfectly perfect... something like these, maybe. Or one of these.

Or check out this fun area that I want for myself, but would be willing to share with my son. Yeah, something like that.

Zach always loved playing under, on, and around that tree, calling that area his forest. So it seems appropriate to use the tree itself to fix up that area for his outdoor play. And for the "forest" floor... I'm really, really hoping to pull off this bit of gorgeousness...

I saw this pathway some time back, and fell in love. We'll see just how dedicated I decide to be...

ch-ch-ch-changes.

Spring is here! The birds are nesting, and so are we.

 

There have been a lot of things happening around here, but the main one causing all kinds of excitement, work, decision-making, and a general sprinkling of chaos is this...

We've decided to become a foster family!

This decision feels really good for us right now. In looking around at all the children (waaaay more than you would think!) who are abused, neglected, or otherwise in real need in our country, I have for several months been filled with just an overwhelming need to do something to help. So when Mike came to me one day and asked how I'd feel about fostering, I answered pretty quickly. Now is the time.

So due to various rules and regulations, we're moving a lot of things around here at home. Pictures to follow, I promise, once the dust settles. We have one more training class and a home visit from our licensing worker, and then we're good to go. So we should be certified in about a month or so. A month, people! Seriously, wow. Our life has been pretty quiet for the last few years. I can't wait to see what this new season brings.

Things are about to get really, really interesting.

 

 

 

 

rockin' robin.

Isn't he, though? Rockin', I mean. What a cool kid.

Fighting for truth, for justice, and for the chance to show off his slick moves.

And here we have... um... Catwoman. Created mostly to amuse myself.

And so help me... it really did.

Because, really, how could I resist?

 

girly.

So, I've actually had a pretty good crafting streak going on here lately, but unfortunately, most of it can't be posted just yet. So I'll settle for sharing a photo of a gift I put together a few months back for a sweet little friend of ours. I saw the idea for a doll's diaper bag ages ago, and never had an excuse to use it... so I jumped on the chance when we had a little girly birthday come up.

The doll was mine when I was a child. I thought he needed a new home, and a mommy to care for him properly. He's actually bald (oh, sorry... she's actually bald... this particular little girl only has girl babies). She's wearing a little bear hat that I knitted. I sewed up the wipes and diapers (made from a white t-shirt that was no longer in use), and everything else was purchased. I really wanted to make the diaper bag myself, but time was against me. C'est la vie.

There was one more diaper, but Zach confiscated it for his kitty. She has been wearing it ever since.

cubby.

So, being a big eight-year-old has its responsibilities, but it also has its perks. And for this curious, sweet, enthusiastic, helpful, outdoorsy kid... cub scouts is a huge perk. Seriously, this boy was born to be a scout.

He has been going all out... studying the manual on his own, asking to do the activities, and passing off requirements like nobody's business. I'm loving it, too, because it all fits in beautifully with our homeschooling, our family nights, and well... just our life. I'm actually one of his den leaders, and I'll admit I was reluctant about it. Boys still confuse me, you see. But I'm having loads of fun with it, after all.

A few photos from back in his first week of scouting, which happened to include day camp...

(Isn't he cute?!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

that was weird.

Strange to be tapping the "compose" button on typepad just now. That hasn't happened for a while, eh? How long has it been, you ask? Well... remember my new little nephew from my last post? The little dude just graduated from college. We're so proud.

Okay, put into perspective, I guess it hasn't really been so very long. He is, however, growing to be quite a handsome little devil. And a happy one. We like him.

 

 

And speaking of growing up, get a load of this kid...

 

 

Eight. No, seriously... eight?!  I mean, don't get me wrong. So far it's been a really great year for him. This summer I've seen him becoming a lot more mature... leaps and bounds, really. But eight is the year a child officially becomes a "pre-teen". 100% Big Kid. And I'm not entirely ready for that...

sidekicks.

Having a child in the house offers a neverending source of amusement. You never know what you're going to find laying around.

adventure.

We had big plans today to visit the science center with the cub scouts, but everybody canceled out at the last minute. Since we go there pretty regularly anyway, and today was gorgeous, we decided to do some exploring. Off to the lake!

 

I can't wait till the weather warms up enough to go camping. Just being out in the woods today was so refreshing for both of us. I believe Zach used his new favorite phrase fifteen times this afternoon, "Oh, yeah, baby!!" My only regret is that I haven't made Zach an explorer bag yet, because my pockets were stuffed with all kinds of treasures (and dirt) when we came home.

 

Check it out... we found a honey tree! And with my love of The House on Pooh Corner, and Zach's love of classic Berenstain Bears... we were embarrassingly excited to stumble on a honey tree in real life. There's very little in this world that's more awe-inspiring than the intricate pattern made by a simple honeybee.

And here's Zach's find of the day... a completely intact turtle shell. Remind me that I need to drop a big bottle of hand sanitizer into that explorer bag when I get it made.

 

 

All said and done, I finally put together our nature display, just using the items we brought home today. This was a good day.

Oh, yeah, baby.

inquiring minds want to know... everything.

I've officially figured out why my mind is so tired come the end of the day. I'd been noticing that my son is a bit more inquisitive than most kids his age, and I thought to myself, "I'll bet I answer a hundred questions a day." So I started counting.

I was close. The boy asked me one hundred fifty-eight questions... in the first hour. I kid you not. The grand total for the day (not including the time he spent away from me) was five hundred twenty-nine. The total would have nearly doubled if I'd counted up all the times he repeated his question three times before I could open my mouth to answer, or the fact that he said "What?" every time I spoke.

I personally fielded over five hundred whos, whats, wheres, whens, and especially whys. I said "I don't know" fifty or sixty times. I explained everything from how-does-skin-fix-itself to why-can-planes-fly to when-am-i-going-to-get-the-biggest-bicep-in-the-world.

I'm grateful to be the one chosen to teach this child. I'm hoping a few of those answers sink in. And that he learns to find some of those answers on his own.

And that my brain holds out that long.

hide and seek.

Okay, I've been holding this little project under wraps for a while now, waiting for the advent to start and not wanting to spoil the surprise for a certain friend of mine. But I got the all-clear, so here goes.

 

This is Ollie, a little elf who came straight from the North Pole to stay with us. See his elfy hat? And his jingly legs? And his official elf badge? I had a little too much fun making this guy. This was my first chance to make a doll (*ahem*) for my own family that wouldn't be completely snubbed by my son. And I jumped on it.

His entire body, as well as his hat, was created from recycled wool sweaters. His head is basically a Waldorf design that I found instructions for in the book The Children's Year. I twisted wool yarn into a rope and then stitched a few together to create the scarf. Sew on a few jingle bells, and voila! A festive little friend to join us for the holiday season.

The best thing, though, is that Ollie has a brother who has found a home, also. That's Pippin on the right. And the two of them have cooked up a fun holiday tradition. Every night (or maybe every day in Pip's case) in December, they play a game of hide-and-seek, and the kids get to do a search for them. And maybe, if we're lucky, they'll leave us a little note with an idea for a simple game or craft or activity that we can do together to brighten up our holiday.

They even have their own blog, where Kirsten and I will share our adventures with you. Please come see us... Pip and Ollie. And feel free to play along, if you like. I'd love to see some more elves make their way into other families' traditions.

talking turkey.

I hope you are all enjoying a lovely holiday weekend with your families. This post pretty much sums it up for me. Beautiful.

We are enjoying a few weeks of celebration, as we have a lot of family to celebrate with. Last weekend was spent with my side of the family. So fun. Here's Zach, playing some kind of game, in his new shirt he made. Pretty self-explanatory... t-shirt, acrylic paint, basic handprint turkey, happy kid.

 

I did some crafting with one of my sisters, creating garlands and placecards for the dinner. We cut the leaves out from these templates, and then folded them down the middle, and then again back the other way to create the other veins. We added some scrolls for the placecards, some string for the garland, and voila!

 

 

 

And yes... we really do have three Mikes. On my side alone.

Lastly, here's a fun shot of our hosts for the weekend, my sister and her husband, "Babylegs" Beasley.

maniac.

I know a boy; his name is Zach.

He loves to fit; he loves to stack.

Yes, construction is his knack.

He's Zach, the lego maniac.

He builds in the window;

He's off the wall.

He builds 'em big, he builds 'em small.

In Legoland he'll rock 'n roll.

He's lego-wild out of control!

Zach, Zach... he's a lego maniac.

Zach, Zach... he's a lego maniac!

 

That boy does love him some legos... which is great, because they were Mike's favorite thing through his whole childhood. So now he gets to play with them again, in a socially-accepted way.

Zach built all the creations in the photo above. Clever boy.

(You're humming the song now, right?)

hey, mom...

"I need this to be my horn. Can I have some tape?"

 

   

little ones.

 

We had our annual Primary Presentation this past Sunday, meaning that the children in our church present the Sunday service through scriptures, music, and talks they wrote themselves. Always a sweet experience... and yes, funny too. Zach read a scripture and did very well all on his own. There were a lot of pauses where he tried to find his place, because he had to look up at the congregation to say every word and phrase, and his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth the whole time... but he pulled it off without major incident. And I'll call that a success.

The theme this year was "I Am a Child of God", so I created a silhouette for each child to take home, talking about how each profile was unique, even though it's just a basic outline. It's supposed to remind them that they are each a beloved child of a Heavenly Father who has a plan for each of our lives. I don't know that they'll ever think of that when they see their silhouette, but they did love receiving theirs.

Funny thing... The three of us were making donuts last week, and there turned out to be a crazy lot of them. Mike says, "Now why are we making this many?" And I replied, "Apparently we're a family of gluttons." And Zach quickly and seriously pipes up, "No, we're not! We're a family of Heavenly Father!" Yup.

In other news... some of you have requested pictures of little Rose. Yes... another friend, another baby. Bring 'em on. Especially if they're all as sweet as this one.

 

 

beans. everywhere.

I thought I'd share the results of a cute little project that, quite honestly, I've been putting off for some time. And while, yes, I'm still sweeping up beans a week later, it was worth it.

I was remembering these turkeys we used to make every November in grade school, the ones that we glued beans all over to make the feathers. Anyone else remember those? Anyhow, I thought we could use the same method to make any kind of art we chose. So Zach drew a picture on cardboard, we filled in different areas with glue, and then he went to town gluing on one color at a time. I love how his rocket turned out. We may have to make some turkeys, after all.

 

We had a little friend with us that day, as her sister was having surgery (and doing well, from what I hear). She created with us, but went with something a little more abstract.

 

And, you know, after spending the day looking into this face, I am more sure than ever...

 

Man, I need a little girl.