Life {as I know it}

This is what happens...

2009-04-25T09:58:00.004-05:00

...when you leave out a new roll of paper towels instead of putting them on the holder....and your almost 3 year old sneaks off downstairs by himself....and he decides that he needs that little cardboard tube in the middle for a pirate sword! And luckily, when your mom is a scrapbooker, you get your picture taken instead of getting in trouble. Happy Saturday! :-)

Easter fun 2009

2009-04-20T08:39:00.003-05:00

Though it's been a long time, I thought I'd actually update. I was just playing with some photos last night in Photoshop and I guess that's what prompted me. Here are a few from Easter morning. Thought you'd like to see, Mom...Easter is one of the few special occassions each year when I let the kids have candy in the morning and you can see they take full advantage of it. This day was followed up with a 24 hour candy restriction because, well, let's just say they needed a detox! ;-)

Just a quick one...

2008-09-15T20:47:00.002-05:00

Of my baby boy....He's grown so much!

This was taken at the Applebarn in Gatlinburg recently. Looooooove that place!
Must get more apple butter!

Nine years ago today...

2008-09-11T09:23:00.002-05:00

I married my best friend!

...and he is out of town today so we can't even celebrate!

Happy Anniversary, baby!

I miss you!

I just found my theme song!

2008-08-10T20:53:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share this because I thought it was funny....

I WILL SURVIVE (THE FIRST YEAR OF HOMESCHOOLING)

First I was afraid
I was petrified.
Kept thinking I could never teach
'Cause I'm not certified.
But we spent so many nights
Reteaching homework that was wrong.
I grew strong,
so now I teach my kids at home!
We study math and outer space.
I just kept on despite the fear
with a big smile across my face.
I bought a set of Base Ten blocks.
I bought books with answer keys.
My parents think we're nuts,
but they don't even bother me
Come on, let's go walk out the door.
We're on the road now,
'cause we're not home much anymore
My friends would laugh and say we'd be unsocialized.
I heard one mumble that I'd give up by July.
Oh no, not I!
I will survive!
As long as I know how to read
I know we'll be alright.
I've got all my life to learn.
I've got energy to burn.
and I'll survive.
I will survive.
It took all the strength I had not to fall apart.
Decided to attend a play date at the local park,
and I met oh so many moms who offered eagerly to help.
They used to cry
.Now they hold their heads up high,
and so do we!
My kids are cool!
They're not those chained up little people stuck inside at school.
So if you feel like dropping by and just expect us to be free
you'd better call ahead first 'cause we're probably busy!

***Sung to the music "I Will Survive"
Original song:
Written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris
First performed by Gloria Gaynor, October 1978
Homeschool lyrics written by Natalie Criss***

New addiction....sewing!

2008-07-02T16:57:00.002-05:00

Three pillow cases, one blanket and these little guys...

I got the directions for these here .
Braden specified that his needed to have a split tongue (Hence, his new obsession with reptiles), and I let Bryson help me stuff them. Here he is with his "Fonser":

Apparently he has his monster face on!

I've been doing a sewing project every afternoon it seems. I'm just learning how, though I grew up seeing my mom sew, but I just wasn't "into it".....until NOW!

Here's to you, Mom. It only took me 34 years to pick up on it. Now, if you can help me make that purse I have the material for, you'll be off the hook making them for me all the time! ;-)

Yesterday in my back yard...

2008-06-24T09:35:00.002-05:00

Just playing with Photoshop a little this morning (which I never have a chance to do, but it's after 9 and the boys are still sleeping!!) Just made a collage of happenings yesterday in my back yard. Enjoying the outside every day and NOT looking forward to it getting hotter.

Of course, I'm gonna do a scrapbook page with this collage.
You could have guessed, right?

No, I'm not MIA...

2008-06-22T07:34:00.004-05:00

Just having a little summer fun with my boys before I start back "schooling" again!
And here are a few of my recent pages:

I did a couple more yesterday, but don't have pictures yet.

Unfortunately, my camera battery died yesterday while I was trying to take pictures of the kids in the pool! Great timing!

We've been having a great summer so far!

Here are some of the things we've been enjoying:

-Going to Destin in May

-Having friends over

-Going to the movies to see "Kung Fu Panda" (It was hillarious!)

-The kids playing in the kiddie pool

-Roasting marshmallows and making s'mores

-I've been enjoying lots of reading in my 'free' time

-Getting spoiled to Thomas working from home now!

-Going to "Go Jump!" (A place filled with those inflatable bouncer thingys....I even got in on it!)

- Lots of just being outside

Just loving us all being together all the time!

Bunches of stuff...

2008-05-02T11:16:00.006-05:00

I know it's been a looong time since I posted anything. I actually have been crafting off and on! Between 2 boys, homeschool and life....it stays busy. Trying to squeeze in a bit of time for me! Here's what I've got:

Guess that's all for now. I spent most of the day trying to get these uploaded between each crisis! And here's to hoping I get some scrapping done tomorrow on NSD! Probably not since Thomas is out of town, but a girl can dream, right?

-M

ETA: The Record of Family Code Enforcement paper is from Creative Imaginations. ;-)

A HUGE day in my little boy's life...

2008-04-08T16:52:00.003-05:00

On Friday April 4th, Braden decided to get baptized!!

It's not like something we'd really been talking about recently either. He had asked me questions about it several times before, and the last time we talked about it (a couple of months ago), I told him not to worry about it right now that he'd know when it was the right time. I know how his mind works, and I bet he'd been thinking about it ever since. So when he told me he was ready to do it, my first instinct was that he is too young, but then after talking to him, he really seemed to "get it" and understand why he wanted/needed to do it. It still amazes me that he could comprehend and decide something this important at such a young age...something that takes some people half of their life to decide! (His dad and I were both 25!) And yet another reason why I am super proud of this boy!

Wow....has it been nearly a month??

2008-03-06T06:46:00.002-06:00

Just dropping in to say that so much has happened since my last post. The main thing is that I have pulled Braden out of school to homeschool him. I had originally intended to do that anyway, and as a matter of fact, he belonged to a homeschool co-op for preschool when he was 4. When we moved to where we live now, a private Christian school was getting ready to open so we thought it would be a great idea to put him there. After 6 months of him attending, we decided it would be best to make a change of plans. I don't mean to brag.....(ok, yes I do ;-) )but he is on the advanced side and was having more and more trouble with boredom. While the other kids were still learning their letter sounds, he was reading fluently. While they were doing 2+2 and 3+3, he was coming home and begging me to do adding and subtracting in the hundreds and even multiplication! I tried to let him finish out the year, but his frustration came to the point that I could no longer stand to see him that way. We've been homeschooling for a couple of weeks now and he LOVES it. He always asks "When can we get started?" and "What's next?" He asks more questions about how things work every day. It's so encouraging to see him that excited about learning again! I know that some people think that I am crazy for making this decision. Yes, there is less time for "me" stuff. And let me make it clear that I am no super-mom. Things have changed and will continue to change. Some will go on the back burner for now (including my scrapbooking until I get this thing down). But I think I am doing what any mother does for her child. Sacrificing. And if I am in a situation where I can do something to help my child, why wouldn't I? I'm not saying that he will never go back to school. I don't know what lies ahead. But I can say this -- we are loving where we are right now!

Just whipped this up & the boys in the snow....

2008-02-13T16:15:00.005-06:00

Here's a card I threw together with leftover scraps from a mini book I did yesterday:

I like to keep a couple of cards on hand (even though my main thing is scrapbooking) in case I need one. And I just sent one out today so that meant I needed a new one!

And here are the boys this morning in the snow! Not enough for a snowman, but just being out in it was enough for them!

Now I can get back to Spongebob! ;-)

3 Snow pages and a card

2008-02-13T09:36:00.004-06:00

I just realized that 3 of the last 4 projects I turned in have something to do with snow. Must be subconscious! ANd it really did snow this morning!! Braden got a day off and we went out for a bit, but not too long considering that the temp is in the teens and the wind chill is in the single digits!

We warmed up with hot chocolate, of course. And now we're just chilling in the bonus room and watching cartoons. I love snow days!!

On a roll...

2008-01-29T16:30:00.001-06:00

Wanted to make something a little different today.
That was fun!

On another note, I think we have decided to do the Disney thing this spring. Braden has been asking for 3 years now and I want to do it while it's still "magical" for him. I doubt Bryson will remember it at his age, unfortunately. Anybody have any good advice for doing Disney with a 6 and 2 year old??

A couple of new ones...

2008-01-28T16:29:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share a couple of new pages I completed this week...

I did one like this for Braden several years ago. It's fun to look back and remember how they said things when they first started talking...
This one was a bit of a challenge for me. I am not accustomed to:
1 - Making a page about myself
2 - Using a super girly color like PINK!
It was fun!

And then there's this:

Saw one of these in a CK and had to make my own version for Bryson's room!

On another note, I have been reading this book that Braden's teacher let me borrow.
I found this quote today that I totally love:

What you do today is important because you
are exchanging a day of your life for it...
let it be something good.
-Anonymous

Wow. Words to live by...

-M

Recovering...

2008-01-06T19:19:00.000-06:00

From the Holidays! It's a lot of fun, but it sure is a lot of work too. I swore I wouldn't bake another thing for at least 6 months! The cookie party went well, and I was having so much fun, I only got one picture:

-Still trying to finish up the Christmas daily album I only got half finished because I didn't have time. Want to get that all fixed up in the next few days before I run out of motivation for it.

-Braden starts back to school tomorrow. I'm really gonna miss him. It has been like old times around here. Guess I'm still not used to the school thing.

-Turned in a new page at the scrapbook store:

-My word for this year is "Blessings". I will be creating an album throughout this year to go along with it called "Everyday Blessings". My goal is to recognize at least one blessing each week and scrapbook it. I want to learn to appreciate more of the good -- and see more good in the seemingly bad. Scrapbooking really is therapy, isn't it? Hopefully I will be posting my first page soon. Just took the photo for it 5 minutes ago!

-I need to do some purging and reorganizing in this scraproom of mine. Bet I could find a boatload of stuff to give away.

Well, I'd better spend a few more minutes with my boys before bedtime!

-M

Oh happy day!

2007-12-14T10:39:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I pour myself a bowl of cereal this morning, (I have granola with raisins every day.)I'm on my way to the fridge to get some milk and I look down to see this. No, seriously...I didn't touch a thing! There is a happy face in my bowl of cereal!! After I show everybody who will listen, I ran to grab my camera. Surely this is a sign of how my day will be, right? After several incidents, (One of which included Bryson knocking an entire bowl of cereal and dried fruit out of my hand and all over the car), I decided that the face must represent a mischevoius smirk instead of an actual "smile". The joke is on me! ;-)

Ok, I'll play along....

2007-12-12T19:39:00.000-06:00

Read this on Nicole's blog the other day and then I just got this email from my friend Susanne. It's always fun to read other's responses to these so here goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper is just more fun to open.
2. Real tree or artificial? I've never had a real tree. Had friends who did...love the smell, not the mess.
3. When do you put up the tree? I used to put it up the first weekend after Halloween (oh yes, you heard me right) Now I have to wait until after Braden's birthday (Nov 4th)
5. Do you like eggnog? No
6. What about Fruitcake? Not that regular candied fruitcake...YUCK! It's always been a family tradition to make a graham cracker based version, though. YUM!
7. Favorite gift received as a child? I always looked forward to the big box of nuts and chocolates we got each year
8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes
9. Hardest person to buy for? Thomas' parents!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I plead the 5th
12. Mail or email Christmas cards? I usually make them..... Don't expect any this year!
13. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story, Rudolph, Polar Express....too many to name! I love them all.
14. When do you start shopping for Christmas? After Halloween

15. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Oh yeah!
16. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mom's ham, chocolate pretzels, peanut butter bon bons
17. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear, please.
18. Favorite Christmas song? I am so totally addicted to the Rat Pack Christmas CD this year. I'd have to say "Baby, it's cold outside" by Dean Martin
19. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? We always go to my mom's on Eve and have both our parents over Christmas morning for breakfast.
20. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course! Dasher, Dancer, Prancer , Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph
21. Angel on the tree top or a star? Big gold bow
22. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Well.....we're bad at my house. I let the kids open one gift each Saturday in December. I guess because I was always BEGGING to open something early as a child. My parent's liked to watch me go nuts I think ;-)
23. What is the one present you want most this year? To see my kids' smiling faces on CHristmas morning. What better gift than that?
24. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People are so hard to buy for this year!
25. What I love most about Christmas? Thomas getting to be off work so much and Braden being out of school. We get to all be together for so long!

75 degrees in the middle of December???

2007-12-11T19:52:00.000-06:00

Well, that's what it was here today! Unbelieveable! What a beautiful day, but it made it so hard to believe that Christmas is only 2 weeks away. I took the kids out to enjoy it and Megan came over for a bit to join them. It was fun while it lasted....The high temp 5 days from now is supposed to be 38!

Mmmm.....yummy

2007-12-07T18:49:00.000-06:00

And what says "Christmas" like a pair of new red flannel pajamas? One for each of us, I might add. I am crazy about pjs. In fact, if you came by my house after 6pm pretty much any day of the week, chances are, you'd see me in them. It's one thing you can never have too many of. There's nothing like being comfy at the end of the day!

And that was my adventure for the day.

Mission accomplished!

What could be more fun...

2007-12-05T13:11:00.001-06:00

than a cookie decorating party! We're going to have a few of Braden's friends from school over in a couple of weeks to decorate cookies. After seeing this idea in Real Simple Magazine, I knew I had to do one! I mean, really.... a bunch of kids, cookies, icing, every sugary candy topping you could think of. Hmmmm........you might want wanna check back with me after the messy chaos and see if I am still as thrilled with the idea. ;-)

Long overdue Halloween Photos

2007-12-02T06:22:00.000-06:00

Ok, per request from friends, here are a couple of photos from Halloween. Please excuse the wonky blue tone as I had just gotten my new camera and hadn't figured out how to change the settings yet! The first one is my favorite and I totally can't believe I even caught it. Was snapping away when Braden's little girlfriend said "Get one with me kissing him!" Of course, I was expecting a little peck on the cheek, but as you see, she laid it on him....right on the lips! GASP!

And here, you can see my little dragon grabbing up a handful of candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters at the front door. Both of the boys like giving out the candy as much as they like getting it, I think.

A night of too much candy, hyper kids and lots of fun!

Brothers

2007-11-08T19:56:00.000-06:00

Aren't they sweet?... Those two boys that I love so much. A little tribute to them and the friends they've become to each other. I hope they always get along this way...

-M

And for today...

2007-11-01T14:26:00.000-05:00

Lookie here at my little stud-muffin and his girls. The one on the left is a friend since birth. There was no choice really...her mama and I are best friends. The one on the right is his official girlfriend. Oh yes, they are in love....as much as Kindergarteners can be, I suppose. They are 3 sweet kid-os!

One just for me...

2007-10-31T14:29:00.000-05:00

No assignment, no deadline. Just that a little boy was asleep and a mama had a little time alone!

The subject was inspired by a layout in Simple Scrapbooks a few months ago by Aby Garvey. I thought it was so sweet, that I had to do one myself! Look! I am actually in one of my own scrapbook pages! Amazing, huh? ;-)

Fresh from my table....

2007-10-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

My newest layout using pretty much all products from My Mind's Eye - Bohemia Collection.

And look at that face. If that's not an adorable, happy face, I don't know what is!

Something to share...

2007-10-23T11:45:00.001-05:00

The weather is turning cooler...finally! Fall is my favorite time of year, and it always starts me making things....banana bread, apple crisps and warm drinks. One of my favorite drinks (that I discovered only a few years ago) is Chai Tea. Sure, they sell it at Starbucks, but why pay $3+ for a cup of it when you can make it yourself! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Starbucks. But I did find this killer recipe so I can make up a big batch of mix and have it every morning if I want! Made a couple of these jars up to share with friends too....using my new Papertrey set, of course! Might as well share the recipe here too!

Chai Tea Mix

INGREDIENTS
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar and instant tea. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup at a time, until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.
To serve: Stir 2 heaping tablespoons Chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water.

Bring on the cool weather!

-M

ETA: This recipe is supposed to make 36 servings. Also, I usually go ahead and double the recipe when I am making it so I have plenty to share and some to keep for myself!

Just some quick ones...

2007-10-04T10:46:00.000-05:00

Cards, that is. Whipped up a few yesterday that I needed. I am totally digging this Basic Grey paper right now. Who couldn't love these the little trees...huh? Feels so fallish. Loving it!

On another note, just thinking of something Braden said yesterday that I needed to get down before I forgot it. We were coming home from school and he says"Mom, are we gonna have a garage sale soon?"

"Uh, I wasn't planning on it, why?"

"Because I need to sell some stuff"

"Honey, I don't think we have anything to sell right now"

Silence from the back seat for a minute and then...

"I think we need to go out buy something I don't like so I can sell it!"

This kid totally cracks me up sometimes!

-M

And now, for your crafting pleasure.....

2007-10-03T09:43:00.000-05:00

My first 2 design team projects!
And of course, they are for Halloween.
I actually like altering things as much as scrapbooking, so this was fun for me!

Yes, I decoupaged a pumpkin! Well, it's not a real pumpkin...just a foam one I got from Hobby Lobby.
Notice how the sentiment from Spooky Sweets fits perfectly in the empty space of the pattern. Been dying to use this new set so this was my perfect chance! Hopefully more to come soon!

-M

And the winner is...........

2007-09-20T06:17:00.000-05:00

ME!

I got the official word last night that I won the design team contest for my scrapbook store! And here are the layouts I submitted:

Now I will be designing 2-6 pages each month to be on display at the store. SO fun to have my stuff hanging all around in there! And besides that, I'll be getting some free and discounted product.....and I need that because I spend way too much money in there! LOL!

This makes me giddy!

2007-09-10T13:44:00.000-05:00

It's my newly placed expression from Uppercase Living! This stuff and scrapbooking go hand in hand in my opinion. Super cool words for your wall. All of them are fabulous and I loved it so much that I'm hosting an open house this Friday night! Can't wait to get more! To see the catalog, go to the customer login and type in id#832718 and token:cheerio

Just a little plug for my friend, Susan. ;-)

Also a little peek at some of my most recent pages. I have to give props to Nicole for inspiring me on the lower right one. Your stuff is amazing and constantly inspires me! In other news, I'm hoping to hear from my local scrapbook store in a few days with news about my submissions for the design team. Maybe I will post those layouts if I make it!

Sometimes you've just gotta....

2007-09-07T12:21:00.001-05:00

...play in the rain!

It's been a VERY long time since it's rained around here. So when I picked Braden up from school yesterday he asked if he could play outside and splash in the puddles. And I thought...you know what? Why not? They had an absolute blast! And that's what being a kid is all about, right? ;-)

I can't believe I got to....

2007-08-24T06:42:00.001-05:00

hold him while he was sleeping! And boy is it hard to take a picture of it yourself! LOL! This was the highlight of my day yesterday. Bryson is such a busy boy that I can't even remember the last time I got to do this, so you'd better believe I was loving every minute of it!

He amazes me

2007-08-23T11:11:00.000-05:00

One morning the first week of Kindergarten, I went to school to have lunch with Braden. As I'm waiting for his class to line up, I was standing in the hallway and I noticed a row of pictures hanging on the wall. All the kids had drawn their families-- with moms, dads, sometimes a dog or cat. And then I notice Braden's.....hundreds of dots on his paper. I'm thinking to myself, "Great!! Why can't he just draw cute little people like everyone else?!" Then I notice the title..."Everyone in the world", and I'm simply blown away. How perceptive of him at just 5 years old to see everyone in the world as part of his family. From the time he was a toddler, he's always seen life differently than the rest of us. I used to see that as a problem, but you know what? Now I see it as a gift! I couldn't be prouder of this boy.

-M

Well, he did it!

2007-08-13T12:17:00.000-05:00

Braden went to school. His first day was last Thursday. He was nervous....I was nervous. He settled in quickly with a folder game at his table.

I stood around for a while in the class with a few other parents. He continued playing his game, not even realizing I was there, so I decided to go. There was a parent reception area down the hall where we gathered and talked for a bit, consoled each other and finally, after realizing there was nothing more to do, we left.

When I came to pick him up after his first half day, he runs to the car saying "That was GREAT! I give it 89 thumbs up!" Can't beat that, I guess.

So today is his first full day and as I was driving there this morning I say "Do you want me to drop you off at the door or should I take you to your classroom?" "Nah", he says "Not unless you just WANT to." Uh....what? Not the response I wanted to hear....So I marched myself up to his class, have a short chat with his teacher, and come home. Now it's just me and Bryson. I do a little cleaning, play with Bryson. He takes a nap and here I am. ALONE. I almost feel...depressed. This isn't supposed to be happening. What happened to me doing all those things I said I was gonna do when I got some free time? What was it I wanted to do again? I can't seem to remember for thinking about Braden and wondering what he's doing every 15 minutes! Oh boy...this is going to take some getting used to!

Wow...is it August already?

2007-08-01T06:27:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my first baby is about to start Kindergarten in 8 days. I'm sure I will laugh later about being so stressed about it, but somebody give me a sedative, would ya?? I've had him for nearly 6 years to myself. Don't get me wrong, he's totally prepared. He WANTS to go. It's Mommy that is having the problem. I keep trying to look at the positives....like being able to spend time alone with just Bryson. I know that's a good thing. He is going to a private Christian school with only 16 kids in his class. Can't beat that, right? For me, though, it's all about turning my child over to someone else. It's hard for me to think of him somewhere else and me not being able to see him or know exactly what he's doing. I'm sure I will be doing plenty of volunteering out there. But change is kind of a hard one for me and this is a BIG one!

In other news, Bryson went to the allergist last week after an 8 month struggle of us trying to figure out what he was allergic to. Turns out it's soy, eggs and corn...all of the things we were letting him have in place of the wheat we were trying to keep him off of because we thought it was that! Mealtimes are a complete nightmare around here, which I am not used to. When Braden was a baby, he would eat anything we were eating. And still to this day, if he's never tried something before, he immediately wants to try it. Bryson is as opposite as could be from that. I cannot get him to eat ANY vegetables at this point (does french fries count?), although I try daily. Between what he can't eat and what he won't eat, there's not much left. So I feel like I feed him nothing but turkey sausage and pretzels at this point! Sometimes it just drives me nutty!

My only therapy is the scrapbooking I've been doing lately. I have done 9...that's right NINE scrapbook pages in the last week! I feel like I finally have my office like I've always wanted it. For me it's all about organization, and I get totally paralyzed when things aren't in complete order. The ideas are flowing like water over here and I recently made up a new system that is really working for me. I bought cute little recipe card holder and filled it with index cards. Whenever I get an idea for a page (the journaling always comes first for me), I whip out a card, write and sketch my idea, print out the photo(s) I want to go with it and then stick it in my handy dandy Cropper Hopper 5x7 photo keeper. It's all ready to go when I get the time to do my page. Here's my proof that is so working for me...My wall-o-pages:

I like to hang them up for a bit and enjoy them before I tuck them away in my albums. Here's to getting another page done today!

-M

Paisley, bags and other birthday stuff...

2007-07-06T08:48:00.000-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how talented my mom is??

Just look what she made me for my birthday! My obsessions with paisley and bags run a tight race...but put them together and WOW! I squealed so loud when I saw it, that I scared Bryson to death! Mom had been searching for the perfect paisley fabric for a while and this definitely qualifies. She'd bought a set of designs for her embroidery machine with this in mind. Can't know me for 33 years and not know what I like, I guess. Absolutely LOVE it, Mom!

In other birthday news, my friend Mary took me to lunch yesterday at The Looking Glass Cafe .

It's one of my favorite places to go for the atmosphere AND the dessert is to die for! Plus the scrapbook store is right next door, so that's a plus too! And get this.....I went alone ...as in no kids. TOTAL rarity. Thomas was off and stayed home with them. I almost don't know how to act when I'm not trying to coral 2 little wild dudes. The peace makes it hard to think.

Hey, and just for fun, because I never get a chance to do a project, much less post one, here is my latest scrapbook page:

It's all about simple around here! And speaking of simple, if you are any kind of scrapbooker and haven't checked out Rebecca Cooper's new book, it is an absolute MUST! Totally in love with this book right now. It is exactly what I have been needing to get me out of my rut! DO yourself a favor and go get it!!

-M

Somebody turned ONE...

2007-05-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe that my baby boy turned one year old just a few days ago! In contrast to the anticipation of waiting for him, it seems like this first year of his life just flew by. It is amazing how different he is now from the day that I brought him home. Well, except for the waking up at night part. Can't BELIEVE he's still doing that! Twice last night, but anyway...

So many exciting things happening for us. Braden graduated Preschool, Bryson started walking, we are moving to a new house in just two weeks. Life is sure to be exciting. Actually having time to post about it? Well, now that's another story!

Just a little something...

2007-02-26T07:55:00.000-06:00

Been playing with a new little stamp set I got last week. This one's pretty special. My friend Nichole recently came out with her very own line of stamps and this is from the first set! Lovely, versatile set. I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve!

My basket runneth over...

2007-02-13T11:23:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I need to remind myself that those little things that tend to get on my nerves right now will be the little things that I will really miss later.

Take this basket, for instance. This is my basket of all things Braden. He has a little desk here in my office (which he refers to as HIS office) where he makes me approximately 542 things every day! So I made this as a place to put it all. In this basket, you will find every sort of "gift" you could think of.....Many envelopes with little notes, stickers, homemade puppets, workbook pages. He's really starting to get the hang of sounding out words and he writes a LOT nowdays. My favorites are the little pieces of paper with "MOM" and hearts to decorate as his little token of love. Sometimes I just look at this overflowing basket underneath my desk and sigh in frustration as it can get completely out of control, pieces falling here and there. And I think to myself "I really need to clean this out!" But then I just can't bring myself to do it. Besides the fact that he checks it periodically to see if it's all still there, it's a nice little reminder for me. One of these days, my little boy will be too busy for such things.

So I took this picture to help me remember this sweet gesture. But right now, all I have to do is look at this huge stack of notes to be reminded of how much one little boy loves me!

-M

First one, then two!

2007-01-12T13:01:00.002-06:00

...Teeth, that is! Missing ones! Braden finally lost his first tooth on Monday afternoon. And after much crying and freaking out (over the blood and there was barely ANY), he was excited about the Tooth Fairy coming.

After that, the one next to it started getting so loose that it was hanging sideways. Well, I knew it wouldn't be long until it came out too, but he was too nervous to pull at it. So as I was picking him up from school on thursday, it literally fell out of his mouth and into his hand! So now he's double toothless and he talks so stinkin' cute with that little slur. I make him say "S" words just to hear him do it!

-M

Three boys, two generations, one theme...

2006-12-16T12:57:00.000-06:00

Spongebob!

I thought it was too cool when I found Thomas and Braden matching pajama pants a while back. But there was only one thing missing....Bryson didn't have any! I couldn't have him left out, now could I? So I searched high and low for baby Spongebob PJ pants with none to be found. Luckily, I have a talented mother who can sew just about anything, so she was nice enough to whip up a pair for the little guy.

Are they not the cutest bunch?? Seriously, I am one lucky girl!

The Tooth

2006-12-15T09:23:00.000-06:00

I was surprised to learn a couple of nights ago that Braden has a loose tooth! As a matter of fact, BOTH the bottom ones are wiggly. This called for something special! My good friend Nichole had her oldest lose his first one just last week and when we were talking about it, I commented that we'd probably have that happen in a few months! Little did I know how quickly it would happen. So I was inspired by her project to make a little something of my own! Only a few more days until toothless pictures! I can't wait!

Look at these cuties!

2006-12-12T15:43:00.000-06:00

Here is the boys' Christmas photo. Braden had school pictures and they said Bryson could be in them too! Turned out pretty good I thought. (sigh) I used to have time to do the portraits myself, and had been struggling to make time for a while so I finally gave up and let someone else do them.

So much going on lately. Mostly been trying to take care of 2 sick boys for the past 3 weeks. It's been rough. From croup and a double ear infection to viruses, dehydration and a flu -like thing! I am SICK of this already (no pun intended!)

Gearing up for Christmas. I'll tell you what....I think it means your old when neither you or your spouse can even figure out what you want for Christmas. I used to think my parents were CRAZY when they wouldn't exchange gifts or just do something really small. They always say "Oh, the funnest part is watching you kids get stuff" and I was like "What the...?????? You have GOT to be kidding!" You know what? They were right. I can't wait to see my boys' faces in just 13 days!

-M

Who couldn't love this face??

2006-10-13T20:08:00.000-05:00

'Nuff said!

-M

Woo hoo! I made somethin'!!

2006-10-06T19:30:00.000-05:00

Lookie lookie! I made something cute for Halloween! I'd tell you more about it, but my baby is crying.....AGAIN! Oh, happy day! < insert insane laughter here >

A fun little project...

2006-08-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

Just got a couple of minutes this morning to do a simple little project. Got this idea from Stacey Julian's Big Picture website. Braden was in need of a container to put his computer games in. A long lost friend of mine sent him a ton of them that her boys had outgrown (Thanks Nicole!) and this mini crate worked perfectly! I even let him pick the paper (notice the frogs!). Fun.....Easy....I love those kinds of projects!

-M

A week of firsts...

2006-08-26T20:35:00.000-05:00

Well, this was an exciting week for us! Braden started going to preschool 2 days a week. He was so cute in his spiderman backpack, and so excited too. I think he really likes it. He was too busy to even tell me bye the two days I dropped him off this week! I'm glad he's like that, though. Better than having to leave a screaming, clingy kid. I'm already dreading next year. How can I be without my boy all day 5 days a week?!? That will definitely take some getting used to. I used to be worried about him not being able to start this year because of his birthday falling late, but now I'm just glad I get to keep him for an extra year. I'm really going to try to enjoy it while it lasts.

*************************************

Second, Braden started karate classes! This is something he's talked about since he was probably 2 years old. I'd been promising him that after I had the baby and things settled down a bit, we would sign him up. I just LOVE him in his little uniform! And watching that class of kids is quite entertaining! As you see, he takes it pretty seriously!

*******************************************
Third, my baby boy Bryson rolled over for the first time! I know I've done this stuff once already, but it really is exciting the second time around too. I think that you just find yourself equally proud of each child for their accomplishments.

....Even if they are completely different!

Oh, these boys.....They always make me smile!

-M

Fun stuff!

2006-08-14T08:45:00.000-05:00

Love, love LOVE this website I just found!

www.paper-source.com
Awesome papercrafting stuff.
I think there is something there for just about anyone!
Have plans on ordering a few things there myself.

In other news, I've been trying my papercrafting hands
at something new...Canning!
Here are the pickled squash I did last week!

Tried some apple preserves too, but we won't talk about that right now! Let's just say my Mom had to rescue those! I was following the recipe...Honestly, I was!

Well, back to work!

-M

Fun on the 4th

2006-07-06T18:32:00.000-05:00

July 4th has always been one of my favorite holidays. I suppose it's probably because that's when my family usually gets together to celebrate my birthday too. Here are some of the highlights from this years fun:

Me with my baby boy! There are very few photos of me at all so I decided to hand the camera over to my hubby who did a great job at capturing this sweet photo of us.

My brother doing fireworks with the kids. Nope, he never really grows up. I think he enjoyed it as much as they did!

My niece catching a snooze on the swing outside. Still trying to think of a way to use this as some sort of bribery. Don't worry, Alaina...I'll think of something!

It was fun to watch Thomas and Braden shoot off fireworks at night. They were really into it this year. I'm sure someday this will end up as bottle rocket fights or some such mother's worst nightmare!

Yep. Good times.

-M

32 years ago today...

2006-07-05T09:29:00.000-05:00

I was born! It's hard to believe. I remember when I was a kid thinking that when I got into my 30's I would be OLD! Although, I feel pretty tired sometimes, I think I have a few more years left in me. So here I am. I can point out a hundred imperfections in this picture, but it's the real me.

I am happy.
I am Mom to 2 boys.
I am tired.
I am more blessed than I thought I'd ever be.
I am...in serious need of some make-up!

I am 32.

Happy Birthday to me!

-M

Check this out!

2006-06-30T09:12:00.000-05:00

I actually did a scrapbook page! Granted, this took me practically all day from start to finish. I guess that's what happens when you have a 4 year old and a baby! I worked on it 5 minutes at a time! It's inspired by my idol, Cathy Zielske. She is the absolute master of scrapbook design. Anyway, I'd done the journaling on this a couple of weeks ago and have been dying to put it together.
The patterned section flips up to reveal journaling that reads:

"It amazes me that two kids from the same gene pool can be so totally opposite. At only 1 month old, Bryson has already proven his individuality. When I compare him to Braden as a baby, they are completely different. I'm sure time will tell so many more things as Bryson grows and his personality emerges."

I will be sticking this in the new "Brothers" album I am starting and will add to it over the years. I've even thought of doing a compare/contrast page like this of them once a year. I hope I get more time to crank out some more pages because my journaling book is filling up and I want these boys to actually have some scrapbooks to look at one of these days!

-M

Lucky

2006-06-29T09:55:00.000-05:00

Feeling incredibly lucky this morning to have my sweety. Sometimes, it just hits you, ya know? My neck is out of whack and my back has been hurting and he gave me a 30 minute massage this morning before he went to work! Is that not awesome??? That got me thinking about all the little things he does every day and just how lucky I am to have him. So here's a little tribute of random things I love about him. Here's to you, baby!

- He almost always wakes up to do the 2AM diaper change before I feed the baby.
- He's in better shape than most 35 year olds I know. (I like to call him my eye candy...wink wink)
- He shares my love of shopping.
- He supports my scrapbooking obsession.
- He's funny and fun to be around.
- I think he's a great Dad
- He makes me coffee every Saturday morning.
- He tells me he loves me every day.

I'm sure I could list hundreds more, but I'll spare ya.
You're the best, T....And I love you!

-M

For Sanity's Sake

2006-06-23T14:59:00.000-05:00

How often do you think this happens and how long will it last? BOTH of my boys are asleep! Bryson was already napping and Braden was watching TV when I slipped away to have a few moments to myself. When I went back to take a peek at the baby this is what I found: Two sweet boys sound asleep. Now, don't panic...It's just the angle that I had to take the photo that makes it look like the baby can't breathe! He has plenty of room. The blanket just got sort of bunched up on that side and I was afraid if I attempted to move it, he'd wake up and I'd lose the whole photo-op.

Aren't they the sweetest? Now these are the moments I live for!

-M

Photo shoot

2006-06-23T12:16:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I finally got around to taking some pictures of my boys...not just random things...A REAL photo shoot. Let me tell you, it is nearly impossible to get even just ONE good picture of a 1 month old and a 4 year old together! Whew! What a workout! I took about 75 pictures all together and this is what I finally came up with. Not too bad. They're pretty cute if I do say so myself. Of course, the outtakes might just be more fun to scrapbook than the real thing..........

This one shows their personalities in true form.
They're 2 little stinkers....
But they're all mine!

-M

A quick thought.....

2006-06-09T11:58:00.000-05:00

Baby is sleeping and Braden is quietly entertaining himself with a huge pile of pipe cleaners...crafting all sorts of neat things. Anyway, I actually got a couple of minutes to be on the internet and catch up on things I haven't looked at in a long time. Was going through some old posts of Stacy Julian's blog. She is the editor of Simple Scrapbooks Magazine (for those who don't know) and I enjoy learning much from her about scrapbooking. Anyway, I saw this quote:

Being a Mom means
never having a minute . . .
yet always making a moment.

- Michael Nolan

...And it really caught my eye. Because that is EXACTLY how I am feeling right now. Life is SO busy with new baby things and I often find myself exhausted and sometimes a little stressed out. BUT...somehow I seem to make the time to get done what is really important. And in perspective, that is taking care of my two little ones. I need to stop and remember not to get caught up in the craziness so much that I forget to stop and enjoy all that I have been blessed with. And if you are making a moment to read this, I challenge you to do the same!

And so I leave you with the cuteness photo of the day!

-M

My 2 boys

2006-06-08T08:33:00.000-05:00

Aren't they sweet? It's been more than 3 weeks now and Braden is STILL unbelievably good with Bryson. He goes to him every time he cries and tries to do whatever he can for him. I must admit, I was expecting at least a LITTLE bit of jealousy by now, but nope...Nothing but love from this big brother!

Trying not to think about it too much, but Bryson does have an appointment next Tuesday to have his heart checked for a murmur that the Dr. heard. I'm hoping that it's long gone when they check, but we'll see, I guess. He's growing like crazy. Seems like he changes every day. He smiles at me every once in a while when I talk to him...I live for those moments! Caught a half one on the camera...Barely.

Isn't that the sweetest face?

-M

Can you believe it? He's here!

2006-05-25T17:17:00.000-05:00

It seems I've been quite the bad blogger, but I have an excuse. Really, I do! Packing up and moving to a new house 8 months pregnant kept me really busy and then having the baby a month later to top it off. I just wanted to share the story of the arrival of Bryson Cole with everyone and this was an easy way to do it!

He arrived on May 16 at 8:03 AM during a planned c-section. The one thing I DIDN'T plan was the spinal not taking effect and I had to be put to sleep. That was scary, but let me tell you, not half as scary as still having feeling in your belly when you're about to have surgery wide awake! Anyway, he weighed 8lb 5 oz, was 19 3/4 in long and had a head full of hair. The old wives' tale of hair and heartburn proved true with me because I had it BAD the entire time! Just trying to recover from the surgery and doing pretty well, really. Lots of sleep deprevation going on here since this kid has to eat every 1 1/2 - 3 hours. Big brother Braden is totally in love with his new baby and has been very good with him. He checks on him and hugs him when he cries and tells Bryson a hundred times a day that he "loves him forever!"
Nothing can melt a Mom's heart like that! I don't have all of the pics uploaded yet, but here are a few.

I hope to be a little better about updating from now on so just check back from time to time. I might actually get a spare moment to post something! Now, if I could just get talented enough to feed Bryson and type at the same time.....

-M

Be a Clown!

2006-03-14T06:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was "Circus Day" at Braden's school. They talked about animals and even had a real clown. He was REALLY excited about that part. I couldn't miss taking a picture of my little clown after he had his face painted. Isn't he the cutest little thing? I think so!

You wanna eat WHAT?!?!

2006-02-12T17:19:00.000-06:00

OK, so are there any rules about not dipping anything and everything in Ketchup??? Not these days! Braden is an official dipper. So it shouldn't have surprised me when he pulled out the Sugar Snap Peas and Ketchup at lunch time today, but it did! I said "You're NOT going to eat THAT!!" And of course he insisted he would....And he did! Weird kid, I tell ya. Don't know where he gets it from!

Mmm Mmmm....Good!

2006-02-07T11:54:00.000-06:00

Just thought this was too cute. Last night, Thomas and Braden were kicked back in the recliner in their PJs sharing a snack of Graham Crackers and Marshmallow Cream. I looked over and B was a mess. Too funny not to take pictures. He sure was enjoying every bite!

Snow Day!

2006-01-18T13:47:00.000-06:00

Can you tell how much fun Braden had in the snow this morning?? He's been waiting for a snow like this all winter and it finally came! When he got up this morning and looked outside, he could hardly wait to get out there. SO after putting 14 or so layers of clothes on him (It WAS 25 degrees!), we went out. And after a nice play in the snow, we came in to have a cup of hot chocolate. Ahhh....To be a kid again!

Christmas baking at its best!

2005-12-22T15:00:00.000-06:00

I always enjoy our tradition of Braden and I making cookies for Christmas, and this year was more fun than ever. He was so excited and did an awesome job of cutting the shapes and getting them to the pan in one piece. But when it came to decorating, I think he ate more M&Ms than he used! Oh well, it's about the sweets, I guess. And here is my little chef...cheesy smile and all!

Merry Christmas to us!

2005-12-22T11:28:00.000-06:00

We got a nice little early Christmas surprise when my ultrasound was scheduled for yesterday. We had to be there at 8AM and that was no problem because I had been up since 4 excited about it all! The photo above is a profile of the baby's face...in case you couldn't tell. Those things are tricky to look at! And my instincts were right. They told me it was definitely a BOY! Of course I really wanted a girl, but I am still happy! Braden, however, is not too thrilled about it. He had his heart set on a sister and has told me he's not happy about this "brother" thing. Oh well, I suppose he'll just have to get used to it, right?

Welcome to the "Good Ship Potty!"

2005-11-12T14:59:00.000-06:00

Oh boy.....You know how it is when your kid's been playing quietly a bit too long and you think you ought to go and check on him, but you don't? I had just mentioned to Thomas that he was being awfully quiet and he said " Oh...He's just playing in his ROOM!" No sooner had that been said, Braden comes running into the room whispering something. All I could catch was ..."Come look at what I made and DON'T TELL MOMMY!" They both go in there and Braden exclaims "IT'S MY POTTY SHIP!" Half a roll of toilet paper, I tell ya. And thank goodness it was just carefully balanced across the top and not inside. Oh yes...Quite the builder he is.
If there is ever an award for "toilet art", he's got it in the bag!

-M

The Pirate & the Princess

2005-11-03T09:17:00.000-06:00

Well, here are my two favorite kiddos all dressed up for Halloween! We'd asked Marah to come over and trick-or-treat with Braden because we have a great neighborhood for it and they had so much fun together! Their buckets were filled to the TOP by the time they got back home. And I have heard nothing but "I WANT CANDY!" ever since!

-M

A Day at School

2005-10-30T07:12:00.000-06:00

What an exciting day the kids had last Monday at school! A policeman AND firetruck showed up as this month's topic was Community Helpers. They really got a kick out of it all and I think they learned a lot too. Afterwards, we all went inside and I hung out there for a few minutes while Ms. Amy started class. I was glad that I did....I got a little sneak peek at what they do in there. Apparently, the "Silly Goose Game" is a favorite of theirs...And you can see why!

Amy is obviously a nut as I will use this picture for blackmail later. :-) But seriously, the kids love her. And they are really lucky to have a teacher so enthusiastic about her job. Not only does she do a great job teaching, but she knows how to get a little crazy with them too!

-M

My Abstract Artist!

2005-10-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

Well, if you couldn't already tell, this is me....According to my soon to be 4-year-old! I just really get a kick out of his "artwork" lately. He builds things out of EVERYTHING. I mean, nothing is off limits...Blocks, paper, green peas! No matter what, he is always building. And very meticulous about it, I might add. It almost always has to be symmetrical and is usually complex. I'd like to think of it as his Pre-engineering days. I'm glad he enjoys creating so much. It might be silly, but Mommy and Daddy think it's pretty darn cool!

-M

My NEW baby!

2005-09-30T09:59:00.000-05:00

I got a really nice surprise yesterday at the OBGYN when my Dr. said he was going to do an ultrasound! So here is the first picture of baby Laster #2. I know... it doesn't look like much, does it? The baby is between the two + signs. Teeny tiny thing, but it was very encouraging to be able to see the heartbeat! I was joking with Thomas, "Awww, honey. It looks like you!" And he was like, "What? A peanut head?" Oh yes, sweety, please do keep that sense of humor for those nights when the baby wakes us up at 2AM!!

-M

My baby's first day.....

2005-09-16T05:52:00.000-05:00

of school!!!

Ok, so it's NOT Kindergarten, but it was definitely a big deal! We have decided to Homeschool and Monday was Braden's very first day of Preschool Co-op. It's just one day a week and lasts from 9 to 12:30. I had a TERRIBLE time leaving him...he had a blast! He cried when we had to leave. At home, he is learning his letters and how to write his name. He's very interested in how to spell things. And I usually spend most of the day answering questions about one thing or another. I'm so proud of my smart little boy!

A close call?

2005-09-03T22:31:00.000-05:00

This is the view from our back deck on Tuesday. A freak storm that hit the night before the Hurricane Katrina storm was to get to us caused major flooding. This photo is not the water at it's peak! A couple of hours after that, it covered the road and we were literally trapped in our neighborhood! We were actually afraid that it might get up high enough to get to our house. We were just not sure what to expect at this point...after all, we thought this itself was impossible. After a LOT of praying that night, we woke up the next morning to find the water receded drastically! It's definitely an event I won't soon forget! I'm just glad we aren't dealing with what is going on in New Orleans at the moment. We have a lot of blessings in our lives and this makes me quite mindful of them.

-M

The small things

2005-08-25T15:42:00.000-05:00

So I'm sitting at my desk typing away and in the background Braden is playing with stickers and paper. I am, of course, a happy camper if he can stay entertained for a few minutes while I check e-mail and browse around and such. I turn around to see this (see above). SO you're thinking what's the big deal, right? Well, I thought it was totally cute! He had made a little card and propped it up right beside mine. This tells me 3 things:

1. He knows Mommy is a card maker.
2. Creativity runs in the family. (wink wink)
3. He is trying to be like ME.

Now what bigger compliment can you get than that?!

-M

Impromptu Field Trip!

2005-08-24T20:32:00.000-05:00

We just had the most super cool day today! Thomas had to fly out to Arkansas this morning (which he does quite often) when I was struck with the best idea....We'd go watch him take off at the airport! I don't know why I never thought of it before, but it was really fun! We always tell Braden "Daddy had to fly on the airplane today" and today he really got to see it. To tell the truth, I think it was as much fun for me as it was him!

So after the plane was out of sight, we decided to go into the little office building and check things out...A little exploring, if you will. Inside, we met this man who actually invited us to go sit in one of his airplanes! (He teaches a flight school there.)

Braden was in Heaven as he pretended to fly that plane...Steering, pushing buttons, flipping switches. The guy was just more than happy to answer all of Braden's questions about how everything worked and even told us he would take us up sometime.
Maybe he can go up with Thomas someday, but it won't be with ME as I am chicken to fly!

Anyway, it was just a really fun morning. We got a neat opportunity and both of us learned a little about something new!

-M

New Fun with Old Friends

2005-08-22T14:37:00.000-05:00

I spent Saturday afternoon with some of my old friends from High School. We try to get together about once a year to catch up. This time Tammy hosted the party at her house. She was a great hostess... And besides that, she let her house be invaded by all of our kids! I've known these girls for like 20-25 years. Gosh, now that makes me feel REALLY old! It was fun talking about old times and new ones too. Seems like we've done a pretty good job of not losing track of each other over the past 13 years. Hope that doesn't change. Ya hear me, ladies? :-)

Everyone loves a rainbow!

2005-08-16T21:02:00.000-05:00

And what makes them so special is the fact that you rarely see one! I captured this one this evening after a rainstorm. Just a beautiful reminder of God's love. Sometimes we just need reminding, don't we?

-M

What inspires me

2005-08-10T18:01:00.000-05:00

I absolutely LOVE to create things...when I have the time!
There is so much that inspires me. I mean, no, I don't
always totally come up with designs from my head.
Sometimes I do, but quite often I take bits and pieces of
inspiration from here and there and before you know it, they
transform into something I am proud of. (Usually!)
I suppose that's what creating is all about!

So here is my latest! And to those of you who visit my blog and
come to my classes, here is a little sneak peek of what we'll be
making on Friday! I know I can't wait to get mine filled up
with Summer pictures!

-M

Let's play!

2005-08-09T11:05:00.000-05:00

You know, sometimes you just have to forget about all the things that need to be done and go to the playground! That can be so hard for me to do sometimes because it seems my head is always spinning with thoughts of needing to do this or that.

I know he's not going to be 3 1/2 forever. I need to have fun now. That is my priority. I mean, look at the smile on his face....

You couldn't buy that with a million dollars!

Fun with Photos!

2005-07-30T09:38:00.000-05:00

I got the opportunity to take some shots at Sue's Farm. (That's Thomas's boss) She has an incredible place! She was hosting a party and asked me to come down and take some pictures of the whole set up. It was so much fun! The center attraction was a "bar" made out of a canoe. Too cute. It was beautifully decorated and a fun place to be, but I couldn't help but also notice all of the natural beauty surrounding me!

-M

Getting started...

2005-07-23T09:16:00.000-05:00

I've spent plenty of time reading other people's blogs in the past couple of months and finally decided it was time to try my hand at it! Just thought I'd start out with a cute picture of...who else? My sweet boy and his favorite playmate, his cousin Marah. She came over to spend the day last week and they had fun together. Hoping to get the chance to get her over here a few more times before the summer ends because she starts Kindergarten this year! How time flies...