Remember Today 4.30.08

{remember} lots of brotherly hugs going on this morning (completely unsolicited by me): Maddox and Logan hugging on the stairs as L gets ready to leave for school & Camden hugging Logan just before he gets on the bus--feeling the LOVE!

My Little Trooper

Nearly two years ago, Camden watched in horror as Logan got 3 vaccination shots at his 5-year check-up. Upon leaving the doctor's office, he announced emphatically that he did not want to turn 5. Although it doesn't seem possible that my little guy is 5, he is and today was the dreaded 5-year check-up. Thankfully his attitude toward the impending shots had changed, and he welcomed his fifth birthday with a Diego Safari party, lots of friends, and some much loved gifts.
This morning he asked me how many shots he would get. I replied 3 or 4. He said he hopes it's only 3, and after a short pause said, "Actually, I hope it's none." Always thinking, that kid! His little face as the nurses tag-teamed him with needles was set on not crying (he told me after he would have cried, but tried hard not to). He's such a little trooper. I asked him when it was over if it was worse or not as bad as he thought. "Worse," he said without hesitation and with a big pouty lip and sad eyes. Aaawww, this definitely called for a special lunch at Mickey D's. Nothing a little nuggets, fries, and chocolate milk can't fix. What's better: no more shots until he turns 12!!

Remember Today 4.29.08

{remember} how brave Camden was when he got 4 shots at his 5-year check up.

Stamp Club

Every month, I get together with my Stamp Club (a small group of super talented women) and teach them a technique or card fold--basically whatever little diddy I can steal find inspiration from on Split Coast. This month we made a Flap Card. Once in a great while I have my wits about me at the end of the night to remember to take photos of their beautiful creations. I remembered tonight, so here they are:

Carol's Card:

Kim's Card:

See, I told you they were super talented. They used tiny magnets to close the cards, because that's what I gave them to use (because I could not locate the massive knot of Velcro that I thought I had in my messy, very-much-needs-to-be-reorganized-craft-closet).

What's so great about Stamp Club is that it forces me to create a sample (to make sure the card actually works, and to target troublespots that may come up) which then gets my creative juices flowing to make more cards. After Kim and Carol left, I created these two cards for my long, long overdue niece and nephew's birthdays:

And I managed to find my massive knot of Velcro to close the flaps on these so that gift cards can be tucked inside. It turns out it was not in my messy, very-much-needs-to-be-reorganized-craft-closet like I thought. I stashed it exactly in the spot I'd be least likely to look--next time maybe I'll look in the least likely spot first and save myself a heck of a lot of time.

Remember Today 4.28.08

{remember} putting aside my own to do list to sit with the boys & play GeoTrax--love times like these, and need to make sure there are more of them.

Remember Today 4.27.08

{remember} how absolutely terrified Maddox is of the "Hulk hands"--he spent the entire morning at church asking about the "huk hands": "Are you afraid of the huk hands, Mommy? I'm afraid of the huk hands. I'm scared they gonna get me. Are you scared, Mommy?" and on, and on, and on. . .

Remember Today 4.26.08

{remember} the fun, crazy, happy, chaos of Camden's 5th birthday party: 20-something children, sugared up on cupcakes and ice cream, bashing on a tiger pinata: can it get any better than this?

Remember Today 4.25.08

{remember} how excited and proud Camden was to earn his yellow belt in karate (and how bummed I was to have forgotten my camera)

Remember Today 4.24.08

{remember} Maddox totally cracking up into fits of giggles at the fuzzy bumblebee flying around him.

Remember Today 4.23.08

{remember} a new midweek Pilates class to revitalize me--my new Wednesday night routine.

Remember Today 4.22.08

{remember} how nice it is to have Logan home from school--how he's maturing into a humorous, fun-to-be-with kid.

Remember Today 4.21.08

{remember} how yummy the first grilled meal of the season tastes.

Remember Today 4.20.08

{remember} watching Perry play wiffle ball with the boys and neighbors in the front yard.

Remember Today 4.19.08

{remember} spending the entire day outside in the gorgeous weather: noon-soccer, 1:00-playground, 2:00-yard, 6:00-inside for showers & dinner--thank goodness for take out and a hubby who picked it up on his way home from work!

Remember Today 4.18.08

{remember} the boys would rather play outside after dinner than watch a movie--aahh, spring!

Remember Today 4.17.08

{remember} another sign of spring--a birds nest has cropped up in our front door wreath for the 3rd year in a row.

Remember Today 4.16.08

{remember} Camden telling me how he gave a teacher at his school directions to our house: turn this way, go up the big hill, go down the big hill to the light, then turn this way, that way, and then you'll see a green house with a number 26 on it, that's ours. Who needs a GPS?!

Filling the bowl

I'm attempting to learn how to knit. When I was in second or third grade my grandmother taught me how to knit. I don't remember ever completing a project. Mostly I just knitted until I made a mistake, then unravelled it all and started again. It's no wonder I became bored with the craft and, until recently, would have never given knitting a second thought. But my good friend Kayla knitted (or is it knit?) an adorable purse, and although I dropped plenty of hints that I would love for her to make me one, maybe I just ought to learn for myself. So, the pressure's off, Kayla, you can go back to knitting matching mitten and scarf sets for your family.
After purchasing two sets of needles and a skein of yarn, unknotting a skein of yarn that's been sitting in a drawer for three years, and checking out a collection of learn-to-knit books (most of which I found in the children's section), I have embarked on the world of "stitch and bitch", purls, and cha-cha.

I am wondering what I am thinking starting a new hobby when I have plenty of hobbies to keep me busy (like scrapbooking the 57 envelopes of photos, not to mention the nearly 20 gig of photos sitting on my computer). Kayla says that knitting will help me tap into the creative side of my brain, and ultimately make me a better scrapbooker. Maybe it is my attempt to fill my empty, leak-free bowl that is feeling ready to accept something new and different.

My sister came up with quite a list of what my knitting might become: a bookmark, a table runner for a dollhouse table, a scarf for a Barbie doll. Yeah, she's a funny one. I hope I get her name for Christmas because she'll be getting a scarf, fully loaded with lots of mistakes!

Everyday Sacred

So I'm reading Everyday Sacred by Sue Bender and although it is certainly a different read than Elephants, I am enjoying it and finding many parts to which I can relate. The book is related to a monk's begging bowl: a small bowl that starts out empty only to be filled with the nourishment needed for life. The intuitive author then tells a story of three bowls. The first is inverted so that it cannot hold anything; anything poured into it flows over its edges. The second is upright but cracked, stained, and filled with debris, anything poured into this bowl will leak out or become polluted. The third is clean and without holes or cracks; it is ready to receive and hold whatever is poured into it.

Sometimes I am the first bowl: turned into myself or my to do list that I don't take time to enjoy or notice, letting the moments just flow around me (but these can be times of great productivity). Sometimes I am the second bowl: broken and run down, exhausted and impatient, leaking and polluted (these are times of little to no productivity, lots of tv and early bedtimes). And sometimes I am the third bowl: alive, awake, appreciative, energized, fully absorbed with my children, living in the moment, allowing my bowl to fully soak up life. This is the bowl I wish I could be all the time, but that would make me a little too perfect, and who really wants that?!

Love Affair with Elephants

I finished a fabulous book last night, one of the best books I've ever read. First of all, I read it in one weekend. I have been known to start books and still be reading them several months later. Heck, I've started several books and never even got to the end of them. My free time is precious, and I don't want to waste it on something I don't enjoy. I don't like a huge challenge when I read. I hate reading and rereading to figure out what I just read. I hate when my mind wanders and I need to reread two pages because I've been on "auto-read" (like "auto-pilot": when you drive a few miles and then have no recollection of having gone from point A to point B, but somehow you have because here you are.) I don't like to feel frustrated when I read, to wonder why the author is taking me down this road. I don't like pages of boring detail.

The book Water for Elephants was a fabulous read. I was skeptical when I reserved it from my library. After all, it's about the circus and what could a book about the circus be about other than wacky sideshow characters and poor abused animals. This book was fabulous (have I already mentioned that?) It was one of those books that you don't want to end. You feel like you've made friends with the characters and now you'll never see them again. Several times throughout the day today I found myself looking forward to reading and then feeling let down that the book was over. So now I'm on the rebound from my love affair with Elephants and I'm moving on to Everyday Sacred. Hope it doesn't pale too badly in comparison.

Remember Today 4.14.08

{remember} Camden's obvious passion for the game of soccer as he charged the ball across the field during tonight's practice. His coach (and my dear friend) can't wait to torment Perry with the fact that his son is a soccer player!

Remember Today 4.13.08

{remember}snuggling with Logan on the couch as we watched Brother Bear (our second movie night this weekend--this one with Daddy).

Remember Today 4.12.08

{remember} watching Camden play in his first soccer game.

Remember Today 4.11.08

{remember} curling up in bed at 8:00 to begin reading a good book.

Remember Today 4.10.08

{remember} seeing a light at the end of the "busy season" tunnel while Perry afforded a day off to do yard work--it's a start and a sign that my life will soon be getting a bit easier (and our marriage a bit better!)

Signs of spring

Signs that spring has sprung today:

1. We shed our jackets after 2 minutes outside.
2. We drove with the car windows down.
3. I opened the windows and aired out the house (love that smell!)
4. We saw street sweepers cleaning the sand off the sides of the roads.
5. The kids unearthed a giant earth worm.
6. The boys played barefoot in the sandbox:

Bring on spring because I am more than ready!

Remember Today 4.9.08

{remember} realizing that the days of a daily nap for Maddox (and free time for me) are pretty near over as he sits downstairs watching Alvin and the Chipmunks with Perry as I type this post. Yeah, I know it's after 11:00 pm! Hope he sleeps in tomorrow. . .

What's cooking?

I've been cooking up some invitations today. I happened to see an adorable apron card idea on Split Coast today, and then received a phone call from my sister's friend asking me to create some invitations for her daughter's birthday party. The theme is cooking--love when these happy little coincidences occur! Here's my mock up:

Here's a close up of the recipe card that goes in the pocket with all the party details. I am happy to say that I came up with the words all by myself (which doesn't happen very often!):

Here's another invite I worked on today for my son's school's teacher appreciation lunch. Guess it's an orange and pink kind of day--happy colors!

Hi Dad

Just saying hi to my Dad who is reading my blog while on business in Taiwan. Have a safe trip home!

Remember Today 4.8.08

{remember} Logan sharing a portion of his own birthday money from Uncle Mark and Auntie Jenna to buy Camden a pack of Pokemon cards--it wasn't even a question for him, just totally natural, selfless, and 100% his idea.

Remember Today 4.7.08

{remember} wondering if this winter of illness will ever end when Logan got of the bus with an earache and headache (sure to be an ear infection--it always is)--no swim class today, and thankfully soccer was cancelled.

Remember Today 4.6.08

{remember} going to an ice hockey game with all the boys--fun memories and our team won!!

Remember Today 4.5.08

{remember} running into a good friend from high school at Target, coming home and reminiscing about the good 'ole days, and giving her a call to make a plan to get together the next time she's in town--can't wait!

Remember Today 4.4.08

{remember} getting a clear head in Pilates class so that I could do some much needed reflection on the week and have a better outlook for the coming days (hope it lasts until next Friday's Pilates!)

Remember Today 4.3.08

{remember} Camden reading several pages of Hop on Pop without any prior readings; enjoying gorgeous sunshine outside with the boys.

Remember Today 4.2.08

{remember} losing it with Camden then having a heart to heart with him and hoping for some change for the better (for both of us).

Remember Today 4.1.08

{remember} watching Alvin and the Chipmunks with my little chipmunks (and it isn't even Friday--but who can wait 3 more days to see this adorable movie?!)