Well.....we're off.
I will be taking a little blog break, I think.
Eric and I will be taking a little break from this......
 


to do a little more of this.....
 


all thanks to these special friends!
 

thank you friends!
see ya in a week!
wooooo hoooooo!

mommy and ella and the little brownie cameras

yeah for summer cake!

it's finally here!

Well, here it is!
Last day of school....
SUMMER'S HEEEEEERE!
And, as promised I made my surprise summer cake,
the sand castle!



....complete with chocolate rocks!

It was a huge hit!
We had our friends over to enjoy it with us, and it was DEVOURED.
This is one of the best parts of being a mom, to me.
I love it.

little Shauna

yesterday, i was vacuming my car out and ella noticed that the wicker bench, that is to be hers, was sitting in the garage.
i had let it dry there a few night before, but hadn't taken it upstairs yet.
well, being my daughter, she took it upon herself to move that baby inside....
no asking for help.
no consideration of whether or not it is too big a project for one little body....
just determination and the age old idea that "it WILL get though the door if i push REALLY hard"
well, she may be crazy, like me....
but she did it.

Ty and the little brownie cameras

My fabulous chalkboard

I know, I know, it looks nothing like this.
But that's how I roll.
You can't box me in.
Even if you are WAY TO amazing for your own good like Julie at Joy's Hope.....
nope, not even you Julie.
Well, maybe.
Those salted caramel cupcakes look......ssooooo gooood.
I might copy those completely.
(ok! ok! I'll be honest, I already got all the ingredients and am going to make them as soon as i possibly can)


But my chalkboard's my own.
sorta.
Julie's clever idea + my quirky style.

PS.
did you SEE her darlin' daughter wearing MY tidbit dress!?
love it!
I am famous.
bye.

tidbits from my house

Check out this RAD banner that my almost seven year old son made for father's day!
How can i compete with this?






SUMMER JOURNALS! I made one for each of my kids and me....and one for aunts grace when i see her next :)
They are composition books covered in scrapbook paper that i had leftover from another project.
To find out how to make your own click here.

Honestly, we have written/colored/stickered/glued in them everyday so far (3 days:)
The key: no real direction from me on what they have to write or draw.
No order.
No rules.
Just no cutting pages out.


This is the new way to display art at our house.
We may end up bordering every room in the house with my favorite giant pom poms since there is ALOT of art to dispay around here!
AHHHHHH the Reed life!

Jake and the little brownie cameras-photography by Tiny Ty

Reedo's the daddy!

I have a great, super cute, hard working, honest, fun-loving man for a husband.

He is a mover(and maybe that's why my kids are too :).



He loves his children.
He does everything he can for them.
I think back to when we first became parents....how stressed and grappling for control we were.
God has given us just what we needed to show us that we need to trust in HIM, and as we are learning that, I can really see my husband becoming a better parent and a better person.


We know how to have fun.
Honestly, sometimes we miss it and decide NOT to have fun and go back to the stressed grapplers.....but not today.
Today was fun.
Let's be fun as much as possible, kay?

it doesn't get much better than dirty pool water and measuring cups....

the other day Ty and Ella both napped at the same time!!!!

ok, that's crazy, i know.

it gave Jake and I some time together to do something...interesting.

we measured.

it was really fun!

he figured out how many tablespoons were in 1/4 cup, how many 1/4 cups were in 1 cup, how many cups fit into the large blue bowl....and so on.

so simple and so fascinating to him!

i heart this guy.

here it is! the Reed's summer list!

this is a list of ideas put together by all of us ( me AND the kids)
we are SO pumped about this!
they have already done some things, and when they do, they can't wait to fill in the box!

there is something so great about a quiet house.
yes, yes, I know that someday I will be a lonely woman wondering what happened to the child-filled days....
but today, when everyone has a quiet activity to do, whether it's legos or naps or didj(as seen above) or leapster or journals or coloring books,
i am grateful for the quiet.

there has been an incredible amount of talking lately and honestly, i am tired.
just for a taste,
the latest subjects that i have addressed are....

Jake-my fifth favorite color, why is nothing free, why does he need to get a job someday, the birds and the bees :)(yep.),why is everyone else out of school but him, every level of every stage of super mario brothers

Ty-why am i going on a trip to "berizon" with daddy, who will snuggle me when you are gone, i like to put my hand in my pants(puts hand in WAISTBAND of shorts) just like my daddy :),do you want to bring this tiny toy to "berizon" so you can remember that i am your son?,

Ella-TONS of potty words(Ex: "Ella, lets go up to bed!" "ok peepee, poopoo") EVERYTHING can be changed to a potty word for her, telling me she doesn't like my clothes, her telling me what to do(from driving through to get a diet coke to getting out of her room), telling me she wants "lone time", my constant thermometer for fun "that was fun mom! let do it again next time" or " I not like that! I'm MAD!"

So as you can see, I am sorting through LOTS of feelings!
more than I can even share here.

Quiet is my friend.

Kauai is my friend.....i am coming to you soon, my happy friend.....so soon.