ummmmm. YESSSSSS!

---click here to see why I am so happy,right now!
I WON!!!!!
you know how much i love this, right?

guest post by Ty Reed

hi.
i am ty.
oh yah, i'm a good boy and i love my momma!
i am the raddest person in the world.

I love my pictures that i taked.

(in no particular order :)

• that is my brother laying and watching star wars
• and i taked a picture of star wars
• this is my ella, what just waked up from her her nap
• my ball, we found at the beach. it been lost.
• this is my momma' kitchen where her makes my food.
• my mommy is having fun with me how i am taking pictures.
• this is my house. it's rad.
• my zhu zhu pet car, i been waiting to get it.
• this is my umbrella, it's cars.
• my freezer takes me to the beach, when I am so hot.

My whole collection is done.

but it's not really done, i just have more things to do.

i love my collection.

bye.

ps. i really want comments, like my brother

watercolor wednesday- beautiful birds and She and Him

Some of our favorite friends came for Watercolor Wednesday this week!

this week we painted birds.

so fun!

but not enough room for all the grown ups to paint this time :(

next time.

those paints are callin' my name.

Guest post by Jake R

I like to take pictures.
This is me taking pictures with an old-fashioned camera.
I didn't really take the pictures, but my mom just made me hold it.
I think the second picture is too bright, it's ok.....

These are the pictures of my bigger family members and my special lego thing I made.

Here are all the different guys there are in my lego thing: clone troopers, an ewok, a tauntaun, princess Leia, a rebel soldier, and a clone walker.

There are two trees... in my lego thing.

My dad sometimes takes me to the pool.

Ty sometimes plays legos with me.

And my mom takes care of me.

I took pictures of these things cause I wanted to be a guest on this blog.

That was the end of Jake's guest blog.

do you know what this is?

Yep.
It's here.
My painting, craft, kid's messy food, play dough table(as seen in a sneak peek in the play dough post)
All I need is to have my cute husband help put it together....
And when I say "help",
I mean "do it, while I keep the kids away as much as possible and also sit on the benches of the table as soon as possible"
As you can see below, Ella and I helped by trying everything out before it was even really ready....
Also, ladies, no need comment on the hot shirtless man with a power tool.
I realize how beautiful that picture is....playhouse in the background and everything....
it just don't get much better, I know.
He's taken.



And we even tried it out as a Family Dinner table!
It works!
Yay!

kool aid play dough smells great, but don't eat it....

The little guys and I have been wanting to try this kool aid play dough, but we needed more salt.
We got some and finally tried it!
It was easy and simple and something that was not so messy that I was pulling my hair out and gnashing my teeth (what? who would do that??! :/)
The longest part is waiting for the water to boil!
As you can see my boys don't know the age old saying about the watched pot.....
But they were perky little helpers, all the same.

Kool Aid Play dough

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2-3 tablespoons oil
• 1 small pack kool aid
• 1 cup boiling water

Mix dry ingredients

Add oil and water

Stir

Knead on wax paper(it is a bit hot)

Enjoy!(see below)

A few tips.

I added yellow food coloring to the yellow (lemonade flavor).

The green was lemonade flavor too then plus green food coloring.

The purple one is grape flavor.

The red is fruit punch flavor.

Be sure to store it in the fridge in a sealed container.

Do not eat it.

The Reed's have already tried this for you and can assure you it is NOT good....

no matter how good it smells.

i'm sweet on candy...and candy's sweet on me....

words are not needed here.....
happiness....

it had to happen some time...

The day has come.
Jake has out grown sitting in the rocket.
He now goes to Kate with dad.

What a difference!
He looks like a big guy now.

family baskin robbins night!

picture of the day

July 23, 2010
"yooooo-da-leh-hee-hoo"

dirty boys, soccer balls and "just me and Ella"!

Ella and I got to camp early for pickup and so we had time to hang out and check out the lockers and take random pictures of each other...
these times when I get to have one on one time with her, she calls "just me and Ella" with a giant smile...
and recently added "no boys mom, just the girls".
Love it!
This time makes such a huge difference in her personality.
I can FEEL that frustration from merely being "managed" lifting in her and see her thriving in being delighted in and simply being enjoyed for the 2 year old that she is....
The summer means doing ALOT of bigger kid activities and expecting her to tag along whether they are "a little much" for her or not.
Sports camp has given her a break from that.
I am so glad she has one more school year to spend her mornings "just me and Ella"!
What a blessing! Here today gone tomorrow.
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord!

Then we got the yearly pictures with the coaches.
This year we were ESPECIALLY blessed with awesome coaches.
The boys loved their leaders.

I got Ty to do some good posing for me, but as you can tell (below)Jake was a bit grouchy.....
Not surprising for a kid who constantly has his mother in his face with a giant camera....
Sometimes enough is enough?
IS it though?
look at his freckles.
how could it EVER be enough?

Sports camp!
One more checked box on our summer list!

Watercolor Wednesday- fabulous fish

We had a great time with these special friends!
Everyone painted fish!
I love the way these turned out!
As you can see the mommies like painting too....and our kids were nice enough to allow us to. yay!
This time I downloaded a PDF from our favorite site for kids art.
Deep Space Sparkle.
It was 5 bucks for the lesson plans for 4 great watercolor projects.
Totally worth it!
I heart Watercolor Wednesday!

picture of the day

July 21, 2010
"rainbow princess in her backyard"

outside movie night

Here are my people and thier friends at movie night at the Van Essens
Glued.
This was such a rad night because of this family's backyard.
When my boys were not glued tothe screen(they need breaks from starring, to run and jump and thrash), they played on the giant trampoline, climbed in the treehouse and swung on the rope swing...heaven.
Robin rocks at parties
She doesn't know it, but she does.


The best part was the parents peacefully drinking margaritas and beer and eating cookies around the corner.....

missing my mom.....

When my mom died I wondered how I'd be able to get through big life altering events, like my kids births and my birthdays and even Christmas without her.

I thought I may be so overwhelmed with my own heart ache that I may not enjoy those special days.

But this is what I have learned so far.....

That IS NOT when I am thinking about my loss.

At Christmas I am thinking about JESUS! and my family and stressing about presents and food and stuff, honestly what mother isn't.

On the days my children were born I was in PAIN for reasons besides my heart being lonely for my mom. And also I was OVERJOYED at my babies and my husband and our family that God has had grace to bless us with.....

For me the hardest times, the ones where my soul is heavy and I have a hole in my heart that is shaped like my mom, always sneak up on me. They are moments when my eyes are opened a little bit more to who my mom was in my life. When I get to know this woman who gave up so much for me and I realize who she was in a new way......my understanding of her, and the love she had for me just hits me.

I came downstairs, today, to my Ty.

Underwear on backwards.

Standing on the stool in front of the sink.

"Doing your dishes, mom!"

Smile on his face.

Proud as can be.

I love this person.

He was loving me by doing this.

How many times must my mom have felt this way about me?

This overwhelming unexplainable love?

These are the moments that I wish I could have just an hour with her to close this incomplete circle by looking her in the eye and knowing that she see's Ty on the stool and knows JUST how I feel.

Really no words would be nessessary.

Just thinking about this idea makes me want to go lay down for a good cry.....

I guess what I am longing for is Heaven.

my favorites from the beach bash

seven years a mother.....

Saturday was my firstborn's seventh birthday.
He wanted Lucky Charms for his birthday breakfast.
He ate them in his birthday chair(a tradition that I have carried on from my own mother).
He had three bowls.

You may have to be a parent to understand how my heart swells for this little brown haired, freckle faced boy that is just loving on his Lucky Charms...but maybe not.
He is so incredible to me.
My son.
My heart is in my throat, you know?


Then we proceeded to the beach.
We were there for 12 HOURS.


Just let that sink in.
TWELVE.
HOURS.

We played and ate and swam and fought and dug and ran and jumped and slathered sunscreen....
Then his friends came for a weenie roast and smores.(pictures to come)
We hung out by the campfire until 10:30pm
Then came home.
The other kids were OUT........but noooooooot Jake.......

HE couldn't WAIT to play with his presents. .....
and at this point, really it was 11 and what was another hour of taking present inventory gonna do????

He is seven.
He has now stayed up until midnight on a night that is not New Years Eve.
This is it.
As good as it gets.

ella bella is shaking it up!

My baby-girl was mentioned in a blog we all know and love today....
check out what Leslie wrote on....
top of the page: Shaking it up:
and support me lending her out as a "learning tool"
she is always around if you want to be reminded how to (and how not to)manage the demands of frisky two and half year old

yummy!

check out these happy little guys!
i could just eat them up!
I am making them for lots of different reasons.
but I need your input.
do you think i should make them headbands or baretts?
or on rubber bands?
trying to figure out what most people like most.
i was even thinking about making them with a clippy and then including a stretchy headband to attach it to.....

maybe this will be my next give away...
hmmmmm

matercolor monday- flowers and james taylor

I had the chance to have some much needed "mommy alone time" this last Wednesday.
So we switched our Watercolor Wednesday to Matercolor Monday.
Still super fun.
We made flowers.
I got the idea from Meg again...gotta love her....everyone does.
And Ella joined us this time.
I really want to say that part was fun.
I love my daughter.
Not sure I love water coloring with her.
I think the problem is that I want to do it too, and if she is around....well she is kinda high maintenance.
Here is her flower


Jake's sunny flower


Ty's "fire flower"

and mine.
did i mention that I love doing this?
if you think mine is irritatingly perfect, wait till aunts grace joins us for a WW.
she is way worse about these kinds of things than I am.
or at least it makes me feel better about myself to say that...
sorry sis(get ready to paint when you get home).
we have issues.