Call me CHEAP!

Everybody knows I love a good deal.... it's so much fun! Well, what's even better is FREE!!! Yeah, I am back to my dumpster diving ways. There is a huge dumpster down the street filled mostly with yard debree and a little bit of old, broken furniture. Last week we pulled out a headboard and footboard that I am in the process of sanding down to paint for one of our boys. A couple days ago we found a seriously dirty playhouse.... I mean seriously dirty! But, it seemed to be in decent shape so we threw it in the back of the truck and brought it home. It took two days to scrub, scrub, scrub. There was mud and pitch all over this thing. One side is still coated in deck stain overspray. But, it's basically clean (on the outside ~~ there's still quite a bit of dirt and pine needles inside the walls. How'd they get there?) and fully functional. And did I mention FREE!?!?! Our back yard is pretty much void of shade until late afternoon, so this is really nice for Aaron to hang out in. He's lovin' it! Yay for us!

*****

And... with almost 80 degree weather today, what else could we do but this???

Fun in the Sun!

We've been spending way too much time outside this week... our house is a MESS:: laundry piling up, bathrooms disgusting, and little messes everywhere... but I'm NOT complaining!!! We have been enjoying every little bit of sunshine. We had 3 days of rain over the weekend so we were more than ready to get out. I keep wondering how we made it thru the winter without going outside everyday... and I honestly don't know.

The rain really beat up on my tulips and daffodils [as well as my new little veggie garden :o(] but they just popped right up and look more beautiful than ever. Yesterday, the boys picked endless amounts of dandelions so we made a dandelion chain to "decorate" our front porch... big mistake! Within minutes I was completely overcome with allergies - the first since moving to Wisconsin. I was totally itchy-eyed and stuffy-nosed for the rest of the day. We'll be staying away from those from now on!

Say Ahhh!

All 3 of my boys went to the dentist today. They split us up and Sam went with Nikki to the Space Room while Seth, Aaron and I went to the Mickey Room. Seth was pretty nervous beforehand and kept saying "I hate dentists" over and over. But, he did very well. He was the perfect patient, a little shy at the beginning but warmed up some by the end. Sam (of course!) had told his hygienist our whole life story by the time I came and peeked in on him. Where does he get this super social gene? Aaron enjoyed watching Seffer's get his teeth cleaned from his little Aaron sized chair... BUT, that quickly changed when it was his own turn. He was not thrilled one bit, but it was over quickly and was not something a little celebration trip (No cavities... yay!) to McDonald's couldn't cure. Yay for healthy, beautiful teeth!!!

Our Garden

So... this past weekend we built a garden... woo hoo! My first garden! I have never planted anything edible before so we'll see how it goes. We just cleared out a little section of the flower bed and planted our seeds. We have Snow Peas, Red Onions, Carrots and Radishes. Hopefully someday we'll be able to make some planters and expand our possibilities... but for now, I'm just loving my little garden.

The boys were a big help, of course: Aaron helped with the fence building (which still needs to be painted) and Sam and Seth helped to make our garden tags. During the building phase, Seth hid upstairs till it was finished... he's got a huge dislike of power tool noises. Of course, Adam only used the saw for a total of 3 minutes, but we couldn't convince him of that until it was stored back in it's place in the garage.

Can't wait to see what sprouts... and hopefully taste them someday!

Another Project

Okay.... here's my newest project. It's the first article of clothing (besides aprons and hats) that I've ever made. I've never had any desire to create my own clothing, but I found this little dress on a blog called Made by Petchy...
http://madebypetchy.blogspot.com/2008/06/free-pattern-baby-dresstunic.html
It looked easy enough so I gave it a try. I used our remnants leftover from our Easter baskets ~ just in case you were wondering why it looked a little familiar. I think it turned out cute! Can't wait to try it on our little girl someday!

Oh yeah... a really cool thing about this dress is that once she grows out of it, you can loosen the straps and make it a little shirt. BONUS!!!

~~~~

And, here are some new pictures of the Aaron boy... just because he's so stinkin' cute!

28 weeks today!

So... it's officially a GIRL!!! Thanks to Christa I just couldn't quite get over the "what ifs" but it has been established ~several times over~ that we are truly having a baby girl. I just love this ability to take little peeks at her every now and then. Today the radiology department was especially busy so, due to a lack of techs (who were all busy taking care of actual patients), Adam got to run the ultrasound machine. It was really neat because he was able to take his time and we could look at whatever we wanted. She is just so perfect. Each time I see her I am just amazed at the miracle that takes place... what a gift! We are so in love with her already!

We did, eventually, get a tech to come in and give us another professional opinion and print us out some cute photos. The tech, a sweet little Asian lady, had 2 boys before having her girl. She couldn't say enough just how wonderful little girls are and how excited she was for us to finally have one. YAY for us!

My actual appointment went well... the baby has a very healthy sounding heart and is measuring right on. I did, unfortunately, have to get my Rhogam shot today... never a pleasant thing. However, here at my new OB they do it in the arm rather than the buns... so it was much less painful. I think I dread that shot more than an epidural, but it was much more pleasant today. Yay!!!

I must give credit to my fabulous little photographer... once again, Sam took our photo... a little blurry but I love it!

A Busy Day!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love collages... well, I do! I love how you can tell a whole story in just one uploaded image. I am not fond of the whole writing of the story part so collages just make this process much more enjoyable for me... in fact, blogging has become way more fun.

We have pets!!! Well.... kinda. A little bird decided to make our back porch her new home. Unfortunately for her, she chose the busiest doorway on the whole block. For the last couple weeks, the door has been open with little boys constantly running (and crawling) in and out. And each time, mommy bird is frightened away... I'm thinking she's really regretting her decision to nest at our place. But, the boys are sure enjoying it.


We decided to load up and take a walk today... it was just so nice out! The boys are always finding something along the way... usually 6 foot "walking sticks" that they just have to drag the whole way home. This time we found some really neat pine cones and various other random things from nature (and about a buzzillion dandelions... but only 1 walking stick) and stuck them in the cart. So, instead of nappy time for Seth and Kindergarten for Sam, we made pine cone somethings (guys? creatures? who knows?). It was fun and I think they turned out really cute... and everything came from outside except our googly eyes.

Then this evening (because we just can't get enough of this warmth and sunshine), we packed a picnic and headed to the park. The boys had so much fun running, playing, swinging, climbing hills, honking at the geese, and just chowing. I LOVE Spring!

My Little Monkeys....

.... soakin' up the sun!

Beautiful Spring!!!

I LOVE SPRING!!! I think it's my new favorite time of year... I have always been partial to summer, but I'm just going to change that right now. Up till this year, we've never had our own yard during the spring... we've always lived in a condo or an apartment and had to share it all. I love having my own place, watching my own flowers bloom. It's just so much more special. Last fall I planted several tulip and daffodil bulbs, and just today my very first daffodil opened up ~ IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL! Over the last couple weeks we've watched several plants begin to wake, and it's fun to see all the different things coming up. I can't remember what all was there last year so each one is such a surprise.

Last week Adam built me a little rock wall around my 3 flower beds. They are awesome! And, now we are in the planning stages of building a raised garden (which may take us a while) so, until then, I'll just find a spot and plant. I have never gardened before, besides pulling a few weeds here and there, so it'll be a learning experience. But hey, we're in Wisconsin where everything grows it seems. How hard can it be, right?

When I grow up...

I want to be an ARTIST!

At least this is what he wants to be for now... I know it'll change a million times over between now and then. It's fun to ask them because it changes on a daily basis. It's especially fun to ask Seth because he comes up with some pretty funny ones.... such as an alien or most recently Santa Claus :)

This year at Homeschool Co-op, the focus has been on Careers. We've had several different special guests come in... a potter, an electrician, a secret service man, an Army officer, a missionary, and we've toured a police station. So today for our last official co-op, each student had to present what they wanted to be when they grow up. Samuel was an artist and he did very well on his very short little speech. He wants to be an artist because "I love making things, painting, coloring, and making sculptures with clay. I really like to use my imagination." Well, he definitely does, and he's very good at it!

I have been teaching the K4/K5 arts and crafts class this past semester. It has been really fun. Today for our project we made Japanese Kites. The kids really had fun making them... though I was nearly pulling my hair out by the end. I guess it's the weather warming up or something, but they were WILD and very ANTSY today! The Japanese have a special holiday in May called Children's Day in which they hang out colorful Carp Kites. Carp are fish that are very strong and healthy... they swim upstream so they must have a lot of endurance. The Japanese chose the Carp to celebrate Children's Day because these were qualities they want their children to grow to possess. They want them to grow into successful, strong and healthy people, able to go against the tide... which is something we all want for our kids. Soooo... today we had our own Children's Day and flew our Carp Kite, and it was such a beautiful day for it. Samuel (my budding artist) did a very good job making it. In fact, we just might have Children's Day for several more days... as long as the sun is shining, that is.

Easter at our place...

The Finished Product...

Soooo, here they are... the baskets I've been talking about. These are so much cuter than I had ever hoped they would be. I love them! The best part is that the boys were able to pick out their own fabric... which was no easy feat! Trying to find cute Eastery fabric without a touch of pink or purple is IMPOSSIBLE. Seth turned down fabric after fabric, over and over, again and again for even the smallest amount of pink... because after all, PINK IS FOR GIRLS. I definitely am aware of that now if I wasn't before. I finally managed to talk him into the blue bunny fabric (with some pink in the ears) to go with the orange dotted fabric that was a must have. Sam got the blue dragonflies and Aaron "picked out" the green fabric to go with jelly beans. I must admit that I was most excited about the cute pink flowers and butterflies... so pretty! Yes, our little girl has an Easter basket of her own... I figured I might as well go ahead and make her one so I could make sure they were all matching.

I just love the fact that I can save these baskets for many years to come... and they take up just a fraction of the space of a normal basket.... plus they cost a fraction of the price of the custom baskets. I quilted the fabric to make it a little sturdier, so hopefully they will hold up well. We will see......They are all loaded with lots of sugar and waiting for our eager little men.

Our tradition is to give them a new pair of sandals each year in their Easter basket. Even baby girl got a pair this time around... I just couldn't turn down these sparkly pink shoes for $3 on clearance :)

Sam and Seth have been talking about the Easter bunny's visit all day today and are so excited about hunting eggs outside this year. And we are really looking forward to the Easter Service tomorrow morning... so glad that everyone in the house is healthy enough to attend!

Hope you all have a very blessed Easter!