Pumpkin Carving

We carved pumpkins tonight at our house.  Kyle did his all on his own for the first time this year.  Ryan did a great job of cleaning his out for the first time as well.  Carter just drew a face with marker for us to carve and then supervised.  He wasn't into scooping guts.  Smart kid - I hate that job!  Looking back at photos from previous years, I can't believe how much the kids have changed over the years.  This is one tradition they really enjoy (and I do it for that reason only!)  :)

Christmas Card Pictures

We took a few pictures at my parents' this weekend to hopefully get one that was Christmas card quality for their cards.  We had only short sleeved shirts that were relatively coordinated, so we were hoping for a warm day.  It was in the 20s when we woke up (Murphy's Law).  We ran outside bundled in winter jackets, took a few photos, and ran back inside to the warmth of the house.  Hopefully you can't tell in the photos...they all looked relaxed and warm, right?  :)

Jewelry

I always envisioned myself having 2 full days to do whatever I wanted when Carter went to kindergarten this year.  Yeah, I know, what was I thinking?  My days fly by in the blink of an eye.  This past Thursday and Friday I thought I would get tons of jewelry made, the house cleaned, the yardwork done, errands run, have lunch with the boys, eye exam, carpets professionally cleaned, etc.  Well, I did get a few jewelry pieces done and most of the rest, but I ran around like a crazy woman to get it all accomplished.  Let's just say it's not pretty! :)

Here are a few of the pieces I made last week:

Rocket Launch

Ryan's Cub Scout pack had their rocket launch last week.  One of the hardest things about being a Cub Scout parent is making these 'projects' that the kids are supposed to make on their own.  There is no way a 1st or 2nd grader would be able to make a racecar or rocket on their own.  My Dad spent a couple of hours on the rocket and so did Evan.  That was before Ryan even started the painting and finishing process.  Hopefully he'll have fond memories of these events, because they are a lot of work!

Ryan received first place on one launch, second on another, and third on the last.  He was devastated to be out of the running for a trophy.  That is the tough part about the races - someone always had to lose and it is no fun when it is you!

Storia

I received a free Storia download coupon in Ryan's Scholastic book order form. I downloaded it on the ipad and it has made Ryan's mandatory 15 minute reading time homework much more fun.   He now enjoys reading books to Carter on there and doesn't complain (nearly as much) about getting his reading time in. Finally, a way to satisfy that techie need in him! :)

Family Photos

We had our family photos done with my good friend, Jen Billman of Jennifer Brooke Photography.  I couldn't be happier with the results.  I love the images she captured of our family.  She has taken our photos for 3 years now.  Here are 2011 photos and 2010 photos.

Jewelry

I forgot my camera when we went up north this weekend, so I don't have any pics of our adventures up there.  I did make 2 necklaces (1 of them is a phone pic - the other waited until we returned).  

Now that my work schedule is back my normal 3 day/week schedule for the first time since August, my blogging should pick up again! :)