Top 10 reasons I haven't blogged in almost a month:

1.Max. He is mobile and very fast now. Happy as can be and has so much fun exploring his world.2. Sam. The kid who does not have a mute button or slow-motion. 3. Madeleine. The child with one million questions. Per day.
4. 2 weeks on my parents farm in Minnesota.
So I really am a nut flying to MN with 3 kids by myself. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! Check it out:
When Brentt came later in the trip, he could not help but throw a few bales around. Actually, it was probably over 150 bales on a super humid day. He loved it. Crazy!Even Sam helped out. Isn't he adorable?!?
Max with Uncle John. I swear, my brother is a kid magnet. The kids just love to jump on him and wrestle and he lets them. They just love him!5. A 9-hour road trip to my sister's in Iowa with my mom and 3 kidsLet's just say.... Iowa isn't the most exciting state to drive through. The kids were a little"challenging" on the long drive so I think we may have taken a few years off my mom's life. :)
6. Desperately trying to find time to exercise and scrapbook/craft. (I don't have pics of my latest craft projects and scrap pages but check back soon. They are great!) Why would I need to exercise? Here's the biggest answer:
Those are deep-fried cheese curds. YUM!!! My absolute favorite Minnesota treat. Then there is the awesome home-grown, corn-fed, all natural steaks on the farm. Did I mention we also made home-made ice cream? My arteries are clogged!

7. Swim lessons. The kids are just loving the pool this Summer and they have improved so much this year.

8. Living room re-model. It seems that we just can't seem to leave "well-enough" alone. We always have some new project to make the house better or customize something for someone. Storage is always an issue too (I would simply LOVE a basement!). Right now we are adding a wall, changing the kids' playroom, and

9. Meeting up with old friends. When I was back in MN, I was lucky enough to get together with one of my great high school friends (who married my prom date, oddly enough. 2 visits in one. yay!). She has such a lovely family and her kids are all about the same age as our kids. The kids had a great time playing and getting to know each other and Mandy and I seemed to just pick up where we left off. I love those types of genuine people!

Another friend we got to see over the 4th of July was my dear friend Cydne and 2 of her kids. We met when her son Colby and Madeleine were babies and they now live in Spain. I just treasure our time together and all of us, again, picked up where we left off. Another genuine friendship that I hope will stand the test of distance and time. 10. Laziness. Yep, even I take the time to be lazy every now and then. As a matter of fact, I think I hear my hammock calling. :)

So, yes, I am full of excuses for not staying up on the blog. 10 mighty good excuses if you ask me! But now we are back and ready for this week. We are looking forward to Vacation Bible School, swim lessons, finishing house projects, and making some salsa from our garden's tomatoes. Isn't Summer wonderful???

Cheers,
Christy

Where have I been???

Ever since Summer break has begun we have been BUSY! I don't know what I was thinking making that silly "Boredom Buster" jar. We haven't used it once. We really haven't been home much. We have been having so much fun so far. So where have we been?

1. Camping. A few weeks ago we went camping in Idyllwild, about 5500ft.
We had a fun time hiking, complete with walkie-talkies that may have been the best $20 toy I ever bought. Brentt and I had a great time with them!We had great weather, everyone was moving along fine on this easy trail despite the fact that the only shoes we packed Maddie were flip-flops. Max even got a nap until....Maddie fell in the creek. Darn shoes. It was actually snow run-off so it was really cold. Max was jolted awake as Brentt fished Madeleine out of the water. Now we had a cold, wet girl hiking in flip-flops and a baby who needed his nap. Ugh. End of hiking. Back to the campsite to snuggle around a warm fire. Nothing that a warm marshmellow (and a well-deserved beer for me) can't fix. By the time we got home from 4 days camping, these 3 were happy to get a bath at home.
2. We also went to the annual Adoption Center picnic where we saw Sam's birth grandma and uncle. So much fun to see so many great families and just spend the day hanging out and having fun.
They had face painting too. Doesn't Maddie look great?!?
3. The Zoo. Why we need to visit the zoo when I have my own at home baffles me! 4. I have gone miles chasing a crawling Maxwell. He is crawling and so very curious! It won't be long before he actually goes out this doggie-door.
5. The 4th of July was great fun this year.

We had our annual neighborhood bike parade and then some friends here for a BBQ. I just love the boys' matching shirts!
Sam even got a patriotic haircut. That's what you get when your Dad is an Ex-Marine.
Hmmm... Max wonders what will be next this Summer? Max is usually up for anything!
How about some cows and tractors?
I hope you are having a great summer too!
Cheers,
Christy

New Look For My Blog

I'm trying out a few new looks for my blog and I think I'm going to be with this one for a little while. I like change. What do you think?

I got the background, header, and blinkies from Shabby Blogs. Best news: IT IS ALL FREE! And so stylin'. Their designers also do so much more.

Thanks for checking in!
Cheers!
Christy

Max is 8 months old today!

These are a few of his favorite things...

Favorite Food: Max has 4 teeth now and loves, Loves, LOVES Avocado. Especially feeding it to himself! So messy!
Favorite Toy: A talking puppy my sister gave him for Christmas.
Favorite Playmate: Definitely Maddie. She dotes on him so lovingly and she loves to make him laugh.
If you want a good laugh, watch this video:
Favorite Activity: Making a mess with dishes in the kitchen.Favorite Lovey and Blanket:What is it about the tag???

This little guy has a heart of gold and a laugh that can brighten anyone's world. I feel so blessed to be his Mama! Thanks for checking in. Make it a great day!
Cheers,
Christy

Summer Boredom Busters

You know those words every parent hears on Summer break, "I'M BORED." This year, I decided I'm going to avoid this at every chance. I am going into Summer break armed and.... well, not dangerous, but certainly prepared.

Granted, every day can't be a party but we try to make the most of the summer. My goals are to have fun with our kids, have them learn a variety of different stuff, but not be "The Entertainer." I have them signed up for swim lessons, Vacation Bible School, and of course, we are going on vacation, but they need to learn to make their own fun too.

Here's my plan. Feel free to take these ideas and make them your own.

Weapon #1: The Boredom Buster Jar
This jar is filled with pieces of paper of ideas they can do either by themselves or with a sibling or friend. When the kids complain, "I'm bored." have them draw something from the jar. Our rule is that you can only say "No" 3 times, then you must choose one or go entertain yourself. If they don't, I start giving them work or extra chores. (hee...hee, either way, I win!) . Here are the ideas in my jar. Just remember, our oldest kids are 4 and 6 years old so you may need to adjust based on your kids' ages, skills, and independence levels.

Weapon #2: Educational Websites
I really try not to let too many electronics "babysit" the kids but lets face it, they need technology and it can be SO useful. I'm going to try to make sure they are getting something out of all their screen-time. Here are some sources of great educational websites we use. There are SOOO many out there. If you have favorites, please share with me!
National Geographic Kids
Starfall
PBS Kids
Fun BrainKids Know It
If you are looking for a specific theme, check here: KidSites.com

Weapon #3: Theme Weeks
We've been doing theme weeks for the past 2 summers and I think they work great for all ages. We all learn a lot and mostly, we use what we have and we go on an adventure on "Fun Friday."

The kids and I choose a theme for the week (i.e. bugs, pirates, vehicles, stars & space, sports, farms, USA, jungle, water and ocean creatures, etc....) and base most of our activities on this theme.For example, last year we did a Water and Ocean Creatures week we pulled out all our books, puzzles, games, and toys about water, fish, oceans etc. (This causes the kids to play with things that sometimes get forgotten!)

• Food: We ate goldfish crackers and had fish tacos for dinner.

• Crafts: Last year, we made fishing poles and paper fish using a stick, string, paper, and velcro.

• Movie: Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, etc....

• Activities: We went swimming, played "sink or float" in the water table in the backyard, and hiked by a local lake.

• Fun Friday Adventure: Went to the beach and visited the aquarium (we did both last summer but I don't remember which one was in this week).

All the week, we learn about the water around us and the creatures that live in this water.The learning is all disguised in the fun and the kids really get into it. As a matter of fact, our kids come up with many of the ideas and they do a lot of the work when it comes to finding the toys, books, and movies we already have. If we don't have many books regarding the theme, we use the computer or visit the library. For us, the theme weeks can't be too expensive and they need to be simple enough to implement. Let your kids get in on the creativity and they will help out with the efforts too.

If I get enough interest through the blog, I'll post all our theme weeks through the summer. It is going to be 11 weeks of Summer....get ready! I hope this helped.

Cheers!
Christy

A little scrappin'

Finally... a little time to scrap and then post. I made the card above with some scraps and older pieces and embellishments. I love how old stuff feels new when you haven't played with it for a long time. I love the card above so much, I may not be able to part with it. :) These 2 layouts are "pre-Max photos." Seems like a lifetime ago that I took these but I knew they needed to be preserved in a special way.
Here's to hoping I get more time to scrap and share new stuff soon! Cheers!
Christy

Always an adventure...

Last weekend we went camping to the local mountains (Julian) with our new (used) pop-up tent trailer. Let me just preface this post with this: NOBODY LOOKS GOOD WHEN THEY ARE CAMPING! But really, who has time to bathe and primp when you are having this much fun??? :)Sunday morning we heard a bunch of turkey noises so we went on a "Wild Turkey Hunt" and found 3!!! So fun! They were big, but quick. They are also good at hiding. See the one in the picture below (upper right)?Here she is under a bush, bottom up in the air, before she saw me.And the Lupine is in bloom (isn't that what this is???) So pretty!
Max is always a happy camper! Even if we are forcing him to sit in a swing that he obviously is too big for.
Here's the picture of the inside of the camper. Sleeps 7 and it is a lot bigger and more comfortable than I thought it would be.
Camping, in general, is a lot of work. The kids were all well behaved but its certainly easier said, than done to have a camping adventure. Same as life, I suppose. If you want an adventure, you have to go find it.
Cheers!
Christy

Tooth Fairy Pillow

I have all these new, fabulous pictures that I am dying to scrapbook. I've actually had a little free time too. But I've lost my focus on scrapping and have been crafting lately. Madeleine lost her first tooth a couple weeks ago so...Who could resist making this?She's a Ballerina Tooth Fairy--so cute! The mouth is actually a pocket where you put the tooth so it doesn't get lost. She also has a ribbon so she can hang from the bedpost--genius, eh?

I'll confess--not my original idea. :) Great, detailed instructions were on MMMCrafts' blog. Pretty easy and so worth the effort. Maybe it'll become a keepsake from her childhood? Wishful thinking, anyhow. Now I'm working on a Pirate tooth pillow for Sam since he has a couple wiggly teeth too. It'll be a while before he looses any teeth but its easier to make a second one while the supplies are out.

Thanks for checking in. Have a great weekend!
Christy