Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Week 17

Thank goodness this month is almost over.  There's only one more month of school and then things can slow down around here.  I can't wait!  It's been a beautiful week with lot's of sunshine and temps in the 90's.  It almost feels like summer which of course makes getting the kids in the pool for swim practice that much easier.  Tyler's practically living there with water polo starting back up and high school swim ending.  He'll continue to swim for the city's club through July. I finally got myself up and working with digital project and was able to put a "Doors of Italy" poster together from shots I took on our vacation last summer.  I can't wait to get it printed, framed, and hung on the wall.  I'm really pleased with how well it turned out.  It's posted far below after last week's pictures.

Take a look at how last week went:


Day 112- Monday, 4/22/13
Brandon and I are heading home from swim practice and a quick trip to the store for some essentials.




Day 113- Tuesday, 4/23/13
Today was the high school's Academic Assembly and Tyler was honored for being one of the top 10 freshmen.  He's actually tied with 3 other kids for the top spot.  He never ceases to amaze me.  Way to go Tyler!




Day 114- Wednesday, 4/24/13
We had to rush home from Justin's class at the MIND to make it to the second half of the science fair where he displayed his Mentos and soda project.




Day 115- Thursday, 4/25/13
OK- I thought this was a fluke but apparently this is the way Justin ties EVERYTHING.  Who does this?  He says its easy to undo, but I'm thinking otherwise especially after attempting to reverse the craft on a pair of shorts that needed to be passed down to his brother.  His mind works in mysterious ways!




Day 116- Friday, 4/26/13
Happy Friday!  Friday is Bella's bone day, and the kids love to take turns giving it to her because she is so excited and willing to do practically anything for them before she finally gets that treat.  Rusty photo bombed my picture and wants to know what all the fuss is about.




Day 117- Saturday, 4/27/13
Tyler and I were at a swim meet most of the day in the 90 degree heat so we were happy to come home to a cool house and John manning the grill for an awesome family dinner.




Day 118- Sunday, 4/28/13
Tyler is kickin it before having to head out to a water polo tournament this afternoon.  He plays at 4:30 and 7:30 pm--it will be a late night and on a Sunday too.  This kid keeps us hopping.




Wait!  A couple more-- April's Family Photo













We put our play structure up on Craigslist this weekend and sold it within an hour so it seemed only fitting to have our family photo taken here as a final goodbye.  We've had this play set since my oldest was 7 so I've watched my 3 boys grow up playing on and enjoying it.  It's sad that they are now all too big and old for it, but I'm happy it found another home with younger kids to enjoy.



And here is the poster I made and plan to frame for my house.  It's basically 2 12x12 templates stacked to make a more vertical poster.  PL templates worked perfect for grouping all these door shots and the Cinnamon kit colors were spot on.




That's all folks.  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you next week in May--woohoo!



 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Week 16

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  The temps have been in the 80's for a few days now which is great, but it's hard to enjoy with this crazy wind.  Someone make it stop!  It's not been kind to those with allergies.  I have many miserable people in my lab because of it, and my youngest has been suffering with more headaches than normal.  I really hope it stops soon so we can actually be happy about going outside for the rest of spring.  April is almost over!  Only one more week and then hopefully things will slow down a good bit so we can ease into summer.  That sounds so nice!

Take a look at what went down last week:

Day 105- Monday, 4/15/13
Today was an interesting weather day--hot, windy, cloudy and even a little rain later in the day.  Look at those dark looming clouds.  We're hoping the weather continues to warm and the wind quits blowing so we can start using the pool next month.  Also, our hearts go out to those in Boston for the mindless attack at the marathon today.  I just don't get it!




Day 106- Tuesday, 4/16/13
Tyler had a high-school swim meet this afternoon.  They are usually on Wednesdays when I can't go, but today I was able to be there to support him and his team.





Day 107- Wednesday, 4/17/13
At work I'm bulking up big time for a cell harvest.  These flasks are huge compared to what I'm used to working with, but they get the job done and help produce a lot of cells in very little time.





Day 108- Thursday, 4/18/13
Justin is helping run the sound board at the school play tonight.  He was recruited for training by Brandon's teacher so he can run the show the next couple years. This picture was actually taken by Mr. Folks at one of the practices.  I was working the Booster's snack bar and could not make it to the play, but John and Brandon were there to support Justin.  Tag team approach--too many things going on at once!




Day 109- Friday, 4/19/13
The bush we planted over spring break to attract hummingbirds is in full bloom.  I'm loving the dark red color with bright yellow tips.  We've seen a couple hummingbirds lately but not in this part of the yard yet.  I'm so thankful for a peaceful and beautiful day.  Sadly there was more ugliness in Boston with the city on lock down while the 2nd bomber was being chased and eventually caught.





Day 110- Saturday, 4/20/13
We had to get a few last minute pictures in for Justin's science fair project involving soda and Mentos.  He did the experiment a couple weekends ago, but we were so busy collecting data that we forgot one of the most important pictures--the impressive blast itself!  We shot the soda out horizontal instead of up vertical so it was easier to measure.  Another project done!




Day 111- Sunday, 4/21/13
 This morning I was walking by the bathroom where Brandon was brushing his teeth and saw our crazy cat, Rusty, curled up in the other sink.  I've never seen him sleep there before. At least he looks cozy and comfortable.




That's another week done and gone.  Check back next Tuesday to see what else we're up to.


 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Week 15

Welcome back!  Another busy week come and gone.  The weather has been so crazy lately--warm one day and cold the next.  Today it's windy AGAIN.  I hate the wind.  It irritates me.  Hopefully this system will pass soon and the rest of the week will be nice.  I'm ready for some warm, bright sun with no clouds or wind.  You just never know what you'll get in the spring.

Here's a look at what we did last week:


Day 98- Monday, 4/8/13
Brandon is almost finished with his planet poster due Friday.  He just has to get those letters glued down.  This was the first time he's used the computer to create a document on his own so now he has a profile and folder set up.  He's so proud and learned a lot!




Day 99- Tuesday, 4/9/13
Justin has a few projects in the works as well.  He decided he'd be more inspired writing his report on Spartacus if he dressed the part.  What ever works!




Day 100- Wednesday, 4/10/13
Sometimes it pays to run errands with mom.  It was a hot one today and a cold treat from Starbucks hit the spot.  Love the silhouette on the door.




Day 101- Thursday, 4/11/13
I was at the high school doing outreach today for a couple bio-medical classes.  That's Tyler in the foreground and me just behind the dice.  We had fun playing games to reinforce key ideas.




Day 102- Friday, 4/12/13
Brandon got a bug house for Easter, and this afternoon he caught 2 ladybugs in the backyard.  I showed him how to find aphids on a rose bush so we added a few buggy leaves and a little water to keep his critters happy.  He was so enamored with them and took great care of them all weekend before releasing them Sunday night.




Day 103- Saturday, 4/13/13
Tyler had a swim meet today.  It was a fun meet with relay races only, lots of loud music and crazy kids.  There were 6 other teams and we were one of the only ones with a fancy pop-up tent.  It looked so nice and was very useful on such a sunny day.  Thanks River City Boosters!  The boys ended up winning the meet and taking home a sweet trophy.  Look how happy the coach is in the back with his hat and glasses right behind Tyler.  LOL!  Love him--great guy.




Day 104- Sunday, 4/14/13
We had company last night and Sharon brought me some beautiful flowers that looked so pretty in the early light this morning.  The huge, yellow, spiky ones are really interesting and neat.




That's all I have for now.  It's such a crazy, busy week again.  How could it could get any crazier than the week before?  I have no idea, but things just keep popping up.  How many days until June?  I wouldn't mind hitting a fast forward button.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you next week.


 

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Week 14

Hello again and happy Tuesday!  It's hard to believe we are a week into April already.  How did that happen?  April is going to fly by with so much going on and getting back into the swing of having 3 in swim with 3 different practice times. Our evenings are most certainly disjointed, but we're doing the best we can and that will just have to do! I'm trying not to stress too much because then my kids stress and it's just a huge snowball effect that helps no one.  Keep clam and swim on ;0)  I'll be dreaming of those lazy summer days in June--Can't wait!

In the meantime take a look at how the first week in April went:


Day 91- Monday, 4/1/13
Happy April!  This fool is ready for his first swim practice of the season.  Brandon was supposed to go too but ended up getting sick at school today so he's resting and will have to start Wednesday.




Day 92- Tuesday, 4/2/13
Thanks to the MIND Institute the two younger kids got some court time at Sleep Train Arena with a few of the Sacramento Kings players.  They were shooting hoops with Tyreke Evans, Cole Aldrich, and Chuck Hayes.




Day 93- Wednesday, 4/3/13
I found these amazing hand-made thank you cards on my desk this morning from 3rd graders I presented our outreach program to a couple weeks ago.  They all turned out so amazing and were fun to read.




Day 94- Thursday, 4/4/13
It was a wet and rainy day which meant it was the perfect day for soup and sandwiches at dinner.




Day 95- Friday, 4/5/13
The whole family used free tickets to the Kings game tonight against Dallas.  The tickets were included in the gift bags the the boys received Tuesday.




Day 96- Saturday, 4/6/13
This weekend Rusty decided that Tyler was the perfect pillow.  This was the second time I found him curled up on Tyler in a completely different room.




Day 97- Sunday, 4/7/13
Happy Birthday to John and Bella.  They both had a special day with many fun gifts.  John also got homemade pizza for dinner, and I made my first-ever ganache covered cake as requested.  It turned out pretty good, was super yummy, and a huge hit.




That wraps up another week!
 Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you'll be back for another visit next week.


 

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Week 13

Hello!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Sunday.  We were lucky enough to spend ours with good friends and enjoyed a fabulous feast.  Now back to reality.  After having all of last week off we're back in the swing of things--school, work, and the start of swim practice for my younger boys.  Talk about a juggling act!  It's going to take a us a week or two to get used to being back at the pool 3x a week.  Hopefully the clouds clear and the sun continues to shine because that certainly makes it easier to motivate the kids.

Here's a look at what we did on break.  We had no major plans but tried to squeeze in some fun while also taking care of appointments and things around the house that needed to be done.


Day 84- Monday, 3/25/13
We started spring break by taking a trip to Lowe's and picking out some plants to help fill in a few holes in the backyard.  Justin loves all things plants and wants to be a botanist so he was eager to help.  This plant was picked out by Brandon because it is supposed to attract humming birds and he liked that idea.




Day 85- Tuesday, 3/26/13
After a rough morning with Justin at the doctors getting shots--he passed out and hit his head--we decided to have some quiet fun this afternoon and take in a movie.  Never a dull moment here!




Day 86- Wednesday, 3/27/13
Tyler had an ortho appointment and finally received his new retainers.  The old ones in the background cracked and broke after about 6 months.  The plastic pretty much disintegrated and the orthodontist said he's never seen anything like it.  After talking we decided it must be from the chlorine in the pool since Tyler spends so much time there.  From now on he's to take them out before he swims or does water polo and we'll see if that helps.  He was also thrilled to be able to take his impressions home to display in his room.  LOL!




Day 87- Thursday, 3/28/13
I told the boys we would make these Mine Craft heads over break and for Justin's birthday so we finally got around to doing it today.  I found the printables here http://www.stevelange.net/2011/10/24/making-your-own-minecraft-steve-head-from-pdfs/ (the creeper one can be found in the comments on this same page) and purchased the boxes at Walmart.  You can buy the heads pre-made from Amazon for about $20 ea but it only cost me about $3.00 to make these and the boys love them.  I can't get Brandon out of his ;0)




Day 88- Friday, 3/29/13
Tyler was able to have some fun sleepovers during break but he also had high school swim practice every morning from 7:30 to 9am so it seemed like I was always dropping him off somewhere--such a busy boy!




Day 89- Saturday, 3/30/13
Time to color eggs in preparation for tomorrow's egg hunts.  The kids are super excited about Easter.




Day 90- Sunday, 3/31/13
Happy Easter and Happy Birthday to Justin who turns 12 today.  We had an interesting weather day--lots of thunder and lightening and rain last night and more clouds and a little rain today, but the sun and even a rainbow also came out plus it was still warm so it was all good and didn't ruin the festivities.  The Cepeda family was able to join us for a yummy ham dinner and an exciting egg hunt. 




That's it for now!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you next week.