These two

Love each other so much

Love spending time together

But also alone

And know how to pose for photos

Pictures shot by Darrin or I at the OPPD Arboretum.  Just because I needed pictures for their "About Me" pages for this year. 

No Hands!

That is, from Darrin and I.  The weather was beautiful tonight, so we loaded up the kids' bikes , and headed up to the church parking lot so Ian had a flat, straight stretch on which to practice.  We've done this once before, shortly after his birthday two months ago, but that's been it.  It was a rough start, and I thought it wasn't going as well as our first visit.  The next thing I know, I look up, and Darrin's running along side of him instead of holding on, and that scene was repeated over and over.  He freaked out initially when we'd let go, but when he realized he could make it more than a few seconds, that was all she wrote.

Ian wasn't the only one out there cruisin' tonight. Annaliese was flying on her bike and loving every minute of it.

 

Layout | 12 Months

The latest challenge at Child's Play Challenges uses the game "Simon" for inspiration.  I never had this game as a kid, but my friends did, and I loved playing it, trying to see how many rounds I could go before I'd finally make a mistake and hit the wrong button. 

For my layout, I took my inspiration from the actual design of the Simon game, placing pictures of Annaliese, one from each month from the first year of her life, where the buttons are on the game.  Then I put the title in the center where the title is on the game.  I love how this layout came together.  Most of my scrap stuff is currently packed up and in storage, and while there were a few things I wish I had, it was fun to make it work with what I had on hand.  I used my cameo to cut on the negative title, and the pens that come with it to write the script on the title. 

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Simple Stories
Cardstock: Bazzill
Die Cuts: Silhouette Cameo
Number Stickers: American Crafts Thickers
Sticker: MME
 Metal "Love", stars, wood veneers: Freckled Fawn

2014 Week Eight | Februar 17 - February 23

Yep, I'm blogging about the middle of February on the second to last day of March.  But really, when have I ever been current on Project Life once their birthdays hit.  I actually haven't even printed these photos.   All my scrapbooking stuff is packed away as we prepare to move.  They'll get scrapped eventually, but at least I know what pictures I'll use.  

 

We went and picked up Ian's birthday present, a big bike with no training wheels.  We took it up to our church's parking lot and tried it out.  He did SOOOO well!  Our normally timid boy was fearless (though we didn't let go) and is excited to go again.  Annaliese wanted the wheels off her bike as well, but once she realized what that meant, well, look at the picture above. That was her response. 

 Picture on the right was the happy girl biking at church before the training wheels came off.  Picture on the left was a few days later. Ian on his scooter because he's not up for trying his bike on the hill yet.

 Just a snapshot of my girl. She likes to pose for pictures, and I like when she does :)

 Friday night game night.  Ian and I played some Scrabble while Annaliese played with the colorful star pieces (on the tray to the left of the board). 

 A comparison photo of our yard on the left and a picture from my sister's drive home on the right. Same day, 360 miles apart.

 A snapshot of Darrin.  His last day in glasses.  He had lasik surgery the next morning.

The view out my windshield at one of my schools on Tuesday around noon.  It was snowing so bad I called to switch a visit I was supposed to make to another school at 2:30. Crazy thing, by 2:30, it had stopped snowing and most of it had melted away, and we got about 2 inches that day.  It was a very wet, slushy snow, that obviously didn't last. 

Layout | Little Boy Blue

The challenge for the second half of the month this month at Child's Play Challenges is Mother Goose. Looking through my pictures, I found these of Ian in his Osh Gosh bibs and "Little Boy Blue" popped into my head. 

This layout went together really quickly and I love how it turned out. 

Come join us at Child's Play- there are so many options with Mother Goose!

Crazy Busy

It's been a long time since I've posted, but with good reason- we're prepping the house to move. I had an interview last week in a rural district near here and accepted the position, so our goal is to move halfway between here and there. So last week, while I was off on spring break, we used it to cross some things off the to-do list.

East/South wall before: 

 East/South wall after. The south (red) wall is a darker shade, but it's a bit hard to tell.

Entry way/ Stairs in progress:

Entry way/ Stairs after: 

Darrin hard at work in the space above the kitchen. He repaired the dry wall that had been water damaged beautifully. You can't tell now (though I failed to get the after shot). 

Annaliese offered to climb up and paint the top for us, though she only made it up one more rung. 

We also regrouted the counter tops.  Before: 

                                                           

After: (the lighting isn't the best in the first one, but you get the idea of how nasty the old grout looked).

 Only a few things left before she's ready to go on the market!

Four Years

Today my spunky spitfire turns FOUR!  So hard to believe, yet it some ways, it seems like she's been four for awhile now.  Things Ian did while he was four she's be doing for awhile now, thanks to keeping up with him.  She brings us smiles and laughs daily, as well frustration.  She is headstrong and lets her desires be known, but she's also very affectionate.  As I was walking out of day care yesterday after dropping her off, she ran back out the door to yell for me and flash me the "I Love You" sign language sign.  Love this girl!