Sweet Circles.

Kyle has an assignment at school that involves a group of 4 students forming their own company and making their own breakfast food that they have to name. They have to make their recipe and turn in the finished product to the patent office (teacher) to receive a patent so no one can copy their ideas. The group then has to write down the steps to make the recipe and come up with a television pitch to sell their product. Sometime within the next week or so they will record their commercials. So today Kyle and Christian got together to make the recipe so they can turn it into the patent office (the other 2 students could not be reached). The boys were all excited to cook. Melissa and I gave a few directions but left MOST of the work to the boys. They had to read the box to figure out the steps, measure, crack eggs, make decisions on how much mystery ingredients to include then mix. Melissa and I then led them to the stove and watched as they scooped the mix onto the griddle and supervised as they flipped the pancakes. The best part? EATING!

Jump up! Jump Up! and get down!

Today I got a few shots of the kids doing tricks on the trampoline. I also took a picture of my hand where it got pinched flipping the trampoline over after the storms. Both boys loved showing off their new tricks.

A very tired boy!

We were just sitting down watching t.v. like we do most every night and I look over and see Kyle is Zonked out. That child really can sleep when ever he wants and where ever he wants. It is true they are so peaceful when they are sleeping.

Tony who? Oh! Tony Hawk

Well here it is the time capsule BOOK report. Bryce worked hard on making sure he had 6 items inside that represented items from Tony Hawk's life. He wrote the paragraph in 1st person as if he was Tony Hawk and was telling the significance of each item that was placed in the time capsule. Mom even helped finding images online (since he is not yet old enough to google on his own ...mom's rules) and she also broke out her Cricut to cut out letters (so much better than writing them). I will have to make sure to post what grade he got on the report.

Mr. B I am ready for my close-up!

Ok, so you caught me I did not post a photo yesterday. I guess I was caught up in the mundane trials of life. Today Bryce took the photo and I have to say his career choice of a photographer might not be a far stretch. I really like this photo so I thought I would blog it. I never said I was the one who had to take the photos, right? This is Kyle after school during running club so his shirt was wet from water from his water bottle.

To tall to be allowed!

This is a phrase that Kyle hears a lot from Mark. He is currently measuring in at 4 ft 9 3/4 inches which is almost 3 inches taller than Bryce who is measuring in at 4 ft 7 inches. Bryce is used to Kyle being taller than him since it has been that way for about 3 yrs now. I think Kyle loves being taller since he wants to be older and bigger like his brother. For now the reality for us is we will have trouble finding pants that fit him in the length, he will be clumsy and awkward and he will soon be taller than me. Bryce will go thru a growth spurt too and then I will be out numbered by tall men!

Time Capsule Book Report

Bryce has a book report due this week that is supposed to be represented by placing items in a time capsule. He has to pretend that he is the subject of the book and that he is placing items that represent things in his life that he wants people to remember. We chose a biography on Tony Hawk professional Skateboarder since I figured he would enjoy the subject. Tonight was the 1st night we worked on making the time capsule by decorating the outside and placing the 1st few items inside. Bryce and Kyle covered the outside of the shoebox with construction paper then I helped by cutting out letters on my Cricut for the title and a few skateboarding terms. Bryce also started to work on writing his explanations for the items he is going to place in the time capsule. By the end of the week we should have a fully decorated time capsule with 5-6 items inside and a short paragraph to tell viewers who Tony Hawk was and what was important to him. (You can bet I will have pictures of the finished project)

Saturday is Cleaning Day

So I was not sure what to take a picture of since 90% of the day was spent cleaning house. I cleaned the master bedroom from 1 side to the other, putting away clothes, scrubbing showers, washing sinks and vacuuming (well Kyle wanted to Vacuum and Mark scrubbed the shower). Then we moved downstairs to do laundry and do more vacuuming. So it left little time to do anything "fun" and take pictures of it...lol. We did spend time with some of our best friends but the camera did not come out. The boys love it when Seth and Drew come over and we like that we get adult time to talk, chat, and watch our favorite shows. So right before we went to bed I shot a few pictures of our CLEAN bedroom (for those of you who know me Know I DO NOT make my bed unless I am selling the house or if I am showing it off to guests at a party. Plus this is the first time I have gotten pictures of the bedroom and bath since it was painted and decorated.

Just a Lazy Friday Night at Home

Ok so this is not my most exciting blog I will post but this is LIFE. This is almost every night at our house right after dinner. Bryce is always on the floor and Kyle is stretched out on the couch under 1 of the many blankets I keep around the living room. I am always in MY CHAIR either under a blanket or not but almost always with the laptop. Mark has the clicker on the couch next to me and is King of all things TV. Like I said this is LIFE!

Tornados in Arizona?

Yep we are under a tornado watch here in the desert! I have to say this is a first for me. We have had heavy winds and rain all night. We almost lost the trampoline over the wall again so this time flipped it over and laid many heavy things on top to keep it from flting over the wall again. The swings were swinging with noone around and the trees where whipping in the wind. I even tried to take a few pictures of the rain (they did not turn out well but they are cool nonetheless). We do have our stash of water and lanterns ready just in case of a loss of power and we are praying that our house does not float away in a flash flood. The kids may even have a day off of school depending on how much rain there is and how flooded their school grounds get.

P.S. See the chair upside down in the rain photo...WINDY!!

A new bed for Bryce

Mark's co-worker offered us a FREE captains bed with a book shelf. We jumped on the offer since his last bed was unfinished and had no storage except a few drawers underneath. When we picked up the bed we were surprised to find out that it was a full size and not a twin. So Bryce is getting a new bed, mattress, and sheets. Uncle Jerry came over to help remove the old bed and build the new bed. The boys and I went to Walmart after school and bought a new sheet set and new pillows. We will have to wait till the weekend to get a new mattress until then we will use the one that came with the bed. This new bed has 4 drawers (one needs a touch up) and one very large hidey hole. Bryce is very excited to have a new bed.

Who want's a Hippo? Mark won a Rhino!

After learning we won a Yamaha Rhino right before Christmas we have been waiting patiently (hahaha) for the day when we would get to go pick it up. Today was that day! Mark took a 1/2 day at work so he could rent a trailer and drive down to Casa Grande to pick it up. Soon after he got home with the Rhino it was time to pick the boys up from school. Kyle was the 1st to ride in the Rhino since he received a No Homework Slip at school that he saved for this day. So while Bryce did his homework Mark and Kyle drove all around the neighborhoods. Bryce soon got his turn and he was all smiles when he returned. Now who else wants a ride????

Family Game Night

Usually family game night is supposed to be on Sunday nights but yesterday was a busy busy day. So we promised the boys that we would play tonight. So I brought out a brand new game tonight for all of us to try. Tonight we played Jenga Max a new spin on the game, reminds me of topple towers. This game was quite interesting with all the combinations that can be made. We played several different games and we each won at least 1 game each. I am sure there will be many more fun nights playing this game.

Computer Compadres

After a day of church, shopping, more shopping, and more shopping, cleaning, and more cleaning the boys went upstairs to take a shower and play. Some time had passed while mark and I watched TV and it was quiet....too quiet. The boys were talking and playing and there was no yelling or screaming it was pleasant! So I snuck upstairs to take pictures and to see what they were up to. Seems they were playing Webkinz online with each other on separate computers. They really do get along quite well most of the time but boys will be boys and brothers will be brothers so there can be the sibling squabbles from time to time. I love days like this...quiet days, shopping days, and family time!

P.F. Changs Kids Rock 1 mile Race

Kyle participated in his 2nd race of the school year. This race was a 1 mile race in Tempe, AZ at Sun Devil Stadium. He ran with a group of students from his school's running club. The kids did a bit of stretching before the eventand then posed for pictures and played.

Once it was time get things running (hahaha) the kids where placed in small groups and lined up in small rows to allow a staggered start.Once they arrived at the finish line they went thru a "corral" where they got their metal, healthy snack, and goodie bag.

After the race we went out as a family to P.F. Changs for lunch. Nana and Jerry had a hard time figuring out chopsticks so we all had quite a few laughs trying. We did get the kids the kid chopsticks but it was more fun to try with the real ones. It was a real great day!!