Back to School for Anyone and Everyone

Blink! Summer's over. Wow, that was fast!

It's my fault it went so quick. Did I mention at any point in my last post I was taking teacher certification courses over the summer? Well, now you know. And I got a teaching job; a great job in a Title 1 School with an amazing staff. So school has started and we all went back. Here's the proof:

Tinker Bell - 2nd Grade

The Blitz  - 1st Grade

The Captain - 2nd Grade

Pepper

Sunshine

Special Ed Faculty at Voigt Elementary Yay!

In addition to being back to school, we are back to ball. I should have some photos to post next week but here's one little cutie to warm your heart:

Happy Labor Day Weekend!!

Haircuts, a Lunchbox and Other Joys

Pepper is home for the long weekend and I was ever so glad to see her take out the clippers.  She let all the kids pick out their own hair do and they are a bit extreme -- but SO cute.  She did a great job.  Here are the "before," "during" and "afters" of Tink:

The pictures don't do it justice; it's adorable.

Here's the Blitz's new cut; he says we have to call him "Flash" now:

He's not so "Flash"y when he gets home from school. Kindergarten is leaving him completely shagged out.  The other day I went to Weight Watchers and when I got home at 6:30, this is how he was:

Daddy put him to bed and he didn't wake until 5:30 the next morning! Thankfully he'd been fed first!

Here is The Captain with his cool cut. I love his curls but he loves the shaved head.  At least Pepper convinced him to add a little decoration!

Finally, I did squeeze in time to make a new lunchbox from scraps I had around. I priced out new lunch boxes on Amazon and at Target and they are SO expensive!  It's lined in oilcloth and insulated. The total cost was $1 for the drawstring.  I love it because it's big enough for a bento box and a soda standing up.  I bought a book of lunchbox patterns on Kindle.  I'm working on another one now.    Pepper got inspired and made her own but I didn't get a picture and it's at SFA now.

A Clever Homemade Toy - Faux "Find-It"

I've been quiet here because I've been in the summer doldrums. I can't blame the weather.

 Most years by August we are all hunkered down under the nearest A/C vent glowering at each other like trolls because we CAN'T-TAKE-THE-HEAT one more minute! Not the case this year; we had one of the longest winters I have had in my 36 years of Texas life. I did not send the kids to school in shorts until May. We couldn't swim without freezing until well into June and even then it was too cold for me. These past couple of weeks have had very warm days but the evenings and mornings are tolerable, even cool.

Just as it started getting good and hot, we headed. to vacation. Yep that's right! Months ago we planned a fun family reunion at a campground in Colorado and we just got back.

We have taken many a road trip so we have good coping skills, but something new is always fun, right?  I sat down with Pepper to order car bingo and sketch books and she suggested "Find It" which we'd seen in the doctor's offices. It's that clear tube filled with beads and there are tiny objects hidden within it.  We did find them online but they are $20 each. That was more than seemed reasonable. Pepper immediately said, I can make one -- and devoted her day to doing so.

Here is the result. She decided to make it into a robot. Isn't it adorable?  She used little stuff we had around, like keys, pencils, buttons, etc. She used beads from her collection and one day she can have them back! She found a little light that she attached to the top so when they shake it, the light comes on. The kids were wild about it!

Because they need a key for what to look for, she cleverly attached duplicate items to a ribbon to help them see exactly what they are looking for. Isn't it clever?

You could make an even simpler version by not trying to make it cute like Pepper did. If you make your own, be sure to let me know!

Happy Father's Day

I think the man of the hour had a great day.  He looks pretty relaxed here, right?

Pepper and her fella decided to fix a beautiful feast for us. They made roasted salmon (which I forgot to photograph), cauliflower "Cous Cous"

Luscious sweet potatoes

Here is the whole plate:

And they topped it off with  truly the most amazing cake I have ever eaten.  And I have eaten a little cake in my lifetime.

Now that is saying something. Ever. EVER.

It was amazing. It was delectable. It was memorable. I will never run out of adjectives! They spent hours in the kitchen and it was so beautiful.

(Here they are with our favorite photo bomber.)

I think I am really getting used to having an adult for a child. Oh, my goodness, it was sublime. Can I get a witness? Oh wait, I've got one -- Grandma was here. Here she is playing paper dolls with Tinker.

Happy Father's Day everyone!

Spring Photos and a Wee Catch Up

Lots has been going on here. And I am too far behind on blogging, so I will just have to catch you up in photos.

I love these little monkeys. Snack time.

I was pretty sick on Sunshine's confirmation day but managed to get this shot with Gram and Grandpa.

Her Godmother and Sponsor, Lisa, flew in from Washington state and surprised us by bringing along Mamaw (whose photo I forgot to take in all the pre-church excitement.)

Pepper and her boyfriend, The Chef, cooked while we were at church.
 Everything was perfect including this lovely relish tray!

With Lisa and Mamaw here, we had to take advantage of this year's
extra pretty Bluebonnets. (The Captain and Tink were in school)

Here's Mamaw!!

Mamaw looks extra pretty in a field of blue.

Stinker!

He loves to mug for the camera.

So does Sunshine.

Blue is Lisa's color too!

Here is our Pepper!

The Blitz had a birthday(FIVE!) and this is the only picture I have! He wanted
vegetables on his cupcakes. I made these out of starburst, M&Ms and tootsie rolls.
Pepper styled the cabbages for me out of corn flakes (frosted) and gum drops.
These were a big hit at school. Pepper made him a carrot cake for home and
he loved it. It was a great day even if I didn't get any pics!

Ballplayers, Beards, Bad Haircuts and Boyfriends: Photos from Feb

You tell me. Are these the two most adorable ball players ever?

We've got an Angel

And a White Sox

This little guy adores his big bro

Some sister shots:

And a poor choice haircut:

Daddy is growing his beard to prove to me that it will never get long no matter how many months he grows it. I think it is looking good!

And finally, the photo debut of Pepper's boyfriend. Hmmm. He needs a nickname. Guess we'll call him "Chef." He is a wonderful cook like Pepper and they met at the Caphalon Store. Isn't that romantic?

This photo looks staged but isn't. This is how
much she smiles around him all the time.  

Okay. They caught me. It may have been the blinding flash.
This sweet guy brought her DINNER! Greatest boyfriend ever.