Teacher Gifts

So what do you give your kids school teachers @ the end of the year? I have always struggled with this! I think the world of teachers, specifically the ones my children have been lucky enough to get so far. They are amazing, patient, talented, kind & funny. I always want to give them something that will be considered nice, practical & fun. At the same time, I can't break the bank while doing so. Garrett has a total of 4 teachers (& an aide) between preschool & his speech classes. Tanner & Carter each have a teacher too. It can get pretty pricey. I always hope the gift we give will be something that they will LOVE & USE. This year, Garrett's speech teachers received a beach towel (purchased on sale), sunscreen & fun magazine. I tied them up with cute ribbon & made a tag to match. It screamed fun & summer.
Please,please,please share your ideas for teachers gifts so I can add them to my file for future years.

Yesterday was Garrett's last day with Miss Erin. Miss Erin is his cute, fun, young speech teacher. He has enjoyed one on one time with her each week. She has really helped Garrett this past year. He has loved his Tuesdays with Miss Erin. She let him decide what he wanted to do/play with for his last day. He chose was to play some games on the computer.

It was also his last official day of Preschool with Miss Christy & Miss Jenn. We have a party @ the park tomorrow to officially end the school year. They had a little promotion ceremony. After the parents were all seated, the children came in & sang two songs. Most of them just giggled & made funny faces instead of singing. It was very sweet. Then they received their certificates. Miss Christy put together a DVD with all of the pictures from the school year. You could hear the kids saying "Hey, that's me". It was very entertaining to watch. As if that wasn't enough, they sent him home with a little nap sack(that Garrett painted) with his ABC binder, the DVD, a homework packet for the summer& a goodie bag. WOW!

Miss Christy & Garrett

Garrett & friends from preschool.

Garrett showing off his nap sack-so cute!

Today was Garrett's last day of speech with Miss Lori. She is fabulous! Garrett has come such a long way. We can actually understand what he is saying & now he just doesn't stop talking-LOL! They had a party this morning. They made ice cream cone art projects, had cookies & enjoyed the morning with their friends. Garrett's friend Aaron brought bubbles for everyone. Garrett is going to miss his Mondays & Wednesdays with Miss Lori.

He has enjoyed a couple of days filled with back to back parties. I am so grateful for the wonderful teachers he has been blessed with. I appreciate all of the time, love, & energy that they put into their jobs on a daily basis. They sure so make a difference in these little peoples lives. Hats off to all of the wonderful teachers out there!

First Haircut

Right before she made the first cut.


During the haircut-all the toys in that store could not keep him still.

After she was all done-he looks like such a big boy!

We FINALLY did it! We went & got Brody's first haircut! Just in the last couple of weeks, people have been asking "what is "her" name"? or "how old is "SHE"? when referring to Brody. It still baffles my mind. He does not own any clothes that are even close to borderline GIRLIE. We narrowed the comments down to the hair. It was getting long in the back & it even had a slight curl. Brody did really well (for the most part), he was a little squirmy for the first part of the haircut. The girl who cut his hair was so patient & sweet with him. I took him to a place that is just for little ones. It has a circus theme. There were lots of things to look at & lots of toys to play with. By the time it was all said & done, the haircut cost me $30.00 (the haircut, little 1st haircut folder, before & after pictures, locks of his hair for the scrapbook, & the tip) & we had only been there for 20 minutes tops! We keep looking at him & commenting that he looks like such a big boy now.

Randomness for Friday

It's Friday & I don't have much to report. I thought I would just post random things that are running thru my mind. Here we go!

Can the price of gas go up any higher? Please don't answer that with a YES! I paid $91.00 to fill up my Tahoe yesterday-OUCH! I think I better have John get my bike down so I can dust it off & start using it! It is already equipped with a baby seat on the back.

Speaking of gas, Tanner left me a stack of papers to look @ this morning that had been graded & returned to him. Each week, they have to write sentences using their spelling words. This is one of my favorite papers for him to receive back. Mr. B will leave funny comments next to the sentences. My jaw about hit the counter when I read those sentences today. For one of the sentences, Tanner wrote "I farted during the test". Mr. B's comment to that one was "that's gross, keep it clean "with kind of a half smiley face. I shrieked Tanner's name (he had been watching me read them) & he started to laugh. He said "I did my homework while you were @ work last week". I about died. We don't use that "F" word @ our house. I know, I know - it could have been something far worse. I don't know what is worse, the fact that he wrote that sentence or that maybe he did fart during a test (by the way, he did not)???? Life with boys! I'll tell ya, there is NEVER a dull moment! And yes, this is why you should have your children complete their homework right after school when you can pay full attention to what they are writing.

I Loved, Loved, Loved Grey's Anatomy last night! One of the few shows that I REALLY missed while the writers were on strike. I am so happy that McDreamy & Meredith are getting back together. Well, that's the way it ended last night. Who knows what next season will bring!!

I am still enjoying a clean house. Enough said!

Brody loves to dance. As soon as he hears music, he starts to bop up & down. His song of choice yesterday was Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Beddingfeld. It is so stinkin' cute. I will have to try & get it on video.

I am really enjoying David Archuleta's rendition of Imagine. Who did you vote for? I love American Idol but I can honestly say I did not see one episode of this season. So sad for me.

I want to scrapbook. Yet @ the same time, I have no desire or creative mojo this week. Does that even make sense?? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my scrapbook room looks like the crazy winds we experienced yesterday blew thru my room. Maybe I should get off of this computer & go clean it up to see if that inspires me.

John's car was broken into this week. The only thing they took was John's stereo. While John does not have music to listen to during his 40 minute commute (each way) to work, we still had to laugh. It was a cheap stereo & my Gwen Steffani CD was stuck in the CD player. Yeah for the stupid crooks who thought they were smart/lucky!

Baseball season is almost over. WOOT-WOOT! Looking forward to the last two games next week. We have a baseball free weekend, what ever will we do?????

Sometimes I wonder why I continue to shop @ the Super Wal*Mart??? I know I am saving money but the check out lines drive me crazy. A lady decided to use the self check out. Usually this is not a problem. But when you only have 20 things in your cart & 15 minutes till you need to pick up your preschooler & you end up behind this lady who proceeds to check out her cart of 200 items. If that was not bad enough, she then pulls out her 200 coupons for those 200 items & doesn't know how to scan them. UUGHHHHHH! Not a fun shopping day!

The boys only have about three weeks of school left. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. I am not sure if I am ready for summer break!

We just finished Brody's last can of formula this week. I don't ever have to purchase formula again. Do you know how huge this is? We have been buying formula off & on for the last 9 years. Do you know how much money I will save????

I hope you are all enjoying this fabulous Friday. We are going to get Brody's haircut(his 1st) today. Wish us luck! Stay tuned for photos. Any plans for the holiday weekend? I hope it is a great one, filled with sunshine & the things you love.

BUNKO BABES

These are the Bunko Babes in my Bunko group. I love that first shot. It is so us & just shows how much fun we have each time we get together. We can't stop talking :). I had asked John if he would come out & take a group picture for us. I am not sure how long he stood there waiting for us to get organized & ready to smile. He snapped that picture & the flash caught our attention-LOL! We all started to laugh & say, "now we are ready". The Bunko Babes are a wonderful group of women that I have gotten to know & love. They are an amazing group of girls. I am so thankful for each one of their friendships. The group has changed during the last few years due to girls moving in & out. I miss those girls! It is a great night out & allows for some serious girlfriend time. I had a wonderful time last night. We laughed & ate till it hurt. I was the hostess this month. When you are the hostess, you plan the menu & run around all day cleaning your house so you can host Bunko in your home. OK, maybe I'm the only one who stresses about the cleaning part-who knows! We had appetizers, salads, homemade rolls, & dessert. Everything was fabulous. Thanks for bringing all the YUMMY food, ladies. We start @ 6:30 but don't usually get the game going till 7:45 because we are having a great time gabbing & just catching up with everyone. Lisa H. won the Morty prize last night. The Morty prize is the BIG coveted prize that is won @ the last minute of the game. Each Month, the Morty basket has a different theme. This month is was a SUMMER theme. Five other prizes are given out for Most wins, most losses, most Bunkos, etc... Amy brought the prizes last night. I am so glad I won one. I had the most wins-woot woot! The prizes were these giant, fun clothes pins that she found @ Tai Pan. I even won a red one. Thanks Amy! This was Lisa'a 2nd month in a row winning the Morty basket- Congrats Lisa! We are taking her to Thunder Valley next time & she what she can win us!

I am enjoying a clean house today. Brody is napping. Garrett is watching cartoons in my bed while I type this. I am going to join him so we can both take a nap! I hope everyone is enjoying their day!

P.S. that darling baby is little Hyrum, Julianne's sweet boy. He was so good, he just slept in Amy's arms all night!

Birthday Fun!

We celebrated Brody's birthday one more time with family, neighbors & a few friends. He has enjoyed a full week of birthday celebrations. I don't think we could have picked a HOTTER day in May to play @ the park. I commented that "it is hard to pick a good day in May. You never know if you will have 100 degree weather or rain." We enjoyed BBQed hamburgers & hot dogs, cupcakes, bubbles, squirt gun wars, water fights, the 101 degree weather, & parachute play. I won't mention any names(wink -wink) but a few of the parents were the biggest instigators of the water fight. It was hilarious & fun to watch. Brody is enjoying all of the fun, thoughtful gifts-thank you!

Belated Mother's Day Tea

Our school had STAR testing everyday last week. So instead of interrupting their testing schedule, the room moms in Tanner's class hosted a belated Mother's Day tea yesterday. We met our children in the classroom during the last 45 minutes of school. They had created a place mat for each one of us Moms & served us lunch while we sat & visited. We had finger sandwiches, yummy strawberries, scones, different flavors of tea, juice(I opted for the juice)& chocolate cake. What a treat! I am glad that I was able enjoy lunch with Tanner & his classmates. After we were done eating, each student had to introduce their Mom & say what they like or appreciate about her. Some of the kids answers were funny. One boy said that his Mom knows how to make the best Top Ramen. Another boy said he appreciated that his Mom was "Kind of nice". Another boy went into a long winded story about how his Mom was picked up 15 feet off the ground when a Tornado had hit many years ago. I gathered a ton of info in that short 10 minutes of introductions-LOL. Tanner said that he likes that I am a good cook & that I am kind. It was very sweet of him. It was a wonderful afternoon with Tanner.

Tanner & Mom enjoying lunch.

The place mat that Tanner created for me.

Happy First Birthday

The day has arrived. My baby is ONE today! It has been the fastest year of my life. It feels like I just gave birth to this sweet boy yesterday! I'm glad it wasn't yesterday. He has brought so much LOVE & JOY into our home. It has been a fabulous year.

We have enjoyed an easy going, calm day. After we dropped Garrett off @ preschool, we went & ordered Brody his own 6 in. birthday cake from Safeway. Kind of a bummer that they don't do the free birthday cakes anymore. The lady @ the Bakery gave him a cookie (w/ my permission) & he went to town. He hasn't had very many sweets up until this point. Ummm yeah, we'll just say that he LOVED the cookie. We have hung out, read books & did the lunch thing @ home. It has been a nice morning/afternoon.

We ended the day with cupcakes & presents. Aunt Heidi & the girls called to sing Happy Birthday to Brody. It was so cute, he was singing with them & didn't want to give the phone back.

At 12 months this is what Brody is up to:

-weighing in @ 26 lbs. 3 oz..

-he is 32 in. long.

-he wears a size 4 diaper.

-his clothing size is 18 mo. - 2 T.

-he got his 1st pair of big boy shoes, gotta love Stride Rite.

-he puts everything in his mouth- keeps Mom up to speed on the cleaning the floors.

-he has learned how to get up on the sofa, kitchen chairs, & coffee table, nothing is safe!

-he loves to take baths. He will fill his cup with water & then dump it out.

-he loves to unload drawers, specifically my t shirt drawer!

-Loves to suck on the baby lotion bottle-don't ask.

-he enjoyed juice (1/2 water) in his sippy cup for the first time.

-he went to the beach for the first time. Loved the sand but hated the water.

-he still takes 2 naps-one in the morning & one in the afternoon.

-can say the word "noooooo". Wonder where her learned that????

-he loves when you sing to him, a few favorites are "Happy Birthday", "If You're Happy & You know it" & The Wheels On the Bus".

- loves his blankie. He gets so upset if the boys tease him & run around with it.

-he receives compliments all the time on what a happy baby he is. He loves to smile @ everyone.

-still has 6 teeth-four up, 2 down.

-he likes to dance. If he hears music, he will start to bop up & down.

-he is on the verge of running. Likes to walk everywhere.

-he loves fruit puffs by Gerber & Fruity Cheerios.

Happy Birthday Baby Brody! We Love You so much!

Brody's First Year 2007-2008

Mother's Day 2008

Happy Mother's Day to each of you!

I enjoyed a fabulous Mother's Day weekend. We had a busy weekend. We enjoyed baseball games, a photo shoot for Brody's first birthday pictures, date night for John & I, a trip to Santa Cruz, & Mother's Day/Brody's 1st birthday dinner with the family. Whew, we packed a ton of activities into this short weekend. It was wonderful to be able to spend some time with my family & watch all of the cousins run & play. They sure do love getting together. My boys made me some wonderful cards, treats, & even spoiled me with a gift cards to Green Tangerines. I received one from the boys & one from John. I am so grateful to have these boys in my life & for the chance I get to be their Mom. I pray every day for help. I pray that I am doing what I need to do raise these boys right. I am so blessed to have a wonderful mother who has taught me all I know. I am thankful for her wonderful example, testimony of the Gospel & Love. I am thankful for my Mother & Law. She passed away almost 12 years ago (on June 1st). I am thankful for the son she raised. John is wonderful & I am grateful to my Mother in Law for teaching him & for raising him right.

Again, Happy Mother's Day. I hope your family spoiled each of your rotten. You deserve it!

P.S. You can hit the VIEW ALL IMAGES button below to see photos frokm our weekend. I am not sure what happened to it ??? It is not popping up with the rest of the post!

I CAN'T wait!!!

Oh my goodness! I CAN'T wait. One of my favorite reads from last summer will hit the BIG screen this year. The book TWILIGHT has been made into a movie. The trailer looks awesome! I sure hope they did the book justice.

I am thinking Girls Night Out! Anyone want to join me? Mark your calendars for 12-12-2008.

On another happy note, the 4th book in this series is being released in August! Woot-Woot! Happy Days!

Three Word Answers about me

What I am doing: blogging, chores , shopping

What I’m proud of today: showered by 7

What I’m thinking about: shopping @ Gap

Who is home: 2 boys, me

Plans tonight: movie @ home

My weekend was: filled with baseball

What’s for dinner: I don't know

Feelings about love: thankful for it

Feelings about life: content, happy, grateful

What I need: lots more sleep

What I want: A happy family

My pet peeve: rudeness in general

My guilty pleasure: my alone time

What you don’t know about me: One big sap

What I can hear: boys playing chase

What I can smell: my eternity perfume

My style: simple, cute accessories

My hairdo: need a haircut

My outfit: Capri's, flip flops

My mood: tired but happy

The weather today: blue sky, sunshine

Thoughts on parenting: love, kindness, rewarding

Thoughts on marriage: grateful for hubby

Thoughts on politics: makes me crazy

Thoughts on celebrity gossip: I am interested

Thoughts on beauty: it is everywhere

Thoughts on sleep: don't get enough

Thoughts on writing: I try hard

My favorite appliance: my red vacuum

My favorite car: fits my family

My favorite splurge: pedicures, itunes, books

My favorite beauty secret: protect your skin

My favorite treat: Coldstone ice cream

My favorite everyday pleasure: diet coke, children

Ten years ago: pregnant with Tanner

Five years ago: bought first home

One year ago: waiting for Brody

One year from now: won't be pregnant

Five years from now: shy of 40- (am I that old???)

Ten years from now: Tanner on mission

I’m famous for: my Raimi doll

I’ll never be famous for: my singing voice

Who I am: concerned kind person

Who I hope to be: great Mom, wife

What I’m thankful for: my blessings galore

Tuesdays with Carter

Tuesday is the craziest day of the week for me. Garrett goes to preschool for 3 hours (drop off & pick up), then he has a speech class in the next town over for 1/2 hour(I wait in my car), I help in Carter's class & then you add all of the other activities (sports, practices, work, homework, etc...) that happen everyday & it is BUSY!

It never fails, Carter asks me every Tuesday if I will stay & eat lunch with him. Their lunch period begins as I finish up in the classroom. I figure I better enjoy the invite while I can. I am sure that in a few years he will stop asking me to join he & his friends for lunch. I love sitting with him & chatting with his friends. They are a lively bunch. I hear "Hi Mrs. K" from all corners of the cafeteria. By the way, when I hear Mrs. K, I still look for my Mother in Law :). I am too young to be called Mrs. K! This is why I love working in my boys classrooms, you get to know the children & they know you. I love my Tuesdays with Carter. He is such a great kid. He can often be found looking out for the under dogs. He is the boy that will invite the one boy to eat lunch with him when the others have said they don't want to sit by this little boy. He defends the children who are picked on. He has a big heart & it makes me so proud. My heart broke today while eating lunch with Carter. The lunch tables were not set up today, so the kids can sit on the floor, which they love doing -EEEEWWWWW! There are a few benches along the back wall & that is where we sat. As I sat there today, I saw a little girl approach another little girl who was sitting on the bench. She put her lunch down & went to sit when the little girl said, "you can't sit there, my FRIEND is going to sit there". This is where my heart broke & my eyes filled up with tears. The little girl picked up her lunch, got up & moved farther down the bench. She sat all by herself. It was awful. With 900 children attending that school, there is no reason someone should feel left out or feel like they have to eat lunch alone. We tried to invite her to sit with us but I think the group of 6 rowdy boys scared her away. I have been thinking about her all day & can still see her face when she was told that she could not sit there. So...my challenge for the day, for everyday is to take time to smile or talk to the people who may need a friend. A kind word sure does go a long way!

I love my Tuesdays with Carter. I love watching him with his friends. I love getting little glimpses of his day while he is away from home. And I love that I know that he has eaten his sandwich on Tuesdays!

Drum Roll Please...

The lucky winners are Katie & Free! WOOT-WOOT! Congrats ladies. Katie, you were right about feeling lucky. I'm sorry that I didn't post this earlier in the day. I taught the Make & Take @ Green Tangerines tonight & then had to make a stop @ Wal*Mart. Not my favorite place to be @ 10 pm @ night... the boys needed stuff for their lunches. John drew the names while half asleep (thanks John). You can thank him for drawing your names or you can tell him to do better next time :). I will put your Ki Memories kits in the mail tomorrow. It was fun to read all of your comments. Thanks for playing!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I hope somebody ate an extra burrito for me. Mexican food is my favorite & I didn't get to enjoy anything remotely close to Mexican food!

Have a Happy Tuesday!

Happy National Scrapbook Day

Okay, those of you who know me, know that I love to scrapbook. Did you know that they have a National day in May to celebrate the hobby? Green Tangerines is hosting a 3 day crop this weekend in honor of NSD. They had a Vegas theme this year. The motto was "If it isn't in the scrapbook, it didn't happen". Each table was named after one of the hotels in Vegas. Elvis was even there & lots of prizes were given away today! We had 75 fun, scrapbook loving ladies in the store today. The 6 (out of 7-missed you Jen) teachers on our staff each took a turn (four times over) to teach their layout. The idea was that each participant would go home with an album done. It was very fun & exhausting @ the same time. I started @ 8 :45 this morning & did not leave till 7:30 pm. I am tired & my feet hurt. It is NSD & I didn't create a single layout! I did finish Brody's birthday invites @ 11 pm tonight, does that count? Can I just say how much I love my job??? Seriously, I get paid to create & meet fabulous ladies from all walks of life. It's a blast & I'm so grateful! I had a great time today!

GT teachers: Raimi, Jodi, Laura, Amanda(doesn't like her picture to be taken-HA), & Brandi

Our Casino Host: Ms. Kelly

My good friend Eve-she is one of the nicest people you will ever meet!

More Casino Hosts: Kelly, Ken, & Paula

The whole group! We were stopping traffic in the parking lot to get this shot!

Elvis did not leave the building. It is not Vegas w/out Elvis!

In honor of NSD I am doing another fun GIVE AWAY. Just leave a comment & I'll enter your name in a drawing to win these darling Designer scrapbook kits(see below) from KI Memories. My boys will draw the lucky winner on Monday. Each kit has 6 pieces of pattern paper, a sheet of ABC rub-ons, & a 42 piece set of chipboard stickers. The designer lines are: WILD THING, POSH, & PET SHOP(I don't have pets & will use this line for my boys :), there are stripe & polka dot prints in this kit). Even if you don't scrapbook, you can use these sets to make cards or give them to your kids,they will have a field day making things. I will either hand deliver them & pop them in the mail. Ready, set, post! Good Luck! Happy National Scrapbook Day!