June by the numbers

I am honestly not sure if this month went by too fast or too slow...mixed emotions about June. There is one thing I do know for sure and that is that the month of June was packed with fun things for our family.

One funny, sweet man(James Lambert), married to an even sweeter lady,passed away this week.

Two weddings...happy for the happy couples (Williams and Holmes).

Three books read(Shanghai Girls, Every last One, Sing You Home). I love Summer and the opportunity to read a little bit more.

Four layouts created.

Five cards(graduation)created.

Seven birthday candles on Garrett's birthday cake.

Nine Summer to do activities have been checked off of our list.

Ten new songs downloaded from itunes.

Twelve(9-10 yr.old) bleach their hair in honor of carrying on an All Star tradition.

Fourteen blog posts recorded this month.

Twenty Three days/hours logged at Fitness MD...I did not miss a day(M-F, plus one Saturday).

Twenty Eight days of Summer vacation have been enjoyed thus far.

Thirty days captured Project Life style(a photo to represent each day).

Fifty One pounds down.

Fifty Six seconds shaved off of my 1.5 mile run at Fitness MD.

Fifty Seven.Seventy Five miles walked this month.

HaPpY SuMmEr

Tradition

It is tradition that once you make the WLL All Star baseball team, you bleach your hair. We had fun attending the team hair bleaching party. Who knew there was such a thing? I had very mixed emotions about this bleaching of the hair. Carter, on the other hand was ready and excited. I should have known he would be all over this idea. The highlights he asked for back in March for his 10th birthday should have been my 1st clue.

Here he is as I am applying the first round of bleach.





(such a cute little face, with cute little freckles...sigh!)

While they were waiting for their hair to fall out, ummmmm I mean process, they enjoyed munching on fruit and pizza, all while quizzing each other on their signs.


We ended up having to apply 3 rounds of bleach to get his hair to the desired All Star color(Barbie blond/white). It is quite shocking and very bleached looking... exactly what they were looking for. His hair is still wet and combed funny, but you get the idea. I think his new hair color makes him look entirely too old. I am so happy that he is a boy. Once the season ends, we will just shave it right off. In the meantime, he is happy to be a part of the tradition that lives on.
















I still need to get a group photo. The boys were coming and going during our little hair bleaching party. As if it wasn't already hard enough to tell them all apart in their baseball hats, out on the field. This ensures that will will get them confused, all of the time. Good luck to the 9-10 WLL All Star team.

Treats

I thought I would post the recipes we made for John on Father's Day. They were all new brand new recipes that I had been collecting from various blogs over the last few months. I was a little nervous trying new dishes for John's big day...but I lucked out and they were all keepers.

Lets start with the treats! Who says you can't have your dessert first?
All I have to say is "Oh my"!!!!!!! These are a little spin off of the traditional Rice Krispie treat and they were tasty! This recipe is a keeper for sure.


Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats
3 tbsp butter
6 cups rice krispies
1/3 cup yellow cake batter dry mix (unprepped)
1 bag – 10 oz mini marshmallows
1 jar (1.75 oz) multicolored sprinkles
In large saucepan, heat butter and marshmallows on low until melted.
Slowly add dry cake mix, one small scoop at a time, to melted marshmallow mixture.
In separate bowl, add 6 cups cereal.
Fold in marshmallow mixture and 1/2 jar of sprinkles
Press into any size baking dish.
Top with the remaining sprinkles.
Let sit for 30 minutes before cutting.

*I can't remember where I found this recipe. I wish I could so I could give credit where credit is due!

Happy Father's Day

Our mission today was to spoil John rotten. We wanted the day to be all about him. We made him breakfast in bed. Spoiled him with handmade cards and fun gifts. We supplied him with his favorite beverage. We baked him yummy treats. We let him relax all day long...he didn't lift a finger. I was a a little nervous about the menu that I had planned for the day. All of the recipes/meals(from start to finish) were new to our family and I wasn't sure if that had been a good idea on my part. I am happy to report that everything was a hit. I will share those recipes over the next few days.

We are so thankful for John and the Daddy/Husband that he is. He is our provider. He is our comedian. He is our best friend. He is our rock. He is our protector. He is our cheer leader. He is our soft place to land at the end of our days. We are so lucky to have him in our lives.























Happy Father's Day, John. Thanks for all you do! We love you!

one more for the scrapbook

We had heard that the Roseville Press Tribune had a little blurb about the boys, WLL Padres team and their BIG win last Saturday, in this weeks paper! I was able to track the paper down today. While we were happy to see this fun photo of the dog pile that happened after Carter caught that line drive and made a double play = 3 outs. Carter is on the bottom of the dog pile and you can see Tanner running in from the left to join them. The only bummer part of the article is that the photographer/staff writer gave Carter's teammate(the 3rd baseman) credit for the play and NOT Carter. Oh well, we are happy to have one more photo for the scrapbook from that exciting game/win. GOOOOOOOOO Padres.
p.s. Carter stayed up till midnight on Tuesday to wait and check the WLL site to see if he made the All Star team. He did indeed make it. He has been on cloud 9 since and we are thrilled for him. We hear that the All Star team tradition is for the entire team to bleach their hair blond! I will keep you posted.

For the Graduates

We had a few friends and a family member graduate from high school this year. A few of those friends were some of the girls that I teach in the Young Woman's program at church. I wanted to buy/make them something but I knew I couldn't break the bank doing so(with multiple gifts to give). I found this cute Subway Art online and knew that I wanted to print and frame it for the girls. I printed the art at Costco and found cute, simple black frames at IKEA...I love IKEA. I tied a simple bow in their school colors and delivered them as is. I figured they could take it to college with them and glean inspiration from it. I also made them simple graduation cards and tucked cash/gift cards inside. I am so proud of the Class of 2011. Their futures are bright and wide open with possibilities.

Our Summer is off to a great start. They boys have been busy with baseball practices, All Star tryouts, movies, birthdays, soccer camps, a Summer job(for Tanner)...it is never too early to earn your own $. Our favorite activities thus far have included a little of this





















and a little of that.












We have driven past this Shaved Ice shack several times this Summer. We finally stopped today and the boys were in heaven. So far, they have given the Root Beer and Pink Bubble Gum flavors two thumbs up.

What has made your Summer great so far?

Baby Brody

Say what? I know! I know! Baby Brody isn't a baby anymore...but I am pretty sure he will always be my Baby! It makes me sad that he is growing up so fast. I took him to the Dr.'s yesterday, for his yearly check up. He was almost at the %100-tile for his height. The Dr. told me that he will be over 6 feet tall. That piece of information was music to his Dad's ears. John is hoping to get a basketball(his sport)player out of one of the four.

It is hard to believe that this cute little munch was once a baby and this little. This is another layout that I created using the June Green Tangerines Kit Club. Once again, I loved that the pattern papers in this months kit were perfect for these photos and I REALLY loved that this layout only took me 25 minutes to create, from start to finish. Another layout for the 2007 album. Hurray!

WLL Major Champs

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   {Tanner is the 2nd one from the left and Carter is being held up by his teammates}
   
   Tanner and Carter have had a blast playing on the WLL Padres(Majors)team this season. They were drafted by Coach Nick and were thrilled to be playing for him again. We came in 2nd place during the 1st half of the season and 1st place during the 2nd half of the season, meaning we were then tied with the Giants. We played them again on Saturday to determine who would be the 1st place team(team A) for the TOC tournament. We won, 4-2.
   
   I love this(above) picture. Carter is the player being held up/carried by his teammates. It was the bottom of the 6th inning(they only play 6 innings) and the score was 4-2. The Giants were up at bat with only 1 out and the bases loaded. Their biggest hitter comes up to bat and hits a hard, fast ball right towards Carter. Carter literally caught the ball 2 inches before it would have hit the ground. He was full on, laid out on the ground to catch this one. He caught it, creating the 2nd out. He stood up fast and tags the runner out at 2nd base. Double play, baby, making that 3 outs! Game over. Padres win! It was Awesome. Congrats to the entire WLL Padres team. Way to be awesome!
   
   p.s. Carter is over at the ball fields trying out for the All Star team as I type this. He made it pass the first cuts(last night). He has one more round of tryouts tonight, with the All Star team members being posted (tonight) at 9 pm. I have butterflies for him. Wishing him good luck!

Happy Birthday

Another birthday to celebrate at our house. Garrett is now 7. He reminded us several times a day, weeks leading up to his big day that all he wanted was a SF Giants jersey, a MLB SF Giants baseball hat and doughnuts. He was surprised to find his bedroom door wrapped with wrapping paper and presents attached to it. He tore it down before I could snap a photo of it, in fear of Brody snatching the candy and inhaling it. We hung it back up, hence the wrinkled wrap paper. I promise it looked nice when he woke up!






















Garrett's wishes were granted. We kind of threw him off by wrapping his presents(like the hat) in different boxes(like shoe boxes). He also received a Slip n' Slide, clothes, gift cards and cash. His birthday landed on a very busy Saturday(the older boys had a playoff game, team party and Mom had a wedding to attend). We made his morning fun and he ended his day with pizza,cake and ice cream. He loved the birthday phone calls from family and the Happy Birthday snail mail. What a great day! Happy Birthday, cute Garrett. We sure do love you!

lunch, anyone?

Brody informed me that he was ready for a sandwich. He then proceeded to tell me that he had everything out on the counter and ready for me. This is what I found on the counter.I am happy to report that he didn't even notice that I forgot to put the grape jelly on his turkey sandwich(wink- wink). There is never dull moment or bland taste buds with this little boy in the house.

to do list - Summer 2011

After brainstorming for a bit and trying to do anything to will the warmer weather to join us, this is what our family decided we would like to do this Summer. I should mention, this list is in no particular order.

* cement slides
* scout Camp
* Lake Tahoe
* B&N reading club
* Farmers Market
* Twilight Camp
* Baker Beach
* Ride bikes from the Golden Gate Bridge down to Pier 39
* Folsom Lake
* bowling
* soccer camps
* go camping at Memorial Park
* Drive In movies
* make homemade lemonade
* water Park
* celebrate Garrett's birthday
* All Star games
* Six Flags
* picnic in the park
* Aunt Raimi Camp - cousins over to stay for a few days
* Read. Read. Read.
* find the Shaved Ice Shack and enjoy the different flavors
* keep journals
* teach the boys to cook
* science Experiments
* F.H.E. in the park with friends
* slip n' slide
* soccer tournaments
* berry picking
* Sacramento Temple at sunrise for a devotional
* swim days at the A.C.
* swim lessons
* water balloons
* Santa Cruz(Friday night concert on the beach)
* make rainbow pancakes
* family bike rides
* water fights
* Concert @ Sleep Train
* Sunsplash
* make fried green tomatoes

We realize our list is lofty. We are really hoping to put a big dent in our list by Summer's end. We will keep you posted. Bring on the SUN.

June sneak

My June assignments for the Green Tangerines Kit Club kit are complete. I had fun playing with this months kit. There are lots of letter stickers for titles, sub titles and journaling. I loved the options. The color combos are playful and were easy to create with. Here is a look at my take on this months sketch(included in this months kit).
















You can see what the other talented ladies created (using the same exact sketch) here.
I will post the rest of my creations in a few day. What I loved most about this June kit was that it inspired me to scrap some old photos...photos that had been saved for the perfect paper or inspiration. I used photos from 2004 for 2 of the layouts and photos from 2007 for the other. It feels so good to have those layouts created and better yet, have to those memories recorded and ready for our family albums.

School is out for the Summer

I can't believe we have finished another school year. It didn't feel like the last day of school today...it is a little chilly!

This is what the boys took to their teachers as their last day of school present. Tanner asked me last night(at 9 pm) if we could make a few more for his teachers. He has 7 teachers. I told him he had to pick his two favorite teachers. :-) I have to thank my friend, Denise Z. for sending the idea my way. It was perfect. We found the cute plastic cups, filled them with Crystal Light packets, created the cute flags. tied a fun, colorful bows and they were complete. Easy Peasy!















I threw my last party as Room Mom this school year. We decided to make it simple and had an ice cream party. Lots of ice cream with all sorts of toppings = happiness. It was fun getting to know all of these cute kiddos this year...very well behaved children with big hearts.

















I am so proud of my boys. They had a wonderful school year. They had amazing teachers who put their hearts and souls into their jobs. Tanner maintained his 4.0 GPA the entire school year. 6th grade was an interesting year but he pulled it off with a smile and good grades. Woot-Woot. Carter had a great school year too. All A's and one B. Awesome! Garrett had a super year and improved academically(across the board). He worked so hard and had a super teacher who worked with him. He finished with flying colors.


We are looking forward to a fun filled Summer!