Things I’m Loving

:: flowers, glorious flowers

:: my Primary class – could a group of five-year-olds be any cuter?

:: sunshine, we’ve had a peak at it almost every day lately

:: watching Djeryd play with Alyx – he is an amazing big brother

:: being ahead of schedule with Anna’s birthday dress (I never dreamed such a thing was possible)  ;>

:: poppy buds waiting to burst

:: Anna changing her birthday party theme from Strawberry Shortcake to Pixie Hollow

:: afternoons at the park

:: catching up with an old friend

 

:: watching Erik and Anna dive and make serious tracks in the water

:: a laptop in the house once again

:: inspiration at long last for the kids’ rooms (think flight)

Manna

This week, as I have looked around, I have found Manna from Heaven in so many different forms.  One was driving home from a miserable trip to the grocery store in the pouring rain.  It was just me and my girls and no one to help at the other end.  I silently offered a prayer asking for mercy, that the rain would stop so I could get all my groceries and my kids in the house without being drenched.  Quite literally the second my tires touched the driveway the rain stopped.

Another one has been the miracle of finding a friend I never really thought I would see again in this life.  But she found me.  On facebook of all places.  ;>  On Friday afternoon into my inbox popped a friend request.  We have not seen each other since the sixth grade and I seriously cannot describe the void that has since been filled in my heart that I never even knew was there.  There is a long letter from her every day and I find myself pushing priorities aside to soak in every word and then gaggle out a reply, usually laughing or crying along the way.  It is nourishment to my soul.  That’s what a true friend is – Manna from Heaven.

Money Jars

I have been looking for a good, cheap, easy way for my kids to sort their income.  I did not find anything I was satisfied with.  Even the expensive things did not offer the versatility or convenience I was looking for.  This is what I came up with, making one set in each child’s color:

I did not take pictures to make a tutorial, but it is very easy and I think you will be able to figure it out.  If you need pictures let me know and I will make another set and put up the pics. 

All you do is take four standard-size cans (like the kind fruit cocktail, olives and beans come in) and four strips of scrapbook paper that measure 4 1/8” x 9 1/2”.  I printed up the labels on the computer, trimmed them up a bit and glued them to the paper.  Then I hot glued a vertical stripe on the can, attached one end of the paper (make sure it is facing up) and wrapped it around the can.  I hot glued one more vertical stripe onto the can where the papers meet, and finished it off with a glue stick on the leftover paper flap.  That’s it. 

Seriously I would be happy to do a tutorial if anyone is interested at all. (It would just make me happy if someone liked my idea enough to copy it.) ;>  How do your kids process their money?

Tulips

Do you love tulips as much as me?

Yippee for spring!

Captured

My two new favorite pics . . .

A rarely photographed smile from Djeryd.

And an even rarer photograph of double fish-faces.

These guys are definitely going on the wall.

Alyxandria’s Birthday Dress . . .At Last

Here it is, at long last. Alyx got to wear her birthday dress for the one and only time on Easter Sunday.  Unfortunately the fit is a bit snug and I’m not sure she will be able to squeeze into it again.

 

She got some strawberry dribble down the front in Nursery, which I hope will come out because this little number is being entered in the fair this summer.

Things I love about this dress:

:: How all three fabrics make each other look more beautiful than they are by themselves.

 

:: How the piping makes everything pop.

:: How much my girl loves wearing it, even though it is a pain in the neck to get on and off (next time I use this pattern I will be installing a zipper or a nice, long placket for buttons).

:: That swingy, gorgeous hemline accentuated by the piping and bias hem.  It was worth every hour of labor (I only wish it would fit her for a just a little bit longer).

The Biggest Airplane In the World

We went to the Evergreen Aviation Museum over Spring Break. Apparently it was a winner because my kids are still saying “thank you” for it in their prayers.

We went on a little tour starting out with the Wright brothers.  I love those windows.  I wish I lived in one of those gigantic houses that backs up to my own personal forest or lake or something so I could have a twenty foot tall wall entirely composed of windows.  All that glorious sunshine. (This was the ONLY day of Spring Break it did not rain all day long.)

 

I love how shiny airplanes are, and the bright primary colors. 

I felt inspired to actually finish up the boys’ room and just cover it with airplanes. 

I think Djeryd will outgrow this in a matter of months, though.  On the other hand, Sean has not outgrown his fascination with airplanes.  Maybe it would be worth the investment.

I am highly tempted to plaster this sign over each of the kids’ doors.  Or at least put it on a t-shirt.

There was a lot of standing and listening, which no one does cuter than Anna.

However, I did not stand and listen, rebel that I am.  I had the perfect excuse of photography to wander at will.  I took a lot of pictures of uniforms, but was forced to delete most of them because I ran of room on my memory card (long story) before we got two steps inside the space museum (post coming soon).  I am trying to talk Djeryd into one of these for Halloween – I just think it would be fun to recreate.

I thought perhaps this little flag should be attached to my children somehow.

(Second family snapshot since Lu was born – how sad is that.)

There was a little hands-on area where the kids were able to learn about the science of flight.

The kids could sit in a cockpit and play a bunch of games using air to manipulate objects and forces of nature.  It was crazy.

The bright shining star of the museum is the Spruce Goose (in Anna’s prayer the other night she called it the Red Hawk – she knew it was two words and had something to do with a bird).

Seeing that thing was like being at Disneyland.  The picture above is a model that was used the The Aviator.  We saw still images of the scene it was green-screened into.  Movies are magic.

That little mannequin man is full size.  Can you believe how gigantic that cargo bay is?  The plane was designed to carry 750 troops to Europe.  Insane!

And that fact that that baby is entirely made of wood is phenomenal.  It is quite the sight to see.

How Movies Are Made

. . . at least at our house . . .

. . . Djeryd directs . . .

 

. . . Erik is the bad guy (much to his annoyance) . . .

. . . and sometimes Anna gets a shot at the big screen . . .

. . . in this case behind the camera . . .

. . . quite literally filling her big brother’s shoes . . .

. . . after a brief tutorial . . .

  . . . Djeryd hands her the reigns so he can star . . .

. . . she gets distracted between takes . . .

. . . and the whole cast and crew critique her work . . .