Snow Day...

Really? This is all you have to have in Portland and it's official...



SNOW DAY!!!

What is Lissy Doing?

Look at this little beauty! She is quite the gal! She is always doing something, wearing something, or saying something that is stinkin' cute! She is completely and totally into Princesses and Barbie! She loves dressing up. She loves to look at our wedding photos to see when mommy was a princess. Even though she is into E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. She is our JOY!


One evening while helping prepare the mashed potatoes Alyssa decided that they needed just a bit (ahhh) more (Ahhhh) black (AHHHHHH) pepper (AHCHOO!)...Luckily for our tummies, we were able to scoop off the top layer and save it!


This poor costume has been worn to shreds...She literally loved it to pieces!


Alyssa is also obsessed with chapstick and lip gloss. She says that she needs, "Lipsh." Here she is after finding a color that I normally don't let her wear! Georgous!




One day Alyssa was yelling for me...which isn't unusual so I didn't rush in...When I finally did go check this is what I found. She had been emptying her drawers and got herself stuck! I just had to laugh at this one!


Lis came in the kitchen wearing Dad's duck and goose calls one afternoon. I thought of Grandpa Ed...He would have really enjoyed this little girl!





Thank you Dollar Store for your wonderful selection of dress-up accessories that just make this 2-year-old girl "tickled pink!"


Can I just say how tired I am of cleaning up markers and pen marks on this girl. She is a nightmare when it comes to colors. Her reply to my, "What are you doing?"..."I clean me." Sure enough she was...see the wipes!

Projects...

I have been looking for something to hold the after-school drop for a while now. My friend told me about an amazing website, www.ana-white.com, the gal takes great looking pieces of furniture and creates easy-to-follow plans for Do-It-Yourselfers. This was our second project (the first being a ladder for the boy's bunk bed). It turned out amazing! Thanks, Travis for working so hard on this locker unit. All I need are the hooks!


Travis is making an entry table now (it will go under that star wreath)...I'll post pictures as soon as we get it put together. Also, in the works is a beautiful queen bed complete with canopy! I can't wait for that one...

We are also working on refinishing an old entertainment center into a play kitchen for Alyssa (Thanks Lisa for the great idea!) Here is the before...


Not a great picture, but we have removed the glass doors and are replacing them with wooden doors for the fridge. I found a stainless steel bowl for the sink and a bathroom faucet that matches my crystal drawer pulls for the stove knobs! We are also making a "granite" counter top...just crossing our fingers that it works! We are adding a back to hang a "window" (just a cute frame with a calendar picture in it) and a pot holder. So, watch for the after shots shortly as Christmas is fast-approaching!

The kids have been working on a few projects of their own. A friend told us about Lowes Build and Grow, a free kids building workshop. We started in Boise and now that we have a Lowes much closer we go every chance we get. Every child gets an apron, safety googles, and, upon completion, a certificate and badge representing the project (see Wyatt's apron). The kits are easy to assemble, even Alyssa can do most of the work. And, it's so fun to see the excitement as each of the kids finishes their project. Next month we are going to build a train.

Summer Sports

We enjoyed a lot of sports this summer...I am very grateful for a large variety of activities that make everyone happy!

Garrett played T-ball for the first year! It was a lot of fun...So much, in fact, that he usually cried when the short 30-min session ended each week! It was never enough! Nanny made it to the very last game where Garrett really whacked the ball (I think he must have been showing off!)


Ready for the play!


Waiting on base with Coach Ivan...


Hitting the ball!


Notice that Garrett had his hands covering his ears...He hated the team cheer because, "it was too loud."

The boys earned baseball tickets through the Library's Summer Reading Program to go see the Portland Beavers play. They had a great time with Dad riding the train downtown.





Wyatt joined a Flag Football group. It was so much fun! That little guy is good at everything he does...He had some awesome coaches too. The sessions started with the very basics and worked up to some great football techniques. And, the best part was that the boys didn't even know that they were learning!


Going for the pass!


Bringing in the catch!


Wyatt's turn as Quarterback! Every one had the same chance at playing all of the positions. I don't think that I am ready for full-contact football, but Wyatt wants some "smash-mouth" football next year! We'll see...


Garrett took a Pee Wee Soccer class from Coach Debbie. I loved it! Garrett not so much...He learned that we never quit once we start a task, and that not all kids are ball-hogs.


The class warmed up at the start of each session...my favorites were jumping jacks and push-ups!


Garrett liked playing with this little guy. They made a good team.


Going for the goal!