Happy December!!!

I am so excited for December & for the first time in maybe forever, my house is decorated & my shopping is done!!!  I even started some wrapping last night.  My goal is to be able to relax & enjoy this wonderful, magical Christmas season without being stressed and having a million things to worry about!  I'll start posting pictures tomorrow of my December Daily album & everything we've been up to...hope you'll check back often!  Happy December everyone!

Hello Preschool!

Okay, so Preschool actually started 3 weeks ago, but I had to share some pictures of the big day.  Finn was super excited.  He told me that morning that he "actually" didn't like preschool and wanted to stay home, but he couldn't fool me.  When we got there he walked right in & never looked back!  

He is loving it & I love hearing about his day when I go to pick him up.  Tomorrow is his first day in Lunch Bunch so we'll see how he does with a longer day.  He has been begging me to go to Lunch Bunch since last year! :)  

He is growing up way too fast, but in many ways he is still my little boy & I am savoring every minute!  We are starting to get back into a routine and schedule a bit, after an amazingly fun summer!  My energy level has been good and I am busy with projects around the house & with the kids.  Busy, busy once again, and some days are super challenging with a very stubborn, independent (but sweet & loving) 2-year old so I am just trying to keep everything in perspective and not stress out about stuff!  Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Fun Craft Kit Deal!

I recently signed up for this monthly craft kit club.  Our box has not arrived yet, but I wanted to share this deal.  If you use this link to sign up, you get $10 off of your first box, making it only $10!  And, you can cancel at anytime.  Thought this would be great for one of those 100 degree plus days we've been having, when it is too hot to get outside.  And for $10 to try it out, I figured I couldn't go wrong!


Kiwi Crate sparks creativity and curiosity for kids ages 3-7. Each month, your child will receive a crate filled with all the materials and inspiration needed for hands-on fun, like art projects and science experiments - delivered right to your door!

http://www.kiwicrate.com/Refer?i=JenniferJ6


We have been enjoying some very quiet, relaxed days here at home the last couple weeks.  I will post some pictures soon!  Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

Project Life - Week 17

Today I am linking up with Jessica at The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday.  I have done Project Life for the past 3 years and love it.  This is my first time sharing my pages, but I am hopeful to continue doing so.  I am planning on it helping to keep me up to date on my album for this year as I am just finishing up last year! :)    I am sharing from Week 17 which is when I made a Week in the Life album.  I wasn't quite sure how to incorporate that into my Project Life album, but decided to go really simple.  I felt like I captured enough with my Week in the Life album, that I could just use my leftover pictures (no words even this week) to create a glimpse of the week for this project.

I added a small wood veneer heart to the title card & used Dear Lizzy patterned papers behind the photos in the 4x6 slots.

I obviously need to work on photographing my pages better to reduce the glare, sorry!  I am kinda liking how it turned out, though.  Nice & clean & simple.  To find out more about Project Life visit here.  Thanks for looking & have a great day!

The Fountains & Dino Exhibit at Crown Center

Last week we had friends here visiting from Oregon, so we took them to Crown Center!  They had a great time playing in the water and we always seem to get there at a good time when it is not crazy busy.  Finn ran up & down in between the fountains, while Lilly stayed on the outskirts, but still managed to get plenty wet!

There was a lot of shrieking & giggling! 

After playing for awhile, we went to lunch at Fritz's.  They never get tired of the train bringing our food to our table!  Then we visited the Dinosaur exhibit they had.  It was perfect for the little kids - great statues & activities and not scary at all!

Petting the triceratops.

They were exhausted & all three of them fell asleep on the way home.  We enjoyed the afternoon in our backyard just relaxing, visiting, & playing!

The Berry Patch

 We have been busy working on checking items off of our bucket list!  About a week & a half ago, we visited The Berry Patch for some blueberry picking!  It was earlier than usual, but the berry's were plentiful!  We managed to pick about 5 1/2 pounds and then the kids were done!

Finn was a great picker and only picked the blue ones!!!  His bucket is next to mine...not too bad, considering he probably ate just as many as ended up in his bucket!

Of course you can't leave until you have had one of their yummy blueberry muffins!

So good!

I ended up going back later that night by myself to get more.  I love having them in the freezer to eat through the year!  Growing up, I picked blueberries in the summer to earn money & I love that I can share this experience with Finn & Lilly - it has become a tradition that we look forward to each year!

Super Fun Saturday!

Yesterday was crazy busy, but it was crazy fun, too!  First for the day was meeting friends at Touch-a-Truck.  We arrived later than we had planned so there wasn't a whole lot of time, but it was enough time for the kids to enjoy looking at and climbing in several trucks & construction vehicles.

Finn knew the names of all the vehicles (I did not!) and they loved playing with all of the controls.

Finn & Avery

This picture is for Papa & Grandad! 

The event was at the park where Finn plays t-ball so we packed a picnic to eat before his game started.  He is really enjoying t-ball & it is all starting to click a little more in his head, I think.  He usually makes contact with the ball when he is up to bat, we just need him to pay a little more attention when he is in the field! :)  They are so fun to watch & his team has improved so much since the beginning of the season!

When we got home, Lilly went down for a nap while Finn & I went to the movie theater to see Madagascar 3.  It was his first time seeing a movie in the theater & he loved it.  I think he loved the popcorn as much as the movie! :)  

We ended the day with a little swim at the pool...the first time there this year!  This little girl is such a waterdog.  She loves the water and is pretty fearless!

Wonderful, wonderful day!  So very thankful for these days & great friends to share them with!

Hello Summer!

We've actually been in summer mode for a couple of weeks around here, since Finn's been out of preschool! The weather has been gorgeous & we are fully enjoying some more relaxed days! We have made a "Summer Bucket List" & I am hoping to get quite a few things marked off in the next couple of weeks before my surgery! I think this is such a nice way to prioritize & make the most of those precious summer days that slip away all too quickly! Plus, it is fun for the kids - some of these Finn came up with all on his own & he will enjoy checking the activities off as we go. I heard about this great idea from my friend, Helen, who heard about it from The Happy Family Movement. Here it is...

Swimming at the pool. Fly a kite. Pick Berries. Nature walk/scavenger hunt. Go to a movie theater. Play tag. Paint a glass jar really colorful. Game Night. Read 100 Books. Grow peppers & tomatoes. Road trip to Oregon. Get ice cream from the ice cream truck. Have a Breakfast picnic. Go to Wonderscope. See the ocean. Make popsicles. Go fishing. Go to the Farmer's Market. Make a tee-pee. Catch fireflies. Go to a baseball game. Make Sno-Cones. Play in the fountains/see the dinosaurs at Crown Center. Have storytime outside. Paint with different objects. Stay at a hotel.

 We completed our first item on our list already & I will have a post coming on that soon, so check back! Here is a picture to end with for today. We spent Memorial Day weekend at Grandma & Grandad's house & the kids loved the pool!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Twelve on Twelve

Today I am linking up to one of my favorite blogs Dear Lizzy for the Twelve on Twelve photo challenge. I love how theses projects make me so appreciative of the little things in life. This is my first month doing this, but I am going to try to do it on the twelfth of each month for the rest of the year. Enjoy!