find joy in the journey

let's go on a date: july date link-up

This month's date was blingy and absolutely delicious.

First the bling.  My mom was in town for the weekend and took me shopping.  I got this cute top/dress which I wore over leggings -- I felt like I was flirting with the edges of "my box" with this color & pattern, and I love it.  Gold necklace, gold earrings, and gold braided belt . . . check

Everything is from Francesca's Collections.  To my Oregon friends, there is one at Bridgeport Village and they are opening up a store on NW 23rd soon.  Go!

In a post earlier this month I mentioned that we have only been to the strip once since moving here.  Well, this date makes twice.  There are always plenty of interesting sights as you drive down the strip.  The guy in tighty-whiteys and angel wings is something I wish I could erase from my memory.  But we endured all that so we could eat dinner at Max Brenner.

Have you heard of it?  I had.  From a blog friend who lived in New York for a while.  Apparently their chocolate is amazing.  One thing that is cool about Vegas is having access to all these famous restaurants originally from New York and other big cities.  Because if it wasn't for Vegas, the next closest option for Max Brenner would have been Philadelphia.  Or the Phillipines.

First course:  Churro fondue

We don't mess around.  

For dipping - chocolate, caramel, and raspberry sauce.

Apparently I eat churros the same way the English drink their tea . . . . pinkies up!

Second course:  Hamburger for him and Steak panini for me

It was all very delicious.

Third course:  Banana Split Waffles

This blurry iphone photo barely does it justice.  Vanilla ice cream, milk chocolate truffle, and carmelized rice krispies, over bananas and crisp sugar waffles.  I thought the melted chocolate served in a beaker was a very nice touch.

Dee-licious.  I think that dessert, dinner, dessert is definitely the way to go.  If there was any question in my mind about how great this restaurant was, this bathroom message sealed the deal.

After dinner we wandered around the Forum Shops -- perused the diamonds at Tiffany & Co., I tried on a watch in Michael Kors.

All day the sky was grey and threatening thunderstorms.  In fact, we had a mini flash flood in our apartment parking lot earlier that day.  When we got back to the parking garage after dinner we stood and enjoyed these views for a while.

Someone, somewhere, was getting dumped on.

We, on the other hand, were dry and happy as could be after a pretty wonderful date.

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Okay now it's your turn!

Here's how it goes:

1.  Go on a date with your husband.  Easy, right?  And post a wrap-up on your blog.  This is for anyone . . . whether you put together a Year of Dates gift or not.

2.  On the first of the month, come here and submit a link to your blog post.  Not your blog

3.  In your blog post include a text link back to me.  You're also welcome to use the image below.

4.  Lastly, have fun and visit each other!

 

 

12.4 hours

I tallied the numbers.  This week we spent 12.4 hours in the water, in the sun.

That's why Anna has such a great tan.  Don't worry, I do put sunscreen on her.  And all the kids, all the time.  We're on our 4th or 5th bottle of sunscreen this summer.  

We have two choices when it comes to surviving the heat:  1)stay close to A/C or 2)find a cool body of water.  This is basic desert survival 101.  Frequent trips to Yogurtland and 7eleven for slurpees also helps.

I love that the kids are getting so much time in the water.  I grew up swimming everyday from May to September (although there were some years we dipped into April and October).  My hair would turn green from the chlorine every year.  I lived in my swimsuit all. day. long.

If my kids didn't like swimming, I think I would be a little heartbroken.

Conner initiates all kinds of games in the pool -- Marco Polo, cops & robbers, races (with me), battles, etc.

Payton tests out a variety of cannonballs and was so excited when he was able to touch his nose to the bottom of the pool.

Anna is a little fish.  No water wings for her and she swims, jumps, plays all over the pool with no problem whatsoever.

These days our routine goes a little like this:

        morning swimming lessons for Payton & Anna.  And Conner swims laps

        eat lunch or pack a picnic lunch

        play at one of the numerous splash pads or swim at our apartment pool for 1.5 - 2 hours

        stay indoors for the hot afternoon - reading, tv, chores, etc.

        go swimming again when Scott gets home from work.

It's a pretty rough life.

 

the novelty of a cool breeze

Last night we all went to the golf course to watch the boys' last golf lesson.  The sun was setting and the most amazing thing happened . . . I felt a cool breeze blow past me!

It actually startled me and I turned to Scott to say, "Did you feel that?!"

A few moments later, again, "Wow!  Did you feel that air?!"

I haven't felt a cool breeze in months.  We get big blustery winds quite often, but the air is hot, hot, hot (day and night).

I realized that this cool air must have been created by rolling over the green, damp grass (the sprinklers had been on).  Each time it happened, I ooh-ed and ahh-ed and relished in the delightful, tingling refreshment of cool air.

I never would have guessed that a cool breeze would become such a simple pleasure.

We decided that we must install misters in our future backyard.

Also on the golf course, Anna was in bunny heaven.

Instead of squirrels and chipmunks we have rabbits.

We've seen the bunnies hopping around before, in the bushes, as we drive down the road.  But never this close.

She was simply beside herself.  In a hushed voice with silent gasps & shrieks (because we're on a golf course):  "Bunnies!  Oh they are so cute!  Look how close I got!  I'm definitely going to name this one Sparkles."

Pure, bursting-at-the-seams, elation and joy.

springs preserve

Even before we moved here I heard about the Springs Preserve through another blog (eighteen25) as they have given away memberships a time or two.  It sounded like a cool place, plus we got a coupon for discounted admission in the mail, so we decided to check it out.

The place is part Nevada history, part science, part desert education, with some critters thrown in for good measure.

Our favorite was the flash flood exhibit.

Payton has always wanted his own burrow.

Getting up close with a lizard.  This little guy was nuts.  Staring the boys down and furiously clawing at the glass.  The kids also liked the glow in the dark scorpions (seriously, they glow green), black widow spider, fox, and kangaroo rat.

We sat down in a theater to watch the live Bugs Show.  Anna decided to take notes (just like a college student).  This is a vinegaroon.

The Venominator exhibit was a huge hit.  It probably had something to do with this 20 foot long rattle-snake.

I think Payton just became lunch.  I bet he tastes good.

Getting friendly with the early Nevada settlers.

We learned that hotels consume only 10% of the total water usage for the Las Vegas Valley.  That was surprising to me.

A good time was had by all.

 

Payton is already asking when we can go back.  There is definitely more to explore and see during the cooler months -- desert gardens, walking/biking trails, a bird show.  We began walking to the desert gardens and then turned back after 2 separate staff members warned us to be careful because it was really hot out there.  One of those staff members was nice enough use his net to catch a cicada from the trees so we could see one up close.  They are much bigger than I thought they would be.

And that's all I got, folks.  Yay for history and creepy desert bugs!

 

pioneer day

Happy Pioneer Day!

One thing that is cool about moving into a large LDS community (bigger than Portland, smaller than Utah) is being able to attend a big ol' parade and party for Pioneer Day.  Actually, the parade wasn't big.  It was small, but it was something!

While most of my friends back in Oregon were playing the role of Ma & Pa over families of 12-18 year old youth on a 4 day Pioneer Trek -- dressing like pioneers, pulling/pushing wooden handcarts, camping, dutch-oven cooking, leaving all technology & cell phones behind -- we celebrated Pioneer Day with water guns!

The kids got to ride on our ward's Primary "float".

More like, water-gun assault vehicle.  I happily played the part of target practice.  It was hot out there.

A few parade highlights

TOP:  Pioner children sang as they walked // Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam // Mormon Battalion 

MIDDLE:  The Hustle performed by a High Priest group // firetruck featuring a "The spirit of God like a fire is burning" banner

BOTTOM:  Missionaries! // the cutest Primary float entry (and it's the ward we'll be moving into).  They all wore matching red capes and sang primary songs // Romney for President!

(One awesome thing about the parade . . . . they coned off just one lane of the road for the parade.  Which meant there was still traffic passing on the other 3 lanes.  You can just imagine all the cars slowing down, drivers with puzzled stares, wondering what the heck those Mormons are up to!  Hehe.)

Then it was on to the activities . . . . pancake breafast, face painting, snow cones, panning for gold, giant slide & bounce house, dunk tank, cotton candy, raingutter regatta, jump rope, water balloon toss, and a whole lot more.

It was a really well done activity.  All for free.  I think this is their 11th year putting it on (a tri-stake endeavor).  I'm glad we have something to look forward to next year!

Watch the Pioneer Day Concert - with featured guest performer, Katherine Jenkins, from Dancing with the Stars

crayons on the wall

So here it is!

Here's what I did with the melted crayon art from last week.

* 14x18 melted crayon art on canvas

* 10 - 8x8 instagram photos - convert to black and white and print at Costco (1.49 each)

* chipboard "love" from Hobby Lobby with some aqua paint

* glittery "JOY" - purchased at Fred Meyer several years ago

Originally I planned to go with 12x12 photos around the canvas.  But I was cheap and didn't want to pay 2.99 per print.

And I kept the swimming photo in color just because it looked better that way.

Hanging materials:  2 nails, 3M Velcro Strips, and Scotch tape

And now our apartment has some color on the walls.  Some life.  I can't tell you how good it feel to have family photos -- photos of us -- on the walls again.  Makes it feel a little more like home.

embrace the camera // july 19th

 

A self-timer shot before leaving The Springs Preserve on Monday.

Summer is going really well around here.  We're checking things off the summer fun list.  Our summer chore system is working out very nicely.  The kids show initiative and get their jobs done.  I don't have to nag.  I pay them on Friday and then we choose a place for Treat Day.  The last 3 weeks it has been Yogurtland.  I have no complaints.

An interesting observation . . . . Before, when we went out for frozen yogurt the kids would fill their cups and overload them with toppings.  Now, they are extremely conservative about the amount of ice cream they dispense and selective about their toppings (sprinkles).  And the total comes to $1.60.

It's pretty fun to see them understand and appreciate the value of money.

Last night the kids watched the heavily-anticipated new season premiere of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu!!!  I popped some popcorn for the event -- they've been counting down for weeks.  They each identify with one of the characters.  Payton is Jay -- because he is funny.  Conner is Kai -- because he likes his hairstyle.  Anna is Nya -- because she's the girl.  

Payton is on a mission to find people in real life with the names of Ninjago characters (first or last name).  So far he has found: Zane, Nya, Lloyd, Jay, Kai, and he claims to have heard Garmadon somewhere.  But there is one that still eludes him . . . Sensei Wu.

Get this . . . .  last night Anna started asking questions about braces.  Oh my.  Please, just stay little!

(see previous post about our college conversations)

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I'm linking up to Embrace the Camera

project life // instagram grid

This layout spans two weeks, two vacations, and a tale of sickness in between.  (I promise this is the last time the plague of summer 2012 will come up in a blog post!  Promise.)

First there was California.  Aside from the beach, I had very few photos from this trip.  Thankfully, my sister-in-law Heid took some great pictures of the kids swimming together.  I'll add an insert later with those photos.

Front of insert.  A gathering place for all of our sick photos.  I used an 8.5x11 Instagram grid (layered PSE template) to pull it together and I couldn't love it more!  Design Editor has some great new products in her shop - check it out.  She also has 6x12 and 12x12 instagram grids available.

"get well soon" - font is Channel

I decided to take a hybrid approach with the template -- some digital, some paper elements.  A screen shot just before printing . . . 

But I can see myself using this again and again, going the strictly digital route.  Whatever floats your boat!

Back of insert.  I printed out the blog post which details all the sickies.  And then I attached various prescription stickers and pharmacy logos for a collage on the bottom.

Finally the last page - Utah and the end of the EMBA program for Scott.

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PRODUCTS used:

• Clementine Core Kit
• Design A Photo Pocket Pages
• Project Life Cardstock - Clementine
• Instagram grid - available from Design Editor's etsy shop
• Silhouette Cameo

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Project Life is a back to basics approach to memory keeping. I've been dabbling in Project Life since Becky Higgins released the first kit in 2009.  I love that it is simple, streamlined, and keeps the focus on the photos and the memories. (The extra supplies & design-y stuff is totally optional.)  Learn more about it here.

I'm linking up at The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday.

college bound

Somehow, I've raised a worrier.

Anna is suddenly worried and concerned about the weather and what will happen if it rains too much or if lightning hits our apartment.  She's worried about being able to remember where she lines up at school.  And comically of all, she is worried about all things related to college.  Yes, college!  Nevermind the fact that it is 12 years away, she wants to straighten out all the details and logistics in her head right now.

Personally, I don't understand the worrier mindset -- I can easily let go of things that are not in my control or that are in the distant future.  For the most part I don't worry, fester, stress, over-analyze, or work myself up about stuff.  

So as she comes to me with question after question after question . . . brow furrowed . . . sometimes panic in her voice . . . . I answer all those questions.  But inside I just want shout - "It's a long time away! Stop worrying about it!"

The last few days we have had some in-depth and repetitious conversations about college.  Here are some snippets:

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When I go to college how will I know what class I'm supposed to go to?

You'll have a schedule.

But what if I forget?  I'm a forgetter.

You can print your schedule on a paper and carry it around with you.

But I won't know where to go.

We'll walk around campus with you and show you where all the buildings are.  Plus, your roommates and friends can help you too.

What if I don't have any friends?

Everyone goes to college by themselves so everyone wants to make new friends.

So . . . . how will I have enough money to eat?  I don't have very much money.

Don't worry.  Mom and dad will help you out.

Mom, what about paying for my apartment?  And my food and stuff.  I'll have to pay every week and I don't have money.

Again, don't worry about it dear.  We'll take care of you.

What do I do for lunch?

You can pack a lunch and bring it to school with you, or eat in one of the cafeterias.

Okay, I'm definitely going to pack my lunch.  How do I get my food?

You'll go to the grocery store.

But I don't know how to shop at the grocery store.  How will I get there?  I need a car.

We'll figure that out when we get closer.  But your first year you'll probably live in the dorms and eat in the cafeteria.

So if I have a car I'll just drive to college and go to my classes.

Actually, most kids don't drive to school.  They just walk to their classes.

But I will get lost!  How will I know which way to go?

You'll walk with your roommates and friends and you'll find the way together.

But what if I'm alone?  I just know I'll get lost.

You won't get lost.  

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When I go to college I need a phone, because if I get lost I need to call you so you can come find me.  

When I get my phone and get the cover on it, are you going to teach me how to use the phone?

And you need to tell me what your phone number is because I pretty much don't know it.

Mom, will you pick me up after dinner when class is done, because it's going to be pitch black outside?

Are you going to buy a phone for me, because I don't have enough money and that's going to be a problem because just in case I get lost.

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Yesterday I was sitting at the computer prepping this post, when I asked Anna to come in and remind me of some of the college questions she had asked so I could write them down to remember them.  Instead I opened photobooth on the computer, started the conversation, and discretely hit video record.

 

Shortly after our conversation she came back to my room to say,

"Mom, now that you've told me what college is, I'm starting to think it's actually fun."

today is

(new stamps from elise blaha cripe - sorry, they are no longer available!)

today is . . . cleaning day.  Bathrooms, sheets, floors, dust bunnies, toy bins, . . . nothing is safe.

today is . . . anticipation.  My mom is on her way here.  Making a pit stop again on her way to visit her dad.  We are praying for his comfort and peace.  He went off of chemo drugs last month and is just waiting.

today is . . . overcast.  90 for the high with a 50% chance of thunderstorms.  We've already had some sprinkles this morning.  (Get used to my regular weather updates.)

today is . . . july 13th.  Which means we have 6 more weeks of summer vacation.  Also, 64 more days to my birthday. (who's counting?)  And 76 more days to Anna's birthday.  She is counting.

today is . . . treat day.  The kids will get paid for their week of chores/jobs at noon and the plan is to get some shaved ice.  That is, if it isn't pouring rain or a flash flood comes up.

today is . . . friday. Friday.  Gotta get down on Friday.  Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend.

Have a great weekend!

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you might enjoy:

• this had me laughing
• we love watching the glee project - lots of talent this season
• this blogger always inspires, uplifts, and motivates.  And her shop is equally inspiring.
• I'm going to make this for dessert tonight.

melted crayon art

This week has been H. O. T. Hot.

113

111

Tuesday was the worst of all and with the pool being closed we determined early on that it would be an inside day.  The kids also decided that it would be a pajama day (something from our summer fun list).  Here they are still in pajamas at 4pm.

While they were battling Pokemon and racing Mario I decided to dive into a project that has been on my list for a long time.  Maybe you've seen it around pinterest -- melted crayon art.

I used a 14x18 canvas and about 2.5 boxes of crayons (the 24 pack).  First I arranged the crayons in the order I wanted and then hot glued them to the canvas, one by one.

Now here's where my project differs from those you might have seen on Pinterest.  They use a hair dryer to apply heat to the crayons and make them melt.

But . . . . we don't need to stinkin' hair dryer!  We've got the sun!

At 8:40 am I set the canvas on the porch in direct sunlight.  35 minutes later it was doing this:

Success!

The sun was shifting so I moved it to the stairs.  At noon and 108 degrees it was looking like this:

Ohhhhh, good stuff!

I went inside to clean up lunch and came back 20 minutes later to find a huge puddle of melted wax! Seriously it happened so fast.  But it looked awesome!

Once out of the sun, it only took a moment for the wax to harden.  That also included the wax on my hands and the wax on the cement steps.  Oops.

My pajama-clad, bed-headed boy models the finished product for me

I love it!

I'm working on a little wall display featuring this art. I'll show you once I get it all put together. 

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I've set a goal to complete 101 tasks in 1001 days.  This is #43 -- Make a project from pinterest

project life // from june

Me and Project Life are gelling again.  Here are two spreads from June I wanted to share.  

---- project life:  a day in the life ----

When the school year was coming to a close I realized that there was a lot about our daily routine which would never be the same again.  In the fall we might be in our house with apartment living a distant memory. . . . Conner would be going to middle school (which starts and ends at a different time than the elementary school) . . . . this would be our last year with a kindergarten-er . . . Anna was doing some cute things that I didn't want to forget . . . . etc.

So I picked a day to take lots of photos (mostly with my iphone) and take lots of notes.  For my project life album I dedicated an entire spread to this one day.  June 5th

(click on photos to enlarge)

I included an insert for the journaling and a title/date card.

Here is the view on the left . . . 

One of the things I didn't want to forget was the way that Anna pulled up her little pink camping chair right next to Scott every morning.  So she could be near him during scripture reading.

I love these cute little letter stamps .

Flip the insert over and here is the view on the right . . . 

This cute dinosaur drawing by Anna has been in my stash for a while.  It's not from this particular day, but I didn't want to lose it or forget about it.  Isn't it so cute?  The kids are leaving on a dinosaur, with luggage on his tail, while mom & dad wave good-bye.  I wonder where they are going?

---- project life: school's out ----

The left side covers the end of the school year including Anna's kindergarten graduation and Conner's 5th grade promotion ceremonies.

Conner had worked really hard to memorize the Gettysburg Address -- one of 6 tasks in the Great American Challenge for 5th graders.  (Memorize & recite the Gettysburg Address, The Preamble, U.S. Presidents in order, & The Star Spangled Banner, and write the Pledge of Allegiance (no spelling errors!) and all 50 States and Capitals (only 3 spelling errors)).  Those who memorized the Gettysburg Address, stood during the program and recited it as a group.  

Conner was given one of the solo parts and started them off strong with, "Four score and seven years ago . . . "

I was so proud of him.  And this pretty much showed me that I'm going to be a blubbery mess when it comes time for graduation from high school.

The right hand page lays out our weekend in Pismo Beach.

I used a free download from Design Editor to include some instagram photos in the smaller journaling pockets.  They are so cool!  Definitely plan on using them again.

And just a closer look at the back of the 6x12 insert.

PRODUCTS

• Clementine Core Kit
• Design A Page Pockets
• 6 x 12 photo protector
• See and Stamp Transparent Stamps - Lowercase

Project Life is a back to basics approach to memory keeping. I've been dabbling in Project Life since Becky Higgins released the first kit in 2009.  I love that it is simple, streamlined, and keeps the focus on the photos and the memories. (The extra supplies & design-y stuff is totally optional.)  Learn more about it here.

I'm linking up over at The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday

four month report

Four whole months. When we moved here I started collecting a list of notes and observations on my phone -- things that were different, new, odd, etc.  I saw this a while back on someone's blog and I thought it was a fun idea.  Each state, city, etc. has it's own feel and personality and quirks.  I thought it might be fun to document some of the changes we see coming from Oregon.

observations

 *No recycling bins.  It feels really weird to throw my plastic bottles and magazines and empty cereal boxes in the regular trash.

*Every park and school has huge shade coverings over the play structures.

*Even the Redbox machines have a "sunscreen" (a red flap) that hangs over the computer screen to protect it from the sun.

*The sun comes up eaaarrrrrly.  We are at the eastern end of the Pacific Time Zone so sunrise is about 5:30am these days.

*People love their pets and it seems that a lot of people are pet owners.  Lots of people out walking their pets in the morning.  My favorite was the lady who pushed her two little dogs in a stroller.  Nice.  And every single shopping center/strip mall has one or more pet store, pet groomer, or pet hospital.  But here's what takes the cake . . . . one day we came across a Pet Photography Boutique!  Yep, come and get your pet's yearly photos!

*All of the parks and neighborhoods are so well manicured and maintained (at least in our area).  I have never seen a house or neighborhood with weeds or bikes/toys/junk strewn about the yard.

*Personalized license plates are very popular.  I kinda feel left out with my assigned license plate number from the DMV.

*Traffic is fine.  People seem to be okay drivers.  They just aren't very observant, or they don't know where they are going.  The "last minute swerve on/off the freeway off-ramp" is a common move.  And every week the news reports another story of a pedestrian getting hit by a car in a cross-walk.

*There are a lot of smokers here.  Like, a lot.

*In light of that fact, it's quite ironic to observe that people are also very fitness-minded.  There are giant gyms everywhere, cross-fit and boot camp classes at the park, runners, cyclists, on and on and on.

*Workout wear is a popular style for moms at school, Target, the playground, etc.

*There is absolutely no green moss.  Anywhere.

a neighborhood drive-by -- my goings and comings take me by the house several times a week

the house

We are really happy that we currently have renters in our Oregon house.  {sigh of relief}

As far as the Nevada house, there's really no update.  The seller's realtor did let us know that a while back ago the bank requested a second round of financial statements and paystubs from the sellers, and they submitted that.

We are now 5 months into the short-sale process.  

I could make myself crazy focusing on that.  But I'm choosing to go to a happy place.  And pray.  And just be patient.

 at a local splash pad

apartment living

Last month the apartment was driving me a little crazy.  The limited space, the heat (A/C isn't the greatest), the uncomfortable rental furniture, stark white walls, feeling like I was in a cave (because we don't dare open the window blinds and let any sun (heat) in).  But I think my illness was a big factor in that, because since getting healthy I have been better.  I've found that not being sick changes your perspective on a lot of things!  :)

We go swimming nearly everyday.  I've found the magic hour when we have the whole place to ourselves.  It's pretty sweet.

Our 5 month lease ends this week (Scott lived here for a month before we showed up) and we're going to begin renting month to month.

screenshot from this morning. Note that it is 88 degrees at 8:02 am

hot, hot, and hotter

The high has been over 100 degrees everyday (except July 4th) since the kids got out of school.  Today we're supposed to reach 110 for the first time this year.  And as you can see, temps on tuesday and wednesday will be up there too. It's not quite 115, but as Conner said in his letter last month, I think I'm staying inside on that day.

Last week I bought a  sunshade for the van.  And I've practiced so I can fold those babies down to a circle in no time.

We went to the park one day at 8:30am so we could try the whole "play in the morning before it gets too hot" routine.  The kids were red-faced, sweaty, thirsty messes by the time we were done.  I think we'll reserve our play for the splash pads and pool until the fall!

church

I teach a class of twelve 6-7 year olds and they are a handful.  My favorite was when I repeatedly asked a boy to be quiet during Primary, and he just wouldn't.  I finally said, "C, please be quiet.  It is not your turn to talk right now."  And then he mumbled, "It's not your turn to talk either."  From a 6 year old!  Class was a bit better yesterday, but I still feel like I'm wrangling a bunch of monkeys.

I went Visiting Teaching the other week and got to meet a few more sisters in the ward.  

When I talk kids with other women I repeatedly get the wide-eyed,  "Oh, so you have older kids" comment.  There are lots and lots of really young families here.  My favorite comment was at a park playdate a while back, and after listing the ages of my kids one mom said, "So you're a real mom."  Okay . . . .  I can kind of understand the divide between moms of older & younger kids, but in my situation it's just weird to feel like you're being placed in a separate camp.  Can't we all just get along?  :)

We have a routine where we get to church pretty early and Scott & the boys help a few other men set up chairs in the cultural hall (for over-flow from the chapel).  It just makes me happy to see them helping.

Our ward organist is amazing.

wrap-up

We are doing good.  Everyone is happy and healthy.  My yearnings for a house of our own are growing a bit, but I try not to focus on that.  For now we are enjoying the summer, the lazy days, swimming, getting super awesome tans, and spending time together.

And for those who might be curious, since moving to Vegas 4 months ago we have been down to the strip . . . . once.

celebrating the 4th

In a perfect world, our first 4th of July in Vegas would have involved the following . . . . . 

Going to a city parade, swimming all day in our pool, BBQ-ing hamburgers & hot dogs on the grill in the back yard, and lighting fireworks in the culdesac.

To me, that is the 4th of July.  (At least when you live in warm places.  In Oregon, forget about the swimming - grab a sweater!)

But we don't have our own pool, yet.  (I like to avoid the apartment pool on saturdays & holidays because that's when the crowds and smokers/drinkers come out).  And we don't have a BBQ grill.  (Sold it in Oregon, plus it's against the rules to have one on your patio here).  And lighting fireworks is not allowed in the complex.  (That rule is a-okay with me.)  

Hmm, so how do we celebrate the 4th?  That was my question for weeks.  I love the 4th of July.  I didn't want to miss out on having a great holiday.

I did some research.  Scott asked around at work.  And we came up with some ideas and options that I think worked out very well.

I love small town parades.  Especially parades on the 4th of July!  Lucky for us the sun stayed behind the clouds all morning and temperatures hovered in the low-80's.  That is unheard of.  What amazing luck!

Oh I so need a haircut.  Patience.  Trying to wait through the summer because it's going to be in a ponytail or in a pool most days anyway.

This creepy fish made the rounds with Lake Mead Park Rangers, reminding kids to wear life jackets on the water.  Note: later that day 6 boats capsized or sank on Lake Mead due to high winds.

Anna was my little model for the day . . . 

The only thing the parade was missing was a marching band.  How am I supposed to celebrate my nation's independence without a marching band?!  It's a travesty.  Moving on . . . . 

Before the fireworks show there was music, food, and activities going on in the park.  We weren't necessarily interested in those, but we did take a stroll through the park to check it out and eventually settled on a nice patch of cool grass to hang out for a while.

Now let's talk about this gorgeous light for a moment, shall we?

Okay, that's all.

Here's where our genius/lucky plan comes into play.  There is an LDS church one block from the park, up the hill.  Between the park and the church is an empty, dusty, desert-y field.  So . . . . we parked at the church, giving us a clear, unobstructed view of the fireworks show.  It really could not have worked out better.

These family pictures (taken with a self-timer on the back of the van) show our vantage point.

And then the show began . . . 

18 minutes of patriotic explosion!

Partway through the program the large, yellow-ish moon rose above the mountains in front of us.  I loved our view.

Just such a great evening.  And then came the finale.  Wow! 

My camera was on the same manual settings as the previous fireworks photos, and I wasn't going to spend time fiddling with it.  So this is the photo I got.

Talk about "bombs bursting in air."  All we could talk about on the way home (and the next day) was the amazing finale.

I think we pulled together a pretty great 4th of July celebration for ourselves.  The kids are a little disappointed they didn't get to do sparklers and I had a few heart-pangs, missing my Oregon friends who were all together for the 4th (a tradition for our clan).  But we were together as a family, exploring, and making new traditions in our new home.  Plus, this holiday gave us the opportunity to take our first family photo together in Nevada!

Next year we're looking forward to swimming in our pool, BBQ-ing in our backyard, and watching the city fireworks from our balcony.  That will be heaven.

getting 4th of July crafty

So at this point you can pretty much count on me posting any and all holiday related crafts after the holiday! This slower-paced, transitional, temporary, housing-up-in-the-air situation is affecting all parts of our life, I think.  But hey, if you like you can always "pin" the ideas and save them for next year.

On Tuesday I decided it was time to take down the spring banner and put up some 4th of July decor.   

After a run to Michael's we were ready to go.

cardstock, glitter paper, tissue paper, ribbon, cupcake wrappers, star garland, yarn, red ribbon, paint . . . 

First up, the kids made some toilet paper tube firecrackers.  I think they turned out great, and the kids really enjoyed the project.

And I worked on a new 4th of July banner

The circles, USA letters (on glitter paper), and USA map were all cut on my Silhouette Cameo.  Loving that thing.

Then I just strung it on some white yarn with red & blue cupcake wrappers.  Easy peasy!

See that stack of stars in the above photo?  I had the boys paint the edges with red and blue paint.  The plan was to then write a bunch of stuff about America on the stars (freedoms, things we love, etc.) and add them to the wall right below the USA banner.  But that hasn't happened quite yet.

Lastly, I've been itching to make some paper accordions and this holiday was the perfect opportunity.  I love them!  

paper accordion + cupcake wrapper + glitter paper = festive 4th of july decor