First Day

5th Grade
Loved seeing friends from last year. Her homeroom teacher is also the science teacher and she has bugs on display & lots of scientific items floating in jars. She is excited to have a different teacher for each subject. Loved her reading teacher & the book she is reading out loud. Taking lunch from home every day. Yay!
 
2nd Grade
Her best friend is in another class, but she was happy to see some familiar faces in her class. She is the only one with homework for the first week & she is enjoying spelling. Also started practice with her soccer team {Violet Vultures} after the first day of school.
8th Grade
He didn't let me take a picture on the first day, but I talked him into it on the 2nd. Has been pretty tight-lipped, but is enjoying his classes & was nominated to be vp of one particular class. Letting him go his own way is sometimes hard as a parent, but understanding his choices is the best way to support him. He is growing up too fast. He has taken on more responsibility at home, and it has been a good start to a great year.

Syd & Ella start an hour before Christian and he was in the shower when they were ready to leave. So no pictures of them all together.

The girls ride their scooters, and I walked with them the first day. I could have jumped on Christian's scooter, but I crashed on it earlier this year so I stay off that thing. Parents were walking kids all the way into their classrooms, so I took full advantage of the photo opportunities. Sydnee requested no photos in the classroom. Just by the door is fine.

I also loved meeting their teachers, since Craig took them to Meet The Teacher night before school started. I was out of town. They are off to a great start!

Fiskars: Craft Table Organization

After we moved into our home, I decided to re-think my craft storage area. As I unpacked the boxes, I found many tools, and products that I had forgotten about. I decided I needed these out in my workspace so I could use them more frequently. I love how this piece from the junk store turned into something beautiful. And it displays one of my favorite new craft necessities: washi tape!It is also a place for small embellishments that seem to get lost in the shuffle of creating. You can read more about this project here:
This post is sponsored by Fiskars.

Week In Iowa

The day school got out for summer, we took a road trip to Utah for my sister's wedding. On the way we stopped in Davenport, Iowa. Yes. I know. It is out of the way, but that is how we like it. This was one of my favorite pictures from our week there. Best Friends. Priceless.



We had Whitey's ice cream about 5 times. Or more. I stopped counting.



We stayed with our friends again. The same friends I spoke about here. She is a keeper. A true friend.


We also really became attached to this Kona Ice truck. I really couldn't find a snow cone like it anywhere when we returned to Texas. It was awesome! {This was our last night there, so great to have our friends all come out to see us.}



And of course, we stopped in Des Moines for a visit with this family. {Look close, this photo includes the mamarazzi. I love it.}

I wasn't sure what this trip would feel like. Was it too soon to go home? Was it weird to see our home? Would this hurt instead of help the kids with the overall move to Texas? It wasn't any of those things. It was perfect! We can't wait to go back next year! Hey, it is only a day's drive...

Summer Recap

Summer of Cousins

Summer of Love
 
Summer of Soccer Summer of Golf Summer of Good Friends Summer of Swimming
It was a good one....

I Smash, You Smash

This summer, Sydnee & I have stepped into the world of Smashing. It is this great new concept similiar to scrapbooking, but with pre-printed books. Smash books can include: photos, lists, ephemera, all the papers from your junk drawer that you have been saving and can't throw away, decorating ideas, magazine photos, etc. I started my Smash book as a motivational tool for exercise and eating better. I have been using it for that, but it is also the home of many items I have been saving to 'scrapbook' but have never had time. Quotes, ticket stubs, convention badges, cards from friends & family, etc. That is what I love about a smash book, it is not suppose to be something you think about or design, you are just suppose to SMASH it.

I think my friend's daughter who has also started a Smash book with her mom said it best:
"Mom, you are trying to scrapbook that page and not just smash it."

Here are some photos of Sydnee and I's Smash books for you to get a better idea. Let me know if you have any questions. These can be found almost anywhere: local scrapbook store, Target, Walmart, and we even saw them at a Maverick gas station in Utah! haha

My book:





Sydnee's book: She has not decorated her cover yet, so here are some of the inside pages.


        
We have also started a Smash book for our summer adventures. We took a clear, 12x12 box on our trip to Iowa & Utah this summer; and filled it with items we wanted to save & smash. Our friend from The Vinyl Studio even made us a label for our box!!


Here is the first page, with the journaling by Sydnee:


Can you guess what is one of our favorite things to use inside our Smash books??  Washi tape! We love to tape down items and use it as an embellishment throughout our Smash books! It really only takes a pen & some glue then you are ready to Smash.

Soccer Weekend

We are on the road for a tournament this weekend in Oklahoma. A few weeks ago Syd's soccer team had their qualifying tournament. It was hot, hot, hot! They played 3 games & won all three!! Sydnee was off to an awesome start with 2 goals in the 1st game. They have a great position in Div 1 of the LH league. We are excited for the future. Syd is working hard & developing within the game more and more. She loves to play & it shows! One of the parents took some amazing photos during the tournament. These are a few of Syd in action. Thought I would post them here for the grandparents *wink*.

Fiskars: Backpack Personalization

 I can't believe it is almost time to go back to school. Just looking at the calendar, and my kids only have 2 more weeks until the big day.

I created some fun decor for their backpacks & lunch bags. You can see the full details & instructions here.

This blog post is sponsored by Fiskars, Inc.

Ella's Faves {8.7.12}

I found this worksheet Ella filled out this morning during summer study time. Some of her answers were too cute not to remember here!
Favorite Season: Summer
Favorite Card Game: Oneo {Uno}
Favorite Sports Team: Vilet Vochers {Violet Vultures. This is her local soccer team.}
Favorite Cartoon: Good Luck Charlie
Favorite Dessert: Snow Cown {cone}
Favorite Band: Taler Swift {Taylor Swift}
Favorite Superhero: Spoperman {Superman}
Favorite Breakfast: wofles {waffles}
Favorite Restaurant: Chick-ful-a {Chik-Fil-A}
Favorite Song: Enchated {Enchanted by Taylor Swift}

I just love her phonetic spelling.
P.S. This photo was taken at Niabi Zoo; where we returned to this summer during our trip to Iowa.