i heart my neighbors...

Yes, this photo sums up how I love my neighbors... a lot! On one side is a wonderful couple who does all sorts of special things for my kids - she lives on the other side of that white fence. On the other side is a family with girls... beautiful girls which I may later regret but for now, one is Alyssa's very best friends and they play nearly daily together. They spend hours playing with dolls, my little ponies, littlest pet shop, calico critters, playmobil princesses and pirate, and who knows what else but it is these sweet moments that I catch them playing, laughing and enjoying each other's friendship. 

The story behind this photo was that Dennis told them to pick some of the ripe tomatoes and he handed them a bowl and off they went... but I found them 15 minutes or so later chatting away and giggling so I had to have a photo. After I got the photo, they, of course, noticed me and I asked them if they were pulling carrots too? Not only did they pick tomatoes, a jalapeño and several carrots but they were eating them as they picked them... dirt and all! And they both had dirt smeared on their faces when they finally came in... seriously too cute!

squirrels in our yard...

Jaiden had a writing/spelling assignment this weekend that he had to redo because originally his handwriting was not neat and legible... yes, his teacher is tough and expects high quality work from the kids. Jaiden was, of course, irritated and said he had made the mistake of writing neatly on previous assignments! And yes, that statement must mean he thinks he should not perform his best right away so that the expectations are lower... very interesting... but anyway, back to the assignment. He worked on it this evening and I laughed out loud when I read this. I absolutely had to share it with you because it is clever, true and well written.

I also had to scan the assignment since it was so late at night and the photographs were not turning out well. His assignment was to write about something in nature that interests you and use four spelling words in your description. 

what he wrote: 

In my backyard I have a few apple trees. I have a great view of it from my window. There lives some dumb fat squirrels. They will amuse me by attacking birds and other squirrels. What makes me loose my mind about them is that they take a bite of an apple and throw it to the ground.

Hilarious and so very, very true! He should have added how his mom and dad make him pick up those half eaten apples!

cortinas ...

Labor day weekend... sigh, that feels like months ago but ironically it wasn't. We had a very low key weekend so low key that I took on a challenge, something I had been thinking about doing for some time but never really did anything with it. It all goes back to that honey do list I posted months ago.

One of the first things to go in this house was these dark heavy valances that were in the kitchen, eating area and extended into the family room... and for months it was bare. Then I had Dennis build these nifty trim pieces to mimic a built in look and that cleaned up the eating room and family room but the kitchen? 

It looked like this for almost 2 years...

which truthfully seemed fine but as things have come together in the other adjoining rooms, I felt like it needed a little color. 

So for about 2 weeks, it looked like this...

as I tried to decide which fabric I liked best. I had both in my "leftover" pile from projects... mainly gifts to teachers but I liked both pieces so I bought some extras with the hopes of finding something else to make from them.

As it turns out that paid off and I made these...

and I positively love the new look. Its hard to tell in the photo but the print is on a charcoal gray background with lots of lovely shades of blues that tie in the pendant lamp, kitchen towels and the colors that have slowly taken over the house. 

Now I just need to plant that basil plant in a pot so I can try to continue to grow it over the winter... maybe in a month or two!

the national anthem...

I am quite certain this was the best. day. ever. for Jaiden's singing career! 

Today, he sang with his school choir the National Anthem at the opening of Rockies vs Padres game on the field. I probably should have brought the bigger lens but Jaiden and I talked about what kind of photo we wanted and I wasn't sure I would get the image he and I discussed with the more powerful zoom lens, however, looking at the photos tonight, I kind of wished I would have... although I am not sure it would have been the most polite thing to do to switch lenses when I am supposed to be saluting the flag... 

Here they are walking onto the field.

 I was shocked to find that I had managed to find him in the sea of purple shirts but is in the front just below the X in remix and right behind the girl in the black skirt.

 And in this photo, he is again front row and just below the N in Frontier. Seriously wish I knew what he was thinking when the player ran in front of them?!

 And these next two photos were exactly what he and I talked about wanting to capture - the awesomeness of being on a field so huge in front of the crowds. My favorite part of this one is the fact that the screen announces their school choir singing!

And even more pulled back is this photo ... so freaking awesome! Look how tiny they look and the crowds were whistling and cheering like mad for the kids. 

Yes, that pretty much rocked our world today! 

ahoy there royalty...

Remember that post a few days ago about ahoy matey... well the saga continues. 

It turns out that wasn't any sweet tea party but it was the way royalty was announced as I was informed by Alyssa when I asked her. And then, today I found this...

 It appears a certain queen wasn't too happy about the latest announcement...

It's a mini playmobil soap opera happening in my house! 

Wonder who is left to overtake her?

To be continued...

thursday folders are back...

Yes, my all time favorite Thursday folders returned and sadly no longer are they filled with sweet artwork and drawings but their school work which, surprisingly, can be just as interesting because it provides a way to see into how they think.

I had forgotten about this particular treasure which was Alyssa's homework during the first week of school. She had to write a letter to her family about 1st day of school, what she did at recess, who she met and her favorite party of the day but the best part was under the section that starts This year I hope to... and she wrote

"learn cursive because my wole (whole) family nows (knows) how. another resin (reason) is I can read Jaiden's homework!" 

Snoopy little sister, isn't she?

The other cute part was that she needed a family member to read and sign it. She asked Jaiden first and then me! So now he knows what she is up to...

ahoy there matey!

a battle? truce? tea party? fashion show?

not sure what is going on but I came across this again this afternoon and it reminded me how much I love this stage of sweet playing. I love this pirate ship too which is weird I know but it is so darn cool and so I have saved it high on a shelf in the linen closet because Jaiden no longer plays with it but it reminds me of that time when he did and the hours he would be absorbed in conjuring up ... I am pretty certain... battles, not tea parties or fashion shows. 

Yesterday, Daddy took the pirate ship down for Alyssa but he told her (I wasn't home) that she had to play in our room so she wouldn't lose any of the pieces and upset me. As it turns out, Alyssa and Sophie spent nearly 4 hours playing with this pirate ship and other Playmobil characters, and just before bed I found it set up like this and it wasn't until again this afternoon I walked in and knew I needed to capture this moment... it is so darn fleeting and I am very aware these little hints of sweet play that I find during the day while they are at school may not be much longer... I want to savor these moments. forever.