Chloe's Big Day!!!

She came home with this huge roll of paper.  They traced her and each class member signed it!

If you were wondering how old she is now... She's Seven!

For weeks she has been telling me she wants a new camp chair. 

Seth got her the little family peoples:

And Daddy picked her out a new bike:

She took a few calls throughout the day and loved all of the attention!

Then Dan showed her how to pop a wheelie and she thinks this bike is just too big!

This is the present she picked out and spent the money on the Grandpa Davis sent her:

We went out to cafe rio for dinner, her favorite.  We were going to go to the movies and watch Despicable Me, but it didn't start until 7 pm and I didn't think Dan would make it through the entire show!   We will have to catch it another time, instead we got Lego Harry Potter for the Wii and she showed us all to play!!!

Happy Happy Birthday Chloe!

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Happy Birthday Grandma Rita

We got together this afternoon with Grandpa at her grave side for a memorial.  I know she was there, Great Grandma Hannah was probably there too.  I just can't get it out of my mind that her mother, who lived to be over 100, just kept tisking, reminding her that Rita died the day before her 75th birthday. 

It was so nice seeing many of Dan's cousins and Aunts and Uncles.  After we shared some great thoughts and memories, we visited at Grandpa's over banana splits.  I loved it when Grandpa said he wasn't going to change their outgoing message on the answering machine, unless he can find a way to record the recording of Grandma Rita's voice!  She is missed so much!

I love you Grandma!!!

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Do you know these three bikers?

Can you tell were they are headed?

This is the second mile marker (the first one is mile 7).

It was a race to see who could win to each sign!

They saw some Antelope, Buffalo & Coyotes

If you guessed Antelope Island, you are a genius!!!

They road over the seven mile causeway and an extra three miles to the visitor center and then the beach!

Dan gave me a call and had me pick them up after they had spent some time in the water.  I am so proud of all of them.  This was a goal they had set and were determined to make it all the way to island before it snowed.  They have been working on their mileage by trying to ride their bikes to Aunt Wendy's and to the park nearby.  They are so, so awesome!!!

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There's a New Sheriff In Town!

After school yesterday, Chloe and I stopped to pick up Seth from Auntie Jenn's {AGAIN, THANK YOU!!!} and I was able to pick up the gun that Seth is inheriting from Grandpa Thomson.  Dan was just going to put it away, but thought Seth would like to see it.  He showed him how to hold it, and told him you never point a gun a people.  Seth was so excited but the gun was a little heavy and for some reason the end of the rifle kept leaning towards me!!!  He did say he was excited to go hunting and wanted to know "just what are we going to kill, Dad?"

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School Days

Man have I missed being at school with this girl.  I was able to go into Chloe's classroom once a week last year and her new teacher just assigned those of us who can a morning once a week to come in and listen to the kids read.  That starts next week...  Today I went into her class room just after recess and we

scrapbooked as a class!!!!

I feel like I missed so much that first day of school so here is her seat with three other kids at her table:

Here she is pointing out some of her work:

We finished scrappin' early and her teacher let her go a few minutes early:

{She has her own locker!}

She got to put her scooter in the trunk of the car today!

I can't believe how big she is getting.  I dropped Seth off at Jenn's to play with DesiRae, on the way he told me that he would soon be five and be able to drive himself places!!!  They both are just too big for their britches!!!

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Rain Gutter Ragatta

I don't remember being jealous of the boy scouts or Tommy for getting to be a scout.  There are pictures of me reading a book sitting around at Tom's own pine wood derby. 

Since I have been called to the Activity Days group of girls I thought it would be super fun to have our own pine wood derby.  Then I learned about the cost just to rent the track and the amount of work it takes to set it all up...  One of the primary leaders told me about the boats the scouts have to race and knew this was just for this fun group of girls.  They still get excited about just about everything, they still volunteer to say the prayer and they are friends with everyone. 

We had thirteen boats, a whole lot of breath and some crazy cheering ~ it was really fun!

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Save the Trees!

I have still been in the cleaning mode.  I have been going through every drawer, cabinet and cubbie in hopes to de-clutter our house and eliminate anything we haven't used for the past year or more.  I was able to get Jen and Desirae some new toys but the kids found the potato heads and confiscated them before we could get them out the door.  But she did get the little desk and chair, the little people airplane, the larger girly mega blocks, a whole bunch of kitchen food, and even some boy toys that were too babyish for Seth.  I started going through the two huge drawers in my office that hold legal hanging files folders.  I have two folders stuffed to the maximum and need to file them away in their proper place.  The one is bills and statements that I receive and file in a binder for 12 months keeping.  The second is Chloe's artwork. 

Most of this is from kindergarten but I was able to split the pile in two pretty equal parts.  One was a pile of worksheets that she might have cut and pasted on or practiced writing the letter F a dozen time.  The other pile was her artwork, her stories, her projects and packets from school.  They had a great representation of her handwriting and her gradual improvement.  I brought both stack into Dan and asked him, then begged him to let me throw the worksheet pile away.  He said he couldn't condone it and that she might just treasure them later.  Of course she'll treasure them later, she could scribble a little doodle on a napkin and I would file it away. 

She writes us both at least 5 letters a day and by the way, most of you reading this out there, she writes you letters and makes envelopes and we tell her that Daddy will mail them out to you...  She goes through so much paper, I can't keep up.  If anyone is so inclined to go through their scrapbook paper again, she has me down to bare bones. 

I found an idea that might solve my problem.  They make those frames that continually flash pictures.  If I took a picture or scanned all of her treasures, we could cherish them forever, digitally. 

What do you think?  Is this horrible not to want to keep her paper? 

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It is Almost Time!!!

They have arrived, the pumpkins are being piled up in stores as we speak.  I just love the Halloween candy aisle and laughed when Seth ran to the pumpkins today but wouldn't kiss them like he did last year.  Maybe this is an improvement...

We had to take a trunk full to the DI and Seth found this little beauty.  It was high up on a shelf and he was so excited when he figured out it makes sound.  But it'd not just James Earl Jones' voice and heaving breathing, no, this puppy can make your own voice and words and heavy breathing sound similar to that of Darth's!!!

Once we got home he was dancing around begging me to play the storm trooper song as well as Weird Al Yancovich's Star Wars song.  He ended up rolling on the floor singing:

Oh my, my this here Annakin guy

Maybe Vader someday later

Now he's just a small fry

And he left his home and kissed his mummy goodbye

Saying "Soon, I'm gonna be a Jedi"

"Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi."

Maybe we'll have to try again with his cape and light saber

but he couldn't wait for Daddy to get home today!!!

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House Rules

My good friend Andrea is right and I am putting way to much thought into these dag nab curtains but here is the level they will stay at until I can find some red tulle on clearance (maybe after christmas...)!

Also I finally found a place to put the new Subway art my sister Wendy is making.  I think I might have stained it a little too much but I love the way the different fonts look.  I can't wait to make some seasonal ones at make and take!  This one is called House Rules!

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Pine View Saturday Morning

I remember falling asleep after spending a day in the sun on my dad's boat.  I would crawl underneath the co-captains chair where there was a slight slant to elevate my head and enough protection from the wind rushing around the boat to keep me cool.  I like fishing with Dan because we always catch and release.  I only stopped fishing with my dad when he insisted we eat what we catch.  But lately it seams that I launch the boat and park the trailer then snuggle up, tucked into the co-captains side of the boat and sleep.  I can't understand why I can't sleep on my own comfortable bed for more than three hour intervals, but put me on a boat and I can sleep on the hard surface with cold metal circles in the floor (from where Dan repositioned the seats) and sleep until it is time to pull the boat out of the water or until my bladder says it is time to pack it all in.  It must have something to do with snuggling up under mom's legs and the motion of the water. 

We spent hours on the water on Saturday.  It started kind of chilly but that's why we bring blankets!!!  The kids get pulling in fish after fish once Dan found them a hot spot.  I guess I am also there to take the pictures ~ not JUST launch the boat!!!

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Green Ribbon Week

Today is spirit day at school and the kids got the opportunity to wear green and show their school pride!  She was so excited that I remembered that I had picked this wig up on clearance after St. Patrick's Day.

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The Main Event

Tonight I was able to talk Dan into coming out of his shell and joining me and the kids at the school for a PTA sponsored BMX Bike Show.  They also had dinner and a silent auction if you so wanted to participate.  Many people, like us, had pre-purchased tickets and once we had arrived just knew that the show would be canceled due to the wet wheather...  We watched the kids play on the school playground:

And while we were still waiting a couple of guys pulled onto the

school grounds in these classic cars.  They were pretty darn cool!

Vampire Diaries season premier was starting at 7 pm and we had already waited through the first show and decided that there was no point in waiting more because it would be shut down eventually!  Dan found out later that they put on a show for 10 minutes and then it was done.  I hope that the PTA was able to break even...

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Swiss Days

Swiss Days has been getting so predictable with too many of the same crafts; the vinyl, the jewelery, the magnet boards, as well as all of the crazy women who bring their children and their strollers!!!  This year we decided to make some crafts of our own.

Igor still has a bat hanging from his outstretched arm:

(and his hair still needs some attention)

Laura found some scrapbook paper that had this bride of frankenstien and frank on it.

I'm still not sure of their mouths, I didn't like what everyone else did...

Laura found this label and I was able to duplicate the paperwork.

We added the dough black widow spider!

We stayed up all night long until everyone finished their new creepy crafts.

Dan, Chloe and Seth had gone to Bear Lake for the long weekend.  I was able to stay home and clean the house.  It was so luxurious to do things at my own speed and exactly how I wanted to.  I put away all of my summer crafts and dusted everywhere.  I think it was too soon to put our my fall crafts so I worked on some projects that I have had for some time.  I bought this magnet board from Becky's garage sale, it used to be hot pink...

I made the kids Job Charts.  I have wanted clip boards for them.  They have wanted to be able to check off the items on their list and to take their list with them as they complete each task.  Walmart's clip boards were over three dollars and too cute.  I picked up some good old brown clip boards at the DI and decided to modge podge some cute paper to cover up the nick names that had been written all over it, his name must have been Richard!

I have saved the bottoms of the curtains I put on my back doors.  We have never gotten blinds for the other kitchen windows because we weren't sure what to do about the door windows.  The drapes have been up for over a year and I finally just took what was left over and made a simple seam and hung them with a couple of spring rods.

The curtain on the right seems too low...

I think this one hangs just right but is too short.

What if I added some red tulle to the bottom of the short windows and as a bow or tie backs to the window/doors???  I was able to play the wii without interuption, I was able to clean my office and go through boxes of stuff that didn't have a place to go, I was able to gather up a pile of stuff for the DI, and I got all of this done because I couldn't sleep!!!  I don't know if it was because I was alone in the house or not but I slept very little and am very glad that they are home!

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