SBXl

Spring Break 2011!!!!

A few weeks back we took the boys to Gatlinburg, Tn for a week of fun, water, and play. We had the privilege of staying at a place with an indoor waterpark! The boys had a blast (and the parents too) to be honest. THe boys are all at an age to enjoy things a little more independently and a relatively safe environment. THe park had 4 waterslides (4 stories high)-yes, a NICE stairs workout, a wave pool, a playground that sits in about 6 inches of water and has a ton of gadgets to turn or twist to spray water, and also a surf/bodyboard simulation. We played hard, rested hard, and eat well! A great combo for a break...check it out, but I'll warn you-the pictures don't do it justice....

I have a "TWEEN"....Owen is 8!

A couple weeks back we celebrated Owen's 8th birthday with a STAR WARS sleepover. I idealistically thought they would just eat pizza, wtch maybe 2 movies, eat popcorn and then hit the sack. Oh the revelations of a house full of 8 year olds....Thank the Lord Chad was here to help as was a dear friend, Zack. The boys were TONS of energy going from eating pizza, making a bonfire, building 3D "sturdy structures" out of pasta and marshmellows, watching things burn, hitting the pinata till it was demolished, playing football outsde till 10:15, and THEN starting the movie. We had a few early sleepers, but most stayed up till about 12:30, and THEN were ready to start again at 5:30AM!!!! We just rolled with it and let them have fun, and fun was had by ALL. Owen felt TOTALLY loved on with a very diverse group of friends from homeschool, church and scouts. HEre are a few snapshots......
All hands on deck to help decorate the sign
Owen wanted to make sure the parents knew what we were doing ....such the planner....just in case they needed to pick anyone up early
All of his friends that came to celebrate
My sad attempt to create Darth Vader...thankfully it tasted much better than it looked.haha
My super happy skater
"Pile on the birthday boy"
Half the boys still sleeping at 6:30am....the rest playing outside or upstairs
playing football till about 10:15 at night
Dear Jesus, Thank you for these precious boy that you have entrusted to us for a short while. Thank you for gifting him in ways that make him unique and fearfully made. I pray that he would grow in his confidence of You and Your love for him, and that he would continue to nurture and celebrate the way You made him. ..

Owen's 1st Violin Recital

Back at Christmas, Owen experienced his 1st violin recital. I have been so proud of his commitment to learning how to play, learning the strings and arm positions, and the perseverance to practice each day. I posted this for faraway family to enjoy his achievements but anyone else is welcome to watch.(sorry you have to turn your head sideways)

Bath buddies

Where's Griffin?
my 2 monkeys
lovin' the beards
I know my time is drawing near to having all my babies/boys in the tub together so here are a few pics of their tub fun when daddy was on a retreat. Most days, my oldest is wanting to take a shower so it was so joyful to see the bubbles flowing over when they all got in together.

Changing it up!

Well, after 10 years of wear and tear on our furniture, we are doing something new. We didn't want to buy new because we really enjoy the feel of our stuff plus we couldn't imagine just getting rid of perfectly good furniture just to change it up, sooo cheers to slipcovers!
After much search for the "right" fabric, I had a friend make the slipcover for our couch. It is now a deep chocolate and the chair and ottoman will be a geometric fabric that matches. To help cut some cost, I ventured to make the ottoman slipcover. Let me just say, I have a new appreciation for Lori Paschal and her labor of love for making slipcovers. Granted, it was my first experience so I know it took me twice as long with the learning curve, but the detail, pinning, stitching, and straightening is tedious!! But it is really fun to look at it knowing I labored over it and tried something new. It really was fun letting the boys watch me learn a new skill, fail, redo, but continue to persevere. And MUCH thanks to another friend who guiding my first cuttings for the ottoman!
I still have the bottom cording and hem, but it is essentially done! Here's the progress:
beginning to pin and stitch the top
The top and sides of cushion..
Essentially finished!