A new resolution...

I was wonderfully surprised earlier this week to find an email in my inbox from an old high school friend whom I haven't seen in more than 10 years but have wondered about often. It was a fabulous gift and a good reminder. I've been rather embarrassingly slack in my personal correspondence of late. Once upon a time, I was really very good at writing letters and keeping in touch...honest. I used to know everyone's birthday and send little cards because knowing they'd enjoy getting one made me happy. I'd send postcards just because. I loved writing letters. And then. I had kids. And life has never been the same. I'm sure some of you can relate. :) After kids, simply remembering their birthdays and helping them learn their letters seemed enough of a chore.

So, while I'd like to think I've still made a decent effort at keeping in touch with people, I've come to realize that I'm much more likely to reply to someone than to send them a letter or email out of the blue...the very thing that used to bring me such joy. And that makes me a little sad. Because I really do love sending mail and taking the time to make it special. Maybe it's because the boys are finally getting old enough that I'm finding myself with a little (a very little) more time to spend time on things without interruption. Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic. Regardless, I am hereby resolving to write actual letters more often...actual notes just to say hi rather than shooting off quick answers to direct questions. I am setting myself the goal of writing a "real" letter at least once a week. I think I'll invite the boys to do the same. I'm so excited!

(BTW, I do intend to continue utilizing email in conjunction with this new resolution. Much as I love the feel of a letter in my hands, I'm fully aware that email provides the instant gratification that the impatient me craves. So, I may mix in an email letter here and there...the intent really is to actively send a greeting to some unsuspecting person in my life...to bring the smile that the email I received earlier this week brought to me.)

Oh, and speaking of happy mail, I'm rather proud of myself today. Finished the birthday invitations for the party we're having at the end of the month. It'll be a joint party for Asher and Micah (both their birthdays are in July)...with a bubble theme. I've got some fun plans, don't you worry...great photo ops hopefully. :) Anyhow, the invites turned out really cool. I printed them on transparencies, rolled them up, tied them with "bubble-like" ribbon and added a little bubble wand. Fun!

 

I've already started gathering party favors and supplies. Now, just wish me luck with all the kids! :)

Oh. And don't forget about that giveaway I'm doing for anyone who links me to some work inspired by the Album in a Year column...remember, totally doesn't have to be an actual month in review layout, just anything inspired by any part of it.  

Album in a Year?

So. Have you been keeping up with your Album in a Year? I fell behind a wee bit but am back on track now. Without further ado, here is my layout for April:

 

And here is May:

 

So...have you used any of the ideas, title blocks, or sketches for your own layouts? I'd love to see what you've been doing! Note: obviously this stuff was designed with the Album in a Year in mind, but I know some people have been using parts for projects all their own that have nothing to do with months in review...I'd love to see that as well! Link me to your layouts either in the comments here or shoot me an email (use the contact me thingie over on the left). For each layout you share, I'll enter your name in a drawing for a little bundle of goodies. I'll do the drawing next Monday (June 16) at midnight(ish). 

End of year picnic!

Just a quick note...had our homeschool group "End of Year" picnic earlier today (Sunday). While the weather threatened to disappoint, in the end is was beautiful...sunny with a slight breeze and not too hot. We had a great turnout this year (about 30 kids and their families...a portion of our total group). The kids signed each others' tee shirts, we took a group photo, relay races and games were enjoyed, food was eaten and water balloons were decimated in short order. :) Fun times. Here's one of the many pictures taken...just me and Micah competing to see who could balance these Squidgies on his/her head longest:

 

That's all for now. Stayed tuned tomorrow for a couple of layouts! 

27...or 33...

Happy sigh. Today was one of my best birthdays. I woke up to the smell of something wonderful cooking in the kitchen. My lovely hubby, having listened to me for the last month or two bemoan the fact that we have no Taco Time here in CO and, thus, no Taco Time crisp meat burrito (which I've been craving for some reason lately), decided to make me homemade crisp meat burritos...along with some very tasty fried tortilla type things with cinnamon and sugar...yum!

So...I sat and enjoyed my delicious meal whilst admiring the beautiful flowers my mom sent me yesterday and the orchid Nathan gave me last night...and Noah and Asher each brought me the cards they'd made for me (Asher also declared that his gift was one of cooperation today). A bit later my sleepy Micah joined us and wished me an exuberant "happy birthday!" I then spent the afternoon running various errands...BY MYSELF. Ah. The bliss of shopping without three boys in tow. Serious good times. In addition to more mundane errands, I also managed to squeeze in some time at my local scrapbook store and pick up a few things at Old Navy.

After heading home and unloading, we all went out to dinner (crab legs for me, of course!), where I uttered three sentences I never thought I'd say:

"Please don't try to melt your crayons in the lamp."

"Don't color your chicken." and...

"Stop eating the menu."

You just can't beat entertainment like that...provided, of course, by Micah...in between his flirting with the college girls in the booth behind us. Afterwards, we did some browsing at Barnes and Noble (looking at local travel books in preparation for the vacation we're hoping to take in July) and came home to a wonderful fruit torte "cake" and ice cream. Happiness. :)

Sure, it wasn't the most exciting day in history or anything, but it was great to me...just the break I needed and it completely made my day that Nathan came up with the crisp meat burrito thing all on his own and even woke up early to go get supplies and everything. (Note, in years past, I've almost always had to remind him the day of my birthday...I think it may stem from him blocking out the date since I dumped him on my birthday twice before we finally got engaged, LOL!) Plus, this weekend is the first two day weekend he's taken since March...another added bonus that made today even better!

Oh! You want to know about the title of this post? Well, Noah very smartly remembered that I declared that after 30, birthdays for women go backwards. :) He then calculated that I should be 27 today, right? Yeah, okay, can't fool time but sure can adore the boy for playing along!  

Well, tomorrow we have our annual homeschool group end of year picnic...so I'm sure there will be pictures. Keep your fingers crossed that the 20% chance of thunderstorms doesn't amount to anything. :) I've also managed to finish a few layouts and will post those as soon as I remember to take a picture of them while it's daytime. ;)  

Still figuring it out...

Our rhythm in June, that is. Today we had music classes, at a different time and day than we've been doing for the past year or two. Had to switch for June to accommodate the swim lesson schedule. Yesterday, you see, Noah and Asher had their first swim lessons of the summer. It was a long day. For all that they both enjoyed themselves and the lessons themselves are going fine, something is definitely going to need to be done about my sanity on those days. You see, we're not morning people around here.

(Okay, more specifically, Nathan and Noah are not morning people to such an extent that it's affected our entire family and our entire schedule. Once upon a time, Asher and I were morning people. Then Asher started realizing that it just wasn't as much fun without Noah awake also (both at bedtime and in the morning), so he switched. And thus began our odd schedule that keeps our boys up till midnight and doesn't have much activity happening before noon.)

I digress. Because we're not morning people, the early swim lesson schedule (and most kid activities for that matter...why must everything be scheduled in the morning, by the way?) doesn't work so well for us. The boys opted instead for the twice weekly afternoon sessions...which apparently fill up very fast. Hence (and there's a longer story here that I'll spare you) we ended up with Asher in a class from 5:35-6:05 pm and Noah in a class from 6:55-7:40 pm.

Now, when you factor in changing one boy out of wet trunks and all and getting another ready for class, there's not really enough time to actually go anywhere between classes and I wouldn't feed them dinner right before Noah's lesson. It's 20-some minutes from home so that's not an option, and there really aren't any parks within walking distance. So. I need to find a way to entertain Noah and Micah during Asher's lesson and to entertain Asher and Micah during Noah's lesson and to entertain all three in between. The facility really just has the pool and the bleachers area (which is, um, hot and muggy...it's an indoor pool, did I mention?). Now, really, Noah and Asher aren't so much a problem as we can tackle school work there or just read.

But. I ended up lugging a bag of books, a bag for dry clothes and a bag for wet clothes around...down to the pool deck to deliver Ash to class...up to the bleachers...down again to collect him and take him through the locker room to get him dried off and dressed...out and about while we waited for Noah's class...to the pool deck to deliver Noah...up to the bleachers again...down again to get Noah and then through the locker room again. All the while, I had the two other boys in tow, holding Micah's hand as he refused to obey the "do not run" rule on the pool deck and needed steadying on the stairs. And, have you ever tried to convince a 2 year old to just sit with you for three hours? Yesterday we tried having the other two (and me) read to Micah and had his ever-present doodle board with him. I brought an "extra" school book for him to "work" on while his brothers did. We all went for a walk around the block. Still, Micah ended up entertaining himself in the drinking fountain by the end and went home soaked because I didn't think to bring dry clothes for the one boy who didn't have swim lessons. Silly me. ;)  

Sigh. At least swim lessons are only twice a week and, for us this year anyhow, only for a month. And I know it'll get better as soon as we get a routine down. I know it's not really enough (the number of swim lessons), but that's all I have the endurance for right now, lol. :)

For a little comic relief, now that I've bored you to tears with my swim lesson story (sorry!!), here's a direct quote from Micah recently..."me belly's all very huge" (translation: "I'm full")...said with great drama as he stretches to display his belly and pat it in admiration. Such a character...