Girl Scout Cookies

It's just about Cookie Go Day ~ a little over a week to go, and then the madness begins!

We start selling Girl Scout Cookies on February 5th this year. Girl Scout Cookie selling is officially done by Kelly and Paige, but it is a whole family event. For one, Mikey loves to help - he want to ask people if they'd like to buy Girl Scout Cookies and talk to people too. And DJ and Dad are invaluable, since they are the ones moving tables and transferring cases of cookies around constantly (and driving us to booths and the bank and meetings...)

Kelly loves selling Girl Scout Cookies. LOVES it. She plans it, practices it. Makes signs. Gets sparkle shoes to wear, so people will notice her. She was thrilled to earn going to Horse Riding Camp last year by herself and plans to do the same this year.

Paige earned her trip to London and Switzerland last summer.

So yeah, we are kinda into it.

This year - one of the top prizes is a PS4. So the boys have been very enthusiastic to help as much as possible.
In fact, DJ offered to wear this:

We will see how much he wants that new game console....


*see Kelly's sparkly boots?

We are also very excited that this year we will be getting to sell ONLINE!!!!!

Each girl will get their own ID (so you still need to know a Girl Scout) But then you can have cookies delivered to your door -- and be able to use a Credit Card
Yay

Exciting times right around the corner!

Son number One

It's not my birthday, or my oldest kids birthday that makes me start thinking about how much time has gone by. It's always Kid Number Two. Not this year so much, even though he turned 15.
Yep, Fifteen.

On January 10th.

Because his birthday is right after Christmas, it sort of sneaks up on us. We plan his gifts when we plan Christmas presents, but it really is difficult to ever do a party.
It's still during Break, so that was difficult when he was little....

This year, he wanted to movie hop with his friend all day - and the rest of us had plans, so we sang in the morning and gave him his Crazy Chocolate Cake I made. It was 4 layers of a 6" cake with mini chips on the side. Twix Bars and Milky Way Bars chopped up on top and then a Hershey Bar melted on top of the whole thing.

He didn't have to share.

He did a little happy dance when he saw it.

DJ at fifteen.

Well he isn't homeschooling it anymore. He wanted to go to High School with his sister. Well, he wanted to go to the same high school that his dad went to (never mind that I went there too, I don't count)
He's trying new things. Even if I have to force him at first. He's still doing well in school. We have had a couple of things come up. With kids. Now with a teacher. It's okay. He has to learn how to get along.

He hated Cross Country at first, now he loves it and is also joining the Track Team

It's funny, he and I argue - but I think it's because he reminds me of my brother at that age and I go into the Big Sister Your Annoying Me mode. I didn't realize it for a while, and I was just furious with him, like All The Time! Then I heard, HEARD my brother's voice come out of his mouth, and I went...ohhhh. So I don't get into it with him as much anymore.
And he's taller than me.

Mikey ADORES him right now. DJ tries really hard to be a good Big Brother to him.

He is a really great kid. He's kind. And thinks the world should be fair to everyone. He gets super excited over the wildest things. He wants to be funny, but he's not...BUT he finally-FINALLY is getting other people's humor OR playing it off until we can explain it. I think Fifteen is going to be a fun year for him!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013 ~
We had a great Winter Break. The kids played and we just relaxed and hung out with them.
Mike and I watched the entire series of the Walking Dead and we are almost finished with Downton Abby, so we are right there with the rest of everyone else now!

It's Back to school Monday, and I wish we had another week off --

3 vampires and one in training

So, yeah, they all begged to be Vampires...

I wanted them to be the
3 Little Pigs
and then have the baby be the
Big Bad Wolf.

Hmmmff

entering in The Paper Mama challenge

Kelly wanted to be scary AND sparkly ~

DJ wanted to "look dead"

(both of them ended up taking off their capes 

about half way through Trick-or-Treating)

Paige was a modern Vampire, with red bands in her braces!

and Mikey was a Vampire BAT!

The Trick-orTreat Crew

ghostly hands

You may or may not know that I love all art projects that use your kid's hand prints!
-- I have a cute Turkey one and a cute Christmas Tree one that I like to do since both come out great with different sized hands.
So when I saw all the ghosts being made in Kindergarten this year, we had to make our own! DJ was still at school when we did these, so my Tree will be filled with more ghosts once I get a hold of him ~

21 questions

Last April I Interviewed the each of the kids and posted their answers: 
Paige

DJ

Kelly

Mikey (haha)

It was really fun!

So I couldn't resist when I found The Unexpected Education had different questions ~

Again, I asked each of them the questions privately, so I wouldn't get copy cats.

21 Questions about Mommy

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?

P: I love you.
D: Listen to what you're told.
K: Clean up after yourselves.
M: You're my favorite, don't tell the others.

2. What makes Mommy happy?
P: Us listening to her.
D: A clean room.
K: When she gets hugs from a girl named Kelly!
M: Being with her family.

3. What makes Mommy sad?
P: When we fight with each other.
D: Me not listening to her a bunch of times.
K: When she doesn't get enough hugs and kisses.
M: When I have to get my FACE GLUED!

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
P: When she teases my siblings.
D: When she says how funny she is.
K: When she tells funny jokes.
M: She tickles me under my arm when I hold them up.

5. What was Mommy like as a child?
P: A lot like me.
D: Nice behaved.
K: Friendly and nice.
M: Quiet.

6. How old is Mommy?
P: 40...?
D: 42
K: 41
M: Just right.

7. How tall is Mommy?
P: 5' 1 and 3/4"
D: 5'1"
K: 20 pounds
M: Not taller than Daddy.

8. What is Mommy’s favorite thing to do?
P: Be on the computer.
D: Shop for rings or clean the house.
K: Hang out with us kids.
M: Being with her family.

9. What does Mommy do when you’re not around?
P: Does fun things with the other kids.
D: Takes care of my little brother and gets things we need for the house.
K: She takes care of Mikey.
M: Huh? I don't understand the question.

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
P: Most books read in a year...
D: A boss of something.
K: Singing about Blues Clues.
M: Being my mother.

11. What is Mommy really good at?
P: Keeping things organized.
D: Cleaning and helping me with reports and making sure things are done correctly.
K: She is really good at taking care of her kids.
M: She knows when I need my diaper changed.

12. What is Mommy not very good at?
P: Thinking about us getting older.
D: Seeing my point of view in an argument.
K: She is not good at being angry. She is kinda soft.
M: Having all the laundry in the house folded.

13. What does Mommy do for her job?
P: Blogging?
D: Watches Mikey.
K: Takes care of Mikey.
M: Not fold laundry...

14. What is Mommy’s favorite food?
P: margaritas
D: pasta
K: pasta
M: Mexican food! She likes Mexican food, you guys --

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?
P: When she tells people that she is proud of me, without crying.
D: The way she always keeps things in order.
K: When she helps me with projects.
M: That she loves my Daddy so much.

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
P: Fairy Godmother in Cinderella
D: Tony Stark from Iron Man, because she is so smart.
K: Ariel
M: Blue, the puppy.

17. What do you and Mommy do together?
P: Sit together and read.
D: Go see Peter Pan and stuff like that. And take walks.
K: We talk about school and my friends.
M: Everything.

18. How are you and Mommy the same?
P: We have the same sense of humor.
D: We both try and get our way.
K: Our hair is both brown.
M: We love Daddy. And Paige. And DJ. And Kelly. All the most.

19. How are you and Mommy different?
P: I like playing sports.
D: She always wins and I don't.
K: Our size. I will be taller one day!
M: I am a Boy and she is the Mama.

20. How do you know Mommy loves you?
P: She always gets me what I need.
D: She always says nice things to me when I show good behavior.
K: Because she takes care of me and gives me hugs and kisses.
M: She says it a million, bajillion times a day.

21. Where is Mommy’s favorite place to go?
P: Hawaii
D: Anywhere with us.
K: Tommy's to get margaritas.
M: Wherever we are all together.

the Greatest show on Earth

Grandpa sent us with the kids
to see The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus

This was my 3rd time ever at the circus. I never went as a kid, but I guess now I go about every decade! Mike  remembers it from when he was little and he I both agreed that this was completely different than any time we went before. It was more Circ de Soleil
and the clowns were actually entertaining ~

None of the pictures I took at the circus really came out. I played around with the camera a little and just gave up. I was too busy watching the kids reactions -- So Paige took a bunch and Mike took some too, but they are all just sort of blurry.
The show was long, but they all seemed to have a really good time!

the characters in the caricature

As you know, I love Legoland. Everything
is made out of Legos -- I mean, how cool is that?!
When Kelly was a baby, like 4 months old even, we went to San Diego and  did the Sea World, Zoo, Wild Animal Park circuit. Even though we had an exhausting fun time doing all of that, we also
went to Legoland.

I never really paid attention to the caricatures they did at the park, I thought they were cute, but never really considered doing one.
Well, Robyn (my mother in law)
decided while we were there in Legoland that she wanted to have one done of the kids --

and it came out SO cute!

I ended up later framing it and hanging it in the hallway.

DJ was/is really into Superman, we used to call Kelly Turtle 

when she was a baby -- and Paige just wanted to be a Mermaid.

So cute!

This last trip to Legoland, we knew that we wanted to have their caricatures done again -- we needed one with Mikey, right? Of course he was going to be a Gorilla...

We had them done, but I wasn't too happy with Mikey's. It was cute -- but it didn't really look like him. So I had another one done.
My father in law had them framed for me as my birthday present and Mike hung them up for me last weekend!

Kelly had to be a Princess, but I had to make sure that her missing bottom teeth showed --

Paige was a Tinkerbell Fairy. I love how her eye color was captured!

DJ was SO happy we let him have blood on his Gladiator sword...

And this one of Mikey came out much better! And even though he isn't a Gorilla, he is wearing Daddy's old jersey number ~

our Labor Day

Well, actually, we started on Paige's room the weekend before this last Labor Day weekend. She almost has two rooms -- there is the back part with all the windows, kind of a sun room and then the front part. We moved the bed from the back area and changed all the furniture around. We reorganized and re/hung things on the wall.
We turned the back part into a TV watching area --

I think the studio apartment I used to have was only a little bit bigger!

When we realized she'd need more room for books, we headed to Ikea and Mike put these great bookshelves together ~

DJ's room took us a bit longer, or at least it seemed like it...
We had to (once again) clear out a bunch of toys, but we then also decides to rearrange the room a bit.

Here you can see the door that also goes into the back part of Paige's room. Mikey was so happy running between rooms while all of this was going on!