Happy Birthday Rayna

My sweet little girl is 5 today!  Lucky her, it is also her first day of school!  She is very excited about school because she's watched Serenity all year and knows what it is all about.  She is digging her new backpack with matching lunch box and shoes.

She really loves the water and took loads of swimming lessons (outdoors) this year.  When her teacher asked her to bring her some cookies she said, "My mommy can't bake but she sure can buy stuff at Safeway!"  Awesome!

She likes weird food together (just like her Daddy).  Ice cream and a pickle?? 

She made a pencil box at the Home Depot kids workshop with Serenity and Daddy.  The best part, it was all FREE!  Even the apron. (and they do a new one each month)

She went to dance camp and loved making friends and the Art best!  LOL  Great idea to try dance for a short period of time so that we didn't fork out the big bucks for something she doesn't love to do.  She'd much rather dress up like a ballerina and dance around our house!

She got buried at the beach!  Oh how we all loooooove the beach and spent lots of time there this year. 

 She learned how to wash clothes like they used to and thought it was fun.  When we showed her the one room school house I said, "The kids from Grades 1 to 7 all gathered here."  She said, "and then what?"  

 Biking fool.  Loved to race up at me and then slam on the brakes.  Little monster!

 Oh the wonderful ice cream at Dairy Queen.  Great treat on a hot day.

 Rayna is such a character.  She often makes goofy faces or gives me the "Pirate Eye" in pictures.  So hilarious that she wore her goggles all day at the beach (in and out of the water).

 She is such a beauty, inside and out! 

I love this little face more than I can say.

PS - this cow picture is for my friend Jo, who is an amazing artist and who also finds weird topiary cool!

No more babies (aka Lucius turns 1)

That's right, no more babies!  Lucius has officially turned one! 

He needed loads of help opening his gifts.  All he did is smack them a bit until the girls helped him out.

 

Then all he wanted to do was taste them. LOL 

  He was really interested in the trucks on these PJ's 

 Lucius loves his Auntie Sarah. 

He got a play table and was very excited about it, but so were all his sisters.  It will be a miracle if he gets to play with it on his own.  

When Grampa arrived Lucius crawled on over and gave him a hug all on his own!  How sweet!

 

OOOO Cake, Let me at it!!!!

I love how he decided to eat his cake!  Face first!

He was so excited and even started flinging cake on the floor and walls!  Woah, Sugar HIGH! LOL

These new Lightening McQueen shoes were a giant hit!  They light up!  Skyler was pretty upset that they weren't for her, she loves "A-Queen".

Serenity held Lucius's head and we still couldn't get a great shot.  C'est la vie!

I love my little man and can't believe he's 1!  Anyone celebrating anything?

Xmas PJ's

I looove buying the kids matching PJ's every year (these are from Old Navy).  Lucius got his in green.

I love this fuzzy pleated ribbon.

This year it is going to be much harder to coordinate.  Serenity and Rayna will no longer fit toddler size clothes.  ACK!  Anyone know of anywhere else to get some?

What tradition do you love at Christmas?

Almost 4

Rayna last year at the park.  On our way to swimming lessons today we saw a bunch of fire trucks and police cars and Rayna said, "Maybe someone fell down and scraped their leg REALLY bad!"  Can you tell that she's taken a few big falls lately?  Poor bug

Usually I sew on buttons but I couldn't find a small enough needle so I had to use glue dots - Dang!

Rayna still has a larger-than-life personality!

We've been spending tons of time outside this summer - how about you?  What's the best thing you've done?  My fave is hitting the beach!

First Xmas

Lucius's first Christmas!  What more can I say? 

Love my little man!  Amazingly, he was the best behaved at the photo shoot!  Anyone looking forward to September?  What are you looking forward to?  I looooove school supplies and crisp fall days!

Santa Baby

I've been in a bit of a mood to scrap Christmas - go figure!  So here's the first shot of all four of my bugs and Santa.  We went to get our picture taken on Food Bank Donation night so that we could help out and see Santa at the same time.

All Skyler really wanted was the Candy Cane afterwards. LOL!

What are you wishing for for Christmas?

Serenity and a Feather

Serenity LOOOOVES this Peacock feather.  As soon as she saw it in my stash she said, "Mom, you have to make me a page with that feather.  It did come attached to a whole whack of other stuff but I just cut it off.

This clock was made by a fellow Scrapaholic Trisha.  She very generously gave clocks to a bunch of us at our crop on Sunday and most of us used them right away!  Very cool - thanks Trisha!

 This picture was taken last summer and I love how sweet Serenity looks in it.

I'm still bitter that Dymo no longer makes these tapes for their hand held machines - I am currently down to 2 rolls and always get upset if I misspell a word and have to do it again!  What has been discontinued that you love?