Corban birthday, part 2

The kids and I returned Mom to the airport on Saturday morning. We were sad to see her go, but had such a nice week with her. The kids were feeling kinda low, but fortunately, they had Boondocks to look forward to later in the afternoon. Corban's friend and only guest for his "party" was Andrew. I'd love to post a picture of them soaking each other on the bumper boats...... Mom left her camera behind for us to use while we are without, but I don't have her cords, so can't upload pictures. Anyway, the boys had a blast playing video games and laser tag. The girls had access to a play area, much like a McDonald's, but bigger. They played in it for a bit, but really weren't that thrilled. They were patient, though, while Corban and Andrew did their things. We came home and had pizza and dessert, and that wrapped up part 2 of Corban's birthday celebration.

Lost camera

I hope you like my artwork, because it's what you'll be getting in my blog for a while due to my losing our camera today! (or possibly, it was stolen) ARGH! I would kick myself, but I think the stomach ache I got over it was punishment enough. We were having a nice day with Mom at an outlet mall and were about to leave when I noticed that my camera was missing. I retraced our steps, going back through stores, asked clerks, reported it to a security guard and even got the support of one sympathetic shopper in Eddie Bauer who helped me look for a minute or two. I left my name and number with the mall security folks who will call if it gets turned in. Miracles happen, but I'm not getting my hopes up. The camera, of course, can be replaced, but I'm kinda sick over losing the photos. Fortunately, there are a few here in my blog of recent events, like Corban's birthday, but I'm still bummed. So, my drawing, which could easily have been drawn by many 4 year-olds, is my best effort at showing Karis and Kaela on the mall carousel. Just use your imagination, ok? I know it's sad. And so is a girl without a camera.

It was a beautiful day today, so we got out and enjoyed the morning at a Longmont park. There's a skate park there, too, that Corban enjoys. He was kind of rusty on his skateboard, but had a good time. We took our lunch and picnicked. Afterwards, Nan treated us to Sonic. Java Chillers rank up there with lava cake, I think. So worth the calories.

Happy Birthday Corban!

My Mom arrived this past Saturday morning to celebrate Corban's 9th birthday with us. We've been looking forward to her visit and are really enjoying having her here. Dad stayed behind in TN to take care of Molly (the dog) and tend to the lawn and such. We wish he were here as well, but since we've had tofu twice since Mom arrived, I don't think he'll wish he were here! :)

Our plan for celebrating Corban's birthday included going to Boondocks, an entertainment center offering bumper boats, go carts, laser tag, etc. He was SO looking forward to it. Sadly, he got feverish and we decided to postpone Boondocks until next weekend. Corban was really disappointed, but his mood brightened when we gave him his gift. We got Corban an aquarium....our family's first try at pets! He's very happy to be the owner of 3 fishies now. We spent Saturday afternoon letting Corban choose rock and other aquarium decorations and then went back to PetSmart yesterday to let him choose some fish. He has 3 guppies named Azul, Sunshine, and Phoenix, named according to color. We'll add more fish later, so the excitement just keeps going!

Corban chose to have Lava Cakes for his birthday this year and they were so incredibly yummy! Kaela claims she wants them for her next birthday, as do I. I'm pretty sure we won't be able to wait until Kaela's birthday in September, so we'll come up with another reason to indulge in the lava cake's extreme chocolatey-ness!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORBAN!!
I LOVE YOU,
MOM

hug bug, red bed

I've got to tell of my excitement this evening after a successful reading lesson with Karis. Over the course of this school year, we've been working with Karis here and there on reading. Every time I did it, I would get frustrated and wonder how on earth I would ever be able to homeschool her. A typical reading session would include lots of moaning and groaning and rolling around on the couch (by her, not me!). Not fun for either of us. I decided to give it another shot today and it went SO much better. She was actually willing to do the work and after each success, she would say, "this is SO much fun," in her very typical over-dramatic manner. At one point, when I was about to help her with a letter that she sometimes struggles with, she threw her hand up and commanded, "Don't help me!" She also expressed that she thought her brain might be growing and claimed that her head hurt. haha Later, she wondered if she should watch TV, in case her brain was getting too big! (Rho always tells her that watching TV shrinks her brain.)

Mistaken Identity and mistaken season

At the rate we're going this spring, I wonder when we'll see some "Colorado greenery" around here! We woke to snow again today and temperatures in the 30s. I had moved the winter coats out of the hall closet this past weekend, so had to go and drag them out today! Wishful thinking, I guess. As we drove to swim lessons, Corban asked, "this is spring, right?" Only according to the calendar. Kaela is longing to wear the cute spring dresses I found for her last week at a MOPS consignment sale and Karis has worn flip-flops on days when I would advise against it, but don't battle with her over it.

I wanted to recommend a book that I just finished called "Mistaken Identity." I'd never heard of the story, but it was national news back in '06. It's the story of a terrible accident involving a van load of college students. In a nutshell, one of the survivors was mistaken for a girl who actually died in the accident, and was cared for by the wrong family for 5 weeks before the truth was learned. It's a gripping story (I read it in a day and kinda shirked my educational duties today to read it......bad mom!) and is encouraging in that both families remained incredibly faithful through their pain and give an incredible testimony for living for Christ.

Plays with Scissors

I went to an 11 hour scrapbooking marathon on Saturday called "World's Largest Crop." (That sounds a little insane, huh?) I played with scissors, paper, and tape all day with my two dear friends, Shannon (standing) and Michelle (seated). I had an awesome time chatting with friends while working on a Disney album from our trip last summer. Michelle, eager to display her scrapbook sorority-style spirit of the day, poses with decorations from the table. Next year we're wearing matching t-shirts, right Michelle?