Photo Perspective

We were blessed with a sunny 70 degree day today, and the autumn sunshine is so nice for picture taking. V was overdue for a retake on our 2006 portraits, so we headed out for a photo shoot. Here is my favorite result. Isn't he so handsome? Today I've notice how grown up he is acting. He is definitely not the same little guy we brought home 5+ years ago. In fact, just for fun, I'll find a picture of V when we first came home and post it here for you to make your own comparisons!

I'm drowning in laundry today. It has been an incoming tide that never seems to recede. I don't have a hard time getting it all clean, it is the folding and putting away that seems impossible. Always makes me think of two friends from college who have laundry quirks. One is so particular about her shirt folding that she actually researched and learned the best method for shirt-folding online. The other imagines the wrinkles being permanently pressed into the clothes if they aren't folded as soon as the dryer sounds its signal.

Today I took a break to share how S helps with the laundry - NOT. She's actually so cute that she becomes a major distraction!

I wish I could figure out how to get these pictures next to each other here like they will be in K & V's scrapbooks, but for now you'll have to use your imagination. The top will be on the left, the bottom one on the right.

The journaling is pretty much cut and pasted from my last post. I'm finding that to be an added benefit to blogging about my pictures. Then when I'm ready to put them in a layout, the journaling was already done when the event was fresh in my memory.

Ooops, just realized I forgot to put the date on these. I'll have to add it before I get them printed.

As a precursor to studying World History, we were learning about archeologists this week. We picked up a "I Dig Dinosaurs" kit at the local craft store to get a feel for the thrill of searching and finding something in the rock or dirt. K & V spent about an hour chipping away at a block of glacial rock to uncover several unassembled dinosaur bones.

Watching V dig was especially fun. He could barely stay still enough to hit the chisel with the hammer.

In science we've been learning all about water and then about plants. We put the two together into a colorful experiment watching dyed water go up the waterways of celery stalks to color the leaves. Each one had a different color of water. (Miah & Miester had to join in on this one - it looked too fun to resist)When we looked at the bottom of the stalk, we could see dark dots where the water was being pulled in and up.
A week later, some look a little wilted, but all have extra color in the leaves.

One of my most frustrating part of my life these days is getting everyone ready to go somewhere. Inevitably one or two of the kids will be unable to find a matching pair of socks. Why, oh why don't those silly socks like to stick together? Why is it that one can be outside under the trampoline while the other is on the bathroom floor? One can be just inside the side door while the match to it is under the couch in the living room?

By the way, for those of my friends who are wondering how to leave comments, I believe you just click on the words under the post that say "0 comments" or "1 comments". That should take you to a page where you can leave a comment.

A funny story to share:

Last Saturday, I noticed that V had three safety pins neatly poked into the front shoulder of his t-shirt. When asked why, he replied, "Because that's how many years I've been a cowboy!" Then I questioned him on the source of the safety pins, since the only pile of safety pins that I was aware of was safely nestled in my "off-limits" drawer in the basement. But his answer surprised me, "from my bike."

"Your bike?!? Where do you have safety pins on your bike?"

"In the front tire," he responded confidently.

"You mean the tire that went flat a few days ago? WHY do you have safety pins in your bicycle tire?"

"Because Mr. G (a family friend from church) told me to put clothes pins on my bike and it would make a cool sound!"

Well, Mr. G made V's day a couple of nights ago by taking him to K-mart, buying him a new innertube and helping him to replacing it on his bike. Pete and I just shake our heads, shrug our shoulders and say, "Well, we never told him NOT to put safety pins in his tire!"

C-Meister loves muffins so much that he literally watches them bake. I have learned to hide them once they are done because we used to find them missing. Now C knows he isn't supposed to take muffins without asking, but he still can't resist taking one bite and putting it back on the muffin dish. These are zuchinni muffins, and we LOVE to have them fresh from the oven for breakfast.
We just had C in for his yearly physical. He's grown 2.5 inches and gained 7 pounds this past year. Way to go, Meister! We've been telling you those "green" things would make you grow big and strong!!

Our schedule has been crazy as of late - filled with dentist appointments, doctor's appointments and busyness. I'm seriously wondering if we will ever get into a "normal school routine". As a result, I've also been struggling to find time to work on the kids' scrapbooks. This one took me a whole week!