Merry Christmas

Fishing you a happy halloween

Sunday

We were late for church for two reasons:
1. Andy got into the church bag and found some stale cookies he couldn't wait to eat.
2. Could these boys look any cuter in their lumberjack/hipster outfits? I couldn't resist getting a few pics on the way out.




We were late getting home from church for one less cute reason.
1. My car thought I was a thief. Apparently if the keyless entry battery is dead you can't get the car out of park. So they boys and I hitched a ride home. Andy cried "mommy's car" all the way home, for the next ten minutes, and after his nap.

Chalk it up...

I wish I could post some of the hundreds of photos I've taken this summer. But the thought of going through them all stresses me out. Hopefully soon I can show you pictures of our busy Fourth of July celebrations or our trip to Europe (sans kids of course). But for now I'll post two recent pictures. This is a typical afternoon on Poppy Lane... playing in the driveway.


Honestly the main reason I can't seem to get to editing my photos is that I'd don't think they are that great. Dave bought me a DSLR camera for my birthday in February. I've been wanting one forever and thought I'd have a knack for it. Turns out it is so hard. I've read unlimited blogs, dozens of books (including the manual) and have tried different lenses and settings. Has anyone taken a great class? Or do you have any tips?

Birthday Boys

The twins are turning two on Monday. But we celebrated on Saturday while dad was around. It was a simple celebration but a lot of fun.

We spent the morning at the zoo...

Played with new toys in the afternoon...

And experienced flaming cakes in the evening...

All in all I'd say it was a great birthday for two two year olds.

Happy Easter

On our way to the Easter Egg hunt.

Ooooh... We found some eggs.

Ben's best friend (besides Andy of course)

Ben absolutely adores Katie the cat. He only says a few words an of course Katie/Kitty is his favorite. I love how you can see his affection for his best pal as he's looking through his photo album.

Sharon's Retirement Party

My mother-in-law retired this month after 45 years of working as a laboratory technologist. She is a wonderfully kind person who deserves a party to celebrate her new found freedom and to reflect on her accomplishments.

The invitations to the shin-dig hopefully were reminiscent of the equipment she uses in the lab. They are petri dishes with a little magnifying glass (pretend it's a microscope). I think paisleys look like beautiful germs so why not use them as the theme for the party.


We have family that lives in a new townhome complex and graciously let us use the clubhouse to have the party. I made 120 feet of garland to fill up the space. It was pretty easy to make just a little time consuming. I bought paisley fabric to match the invitations and cut it in to strips. Then I stapled it on matching ribbon.

Each place setting was complete with a balloon tied to a vile of blood. Well actually they are just bubbles made to look like blood. The table runner are Chinese lanterns tied together with the fabric from the garlands.

Everyone wore lab coats. I love that Sharon refused to wear one because she said she didn't have to anymore because she finally retired.

Andy loved the bubbles...

Ben just wanted to play with the doors. Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures after the party started. I was busy serving homemade lasagna and frying doughnuts for dessert.

Happy Retirement Sharon!

Merry Christmas

Homemade Christmas Garland

To avoid any stocking accidents I decided to hang our stockings on the wall this year. I was in a crafty mood a few weeks ago and decided to make a Christmas light garland with ric rac and felt. I liked the look so much I spruced up some holiday pillows to match.

About Time

Yesterday Andy reached for his grandpa's hair. Grandpa Chandler said "yep Andy, that's what we call a haircut." I took the hint and today the boys received their first haircut.

I have to admit, I adored the unruly tangle of curls.

The boys did so well. No tears.

Happy Halloween

What does a giraffe say?

The boys and I were feeling really cooped up this weekend. Dad's on a long trip and boring old mom was staring to get grumpy. So on Monday we joined the crowds at Hogle Zoo.

I don't know how many animals the boys could actually see from their vantage point. But they didn't complain and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

They couldn't miss the giraffes though. Whenever as kids we were getting too loud, my mom would ask "What does a giraffe say?" We would answer "nothing at all" and were expected to be quiet. I like it and think I need to start using it.

Chickens

We visited our friends Matt and Tammy this weekend. It was great to see them, as always. The boys fed their chickens grapes from the vines. Ben thought the chickens were pretty funny and Andy fought them for the grapes.

Perfect Family Photo

Unfortunately it's not our family. Just Andy and a random family at the Bees game. Look closely and you can see that Ben also found a new dad. Well actually our good friend Nick has Ben but I have no idea who the family is that Andy made friends with.