Potpourri

A variety of pictures and updates from the past week.

Our latest craft project: Easter Bunny S'mores for our favorite cousins. For the decorative top, I didn't have any Easter stamps, so we made one out of a potato.

I'm starting to get into this Urban Farming movement. A little bit. I'm starting small only because I have never grown anything from seeds before. Ever. Really. We'll see how this goes. Kari started off helping me but the invitation to play with one of the neighbor kids proved too enticing to want to stick around with mom to finish the potting.

Today we went to church and then we dyed Easter eggs.

Both Kari and Bryce looked so nice in their Sunday best.

Kari and Daddy cleaned out the fireplace together this afternoon, like a couple of service brothers, yet Kari can definitely show off her girly side, too. All while Bryce and I just sat back and enjoyed a little down-time.

Good Morning!

Back Together Again

It's good to be back together again. This past weekend we were all scattered. Kevin in Las Vegas, Kari down at Gran and Beep Beep's, and Bryce and I at home. While everyone enjoyed themselves in different surroundings, it always feels good to get back into our own beds and regular routines.

Kari stayed non-stop busy this weekend. She had a play date with her "cousin" (for lack of a better term, I have no idea how to identify Ella family-wise other than cousin), went to the zoo, made brownies, played outside, played games, went to church and went to a volleyball game.

No pictures from Sin City.

I enjoyed the extended one-on-one time with Bryce. We did things at our own pace. It was so refreshing.
I was actually in the kitchen quite a bit. I made my first batch of homemade granola and also a new muffin recipe. I recently introduced a friend to Weetabix. She in turn found a recipe incorporating Weetabix. I was so excited to give it a try since all we've ever used it for was breakfast and making a fruity hot cereal for Kari, and eventually Bryce. For those of you with little ones, Weetabix is a wonderfully healthy alternative to their regular breakfast routine. Unfortunately, I've only been able to find it at Whole Foods, so I stock up whenever I can. Give them a try, Mate!

These next pictures of Bryce were inspired by something I saw on American Idol recently. Many evenings they'll show contestant baby pictures and someone had put their baby in a big soup pot. Thinking back to Bryce's pumpkin pictures, I just had to give it a try; unfortunately either my soup pot's too small or Bryce is getting too big. (I think it's the latter.)

Leprechaun Trap

No leprechaun, however, he did leave behind a trail, oh and a snazzy new pair of shades!

Looking for Leprechauns

Hoping a little Luck 'O The Irish finds its way to our house with this Leprechaun Trap.

A Great Evening

We're just wrapping up enjoying an absolutely fabulous evening. For most, it would probably seem pretty unremarkable, but when Kari exhibits near-perfect behavior from the time she gets home from school 'til bedtime, we're elated.
We went to the "beach."

Bryce absolutely lights up around Kari. He absolutely adores his big sister. The feeling appears to be mutual. Despite the picture, Bryce is only feeling okay. He went in this morning for his seasonal flu and H1N1 boosters and came out with a diagnosed mild sinus infection. That, coupled with the eruption of his first tooth this afternoon has made for a bit of a cranky evening.

We played Hi-Ho Cherry-Oh! and Animal Dominoes. And then Kari burned off some remaining energy and wrestled with Daddy.

Springtime crafts

Between Kari and I, we've been quite busy in the craft department again. It seems like this winter (we are, by the way, officially entering Spring now) I used craft projects as a way to keep Kari busy and occupied while we spent so much time inside. Now that the weather is getting warmer, our projects are starting to focus more on giving to others. It doesn't take much to come up with a reason to do a little something for others, and the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday is a perfect example. Be forewarned!! Uncle Mark and Meredith, if you're reading this, your care package contents are about to be exposed!

Ms. Vicki's birthday was last week. Kari cut the film strip parts all by herself. She loves her scissors and cutting right now.

I made little fabric bags and then filled them with "green" things for Uncle Mark and Meredith. Kari enjoyed painting her clay figurines. We also found a cute little saying to go with a little candle.

This last one just looked too easy and practical to pass up. For those who don't know, I love dishtowels. I get weak in the knees, my heart starts racing and my wallet starts quivering every time I set foot in a Crate & Barrel store. I should be glad, and Kevin too- a dishtowel fetish is rather inexpensive compared to a lot of other things I could fixate on.
We'll be passing these out to Kari's teachers and a couple other special "crafters" this week.

Love

Last weekend Kevin surprised me by taking Kari with him to get my car washed- inside and out. There's nothing better than not having to feel the grit of the gravel parking lot on my floor mats. And while I do enjoy the occasional romantic bouquet of flowers, I'll take the practical signs of affection any day.

Virus

Sit tight, friends. We've got a major virus on our home computer. Hoping to be back up and running by tomorrow evening. I've got a couple of posts planned but was not anticipating this technical derailment.

One Size Fits All

Or at least at different ages.

Looking at the pictures of Bryce this week in the Pooh jammies reminded me that those were originally a gift to Kari from our good friend Bridget. It also made me keenly aware how small Kari actually was for about the first 12 months of her life (reaching only the 25% for height and weight.) Here she is in January 2008, one year old, crawling and pulling herself up.

And Bryce? He just turned seven months.

Seven Months

Today Kevin and I carried heavy hearts. The wife of one of Kevin's co-workers passed away on Friday after a very short and equally aggressive battle with cancer. At only 39 years old she leaves behind four young children. This evening was the wake. We left Kari with a neighbor but brought Bryce with us. It certainly provoked some reflection holding a young baby while talking to the widower. We pray for healing for this hurting family right now.

Bryce is getting really steady sitting up. This morning he sat up the entire time while I bathed him.


Tonight, Kari got out one of her baby books and started "reading" to Bryce. You may notice Kari is wearing red, white and black in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday today.