Karen Russell and Ali Edwards.

Lately I have been following/catching up with Karen Russell's blog. I just love everything about her work, photographs, scrapbook layouts, family...well, you get the idea. Everything. I'm so mad that I'm late to the game. A few years ago she was selling kits of her products and now it seems that she just wants to focus on photography.  That'll learn me. I found out about her site by way of another artist who's work I love, Ali Edwards. Do all awesome people live in Oregon? I have been busy with Ali's Week in the Life project as well as trying to keep up with Project Life...and a house...and four kids...and a husband and...

some good news.

Tuesday Alex brought home his scores from a STAR Reading test. He's waaaaaay above average...which we already knew. His grade level equivalent is 8.5 which means he's reading at a level equal to that of a typical eighth grader after the fifth month of the school year. (Alex is only in the fourth grade...and he doesn't read at all for pleasure.) He scored in the 94th percentile nationally compared to other fourth graders.

Alex also received a couple of awards...he got another AR star for completing his reading goals and an award for perfect attendance. (If nothing else, I make sure these kids go to school every day.)

Yesterday we had a conference with Helen's teacher. She's been very slow to progress this year. First grade is always a tough transition. There's so much more work compared to kindergarten. She's not quite at grade level, but she's been steadily improving. Which is great. Her reading level has doubled and she got a 95 on her last math test!

On a completely seperate note I just wanted to share a cute story. This morning Will and I were in my bed when I called him a little guy.
                                                 Will:    I'm not a little guy.
                                                  Me:   Are you a big guy?
                                                 Will:   No.
                                                 Me:   Are you a girl?
                                                Will:   No, you are.
                                                 Me:   That's right. I'm a girl. And Daddy is a boy, Jimmy is a  boy, Alex is a                                                           boy and you're a boy. Is Helen a boy?
                                                Will:   No, La-la is a princess.  

   

sweet little bunny.

Who's the cutest little bunny?

Why it's Helen, of course. I don't have any Easter photos to post yet. (Not sure if I even got any good shots.) So I thought I would share this. She had an Easter party at school before spring break. They had a math egg hunt and received goodie bags full of treats.

Our own Easter celebration was pretty low key. Mike and I filled plastic eggs with candy and set them out in the yard. After a few seconds the kids had found them all. (Four kids, 36 brightly colored eggs, small backyard. Not gonna take a long time.) After they came in we presented them with their baskets. Toys, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, more candy. Needless to say they were thrilled. The rest of the day we just hung around together. Mike made a big ham for dinner along with potatoes and what he now calls his "famous green beans." Canned green beans with diced tomatoes. He adds some other things, I'm not sure what...but they are delicious. But famous?

camping.

For part of Spring Break we went camping at Moss Park. We wanted to try out our new pop-up camper. I'm not sure who was more excited, Mike or the kids. It was actually pretty roomy inside. There are two full beds on either side, there's a sofa that doubles as a bed and the dinette folds down to create another bed. Plus, it has an air conditioner! (My favorite.)

One of the things we have never done in all the times we've gone to Moss Park was hike on one of the trails. We decided this trip we would go on a hike. Unfortunately we had lots of rain and many areas of the park were still flooded. Of course one area was the hiking trails. I did get a nice photo of the four kids at the entrance to the trail.

Helen was also kind enough to pose by herself. She loves the camera and the camera loves her.

Even though it wasn't really cold out (we had highs 0f 78-80) we still had to have a campfire. One, because Jimmy is a Boy Scout he likes to practice building and lighting campfires. And two, because what camping trip would be complete without making s'mores. Will didn't bother cooking his marshmallows in the fire...he ate them as soon as we put them on his fork.

We had a great time together...and we look forward to our next adventure.

You know you're a scrapbooker when...

* You usually have a camera with you.
* You wonder if you'll ever get caught up.
* You have tools your husband doesn't know how to use.
* You pull buttons off old, unused or outgrown clothes to use on a layout.
* You know who Lisa, Becky, Ali, Jennifer (who, me?) and Tim are.
* The clerks in your local scrapbook store know you by name.
* Your house is a mess because you've been scrapbooking all day.
* You know what CK, CKU, CKC, HOF, SOY and KOTM stand for.
* You can spot an Elsie sticker faster than you can say "Louis Vuitton."
* You check online galleries and blogs more often than you check the news.
* You save ribbon off Godiva chocolate boxes to use on your pages and cards.
* You change your child's outfit to match the paper you just bought...so you'll have the perfect photo to go with the paper.
* Your scrapbook bag is the first thing you pack for vacation, prompting your husband (or non-scrapbooking family member) to mention something about your priorities.
* You know that "Scrapbookers don't lie. We embellish."

Yes, I am definitely a scrapbooker . . . and proud of it!
(from Creating Keepsakes magazine, February 2008)

Another sign...you take photos of your scrapbook supplies. (Studio Calico February 2010 kit)

so cute.

This boy is so cute. We head over to the park everyday after school about 20 or 30 minutes before school lets out, when it's not too crowded. A few other parents do this as well, so a bunch of two and three year-olds get a mini play date before the big kids arrive.



Some of the "regulars" include Will's little buddies Tony and Chris. A few weeks ago Will and Chris got into the habit of picking flowers around the park and bringing to them to me. It was so cute to see them get so excited to pick the flowers, run over and present them to me and then go back to pick some more.



Over and over and over. They never got tired.



On Tuesday, the boys started their flower picking and Chris brought some directly over to me and then ran back to get more. When Will had picked his flower he ran over to a little girl and gave it to her. My first thought was: How adorable.



Then, every time Will came back with another flower he gave it to this little girl. Not even one to his mama. I couldn't believe my little guy was forgetting about me! I guess I'll have to get used to it. One day he'll have his first crush, then his first girlfriend and I won't be number one anymore.



But c'mon. He's only two.

Speaking of cute kids...my beautiful Helen had to get some teeth pulled. Like three of them. Way back when she was around one, she fell and hit the coffee table...with her face. We took her to the dentist who did x-rays and checked everything out. He said she was fine. Eventually, the teeth started turning gray but we figured they'll fall out when she turns five. (Jimmy had a gray front tooth and it fell out in kindergarten--but not before picture day.)

So we waited and waited and waited. Nothing.

Then, when she went in for her check up in January the dentist said the teeth had to come out. The two front teeth plus one next to them in order to give her more room. It turns out one of her front teeth had already started growing in before the baby tooth fell out. On the day of the appointment Helen was a little nervous. She was happy to get the day off from school, but not about getting her teeth pulled. But she did great! When the nurse brought her to the waiting area she had a mouth full of gauze and gave me the thumbs up. What a trooper.

I'm so glad everything turned out alright. Now, we just need to get used to Helen's new look. I think it's just as beautiful as ever.

rainy days and mondays always get me down.

Actually, rainy days don't get me down. I love the rain, it's so calming. And I like the feeling that everything is getting nice and clean. Who doesn't love a nice shower?

For the record, Mondays don't get me down either. Sometimes I actually look forward to them...everyone goes back to school and work.

So, why all this talk about rainy days and Mondays when it is neither Monday nor a rainy day? Dunno, I just like this photo of Alex (one of our Pictures of the Day) and I like that old Carpenters' song.