My little Hikers

We went on a nice hike on Mt. Lemon with the boys yesterday. Ry-daddy and Uncle T took turns carrying I-guy in the carrier and Super-E hiked the 3 miles with very little assistance. The mountain is only a 30 minute drive from our place to get to 7000 feet with 75 degree temperatures. A perfect escape from 95 degree heat in Tucson. The view from the mountain side over-looking Tucson

School Update & Flickr

School update: Ethan did great at school yesterday. A couple of mishaps, but he was all ready to go to school again this morning. He's just not used to the regimented routine of school being that he never went to preschool. This picture was taken when we picked him up from school yesterday. TODAY: He announced that he has a new friend named Maggy. He saved a seat for her at lunchtime and she sat with him. He also has a buddy named Shane who he has already invited over to play. He's so cute!

Flickr: If you have signed up for an account on flickr, but still cannot see my family photos, here is what you need to do:

1) Make sure that I know you have signed up so I can add you to my list of family/friends. So far grandma Cindy, memaw, aunt Jo, aunt Jen, uncles Chris, Tim & J have been added.
2) Log onto flickr
3) Find my account (creative kismet). You can do this by either searching for me in Flickr, or you can go to creative kismet blog and click on my photo gallery(up top) or my flickr box(on side bar).
4) Add me as a contact (click on my photo icon and there will be the option to add me as a contact)

Then you should be able to see all 30 of my family photos instead of just 6. There are also more photos in the E & I photo set. Let me know if you have any problems.

Sure is quiet around here

All ready for the first day!First day of school has begun for my little Super E. He woke up this morning bright & cheery ready to go to school. We were worried last night because he seemed a bit more clingy than usual and had a major break down for what seemed like no reason at all. We thought that maybe all this change and excitement was getting to be too much. But, we were very happy to see him smiley and excited this morning.

I packed his lunch(inspired by the vegan lunchbox) with veggie rolls (tortilla, tofurkey slice, soy cheese, lettuce and dressing), organic strawberries, carrots with ranch dressing, 2 peanutty cookies and a juice box. I've never been a big fan of juice- especially in a box, but he's in school now and will be surrounded with these type of things whether I like it or not. I'll just have to do what I can on our end at home to keep it all balanced. He's very excited about his lunch. I imagine he'll be starving by the time lunch time comes around because he usually eats all day long at home.

In front of the school door- ready to conquer the world!

Me and my baby.

Am I ready for this? Can you see the tears starting to well up in my eyes and the huge lump in my throat? It's really hard to put your child's life in someone else's hands for 6 hours a day -5 days a week. Especially when he's been with us his whole life
(except for day care a couple of days a week for a very short time). And it's so quiet without him around. Usually it's non-stop talking and singing all-day-long! I miss it already. I-guy has taken over as the non-stop eater though. He's been standing in the kitchen or in front of the pantry door all morning long. I guess we are just not used to giving I-guy snacks. Usually Super-E shares his.

Tomorrow I'll report on his first day. I hope he loves his teacher, makes lots of friends and has a blast at school.

Last days of summer vacation

Havin' fun in the sun. Super E starts kindergarten on Tuesday. He seems pretty excited, but doesn't really understand that he'll be going all day- 5 days a week. I think he'll love it anyway. He's got his lead-free lunch box, backpack and new socks and undies- He's all ready to go. We decided to not get him any new clothes since Miss Sarah (his new teacher) says they'll be getting quite messy throughout the day. He's already got plenty of clothes perfect for getting messy. Poor little I-guy won't know what to do without his big brother around torturing him all day- poor thing.

Wedding Pics

We went to Aunt Jenny's wedding and had a fabulous time welcoming Chris into the family and seeing our family. Chris & Jenny are off in Mexico hopefully having a mmmmarvelous time. Thought I'd share a few of my favorite pictures from the wedding.

If you are a part of my flickr family- click HERE to see more pics of the wedding and our drive to AZ. If you're not a part of my flickr family and want to be, sign up for a free account and let me know so I can add you on.

We're on our way

We are up to our ears in boxes! We'll be all packed up soon. I'll write again after we get settled.
Happy Trails!

Oh poop!

We are having a poopy week. Both the little guys are having tummy issues. One had grossness coming up the north end and the other has is coming out the south end- if you catch my drift. We HAVE to get it all cleared up before our long drive in 6 days!!! Super E is starting to feel better, but I-guy has the most raw little behind you've ever seen. He just has the most sensitive skin!

We went to visit daddy yesterday at the Crow Mansion, one last time (today is Ry-daddy's last day). While visiting, we were talking to some of the lady's that work there.

E : "I (guy) is the shy one"
Them: "oh yeah, are you ever shy?"
E: "hmmmm, not really much."

Super E then proceeded to the back of the room to throw up on the floor. Poor guy wasn't feeling too well. You'd have never guessed he wasn't feeling well with his cheerful attitude. To make matters worse, he had his first dentist appointment a bit later. We were going to cancel it, but decided we might as well get it over with. He was a champ. He asked the dentist lots of questions, got x-rays and had his cute little teeth cleaned. The dentist said we should be expecting his first tooth to fall out by November! November?!?!?!?!?! I'm just not ready for all this. First school and now teeth falling out! What's next? A beard and mustache?

Anyway, I asked E how his dentist appointment went and he said it was "okay". Then I asked if he liked the suction thing while they were cleaning his teeth and he said, "Not really much."

I won't be posting much more after this until we are settled in AZ.

See all you AZ folk soon!

A splishy splashy party day

shape by shape

We bought this game for Super-E as a birthday gift. We saw it when were at the toy store yesterday and he was immediately drawn to it. I was able to pick out a couple of toys without him even noticing because he was so busy working on it. So I added it to my cart and was able to drag him out of the store without him even noticing the big bag under the stroller.

We only gave him a few gifts yesterday, and were planning on giving him the rest on Saturday, but he kept talking about this puzzle game, wanting to go back to the store to play with it. So finally, Ry-daddy and I decided to give it to him (by hiding it in the frig) and when he opened the frig door to get something, he was so surprised! He's been playing with it ALL DAY LONG!!! He couldn't wait to get home from the grocery store so that he could play with it. It comes with 52 cards with different designs and you have to figure out how to place the shapes to create the design on the card. It's supposed to be for ages 8 and up, but he's pretty good at it. The answers are on the back of each card, which he uses, but he also does them without looking too! I tell ya, the kid really blows me away.

Happy Birthday Super-E!!!

For all the things that make him all that he his, I love him a gazillion times. Because he makes my heart swell and melt, he tickles my funny bone and fills me with joy, he both amazes and astonishes me. He is spirited, dazzling and bright. When I look at him I see pure innocence, kindness and the most tender heart. You'll never meet a more friendly or generous 5 year old. For all this and MORE, I love him.

May you have EVERYTHING that your beautiful heart desires.
Happy Birthday to my little Super-E!!!

Playing

I-guy found this hat in the toy box and has been wearing it around the house! He looks so darn cute in it I could just squeeze him and bite off all his toes!!! (oh, sorry- sometimes I get a little carried away- he's just so cute, don't you think?)

I made Super-E some homemade *play* dough over the weekend because his store bought is all dried up and gross. So, I found THIS recipe and it works great. E has been playing with it everyday sonce I made it. I just made one batch of the recipe and divided it into 4 pieces, then added the food coloring.

Fishing for Compliments

I decorated the shirts with freezer paper stencils and made the shorts (instructions HERE)

The button bracelet I made several days ago was featured briefly on a very very VERY HUGE website called Makezine via another very popular craft blog called Craftlog. All very exciting for me. Check it out.

Happy 4th

We went to see the fireworks last night. Not knowing where to go, we finally decided to park on the top of a mall parking garage where others had gathered to see the firework. First, it started pouring rain, but that only lasted about 10 minutes. Then when the fireworks finally started you could barely see them over 3 building that were blocking our view. Thinking our efforts were a total bust, we were pleased to see that Super- E had a fabulous time despite the rain and view. He was screaming with delight and dancing around with joy! That's what it's all about anyway- right?Hope everyone is have a very nice 4th of July day!

Our Tucson Place

We found a place to rent. We'll be renting for a year so that we won't be rushed in buying a house, and we can really decide where we want to live. There wasn't very many good pictures of the house, but this will be the view outside our back yard. Aren't those mountains great! Not having any mountains here, it will be nice to see this beautiful view on a daily basis.

We will be really close to some great hiking area close to mountains and very close to a really good elementary school. Super E will be a little cougar!

Meet Sinah

This is the infamous Sinah (pronounced the same as Dinah). She is Super E's most favorite imaginary friend. If you don't know anything about her, here is an extensive list about her as told by Super E.

1. She was born in 2004, just a few months before the arrival of I-guy
2. She is now almost five (just like E). (imaginary people age a little faster than real people)
3. She drives a super-fast car that can get her ANYWHERE in a BLAST!
4. Her favorite places to go are Colorado (to see uncle J), Arizona (to see all of our family) and California (to see Grandma Cindy).
5. Once she drove all the way to Colorado and back in one day!
6. Sometimes she goes on big adventures to the Big Apple.
7. Her favorite thing to do is play with Super E.
8. When mom and dad aren't looking, they like to play obstacle games, hopscotch and bounce (especially at night when they should be going to sleep).
9. Together with E, she loves watching Mr. Rogers and the Big Wide World AND playing on the computer.
10. She and E like to tell scary stories together, but they don't get scared because they have each other.
11. Reading books is another favorite thing to do.
12. Sometimes she goes camping with her family.
13. Her favorite color is red, but sometimes she likes green.
14. She does not eat a single meat, because she loves animals.
15. She loves to eat blueberries, strawberries, apples, noodles and green stuff.
11. She loves to look at pretty things like trees, grass, flowers, mountains and the sky.

There you have it- All you ever needed to know about Sinah.

Messy Face

Strawberry, blueberry Pops

1 cup organic frozen strawberries
1 cup organic frozen blueberries
1 cup water
1 banana (for sweetness)
1 tbsp agave nectar (or to taste)

Whiz together in blender until liquefied. Pour into popsicle cups with sticks and freeze at least 4 hours.

The kids loved these. I should have taken a picture of them both yesterday- they had it all over them like war-paint. Ya know, you leave them alone for just a few seconds!!! I tell ya!

Good Buddies

Birthday Wish List 2006

Ethan's 1st birthday

In lieu of Super E's 5th birthday (can you believe he's going to be 5 already?), I have updated his wish list in case anyone is wondering what to get him. He has been compiling a list in his head and telling me what he'd REALLY like this year. Take a look to get some ideas.

Good News

The house is under contract and our closing date is set for July 27. We are slowly starting to pack and get ready for our big trip to AZ

Here are some pictures of the boys in our mini pool. Yep, this is the best we can do on a hot summers day in the Big D.

P.S. Does anyone know who this dirty orphan child might belong to?

At an art festival

We were kicked out of house yet again by more home shoppers all day Saturday, so we went to another art festival to get out of the house.

Fortunately, all of our house cleaning, rushing the kids out of the house, and sitting out in the heat has paid off. Our counter offer was accepted (yipee!!!) and we are now in our 3rd day of the option period (4 more days to go). Hopefully our home inspection will go well and we'll be on our way to AZ by the end of July! Now, we are getting ready for a massive yard sale. We are liquidating BIG TIME!