Boys will be boys

Mike bought a bunch of fireworks in preparation for his trip to the beach on the 4th of July. So of course he and Jim had to test out a few this weekend. And they weren't satisfied with just lighting them, they have to try to make a bomb or blow up a container. That's one of the differences between boys and girls, girls don't need to blow stuff up. They were so funny as they discussed what type of container and they even talked about driving down to the store to get sparklers- because they make the best bombs! I love my boys and wouldn't have it any other way. Here are a few shots of the action and some random shots of the boys in my life from this weekend.

She's 16!!!

Today we had Morgans 16th birthday party at the house. We had a little bbq and red velvet cake from Wagners Bakery- yum. Jim and I had taken her out to Gardners restaurant on Friday night and gave her a set of pearls. She loved them and really enjoyed the experience of the restaurant. She'll be off to get her drivers license next week and soon she'll e getting job. I'll never forget the pretty little blonde haired girl I met 11 years ago and I am proud of the beautiful young woman she has become. Has being her stepmother always been easy? No way. Has it always been worth it? Absolutely. Love you Morgan.

The end of the day

Once our garage sale was over and dinner had been eaten, we headed down to the lake for some relaxation. Jim and Cameron did a little fishing and Morgan and I did a little reading. The weather yesterday was great, sunny, mild- I actually got a little burn on my shoulders. Morgan spent most of the time throwing an assortment of items into the water for Lucy to fetch. We were all amazed that Lucy could fetch that huge stick and then she did it over and over again. Cameron caught the first fish of the year, it was tiny so we tossed it back. I was so tired at the end of the day that this was a nice way to just relax for a bit and get some fresh air. We are having Morgans family party for her 16th birthday tomorrow, I'll be sure to update tomorrow night with some pictures.

Scrapping with Tiffany and Susie

Tiffany and Susie came over this afternoon to scrap at the Love Shack. It has been weeks since I did any kind of actual scrapbook page and these girls were just the inspiration I needed to get moving again. I completed 5 pages and finally moved on past "Long Beach 2004" which has been sitting on my scrap table for at least a month. probably 2 months. We talked a bit about our upcoming trip to Florida for CHA- I cant wait, it's sure to be a fun time with these two. Tiffany brought over the gift she made for Rachel's graduation- it's the cute flip flop album posted below. I'm going to make Rachel a bunch of b&W prints to put in the album. I'm sure she'll love it. If you're interested in your own flip flop album , check out Tiffany's blog for this months kit or her Etsy store. Tiffany also brought me over some of the paper she is using for this months kit. It's from Imaginisce and it's perfect paper for summer pictures. After a bit of stressing over cutting up a full sheet of paper, I made the page below using strip of this paper. It's double sided cardstock and both side have great patterns. Thank you ladies for the day- I really needed it.

Cameron

Rachel pointed out to us during her party that Cameron is really starting to look like a teenager. She had me take a picture of him sitting by himself watching the party because she thought he looked so grown up. Cameron is the "baby" of our family and has always been the one with the goofiest sense of humor. When he saw this hat during the party he put it on and continued to "rock the hat" for quite a while. I think he liked the hat and he liked the attention he was getting from wearing the hat. I hope he never loses his funky sense of humor and I count on him continuing the crack us up for many more years.

Love Shack Saturday

This Saturday my two favorite scrap booking partners will be coming over to the Love Shack for an afternoon of scrapping. It has been weeks since I did any kind of scrapbooking, other than shopping for more stuff of course!! So i am so looking forward to making a few pages and getting started on Morgans book for her 16Th birthday. These ladies are so much fun, I'm heading off to Florida with them in a few short weeks to CHA- Yippee. I totally need a vacation, even if it's just for a few days. And who doesn't want to go to Florida in the middle of July??? I'm sure it's going to be crazy hot but that's what air conditioning is for!! I'm so glad Tiffany asked me to go along. I have always wanted to go to CHA to check out the latest scrapbook products so this is an eagerly anticipated trip. AND I get to hang with these two for a few days!! Lucky me!!

Voodoo Donut and OMSI

Today we took the kids and cousin John down to Portland to Voodoo Donut and OMSI. The kids loved Voodoo, so did Jim and I of course. We bought them shirts and I had to coerce them to pose and kind of smile. Apparently they are tired of having their picture taken, too bad. OMSI is the Oregon Science Museum and it is way cool. There are tons of interactive exhibits, including the "hair raising" one I got involved in!! We spent a couple of hours there and then headed off to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch, Who-Song and Larry's. If you have never had a chance to try it I highly recommend you go. Yummy food, great service and they sing for almost any occasion you tell them about. This time it was Mike's Birthday and they even made him wear a sombrero- too bad I left the camera in the car.

Graduation Party Pics

Here are a few pictures from the graduation party his weekend. I took a ton, of course, and now I need to sort and get some prints made. The place we had the party was so cool. It was a courtyard with a fountain and a great set up. We really enjoyed the spot and it worked out perfectly- Thanks to Remax properties in Yelm for letting us use it! Looking at these pictures really makes it obvious that our kids are all growing up, none of them are little babies anymore. It's not sad really, just different. I think they were all excited to have a big party with the whole family, they all behaved well and were a huge help to me the whole day. I love the picture of Rachel with my parents, it's so typical that my Dad is making her laugh by being goofy during the picture.

Kim too!!

My beautiful niece Kimberlee graduated this weekend along with Rachel and we held their party together in Yelm. Kim is a great girl, very mature, responsible, no nonsense. I love that girl as if she were my own daughter. I'm so glad we took this picture of the girls with me and Nancy, I want to remember the moment forever. Our girls, all grown up and on their way into the real world.

The big day

So the big day has come and gone. Rachel graduated from Yelm High this morning. I was pretty teary eyed as she came out on the floor and they faced the audience. That's my baby in that group of young people and in a few short minutes her high school days will be over and she will truly be an adult. She will be moving out of our house next week, off to live with friends to get a taste of what it likes to be out from under my roof. I'm sad and nervous for her too because she thinks this is the direction she needs to head right now. It's all part of the learning experience of growing up. In a few short weeks she'll be starting classes at college, ready to begin the long road to become a nurse. I'll miss the girl you were Rachel, but I know I'll love the woman you'll become.

Getting ready

Rachel's graduation party is today. I took off half the day from work yesterday to finish all of the last minute details and still ended up working last night at 9:30 on last minute projects. I wanted to make some trading card type party favors with pictures of Rachel that people could take with them after the party. After I decided to embrace imperfection, I managed to get them done. Also did a poster board of all of the pictures I have of Rachel and Kim together over the years. It turned out cute. Now if the weather just co-operates.....wish me luck.

Time flies

It's hard to believe that this sweet little girl is graduating high school- this weekend! I clearly remember the day i took this picture. It was her kindergarten graduation from Our Redeemer Lutheran school. She was so proud of her little diploma. I remember thinking about the future and the day she would be graduating from high school and dreaming my own big dreams of the kind of girl she would become. We are just a few days away from the end of her school days and a few weeks away from her first days at college. I still dream big dreams of the woman she will become and I am savoring every moment. I love you Rachel!