Day One: Beautiful Outside Things as Art

I've decided to try Victoria's Art Challenge.  I am not a photographer, but I did get some tips from one and tried some different settings on my camera. One day I could actually BE a photographer, if I keep trying.

On Day One, I thought of looking for the beauty of spring outside. It is still cold and snowy here, but there are definitely signs that it won't last forever!

Link to Victoria's Giveaway!

Victoria is doing a fun giveaway. You can win a photo shoot or a homemade loaf of bread, cookbook and apron! Check it out.

He does have eyes!

Scooter got his first haircut today! Here's before:

And after:

The kids think he's much more loveable now!!

Dishwashers

What brand of dishwasher do you have? Do you like it? We need a new one and I need comments and recommendations!!

Trip to St. George

We went to St. George to look at some potential house investments. It was nice to get into some warmer weather, but it wasn't really warmer enough for me. We stayed in our favorite hotel, Abbey Inn, and the kids enjoyed swimming and hanging out.

Here's Jared, Tanner and Kiersten at the top of a mountain of dirt.

Jared is pointing to this house and that one.
Here's a storm we ran into just past Fillmore. It was really beautiful, but very windy!!

Scrapbooking Night

I've decided that the only way to get caught up with my scrapbooking is to... do it. So I've invited some ladies over once a month to scrapbook. Which is great, but I don't get much done while I'm chatting. The nice thing, though, is that it does motivate me to work on it for a few days each time. So here is the page I did today. I LOVE these pictures.

Brittany's Braces

So I haven't gotten her to let me take a photo yet, but Brittany got her braces yesterday. Yes, she did have braces before. Actually she had a pallet expander, a first phase and a second phase of braces, and she also had tongue thrust therapy. But we are finding out that her teeth are a little flared because she really doesn't have enough room in her mouth for all those teeth, so she is having braces again and having four teeth pulled. She is sad, but really wants to have nice teeth. So she is doing it.

As a side note, she already has one bracket that has come off!

Asperger Syndrome

Tanner was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome earlier this year. If you'd like to read more about it, click on the link in the list to the right. When you get to that page, click on the "What is AS?" link on the left side of the page.

Kiersten's Birthday Bike

Kiersten got a brand-new GIRL bike for her birthday. She has been tired of riding boy's style bikes (the hand-me-downs!). It's purple and pink, her favorite colors!

Jared got his braces!

Jared got his new braces today! He is only supposed to have them for a year, if he's really good about wearing the rubber bands.  He is quite concerned about his looks, but is trying to look forward to getting his teeth all perfect and whitened and shaped correctly. So exciting!

My Birthday Tiller!

This is my new tiller I got for my 40th birthday! I'm so excited! I hired someone to bury the garden sprinklers better, so I won't kill the piping every time I till. I bought my pea seeds, so I'm all ready to go. As soon as the snow stops. It was 80 degrees the other day! But now it's snowing...

(Isn't it just a little sad that I can wax poetic about the tiller, but not on Tanner's party?)

Tanner's 12th Birthday!

Tanner had a great 12th birthday party! He invited four good friends. They watched a movie, Igor (not so great), and then played night games outside (before the cold front rolled in).

Brittany Academic Decathlon

Brittany went with 8 other students to compete in the Academic Decathlon in St. George. Her team got second in their division and 4th overall. She studied for a long time. The theme was all about latin America. She says she is glad it's over and she apologizes for not blogging it; she's been busy studying!

Tanner's 7th grade orientation

Tanner went to his 7th grade orientation today. Wow. Can't believe he's old enough to go to junior high. He said the only thing he was really nervous about was getting stuffed in a locker, "because I'd FIT in one!!" When he saw that the lockers were not full, tall ones, but half size, he was much more comfortable.