For some unknown reason Kylan has drawn all of over his dresser and thought it was ok with mom and dad. Well, needless to say it wasn't ok with us. I have been really upset with him about this. I am not going to buy him a new dresser just so he can ruin it too so instead I used some wall paper border creatively and it looks almost like a new dresser! He was so happy and PROMISED me he won't draw on it. I guess we shall see! Anyway, he has the cutest camo bunkbed with a slide coming off of his bed and I found 4 rolls (which is too much for his room) of this border at the Just Between Friends sale and knew the extra would come in handy and it did!

Deserts

Kylan's thorny lizard
Kenzie's lizard

We started a study on the deserts and since we joined the postcard exchange I asked for postcards of the desert and so far we have gotten one of a rattlesnake! The kids are really excited because we are making another lapbook and they really enjoy that! This time we are only making one book but they are each doing their own part of it. Kylan drew a thorny lizard which I think is a horny toad (that's what we called them when I lived in New Mexico) and Kenzie drew a lizard. I will show the finished lapbook sometime next week because it's still a work in progress! To make your own desert animals lapbook click here.

John 3:16 posters

For Bible class the kids made John 3:16 posters and I went online and printed out pictures of people from all around the world and then they glued them to the poster and wrote the country under the photo. Everyday they pray for a different country and we look pictures up of the country and the kids are really starting to understand just how blessed they are to live in the USA and have all of the freedom that we have as US citizens. Yes, they are both US citizens even though they were adopted from South Korea.

The paper mache globes

We have been painting the globes and boy does that newspaper soak up the paint! So far they are just blue and eventually we will add the land to them. School is going great this year and we are really enjoying our curriculum. For more info on our curriculum click here. Both kids have learned so much already and really look forward to school everyday!

We also started a postcard exchange at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/postcardkids/ so far we haven't received any postcards but we can't wait because some are coming from AZ, UT and Australia and we are hoping that we will eventually get other parts of the world!

Globe

Kylan's globe
Makenzie's globe

The kids are studying countries and cultures this year...I'm sure you know that by now. So, we are making globes out of paper mache. It's such a mess but the kids LOVE IT! The globes are pretty small and we are finally done with the paper and paste part of the project and we will now be moving on to the painting part. I will keep you updated on this project as we finish it. This is a great website for paper mache projects if you are interested in making your own project. http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/papermache/a/051500pm.htm

Makenzie's new friend

Haleigh and Makenzie at Korean culture camp
Haleigh with her foster mom and Makenzie in the background in pink with her foster mom

Makenzie made a new friend at Korea camp and they have been emailing each other back and forth. I only met her for just a minute and we met her parents also. The whole family seems really sweet and hopefully we will get to know them better through the years! Well, it turns out that Makenzie just happened to be in the back ground of a picture they had of Haleigh that was taken in Korea! We were just thrilled to see this picture. So, I know their friendship was meant to be because they were actually at Eastern in the same room at the same time! Attached is the picture of them as infants and now as 8 yr olds!

August birthdays

August has plenty of birthdays in our family! Kylan turned 7 on the 15th, as did our nephew Noah and that's also our bil Brian's birthday then Katelyn will turn 4 on the 20th. Chris and Gary had their 15th anniversary this month and Gigi turned 80 on the 7th (we didn't get to help her celelbrate her 80th this year but we heard all about it!) WHEW it's been crazy around here!!!

Check out the adorable cake that Connie made for Katelyn's big day and if you want to buy a cake from her check out her website at http://www.cscakes.com/default.htm Not only are her cakes too cute for words they also taste really YUMMY!

Lapbooks

We started school a couple of weeks ago and it's going really well! Thanks to all of you that have emailed me info about countries around the world and the pics are great!!!

Since the Olympics are going on and we have been watching them almost every night I decided that we should do a unit study on them. Well, I found a lapbook website and was so intrigued by it that we decided to jump in and get started on our Olympics lapbook. Check out the pics of how cute they turned out. If you want to make your own Olympic lapbook all instuctions and printables can be found at http://www.homeschoolshare.com/summer_olympics_2008_lapbook.php

Makenzie is tracking the medals that the USA wins and Kylan decided to track South Korea and he's also keeping track of China and the USA.

Korean culture camp

A couple of weeks ago the kids went to Korean culture camp. They really had a wonderful time and learned a lot about the country they were born in. Kylan learned how to count to 10 in Korean and Makenzie learned some awesome Tae Kwon Do moves and they both learned some songs. I think the best thing was that they had fun and I could see a huge difference in how they act around other children that similar to them. I know these are camps are really great for them and hope they will continue with the friendships that they have built up over the past couple of years at camp.

Mamma Mia

We normally have Bunco on the first Friday night of the month but August has special circumstances because 2 of the ladies in our group are having babies and they are both due on the EXACT same day! Anyway, we didn't want to search for others to replace them so our fearless leader Kathleen made the decision that we were going to dinner and a movie. The movie was called Momma Mia.

It's a story about a mother of the bride and her two long-time friends, a bride in search of her father, and three entertaining candidates for walking her down the aisle. The show probably qualifies as a "chick-flick" but I suspect anyone in the audience would at least enjoy the captivating music from the 70's group, ABBA.

Let me know if you see or have seen the movie and what you think. I give it 4 out of 5 stars because it was pretty good but not terrific. Not a movie for kids to see...at least I wouldn't let mine. The scenery was BEAUTIFUL and the costumes were really fun and some were funky! I changed my playlist to just a couple of the Momma Mia songs to get you into the mood. LOL!!! The Momma Mia song is really catchy and just sticks in your head and you can't get the song out of your head...I was singing it all day to myself. Dancing Queen is the same way. In a week or 2 I will go back to the other playlist until then either listen to the music or pause it....you can thank me later for all the random singing you will be doing around your house this week!!! LOL. Let me know if you has this sudden urge to jump up and start dancing like they do in the movie.

Home school family

Our home school group found this funny you tube about homeschooling and I thought it was hilarious! Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom and pause my play list so you don't have 2 songs going at one time!

We have started school for the year and the kids are really enjoying it so far. We are studying about different countries and cultures this year. If you have ever lived in another country besides the US or you do live in another country we would love to have some info. Please email me info about your country. We are looking for pictures of locals, maybe a copy of what the money looks like, important info about the country and culture. Thanks for your help!

Thanks!

Thank you for all of your prayers, calls, and cards! They were much appreciated. We are getting everything under control and the medicine seems to be helping Kylan but please still keep him in your prayers!

Prayers for our family

I am going to take some time out from blogging right now due to some medical problems with our family. Please keep us in your prayers during this time and if you need to contact me then just click on my page and it has my email address!

Love this song...it's so funny!

Oh by the way if you are going to watch this then turn up your speaker and scroll down to the bottom of my blog so you can turn off or pause my music...if you don't then you will have 2 songs going at once!

Thanks Spirit 102.3

Kevin received a call this week from a guy saying, "You visited me do you remember who I am?" and Kevin said, "no" because he visits with people all day long on his UPS route. Well, the guy was from Spirit 102.3 which is a radio station that we listen to all the time. Kevin had signed up to win a $103 gas card and he won it!!!!YEAH!! Free gas for a week! Anyway, here's the link if you want to sign up for any of their contests....you have to live in the area though.

Fun

> Please Do Not Spoil The Fun! Send This To A Whole Bunch Of People That You Know...And Send It Back To Me So I Can See Your Answers, The Theory Is That You Will Learn A Lot Of Little Known Facts About Those You Know. ?
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes. My first name after my mom's friend in high school that was a cheerleader
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? it's been a while> >
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, >
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast Beef > >
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes, 2 wonderful kids >
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? yes> >
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? not very often> >
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes. > >
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? yes
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? honey bunches of oats with almonds>
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.> >
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG ? yes.> >
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Chocolate peanut butter chunch from Baskin Robbins> >
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their smile and their accent > >
15. RED OR PINK? Pink > >
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My looks. > >
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? > My friend Cheryl...she's busy and I'm busy so we never see each other> >
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Yes! > >
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue and white New Balance tennis shoes 20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? baked potato with pulled pork on it...YUMMY!!> >
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Makenzie playing with Trix our dog> 22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? pink
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? > Rain, chocolate chip cookies baking, fresh baked bread>
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my friend Dana
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? yes>
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Cheerleading, gymnastics, golf, diving but I don't really like watching them..only watch if I have to>
27. Hair Color? Brown/Blonde streaky.> >
28. EYE COLOR? brown> >
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? not yet> >
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Mexican and Korean> >
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? both>
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Misery
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? red, white and blue 4th of July shirt> > 34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Both for different reasons. > >
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs > >
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Fresh Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies and yellow cake with chocolate icing.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Cathy
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Kellee
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The last Jihad
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? calculator mouse pad> >
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? didn't watch TV> >
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Laughter & Music> >
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Stones > >
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME??? South Korea or New Zealand. > >
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Nope.> >
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Farmington, NM> >
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Everyone's, of course!

What can brown do for you?

I am so proud of Kevin because he came home last night and had gotten his 15 year award at work yesterday. So, after working really hard for the company for 15 years they gave him a small clock (VERY small) and a 15 yr award plaque. So now he only has 10 yrs until he can retire! YIPEE for him!!

Webkinz World Crafts

Cookie the monkey is the non-flusher


Today the kids were a little bored so we decided to make their Webkinz some clothes. Although you can buy clothes for you webkinz it's much cheaper to make them and the kids had so much fun doing it. For the link to the ponchos that we made click here the project that we are going to work on is the banana hammock...I just have to get a couple of things for it. Thanks to Grandma Deena for all of the fun material she sent home with us last time (we were going to make Barbie furniture with it but instead it's Webkinz crafts). Over the next couple of weeks we will be showing our Webkinz crafts on the blog! Let us know if you have any ideas for Webkinz or if your kids have made something post to your blog and then comment with the link. I would love to check it out!

I was just listening to the kids playing and all of the sudden I hear Makenzie say, "Which of your Webkinz doesn't know how to flush?" Kylan says, "Oh Cookie he doesn't flush after he's done in the potty". Makenzie says, "That's so gross you really need to work with them on that. All of mine know how to use the bathroom properly." Kids say the darndest things don't they.

Coconut and lime

In my search for yummy recipes I came across this blog and just wanted to share with everyone. She's having a give-a-way for some awesome grilling products click here to check it out!

Eating out vs. eating at home

Kevin and I have decided to try to eat at home more and not eat out and try to be better stewards of our money. The past couple of days I have been digging into my favorite websites for recipes. In the comments area leave me your favorite recipe link or site...I would appreciate it! The following are my favorite top 5 sites for recipes.

5. A year of crockpotting I just saw her on the Rachael Ray show yesterday and have already made 2 of her recipes...they are yummy!

4. Super cook I love this one when I have certain ingrediant that I need/want to use

3. Recipe zaar many, many recipes on this one and for some tasty recipes check out Chef #537617 which is Mika G....we just love her recipes!

2. Pioneer Woman Cooks I just started using her recipes and they are soooo good, the tomato-basil pizza, blue-berry yogurt smoothie, and yogurt cream and berries have all been tried, tested and approved by my kiddos.

1. Paula Deen she is the #1 main reason that I have gotten so interested in cooking over the past couple of years. I just love her southern charm, "Hi ya'll and gurl" are some of her common southern slang and the fact that she just loves her BUTTER...it's in almost everything she makes and let me tell it's so good but we cut some of it out and you can't tell.

On the way home

Poor kid was worn out!
Makenzie's so quiet and just played her gameboy.
On every road trip he's always asking for a large pickle and we found one at a gas station this time!
Normally we take the suburban on car trips because it has so much room and the flip down TV for the kids. Well, we were trying to save money on gas so we took the car. It was cramped and we were packed to the limit...I couldn't bring any of my scrapbook stuff : ( but hey we saved over $200 in gas by taking the car.

4th of July photo shoot!

The water

For Kevin and myself a big part of the 4th of July is spending it at the lake or at least in our pool. Last year we didn't do that because Kevin was in OK and I was in CO but this year we were together for the 4th. Lake of the Ozarks was so pretty and it's so nice that my in laws invited us to their condo on the lake! Check out Brian and Kevin skiing...I wasn't able to get any pics of the tubers but they also tubed a bunch! We also went to the pool a bunch!

Relaxing

Lambert's Cafe

This weekend we went to my mother/father-in-law's condo at Lake of the Ozarks and on the way we decided to stop at Lambert's Cafe and have lunch. We had planned to meet up with Connie and Brian and hopefully eat together. Well, it worked out perfectly because just a little while before we found Lambert's we saw Brian and family driving up behind us on the highway. We only had to wait for about an hour which is unusual at Lambert's...I guess the wait is normally longer then that! The food was good and the atmosphere was so fun. They are the home of the flying roll, which means that if you say you want a roll they throw it to you...even all the way from across the room!

Scavenger Hunt~Sports

OK, I know some of you don't consider Cheerleading a sport but let me tell you that it really is a sport! Our daughter is the one holding the scorpion pose in the picture and she was only 6 at the time and she worked out really hard for her cheer competitions. The week before competition they practiced everyday and normally they would practice like 3 days a week for 2-3 a day. Now, she isn't cheering anymore because she wants to play the violin.
Sport was the theme for the weekly scavenger hunt and if you want more info on the hunt click here.