Today we went to a barbeque/graduation for Christian. He is graduating from preschool-Sunday school to Kindgarten-Sunday school. His teacher has an above ground swimming pool so all the kids went swimming. Liam did not last too long, since it was a cool day. He got out and was shaking. Warm, dry clothes and some potoato chips warmed him right up. Christian stayed in quite a while longer and had fun with his friends.


When we got home Liam wanted to play with Mr. Potato Head so I negoiated with him that if he picked up his shoes and put them away, he could play with it. After playing for a while both boys came back to our room wearing the Mr. Potato head glasses.

I found a recipe site that looks really good. It has the Basic nutritional info for each recipe which is helpful. Tommorow, I think I will make Kimchi Jiggae which is a Korean stew.
We start our homeschooling this week. I have a dry erase calendar and I helped Christian write in the days of the month today. His favorite activites are reading and math. We just have to work on the writing. If he is hoping to be a doctor, he is on the right track with is hand writing. Regretfully, he did not enjoy being in the same room as me when I had part of my finger nail removed. He sat in the corner yelling "I am not watching that, it is disgusting" over and over.
David found shark videos and youtube and showed them to the boys, so they were begging for them all day. Christian is going through a shark phase. He spends a lot of time trying read his books about sharks. Liam even made a comment about wanting to see a whale shark today.

Reptile and amphibian show

Yesturday we took the boys to the Reptile and Amphibian show which is a labor day weekend tradition in Portland. We have not been for a couple of years, so I don't think the boys remember the last time we went. They both enjoyed it. I enjoyed going in without a stroller and baby stuff. They had one room to observe the animals in their glass cages then they had a seperate room to pet the animals.




Here is the layout I did using Art 101 by Lindsay Jane Designs

I used Tracey Monette's Back to School Page Set for this layout

Kung Fu Panda

The boys and I went to see Kung Fu Panda yesturday. Jackie Chan worked on the movie, so I guess it is an intro movie for kids to that style movie to get them addicted and they can grow up and watch the large selection of martial arts films. I have seen many of them since David loves them.
Liam was scared of several parts, but Christian really enjoyed it. I just have to keep them from doing too much Kung Fu around the house.
We stopped by Trader Joes after the movie to pick a few things and I asked Liam if he was a Kung Fu Panda and He said, "No, I am a Kung Fu chipmunk", Christian said he was a Kung Fu scorpion.
I liked that the master used good Chinese food to motivate the Kung Fu Panda to train. I think this would be a good method with me. If someone would have a plate of Dim Sum delights that they held out of a car window, while they drove in front of me while I go running, I know I would break new barriers.
I also have joked that someone should ride behind me with a Starbucks timer beeping non-stop since I would want to flee it at all costs.
Here is a layout I did using Pool Party by Lindsay Jane Designs

Lindsay Jane has a new kit...Art 101. This is the next kit I will work with. It is available at Scrapbook-Bytes

Meet Phillip

Liam has a new friend Phillip......

He brought Phillip into our bedroom the other day and I asked him if he was playing with his Care Bear. He told me his name was Phillip. Later in the day, I asked Liam where Phillip was and he told me Phillip is sleeping and pointed to the ottoman. Hence the photo above. Yesturday Phillip and to sit in a time out for a while (from Liam, not me) and spent some time milling around a basket of clean clothes.
Christian never played with stuffed animals this way (I did as a child) so I am just loving this. It is also fun to watch him use his imagination.
Christian likes to turn everything in the house into either a space ship or a gun. He spends hours building Lego laser guns and goes around defending the home planet. We all feel much safer.
I have started running. I was able to run about a mile yesturday and close to that today. I am running/walking and trying increase the amount of time running slowly. My end goal for this is the Hood to Coast Relay next summer. A co-worker invited me to join a team she is putting together. She has more faith in me than I have in myself. Next summer is my 40th birtday and the relay is a couple of weeks after my birthday, so I thought it would be a great way to ring in a new decade of life.
My other goal to get down to my pre-pregnancy weight (Liam is almost 4) by my birthday. I am journaling what I eat and of course the running, biking and ballet help. I find that I am not as hungry on the days that I do more intense workouts.
Here is a layout I did last night....

Credits: Autumn Medley by Valorie Brown at Elemental Scraps

Back to the world of the bathed

Last week when I went to the Doctor and they cut my nail back and put me on antibiotics I asked them if I could take a bath. They said no, I need to shower. I was put out by the idea of just showering. I love a long warm bath after a hard day. I was put out by the shower all weekend and even that was hard since my finger was in such nasty shape. After they put the IV in, they said that even showers were out. I tried dry shampoo one day. (did not work) and then I found a way to wash my hair in the bath tub, just using my right arm.
The first thing I did yesturday after returning from the doctor was to shower. I have never appreciated a shower so much my life.
I see marked improvement in my finger today. It looks like the oral antibiotics will be fine to finish this off.
The boys went out front and played today.
Liam picked out this ensemble all by himself. No help from mom.

Christian is now training wheel free.

We went to Old Navy today and each boy picked out a t-shirt. This was the shirt Liam picked. He chose it because he liked the shark. I did not even look at the writing until late tonight. I think he might be wearing this everyday. We now have a warning. We just need a signed release from parents when their kids play with him and we should be covered legally.

Since we haven't camped enough this summer, the boys wanted another night in a tent. This time in our living room.

I did this layout with Jannylyn Brokken & Lleilla's kit Sweet September from Funky Playground Design's Teacher's Pet #4.

I used Quirky Street Kit and Tracey's Monsters by Tracey Monette for this.

home from the Dr.

I am home now. The good news is that they pulled the IV line and put me back on oral meds. I am so happy to have that needle out of my arm.
I just took a shower and feel 300 % better. I was not allowed to shower while the line was in.
The boys are really wanting corn so we might go to the farmers market this afternoon for a little outing.

back to doctor

I go back to the doctor this morning to check my finger. If she is happy with it, they will pull the IV line and put me back on oral antibiotics. If she is not happy with the finger, I get to go to another clinic, get the line pulled and get an hour long procedure involving an ultrasound to find a good vein in my upper arm to continue IV meds through the weekend.
The finger is looking better and I can tell I am feeling better overall, so I am hoping and praying they will pull the line.
Someone asked in the comments how this whole adventure began. A few weks ago, my finger was swollen. I assumed it was a sliver. I cut my nail down, wiped the finger down with an alcohol pad and tried to dig the sliver out. I now think it was a form of excema not a sliver. I have a similar sore/rash on my adjacent finger. Opening the thing up allowed the germs to get in and the rest is history.
I also have this rash on the lower part of my infected finger and I figured out that the red spots are where the needle went in last week. The 100 + degree heat and the tape upset the entry points. The raging infection a few inches away probably did not help.
David has been taking the boys out in the mornings this week so I can rest. Yesturday he took them to a coffee shop for hot cocoa. They had ding dongs there and David got each boy a ding dong. This was their first. Christian was telling me about it in the afternoon and he described them as these round things with dried chocolate on the outside, brown cookies on the inside and some white stuff. It is not whipped cream, but it tasted good. It is funny hearing something that was so familiar to me as a child in such foreign terms.
I remember getting a Ding Dong in my lunch was a huge treat. Some kids got them every day, but I only got them once in a while. I guess they were special for me and I was not loading up on sugar.
I did this layout using Pool Party by Lindsay Jane Designs yesturday