My BFF

We met when we were 6 & she's still my best friend!

Friendship

There are so many people who have come into our lives. Some stay around forever, some stay for just a short amount of time & some come and go, but then find us again! That is Dale. He was like a brother to G when they were in the Army. After he got out, they lost track of each other. Last summer they found each other again & it's like no time has past. They are great friends & we are so lucky to have him back!

May 14th

Just completed this layout from our last trip to the beach. I have a beach journal that I write in every day when we are there. This trip I decided to write down what we did & the time we did it. It was fun to see, and it will be fun to look back on.

Adjusting to Life

So the first exciting thing we are adjusting to around here is, the kids are back in school. Spencer started 2nd grade and loves the newly remodeled school he goes to.

He is also adjusting to my job at his school. I am working as an assistant at his school this year. I guess I can say his adjustment to my job was pretty easy since I volunteered a lot last year! The adjustment is more my deal. Laundry is piling up, dinners are totally boring, and my feet are figuring out that I need some better shoes. I wore four bandaids every day last week covering my lovely four blisters. My feet didn't even hurt this bad after backpacking across the Grand Canyon last year!

Then there's Lexi. My cousin posted on her blog last week about being old because her son started preschool. Well what does that make me? Lexi just started junior high! She is doing so great. She is playing volleyball, continuing with band, and taking pre-algebra. Way to go kiddo! And no G, those are not grey hairs on my head, I checked this morning!

G is taking this adjustment wonderfully. He is learning that there are some things that he is use to me taking care of, and some times he needs to pitch in a bit more than he had to last year. But he is doing this without complaint & actually seems to be enjoying his new job as homework helper.

So, we decided this year was Spencer's year to have his first kid birthday party! All his friends have had some of the coolest birthday parties, I didn't think there was any way we could compete (bowling, laser tag, golfing, renting an entire swimming pool...) but we did! We had the first sleep over with this great group of boys! These boys have known each other since kindergarten & I have had the chance to get to know the Moms, they are all so fun! So last Friday we had seven 7 & 8 year old boys "sleeping" in a tent in our back yard. Really I don't think they slept, and we didn't either but we had so much fun. It was so cool to watch these little guys interact with each other. They are each so different & yet fit so well together.

On Saturday after the boys were picked up from the camp out we headed to Blue Lake park for a family reunion. We got to see family that we hadn't seen since last summer. It was so nice to see the kids playing and having fun together. And it was fun to actually see the kids rather than seeing their pictures on blogs!

Well, I haven't been scrappin much since I started work but I hope to get some done this weekend! Take care all & enjoy the sunshine!

A Busy Week!

I can't believe it's Friday already. Where did the week go? Looking back on the week three major events stand out in my mind.
1. My website launched on Tuesday. If you haven't heard what I have been up to, go check it out. http://shoestringscrappin.com/
2. Wednesday morning my friend Summer called to see if the kids & I were busy. She thought maybe we could go to a pool and swim. What perfect timing & a perfect idea. I had been feeling like the kids were being left out because I had been spending so much time on the computer getting Shoestring up and going. So we jumped on the idea, picked them up & found a pool. It was a beautiful day & we had fun with our friends. Just the little adventure we needed. Thanks Summer!
3. The Clackamas County Fair is going on right now & my parents usually take the kids every year. This year my Mom decided to stay behind, so my Dad asked if I would go with him & help with the kids. I was so excited. I LOVE the fair. The animals, the booths, the entertainment, the people watching, the food, I love all of it. We went early because the weather report was calling for HOT, HOT, HOT. I think the weather report kept the crowds down because it wasn't very crowded. In the shade, it was actually comfortable with a small breeze. We saw all the animals, the exhibits we were interested in & meet up with my Aunt, my Uncle & my Cousin. We also got to hang out with the daughter of our friends. She was showing a pig this year for the first time. She had some free time while we were there so she got to hang out with us. She is a really sweet kid & I am so proud of her & her pig!







Lexi found these snakes cool, not that she wants one, they were just neat to see up close! Me, I'm not so fond of them. They even give me the chills when I see them on TV (& I know they can't get me though the TV screen).









For almost a year now Spencer has been totally into goats. He calls every goat he sees "Goaty" & right now his ambition in life is to become a goat farmer (but he still says he's NEVER getting married). That's ok, not every farmer wants a wife (yes I did watch that show).

Thursdays @ My House

Before school let out for the summer I got together with some other Moms & decided that we would meet at a park every Thursday.

This serves two purposes. 1. The kids get to play together & get some of their wiggles & giggles out. 2. The Moms get to have conversations with other adults. That's my favorite part since being a stay at home Mom sometimes makes me feel cut off from the real world. So every Thursday the kids wake up excited because it's Park Day! Since we started doing this, I have started looking forward to Thursday almost as much as Friday! Here are a couple pictures from yesterday's adventures.

The park took up most of the afternoon but I did get a chance to send in my application to a new sketch challenge web site that is looking for a design team. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I should find out mid-month.

I also sent in two new layouts & a card to be considered for publication.

Well I'm off to play with the dogs for a while. They get a bit anxious when I spend too much time on the computer and not enough time playing fetch!