Project 365 - Day 234

Laura and her "boys" Star Wars shirt. With Nathan getting shirts for back to school she has managed to get her hands on a couple of new shirts. Nathan was trying to avoid having matching shirts and told her, this is the boys department and Laura proudly and firmly stated that "she didn't mind if it was in the boys department, girls like Star Wars too and it's just a shirt butter". I am so proud that she is so self assured. I hope it lasts and lasts. And she can name all the characters which is pretty cute too!

Project 365 - Day 233

This was a favorite gift from Nathan's birthday. They looked so cute and serious in the Nerf dart get-ups they popped this pose and I ran for the camera. They were running and laughing and shooting at each other all morning. This is a great game. Thanks Gillette family!

Project 365 - Day 232

We headed off to Grandma Alma and Aunt Pam's for a last ditched visit before school starts. The kids were very excited to spend the night and I was very excited to work on a sewing project with Grandma Alma. I love sewing with her. She seems to enjoy it too, or is just too sweet and goes along with all of my crazy crafty ideas - probably more the latter. I am so glad that the kids get to have a relationship with them. They love going to visit.

Project 365 - Day 231

Nathan's annual school supplies. Everything is all ready for him to go back to school. I am always amazed by the list of supplies and the reqested 'name brand' items. I am really looking forward to his year at first grade.

Project 365 - Day 230

Annie's birthday lunch. We seemed to have made it a tradition to have our birthday lunch at Chevy's with a posed pic by the "amigos" sign. It was a lovely afternoon with two of my favorite people. I love these girls and Annie is such a beautiful girl on the inside and out. Dusti's cupcakes were so yummy and beautiful, always topping herself. Feeling so blessed I have these friends.

Project 365 - Day 229

Another little crafty project for my friend Annie's birthday. Dusti and I are taking her to our annual birthday Chevy's lunch tomorrow. She is always making monogram cards for friends and I thought she might appreciate ones for herself. I used my favorite Amy Butler paper and of course couldn't finish them without some ribbon.

Project 365 - Day 228

We traveled to my brother's house for a BBQ. The kids have been asking all summer to go back to Uncle Joey and Aunt Tammy's house so they can try out the pool again. They really had a good time and the swim lessons were a big help. Nathan was all over the pool, relying on his life jacket but swimming all over the pool by himself. It was nice to visit them and the trip was very relaxing.

Project 365 - Day 227

This was one of Nathan's birthday presents. He is getting very good at putting together the more complicated lego sets all by himself. I didn't help him at all with this one. He was not having anything to do with me photographing him today.

Project 365 - Day 226

Dusti was kind enough to invite us along to the end of summer celebration at the Rocklin pool. This pool was really great. A whole pool for little ones that only went to 3 feet deep with a grade up to the 3 foot depth. The kids really enjoyed playing in the water and the cupcakes were my highlight. It is so wonderful to have such great friends in our life.

Project 365 - Day 220

New tires! My minivan needed new tires very badly. It is amazing how well your car drives when you have new tires. I just can't believe how expensive they are. I could have bought a lot of really cool crafty things for the price these puppies set us back. Oh well, we will be riding safer and that is good, even if I would rather have crafty things.

Project 365 - Day 225

Noah got a hold of his first cheeto. He LOVED it. He ended up with cheeto fingers, face, breath and smile. What is it about cheetos that kids love so much? I personally don't get it. They are not my thing and I am not one to pass up a potato chip. At least they are the baked version, they are a little better for them right?

Project 365 - Day 224

Laura never wanting to be left out is posing next to the lego creations she helped Nathan with.

Project 365 - Day 223

Can you see there are 14 shirts in this pile? School shopping was pretty easy and difficult at the same time for Nathan this year. He only wanted Star Wars, Lego or Batman shirts this year. It leaves much to be desired in the variety department and being an anal retentive mother I am thinking his teacher will think I send him to school in the same thing everyday. So when I was organizing his closet for school I gathered the shirts he already had and the new ones and we have ended up with 14! At least this should help me in the laundry department.

Project 365 - Day 222

Here is Nathan at his first soccer practice. He is now on an all boy under eight team and I am very impressed and excited about this year. He seemed to learn more in one practice than he did all of last year. He is having fun and learning about soccer and I could even see progress in one practice. I am looking forward to this season.

Project 365 - Day 221

So in my never ending quest to clean the house this year I am starting to tackle the storage boxes to see what I can let go of. I can not let go of these. I am too attached. These are Laura's first shoes and I just can't seem to part with them. They all have a story. The white Robeez were her first shoes. She took her first steps in the pink ones. The blue ones have a little rosebud on the side and were her first real shoes. The purple tennis shoes, well come on, do I need to say anything, they are purple tennis shoes in a very small size. The brown ones were her first dressy shoes that she wore on her first birthday. Okay, I know I need help but I can't let go of these just yet. I took a bunch of photos for a future scrapbook layout.

Project 365 - Day 218

Little goofy faces after a play date with Kendal and Chase. We love spending time with the Nakamura girls. They all play so well together and Dusti and I have a chance to visit too, what could be better?

Project 365 - Day 217

So here is Laura with a prepared picnic to share with Noah. She is constantly wanting to play with the food from her kitchen and make things and ropes Noah into her play world. She always tells him what to do, but she does let him play so I can't complain too much. She can get quite elaborate with her picnics.

Project 365 - Day 216

I spent the afternoon cleaning the car and here is Laura contributing. I love how she is in her pearls and princess shoes. She is a girly girl. She always makes me smile when she is in her girly mode.

Project 365 - Day 215

Noah's new coo. Walking around with laundry baskets or anything else he can push around to assist his walking. Nathan thought he would be funny and play in the basket with him. I think Noah needs some laundry attention with that shirt.

Project 365 - Day 213

So have you ever wondered what the inside of a hard drive looks like? Well, here it is, kinda looks like a record player to me. Our hard drive has crashed and I am hoping we can get the data back. Mike keeps saying the record is fine it is the record player that is broken. As I have been blogging about this already I am finally catching up on Project 365 and it still makes me sick to look at this knowing that I was so stupid to not have my stuff backed up and current.

Project 365 - Day 211

I know she looks a little psycho. She gets a little psycho with the chocolate love. This is the look after she has eaten just about anything chocolate. This night it happened to be a mini drumstick ice cream. She loves her chocolate and making a mess.

Project 365 - Day 210

Do you see that? It is an actual smile. It only took two days to get it. Nathan and Laura have bonded, they are not afraid of the water any longer and they are actually having fun, asking when it is time to go to swim lessons. I am so proud of them for overcoming their fear and embracing this experience. They are getting the best attention from two instructors (Kyle and Julia) and are learning a new "pool rule" each day. I couldn't be more pleased.

Project 365 - Day 209

My first born is now six years old. It is amazing how I have only been a mommy for six short years and yet it feels like a lifetime. I so love this boy and his sweet soul. He thinks about other people and their feelings and tries to do the right thing and the golden rule is important to him. He has the most incredible smile, so full of unabashed joy his whole face lights up. I will always treasure that. Happy Birthday Nathan!

Project 365 - Day 208

I couldn't get a really good picture to capture this moment and give it the justice it deserves. Nathan and Laura started swim lessons today and CRIED the entire time. Both of them cried and cried and clutched each other the whole time. I was worried about this, giving myself a hard time for not starting it earlier and now the mommy test has begun. I had to just put them out there and walk away and watch them cling to each other.

On a side note, they didn't fight the entire rest of the day. I guess they bonded over their traumatic experience. I wonder how long this will last.

Project 365 - Day 207

So here is a nightly ritual. Laura wanting to sleep in my bed with a you can move me later plea. She wants to read stories and snuggle with mommy. She is quite the little love and I hope this special bond lasts and lasts and that we will be able to understand each other when she is a teenager.

Nathan's 6th Birthday!

So here are some birthday pictures (finally). Obviously, the Star Wars theme was in full effect. I made lightsabers for the kids as party props and favors. They were a huge hit. Each kid picked their lightsaber upon arrival to be used in the Jedi Obstacle course training.


The birthday boy with his lightsaber.



The menu...and yes I do know I need help. Have I mentioned the home for the craftily insane, I will be there someday I am sure.

The cupcakes were a sad affair. Although my uber friend Dusti helped me with the fondant I really let her down with this one. I was supposed to make the lightsabers a week in advance so they could dry and stiffen and I just didn't get around to completing them on time so the night before I finished and this is not enough time for fondant to dry out and thus I have bendy lightsabers, but the kids didn't mind. I feel so bad I let her down, she is truly awesome and I was so grateful for her help. I still liked them even though they weren't perfect.

Each child got a certificate to take home.

This was the 'save the earth' meteor shower game where they had to destroy the meteors with their lightsabers. Thank you Lisa and Madison for picking up all the broken balloon pieces - I have the best friends.

Here is one of the straight lightsabers.

No birthday party of ours would be complete without a 'pin-the-tail-on-something'. Unlike last year's night before slam to come up with something I knew better and came up with 'The search for R2-D2'. I was surprised that all the kids wanted to take their R2-D2 pictures home with them.

My sweet, sweet little boy. We have a saying now, he's not A baby but he's MY baby. My wonderful friends Annie and Shelley took pictures during the whole party and I am so thankful I have such loving, thoughtful friends. I am truly blessed to have them and be a mommy to three special kids.

The party after the party yielded a special brother/sister moment!

Project 365 - Day 206

Nathan's birthday party day! I take the kids birthdays pretty seriously. I get very sentimental and want their birthday memories when they are older to be special. I know I am not alone in my craziness. I love challenging myself with their themes and this year was no exception. My sweet little boy loved his Star Wars party and all the presents. Aunt Pam bestowed the ever cool backpack and lunch bag for the upcoming first grade.

Project 365 - Day 205

Like every mom, I check on the kiddos sleeping before I head off to bed. I am always amazed at the positions they sleep in. Noah gets his feet tangled in the slats of the crib now but he is still clutching his precious blanket.

Project 365 - Day 204

I really had a great time out with the girls at the Keith Urban concert. I missed last year and was so happy he came back to Sacramento this year. Myla, her sister Marianne and I were dancing and singing the night away with the ever so wonderful Mr. Urban. My only complaint was that it didn't last longer - he was feeling under the weather and didn't do an encore and the most upsetting part was they were setting up a stage in the seats three rows behind us. Oh well, he did say he would make it up to Sacramento next year and you can bet I'll be there. I can't tell you how awesome it is to see him live playing that guitar, he really is that good!

Project 365 - Day 203

Noah's first 'cheesy roll-up' from Taco Bell. He really won't eat much baby food anymore and he loved having this to gnaw on.

Project 365 - Day 202

New shoes! This is the second year in a row mom and I have hit the Nordstrom half yearly sale for the kids new shoes, which happens to be around Nathan's birthday. My mom and dad are always helping with stuff like this. They got Nathan new school shoes and Laura new shoes too. These are extra special because they light up. The kids love them!

Project 365 - Day 201

Nathan started Lego camp today. I was totally surprised he was able to get in. The city called on Friday afternoon with an opening so we were there Monday morning. Here was his creation for the day. I am looking forward to seeing the things he learns this week.

Project 365 - Day 200

I was able to quickly get this of Nathan reading to Laura. I will only choose to remember these moments when they are screaming and fighting with each other 30 minutes from now.

Project 365 - Day 199

We all went to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Joni's in Napa for a quasi family reunion BBQ at their house. It was a great time and the kids enjoyed the pool and we all enjoyed the company. It was so relaxing and beautiful. I loved seeing all they have done to remodel the house and their yard should be in Sunset magazine or something - they have a great view and I really think I should be living in Napa instead of the heat of the Sacramento summers.

Project 365 - Day 198

So this is the picture I decided to use for today. Mike took the kids to the 'Movie in the Park' while I had book club at my house. Needless to say the evening seemed to match the poor photo quality. While he agreed that the idea is good (and the picnic dinner I sent them was good) the execution left much to be desired. It was hard to see, the movie that was supposed to play couldn't be played because Disney doesn't allow their movies to be played outside in the month of July (I know, huh??), there were bugs, they had to wait a long time for it to get dark and Laura couldn't stay still for the whole movie so they left early. I am still hopeful and dreamy about this idea and hope to catch the next one with the kids.

Project 365 - Day 197

Nathan had a playdate with an old friend. We don't see Austin, Brady and new baby brother Blake very often but when we do it is like no time has passed. Just look at these two peas in a pod - posing the same even! Austin showed up in his "Superhero" shirt, which Nathan had worn just the day before. Nathan quickly ran into his room and grabbed the shirt out of the dirty clothes hamper so he could match his friend. I couldn't help but snap a photo. It was great to see Diana and her boys!