Recent Happenings....

We have been keeping pretty busy around here.  I love it!  I thought that I would take just a few moments to record what we have been up to.

We finally made it over to San Tan Village, which is adorable.  Becca, Stephanie, and I took our kids to the splash pad.  Alyssa decided the sprinklers were not for her.  Luckily there was a darling Puppy Store across the way and we got to admire the cute puppies instead.  Becca and I also enjoyed some good lunch and adult conversation!

Stephanie told us about the Fun in the Sun Festival, put on by Mesa Public Schools Early Education program.  I am so thrilled that we went.  Although, Alyssa decided (at first) that the festival wasn't for her either.  I was feeling frustrated because there were so many fun things for her to do and she didn't want to leave her stroller!  So, I pretty much forced her out of her shell.  We made fruit loop necklaces, she liked the idea of making a necklace.  Then we went to checkout a fire truck.  She would not go in it, so I carried her and we both went in it.  Firetrucks are pretty cool.  Finally she started to realize that this was fun and we got to enjoy the rest of our time there.  They had so many wonderful ideas of what to do with your toddler to preschool age children.  My favorite ones are:

•   getting a large container and putting flour (or rice or cornmeal) in it with some small spoons and cups and let them play with it - like sand 
  
• bubbles - they just used water and dish soap
• fruit loop necklaces

                                             Lyssa playing with stamps
                                          Who doesn't like these parachutes?
                                              Bubbles!!
  After all of the neat ideas, I felt as though I really needed to be more educational at home.  So after school, instead of "Sponge Bob", Harrison and Lyssa made paper sack puppets and had puppet shows.  They loved it.
I decided to get bangs and get (very subtle) red-brown highlights.  The Young Women kept saying, "You look pretty, what did you do?"  
I have been crafting a little.  This is my cheap alternative to vinyl, I heard about this technique on Tip Junkie.  I loved Elder Ballard's talk and wanted a quote from that talk on my walls ASAP.  Now, while it isn't the most eloquent plaque, I smile whenever I see it.  
   Some canvases for Lyssa's room.....
    I wanted some Italian in her room too....
This is Harrison's old bulletin board.  All I did was paint it red, used a cowboy boot stamp and stamped it on top of the red, stapled the fabric on top of the cork, and then Velcroed the wood pieces on it.  I still have to make some pillows with the rest of that fabric.
We finally saw "Juno" and "I Am Legend".  Well I think I saw 30% of "Legend" the rest of the time my hands were in front of my face.  It was scary!

We are still busy with T-Ball.

I cooked every night this week, wowsers!

The "Cleaning Fairy" has been stopping by the house and leaving treats for Harrison sporadically.  This has made him extremely happy to clean his room.  Ya, I just made up the Cleaning Fairy and he ate it up.  I love it.  It is fun.  I usually just write a little note that says keep up the good work and leave a small toy or candy on his bed while he is at school.  This week the Fairy was feeling generous and left him a huge bucket of sidewalk chalk!

We got our Summer Movie Fun Tickets!

My Mom had Friday off and we spent the day at Tempe Marketplace.  Fun!

My Mom has been dragging me to her Zumba classes.  She is a Zumba junkie.  So last week Stephanie came too.  Let me tell you guys, Stephanie is a good dancer!  Zumba is way fun too.

Well I could go on.  But, it is late and I am sure that no one is interested in reading any more about my life right now.  I will have to update my blog as I do things in the future!  Oh and I have a rodent story to share, so don't let me forget!!