Pipecleaner Fireworks: 4th of July craft

Two materials: sparkly pipecleaners and thread (well, I guess three if you count the scotch tape used to hang them from the ceiling.

Cut the pipecleaners all in half. Take 4-5 pieces and twist them around each other to make sure they stay connected. Curve the ends to look like fireworks when they explode up in the sky. Tie various-sized pieces of thread around them and hang from the ceiling. You can use thumb tacks, but I just didn't feel like dealing with those. :)

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all mamas out there have enjoyed a relaxing day of "me" time, because goodness knows we all deserve it! I had a lovely day, with the exception Ryan and Autumn stayed home from church because Autumn had a fever. :( She's a little better but still so tired. It's not even 7 PM and she is already in bed out like a light. Ryan is making me steak and mac and cheese for dinner. Yum! Hannah made me a card in Sunday school.  I still have the flower pen she made last year. :)  I realize more and more what an honor it is to have two precious girls call me "mama".  I can't see myself having any other job!

Happy Halloween!

Love how Hannah looks all prim
and proper here. :)

Long gone are the carefree days of trick or treating, going off with your friends on Halloween night for hours on end without a second thought. I think the safety concerns override the yearning to bring back such a tradition. We attended 2 trick or treating alternatives this weekend. One was at my grandma's apartment building. There wasn't a huge turnout but the kids still had fun. Emma was there, too, all in her bumble bee glory. :) Hannah was a bumble bee her first Halloween but she was 6 months old. I still have that costume somewhere...Anyway, the second was trunk or treat at our church. Last year they had about 800 kids, not including the parents, so I was bracing myself for what to expect this year. It actually wasn't too bad. We got there a little early before the crowds started. There were three bounce houses which quickly became jam-packed. The girls were excited to see their Grendy's trunk open for bsiness and frequented it more than once. :) Strangely, only the pics from church were acting up so you only get the ones from Saturday.



Hannah growling like
a polar bear



Autumn is not such an
aggressive bear.



Hooray for trick or treating at
Grammie's apartment!



Happy 4th!

We had ourselves a lovely 4th of July.  First we went to church and then my dad's house for a bbq of tri tip and cheddarwurst (yum!) and the kids went swimming in the inflateable pool out front.  I got some sparklers and just as I suspected the kids were overall afraid of them, but still intrigued.

Our niece, Emma, is super excited! :)

Hannah tried a new vegetable (egg plant!) and I was so proud of her.

Hannah's "cheesing like a psycho" smile.

Bright blue-eyed ginger

Diapered Biker Babe :)