Six.

The Bug is 6 today! Our firstborn son, the one who made us a mama and a papa. (Awwwww!) We're so proud of our little man. Papa took him to his traditional father/son birthday breakfast. We wake him up early and they go out to a restaurant before anyone else is awake. As you can probably tell, he's still a bit sleepy in these pictures. =)

We love you, sweet boy. Happy 6th birthday!

Noah at six is so bright and full of energy. He loves to play soccer, read, and be outside. A fierce protector of his younger brother and sister, he is strong, determined and never gives up. He has an impish grin and makes us laugh every day. He's our little director and very independent, and he'll tell you like it is. Softhearted, he is quick to giggle, gives the biggest hugs, and is a great encourager.

BB in whipped cream, for the Birthday Boy!

As they were driving, they came upon this mama moose and her two babies!

Words of Life Wednesday

Psalm 104:13-15

He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate — bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

God is good!

A "Hidey Hole" for the kids

I think they like it. =)

Mama Monday

OK, blog as list:

Laundry schedule - check. The laundry has been overwhelming me lately, and I finally decided to get back to my old routine; bedding Monday, boys' clothes Tuesday, so on and so forth.

Pack/plan for camping - so much to do/think about. Food planning/buying/prepping, getting the kids and myself packed, need another couple of camp chairs...

Bug's birthday party. He turns 6. 6! Thursday. I am totally unprepared. We need to decide what we're doing and when, and it's going to be late since we're heading out of town the evening of the 2nd.

Weight loss/working out. Made it to the gym 5 times last week (GO me!) and plan to do it again at least 4x this week.

The garden is coming along, I need to take and post some pictures.

Still tossing around when to start my childbirth education work, talking, thinking.

Think that's it for now. :)

Fun Friday

Last week, we made Reading Nook Canopies from the June/July Issue of Family Fun Magazine. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the description and instructions online, but I'll describe how we did it!

It's SO easy, really.

The frame is a hula hoop. You'll need 2 pieces of 4.25 yards/ea. fabric (tulle, muslin, whatever), total of 8.5 yards. Lay 'em out, find the middle of each piece, put a piece of duct tape on each side right in the middle, then cut a small (1" or so) slit in the tape through the fabric.

Cut 6 pieces of 1/8" ribbon, 66" each (you'll need two rolls of 10 yd. ribbon), make a loop with each piece of ribbon, pull the two ends through the loop around the hoop, then spread the 6 ribbons evenly around the hoop. Knot them all together in the center, making a loop to hang the canopy from.

Then lay out your fabric in a big + shape, middles on top of each other, pulling the ribbon loop through the slits you cut. For the top, I used felt; 1 1/2 yards for each nook, I layed it on top of the hoop and used chalk to outline a circle about 6" out from the hoop, cut out the circle, then just freehanded the leafy looking stuff. Cut a small slit in the center, and loop the ribbon through.

You can cut the bottom edge with pinking shears if you want, or just leave it if you're lazy like me! Voila!

Chickie has completely made her nook her own by stacking up pillows and blankets inside, along with a basket of books and toys.

The Bug and Monkey like to use theirs as a hideaway fort while playing spies. Hee!

A fresh new blog!

Ahhh... not quite the same as a fresh notebook and thick gel pen, but it'll do!

We are an Alaska Grown Family. I was raised in the Interior; Eielson AFB, tiny but sweet North Pole, and Fairbanks. My husband was raised in Anchorage. We have three kids, all born here. Two at the hospital and one at home. =)

I've been down this blogging road before and never stuck to it, but I really want to have an account to look back on as my kids grow. It seems to be flying by me faster than I remember to breathe, slow down, enjoy the moments...

So.

I'm going to try to stick to a theme a few days of the week in an effort to stay motivated and continue to post. Who knows if this will work... but I'm trying!

Mama Mondays - More personal posts about my progress in various areas - Spiritual, Health, Emotional, Personal Fulfillment, Homemaking, Crafting, Cooking, Sewing... less about the kids and family, more more more about me, me me! (Ha!)

Wordless Wednesdays - Photos tell the story.

Fun Fridays - crafts, projects, what-who-where we've been having a good time doing-seeing-going.

With that, since it IS Friday after all (and thank the Lord for that!) next up is a post slash tutorial on our new Reading Nook/Canopies!