Music Camp

We had such a fun night Tuesday night. My mom, dad, JoAnna, Sam, Sarah and I all went to see Jake play the drums and cymbals at East Canyon Resort (a campground with a general store, restaurant, pool, etc.- my kind of campground!) He got to go to a music camp up there for 2 days and it ended with a concert. Jake did a fantastic job and it was gorgeous up there in the mountains. What a fun place!

Playing the congo drums

and the cymbals

the band in the pretty pavillion

On another musical note (ha ha get it?) you must watch this video from America's Got Talent. I probably would not watch this show myself, but Jake likes to watch it and it is great to have something to watch together. It is these stories that make me glad that I do. I love this guy. His tears at the end just topped it off for me.

4th of July Part 2

I guess I was being too ambitious saying I would post these the next day. Here are the rest of our 4th of July pictures. We had a lot of fun! Here's yummy little Elise in the flag onesie I appliqued for her. Andrew and Elise togetherJake did a great job manning the fireworks

Sam and Andrew got to pick out which ones we did next. They danced, screamed and jumped all around when each one went off. It made the night 10 times more fun to see how excited they were.

And here's Elise with her hand over her heart. I guess she is as grateful for this country as I am.

It's a Grand Old Flag

Andrew had requested some 4th of July jammies back when I finished his St. Patrick's Day pjs. He wanted the flag to be a pocket. Well, since Sam is in town (YAY!) and has always loved flags, I couldn't leave him out! When I told them I was making them, Sam very hopefully asked if they were the kind with the flag going all the way across instead of little ones all over. Luckily, that is exactly what I had planned and cut out already! So here are the flag jammies. With many thanks to Gram for helping me to match the stripes. I cut these out of Old Navy Men's boxers which made the stripe-matching a little harder but was perfect for the fabric! I finally finished these on July 3rd and brought them to Sam and Andrew with chocolates in the flag pockets on the shirt. (My mom stuck a flag in it for this picture.)

When I brought the jammies out to them, they were so excited that they went and changed right then and there in the playhouse. (We won't mention the streaking to run upstairs to get some underwear since they just had swimsuits on.)
My mom wanted them to tuck just the center part of their shirt in so we could see the blue part of the flag, but then they both proceeded to tuck their shirts in as far as they could. When we said "oh wait...." Sam said they needed to do it that way because then they looked nice "right Andrew?" :) Andrew agreed. Did I mention how much I love my nephews?

There are already so many pictures in this post, I will wait and post a couple pictures of Elise being patriotic tomorrow. I hope you all had a happy 4th!

A Little Piece of Heaven

Welcome to the World Miss Elise Kimble!

What is it about babies that makes it so you just can't pull away. They just lie there sleeping and you want to sit and watch. This precious bundle was delivered on June 14th to Curt and Anne and they are pleased as punch. In fact, we are all in love with her. My dad insists that if you went up to heaven to find the most beautiful baby to bring to earth, it would be little Elise. She is as precious as they come and doesn't want for attention when family is around!

Smiling for her dad on her first day home from the hospital.

She is a long awaited and special blessing and I am so glad she is here!

A Short Update

I've been called out! I just HAD to come post! No, really I am glad that Jana called me out and made me think that someone actually cares what I post! And now she can't steal back the ADORABLE turtle scrapbook paper she got me. (Thanks for that Jana - you rock!!) I need to keep up better. I have actually gotten a little online job. It is a fun one where I get to work with a great lady selling fabric and sewing supplies! It has been really great to learn new things. It has been keeping me busy, and I just haven't had the mental energy to post here. Know what I get in return for my work? FABRIC! And sewing notions!!! Pretty fun huh?

Of course this has its disadvantages as well as its advantages. It gives me more inspiration and even more ideas floating around in my head just begging to be made!! I wish I was a super fast sewer with tons of energy, who just turned things out daily - maybe then I could keep up with my mental sewing! Looking at fabric all day just gets me drooling over it more, but I am hopefully building up a little resistance! So there's an update. I will try to post more soon. Jake is having a great summer so far.

Worth so much more than money

This right here is what keeps me going.I mean, tell me that doesn't warm your heart. For me, there's no better gift. It is like the pure love of a child captured and put into an envelope and sent through the mail. This was Sarah's "thank you" for the clothes I made her. It is a labor of love, I tell ya. There's nothing like my niece, nephews and Jake to remind me that life is worthwhile and full of joy and beauty.

Oh my gosh I love the people she draws. From the banana/triangle people above to these guys with their awesome hair. I. love. them. (Don't mind the bleed-through from the other side of the paper - it just means there's another picture to enjoy.)

I think this one looks like a treasure map. See the xs to mark the treasure spot? And the little fish in the pond in the middle? And the maze that adorable little person had to walk through to find it? See those letters at the top? She does some good letters for only 4 years old! OK, end of love fest, but these made me so happy. Thanks Sarah!

To Curt

a.k.a Curty, Cuteski, Curt the Dirt Squirt, and MacGyver.

You are one of my favorite people. I'm so glad I got to grow up with you as my brother. I remember being so proud of all my scrapes, cuts and bruises when we compared to see who had more. And I know that you have exceeded my score by at least a trillion. I remember running away to the barn, and you taking your food sticks. I remember feeling like I wasn't all alone in the world because of you. I felt like you "got" me when we were little and trying to figure out life. I remember looking up to you, even though you were my little brother. I still do. Even though you don't love being social, you have such an enjoyable and lovable personality. I have always loved your sense of humor and your sense of style.

People in the neighborhood used to call Curt MacGyver because he could make anything out of anything. The legendary fort with electricity, the luge run he built in his yard this year, and much more. He is always doing fun and crazy things. My mom was tending his son Andrew and they were talking about Curt's big rocks in his yard that he uses to build obstacle courses and mountains for his little all-terrain remote control car to climb. She said, "I wonder if anyone else has a dad as crazy as yours." He pretty quickly responded, "My dad." (pretty smart for a little guy. My dad is definitely the pre-cursor to Curt.) And then as he was walking away he said, "And I'll probably be like that."

Because you know - dads who build Luge runs, obstacle courses and motorcycle and sled/snowboarding jumps in their yards are where it's at.

I love you Curt!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! And thanks for being a great brother.