Sweet Baby Girl

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Chore Cards

Ethan with his chore cards...

I had to share this picture with you. It was after I snapped the picture and checked it that I realized Landon had written on his forehead with a black magic erase marker!

I was inspired one day when I came across a way to help the boys learn responsibility with chore charts. Yes, they are still young, but they caught on right away and are even helping me to remember certain things! This is my own version. Someone else came up with the idea and I just made these to fit the needs of our family.

If Shawn or myself see the boys showing JOY, KINDESS, LOVE, or a HELPING hand, we will give them a piece of candy (doesn't have to be big, just something small.)

These are "just because" cards. One is a card so they know they will receive a gift (just because), one for a hug from a parent, or a special treat after a meal.

Obviously, I have them color coded. I am sure you were brilliant enough to figure that out...! This is where they add to "their side" each day. I used velcro for the charts so they can be used over and over. You could also do it with magnets for the fridge. I am very picky about having things on my fridge so this was the way I did it.

Maybe this will inspire some of you and you can go and create your own unique chore cards! Maybe this would even work for all you that are, shall we say, getting on with years and your memory is failing you...

Building a Box

Happy Anniversary, Shawn & Melanie

October 12th marked six years since my dashing Prince Charming (aka Shawn) and I were married...wow...time has gone so fast...Thanks to Mawmaw and Pawpaw Kuhn and Auntie and also Nana and Pawpaw Clemens for allowing Shawn and I to share a weekend all by our lonesome! Incredibly relaxing...I made Shawn a carrot cake with homeade cream cheese icing which we enjoyed eating by the fire....

We spent a couple of evenings up (and I do mean UP!) in Shawn's tree stand at the back of our property...(don't ever look down when climbing a ladder extended so high! Eek!)Here is Shawn "The Hunter" who usually likes my constant chatter, but in this case, told me "Shh" - okay...he had to tell me more than once!
I let Shawn keep his gorgeous blue eyes on the lookout for the deer...I kept my nose in a book for quite a bit of the time...
Didn't see any deer...just a coyote...which is funny because we saw a mommy and her fawn a couple nights before this in our backyard...never know when they will pass through for a visit...
Building A Box
Shawn is so talented in everything. Seriously...that man's brain is incredible...except in the middle of the night. I came to bed one evening (he conks out right away, and I am the one who can lie there for hours without going to sleep) and when I climbed into bed he raised up and started making lines in the air above his pillow all the while talking to someone special (?!) I asked him what he was doing. "Building!" came his reply. "What are you building?" I asked back. "A box," he confidently said. I just had to laugh. Here is my hero. My knight in shining armor. The man who builds sheds, roof, hangs gutter, remodels bathrooms, is currently building me a house. You would think he is building something hugely important. Instead, just a box. But hey, I guess you always have to start somewhere. Thomas Edison had to start somewhere, too, and look what he accomplished.

Here are two of my munchkins on our trailer roof...
They carried themselves with a lot more grace than their mommy up there! I recently helped Shawn roof our trailer. I had been wanting to see how it was done. First, I just stayed on the ladder. Next time, I got up on the roof but stayed put. Then, I kept getting more and more confident; ended up carrying shingles, using the nail gun (WOW! totally way too much fun!) and even shingling by myself while he went down to the ground to get more supplies. It was such a fun day! (and I went up a few notches in my hubby's eyes...THAT was awesome!)
Here a 3 shots of my gorgeous view while on the rooftop: (and no, I wasn't counting Shawn! Guess that makes 4!)
I even got to ride in the bucket of his backhoe which was the way Shawn got the shingles up to the roof...I had the giddy feelings that kids my son's age get! What a ride...

God did it for Moses

To be able to solve all your child's problems - an untouchable task.
To be able to explain something as awesome as a miracle of God...
...let me know how that turns out!

I was thrilled to discover that Ethan was learning from the Bible Story CD's he listens to at nap time and bedtime. I was not so thrilled when I had to explain things that seem a little out of reach for my 4 1/2 year old. Let me explain....
The setting: We are outside and Ethan has a stick in hand and standing by a big rock.
Ethan asks, "Mommy, why can't water come out of the rock like it did for Moses?"
I try to explain to him that it was a miracle of God and that they wanted water so God gave them some. But we have water, so we really do not need to ask God for any. Of course I want my kids to learn to have faith (although this was beyond MY faith) I told him that he could pray and ask God to let water come out of the rock. (AGAIN telling him all of the above!) He replied, "You pray." Ahhh...this was hilarious to me...especially when Ethan didn't want to pray so Landon hollered one word toward the sky - "God!" My pray was very shaky and after he struck the rock with his big stick and - surprise! - nothing happened...well, he just threw the stick away and that was the end of that. The subject never came up again. Whew! These are some tough days we live in as parents...and funny!

I wish I would have had my camera this morning when the boys got ready to eat their breakfast. Ethan said, "We need to pray!" and the boys reached out, bowed their heads, and held hands as Ethan said a prayer....

I have put the fear of dying in my boys...well, actually, they already are tender to that subject so it was easy to up the level a bit. I let them know that whenever Morgan goes to put something in her mouth that they need to let me know (because she could die). They do an awesome job, by the way. Today, we were outside and Morgan picked up a piece of leaf and stuck it in her mouth. Watching this happen, Ethan went ballistic. "Oh no," he cried as he went to put his hands on her chubby cheeks, "Morgan's going to die!"

Preview

Just Feeling Crafty

My mom had come across this ingenious way for storing and organizing hair bows. I finally got around to making one for Morgan. The picture and cut out flowers were my own personal touch...also, a headband holder - made out of paper towels!
It was fun to do the projects, and while I did, Ethan said that he wanted to wrap a present for me, but that he didn't have a gift. He then asked if he could borrow my camera and case so he could wrap that. So, after receiving my permission, he went to work on his "project". He took his blessed time, but after cutting out the fabric, getting the pieces in place, then taping it, well, I had to take a picture of his "perfect" gift! (Yes, I know! I "re-did" the gift to take the picture...if you remember, my camera was the gift! ..smiles...)
Morgan and Mommy - Sportin' their heabands
Oh, to have beautiful layers and curls like my princess!

Drains, Walls & Cement

Laying the pipe....





To "fill/smooth in" the basement floor with gravel they dropped Shawn's tractor down.




The basement walls were on the agenda for this week. The guys came yesterday to start the process...Just one truck load of cement to pour the footers (a couple of weeks ago), but a total of five came to pour the walls...