The New Bow

Happy Fourth Birthday Ryan!

I can't believe Ryan is already four years old! Time has certainly been flying by. He continues to bring joy to our lives with his humor and boyhood. I think the best way to describe Ryan is...JD. The two are peas in a pod- loving, gentle, masculine.

A glimpse into fourdome:

Me: "Ryan, you're a pretty smart cookie"
Ryan: "I not a cookie. I'm Ryanie McElroy"

This is our driving conversation today:
Ryan: "Watches are not toys, right?"
Me: "Right"
Ryan: "Yeah, they're metal"
Ryan: "I can't leave my guns at home. They will cry."
Me: "You can play with your guns when we get home"
Ryan: "Where does Papa Bob live? Over the bridge? (the bridge to TriCities)"
Me: "In Idaho- over the bridge"
....long pause....
Ryan: "I don't want the two semis...I wanted the lightsavers" (we went yard saling last weekend and he got to choose between a matchbox semi and a lightsaver).
... this kid never stops thinking!

We tried to home-i-fy a store bought cake. These middle-of-the-week parties are difficult to pull off :)

a new watch...just like daddy's

Brave Heart and the Slip-n-Slide

It's so long. So wet. So slippery. So scary. You can do this...you are so brave...

I knew you could do it Ryanie! :)

by the way, shorts slow a person down don't you know :) clothes are so overrated in one's own backyard anyway.

The FLU Has Left the Building (finally)...

Holy cow. We have been inundated with the flu at our house. It started with Gage- 5 crib changes and 6 clothes changes later...it settled in Ryan. Again with the bed and clothes changes (except Ryan insisted on his clothes being changed even if they didn't get 'dirty'). This kid- he cracks me up. In the throws of barfing, he still finds time to tell me that he wants to go to Papa Bob's house (my grandpa who lives in Idaho). When I tell him that Papa Bob doesn't want our puking family at his house right now, he says, "It's okay. He has garbage cans". ROTFL. So we finally made it through the night. Then it was my turn. BLEK.

JD remains untouchable but I might have to update this post in 24 hours...but bless my husband for spending the last two days washing bedding and shampooing carpets.

Here's to wishing you all health...

Messin' Around with Picasa

Gage talking to grandma...

I wish I knew what I was doing when I take pictures. I had some fun dinking around with Picasa and Gage...

Potato Stamping

This is a pretty fun little Saturday craft: Cut a big 'ol potato in half. Make some kind of design (mine is a pretty bad looking star). Dab the tater on a paper towel and start stampin'! Ryan and Clayton had a ball...

Can Spring Be Bought?

I have to admit that I'm PSYCHED spring is upon us. Sure, sure, the weather is great and I certainly am enjoying my new deck pots and all the things sprouting in my yard. But to be honest, spring brings a kind of joy that can be bought...at YARD SALES!

For me, yard saling (which really isn't a word but I hope you know what I mean) ranks right up there with scrapbooking and long walks on the beach. Every Saturday morning, my darling husband lovingly indulges my odd obsession by packing our kids into the truck with a 'breakfast to go' (way too early in the morning I might add) and starts us on our usual 'route'. He's my driver. Isn't that sweet? We stop for coffees and hit the major subdivisions first. Then, we consult our trusty Nickle Add, which offers an array of 'out of town' sales.

This last Saturday we scored BIG. We bought a chest freezer (something we've been hunting for since last spring) for $75. It's practically brand new and works great. I also got some high-end (Gymboree and alike) polo style shirts for Gage at a whopping $.50 each. What's more, is the highlight of the trip- a COPPER rock fountain for a mere $5. The poor lady I bought it from had "no idea why I paid $85 for this brand new". Well, I'd be delighted to take it off your hands...

Some might call yard saling 'white trashish'...or even 'gross' but to me, it's an adventure. If you've never tried it, you really should. Heck, I'll even give you a few tips:

Lisa's FREE yard saling tips:
1. Don't go looking for anything specific. You'll only go home disappointed.
2. Look for the potential in items rather than the value.
3. Compare the price of slightly used items to brand new- it really pays off to buy things used!
4. Look for stains on clothing- esp baby clothing- it's not worth the money (even at $.50 each) if there's a stain.
5. Look for out of season items. Christmas items are BIG at yard sales and we often glance over them. Give them a chance and you'll be elated come December!
5. Look for a 'heck of a deal'. Even if you'll never use it, I'm sure you can think of someone who will. Or do like I do and re-sell it in your own yard sale at a higher price :)
6. Think about what size your kids WILL be in, rather ARE in. It pays to think ahead...
7. Have fun- for crying out loud, buy a coffee and think of it as a treasure hunt! :)

I have to add that Ryan now tells me "Mama, let's go yard saling". Is he my kid or WHAT? And he loves to go with me. Everyone laughs at his comments, "We don't have these" and "Mama, check this out. This is awesome". He keeps telling me that he wants to find a remote control boat at a yard sale. We look at every single one and so far, we've struck out. But I always add, "There might be one at the next yard sale". I dunno. Maybe I'm teaching him to be patient. I sure hope so.