Buck

Tim and I watched this tonight and we haven't enjoyed a movie this much since The Man From Snowy River. Don't ask me what's with the cowboy movies lately... I just love when a movie is inspiring and makes you evaluate how you can be better. We especially applied what we learned in this one to parenting. Apparently kids are just like horses? Maybe horses are just like kids? Then to top it off you get to hear Just Breathe by Pearl Jam during the credits. Good stuff.

“You hope you say the right things to plant a seed and 

hope that they find the answers in their life.”

~ Buck Brannaman

Seriously Genius

My little Scarlet has a "getting into mommy's makeup" problem thats been going on for months. When I came across this idea I had to try it, despite the fact that it isn't at all natural. I found the tutorial here 

It's basically old makeup containers filled with different colors of nail polish.

Let it dry and then voila! you have pretend makeup that's fun and looks super real.

I had three busy helpers so mine aren't perfect but I think Scarlet will be in heaven. We bought some little brushes and a mirror compact and some fancy bobby pins from the dollar store to go with it. 

ole

The kids have been having Spanish lessons on Saturday mornings. I cannot believe how fast they learn and how impeccable they pronounce the words. Even little Jacob can say the spanish alphabet at lightning speed. At the end of our Mexico unit we had a Fiesta with some friends. It was so fun to have friends come party with us.

 We had stick on mustaches for everyone.

Charlie came up with the mustache cut in half and put in the armpits idea...

 then the eye brows...

We made corn tortillas and had tacos, cactus juice, polvorones (mexican cookies) 

and Mexican hot chocolate.

The kids performed the Macarena and played pass the sombrero, colored a Mexican flag, and even haggled with each other using their Monopoly pesos.

All The Cool Kids Are Listening To It

After Scarlet's first use of the english language was the song Hush Hush (I'm not kidding its brutal) I've been stuffing my music library with yummy happy kid songs. This Elizabeth Mitchell album is perfect. Besides, it has a Neil Young cover and the album is called You Are My Little Bird which is awesome.

Here are the paraphrased highlights from the itunes write up:

"Elizabeth Mitchell has been lending her lovely voice to folk-leaning indie rock for years, and in recent years she's been displaying the same intelligence and playful joie de vivre on a handful of recordings for children. You Are My Little Bird is a sweet, simple little gem, as warm and joyous as a clear spring day."

This one is way good too- Johnny Cash Children's album. My kids like, There's a Bear in the Woods, Call of the Wild, and Why is a Fire Engine Red.

Turkeys are Chubby

We celebrated a birthday with our latin friends- The Sotello's, and it inspired me to make piniatas with the kids. I was actually so inspired that we started right when we got home at around 8pm. Little did I realize, that piniata making is quite an ordeal and once you get started you sort of have to finish. Needless to say, we were up late, covered in sticky stuff, talking the night away. But when we finished, we had 2 large turkeys to stuff with treasures and bust open on Thanksgiving.

This is my parents mantle, can you see which item doesn't belong? The colorful feathers and red gaggle give it away...

I added this picture because the boys discovered they could blow up the piniata balloons and stuff them in their shirts for muscles and it was so cute.

Here's the close up of our Turkey (yes, his head popped, leaving only a beak and gaggle and body).

This is the picture of the drive up to Gramma and Baba's house for Thanksgiving weekend. If you'll look closely you'll see the three of them asleep on the back row, and a little bunny cuddled up in there.

Here is some of the Thanksgiving madness. Mark wants everyone to see his muscles lately (he's been drinking a lot of muscle milk :0)

Charlie and I picked all these apples from Grammy's apple tree. These apples make hot pink applesauce.

The weather was wonderful- it was actually hammock weather!

Mom made a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner. All my favorite things were there and why does it taste so much better when mom makes it!??

Check out her classy table settings. Our napkins had a fall leaf around them.

Albert and Christa stopped by and it is always a treat to see their family. We feel so blessed to have sweet friends that make an effort to visit us.

We saved the turkey piniata for Zach and he took care of business, as you can see here.

It was full of random house hold items like buttons, and paperclips and some things from the toybox etc. It was funny how the kids were excited about it even though it was mostly their own stuff inside :0)

The Voravongs, our forever friends.

Summertime is Scrumptious

She is the chicken tamer.

And to think he used to be afraid of them...

         These two are best friends.