Ray and Laura - Galleries

Best Cheeks Ever

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:09:47 -0700

Marbleized paper

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:53:47 -0700

Last week the kids and I made a list of all the things they wanted to do this summer. I put every item on a piece of paper, and we taped them to the wall. Each time we do something, we take the paper down, and hopefully by the end of summer, the wall will be empty!

Today we decided to make marbleized paper. Sounds complicated, but it's so simple. Just put some food coloring in shaving cream, swirl it around, pat your paper onto it, pull the paper off, wipe off the cream, and voila! Marbleized paper!

The kids had a lot of fun with this activity. There was really no way to mess it up, which was nice. We learned that less is more when it comes to swirling in the color, and Drew was excited to discover that blue and yellow make green when mixed together.

At the end of the gallery, there is a picture of each of the kids with their creations. They are holding their favorite one. We plan to use these pieces of paper to write short notes to mail to friends and family. So some of you might be seeing them in your mailbox in the near future!

Sidewalk Chalk

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:02:32 -0700

A couple of months ago, my mom sent the kids some sidewalk chalk. We don't ever get rain, so I never felt like it would be okay to let them loose with it on the sidewalks of our complex. Then this morning, I had a lightbulb moment, and after sweeping off the balcony, I sent them out with their chalk to play. It kept them occupied for nearly an hour, which was so nice for me (gave me some time to get some sewing done!).

Cactus Garden and Chocolate Factory

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:01:51 -0700

Today we went to the cactus garden and chocolate factory. We went pretty early, so it wasn't super hot and we had a very nice walk. Many of the plants were in bloom, so we saw many pretty flowers. Afterwards, we went inside the chocolate factory for our self-guided tour and free sample of chocolate.

I took a bunch of pictures especially for my daddy. They aren't nearly as good as anything he would have taken, but at least he can see what our plants look like!

The pictures of the kids on the ground looking at something...there is a bunny in all of those pictures. It's hard to see, but it's there!

Kindergarten Graduation!

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:14:00 -0700

Today we celebrated AJ's kindergarten graduation. It's hard to believe that he's already 6 1/2 years old, and will be starting first grade in the fall! My mom made an ice cream cake for him, and all of the kids helped to decorate it with sprinkles (AJ had to put one sprinkle on at a time). Popa video conferenced with us, so he was able to watch everything that was going on, and he also was able to explain his gift to AJ. (Popa bought AJ a really nice kids Bible.) After a few gifts, we all went to Cici's and stuffed ourselves silly. It was great fun for all.

Sunday

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:11:00 -0700

These are pictures from our Sunday activities. First, is Kay-Belle smiling (isn't she adorable)? Then there are some pictures of the boys in church. They each got right up on stage and said verses. They did so great, and we are so proud of them! Then the kids who finished AWANA books were called up and recognized. And the last ones are some very green pictures that we took of all of us after church. I love being all matchy matchy.

Fun at the Park

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:05:00 -0700

Here are some pictures from our trip to the park with Ma tonight!

AWANA closing program

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:55:00 -0700

Tonight was the AWANA closing program at our church. The boys have worked very hard this year, and we are so proud of all they have accomplished. Drew earned a ribbon for completing his second book in Cubbies. AJ earned a ribbon for completing his first book in Sparkies and a pin for the extra credit he did. Drew is very excited because next year he will be in Sparkies with AJ, and Megan gets to join Cubbies!

Here's a link to last years pictures, in case you want to see how much the boys have changed in just a year.

Sisters

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:45:59 -0700

Aren't they just adorable? If you click through, there is a gallery link to the rest of the photos I took. They are all just too cute, so I decided to share them all (you'll thank me later).

Continue reading "Sisters"

Splash Park

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:17:22 -0700

Took the kids to the park this morning. Since the weather has cooled off (only a high of 97 today), I thought it would be a good day for the splash park. The boys LOVED it. They ran and played and had the best time. Megan...not so much. She kind of hated the water, and didn't want to play on the playground either, so she pretty much just sat by me for an hour and a half while the boys played.

Continue reading "Splash Park"

Taekwondo

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:39:58 -0700

Just thought I'd post a few pics from AJ's taekwondo class. He goes every Tuesday and Thursday evening, and is doing great so far. He's not too far away from earning his yellow belt (if we could only get him to practice more!). The pictures aren't great because the lighting was really bad in there, but they are better than nothing.

Continue reading "Taekwondo"

First Swim of the Season

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:52:00 -0700

Today Ray surprised the kids with a trip to the pool! They've been waiting for this, and were SO excited! Kay and I joined them for just a few minutes because it was over 100 degrees out and just too hot to be outside and not in the water. But it was fun to watch the other kids and take a bazillion pictures. Not much has changed since the last time they swam. AJ is still very timid in the water and hesitant to try new things. Drew is completely fearless and loves to jump in and be thrown around by Ray. And Megan just loves the water and would float around all day if we'd let her.

Click through for the gallery and to see how much the kids have changed in the last year!

Continue reading "First Swim of the Season"

AJ's puzzle

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:12:34 -0700

AJ completed a 100 piece puzzle all by himself tonight, and was so proud of himself. It was actually kind of a hard puzzle because a lot of it was the same color. But he did good, and didn't let himself get frustrated. Click through to see a couple of pictures.

Continue reading "AJ's puzzle"

Bath Time!

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:20:22 -0700

Tonight was Kay's very first real bath. The other kids were very interested in the whole process, and kept asking a million questions.

"Is the water hot or cold?" "Is Muffin going to cry when you put her in the water?" "Why did you put a washcloth on her belly?" "Does she like the bath?"

Continue reading "Bath Time!"

KayBelle

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:10:07 -0700

A&W

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:45:37 -0700

Tonight we took a family outing to A&W for free root beer floats. There is an A&W within walking distance of our home, so we set off on foot.

A&W was crazy busy because it's a restaurant that includes both A&W and KFC, and KFC had their free chicken promotion tonight. I waited in line for quite a while (and we didn't get any free chicken), but it was definitely worth it. The kids thought that having french fries and root beer floats for dinner was great fun, and it was just good to be out as a family.

Clean Hair

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:51:13 -0700

Kay got her hair washed for the first time tonight. This was taken right after I towel dried it. Doesn't seem like she minded the whole thing too much...

Homemade Pretzels!

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:14:00 -0700

Today we made homemade pretzels using this recipe. They were super easy and the kids had a lot of fun shaping them. There would have been more pictures, but there was a diaper crisis in the middle of making them...

PS. Yes, my cookie sheet is kind of gross. It is functional though.

Random

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:05:00 -0700

Just some random pictures from school today and of the baby. The boys did those melty bead things today. They each made a star, and it was interesting to see how different they were. AJ's was very perfectly symmetrical. He made a pattern, and there were no mistakes. Drew's was just random and there didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to the bead placement. Megan also participated in school today by coloring ladybug pictures. I love this coloring book because the pictures aren't very detailed, and I also love it because I got it on clearance last weekend for just 50 cents since it was considered Easter merchandise.

Click through for the gallery link.
Continue reading "Random"

First day home

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:02:00 -0700

Baby Kay came home today! Here are a few pictures of her first day at home. Also a few pictures of Megan getting a new baby. We thought that giving her a new baby to take care of would help her with the transition to "big sister".

First Meeting

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:58:00 -0700

Ray brought the kids to the hospital to meet their new baby sister. As you can see from the pictures, they were pretty much smitten. All of the kids were very concerned every time Kay made even the slightest squeak (and she squeaks quite a bit). They were each very excited to hold her, and were so good about being gentle. It was so wonderful to have our family together for the very first time.

Baby Kay says hello

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:11:28 -0700

Mikayla "Kay" Belle Jones was born at 4:08 AM. She weighed 7 Lbs. 13 Ozs. and was 21 inches long. (Yes, she's tiny.)

Many more pictures after the click.

Mommy, Daughter time.

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:38:58 -0700

Tonight Megan and I had a mommy/daughter evening, and we had SO much fun.

First I took her to the park to feed the ducks. She was a bit distressed by the birds that wanted to steal the bread, but we eventually found a spot where they would leave us alone. Then we decided to walk the path around the pond. It was rather cold, so I encouraged Megan to run. She insisted that we "race", so yes, at 9 months pregnant, I took a jog with my daughter IN PUBLIC around a duck pond. And yes, we got lots of strange looks, but it was seriously the most fun I've had in a LONG time.

Continue reading "Mommy, Daughter time."

Stopping to Smell the Roses

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:08:15 -0700

We took a short walk this morning. This time of year there are always lots of beautiful roses growing around our complex, so we went hunting for them. The kids loved finding different colors and sizes, and I liked smelling them all. I love roses....

Continue reading "Stopping to Smell the Roses"

Easter Sunday

nospam@example.com (Laura Jean) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:07:00 -0700

Happy Easter!! Tonight we didn't have church, and so after dinner we did our family Easter egg hunt and the kids were given their baskets. We have a tiny living room, so the egg hunt isn't ever very challenging, but they love it anyways. And they had so much fun looking through their baskets. Popa and Ma even sent them each a whole DOLLAR! They are very excited to spend it. Click through for pics!

Continue reading "Easter Sunday"