April Wrap-Up

This is a busy time of year.  Here are some pics of what we've been doing.

Byron and Ryan ran a 5K race.  They called after the race to tell us that Ryan got first in his age group and that Byron got third in his!!! (Then they told us that Ryan was the only runner in his group, and that there were three in Byron's.) They got the shirts they are wearing, but didn't have a great choice of sizes, as you can probably see. Ryan got the cup, since he won his age group. : )

Ryan has been playing soccer games on Sunday afternoons and practices a couple of times a week.  He runs and works out daily.  He enjoys reading a lot too.

Byron is trying to keep up with everything at home and work.  He's also trying to keep up with Ryan when they run together! The grass grows like crazy and we are never home to mow in the evenings. (We used to have a teenage boy who took care of our mowing, but he's very busy now.)

He works the home track meets as a timer and we split up a lot of evenings to attend the away track meets for Brandon and Ellyn--we need more co-ed meets, so we can all go together.

Brandon has been very busy with track, but has managed to find time for mushroom hunting. He is going on a mission trip to Panama this summer, so he has been working on fund raising for the trip. (Thank you for your generous donations!)  He went to two proms in April, which made for two busy weekends but a lot of fun. We helped host a progressive supper for one of the prom groups.  We fed dessert to 18 kids at our house. It was fun to see all the kids in their formal clothes.

Brandon is on the far side in this picture (just finishing 200m in first place, his teammate in second):

Ellyn went to Rosebud Indian Reservation with another family for Easter. They served a meal and hosted an egg hunt. She loved on a whole bunch of kids!  

She has also been busy with track.  She is preparing for her dance recital, but has trouble getting to dance class because of all the track meets.   

Ellyn is in red on the left:

Ellyn's shuttle hurdle relay team, she's second from the left:

Meggan has been keeping busy with softball, dance and theater class. She finished up her theater class with a performance this week--she is in the middle of the picture in brown (she was a groundhog):

I had a garage sale with some friends, and I'm wishing I would have gotten rid of even more stuff.
Meggan bought the fan in the picture, but I resisted the urge to buy this bridal veil... to wear if Byron and I ever renew our wedding vows. (tee hee)

A new project is about to begin at our house.  It has been taking an enormous amount of time.  I'll be posting about it in the future.
Here's a hint:

Happy May Day to you!

January RoundUp

The following is a "roundup" of January memories.


What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
On our trip to Colorado, I read two books:  "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle and "Each Little Bird that Sings" by Deborah Wiles.  I started "Pride and Prejudice" but didn't make it very far.
My Bible study mom's group is reading "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God" by Francis Chan.  I have only read two chapters and I LOVE it.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?
For a family movie night we rented "Paul Blart Mall Cop" and "Julie and Julia".  I really enjoyed each of them.
In Colorado, the older two kids and I went to a show by The Punch Brothers and Chris Thile--which was AMAZING. I think I was smiling for the entire show.  We never expected to get to see Chris Thile, so having the opportunity to go in Colorado was a real treat and surprise.

What fun things did I do with family and/or friends?
Ellyn's Bible study girls came over for a stamping/scrapbooking night.
The family ski trip to Colorado is a highlight for January.  It was our fourth time to go and we always have a great time.
We went to the Iowa State Universtiyy women's basketball game against KU.
Byron and I chaperoned the winter formal dance that our two teenagers were attending.  It was fun to see all the kids in their dressy clothes.  We chaperoned with two other couples that we like to hang out with, so it was a fun evening for us too.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
My niece's birthday is in January.  We gave her a bag made by sewing empty Kool-aid pouches together.  Meggan did almost all the sewing, and I was really proud of her.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
This month I took a five-year-old pair of leather boots that I never wear anymore to a shoe repair shop.  I had the tops cut off to make them into low boots, so that I would like them more.  It cost $12, which is a steal compared to buying a new pair.  I also had a pair of shoes dyed chocolate brown, which sort of felt like getting a new pair of shoes.  I was tired of the old color.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
I just had a spot cut off of my arm and sent in for a biopsy.  It looked exactly like the spot of skin cancer that I had removed in 2006.  I haven't gotten word yet from the lab.

What were my accomplishments this month?
I re-did a wall of family pictures in my family room downstairs--I like looking at the updated pics of family members.
I learned how to post my Picasa web albums to my blog.
I learned how to make a blog header using my own pictures,
While we were in Colorado, I made a new mini scrapbook of current pictures of the family.
Meggan and I deep cleaned her bedroom. Yay! We cleared out a lot of junk and toys.  She wants a bedroom makeover for her birthday in June.
I finally got around to sewing some new camera strap covers.

What were my disappointments this month?
Although I love snow days and having everyone home from work and school.  I am disappointed that the kids currently have 5 days to add on to the end of the school year.  The snow storms/blizzards made January a slower and more relaxed month than some, since so many events were cancelled and we just stayed home more.  I enjoyed this aspect very much.

October Roundup

Yesterday I saw Katie the Scrapbook Lady's idea to "roundup" each month's memories on the last day of the month.  I loved how easy it would be to keep track of the year in a month-by-month system.  The timing seemed good, so here is my October Roundup.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
I am reading the book "Becoming a Woman of Influence: Making a Lasting Impact on Others" by Carol Kent, with my Bible study goup.
I enjoy a subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine and read it the day it arrives.
I also love life:beautiful, a newer magazine for Christian women, which is published by a friend of mine from college.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?
The most memorable of this catagory--Byron and I went to see the musical "Wicked" at the Des Moines Civic Center on the 15th.  I loved it so much, but I regretted that my 15-year-old-drama-and-music-loving-daughter didn't get to see it.  In fact, I regretted it so much that I bought tickets to go see it with my two girls in Kansas City in December.
Also saw the musical show SIX in Branson--a family of brothers who sing a cappella in 6 part harmony. 

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?
Byron and I went on our first trip to Branson, MO this month.  We are natives of Missouri, but our good Iowa friends had to get us there for the first time.  We had a great time!  Thank you, friends, for inviting us!

Our family spent a lot of time at high school football games.  My oldest son is a running back and oldest daughter is a manager for the team.  Monday and Friday nights were booked with football.  It's a fun time, because you get to squeeze into the bleachers with all your neighbors and friends!  Our team has enjoyed it's best record ever this season (9-1), so we aren't done playing yet. 
Go Ballard!

My oldest daughter and a friend had a joint birthday party last weekend.  We rented out a rollerskating rink for 2 hours and had a blast. Definitely need to do it again, it was so much fun!

We added another pet to our household.  My youngest daughter's turtle came to live inside in a tank.  He is fun to watch and a great conversation piece.  We made a great memory by driving halfway to Missouri to meet grandpa, who had the turtle in a box marked "Iowa or bust".  (Turtle is adopted from the Missouri cousins...more about that story in a later post.)

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
October is a big birthday month for my family--2 of my kids have October birthdays, as well as myself.  We gave P90x to my son who turned 11 (he is obsessed with fitness right now).  I received some nice gifts from my family for my birthday, including some new cds I'd been wanting and the 70th anniversary dvd of "The Wizard of Oz."  We gave our oldest daughter a pair of rainboots and a sweater, plus some cash for an upcoming shopping trip to Mall of America. 

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
October was a GREAT month for special purchases:  vintage red gumball machine, antique BINGO game, and a pair of polkadot rainboots top my list.  They might be my favorite purchases of the year!

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
The first thing that comes to mind is how to prevent my family members from getting H1N1.
Also, because it's my birthday month--yearly exam/mammogram.  We've got to take care of ourselves, gals!

What were my accomplishments this month?
Starting this blog is my favorite accomplishment of the month.
I painted a door in my mudroom with chalkboard paint--love it!

What were my disappointments this month?
The weather has prevented us from having any bonfires this month.  October is usually a month with several gatherings around a fire. It went on record as the third coldest and fourth wettest October. I have a supply of hotdogs, buns, and goodies for s'mores waiting for a nice weekend--I hope November comes through for me!

Anything else noteworthy to include?
A highlight of October was gathering in our church's new addition for the first time.  It was amazing to join approx. 1200 others in worship and song. (That was for the 9:00 service.  The 11:00 had almost as many people.) My life is richly blessed because of Cornerstone Church and it's people, but especially because of the God we serve who makes it all possible.