The Hike

On our last day in Colorado Mike decided we would go on a hike...

UP A MOUNTAIN!

I agreed to go, as did Jonathan and Costa.

We bundled up really well, wearing lots of layers and snow boots, and took off to climb a mountain. (Just a small mountain - according to Mike.)

It didn't take long to realize that we were seriously out of shape and unprepared for what was ahead of us. The snow on the ground came up to our knees in some places.

It stuck to our pants, freezing them solid. It was slippery too, making it even harder to walk through.

It took us most of the day, but we made it.

I say that as though it was no big deal, but I should admit to being in tears at the top of the mountain. As we were climbing over the boulders, I was hoping I wouldn't slip and fall to my death right then! I should also mention that Jonathan's feet got so cold he had to take drastic measures and warm them up on Aunt Costa's belly. We all wanted to quit at some point in the day...except Mike.

When we started our hike, Mike assured us that when someone wanted to turn around and go back he would do it. Yeah, right. He kept pushing us a little longer and a little higher. Until we just couldn't go any further. In hindsight, I'm glad because it was very pretty up there.

Great for taking pictures!

Sledding

There was just enough snow to go sledding when we were in Colorado. And what better place than the side of a mountain? I was too chicken to go down the hill, but the kids and Mike and Costa had a blast barreling down the hill on the blow-up tube. Crash landing all covered in snow most of the time.

Candid shots

Colorado.

December.

Keeping warm inside.

Cute kids.

Gorgeous lighting.

Why not snap a few pictures?

All dressed up...

Monkey Suits.
That's what Costa calls them.
Whatever they are, they sure did keep us warm.
And make us look silly.

After Christmas dinner Costa and I decided to take a walk in the snow in the subzero weather. Mike helped us get all bundled up. Long underwear, hats, scarves, gloves, and monkey suits. It was worth it for a little fresh air that night.

And it made for a great picture, so why not?!?

Road Kill

Mike and the kids will tell you - I am definitely a nervous passenger in the car when Mike is driving. I do trust him and know he has been driving forever, but I am constantly afraid we are going to rear-end someone or run over something or drive off the road. While these fears are (for the most part) unfounded, it certainly doesn't stop me form being ultra-paranoid in certain situations.

Take, for example, our recent drive to Colorado.
It was late at might. I had maybe slept for an hour or two total that night. We were on back roads, winding through the mountains in the pitch black, snow was on the ground, and I was sure that an animal had run across the road in front of our car. Knowing better than to yell out when Mike is driving, I simply (and very innocently I might add) inhaled quickly and braced myself for the collision.

Mike slammed on the brakes and demanded to know what my problem was.

You see, when I react like that, he gets nervous and thinks it's something dangerous. It bugs him, but I truly thought I had seen something run in front of us. I explained this to him and he was less than amused.

You see, what had actually "run" in front of our car was a tumbleweed. Yeah, like the ones in the cartoons on TV. I really thought it was an animal, I tried to explain. He laughed and told me that animals have eyes that glow in the headlights and legs. Tumbleweed has no eyes and no legs. ok, I know that, but still. Is it alright to run anything without eyes and legs over with our car? Pretty much, Mike told me. Besides, he continued, didn't you feel the impact from that weed we just hit?

Har, har, har.
He's such a comedian.
And I ended up being the brunt of the jokes for a while after that.
I guess I deserved it...this time.

"Gingerbread" Houses

Yep, it was messy.
Yep, it was fun.
Yep, it was the second time that day I had created gingerbread houses.
Yep, it was way more exciting the second time around.

Sammy posed for an exceptionally silly picture with her partially decorated gingerbread house. She worked very hard to decorate it without knocking anything off. This house was a collaborative effort between Sammy and Mommy.

Jonathan had a plan. He and Daddy worked hard to get his gingerbread house to look the way he wanted it to. Very colorful.

Without a doubt, my favorite part of the gingerbread houses was watching Mike and Jonathan try to create an overhang with the graham crackers. Too bad the frosting was too soft to really hold it. That's OK. Jonathan settled for the next best thing...a torture chamber for teddy grahams. That's my boy. Ha ha.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa

For Thanksgiving this year we decided to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Rockford, Illinois. It was a great trip. Not too far away, and just long enough to enjoy each other's company. We stuffed ourselves on Thanksgiving and spent time walking the food off outside.

The highlight of the trip for the kids was definitely the animals that live with Grandma and Grandpa. Maggie (the puppy) and Smudge and Sophie (the kitties) were on their best behavior. Jon loved having the kitties curl up on his lap. Sammy gave Maggie so much attention it was wonderful!

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for my family.
I am thankful for a car that doesn't break down.
I am thankful to have a job.
I am thankful for my health.
I am thankful for understanding parents.
I am thankful for second chances.
I am thankful for technology.
I am thankful for my camera.
I am thankful for my Heavenly Father.

Boo

Despite the fact that I was feeling a bit "humbuggy" this Halloween, I managed to spend one weekend sewing the kids' costumes. They turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

Over the years I have loved having a boy and a girl so that I could match their costumes. You know, Harry Potter and Hermione, Aladdin and Jasmine, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, etc. But this year - the last year they would go trick-or-treating door to door - I decided to let them be what they wanted.

Jonathan got a kick out of dressing up as a hippie and Sammy loved her pointy witch's hat. My personal favorites were the green flip flops and the purple and black striped tights. Sometimes it's the little details that really make the costumes great!

to blog or not to blog...

That is the question!
And also:
Does every photo I take deserve a blog post?
And does every blog post require a photo?

I've determined that the answer to the first is yes.
I want to blog.
I want to share my life and photos with others.
I want to be able to remember the fun things we've done.
I want to continue because I enjoy it.
I want to keep blogging because I want to create another blog book.
I want to post again because I am so behind in scrapbooking and this makes me feel better.

The answer to the second and third questions is no.
If I start forcing myself to blog about every silly snapshot I take, I will get overwhelmed. (Hmmm, that never happens to me, right?)
If I only post when I have a picture, I will limit myself. Or I will force myself to take even more pictures of absolutely everything so that I can write blog posts.

So, I have decided to continue blogging and to do it however the mood strikes me.

One last question...
Is it "legal" to stop blogging for several months and then return and write a bunch of posts and backdate them so it looks like I've kept up on things all along?
If not, then send me to jail. Sometimes it's the only way I can get things done.

Modesty Fashion Show

Sammy's activity day leaders came up with another really cute idea. A modesty fashion show. I was asked to be the official photographer. I loved watching them giggle as they put on make-up and got their hair done together in the bathroom.

Sammy modeled a cute brown top with rainbow embroidered jeans. Hse was too shy to come out on stage at first, but quickly warmed up to the idea and turned into quite the performer.

With so many negative influences out there these days, I am so grateful that she has these ladies and her church friends as positive role models.

He's 13 now

It's official.
I'm a mother of a teenage boy.
Yikes!

What comes to mind when I think of teenage boys is scary.
Rebellion, moodiness, avoidance, trouble.
But let's get serious.
This is Jonathan we're talking about here.
My teenager is better described with the following words...
Thoughtful, generous, deep thinking, inspiring, honest, creative.
I could go on.

I love Jonathan.
I love being his mom.
Even if it does mean being the mother of teenager.
Yikes!

What's in a name?

After visiting my friend's blog, I was of course sucked in by her "What's in a name?" post. Fun stuff. I loved that mine said I am "tightly wound". Is that how I am best described? Ha! And who says I have trouble finishing projects? Oh, anyone who has entered my scrapbook/craft room.

What Kim Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Employed at last

Guess what!?!

I got a job! I got a job! I got a job!

It's been two long years since I graduated, and just this morning I was offered a teaching position at a local school.

Details:
Arlington Heights Elementary School
Fifth grade (my favorite grade)
Room 16 (fun - my own room)
Me, Mrs. Bunton, teacher
Start date August 11, 2008

So, yipee for me!
I got a job!

What happened to July?

I realized today that I hadn't posted in July at all. This does not mean that nothing happened in July. I assumed that I was just too busy to actually sit at the computer and blog about our many events...

Until I looked to see what I had taken pictures of and realized that I had NO JULY PICTURES!

How could that be?

After careful thought, I remembered that camp started for us at the very end of June and has pretty much consumed our lives since then. Sure we did other things, but we spent most of our time at camp and then came home too tired to do much else. It has been really fun, though.

Check out the pictures below to see some of the fun activities from camp.

Toothpick bridges.

Gathering wood to make fires.

Camouflaged to better hide in the woods.

A blindfolded fire making challenge.

Roasting marshmallows.

Making arrows for atlatls.

Canoe trip at Lake Griffy.

Inevitably, you are wondering where the pictures of Sammy are. Well, she was in the Trailblazer's camp group, so I don't have pictures from her days at camp. I do know, however, that she loved playing games in the woods (especially hide-and-go-seek tag) and swimming in the big pool with her friends (playing mermaids). She made a mess of herself during crafts and charmed her counselors.

Although we don't have pictures, we also spent time in July doing the following: celebrating my birthday, celebrating Mike's birthday, barbecues with friends, Jonathan attended boy scout camp, I went on a scrapbooking weekend with Tracey and Jen, and fireworks on the fourth. Definitely a full month!

A delicious activity

Sammy has been going to activity days at church for a while now, but has really started to enjoy them recently. Her leaders are so creative and come up with some really fun activities for the girls.

















This month they decorated little cakes together. Sammy had a blast and was quite the ham when it came to pictures. Her cake wasn't half bad either!

Tribute to friendship

This just goes to show how great my friends are. Despite feeling pretty depressed most of the month, I made reservations for us to spend a weekend in Greenwood, Indiana at a Holiday Inn for a scrapbooking getaway. Mike never could understand why we would spend the money to just go an hour away from home - he kept saying it was a waste and we should go somewhere more exciting. But we could really appreciate it. Just imagine - no responsibilities for a whole weekend. Just a chance to spend time relaxing, scrapbooking, talking, eating, sleeping in, laughing, and escaping real life. It was wonderful. And best of all was spending it with Tracey and Jen. Thanks, girls, for a great weekend!

Thirty something

Well, it's happening. I'm getting progressively older each year. At one point, I really thought I could stop aging at 25. HA! That didn't work. What I have discovered, however, is that I can sort of forget how old I am until the big milestones hit. I remember turning 30. I remember turning 25. I remember 18 too. But I've started to forget how old I am in between. It's kind of nice - just being "thirty something" and not worrying so much about each year passing (until I hit 40).

Mike's New Toy

They say you can tell the men from the boys by the size of their toys...or was that the price of their toys? Either way, Mike finally got his way and purchased a John Deere riding mower. It is pretty spiffy, I have to admit. It can practically turn on a dime and mows the lawn in about 1/4 the time it used to take. Not that I really know since I stopped mowing the lawn after the first time. Forget it! We have almost two acres and I am not sweating that much! Despite the exercise benefits! Jonathan thinks he's pretty cool being able to drive around the yard on the mower. Sammy just loves to ride!

A trip with Dad

The kids just returned a week ago from a trip to Colorado with Mike. They drove all the way to visit Mike's parents near Colorado Springs. While they were there they did tons of fun things, but the pictures they brought home mostly showed the beautiful scenery. They visited the Garden of the Gods, went on several hikes, and walked around his parents' property. Take a look at the slideshow below to see some of what they encountered while visiting Colorado.

Trip to Colorado

Things Dad Would Never Say

The top 20 things you'll never hear your dad say:

1. Can you turn up that music?
2. Go ahead and take my truck. Here's 50 bucks for gas.
3. I LOVE your tattoo. We should both get new ones.
4. It's OK that you're late. The curfew is only a suggestion.
5. Well, how 'bout that?... I'm lost! Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions.
6. You know Pumpkin, now that you're thirteen, you'll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won't that be fun?
7. Here's a credit card and the keys to my new car -- go crazy.
8. What do you mean you wanna play football? Ballet not good enough for you, son?
9. Your Mother and I are going away for the weekend ... you might want to consider throwing a party.
10. Well, I don't know what's wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies-you know-that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a mechanic and pay whatever he asks.
11. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now quit your bellyaching, and let's go to the mall.
12. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.
13. Here, you hold the remote for a while.
14. Can I do the dishes tonight? Please?
15. OK, girls, just keep talking. The ballgame will be over in a few minutes.
16. Now that you're 16, hey, feel free to take the car anytime!
17. I don't want to go to the hardware store! Let's watch the Lifetime Channel tonight!
18. Does this outfit make me look fat?
19. Boy, that George Clooney is a fantastic actor!
20. Oh, let me iron that for you.

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY!

Choices

How do you choose a paint color for your walls?
I love the names.

Not brown, but Sauteed Mushroom.
Not pink, but Love Bird.
Not gold, but Safari Sun.
Not cream, but Quiet Hush.
Not purple, but Iced Violet.
Not biege, but Toasted Almond.
Not tan, but Pony Tail.
Not green, but Crocodile Tears.
Not off white, but Crescent Moon.
Not maroon, but Raspberry Jam.
Who comes up with these?

Today I painted my bedroom a pretty light blueish-grey.
Ghost ship. Moondance. Nordic Blue. Dockside Haze.
The color I chose was April Sky.

good cop, bad cop

When you think of torture, you probably think of a chair with nails all over it. Or the rack. Or the machine from "Princess Bride" that sucks the life right out of you. Or any number of horrible devices. But, do you ever think of the bathroom scale? I honestly believe that the scale and the full length mirror are two of the world's worst torture devices for someone who is desperately trying to improve their figure.

Here's why...
Every morning, I wake up at 5:30am and head to the basement to work out. (Dedicated, I know.) Then I climb two flights of stairs to take a much needed shower. After showering, I stand in my towel looking at the bathroom scale beside the toilet. "Hmmmmm. Did that workout make a difference today?" I try to convince myself that the numbers don't matter and that it's how I feel inside that does. It's an internal battle for several seconds. Then I turn to leave the bathroom, confident that I can carry on my day without stepping onto the scale. I am actually able to leave the room sometimes. Ah, but inevitably I return before getting dressed and climb onto the scale, all the while hoping it will register at least a pound lighter than yesterday. If it does, I am overjoyed. I am sure that these early morning workouts are worth the effort. But, if the number is higher I am depressed for the day.

How can a little thing like the bathroom scale have so much control over me? Well, because I let it. I wonder what would happen if I chucked it into the trash and gave up this personal method of torture...

The other day Mike said he hated the scale in our bathroom. I assumed that it was for similar reasons. Well, he surprised me by saying it was actually because every time he got on it said a different amount. (Big surprise, right?) Except he meant that even if he stepped on, stepped off, and then stepped right back on again it would be different. Time to experiment. He was right. It actually changes each time I get on the scale.

This led me to think about our old scale. It had a similar problem. But also a positive side effect. The old scale always read about 5 pound lighter than the new one. So in my upstairs bathroom I weigh more than in the guest bathroom. Interesting! It's sort of a good cop, bad cop thing now. If I need a little boost, I will weigh in downstairs. If I want a closer dose of reality, I weigh in upstairs.

Mike suggested we purchase a more accurate scale...
Why bother when torturing ourselves in this way has become such an art?

Memorial Day Weekend

Yesterday we spent the day at Spring Mill State Park. The weather was amazing! Breezy and warm. We hiked on a trail that went around a small lake. We wandered through a pioneer village and saw several demonstrations about how life used to be (harder). We ate a picnic dinner. Jon and Mike played in the cold creek while Sammy played on the playground. Unfortunately, I decided to leave my camera in the car while we were at the pioneer village - it's pretty big and clunky - so I missed out on some great photo opportunities. I guess we'll have to go back again sometime!

Check out the pictures below...

Spring Mill State Park

Go Penguins!

I honestly don't even know the official name of Jonathan's soccer team this season. Everyone knew them as "The Penguins" - pretty fierce, I know. Mike coached again. He always does such a great job. The team played extraordinarily well together. week after week they defeated their opponents. They were so dedicated that 9 out of 10 players showed up on a freezing, rainy night for the end of season Jamboree. They played three 20 minute games in the pouring rain and mud. And won all three!


Highlight of the season? It had to be the parents vs. kids game at the end of practice one evening. It sure gave me a better appreciation for what the players are up against during their games each week. And it was fun - although I admit the parents did resort to some shady tactics to compensate for their lack of soccer skill (pinning players to the ground, pushing, holding, not taking the ball all the way back to center field before shooting, being off sides - always).

Happy Mothers' Day (to me)

Jonathan designs t-shirts.
Cute t-shirts.
Personalized t-shirts.
And for Mothers' Day this year he created a new design for me.
Isn't it so fun?

Amazing creativity. I don't know where he comes up with his ideas. Each one is so unique.

Why God Made Moms

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!

Just because...

Because she's so cute. Because she's getting so big. Because her mommy is way too busy to start her own blog. I felt I had to post this picture of Kate. What a darling smile!

Toppling Dominoes

My son.

He doesn't just play dominoes by the given set of rules.

Jonathan spends hours carefully setting up elaborate designs only to knock them down.

But I guess that's the fun part, right?

Here we go again...

Tonight while we were waiting for Jonathan's martial arts to begin, Jon and I realized that this was his 16th test at the studio! What dedication on his part! And every time I am amazed at his precision and focus throughout the test. Tonight proved to be no different. Jonathan executed each move with great skill. He is a very talented martial artist. I can't wait until the end of the summer when he will again test for his next belt.

Another test.

Another proud moment as a mom.

Sammy's Animal Service Club

Sammy spent a couple months volunteering her time at the Animal Shelter in town as part of the Animal Service Club. This was a program through Bloomington Parks and Recreation that provided younger children the opportunity to learn about, play with, and provide assistance to the animals at the shelter. They helped socialize young puppies by playing with them. They baked homemade dog treats for them. They created cute name tags for their kennels. And they watched some of the animals be adopted. (This was the hardest part for Sammy because she didn't want to see her favorite animals leave.)

After the program came to an end, Sammy decided that she wanted to start her own Animal Service Club at school. It was quite a process, but she was enthusiastic the entire time and really followed through on her ideas.

Sammy first went to the animal shelter and asked what type of items they were in need of. They told her they needed blankets and towels, wet and dry dog food, cat food, and dog toys. Next, she typed a letter to the principal, Mrs. Smith, asking permission to collect donations at school. After getting permission, she and I created a sign-up sheet for kids in the class who were interested in assisting with the service project. The group of students then made lots of signs to hang up around the school and decorated a huge box to collect donations in. Sammy then asked Mrs. Smith to make an announcement after the pledge one morning so that everyone at school would know to bring things in to donate to the shelter. They ended up collecting quite a bit of stuff. It filled the back of our Trailblazer and took many trips to carry it all into the shelter. They were so appreciative when we arrived. What a great project for Sammy to be in charge of!

April showers bring May flowers

Tulips are my favorite flower.

I love the way they look.
I love the way they smell.
I love the way they come up every year, again and again.
I love having a vase of them in the house.

Last fall Mike and I planted 140 tulip bulbs.
So it was very exciting when I finally got to go out and cut several for our kitchen.
Aren't they beautiful?