Peaches and Pears and Grapes... OH MY!

Canning up a storm here at the Ball house!


Just look at these BEAUTIFUL Grapes we were able to pick yesterday!!!


Applesauce, grape jam, tomatoes... all on today's agenda. I was hoping to take the kids to a movie this afternoon, but 3 out of 4 are sick, so might as well get the canning done! :)

First Day of School 2010

I know that all there are a bunch of "back to school" blogs going on out there... but here's another one. *winks*



Taylor is in the 6th grade. (Every time I say it I want to CRY! I can't believe that this is his final year of Elementary School!!!) He is VERY excited to be on the Safety Patrol this year. His first order of business as Safety Patrol is to "guard" the office. (Not let any kids run in/out before or after school unless they need to be there.) He came home from school today really happy about his teacher. I'm happy too because she seems to actually care about the kids and HOW they learn. I know this because she sent home a letter today asking for the parents opinions on how they learn, what the parents think their children find challenging, what their reading habits are and if they are hands on, better at watching or better at just listening to learn. I think it's a sign of a good teacher... one that realizes that children all learn differently and there is not one set way the class should be taught. Hooray!


Jordan is now in 3rd grade and lucky for us, we have the best teacher in the entire school! (Okay... there are many other "best teachers" in our school, but Mrs. Baese holds a special place in the "best teacher" category. :) ) Jordan had a great summer and is eager to get back into learning mode. He's a great little student if you can keep his attention... (and if you can keep his nose out of a book.)

Madison is in 1st grade and I don't know how that happened. She just CAN'T be old enough to be at school all day long!!! Her teacher is PERFECT for her. Madison loves her already. Her favorite part of today was taking her new lunchbox to school. She says that she's waited FOREVER to FINALLY be able to eat lunch at school.

Had to get a picture of the new backpack for Madison. (And the knee highs are DARLING too!!)

My three school aged children.

Brian was able to take the day off and was sweet enough to walk them up to the bus stop since I needed to be at my crossing. These are some of the photos he took... I was thrilled to see that for another year Nigel (our crazy cat) followed them up to the bus stop. :)

My cute "little" kids walking up to the bus...


And Nigel following right behind...

Waiting for the bus. Reagan needed to be a part of it all too.

The THIRD Graders:

The SIXTH Graders... (and Gracie... in Fifth. Hi Gracie! )

The bus stop crew

The "excited" FIRST GRADERS! (Some of them at least! :) )

We're excited for a fun year!

Back to School 2010

Took a nice blog break but I'm back!

Tonight was our family Back to School Feast. We had a nice dinner... (Chicken Cordon Bleu, corn, broccoli, rolls, roasted rosemary red potatoes, apple pie and a TO DIE FOR Raspberry Bread pudding thanks to Natalie's recipe. :) )




We also introduce our family "theme" for the year:


I thought that "Be the BEST Version of YOU" was the PERFECT theme... just want my kids to know that no matter what they do... no matter what their strengths or weaknesses... no matter WHAT!!!... as long as they are doing their BEST, they're just perfect.

We had a great summer. I'm really sad to see it come to an end! :)

Nicole's Quilt

Actually, this isn't Nicole's quilt at all. It's for her NEW BABY!

Her baby shower is today, being given by Nicole B. who, I must say, has outdone herself! She found out that Nicole had never had a baby shower for her first baby... so what do good friends do? Put on the BEST shower possible of course!








Can't wait to give it to her! :)

Baptism Quilt

Welcome to 2010! Obviously, things around here have been crazy since I haven't blogged since mid November!

We're starting out 2010 with a baptism! Jordan turned 8 on December 10th, and tomorrow morning, (January 2nd) is his baptism day! He is terribly excited about it.

I thought we would be having his baptism in February, so I ended up having just under a week to get his "Baptism Quilt" complete. I started Taylor's quilt 2 months before his baptism... Had to get this one done in a few days!

We had a few glitches, but I think it turned out cute in the end. :)





Looking forward to tomorrow's festivities! Family will be joining us afterward for a lunch, and then MAYBE we can rest for the rest of the day from birthday's, Christmas, New Year's and the baptism! It's been insane!!! :)

Our Family

A portrait by Madison.

Christmas Dance Costumes 2009!

Madison AND Reagan are both in dance this year! I was asked to make dresses for Madison's Christmas dance. The song is about a doll who is in the repair shop, hoping she makes it home for Christmas. :)

The dance teacher surprised me when she said she wanted a Christmas dance costume in PINK!!! Yet, it still needed to be "Christmas-y". I found some great fabric for an overlay over the pink, and some DARLING beaded ribbon to add as an accessory!

Front



Back




With Hair Bows




Different view



Details



9 little dresses hanging in a row

Pardon the food storage in the background. My sewing room shares an unfinished wall with the storage room, so for right now, this is as good of a shot I can get. :)

Growing Up but hopefully not growing apart...

Ive been struggling recently with Taylor and Jordan's relationship. They've always been so good to each other. I mean... they have their moments... they are brothers after all. But recently, Taylor has been "seeking his independence" from his younger brother. And it hurts.



Of course it's mostly the complaint that Jordan "hangs around" Taylor too much. But Taylor is such a great kid and Jordan just wants to follow. I don't want to force them to have a perfect relationship, but I can't seem to not involve myself either.

It's hard to watch them grow up, hoping they don't grow apart.


Meanwhile, I love these kiddos more than anything! Even when they're at odds with each other, how can you help but not love them to pieces?

Taylor 10, Jordan *almost 8*, Reagan 3, and Madison 5

Too Much Canning.

You know you're canning too much when the 3 year old starts imitating you by canning things for play.

Reagan's Birthday

The "baby" is Three. And it kills me just a little.

Unfortunately, her birthday falls right in the middle of crazy canning season. My big plans for her third birthday fell short and it's one I'm glad she won't really remember.

I made her cake in about 30 minutes. I think it turned out awful. She wanted a "sleeping beauty" cake, and I should have taken the time I did with Madison's to make it look decent.

The morning of her birthday she woke up and told me that she didn't want to be three yet she wanted to stay two. She said that she wanted her party "next week". Should have listened!









By the time party time rolled around, she was fine with being three. She rushed through all of her gifts, not thanking anyone for anything. She love everything though. The day after she played and played with all her new "loot".








Happy Birthday my little Reagan! Thanks for putting up with our crazy family! And thanks for adding a little "attitude" to our family dynamic!!! :)