Back to School Flashback...

As I was prepping images to do the annual back to school blog post, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the kids and how they have changed. It took some searching in my photo archives but I found all of their first day of school photos. Everyone got off to a great start. We have had a few afternoon and evening meltdowns because of the early morning wake up times, both from the kids and me. I am happy with both Rowdy and Avery's teachers. Rowdy's teacher is ultra organized which I love! And Avery seems to like her teacher. Enjoy my little back to school flashback! I absolutely love the change here with Miss Avery Girl. The one on the left is Kindergarten, then first grade and then this year. Look how long her hair is now!!!

Four...

It is Bodie's Birthday today! I remember when I was close to my due date with him and I had a doctor's appointment. During the appointment I was having contractions that weren't too painful but were about 5 minutes apart. The doctor said, "You need to go to the hospital, now!" So off we went. My Mom happened to be with me, we had plans to go to lunch after the appointment. I drove myself, in labor, to Portland (I was having him V-Bac, blah, blah, blah, had to deliver in Portland in order to attemp V-Bac, a post for another time). My Mom followed me up there and Ron was close behind!

My labor was pretty painful once we got checked in and thankfully I was able to get some pain medications before he arrived! When I saw him the first time Ron's Grandpa Don and my Dad instantly came to mind. He has Grandpa Don's nose and my Dad's hands!

Bodie Verle Shinkle! Mama can't believe you are four! When you came into our family, things were pretty busy right off the bat. Your big brother was starting Kindergarten and your sister was starting preschool. So much of the time you were along for the ride. But you handled it so well! I was even able to take you to preschool with me on the days I volunteered.

Here are some things about Mr. Bo-man that we love:

He likes to share: He is always very concerned about everyone getting "some" if he has crackers he always shares. We were recently playing a game of Go Fish and Avery asked me if I had a King and I told her, "Go Fish." Bodie, very sweetly and so enthusiastically said, "I do!" and handed his sister the King! Love you Bo!

He is very spiritual: He always remembers his prayers at night, in fact he just can't go to bed without saying them. He always want to say the prayer at the dinner table too!

He is a Big Boy: He has insisted for a long time the he is a Big Boy! He, out of my three children, is really the most able to do things by himself the earliest! He puts his shoes on by himself, does a really good job of brushing his teeth, he has been writing his name for at least 9 months and loves to help out.

He is a Helper: He loves to help unload the dishwasher and fold laundry with me. He just basically likes to do what you are doing. He is willing to help out and pitch in. He helps feed the chickens, he help his Dad haul off some bush the other day and really wants to drive a big tractor like his Dad.

He is Ron's sidekick: He loves to go on little outings with Ron. Run here, run there. One day during Hay season, Ron was cutting hay in one of our fields. Bo ask if he could go help Dada. I told him, "Not right now bud, it isn't a good time." There are steps in the process that it is ok for the kids to be out there and Ron really does need their help. But other times it isn't safe. Well, Bo didn't like my answer and his desire to go help and be with Dada over powered my reason. He walked himself all the way down to were Ron was working. After I got over being concerned about where he was and figured out where he was, it really was sweet that Bo knew that Dada was working and he wanted to be with him! Bodie told Ron one day when he was talking to him on the phone, "Dada, I wish I was with you right now!" Very tender that a three year old (at the time) can convey that message over the phone and I'm sure it melted Ron's heart!

We love you Bodie so much!

Photography Special...

I am having a little fun in my photography studio space this Thursday if anyone wants to reserve a spot!

Julia Shinkle Photography

Ballet...

Avery is going to be in a Ballet. A real Ballet...Sleeping Beauty. She is going to be dancing with Aurora. I am really proud of her. She has been doing really well and I can't get over her tutu...She was ECSTATIC when she saw it for the first time!

I apologize for the brick background again but it was up and we were headed out the door to go have pictures taken at the dance studio with her class.

I need to adjust the straps a bit, it is a tad to big. I could tell she felt so official when she slipped it on...she told me in the sweetest little voice...Mom, it looks like Rapunzel's dress (she was talking about the little crossy thingy that goes down the front).

Here hair MUST be in a real ballet bun...it is all so official at the new studio we are taking classes.

I am thrilled she is enjoying ballet so much but NOT so thrilled she looks 16 in this last one...

This message brought to you by....

ASL (American Sign Language). When Bodie and I would say our ABC's sometimes I would sign the alphabet to him. He would also try to do the letters with me...alphabetically. One day last summer, to my shock, he signed his name by himself. He extracted the letters to his name and signed them.

The other day he was helping me figure out if some sidelighting would work with my new photography backdrops and it dawned on me that it might be a perfect time to get this talent of his documented! So here he is doing his thing!

Love you B o d i e!!!

Aloha!

At the end of April we went to Hawaii to meet the cute little fella in the top left photo. We pretty much spent the entire 8 days in our swim suits beach hopping! Playing with cousins. Visiting the Laie Temple. Taking in the beauty that Hawaii has to offer...the hibiscus were huge! Swinging from palm trees. Taking in sunsets and sunrises. Body surfing. Buying loads of stuff including these matching outfits from the Swap meet at Aloha Stadium. Boogie boarding. Being visited by a seal in need of a nap. Jumping in the sand. Looking cute. Taking photos. Playing the uke. Enjoying Shave Ice.

This was the quickest way to share a bit of our trip. We had a great time and didn't want to come home. I really enjoyed it and came back rested and relaxed.

Ms. Avery Girl...

Avery turned 7 years old in February. I shared some photos of her party but I haven't really talked about what she is up to lately. So here goes:

• She is reading constantly. I often find myself saying things like, "put the book down and brush your teeth, then you can go read again".
  


• She is still very much an artist. Her masterpieces are kept in a box in my office.



• She is a list maker and I can often find lists of things she wants to do with her cousins, on trips and she makes my grocery lists for me too.



• She likes to help out. But more will to do so when it is on her terms. She really jumps into action when her older brother is complaining about chores...what can I say she is a middle child. Recently I told her she doesn't get any "screen" privileges (tv, computer, wii) until her room is clean. It told her it was her choice as to when it got clean and when she would get screen privileges back. It sat a mess for two days but when she got busy on it she cleaned the whole thing by herself...something she told me she "couldn't" do two days before that.



• She is a super good eater and sometimes will have three helpings of dinner...especially if it is pasta.



• She is so bummed out that she hasn't lost any teeth yet and all of her friends have.



• She is 7 going on 15 sometimes with the sass level...big sigh!



• She wants her very own ipod.



• She is somewhat of an overacheiver in training. She likes to be the first one done. This is feedback from her teacher. But sometimes she makes mistakes because she is trying to be first to finish.



• She eats an apple every day and can finish a 6 inch subway sandwich (her favorite place to eat)
  


• She has a collection of Hello Kitty dolls.



• She is showing much potential in ballet and I can't wait to sign her up for gymnastic this summer.



• She likes to be tickled. Some people like to have their back scratched. She like soft tickles and not to the point of giggling but just soft tickles. I started doing this when she was a baby and she has never stopped liking it. Sometimes when she needs to calm down and her and I are in the middle of a power struggle I stop it all and we sit down snuggle and "do some tickles"...it helps.
  


• She loves to cook with me.



• Her Grandma's are the coolest people on the planet in her eyes...and it is true!



• She loves anything Cats and has even seen the Broadway musical Cats! (on DVD anyway!)


• She has a sweet little testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and loves church. I am so grateful to work with the Primary kids so I get to see first hand all the things she is learning.



• Mama loves you Avery and it is hard for Mama to see such a big girl starring back at me!

Just like old times...

I have been getting up pretty early to work out in the morning. Therefore, I have been feeling a bit tired in the afternoon. Yesterday I was feeling that way and I was freezing. So, I grabbed some books and told Bodie to go climb in my bed and we would snuggle and read.

Well after Hop on Pop and the ABC Book my eyes were heavy. I told Bo to look at books or he could go play in his room. I have the ability to take a "nap" and "hear" everything that is going on....it is a Mom thing. I woke up to this next to me....

It was the sweetest part of my day...

Silly Week...

Last week was silly week for Bodie at preschool. The teacher always pairs this week with April fools. Basically, the kids get to come to school with silly hats (no photos for that one), silly hair and one day they get to wear pj's to school. Since Bo only goes tuesday and thursday he got to wear a silly hat and wear pj's. So just for fun I did some rockin', silly hair for him too! I didn't tell him to do anything when I brought the camera out onto the porch when we were leaving...he just gave me all of these. Love this very silly boy!

Alex P. Keaton...

So, Rowdy has taken to wearing shirts and ties to school and any other opportunity that comes up. Since I didn't really want him wearing his white church shirts to school, I bought him a few shirts that he could wear to school and the other ones would stay nice for church. The day I brought them home you would have thought I brought him a puppy or something...he was thrilled!

I have been trying to figure out what the big deal is and why an eight year old boy would want to dress this way. I don't mind it...he looks so sharp. I am figuring that he likes the attention he gets when people say he looks so nice.

The bonus to the whole situation is there are a few other little boys in his class that have followed Rowdy's example and are starting to wear ties to school....how cool is that...little trendsetter!

Squirrel!

If you have seen the movie UP, you know that the dogs in that movie say, "SQUIRREL" mid sentence when they think they hear something. Well Rowdy did the same thing the other day when I was trying to get some pictures of him. He was busy telling me something...

and I was able to gab this shot, which I love, and then...

"TRAIN!"

He told me it was busy shunting. A term he got from Thomas the Tank Engine. I honestly didn't know that Rowdy would still be so interested in trains. He knows more about them than you would think. He still watches all the train documentaries on the History Channel and he has learned how to drive a real locomotive on a Train Simulator that Santa brought him.

Hardy Coat...

So Bodie got this cute little carhartt coat as a hand me down from a good friend of ours. The boy who used to wear it, is a friend of Rowdy's, his name is Hardy. Therefore, this is his "Hardy Coat". He tells everyone he meets it is his Hardy coat...even strangers in Wal-mart! Love you Bo-man!

She takes after me!

Avery has become quite the gymnast. She is super flexible and as you can see she can do a pretty mean cartwheel. She is constantly in motion and does random cartwheels all over the place. One day we were in a store and she had to stop herself from cartwheeling right there in the middle of the store. One day she was heating up her lunch in the microwave and I told her it would take about a minute and a half and she said, "That's ok Mom, I'll go do 100 cartwheels in the living room!" And she did. If only adults did that with their spare time they would all be fit and trim!

I love the last one above!

That's my girl!

Mish Mosh!!!

One of the fun snacks I offer the kids is a bag of Mish Mosh. I take a zip lock and throw a bunch of random stuff in it. For example, pretzels, fishy crackers and marshmallows. Sometimes I put some sort of cereal in it. Marshmallows are almost always one of the items. I took these last spring. I love Bodie's "chubby bunny" face! And Avery is being her creative self making Marshmallow kabobs.

Snapshots of Bo at Preschool...

I got to work in Bodie's preschool on the day they handed out their Valentine's. We love his preschool. He got to play with chocolate playdoh. He painted a pretty picture with valentine colors and of course got to give his friends his valentines. The last photo shows Bo doing his job for the day. He got to be nametag collector. Personally, I love the shirt I found for him to wear on Valentine's day! It says it all. Bodie is so sweet and compliments his Mama often. He often notices things like when I just put on lip gloss or paint my toes, he will say, "I like yours lips Mama!" or "Your toes are pretty!" Thanks for being the sweetest little three year old Valentine Bo Bo, Mama loves you!

I think it is cute that Annabelle the guinea pig comes out of her little nest to eat snack with the kids everyday (first photo).

I miss blogging...

Several weeks back I was reading through my old blog posts. I was surprised to find information there that I had forgot all about. I reminded myself that blogging is valuable and isn't a waste of time. I didn't ever think it was but I haven't been doing it lately.

I want to start blogging again and something that holds me back is that time it takes. So I have decided that quick posts about my life and kids is about all I can do....quick, is the main thing. Therefore, I am going to put aside the stupid expectation that I put on myself to tell a long story with each post and have the perfect photo to go with it and just I am going to simply blog! Doesn't that sound nice.

I will still post photos because I can't let go of that but I am not, going to feel any pressure (again self induced pressure) to edit them or do anything fancy to them. I really loved my 365 days of blogging because my posts were short and to the point but still documented my life.

So here goes nothin'....Bodie on the phone with his cousin. They talk for at least 20 minutes each time. Correction, Bodie talks. All images unedited because I feel the need to make everything simple! I love the bottom left one...

Chores....

Rowdy has one chore that we count on him to do. Feed the chickens! He is also responsible for building their nests when the hay gets low. He doesn't have an allowance yet but is always asking me what he can do to earn a dollar.

Our chickens took a little break this winter from laying and now they are back in business. Store bought eggs are hard to go back to after you have been spoiled with fresh ones. We have chickens that lay green eggs. We also have an over acheiver in the bunch that lays these HUGE eggs. I of course took a photo the other day...will post if time allows.

Girls Rock!

Miss Avery basically obsesses over her birthday from the moment she opens her last present on Christmas. We had a lot of fun planning her party this year. At first I thought we were going to have a fancy Nancy party. But as we looked for inspiration to have that kind of party we ran across some cute cups and plates that said girls rock on them. I asked her if she wanted to have a Rock and Roll party since she has enjoyed playing music on our Karaoke machine as of late...she said YES!!!! So the theme was set.

My mom found this sassy hat for the birthday girl and this oh so perfect t-shirt that says...

Girls totally Rock on it. Do you like the red, white and blue polish?

My friend Sarah got down with her cake decorating skills and made these cupcakes for Avery's party. They were spot on perfect!!!! And they didn't just look good they were so tasty! And I know my cupcakes.


Avery's friends all got a pair of sunglasses and a air guitar and microphone in their goodie bag. The girls had so much fun and I love at this age you don't have to entertain them. I enjoyed myself talking to a few of the Mom's that stayed during the party. Happy 7th Birthday Miss Avery Girl, Mama sure does love you!

I told them to give me their best Rock and Roll face....

Ups and Downs....

Life for me has been pretty busy. I haven't really had time or felt like blogging in a long time. I have much on my mind. Some of the things are good things. They are wonderful things that are on my list of things that bring me joy. However, there are things that I think about that are HUGE things. I count my blessings everyday and sometimes I am overwhelmed by the abundance of them. I am working on a happier me.

HUGE Scrapbooking garage sale...

I am selling some of my scrapbooking stuff.

My house
Tonight
5:30 to 7:30
Tons of stamp sets for $4 each (reg 14.95 to 25.95 new)
Scrap embellishments
Idea Books and More