I have a website!

All my life I have wondered - 'what will I contribute to make the world a little bit better place?' Well, besides my two gorgeous off-spring, my contribution may be a website dedicated to providing cool ideas for library programs. I've had much success in my tenure as president of the Friends of the DuPont Library and my original ideas have produced well received library programs. So I got my noggin' to a-thinkin' one day.... I should probably share some of these ideas. I have tried, pretty much in vain, to find a good source on the web for program ideas, and have come up with most things on my own. So! I decided to make my own website. It is definitely a work-in-progress and I'll add some photos and other links as I can, but it's a start. Check it out and let me know what you think!
http://libraryprogramideas.com

DuPont Library Extravaganza!

Today was the final event of the Friends of the DuPont Library Art Series AND the 4th Anniversary party of the DuPont library. In a nutshell - it was an exhausting blast! First was decoupaging rocks (the first two events were painted canvas and layered sand terrariums), and this event had an instructor - a wonderful lady named Theresa who teaches at Aleah's school. I had seen these amazing decoupaged creations of hers and asked if she would be willing to teach others. She said she was and that she would be delighted to do something for the library. So for the last month or so, we have been scouring DuPont for suitable rock candidates to dedicate themselves to being yard art, rather than their traditional roll of yard nuisance (at least they are at my house!). We spent two evenings preparing the rocks with a base coat of paint and the kids were quite excited for this program. It was amazingly successful and everyone seemed to have a great time.
On the heels of the art program, we "flipped" the library and hosted the 4th Anniversary party. The biggest hit for Aleah and Nicholas was, by far, Miss Sue the face painter. They adore Miss Sue, as she is the page at the library and they see her often. All I had to do was remind them that they waited too long at last year's party and missed their opportunity to get their faces painted. Oh, boy! NOT this time! As you can see my little darlings took FULL advantage of Miss Sue's time and generosity. She did, however, draw the line, when Aleah ran out of arms and face and presented her belly! I gently explained to Aleah that it wasn't 'that' kind of party :-)
It was a long day, but the result was a cool art project and a marvelous community event.

Curtis is 16!

What a weekend! We went to Sequim to my sister Tanya's house to celebrate her "baby's" 16th birthday the weekend of April 12th. Of course, "it seems like just yesterday" he was a teeny tiny baby. Curtis was a super guest of honor and I think really enjoyed having all of the little kids worship his every move. He let all the kids climb all over him, built an elaborate fort for them and at one point jumped up and yelled, "LET'S PLAY PRINCESS!" Quite a popular statement to 5 girls under 5 :-) But, also an expression of how well grounded and self-assure he is. How many 16 year old boys do you know who would even give little kids the time of day?

We also got to see darling Darian show her prowess on the softball field. (which is where I took pictures - I'm still waiting for my darling sisters to send me the pictures from Curtis's party) :-)The day was gorgeous and she and her team played to a tie against Bainbridge. They were outrun in a run-off, which happened because the game had dragged on for about 2 1/2 hours and they were only in the 6th inning.

Recommended website

I found a website that I really like. It is http://picaboo.com/ and it is for digital photo books and cards. Shutterfly is great and you can make gifts, but this one has more layouts and backgrounds and is almost like scrapbooking which I would like to have the time for, but really don't. The prices are reasonable too. I made one for Nicholas and Aleah for the year 2007. Plus, through the 31st of March it is buy one, get one free and you know how I love a bargain!

Hoppin' down the bunny trail

We usually have an annual Easter party and attend the Easter Egg Hunt in town. It is a great time to see the kids having so much fun with their cousins and grandparents - and have some fabulous food, not to mention a few chocolate bunnies! But, this year, calendars just don't jive and Nicholas's soccer game is in direct conflict with the Egg Hunt - so - we had our party this weekend and had our own egg hunt in the back yard! Also, Nicholas's soccer game gave Aunty and Gramma and Grandpa a chance to do the "soccer thing" and watch him play his little heart out :-) (he is the goalie in the picture above). He liked showing Baby Jaine how to kick the ball!

What's with this kid?

My dear sweet Nicholas has changed. Look at these pictures from our California trip - do you see a trend? If it has anything to do with sports, this kid is all over it. He's like a dog - he'll throw, run and kick the ball until YOU are tired! I even had to pack a football and golf club :-)

In his soccer game last weekend he headed the ball down the field on two throw-ins in a row - Holy cow! I couldn't believe my eyes. His passion and enthusiasm just radiates his joy.

Flitter flutter, little butterfly

If you have never been to a butterfly house, you are truly missing a magical experience. The life cycle and movements of butterflies is fascinating, and to see several types of butterflies in one place, seemingly living in harmony with each other, is uplifting. For me, an even greater joy was to watch Nicholas and Aleah gleefully encountering different types for the first time at the Living Desert in Palm Desert, CA. "Look Mom! there's another one!" Nicholas was able to coax 5 different butterflies onto his hand and at one point there was anothere one on his back. He also managed to transfer one of the butterflies to Aleah so she could feel what it is like to have this delecate creature in her hand. And, because Nicholas was so comfortable, he was able to transfer a butterfly onto Grandma's hand too.