High Ho Silver

Happy New Year!

2010-08-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

This time of year is always what I count as the "new" year. Everything is new! Pencils, notebooks, shoes, clothes, backpacks, teachers and students. January is actually just in the middle of it all, so for me it doesn't really count.

Today, our "new" is that DJ is a 4th grader and Nick is a brand new Kindergardener! We started the day with cinnamon rolls and ended with traditional ice cream. We saw our friends and sweetly ushered in our new year.

It seems like just a moment ago Nick was crawling over the threshold of DJ's kindergarten classroom. Today he walked across proudly into his own room full of adventure. We are truly blessed!

5 years of fun!

2010-07-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

Nick turned 5 today!

We celebrated "Ben 10" style with a bunch of friends, candy and alien masks.

He is such a joy and delight to us! We are so grateful for his place in our family!

Goodbye dear friend

2010-03-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Before Christopher there was Nicholas,
Before Nicholas there was D.J,
and before ALL of them... there was Madison.
Goodbye beloved friend.

Writing

2010-02-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

I love it when pieces of the puzzle start to come together. Nick will start kindergarten next year and I am amazed how quickly he picks up things. He is starting to sound out words and get them on to the paper. He loves to write to his friend Katy (an older woman of 6)

You have to read it backwards, but this says, "Katy I am 4"

Clearly he doesn't share in his brother's peace keeping efforts because he loves everything about guns and shooting. So, it makes sense that he would draw a gun and write about it.

He is quite proud that he drew the bullet.

DJ loves comic books and super heroes so I am flattered that he is writing about Super Mom.

Apparently, my super power is Super Scream. Here is the cover of the story, and the illustration of "super scream"

Smile

2009-11-13T22:19:00.000-08:00

The boys... over the past 8 years.

Space

2009-11-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

DJ LOVES the solar system. He can tell you more about the planets than you even want to know. He is an amazing young man, and I love the way his mind works. Today he made a model of the solar system out of K'nex.

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-02T14:22:00.001-08:00

This was the year of the Superhero... Ironman and Superman were the costumes of choice. Chris went as a 3 year old (since he is still just 2 for a few more days) We played at Martin Park's annual Halloween Carnival, and went around the block near Aunt Terry's house to trick or treat. All the candy was consumed on Sunday, and we are ready for the next holiday!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

We took the boys, at the last moment, to the pumpkin patch. All I wanted was a cute picture of my cute boys sitting calmly amongst the pumpkins. Is that really too much to ask?? Apparently it is! I did get some really cute pictures, but after only one turn in the bouncy pirate ship everyone left in tears because they wanted one more turn! Oh well, enjoy the cuteness!

Last days of Summer

2009-09-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

Well, now that summer is almost officially over, I suppose I had better post all the stuff that we did. It was jam packed with space camp, zoo camp, vacation Bible school, coastal trips, more day camps and birthday celebrations. Here is a glimpse:

DJ went to Space Camp in Atwater. He has been wanting to go for several years, they learned all about space and launching rockets and had a mock mission. He was definitely in his element!

Nick got to go to Zoo camp this year, and he had such a blast. He loves animals, and is so excited about learning just about anything. Poor Chris was too young for any day camps, but he "went to Quinn's house" if you ask him what camp he went to! (and he had a blast there!)

We didn't actually go camping this year, but resourceful kids will find a way! They are "roasting" fruit snacks over a night light.

We went to this great party at the Sands' house... an adults only 4th of July party with red, white, and blue food. I made a cake for one of the most talented guys I know, Mick Wingert, who shares his birthday with our country. (watch for him as the voice of Po on the new series "Kung Fu Panda) We lit this on fire, and it was cool!

Speaking of cool... 4th of July in Cambria is our family's tradition, we have a blast every year and freeze while we watch the fireworks. It sure beats the heat in Fresno.

Nick turned 4 on the 15th of July... more pictures to follow in another post!

Just some fun with Aunt Terry.... always a favorite, no matter what the season!

One of the last camps of the summer... DJ went to Magic Camp at the Discovery Center. Again, he was in his element... free time with legos & the science of some cool magic tricks. This is one of his creations.

Then.... summer fun came to an end. Another tradition is the first day of school ice cream! Fun was had by all

The end

DJ's talent show act

2009-09-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

Conservation is Key!

2009-06-10T18:55:00.001-07:00

So, DJ has been on a conservation kick. Some of the ideas you should be able to decipher, but let me explain :)

We shouldn't hunt. There should be more birds... that is a nest with eggs in it.

Solar powered cars, plant more trees, ride your bike, don't litter cans on the road.

No pesticides, don't throw bottles in the garbage (only beer bottles, evidently), recycle glass, and use "green" bags.

Don't cut down trees, and turn off the lights when you are done.

I am actually shocked that he allows any cars at all. He is constantly shouting, "NO MORE CARS!" I am constantly reminding him that it is 20 miles round trip to his school.... we WILL be driving!

Remember, always recycle! :)

Chris...

2009-05-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

This guy spends most of his time cracking me up. He is constantly pretending he is a puppy or a baby. He will not be left out of anything the big boys are doing. Here are just a few pictures from the past couple of months of our "little" guy.

He is singing "Our God is an AWESOME God!"

Conversations in the Van

2009-04-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Nick: Mom, I don't want to drink water because it makes your heart dead.

Mom: No it doesn't!

Nick: DJ, what did you say it does?

DJ: I said it kills your thirst.

Nick: (in a very sad voice) I don't want to drink water because it kills your thirst.

New Art piece for my kitchen

2009-04-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

I have been searching for a fun piece of art to hang in my kitchen, one that is whimsical, brightly colored, and makes me happy to look at. So far, nothing has caught my eye. Then I remembered I gave birth to a brilliant artist! So I commissioned DJ to paint some bright flowers. He was more than happy too, and he had to add a sunset, because that is what he likes to paint. I had it blown up at Kinkos. I thought I would share it with you... it meets all the criteria and more!

Flowers for Mom

2009-03-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

This time of year brings new life all over. My favorite little "weed" flowers grow in lawns all over the place and we can't cut our grass until their time is up because I like them so much! It makes for a great picking field for little boys who love to pick flowers for mom, and keeps them out (hopefully) of my gerbera daisies!

2nd Grade Play

2009-03-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

The title for this year's show was "Together" so the kids wore costumes from all over the world. DJ was a Pharaoh from Egypt. He did a great job, and we are so very proud that he made it through... this time only looking for us a few times with his hands cupped like binoculars over his eyes!

More to come when we get the video back.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-03-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Really, it is!

We took our second family trip to Disneyland in February, and had a magical time! Our dear friend, Aunt Susan, came with us, and she made it more fun for everyone. (1 to 1 ratio is always favorable!)

I can't really say much, except that I am still in awe of all that the Magical Kingdom has to offer, and how I don't ever think I will get tired of going! The pictures speak for themselves!

Woo

2009-02-13T17:12:00.000-08:00

To quote DJ this morning, "Our family won't be the same without Woo." She was 15 years old.

Deck the Halls

2009-01-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

Our annual trek to the Christmas tree farm resulted in us getting our tree from Costco., but the kids had a great time running through the rows. DJ had his first sleepover friend, so the boys decorated a gingerbread house and the tree, and a good time was had by all!

Nick was holding the tree on the top of the van... so he thought!

Just the thought of snow makes Nick cold!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

Salvation Army

2008-12-05T22:31:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to start some new traditions in our little family. So the new thing this year was to ring the bell for the Salvation Army at the mall.

DJ was true to form. He wouldn't let many people go by without wishing them a hearty Merry Christmas! He also would say to them (after they gave) "God bless and keep you." In his best Dicken's Tiny Tim voice.

This is just a little rough video clip, but it is very representative of 2 hours spent at the mall.

Blessings to each of you this CHRISTmas!

Out of the mouth of babes...

2008-11-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

"Mom, do you know what the Bible tells you? The Bible tells you 'so'."

From Nick

Pumpkin Time!

2008-10-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

This is the best picture of all of them... I am still not sure how 3 boys

end up going in so many different directions!

Mr. Muscles

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.

Happy Birthday DJ!

2008-10-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

I think it was yesterday that I found out that we were expecting...

Somehow he's 7 and I am wondering where the time has gone. DJ had an "Imagination Movers" party... Disney has got his number for sure!

He is full of ideas for all sorts of new inventions and is convinced that he is the first one to make whatever it is. I love watching the gears turn in his mind!

So, we had the family over, the ones we were born into and the ones we have chosen, and made a day of it.

Let's see what's in this bag...

I am not sure why it is a good idea to give small children a large stick and tell them to whack at a box full of candy...

Birthday bumps are a lost tradition in the Haley family... we have brought them back!

Can you see the gears turning?

Happy Birthday DJ!

Communication

2008-10-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Every Monday afternoon I gather with a bunch of women from our neighborhood for what we call "coffee & chocolate". It is a time for us women to chat it up and let our kids connect with each other too. One afternoon I was hosting and had made a batch of brownies that DJ had been sampling earlier in the day. When it came time for the ladies to partake, DJ was bugging me constantly to have more brownies. I told him that I didn't want to hear from him again and that he should go play with the kids.

A little while later I was silently presented with an envelope containing this note... he didn't say anything, but the picture is worth a thousand words. I especially like the smoke billowing from the ears!

Old Faithful

2008-09-13T14:04:00.001-07:00

You have to go to the sandsbox blog to see this entry (check out the blogs under our picture). They are not my words, but Corrie summed up the last 7 years pretty well.

Thanks Corrie!!

More designs by DJ

2008-08-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

DJ has really been wanting to invent something real... he has asked me every day, "when will I invent something?" So, today was the day to invent something real! All his idea, no help from anyone... it's "the wheel turner 3000"

Watch for it in stores!

Tradition!!

2008-08-30T20:45:00.001-07:00

DJ started 2nd grade on August 18th.

It has been our tradition to go out to ice cream on the 1st day of school. It's a special treat that I, for one, look forward to every year! This year we visited the little mexican ice cream store near our house... the boys were in a little bit of heaven. (so was I)

Last days of summer break

2008-08-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

All good things must come to an end... this was our last outing of the summer, before DJ started 2nd grade! What a fun day with friends!

The Train

2008-08-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

We took the train to Hanford last month to get the best ice cream in the world! (Superior Dairy)

The boys all had a really great time it was a first for all of them. Definitely something that will be repeated! Nick is still talking about "the best ride ever to get ice cream!"

Nick is 3!

2008-08-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Nick turned 3 way back in July... It was a Thomas party... as all good 3 year old boy parties should be!

DJ the contractor...

2008-07-29T16:37:00.002-07:00

I built some shelves earlier this summer, and there was some wood left over. DJ said, "Hey Dad, lets build a bird house!" So today, we did. Nick helped a little as well.

Tomorrow, after the glue is finished drying, we'll paint it. I'm sure that will be even MORE interesting... especially for Dad!

2008-07-29T16:37:00.001-07:00

40 MAY be the new 30, but WHEW it doesn't FEEL like it!

2008-07-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

To celebrate turning 40 this year, I went to Colorado with 2 far away friends (who also turned 40). We went whitewater rafting for our big adventure (a first for all of us) we had mostly class 2 & 3 but there were a couple class 4 areas. Then we climbed on horses and went for a 1/2 day ride. My horse decided to put his front legs down and roll over my leg. Thanks to Travis the cowboy, he wrangled my horse, and got me back up and on the trail. I was a bit bruised, but that's it. All in all it was a great trip, but I will tell you, 40 may be the new 30, but my body does not recover like a 30 year old!!

Designs by DJ

2008-06-24T23:40:00.000-07:00

Our house has been invaded by ants... not the nice ones who want kisses and hugs, but the ones that get into the sugar bowl and make us cranky.

So, DJ decided to design an automatic bug smasher. Here is the design... don't even think about stealing it, we may need it to put him through college.

(it hangs from the ceiling and when a bug comes by, the automatic sensors smash it) DJ thinks it will be a great seller!

More from Nick

2008-06-05T00:16:00.000-07:00

Just a bit of worship...

Friends

2008-06-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

I love this picture. It's a sweet moment between brothers that is rare! It's a nice to see instead of the usual arguing over what to watch or where to sit, or what toy which one had first....

Sterling Discovery Center

2008-05-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how it came to be... but some how our house turned into a science center.

We have had caterpillars turn to butterflies, silkworms turn into moths, and a wolf spider caught a fly. We also have a family of doves nesting on our back porch.

It's been a fun month of discovery!

Ok.. Now who is who? Nick or Cindy

2008-04-21T18:43:00.001-07:00

Well, I have to admit, we don't look exactly alike, but the nose is definitely the same!

1st Grade play

2008-04-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

DJ was an Army Ant in the 1st grade play tonight at Bullard Talent. I have only included his parts, because, well, that's what we really went to see, right? Actually, I was very impressed by the entire 1st grade! They have worked so very hard, and they all did a fabulous job! The movie is a few minutes, so hang in there. The first part, he was looking for us... and didn't see us until the very end of the play. (sigh) I apologize for the earthquake in the middle... :)

Keeping up with the big boys

2008-03-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Chris continues to amaze me! He is always wanting to do the same things as his big brothers, mostly Nick. Thankfully, our boys are very good at asking to be excused and clearing their plates from the dinner table. Chris has learned to say "all done" in sign language, as well as some vocals that sound just about right. Now he wants to take his plate to the sink. Tonight, while still in his high chair, he put his cup on his plate and said " 'cuse". Which I have discovered means "may I be excused", what the big boys say. Then I lifted him to the sink so he could deposit his dishes.

He's growing too fast!

What do you think?

2008-02-28T17:09:00.000-08:00

You decide... which one is Kurt or Nick

40, it's the new 30 right?

2008-02-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

I have the GREATEST friends!! I turned 40 this year, and we did party like a bunch of 30 year olds! A HUGE thank you to the Sands for hosting the bash in their beautiful home! Thanks so much to Alice, who made the cake (picture to be posted soon, that is it's own story) And, Thanks to the many friends who came to celebrate. I am blessed to have you all in my life!

Uncle Jepp.... Can I join "Eleven"?????

2008-01-31T18:53:00.000-08:00

Flattery from the top bunk

2008-01-22T22:01:00.001-08:00

"Good night sweetheart"
"Goodnight beautiful mom, do you know why I call you beautiful?"
"Why?"
"Because your lips are beautiful when you put lipstick on them"
"What if I don't put lipstick on?"
"Then you look the beautifullest of all!"

Now, there is some smooth talkin' for a 6 year old!

Songs from the back of the van

2008-01-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

So, we're driving down the road, and Nick shouts out from the back of the van, "I swallowed my finger".... "YOU WHAT??" ... "Mama, I swallowed my finger.... yes yord, yes yord, yes, yes yord..."
It turns out that he is singing... "I'm trading my sorrows.... Yes Lord, yes Lord, yes, yes Lord..." A song that we sing in our sunday school class.
"I swallowed my finger" was not quite the message we were going for, but it is fun to see how those little ones process all those songs.
He loves to sing... so, no doubt we will have more installments from the back of the van.

Happy New Year...

2008-01-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

Okay.. so it's a week late.

However, things went off without a hitch here in the New Year. Apparently the boys have ALL made a New Year's resolution to let Mom and Dad sleep until 7:30 AM... Yeehaw! It has been wonderful... especially considering how little sleep we were getting at the beginning of December.

Everyone is just about done with vacation. DJ goes back to school tomorrow, and Cindy starts her new job. Kurt goes back on Thursday. Oh well.. vacation can't last forever. We have had a nice time hanging out for the last couple of weeks, and got some stuff done around the house.

Aunt Terry & Chris

2007-12-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

Chris is growing into such a great little guy. We think he doesn't look anything like mom or dad... he is really like his Aunt Terry. He was having a great time with her at Christmas.... as you can see. Not sure who was having the better time!

YIKES!!!

2007-12-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Where did Christmas go?!

When I was a kid, I remember that the Christmas season lasted FOREVER... and Christmas was NEVER going to arrive. Now, as soon as Thanksgiving is over... it's the New Year!

And my vacation is already half over... man.. do I have alot to do.

However, Christmas was wonderful. Staying home this year was just wonderful. As much as we LOVE to spend Christmas with family, not have to rush off after we'd opened our presents was very nice. It was so much more relaxing. The boys had a great day, and Aunt Susan came over to help open presents, thank you Aunt Susan!

So, how was Christmas at your house? We'd love to hear.

Writing on the wall

2007-12-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

DJ has this great fabric chalkboard that hangs above his bed. He often needs to get his wiggles out before going to sleep. Here are a few of his writings and drawings. The first one is a poem, entitled, "Melody, Melody". We had to write the answer to his question "If I do something wrong will you still love me?" The one with the band is singing songs about Jesus. I think as an ode to uncle Jeff, there are 2 sets of drums! The 4 corners are things that God has created.

2007-12-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

Let's start with a home movie!!! OK, not the best quality... but hang in there... the subject is cute! Chris is now walking all over the place. Well, not so much walking as RUNNING!

Catching up with the times

2007-12-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

We are finally entering into the "blog scene". Watch for more as we figure this whole game out!