eva's leprechaun trap

"Karl, will you help Eva with her project?  She needs to make a leprechaun trap."

"Okay."

Empty bottles, boxes, papers and candies that Eva had saved up?

Nope.  

After he (uh, I mean they) were done Eva said, "It looks like a temple!"

Karl says I better not say it is his trap.  So I won't.  One day when Eva is older and she is having a day where she isn't feeling so special (because everyone has one of those days) I will remind her of the night her daddy built her the fanciest all wood, hand painted, good enough to be a temple,  leprechaun trap.  With a pitched roof.  And a sliding trap door.  And we will laugh (because that is SO Karl) and, hopefully, she will remember how special she is.   

Eva made a TV and a bed for the leprechaun and used some little gold colored candies to lure the little guy in.  I didn't get  picture but she also made a teeny tiny remote.  

Any leprechaun would be a fool to pass this high quality furnished suite up.

memories of a great man and bravery

See this little house?  This house holds many memories for so many people.  Many many people.  The man of this house had (including spouses) 185 descendants.  

On Presidents day, Karl got the word that his grandpa was not doing very well so we hopped in the car and drove up for a visit.

Though he seemed so different than we were used to, physically, he was definitely the same in spirit.  Giving hugs, making everyone feel welcome, and joking like he always did. 

"The ride in the ambulance was so bumpy that when we got there I told the driver, 'You did great job, I think you only missed two bumps.'"

Can you believe that?  In pain, in an ambulance, and he is still making people laugh.

After our visit (and goodbyes) we went out to the backyard to visit the horses.  

The kids.

This sequence cracked me up.  The kids getting ready to jump.  Eva, being Eva hesitates and things the landing over.  Samuel goes for it and takes off.

So, then you might say he is so daring, right?  The way he jumps around so fearlessly.  The way he ways whatever is on his mind.  

But then look at him feed the horse.  He was so afraid.  He wouldn't get close enough so the horses had to strain.  Karl pushed him forward and look at his face.  So funny the way his eyes are slammed shut.

Eva had no problem feeding the horses, though.

She was very brave.  Even though that horse only had one eye.

Karl has convinced the kids that they want to live on a farm.  Me?  We can't even take care of our little 1/4 of an acre or our few (now dead) plants.  We can't handle a farm.  

So Samuel says to Karl, "I want to live on a farm.  I will feed the horses and you will clean up the poop.  Oh, wait, that will freak me out.  Eva will feed the horses.  But what will I do?"

He finally decided he will feed the chickens. 

So, I think both kids are brave.  In their own way.  Samuel feels safest if he is the biggest, fastest, or loudest.  Otherwise he is a total scaredy cat.  Though Eva isn't quick to jump off high places, she is so much braver in other ways.  

eva, the ancient egyptian princess

Eva had been studying Ancient Egypt in school.  It was fun to hear the different facts that she remembered.  Each student was to do a project of their choice and present it.  Eva told me, "Oh, Mom, I can't make a pyramid because 20 kids are making pyramids."  We brainstormed a few different things and when I asked her if she wanted to dress up like an Egyptian princess, of course, she jumped at the idea.  

I got a bed skirt from thrift store (chose one that I liked the fabric of the skirty part) and just ripped out the white part.  I serged the edges and pinned and tied it onto Eva.

She made the collar and head band by glueing felt.

My friend had the gold trim to look like jewelry and it was perfect.  And perfectly Eva.

valentines 2010

The standouts for this holiday this year:

-Samuel's cards.  The way he writes his name.  It's not that he can't do it write.  It is that he is entertaining himself as he is writing.

-She did butterflies.  Kind of like last year but the kids at this school hadn't seen them yet.

-For the teachers I drizzled chocolate on some fortune cookies, put them in a Chinese take out box and attached the note.  I didn't make it up.  

-Eva used her birthday party decorations for her Valentine box and it turned out so pretty.  

-I stopped by Eva's Valentine party and took a few pictures.  The mommy in charge of the snack made chocolate covered strawberries.  She is a mommy after my own heart.

-Samuel came home from preschool with this heart bag.  It said "Cole" on it.  But Samuel didn't care.  

-On the actual day we usually have fondue for dinner.  Since it was my niece's birthday party that night, we had it for lunch.  We always have artichokes, too.  Eva loves them.  And I love that she loves them.

-We stopped by my friend, Erma's, house to drop off a valentine for her.  She pulls out these GIANT heart cookies that she made for my kids.  The kids were thrilled at the size of these things.  The thing that cracked me up is that Erma showed us the cookies that she made for her grandkids and they were these little circles.  I love that she loves our kids and that my kids love her.  

-Though I don't have pictures, I can't leave out that my kids were definitely showered with love from all of their grandparents.

Love Day 2010.  Posted.

eva celebrates with yellow and butterflies

For her birthday shindig Eva wanted butterflies and the color yellow.

I wanted to make some tissue pom poms but she noticed that they looked like butterflies during the process so that is what she made.  

We also make some origami butterflies and hung then from the light fixture.

For the food, Eva wanted pizza, lemonade, and watermelon.  Dear Papa Murphy helped us out with the pizza.  I made the citrus punch that always seems to be a hit.  But Eva wanted something more along the lines of Country Time.  Whoops.  We bought a watermelon but since it is not even close to being in season, it was gross.  So I got a bunch of watermelon candy.

It was Superbowl Sunday so I made sure to put out tons of snacks.  

My mom made the yellow butterfly cookies and Karl's mom made the chocolate chip cookies.  Eva wrapped the utensils.  It is very very Eva to do something like that.  I made little bouquets of flower and butterfly suckers for party favors.  And then I forgot to hand them out.  They are still sitting on my counter.  

I made a couple of salads, seven layer dip, artichoke dip, bean salsa, and my sister-in-law made dill dip (and was so nice to send it down even though her family couldn't come because they were all sick).

Boy.  We love food.

The boys watching the game.  Samuel the blurr.

Samuel loaded his plate up with chips and declared, "I like crunchy things."  

Notice the plates.  I found these plates with the cup holder.  They cracked me up so I got them.    They seemed very Superbowl-esque.  

Karl's mom made yet another amazing cake.  

And even more than we love food and a good party, we love Eva.

and these are a few of Eva's loves in her seventh year:

beautiful things

making beautiful things

reading

writing notes

watching shows

folding things

playing with her brother

sour cream

and if you are wondering... it is a month later and much to the dismay of my much taller husband, those butterflies are still hanging.