Sunday Snapshot~ Eight

so my girl turned eight... about 2 months ago I'm embarrassed to say. I am so behind.

anyhow, we are huge fans of the 1971 version of Willy Wonka. I do love my Johnny Depp but I have to say it, he didn't do Willy justice. Nothing can touch this....

moving on, we had a blast coming up with decorations and activities to follow along with the movie

edible mushrooms. actually, just the spots could be removed and eaten.

lickable wallpaper. melting jolly ranchers and painting them onto wallpaper seemed like such an easy task. still have the burn scars on my fingers, but we got'em done!

the girls helped me tape the candy to the walls




the First Lady invited all the girls in her class, all could come but 2 so it was a great turn out
check out the lollipop gumdrop tree she made for the table!

the brothers were in charge of the candy shop at the end of the party to make sure everyone filled their bag.

and dad kept the chocolate milk fountain under control

Lil' Lady loved being around the older girls, but she didn't last long and went down for a nap even though it was a bit loud and crazy.
we had the most fun with the fizzy lifting drinks and a burping contest afterward.

quite a few of those girls could burp like a man, let me tell ya.

our second tried to dazzle the ladies with his oompa loompa dance moves

yep, they were impressed.

dad and i did the cake. i worried that it would be two hard to eat, but those girls stripped it bare after it was cut. it wasn't pretty.

it was time to try out that lickable wallpaper. each one had their own to prevent "community licking"

i have to say these are really weird pictures.


once all the games were played and candy stripped from the walls it was time for everyone to head home. despite all the candy that was eaten i was impressed with how many were able to keep it under control.

My other job

so it's hard to remember sometimes that I have 550+ other kids. some mornings i show up to school and breathe a huge sigh because this part of my day is actually easier!! i have so many posts in the hangar waiting for me to take the time to get'em in here but i have to show off the most incredible masks my 5th graders finished up. i do this project every year with fifth grade. they're allowed to choose whoever they like for their mask and this year they simply stunned me with their ideas and how they were able to make them work!

they start with one of these...

and then a whole lot of this,
and this is what they came up with.

Pippi :)



these clever girls turned their people masks sideways to make some non-people!

Jack:)


Cirque du Soleil:)



and Jessie from Toy Story

Miss Jada:)

Life is good

Sunday Snapshot~ Bricks

so at lunch yesterday we ran into some friends who hadn't seen the kids in a while and they commented that we needed to get some bricks for their heads so they'd stop growing. that was the first I'd heard it put that way, but they're right. they are growing and changing so fast. the following was my attempt to save some cash and take their pictures at home to catch those changes. i am definitely not a photographer and know nothing of camera settings and lighting but I was relieved happy with the outcome. especially avoiding having to drag a certain Lil' Lady into a studio who rarely looks at a camera and smiles!

she's not a fan of the group shot.

didn't like the idea of standing still at all.notice mr. green shirt gets the prize for consistency

i call this her celebrity glamour pose.


most were kinda silly, but definitely reflected their personality

but in the end I got some favorites that i absolutely love