{Christmas Projects}

I always enjoy trying out a new project. This year I decided to take all of my old crayons (discarded by students over the years) and make something special for my students. My consensus? A simple DIY project makes for the perfect present for 21 kindergarten students.

My inspiration? A picture on Pinterest. 

My materials? Silicone cookie tray, chopped up crayons, and my trusty toaster oven.

{Family Photo Shoot}

Yesterday, Tyson & I went to Craig Park to take photos of our friends. In return, they agreed to take pictures of us.

Why not? We thought it would be a fun (read: free) way to get a few "family" photos. Typically the only pictures we take are when we hold the camera up, lean in, and hope we can are in the frame.

Exhibit A:

Needless to say, I was thrilled when we got some pretty good pictures out of our amateur shoot. :D Thanks to Laura & Patrick who helped make this happen!

{Oh, SO Helpful}

Tyson had a bout of "fall" cleaning on his day off.

Sadie decided to help.

All things must get messier before they get cleaner.

Right??

{Sadie: Destroyer of Toys}

It's October and I saw a fun dog toy in Pet Co. It was a lime green skull and I thought "Why not?" I promptly bought it for Sadie. It seemed to be made out of strong material, and felt like I couldn't see any parts she could easily chew off and swallow.

How wrong I was. It only took 10 minutes to have her new toy go from this:

to this:

Tyson is always saying that we need to buy her fewer toys (or just stick to Kong brand toys) and I'm beginning to agree with him. Sadie may be adorable, but she certainly knows how to destroy something in record speed.

{In Remembrance: Nana}

My Nana, Winnie Moore Hinkelman, passed away Sunday morning, September 19, 2011. She was a sophisticated, cultured, well-read woman who instilled a love for reading, art, and music in my mom. In turn, my mom instilled a love for those things in me. It is my hope that Tyson & I can continue traditions that my Nana & Grand-dad started with their family and pass them on to our family on day.

She touched many lives, and she will be missed by all who knew her. I'm so proud of her & all she accomplished throughout her life. From working in a lab in the '50's, to having 6 kids in 8 years, to being a docent at Stanford for 30 years, she has accomplished many amazing things. Most important of all, she had a family who loved her and cherished her.

I will always have special memories of my Nana, and I'm so thankful for her impact on my life.

I love you, Nana.

Madly in love after 61 years together. 

Lord, may that be Tyson & I.

{Aruba: Butterfly Farm}

By our fourth day at Aruba, we decided to take a break from the pool, beach, beach, pool routine. Instead, we took a nice 2 mile walk down to a fun, funky place called the Butterfly Farm. We were given a tour of the farm, were taught the life cycle of the butterfly (the teacher side of me loved this!) and then were given a free pass to come back & visit before we left Aruba.

Tyson & I had a fantastic time here! The butterflies were fluttering all around us, and were the most fantastic colors. I took the opportunity to play around with my (ooops.... *ahem*... "our") new Canon DSLR. All in all, we had a fun time & enjoyed seeing God's unique creation.