Some more layouts...

I love hanging out a scrapbooking sites currently I'm in a contest called Shanty-lympics. Each week all the contestants are given a challenge. Mine this week was to use the color green, some bling, ribbon, and chalks. This is my entry: Signs of Summer



Close up of the little birdy that I colored in by using Versa Mark ink and chalks.


Another layout I made the day before...just for fun. Love this photo of Tess! Can you tell she is so happy to finally get the piano lessons that she has been begging for for 4 years now! She's really good at it and we've decided to let her have weekly lessons this school year.

Making Signs and Piano Recital..

Matt helps make a sign for my friend Wendy. She needed one for an Out Reach that she is doing for the Youth in our town. Matt did an outstanding job on the sign...he did it all by hand! Guess that Artist degree did pay off! ha ha


And while Matt was creating the sign, I was at Tess' Piano Recital. She had an awesome performance! Even tho I'm partial she had the best performance in my opinion. She played, Old McDonald had a Farm... with no mistakes!


Tess has been waiting for piano lessons for 3 years now. When we lived in Iowa all the classes were full and stayed full so she could never get in. And now that we're in Tomah they offer FREE lessons in the Summer School Program! Now that she's completed the summer program she can move on the private lessons! We're so happy that she has the opportunity to learn to play the piano! Keep up the good work Tessie!

First day of Summer School...

It's time for Summer School!

Tess and Seth both have classes this year. Beren and Leia are lucky and get to stay home with me! Tess is lucky because she has the fun classes.

Piano Lessons and Cooking Classes!

For Seth, he's not so lucky... it's Reading, Math, and Band Classes for him!

Playing the drums is fun tho!

They're lessons run for 6 weeks and I have to drive them to school everyday...

Monday thru Thursday! This is the only draw back for me.

Hurts the Purse! Know what I mean?

5 minutes with Tess.

This will prove to be the most valuable 5 minutes in your life! Enjoy!
P.S. I don't know why this video is as blurry as it is...it's even worse on Youtube,

Sorry!

Tess was in a Play last weekend...check it out!

Just a quick update: I moved my scrapbook pages to the bottom of the blog. I haven't added anything new to my pages in a long time so it's kinda old news...but if you enjoy looking at them they are still here just relocated to the bottom of this page now.

I'm also going to put a link to a specific video in each new post. Hopefully it will work. But if you ever want to see all my video's just click on the link in the sidebar on the right titled "Video Updates" it's here that you can see all my videos on Youtube. If you're having problems viewing the Youtube page you can always go to http://www.youtube.com/user/mommamikki save this page in your favorites...then you will always have a direct link to my videos.
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Now moving on to the main topic of the day. Tess in the play Mary Poppin's . She has the roles as Mrs. Banks. Tess likes to describe Mrs. Banks as the unconcerned mother of Jane and Michael Banks. Great description! huh?

Tess did a great job acting. She wasn't nervous at all and spoke her lines very well during the whole performance. She didn't make any mistakes...sh-woof!

As you veiw the video below take note of the backdrops. All of them were painted by the students in her class with the help of some parents. I love how Tess' teacher allowed the kids to take an active part in all aspects of the play...everything from setting up, staging, singing and preforming! She is an AWESOME teacher! (I would name her but we need to keep it confidential here)

Leia and I put together her outfit at the last minute. We needed to find clothing that fit the time period. It has been years since I've seen the movie Mary Poppins'...so I had to go on the Internet to check out Mrs. Banks clothing.
See her here: Mrs. Banks
I think we did a pretty good job getting her costume together. Love the hat and boots that Tess is wearing...I found them at Goodwill and the rest of her clothing is from Big sis Leia's, clothes closet!

Tess' teacher was so sweet and asked "how many times has Tess watched the movie?" I said I don't think she has ever seen it. Well come to find out the whole class watched the movie 1 time so they could get a good understanding of it...then they tried out for roles. Tess' teacher said that she (Tess) fits the role of Mrs. Banks perfectly...has her mannerisms and all. Too funny cause Tess is very motherly and mature in her speech...but the girl had only seen the movie once in her life. Then on Mother's Day of all days, THE MOVIE CHANNEL featured Mary Poppins all day long! How cool was that? Tess was thrilled to see it again on TV. We had fun watching it together...good thing cause I forgotten what most of it was about.

Now a little about the video. This is only part 1 of the play. Also, I only included highlights of the play...mainly the songs and scenes Tess was in. I also blurred most of the scenes too because I really don't know how other parents feel about their kids faces being on the Internet. Just wanted to let you know why it looks the way it does.

I'm so impressed with all the performers...remember these kids are around 9 or 10 years old. The gal that plays Mary Poppins has an awesome singing voice and so do the boys.

I thanked Tess teacher for introducing the kids to acting at such a young age...I sure hope this will inspire Tess to continue in this ART...she's pretty comfortable performing and is pretty darn good at it too! Enjoy!

The Lazy Day's of Summer...

It's finally Summer! Well...almost! It's still a little chilly here in Wisconsin but with the sun shining so brightly it's getting warmer and warmer each day. We still have 40 degree temps at night and the days are in the low 70's. I can't wait for Summer to really arrive!

I happened to look outside and found these 2 basking in the sun. Tess knows how to enjoy the season at hand.
















Do you remember days like this? I do! I remember laying on the cold green grass outside looking up at the clouds above..."see that cloud? It looks like an elephant...oh there that one, it's a turtle...and that ones looks like a bird!" And my all time favorite thing about summer...GRASS BLOWING...where your hands became the instrument by putting a blade of grass between your 2 thumbs and blowing really hard to make a whistling sound...always tickled my lips...I can feel it now...those were the days!

Here's to Warm Summer Days!


Here Tess and Lily are enjoying the outdoors
The Girls are so sweet together!















Look who else decided to join in the fun...Zippa!
She's such a lovey dovey girl!

Wow! It's time to catch up!

So what has the Boyd Brood been doing all summer? Not much really...it's been totally boring lately. The kids and I went to the Tomah pool alot. That is until all the rain came and the air turned a little cooler. This gal has to have 80 degree weather or warmer to get in that cold butt water!

Greg's mom and dad came for a visit. They stayed with the kids while Greg and I went to Dallas for the trip that I won for Premier Designs Jewelry. It was fun but long! We got up each morning at 6am and didn't get back to our room until 11pm! Needless to say we were dead dawg tired when we came home!

Greg's dad, also known as Poppi, bought the kids this cool pocket motorcycle. And looks who's having the most fun on it!

Looks like a big gorilla ridin' on that thing! ha ha

He's such the HOT ROD...isn't he? haha

Both boy's had their birthday while Mamaw and Poppi were here. Seth is now 11 and Beren 13! Beren's showing off his strength! They're so cute!

Tess just been hanging around... thinks she's a monkey! Wish I had that kind of energy!

Leia's been working on her culinary skills...she made both the boy's B'day cakes...it was totally yummy!

Lily's learned to conquer the slide in our backyard and the one at the Pool...it's a Polar Bear slide and I've deemed her Queen of it...wish I had a picture to share but don't.

and me...well all I seem to do is laundry and clean up the house! So much fun don't ya think? Mom's have all the fun!