Freak Alley Gallery- Boise, Idaho

We took a short weekend trip to Boise Idaho because Damon was in a tournament there. During the day, the kids and I walked around the city on our own and found cool art in an attempt to help Kandus with an art project she had to do for school. We ended up finding an awesome alley way called "Freak Alley". It went on for about a block straight.

We also saw so many beautiful spring flowers...

Sidewalk Chalk

Celebrating Kandus-Artwork

 Here we have some bits of Kandus from when she was younger. I don't remember at what age she drew each of these, but each one makes me stop and smile and remember.

Sip It Slowly

Fading.

The door opens,

I cross over.

At first nothing,

Then everything.

The warm humidity of life smells like...

Dirt and flowers,

Fruit and fire.

Beating down deaths door.

Sip it slowly,

Deeply.

Awaken,

To clarity.

Live...AGAIN!

by Damon

Drawings from top to bottom and left to right, by Lucy, Kandus, Annie.
***
We(Annie and I) have a new idea. We each write something and draw or take a picture of something and give it to the other. We match the picture with some literature and the literature with a picture. Then bring them together to see what we created together. We are hoping the kids will be interested in participating as well. It will be a fun family experiment.

Snow Day Art

By Deacon - 2nd grade

By Kandus - Kindergarten

Halloween Art

Art pages by Kandus and Lucy drawn just days before we moved last year.

Celebrating Kandus

I found this old journal page stashed under her bed along with many others. I'm thinking it was from around second grade. Kandus and I laughed as we tried to figure ou the last part together. It says, "Onki", but it's written completely backwards because it was yelled from the opposite direction! The other girl is yelling back, "I know!!!!!"

A Page On Disneyland and Seaworld

A Persuasive Letter To Santa

I found this letter tucked away in Kandus's stash under her bed. She wrote it last year, before Christmas in 5th grade. I am told all the kids in her class were required by the teacher to write a telling and persuasive letter, whether they believed in Santa or not. I found her reasoning pretty funny. 

All The Places To Love

We are planning on a river trip this summer with grandpa Greg and family instead of the usual Uinta’s trip. So, in light of summer vacations, here are some memories written by none other than Skipper; from her point of view on what she remembers in years past.

(Taken out of Skipper's 5th grade book, "All The Places To Love", that she made for Lucy.)

Cartoon Strip~Going to Hawaii

This is SO FUNNY to me! I love it.

Made by Skipper Doodle

Scene 1. Dreaming of Hawaii.

Scene 2. I really need to go to Hawaii.

Scene 3. Goodbye everyone!

Scene 4. Plane ride

Scene 5. Why is my hair always in the way?

Scene 6. I feel so much better from my haircut!

Scene 7. I want to go surfing!

Monster High All Day Long

I can't believe how good these are. They must have taken her all day long to draw and look this amazing. I believe Frankie is the coolest and most liked in our home, while Ghoulia is the brattiest, most annoying of them all. Too bad, because I really like her glasses and blue hair. Amazing artwork done by Skipper.

Kandus and Booga

I love how simple and cute this story is. It shows how kind and loving Kandus is. That is one of the things that I love about her the most.

Thoughtfulness Counts For Something

This evening during homework time I hot glued grass and twigs while Kandus made a moose habitat for her book report due Friday. All the while, Lucy was asking me a dozen times or more if she could please do more jobs so she could earn money for Deacon because she felt so sorry for him.

"I feel so bad for Deacon, Mom. He doesn't even have a stuffed animal", she would say.

Annie: "Lucy, he has the stuffed dog you gave him. Jack #3."

Lucy: "He gave it back to me."

Kandus: "Because you asked him for it back, Lucy."

Lucy: "Mom, anyways, I feel so bad for Deacon because he never gets money and he never gets to buy things."

Annie: "It's fine. He doesn't care....but that is very nice of you Lucy."

Deac's stack of money kept changing simultaneously. She wanted me to help her count it every 2 minutes or so, as she added to the pile by doing manual labor and by sacrificing most of her own money to the cause.(Lucy's money is usually spent on Deacon)

Lucy: "Well do you think he has enough for a Webkinz or a Pillow Pet? He has $2.26.

Hmm....

It was one of those nights when you feel like as much as you try, you can't give your full attention to everyone all at the same time, especially when everyone is important. It was pretty much impossible. I really did try.

(This is a letter Lucy left Deac on his bed at bedtime a few nights ago. When I saw it I thought it was one of the cutest things ever.( **Note dreams is spelled with a g. Sound it out...it works!!)

It reads:

If you keep thinking of scary things think of happy stuff.

We all have scary dreams. I have scary dreams too. You will see happy things. I love you!!

P.S. You are so strong you could knock over a train!

It's Christmas Eve And A Letter

by Kandus

by Lucy



Tonight Damon made us rice and raisins for dinner. We finished wrapping presents and just before bed Lucy left cookies on the counter for Santa and 9 carrots for the reindeer.

Last night, we all talked as a family about how excited we were and then we realized that the sofa was right in font of the fireplace and how that could possibly pose a problem. I listened while Dae got ideas for leaving out traps and trip wires for Santa. Nothing that would hurt him of course...just something to let us know that he really made it down the chimney and past the couch alright. Deac immediately shut down any ideas with the word "trip" in it. Then Dae mentioned that Santa might actually be athletic and move more like a ninja.

But, they didn't buy that either.

We may end up just giving him a key to our front door.

*****
I found this in Kandus's school journal from 2 years ago in 2009. She was in second grade.