Best of Both Worlds

We survived Paige and Claire's "Rock Star Party", where you got to have the best of both worlds. The girls all received a backstage pass in the mail and had to wear it to be allowed in. Brant the bouncer was very stern and strict -- no pass/no enter. The moms thought it was hilarious. Each pass had their true identity name and their "secret rock star" name. All the rocker names were rhyming state names --- Claire Delaware, Elaine Maine, Pippi Mississippi, etc. After serving microphones and soundbites (corndogs and party mix), my lovely neighbor Jill and I performed their rock star make-overs. Huge thanks to Jill for doing the make-up. She went home covered in glitter, but giggling at what she got to leave behind.
After the make-overs we played a quick game and had a photo shoot in front of the stage. Notice all the pink hair and red lips. The gobs of glitter didn't show up in this phot, but, trust me, we'll be finding it for weeks.
The pass.
This I threw in to show off Iowa. Can you tell what this is? Look closely. The reason I took a boring picture of the side of our black grill is to show off the snow. Yes, people, it snowed for about two hours yesterday. Nothing really stuck, but still honest to God snow in October. Jeez, I am so not prepared for this.

Leeper Kids

These are pics from when my mom and sister came up to visit. Notice how over half of the Leeper grandchildren belong to Brant and I. They turned out pretty good for just a day at the park.

We've been busy working on the toy room/sewing room in the basement this week. It's turning out pretty cool, and since it's in the basement, there's a sound barrier from the craziness. This week also includes Paige and Claire's rock star party, so there is another layer of kookiness there. The girls are high on little girl joy and I'm going crazy making sure I have it all lined up so it runs smoothly (well, at least sanely).


This pic shows that even though Iowa may seem bland, it really is a pretty place. This is the river that runs right through the middle of our town (West Des Moine River). Most of the parks are planted along its banks, so you can overlook it while you play ( and constantly toss out drowning threats at your children if they go near it).

Back to Blogging

O.k. o.k. I finally loaded up Picasa 3 (thanks to Jennifer's suggestion and wealth of blogger knowledge). Wow this is going to be so much easier. Now maybe I can keep up. This picture is about a month old. Since then I've painted, made a few curtains, learned to knit socks, being a busy little birthday elf (leaving this off blog), made 4 Halloween costumes. . . See why I forget to update!

Anyway -- our lives have been filled with lots of love lately. Our family is in love with Awanas, a mission based children's program on Wednesday night. Brant and I help in the games department, Paige and Claire are sparkies, and Ike and Ava are Cubbies. Can't think of a more family fun night.

My sister, Mom, two nephews, and niece were here this weekend. While I had help with the kiddies, Brant started framing in the basement for a toy room and my sewing room (does he love me or what?!). It was great to see everyone. I swear my niece Sarah is too tall, and Drake eats like a horse. The biggest change was in Brock though. Oooh, how Isaak misses that little guy. He's full of karate chops and giggles, and Isaak so desires a boy around here.

Keep your eyes peeled for birthday news. Paige and Claire's party should "rock".