Colored With Memories

Wow, pumpkin carving kits are fun!

2011-11-04T00:04:00.000-05:00

A friend let us borrow their pumpkin carving kit...zero talent actually goes somewhere with one of those!

Now if someone could teach me what setting to use on my camera...

Did a little pumpkin painting too...

Totally didn't get around to roasting pumpkin seeds this year though...craving them of course!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T14:49:00.000-05:00

We have a Vampiress and a Rapunzel this year! And pictures from 3 different Pumpkin Patches to share...

This pic is one of my new faves of Jade...I think because the perspective makes her seem younger! ;)

This is the first year Lily has wanted to be something "scary". My baby is growing up! Sadly, I enjoyed using the black waxy make-up on her lips and brows. Of course she wouldn't let me stop without first adding "blood". Oh my.

Jade chose another wig when she went to trick or treating at school today...

No pictures of our jack-o-lanterns yet. We started them Friday night with friends but then paused to watch the Ranger's awful World Series loss. I guess we've been in mourning since. Hope to finish carving before trick-or-treating tonight.

Happy Halloween!

Lily...already a month past 7!

2011-10-26T21:43:00.001-05:00

Before the onset of homeschooling this year, I couldn't fathom adding another after-school activity to ballet, tap, choir and soccer...times two children. But now that our days our less scheduled, we have been able to add piano lessons for Lily and gymnastics for both girls. Gymnastics has been a real hit, so I was not surprised when Lily wanted a gymnastics party for her 7th birthday.

But way before the party, first thing in the morning...we did the "birthday string". Tied some twine in various rooms, leading her all over the house until it finally led her to her presents. She loves this new tradition!

*** GO RANGERS !!! ***

After Jade's soccer game it was finally time to party!

She was fortunate to have cousin Eli in town!

Loved this pic...worked great for her thank you note...

She had a great time...and I *think* her friends did too!

Cannot believe another year has flown by...7 sounds so OLD...and here we head to # 8! We love you sweet Lily Grace...cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for you over this next year.

A little field trip to the White Rock Spillway

2011-10-13T17:25:00.006-05:00

I started homeschooling Lily this year. It has been an amazing yet tiring time. ;) To speak of the good though, my favorite part of the whole situation is getting to take impromptu "field trips". Jade still attends Pre-K two days a week, so often it is on those days that we get out a bit more.

Our part of Texas has finally gotten some rain! Yesterday morning it was coming down as we dropped Jade off at school. Already in our raincoats, with umbrellas in hand, I knew just where we could go...the White Rock Spillway. Jade is terrified to even drive near it when it has been raining, but Lily? Lily was all smiles.

It rained on us as we walked, but it was so worth taking in the sights and sounds of all the rushing water.

It started to clear up as we were leaving. Time for one more pic...

...and then it was back to school!

Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your hair!

2011-07-18T00:17:00.000-05:00

Jade's 4th birthday party was a true success in my book. She felt loved and celebrated, she had a good time with friends, and I had an outlet for some creativity and planning.

Inspired by Tangled, the decor consisted of lanterns, purple/sun banners, and lots of hair!

Please know that all ideas were found by simply googling "Rapunzel Party Ideas" and a bunch of printables came from SuperMom's website.

The braid has become quite the entertainment after the party.

The girls take turns hooking it into their own hair and running around with it. I have also seen it used as a jump rope. And have laughed when I hear the girls say things like, "don't step on my hair!", "oh, that's just my looong hair!", or my favorite- "Duke! Let go of my hair!".

We started the party with a little coloring while we waited for all the guests to arrive.

Then I donned each of the girls' heads with a headband of long hair.

I played a read aloud of Disney's Tangled to refresh the kiddos' memory of the story. Mainly about Flynn Rider and how Rapunzel used the frying pan to defend herself. Also about her friend Pascal. Knowing these things would help our craft and game to make sense!

For the craft we made these Pascal blowouts.

I think they turned out really cute.

The game was "Pin the Frying Pan on Flynn Rider". It was really enjoyed by everyone, even the 3 "older" girls (Sis Lily, cuz Avery, and big sib Sophie).

I love their blind folded smiles!

Probably the biggest hit of the party though was the food. I kept it simple with fruit skewers and cheese cubes. A fun part was making the blue jello "boats"...inspired by the boat scene in the movie. The girls helped me prepare them and they were gobbled up quickly at the party.

The most fun for me though was making the "tower" and cupcakes. Though as a six year old I dreamed of being a cake decorator, I had actually never held a piping bag full icing until two nights before the party. I started practicing on a plate and almost gave up. I was just trying to figure out how to make leaves or grass. Its amazing though what a little late night YouTube video instruction can do. It turns out I needed to thin the icing a bit to have the right consistency for what I wanted to do. I was happy with how it turned out. Dollar store faux flowers were the toppers on the cupcakes.

We sang happy birthday before diving into the food. Jade got all shy on us. So cute!

I love Lily's expression as Jade is trying to blow the candles out. She really wanted to help her but refrained. Good girl!

We all filled our plates and then the kids enjoyed a little bit of free play.

Then Jade decided she really wanted to open her gifts. I wasn't sure this activity would hold the attention of all the kids, but as you can see they were all over it!

I had them pose for a group shot at the end and then Jade passed out the "Rapunzel Paints". The girls got to take home their hair headbands and Pascal of course as well.

It was fun, but by that time I was so ready to put my foot up!

And I did! While the grandparents stayed to watch her open "family" presents. All the presents were loved except the one from her mommy and daddy! It was so funny when she opened this snow cone machine. I guess she thought it was just a pretend one and we overhead her telling Lily that she could have it if she wanted it. Then Jade mentioned to Jerry, "Wasn't that nice of me?"!! Later when she realized it made real snowcones she asked for it back though!

Her great uncle got her a wig and then she was transformed...

One last picture:

These guys really did the bulk of the work for the party. With Jerry taking a Greek intensive during the summer while working crazy hours, and with my job always being busy at the beginning of the month, the grandparents showed up early and worked their tails off until party time!

I appreciated their help so much...not much they won't do for their grandkids! And somehow I usually seem to benefit from that! ;)

Ouch!

2011-07-11T21:50:00.000-05:00

Yes! That is a picture of my foot below!

Can you see the bruising?

I would really like to be picking and posting pix from Jade's Tangled party right now, but instead I am going to explain why I will be putting my foot up.

Party T-30 minutes- I was making one more round around the kitchen table making sure things were just so and my hip, which is apparently bigger than I realize, hit a book off the window sill (we keep our kids devotionals there for after dinner) and it landed smack dab on my foot. The corner of it to right below my fourth toe. Ouch! It really hurt. Like REALLY hurt.

But, the party was going to happen so I went about my business.

Party T-15 minutes - I looked down at it and WHOA. It was popping out like a goose egg. Okay, so maybe more like a hen egg. Let's just go with robin egg. But man it was freaky looking. I showed my mom (nurse) and she said I really needed to do something about it. And when had it happened and why hadn't I done something sooner. Something like that. And then when she started talking about needing to stop the ruptured blood vessel in there I started to get woozy.

Party T-10 minutes - I am laying on our bed with feet up trying to put make-up on while Jerry and my mom are trying to find bandage wraps. Mom applies pressure, oh my, and wraps it real tight. I continue to feel woozy but do manage to get my make-up on (important stuff).

Party time! I answer the door hobbling with the ugliest puffiest ace bandage wrap you have ever seen.

That night the pain was bad. I had a conversation with Jerry at one point in the middle of the night that went something like, OMG...I can't breathe. It's throbbing. I think it is broken. What am I going to do all summer with a broken foot. Jerry!!! How am I going to teach the 2 year olds in the morning?!?

Sunday morning I was less worried about those two year olds than I was finding a church shoe to fit over the swollen foot. I would not be sporting ace bandage. Once a sandal was found then my mind turned toward how was I going to get to the church building. Early!

We go to an urban church and there is basically no close parking. Even senior citizens have to be SEVENTY to park in the lot. For the rest of us, it is a long walk. And sometimes up hill. Jerry was able to drop me off at a somewhat close door and then it was two year old time.

We only had FIVE. PTL! We never only have five. What are the odds of one of them sitting in a rocker and that rocker coming down on my foot? The injured foot?!? I was proud that I didn't cuss nor cry because I felt like doing both.

Then after church the dog, Duke, who is nearing 70 pounds, backed all of his weight right onto me. My foot! The injured foot! Ugh. Let's just say that Lily has asked, "Momma, what does 'damn dog' mean?" since then. Lovely.

But the real icing on the cake was today. We were continuing party clean up and Lily was helping me put bottled waters away. She was handing me two at a time and I was putting them in the fridge. When all of a sudden she decided to toss them to me. Just seeing this in my peripheral vision made me wince. And of course! Where does one land? On my foot! My injured foot!

I cried. Jade cried. And Lily just stared looking bewildered. Poor thing! And my poor foot!

I must go put it up. Promised the girls a blueberry picking trip early in the morning. Hoping my tennis shoe will fit!

Rapunzel pictures soon!

Early morning shopping woes and someone is FOUR!

2011-07-06T18:06:00.000-05:00

I tend to grocery shop at night. There is a perfect timing. The kids need to be down but it can't be too late. Too late would mean that the night stockers might be working (pain!) or that when I get home Jerry is already in bed and no help with unloading.

Well last night I was too tired, so I decided to make an early morning run today. I got there at 6AM. Though the door opened the store was dimly lit. Like maybe every third aisle had lights on above it. And the dairy section, oh my, I was just hoping I picked the right cheese. Night stockers were still finishing too.

By 6:45 the full lighting system came on. My buggy was full by then though and I was headed to check out. No check outs open! UGH. I asked the attendant if I was seriously going to have to check a full cart at the self check out lane. Yep, but she would help me. Well, if help meant chit chat about this, that and the other, while I fumbled through produce codes, she helped a lot.

I was just frustrated because a certain person would be waking up as a big four year old any minute. I am already a wreck about this milestone anyway, and missing her sweet face when she emerged from her bedroom would have pushed me over the edge.

A bag boy was also missing from the early morning scene so I can now add that to my list of reasons not to shop in the morning.

I called Jerry as soon as I got driving to see if Jade had already woken up. NO! Woohoo! Thank you, Jesus!

I would have missed this sweet face...

and this one...

ah, those pesky candles!

Jade: You are such a joy to our family. We love you SO much! You are such a caring little girl, often looking out for others needs and giving of yourself. I love how this plays out for me personally...you are generous with massages, always come to my rescue when sister or daddy are pestering me, and you even remember to close the bathroom door behind you when you come visit during mommy's shower.

You are so gentle with our animals, even that beastly Duke. Twila adores you...why else would she allow you to do all this with her and get comfortable in the process?

You like things to be in place. Even this afternoon at the dollar store you replaced a toy that was laying in the aisle.

You still call cupcakes "pup"cakes...and I am surely not going to correct you!

You are quite the conversationalist and especially like talking to your grandparents on the phone. They always ask who it is...thinking it must be Lily. You also like to talk to God. I love listening to your prayers...especially the spontaneous ones.

You are a great sister. Lily loves you to pieces. She can't stand it when you fall asleep before her or sleep in much past her. Lily is bored without you, my dear. When you do wake up, you always come in and find us and say, "BOO"!

Perfect popsicle partners...

You are quick to share, whether it is your food, a toy, or your seat in the van.

You are still my baby though. Sadly, one of the things I love most about you right now is how fidgety you get when you are scared. It is so cute and it makes me happy that you are still glad for me to be close by!

Probably not for much longer though...

Jade, how old are you?

And you slapped those four fingers right on our finger paint cake when mommy asked. You're compliant too! Most of the time anyway... ;)

Looking forward to celebrating with family and friends this weekend!

Ending the Bloggy Neglect

2011-06-28T16:25:00.004-05:00

Well, hello there! Though I am pretty sure I am probably having a one sided conversation at this point. I had a moment, actually I have a week of moments, so I thought I might attempt to update the ol' blog a bit.

You might wonder how I have come upon a "week of moments". Must give a huge shout out to my in-laws for taking the girls this week. It started out as an innocent text to my MIL last Friday to see if they could watch the girls one day this week because I needed to go into the office. She responded that they couldn't watch them here, because they were headed to GA for the week, but that they would be happy to take them along.

Enter a pause, some consideration, amazement, etc, and then I responded with, "R U serious?"

So the short story is that after a long road trip, they are spending some time with not only Memmy and Paw for the week, but also their aunt, uncle and cousin who live in Georgia.

It has been...restful.

Apparently I am all slept out though because I woke up for boot camp this morning at 5AM like I had to rush back to children so Jerry could leave for work.

So yes, Boot Camp is a new adventure for me. Just trying to entertain the masses on T/TH mornings. Someone told me my muscles are just sore because I haven't worked out some of them in years. Um yeah...I replied that I was pretty sure some of these muscles hadn't been worked out ever. It has been quite a comical endeavor. I like to joke to my boot camp buddy that we really could just leave and head to Starbucks!

Another new endeavor we are starting is HOMESCHOOLING! What is funny is that for this whole past year of Lily being in private kinder, I have been thinking to myself that I really need to update my little info paragraph over there to take off the "homeschooling" comment. Ha! I guess the time to shoot me is NOW! Several factors brought us to this decision and I think I am finally at peace with it. I think the scariest transition for me is going to be going from a "drop-off" mom to an..."oh, there's Kerry, her girls must be in tow as well" mom. I must admit that I have enjoyed my 5 hours of MDO each week even if it was mainly used to work, breathe, and just not be talked to.

I have been neck deep in curriculum selection since April and have pretty much made my picks for the year. I am doing Explode the Code with the girls all summer and hope to jump into the rest by early August. Once I get all our choices ordered and in, I hope to dedicate a post entirely to that.

After taking a break from seminary this spring while he traveled to India and Indonesia, Jerry is back hard at work again. Greek II and Greek III are on the summer menu. It's Greek to me for sure! ;)

Between those two classes we are taking a road trip with the girls to WI for one of my cousin's weddings. We are looking forward to it, though it is bittersweet for me as it will be my first time going there with neither of my grandparents alive anymore. :(

Before all that though, we have a certain little Jader Tater who is turning FOUR. NEXT WEEK! Plans for a Rapunzel party are underway.

Here is Jade standing on the "4"0 yard line last weekend during a tour of Cowboys Stadium.

It was ridiculous to see PACKER fans there! Ugh. So thankful that our Mavs won the playoffs at least or it would have been hard to show our face in Wisconsin this summer.

Seriously...for them to win the Super Bowl in OUR stadium? It just can't get much worse than that.

Duke 1 - Barbies 0

2011-06-09T07:18:00.000-05:00

One Sick Tater

2011-05-25T10:29:00.000-05:00

Our little Jader Tater has been SICK.

I am so thankful for our healthy kids. I realized yesterday as Jade threw up for no less than the 8th time, that our kids are rarely sick. Which makes me at a loss for what to do when they are ill.

Here are some other realizations from the day:

Piggy pillow didn't mind getting close.

But mama preferred to keep her distance. Her feet didn't stink, but the puke sure did.

Kids become disoriented when they are feverish. She walked right by two toilets trying to find a place to throw up. Found me and then vomited on the carpet. Great. That is when I realized that dogs don't just eat their own vomit. Nice.

And then, ahh....she slept. For three hours. On his side of the bed of course. ;) She also puked there.

Tornadoes don't take a break for the sick. Don't be fooled by the color in her cheeks. That was just the fever showing!

Don't they look thrilled? Just about as much as we were to have them up after they had already been sleeping soundly.

Thankfully the storms passed over us and it seems like the tummy bug has passed too.

Some people dye eggs to hunt them...

2011-04-24T02:02:00.000-05:00

But us? We play school with them. In a British accent. Until the Duke strikes!

And then we throw a fit...wow, that was ugly. My apologies for the camera jiggle due to laughter.

I am just glad I was able to laugh. It was Friday morning and Jerry was long gone when the girls woke at six AM. By 8:30, we had drank milk, played, eaten breakfast, and dyed 3 dozen Easter eggs. Whew! Felt like midnight to me, yet Lily was still fresh enough to pull off that accent. Laughter needed.

Some pics before the eggs met their demise:

And a little craft made at the toy store this morning:

Again, way too early in the morning. When we got to the toy store, I asked where the regular Saturday morning craft was. The lady replied that it doesn't start til 10:30. Duh! We were early...had played an 8AM soccer game, eaten breakfast, walked to the toy store...and it was only 10:00AM. I need some sleep!

Regardless,

Happy Easter, Y'all!

Texas Bluebonnets and Beauties

2011-04-21T22:10:00.003-05:00

The girl can make a list...

2011-03-17T00:44:00.000-05:00

My time playing Jerry's assistant up at the church has come to an end! Though it was fun and the extra $$$ will be missed, I am super excited to have life back to "normal".

The girls are on Spring Break, and we are about to venture on our first ever camping trip as a family. I suggested that Lily make a list of items she would like to take camping:

Sorry the first two are blurry...I guess I am not good at the iPhone camera. Anyways, when she realized she had misspelled "dog" as "god"....she quickly decided that we need to bring Him along too!

Why yes, we are bringing our DOG! Meet our new puppy, Duke!

He is our 12 week old German Shepherd! Lily refers to him as our German Pepper. ;) I am most worried about the breed's nickname of German Shedder though!

More info to come on him later.

Back to the camping packing list, in order left to right, top to bottom:

tent, sleeping bag, backpack, God, dog, book, okra, bike, leash, bug spray, sunglasses, camera, sunscreen, game, 100 piece puzzle, Bob Book, and puppy food.

I think the only item not making the cut is the fried okra! Though it might be worth trying!

Reflections from our Snow Week 2011

2011-02-05T22:33:00.000-06:00

It was soooo good to see the sun come out today!

I honestly don't know how people live with all this white stuff for more than a few days at a time.

Now that it is thankfully melting away, I have a few reflections on our snow week:

1. I don't like it when "the weather IS the news".

2. As much as we desperately needed some quality family time, 4 days of staring at each other is plenty.

3. In that time we actually did more than staring. We completed many puzzles, played lots of games, watched too many movies, painted, and left no hiding place unused during hide-n-seek.

4. Which is why is it is good that it actually SNOWED Friday. Ice is so overrated.

5. We are simply not equipped. The city of Dallas doesn't own a single snow plow. 5-6 inches on top of ice can really wreak havoc.

6. It is possible for momma to do the splitz. Right there on the sidewalk. Without even stretching! Who knew? Well, now Jerry and the girls do after witnessing my slip into the splitz. Ouch!

7. But back to the snow itself. Boy was I thankful for it. Lily lost her third tooth Thursday and was awaiting a tooth fairy visit that night. When she stumbled into our room early Friday morning, she was so disappointed to see her tooth remained and no prize was left. I am not sure how I got my thoughts about me so quickly, but I found myself muttering something about how her wings would have gotten damaged by all the snow. Snow? Lily was off to the back window and the tooth fairy was off the hook. Whew!

8. Though Lily had one less tooth, she sure did plenty of eating. We all did actually. I think I may have broken my own record for number of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners cooked in a row for my family.

9. These cheeks are even cuter when they're pink.

10. The hill by the library makes for good sledding. We were thrilled to run into some good friends who had a real, authentic, actual sled. You know, the kind made of wood with metal rails. Why did they have such a thing? Their Dad grew up in PA. And they were kind enough to share it!

11. Sometimes Daddy makes a better sled mate! Crash!

12. It is possible to sweat in below freezing temperatures.

13. We weren't alone in our "sled-maid" idea. Other sled substitutes seen on the hill were: ice chest lids, sheets of insulation, cardboard boxes, and pool intertubes.

14. Lily had great fun on a little pink one.

15. While my other one, dressed in pink, was more comfortable at the library's park rather than the library's hill.

That's okay, Jade. Momma's not too sure about all this white stuff either.

What's your take on it?

9 Seconds of "Sledding" Fun and other possible captions

2011-02-01T15:54:00.002-06:00

Our "snow" day here in Texas is actually more of an "ice" day. With no snowmen to build, we decided to make use of an empty rubbermaid.

Alternative captions that come to mind:

What Texans do when it freezes!
Oh yeah!
Daddy, please don't break anything!
Faux Sledding
The sled-maid
Next Craig's List Search: Authentic Sleds
Sitting by the fire with cocoa only lasts so long.

What do you think? I think, well actually Jerry verbalized it first, that our relatives' Green Bay Packers should have left their stinkin' weather at home!

Relief Short Lived

2011-01-26T23:32:00.003-06:00

I was so excited as I wrote that last post.

Went in the next morning and passed the baton back to Jerry's assistant who had returned from medical leave. Nearly skipped out of there and immediately called a couple SAHM friends in efforts to rejoin the circles I had left so abruptly in November.

Took my girls to the dentist...which is actually a very fun outing for them and then we went to the park to feed the ducks. The fun of unstructured days had returned and the farming them out to gain work time had ended.

Then I got a brief text from Jerry. "She resigned".

Effective immediately I am once again my hubby's assistant. Brings new meaning to "sleeping with your boss". ;)

Hoping this will be a 4-6 week stint while they search for a permanent replacement.

I am remembering that I actually do like blogging and used to come wind down here often. That being said I hope to throw a few posts up now and then again and even visit some of your pages soon. Shocker!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-01-18T21:27:00.004-06:00

Not sure that anyone is still checking my page here in blogland after my crazy 6-7 week absence.

Sheesh!

Rachelle and her boys were the headlines for quite a while! They did come and sadly go...it was so good to have them around for a bit. My girls loved every minute with them!

Are they not the most handsome boys!?!

The week of their visit marked a crazy time for us. My husband's assistant at the church went out on medical leave and they were having a hard time finding a temporary replacement for her. We threw my name in the hat, partly knowing that it wouldn't even be considered due to nepotism, etc. But we were wrong! We got a shocking call the Sunday after Thanksgiving that I got the job.

So, ever since 11/29, I have been reporting to Jerry 3 days a week up at our church. It has been a whirlwind. With the help of one of my good friends and my precious in-laws taking care of the girls, it has mainly been a delight. So great to get to see Jerry in his role and interact with the church on a different level. Fun to sneak a few lunches with him and get an extra paycheck. But overall, I am tired! Juggling this new endeavor with the holidays and my regular part-time job definitely was a challenge. Many evening events over the past few weeks about put me over the edge! Alas, his assistant is starting back again tomorrow.

So...hello again! What have I missed!?!

Guess who is coming tomorrow?

2010-11-30T23:24:00.003-06:00

The Twin Men! You know, Rachelle's twin men!

She is coming too!

And so is he!

So, actually all four of them! They've been taking a cross country journey and get to spend a couple nights with us!

I just realized I never blogged these pictures from when I went to visit them in July. 4 trips this summer and only 2 got mentioned on the old blog. *sigh*

Anyways, I learned from my visit then that I need to have plenty of Strawberry syrup.

I'm ready Zach and Coop! Welcome to TEXAS!

Living History Day in Pictures

2010-11-26T08:24:00.000-06:00

What an authentic medieval experience we had. I learned so much...wait, it was for the kids. I can honestly say that I will enjoy learning right along side of my girls...I missed so much during school. Made straight As but don't remember a dern thing!

Here are our lady and her majestic queen:

Our little family, me as a "lady in waiting" and Jerry as a monk, or friar.

We met in Lily's class to gather her shield,

And then had a procession out to where we would have a fun filled day of activities...but first we met our twins! Parents of a little boy in Lily's class had our exact outfits!

Jade found some friends...
We observed a code of ethics presented by the 6th graders...

caught a pic of the "royal court" aka headmaster, his wife, and the head of lower school...

saw quite an amazing Maypole dance...

quite a crowd gathered...

one monk took his costume a little more seriously than my hubby...

Thank God! I kind of like his hair!

An evil black knight came and stole the school flag...Jade is still talking about that!

Then we started visiting different stations, the first housed various catapults...

where many poor pumpkins met their demise...

Then it was off to archery...

afterward we stopped for a play...

met the king...
observed a glass blower...

took a sneak peek at the feast layout...

ran into more friends...

then hunted for Lily's shield...

and finally found it!
then it was off to make scented oils...

tried our hand at calligraphy...

did a little dancing...
and then these little blondies had to wait while the big kids...

began to feast!

We did finally get to eat and then said goodbye to friends...
for a week long Thanksgiving break! Boy have we missed our friends this week...school has become an integral part of our lives...so thankful to be on this journey with some amazing people!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Living History Day: Our First School Project

2010-11-18T22:48:00.000-06:00

As I approached the carpool line a few weeks ago, I was met with quite a sight. Each and every child was holding a bare shield cut from plywood. As Lily and her carpool buddy climbed in the van with shields the length of half their bodies, it was apparent that their anticipation of this little at home "project" was different than mine.

It was first the real project of their school careers. Their anticipation of it was rooted in excitement, creativity, boundless ideas, and hours of fun. Mine was rooted in fear, financial constraints, lack of creativity, wondering how to tie her ideas to the Middle Ages, and hours of work. MESSY work.

The Mission: to create a shield using whatever means necessary that conveys some meaning of medieval symbolism and a touch of her personality. I just made that up. There was actually a 3 page document that came home with it and several websites listed. Oh dear.

The Time Frame: one month...due the week before Living History Day...A day when the school comes together to experience all things...work, play, clothing, food, etc of the time period they are studying. This year the theme is The Middle Ages.

And so we procrastinated. I had costumes in the works for all four of us before the dern shield even made it out of the van.

And then it was upon us! Yet I put it off to the weekend. Then I realized that Jerry was going to be out of town. Ugh! What's a girl to do? Flee! Run! Quick, for the hills!

Actually we settled for the piny woods of East Texas. I had blessed my mom with an appearance a few weeks back and even brought my laundry with me...giving Jerry a break to study for a Greek exam one weekend. What? Kerry, is your machine broken or something? No, Mom....just behind as usual. So, I thought it'd only be fitting to spread the laundry love to my in-laws as well. As Jerry left town, I loaded up the girls, many baskets and bags of laundry, and a shield. And some paints and some brushes, and some clip art images and ....

The first evening my girls were a bit distracted by the spoils memmy had brought home from a Halloween clearance sale. Within an hour they had dressed as various princesses, witches, a senorita, a flapper girl, and even Cleopatra. Can you say spoiled?

The next morning we went to work on the shield. I traced images with a black sharpie and Lily went to painting. My mother-in-law set in on the laundry. The spoiling doesn't stop with my girls! By evening, my father-in-law got to get out clamps and his mitre box for some last minute touches. Oh a man and his tools!

I only had my phone, but here are some pics of our progress:

This is what we ended up with:

And it finally went to school (after daddy attached some straps for carrying it):

Tomorrow is the big event. It is supposed to be 42 degrees when we get there at 8AM.

I might have just cut the neck off a thermal shirt to match the neckline of my costume. And I might have just spray painted a couple pairs of old shoes gold for the girls.

I might be crazy.

The Lord's Prayer: Sung

2010-11-15T12:53:00.001-06:00

The Carol and Chapel Choirs opened worship yesterday morning by singing The Lord's Prayer.

Here is our little choir gal with a couple of friends before her first choir experience in "big church".

And here's the video for those in our family that couldn't attend...and anyone else interested!

I am so thankful for our children's choir director and the ministry she has to our kids. She is diligent in teaching them scripture through music and about how they were created to worship.

It was beautiful.

Texas Rangers Pumpkin and other Halloween News

2010-11-02T06:51:00.000-05:00

Well, Texas Rangers Fans, it is over, finished, and done. So sad!

But it won't keep me from posting the pic of my hubby's pumpkin...

It actually looked pretty good lit up. And I could show you a picture of that if I had actually taken one at night. I could actually go take one now since it is still dark, but that would require effort...so just trust me. We had a cute Rangers pumpkin!

The Rangers hoopla did interfere a bit with our Halloween shindig. Guests were greeted with this sign...

We were able to eat though before we lost them to the game.

And then the women (plus Papa!) rounded up the kids for trick-or-treating...

And then the race was off! At least we had "Josh Hamilton" with us...

I can't believe I was able to get my two to stop for a pic with Gramma and Papa.

Oh, and I am happy to report that this big guy survived the night. I wasn't going to let him out on Halloween, because...well, you know...but with all the kiddos around he managed to escape and I couldn't get him back in. Blackie lives!

And I also have to tell you about the best $6 I spent over the weekend. Let me introduce you to Pumpkins vs. Ghosts cling on Tic-Tac-Toe...

It provided at least an hour of entertainment for every buck spent. I was also very happy to have found a new purpose for the glass door that had caused me so much pain last month.

I may have even smacked a few ghosts against it just for fun.

Pumpkin Patch Trips 3, 4, & 5?

2010-10-30T14:41:00.000-05:00

I can't even remember now...

I have seriously lost count.
But one thing's for sure...

They never get old!
This girl is sure getting old though.

You will be greeted by her skeleton creation if you come by to Trick or Treat!

Sadly just as it gets cool enough to enjoy these fall activities, they pack up and we have to wait again 'til next year. Happy Halloween!

The Lord's Prayer - For Grandparent's Eyes Only

2010-10-29T00:54:00.003-05:00

Why? Why would I not want to share with everyone when my sweet Kindergartner recited The Lord's Prayer in chapel last week with another class?

*the camera-it's shaky.
*tripod was needed.
*seriously...you might get ill.
*the video-it's grainy. I was way too far back!
*if you haven't been studying Lily since birth, like they have, you may not be able to identify her.
*the constant clicking...I was surrounded by paparazzi.
*my husband. He was one of them. I told him to.
*the flashing. It could cause a seizure. My blog is not insured.

You were warned!

On a more serious note, I love that they not only memorized this passage, but that they really learned the meaning behind each petition.

We had her first parent-teacher conference two weeks ago. We were a bit nervous. Not as much worried about the academic part as we were other things. Does she stay on task? Does she listen? Is she respectful? Kind? Helpful?

When we arrived I think I was in nervous chatter mode...and her teacher paused and said, "Shall we begin in prayer?". My heart sank. I thought we were either really in for it or this is the most amazing teacher we could have ever picked for Lily.

Turns out she has a pretty amazing teacher! Whew!

Randomness, please exit my brain!

2010-10-26T00:26:00.002-05:00

Maybe if I record the randomness floating in my head I will actually sleep when it finally hits the pillow. Here's to hoping!

*I created an Evite for a little Halloween shindig. Created it Saturday morning and then their site went down. The dern thing still has not gone out. Grrr....

*I love Whataburger's ketchup. It is the best. It totally deserves the name "fancy". I also love how Whataburger's menu items are rounded to the $ and tax is included.

*I actually don't frequent Whataburger often. Seriously.

*Tonight at Super Target the lady commented on how it was like I arranged all of my items on the belt in perfect bagging order. Of course...doesn't everybody? Must be that cashier job I had back in high school.

*Enough of the risque hoochie mama Halloween costumes...

*I think I have our costumes figured out for Living History Day at Lily's school. Two are actually bought...two I have to order yet.

*There is a bare wooden shield sitting in my living room. Needs to be painted and transformed into something spectacular for the previously mentioned event. Lord help me! The note from the school said that they hoped this would be a project we enjoyed doing with our child. I hope so too.

*Our Texas Rangers are in the World Series. I am thrilled for my father-in-law! I have known that man for almost 16 years now...and he has been hopeful of something big like this every season. It has finally happened!

*I have begun reading my first ever Francine Rivers book. People have been telling me to for years...wish I hadn't waited so long. Amazing stuff!

*My hubby installed a cat door to let our kitties (all THREE of them) in/out of our garage to do their business. Not having their food or litter box in our house has been life changing.

*Jerry will be travelling to India & Indonesia as well as possibly Nepal and Thailand next year. In one trip. Still trying to get my head around that one. Sounds like many, many days and nights without a daddy around.

*After having Lily start Kindergarten this year, I finally realize what Summer is all about. I am looking forward to Summer.

*It has been in the high 80s here...completely too hot for the end of October.

*Today I made a rare trip to the office for my part-time job. My normally 40 minute commute turned into 2.5 hours on the way home. That is 150 minutes of my life that I will never get to live again. What a waste!

*Guess what arrived in the mail today? Our Christmas card order! Woo hoo...I have no excuse not to get those babies mailed on time this year.

Well, I think that about does it.

Nighty, night.

Goblins in the Garden

2010-10-25T07:21:00.004-05:00

Or in our case, Mermaids in the Garden...

Boo, that daddy was sick and couldn't go with us. The girls had a great time trick-or-treating a week early! Not one Reeses was scored by mommy though. Halloween night better produce!

Big Tex! State Fair of Texas Fun!

2010-10-20T21:33:00.000-05:00

Well, we waited til the last possible day to attend the Texas State Fair, but it did not disappoint.

I mean, seriously...where in one place in just a matter of hours can you:

meet a huge talking cowboy,
drive your baby sister around in a mustang 5.0,

give your best rockstar impression,

plan your next camping trip,

go rock climbing,

hold your daddy's hand,

demonstrate the truest sisterly love, (sharing a fletcher's corny dog!)

demonstrate your patriotism,

at least contemplate riding the ferris wheel, ;)

hold a freshly released butterfly,

watch a milking parlor demonstration,

go in a crazy fun house with mommy,

give the exit a second try,

AND attack your first candy apple ever?

Only at the State Fair of Texas.

What? What do you mean my face is a mess?

It's kind of like being able to load up a basket at Wal-Mart with a can of paint, a tray of sushi, and some lingerie.

Kind of.

October...slow down please!

2010-10-12T13:57:00.000-05:00

Ah...I just love October. The weather is perfect and there are sooo many fun fall activities going on.

You could find me at any one of the million pumpkin patches in the area, the Dallas Arboretum or of course the State Fair of Texas...any fine day of this month.

I just wished it lasted longer. Jerry has a training all day this Saturday...to me it is a crime! Being cooped up in a classroom? On a Saturday? In October? Pure craziness.

While I won't take on the State Fair of Texas without him, we have too many pumpkin patches to visit to wait for daddy! Jade didn't have preschool today, so we sent Lily on her way and headed with some friends to explore the "Great Pumpkin Festival" going on at the arboretum.

We visited the petting zoo,

Posed for pictures at the pumpkin houses,

Stopped for some pumpkin stew,

Got some other great shots,

and of course saw lots of pumpkins, other squash and gourds.

Can you pick out the Apple Gourds? How about the Peanut Pumpkins or Tiger Striped Pumpkins? Or my favorites, the Long Neck Swan Gourds? Sadly, I can identify all of them.

Just call me the pumpkin lady. I'll be here all month.

Crazy Hair Day!

2010-10-07T12:51:00.002-05:00

Mom! I can't decide if I should wear my hair like a squid or an octopus!

That is the statement I was approached with from Lily this morning. It is Homecoming Week at her school so the kids have been asked to show their spirit in various ways each day. Since she only goes 2 days a week, she got 3 privileges rolled into one day: Crazy Hair, Crazy Socks, and Casual Dress.

I couldn't remember if a squid had 8 or 10 arms, so we just went with 8 ponytails and I figured she could use her own two arms if she needed them to portray a squid. Their mascot has nothing to do with sea life by the way. *ahem*

Here she is showing her socks to Blackie. Guess he wasn't scared off!
I haven't taken/downloaded many pictures lately. So it was funny to me that the only other pictures on the camera were these from last week.

Jerry was out of town and they honored me with an evening at the spa.

My eyes were sore the next day from the application of all that purple eye shadow...and no, it isn't mine...as of her 6th birthday Lily now has her own make-up!

It was the best spa treatment ever (my only one to date I should add), and great preparation for crazy hair day!

Six sounds so much older than Five

2010-09-28T12:53:00.000-05:00

My baby turned SIX over the weekend. I'm not sure why, but six sounds so much older than FIVE. Maybe it is because of comments from my hubby like, "Just ten more years until she drives." Close your mouth, honey!

We kept her party simple and stress-free. Just an evening at Chick-Fil-A with a few of her closest friends. We left without a drained pocketbook and no more gray hairs sprouting.

Most of all though, our new six year old felt honored and celebrated.

And judging from this picture, though six is definitely older, it seems like her silliness is going to be sticking around for a while.

Although I could easily write 6000 words describing my Lily at this point in her little life, I am going to challenge myself to describe her in just SIX.

FUN

ENERGETIC

TALKATIVE

SPIRITED

FRECKLED

LEADER

Wow, that really leaves a lot out. I am going to ponder the rest on my own...as I take a shower before grabbing her from kindergarten. I don't want one of her descriptive words of me to be STINKY!

Happy 6th Birthday, Sweet Lily!

So, does a nose "sprain" hurt worse than a nose break?

2010-09-16T13:44:00.004-05:00

It was 5AM. Jerry and I were enjoying, well, maybe not enjoying...but, partaking in our new morning routine. Coffee was brewed. Various charts of Greek were spread on the dining table where Jerry was practicing orthography in preparation for his quiz. I was turning on monitors and printers (yes, plural...two of each!), hoping to get a couple of hours of "at-home work" in before the girls rose.

But then the kittens detected our presence and set in with their craziness. Dive bombing from the backs of high chairs. Chewing on dangling cords. Pouncing on Blackie, who is still not crazy about them...which means a fight ensued.

Wait, you didn't know we had kittens? Oh how this poor blog is neglected. More to come...soon, I hope.

Jerry could not study and I could not work. The kittens had to be locked up.

This great 1960s house once had a patio. Said patio, was long ago enclosed and currently houses our playroom. However, the humongo glass doors are still intact. We have camouflaged them with curtains until we decide if we are going to sheet rock or just install prettier doors.

Jerry locked the kittens in the playroom by sliding the glass doors shut. Problem solved.

We went about our study and work.

Almost two hours later it was time to get Lily up and ready for school. Picture day no less. I was trying to find the longer of her two black uniform ties. I figured they must have stayed in her dance bag after changing last week. The dance bag hangs in the playroom. I was going to quickly retrieve them in the morning rush.

But I was stopped. Dead in my tracks. My nose caught all of the force of my body going forward as it smashed into the glass door.

It was loud. I wasn't even sure what had just happened to me. Jerry wanted to laugh, but my instant tears informed him not to.

The door did not break. It may have been less painful if it had. Had my nose though? No blood or crookedness. I guess not. Shear pain though. Congestion and a bit of swelling...maybe just from my tears?

While I can't wait to see the bruising as the day progresses, my husband just can't wait to laugh.

As he walked out the door to work, he asked, "Can I at least laugh now?"

"No! It still hurts", I replied.

Then he prodded me to at least open the glass door again so I could see the mark my face had made on the glass when I had smacked into it.

Sure enough...I did and then I laughed. But he is still not allowed to.

The only thing that poured was rain...not tears!

2010-09-07T09:52:00.003-05:00

It has been an interesting past two weeks. While Lily trotted off to Kindergarten, I have had some precious solo time with Jade. It was quickly apparent though, that little sis is a bit lost without big sis around. Lily directs her play, picks the roles, assigns the barbies, suggests meal choices, etc. The list goes on and on. And Jade is quite happy to leave all the decision making up to big sis.

So, when it came time last Thursday to go meet Jade's new preschool teacher, I was not surprised when it didn't go over so well. Jade has always attended the same school as Lily. Though in different classes, Lily and I would usually drop Jade off first and then Lily would go to her class. Walking into school without big sis in stride was difficult.

"Meet the Teacher" day was a rainy one. But rain wasn't the only thing coming down. The tears were just a flowing. After that experience I wasn't quite sure how the official first drop off would go this morning. It was yet another rainy day...

But even amid the chaos of parents, siblings, umbrellas, lunch bags, backpacks, cameras and napmats, Jade remained confident. Cheerful. Smiley!

She walked right in and never looked back.
So thankful the only puddles to dodge on my way out were those of rain, not tears!

Lily's First Day of Explorers

2010-09-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

Explorers = 2 day Kindergarten Program

A little nervous excitement. How can I tell she is nervous? She can't keep her tongue in her mouth!

Shots with our carpool buddy...and possibly current love of her life. His mommy and I are secretly saving these pics for their wedding video. ;)

And another sweet pic with a MWF buddy after opening chapel.

These two are exactly one month apart, we'll look forward to hanging out with them more in first grade!

Her sweet teacher...Mrs. Barth. (Not BARF, as the video may have led you to believe! ;)

No tears shed on any account...only a little hesitation noted when this last shot was taken as we left the room.

A short, non-rotated, post school video clip...cut short by the carpool lady flipping the sign to "GO!".

Here is a look at their week:
***************************************************************
Bible: The Garden of Eden
Cain and Abel
Memory Verse: “The Lord’s Prayer”

Language Letter Recognition: A – O
Arts: Parts of a Sentence
Oral Language - Apples

Math: Matching and Sorting

Tales: “Jack and the Bean Stalk”

Spanish: Sra. Adams

History: Biblical Times

Geography: Measuring Distance

Poetry: My Dog, Marchette Gaylord

Art: A King Charles Spaniel, Charles Manet

Music: Raindrop Prelude, Chopin

Notes: We had a great first week! Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. I am falling in love with your precious children.

*************************************************************************
We are going to love this place!

The afternoon concluded with a quick park playdate...cut way short by an attack of crazy bees. Our kids must be sweeter than we thought!

The two little sisters will start PK3 together next week.

Oh, and I can't forget the celebratory spaghetti and meatballs dinner.

Note to self: white uniform shirt + spaghetti dinner = not a good idea.

I am thankful for many sweet things...schools, friends, and teachers. I am hopeful for a wonderful year.

Praying for that attitude to continue as soccer, tap, ballet, carol choir, indian princess, seminary, and bible studies begin next week. *sigh*

A poem to keep the cleaning funk at bay...

2010-08-30T15:59:00.004-05:00

I emailed this to my hubby a little bit ago...someone has to know my misery. And plus the fact that I have cleaned all day and actually have dinner planned too has got to have him thinking something is desperately wrong. And that thought might just get him to leave work on time...

*****************************************************
i have been a cleaning, cleaning, cleaning machine!
but this very tired girl is losing her steam.

the girls have helped me shoo the dust,
and boy was that job a dirty must.

i have moved furniture to vacuum each room,
it would look clean to my camera, even on zoom.

jade has missed her afternoon nap...oh the wrath.
i am hoping they'll settle for a relaxing bubble bath.

after that it is an early dinner time,
hope for them to be down by seven and a dime!
*******************************************************
And just while I typed this the girls managed to find "interesting" things in the guest room closet to dismantle and spread all over the house. Lord have mercy.

I'd love to know what you do to keep cleaning fun. How much do you involve your kids in it? And it what ways?

If you are the kind that moves your furniture every time you vacuum, I don't want to know about it. ;)

But if you have a maid, please do tell. How often? How much? I won't judge!

And then wave your magic wand so that line item will somehow fit into our budget. The one that just got overhauled due to a little thing called private school tuition.

But she does look adorable in her uniform...pictures soon, I promise!

Kindergarten letters

2010-08-19T08:19:00.004-05:00

Lily starts kindergarten next week. I am excited. Not really feeling blue at all.

I am sure that is partly due to it only being two days a week. And partly because I am so excited about her school and teachers and classmates, etc.

We received a precious letter from her teacher last week. Knowing that she is praying for us as we start this new endeavor is definitely comforting.

Here is Lily's response letter:

Hopefully her teacher isn't baffled by Lily's love for 3 legged earless cats.

How you can tell it's HOT, even in Texas...

2010-08-15T17:06:00.000-05:00

*The forecast looks like this:

Today
Aug 11

Mostly Sunny

103°

Thu
Aug 12

Mostly Sunny

105°

Fri
Aug 13

Mostly Sunny

102°

Aug 14

Sunny

101°

Oops, call that the "pastcast"; I started this last week.

*Pool water feels more like bath water. Not refreshing.

*The lifeguards don't whistle at your kids for running...burnt feet are more of a liability.

*Your pet goes to the door and then just decides to hold it.

*Crayons sitting on a table in the playroom actually melt.

*You consider rearranging your playroom furniture so the kid's table is nowhere near a sunny window.

*Your girls wear their sunglasses inside just in case.*Your children notice shriveled up worms on the side walk. What a terrible way to go.

*The mosquitos head north.

*You actually buy and let your children consume "slow melt popsicles" hoping that whatever chemical gives them that property is not carcinogenic.

*You consider "gothic" as a summer decorating style. Blackout curtains and lights off mean cooler temps.

*When your children ask about a summer vacation, you mutter something about hasn't keeping the house under 80 degrees been enough? It cost as much as a vacation would.

*You risk blowing up the family car at the gas pump. Turn the engine off? Um, that would mean NO A/C. Oops.

*Your car is unusually cleaner because the kids are actually taking their things back inside for fear of them melting.

*The gummy vitamins that accidentally got left in the car turn to this...

*You are thankful these yummy treats seem unaffected by the heat.

Now if you could just figure out how to get yourself to the North Pole to enjoy them.

The neighborhood trash is becoming my treasure...

2010-08-12T15:49:00.004-05:00

One thing I love about the city we live in is their Bulk Trash pick up. Every other week you have the opportunity to haul out your junk for collection. Having lived in cities where you were responsible for hauling your bulky items to a dump and then paying to leave them there, I really have come to appreciate free curbside service.

Granted that the neighborhoods can look kind of "trashy" during those weeks until it has all been picked up, but in general it keeps the neighborhood free of eyesores. You know...the kind that come about when your neighbor thinks that their broken washing machine looks fine on the side of their house, or worse...on their front porch.

This is Texas...we do have our share. Ahem.

There are poor people that scavenge the hood during these weeks looking for items of value they can resell. I am fine with that. At least they are working!

And then there are people like myself that don't purposefully drive street by street looking for finds, but when passing by something interesting have to stop and take a peek. I am sure I would have died if my mother had stopped and picked something off of someone's curb. Either my girls are used to it, or they just aren't old enough to care yet.

I have found lawn furniture, shelving, and a child's outdoor play slide all just by driving by my neighbor's trash.

Sometimes Jerry is on board and sometimes, well, he is just not. Like the time I picked up this discarded gate.

I love it! I love the color, the painted hardware, the age on it...I think the possibilities are endless. Jerry is just not so sure. Or maybe he is just scared that whatever use I find for it will become a "honey-do" for him. My current idea for it is to cut it down and use it as a screen to hide our outside A/C unit at the edge of our patio. We'll see.

One thing that I have surely learned is that if you see something interesting, you better stop right then and get it...or it will be gone! I once drove by a chest of drawers in excellent condition. I was already envisioning them painted in pink for our girls as I drove home to tell Jerry and get his truck. When we returned, they had already become someone else's treasure.

So when I headed out early this morning and saw this on one of my neighbors' bulk piles, I stopped immediately!

Isn't it cute? Yes, I realize that the seat has been replaced with some kind of funky board. But who cares? No one will know once I get a seat cushion for it...which are all on sale for the end of the season right now.

Our rocker has been lonely on our front porch, and I think this is the perfect freebie to paint and fix up to give it a companion.

And this time, Jerry agrees!

I've already started painting it...will post the after pictures soon.

The Ingenuity of the Male in the House

2010-08-10T08:52:00.003-05:00

I noticed something strange on my kitchen counter this weekend...

What in the world?

Need a closer look?

I guess the human male in our house got tired of butter getting wasted.

It was a while back when the feline male of the house broke my nearly indestructible Fiesta covered butter dish.

And ever since then this long lanky thing has been creeping up on the counter to get a lick of the pure joy that I always leave on the counter.

Which has resulted in many, many tossed sticks of butter.

Great solution, honey!

***hint, hint...maybe we need to pick up a new butter dish?***

Christmas in July: Wisconsin Edition

2010-07-31T23:22:00.000-05:00

Getting everyone back to my dad's Wisconsin homestead for Christmas is very difficult...sometimes impossible. Anyone remember the last time we tried in 2007? The quick recap is this: a 2 hour flight with an infant turned into an 8 hour one when our destination airport of Milwaukee closed mid-flight due to too much snow. Baggage? Lost. (if only for 24 hours...still disruptive!)

So after that crazy experience our northern relatives started celebrating "Christmas in July". No gifts to buy, wrap and haul there...just a day spent on the remaining land of the family's original farm.

Four generations of pure fun. Headed up by the lady in pink, my grandma-Shirley Amelia...from whom Jade gets her middle name.

She and my grandpa raised a Brady bunch (3 boys/3 girls) who were dressed in blue (along with their spouses).

Those rowdy six gave my grandma 10 grand kids...who were not going to be the targets of any hunters that day. Yep, safety green was our color.

These grand kids (my cousins) have been slowly marrying (another engagement happened that day!) and quickly producing lots of little pumpkins...13 orange ones could be found throughout the farm. Ranging in age from 4 months to 8 years...with only two little boys in the mix!

2004 babies (above)

2007 babies

After enjoying great food, water balloons, and a pinata...the blues, yellows and oranges all took to riding on some greens. Old and new...both drew crowds...

It was a quick, but very well worth it kind of trip. Before boarding the plane to head home I introduced my pumpkins to another orange thing their mommy loves.

Cheese curds!

The rubbery, chewy, salty little bites of heaven did not last long. Ours must not have been very fresh though. I just learned from Wikipedia that if consumed within 12 hours they actually squeak when you bite into them.

For that I am thankful they were stale...squeaky cheese is a little disturbing don't you think?

My better half is in Asia

2010-07-27T11:51:00.004-05:00

We sent Daddy off almost two weeks ago! He is helping lead a team from our church of 42 mainly highschool students as they teach English camps in Hong Kong.

I haven't exactly been blogging all the details mainly because I don't want you to break into my house or steal my children while our protector is away.

Kidding. I know that God is our protector, but I still somehow barely sleep when Jerry is away.

Lula sure has helped though. Our way cool friends/neighbors, Nick and Shanda, let us borrow one of their Rhodesian Ridgebacks to be our temporary pet/guard dog while Jerry is away.

Isn't she sweet?

Don't let those eyes fool you though...come through our door and you will be attacked. ;)

What have we been up to in Daddy's absence?

Counting the days until he returns basically. 18. Eighteen. EIGHTEEN!

No, we seriously are not homebound or depressed. We have been to the pool a few times and are just trying to stay cool. Thankful to have such good friends that have invited us over to help pass the time. And also thankful that Jerry has the opportunity to serve in such incredible ways. The team has a blog...mainly posted to by the teenagers, that I swiped this picture from earlier today!

Oh wow, I miss him.

So, why post all this now? Because we are headed out on some travels as well! The girls are heading with Jerry's parents to Atlanta for a few days while I fly up to Pennslyvania to see Rachelle and meet her twin men!

I CANNOT wait! And since Jerry has our little point & shoot camera in China...I hope to get some practice in PA with our new camera (just charging now, forgive above cell pics)...a little happy 11th anniversary present to ourselves! I know nothing about digital SLRs, but am thinking I can learn alot with Cooper and Zachary as my test subjects!

I hope to be posting from cooler weather soon...

Ahhh...vacation. I miss you so.

2010-07-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

Summer 2010 marked a new first for our family...we finally took a true family vacation. At least in the sense that it was just the four of us, we weren't headed somewhere for an event (wedding, funeral, reunion, etc), or to a destination where we would want to pack a lot in (ie. Disney World).

We left our Lone Star State and ventured 6 hours to the northeast, to Petit Jean...Arkansas' first state park which was established in the 1930's by the CCC. It sits up in the mountains along the Arkansas river...just high enough to be cooler and free of mosquitoes. Cooler and mosquito free? When can we move?

Anyway, with no real plans other to take our time and enjoy one another, that is exactly what we did.

We took time to:

Let the girls meet their first walking stick...

go on lots of hikes...

admired small creations...

and rather large ones...

we explored-sometimes with hesitation...

and other times quite willingly...

we conquered things alone...

and sometimes with the help of daddy...

and sometimes just stood looking pretty...

sitting pretty worked too...

we even let strangers take our picture...obviously at their suggestion...sans makeup and washed hair!

we explored caves...

and saw turtles...

rock turtles at least....

we played games...

and actually enjoyed them...contrary to faces on pictures...oh how they despise mommy with the camera!

observed sunsets...

wondered where strangers were when you needed them. Thankfully the minivan made a pretty good tripod...

am I the only one that grew up having parents take pictures like this one?

we even took a boat out...

it is amazing what $20 buys at a state park...no experience necessary...

though it was pretty, the girls were not too sure about experiencing the lake that way...

so we headed to the park to hang...

and slide...

and just to look at each other...oh how I love this guy!

It's been a good 11 years of marriage. And a fun 16 years of knowing him...my best friend.

he spent time with her...

while I spent time with her...

and while I spent time with her...

he spent time with her...

and of course they spent time together:

on a bridge outside our cabin...

at the cabin's playhouse...

and in the pool...

much more comfortable in this water than that of the lake...

especially since Daddy could "touch"...

we spent some more time exploring...

and when they tired, silly girls hopped on daddy for a ride...

we stopped at a couple more vistas...

one last picture of the girls (and raccoon and beaver) before packing it up...

and within a matter of minutes we had another wonderful vista...right in our back seat...

as we approached Texas, the skies were dark...

we heard that it rained the whole time we were gone...

which means our garden, flowers and yard survived vacation as well.

Unfortunately, the mosquitoes did too.

Jade, Strawberry Shortcake and a Gothic Snow White

2010-07-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

Jade is my sensitive, safety girl.

(the helmet was her idea)

But don't get me wrong, she likes adventure...just on her own terms.

She recites the agenda of each day in order and finds comfort in a plan.

She is thoughtful and caring...genuinely concerned if someone is hurt or in pain.

Praying comes naturally to her.

When told "no", she often rebuts with, "But tomorrow can I ____ ?"

She is imaginative...has to be to keep up with the mind of big sister.

Jade is our cuddle muffin and LOVES to be held.

She gives the BEST kisses, and when she hugs you, she pats your back as well. ;)

The words "thank you" roll easily off her lips.

She likes "one more minute".

She does not like anything LOUD.

Pink is her favorite color, but she often gets purple if sister has anything to do with it.

She has been telling everyone for months that her birthday "is on the 6th of July".

So it was fitting that yesterday she ran out of her bedroom in the morning saying, "Mommy, Mommy! Lily told me that TODAY is JULY SIXTH!"

And now, Jade is THREE.

And she has a new found love for Strawberry Shortcake. As in just since last week when we went to pick out her cake.

Who doesn't like pink and strawberries and red hair?

And four little girls with strawberry glasses?

She got to invite one friend to join her family at the Magic Time Machine for a little birthday dinner. Strawberry Shortcake was not on their server list that night. So instead, Snow White served us in the library.

She was a little goth in my opinion...

but I doubt they noticed through their rose colored glasses.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Jade! {See the post below for verse one and two of her Happy Birthday song!}

Happy Birthday, Jade! {Verse One AND Two}

2010-07-07T23:48:00.001-05:00

2 down, 18 to go

2010-06-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

At least this one came out at home...and with just the swipe of a toothbrush.

Daddy missed the event again, but got to play tooth fairy when he got home.

And since there were no complaints of bears this morning, I think he has found himself yet another role around here.

Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-21T20:00:00.001-05:00

After a long week of teaching VBS and wrapping up swim lessons I was really looking forward to Father's Day weekend myself. Typically when a holiday falls on a Sunday it means that Jerry doesn't have any meetings--a rare and special treat. Getting to ride together and sit together at service as well as having his help getting the girls in and out of church is a bonus too.

We celebrated his dad Friday with a train ride to the zoo for a special evening event and a big homemade breakfast the next morning.

My dad is in Canada, which left Sunday completely to celebrate my Jerry.

It started with snuggles from his girlies and then it was off to church.

We grabbed lunch at a new-to-us burger joint which happened to be on a trolley stop.

So we rode the trolley to the end of it's line which was downtown.

Walked a couple of blocks and ended up at the base of this building.

At which point my camera battery died (all little pics from cell phone), but not before snapping this pic of my 3 favorite people.

I don't think I could have imagined a more perfect impromptu afternoon. Especially not 12 years ago when Jerry proposed to me exactly 57 floors above this perfect fountain spot.

I definitely wouldn't have envisioned how needed our afternoon nap would be or that the evening movie choice would be Toy Story 3.

What I did know then was that if a restaurant wasn't busy on Father's Day when everything around it was on a 30-45 minute wait, that you should definitely stay away. Far, far, away. But then again, what I didn't know then was how skewed your thinking can become when you have two hungry children and it is nearing bedtime. (and you don't feel like cooking!)

That restaurant choice, which shall remain nameless and NEVER, EVER, EVER visited again, is the very reason you are getting a Father's Day post today and not on the actual day. You know that feeling of food that is sitting in your stomach but not digesting. Yes. That is the feeling I went to bed with last night.

And in our Daddy's truest form, Jerry bathed and put the girls down for me on a night I was hoping he could put his feet up and take a well deserved rest. Instead it was me who was laying on the couch trying to get in any position that wouldn't further my indigestion pains...subtle reminders of a dinner gone very wrong.

A yucky way to end an otherwise perfect weekend.

Hoping yours started and ended well!

Jade: Sailor Girl Dance Recital

2010-06-17T20:00:00.000-05:00

Our littlest dancer made her debut on stage last weekend.

I didn't get any decent video to share with you, but it was a hoot.

She did a ballet routine first, during which she proceeded to stand there politely with her hands over her ears. The look on her face was one of, "It is way too loud, would someone TURN IT DOWN?".

The dance studio had really nickel and dimed us through the whole recital thing. Making us buy tickets and pay for programs, in addition to recital and costume fees.

So it was pretty funny when after her first routine my dad sad, "Well, that alone was worth the five dollars!"

I managed to talk to her during the intermission when I went to change her tights and shoes. I told her that the music would also be loud during her tap routine, but to try to enjoy it and do the dance.

Well sure enough, she didn't cover her ears and tried to participate a bit more.

At one point she got so into it that when she did a step she knocked herself over and went behind a couple of dancers over.

It was then that we decided the tickets would have been worth $10!

Actually I wouldn't have missed it no matter what the cost was, but whew! After two recitals in a matter of weeks, I am ready for a SEA CRUISE now!

Orangi

2010-06-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

Orangi, Orangi, Orangi, oh how we will miss you sweet kittie!

Rescued with your sweet brothers at which now seems like a time way too short ago.

Bottle fed and cared for (and photographed) by your new family and their crazy kids.

Kids that adored you most. Chosen by Lily to be her first pet.

You started out so tiny at 4 weeks of age.

And were still so petite at 10 months.

Lily loved giving you "stinky" food and watching you grow.

And though she thinks it was a secret between the two of you, I saw those table scraps get handed down too.

So smart, so patient, so unbelievably willing to put up with whatever Lily's schemes were for the day.

Sometimes dress up...

Sometimes a dip in the pool...

Sometimes you were one of her babies...

And just like these pictures indicate, you were up for whatever adventure Lily chose for you...even falling asleep in the cradle.

You will be missed. So many tears shed already and I fear many more to come.

Rest in peace dear Orangi.

***Last Tuesday we found it odd that Orangi didn't come to the door first thing. Usually if she doesn't come in with Blackie, she is just at the other door. We checked the front door with no luck. It was then that I remembered getting an odd call/voicemail very early that morning. I decided I better listen to the message. No details, just a name and a number. When I returned the call, the lady who answered broke into tears. I knew it wasn't good. She had hit Orangi on her way to work that morning. Breaking the news to Lily was heartbreaking. She cried and cried and cried and I did too.***

Watch out Blackie! You don't even know what you are in for...your sister took the brunt of Lily's schemes for the past 9 months. RUN! HIDE! SEEK COVER!

But please, NOT into the street.

Sno Cones gone wrong...very wrong!

2010-06-10T10:29:00.001-05:00

This week started out with the girls' first ever joint swim lessons.

See, here they are before...excited and very cute I might add.

And here they are afterward...they survived and Jade already has candy in hand. So fun.

And even though Jade declares she didn't like the "switching" of teachers at the beginning of this video, and Lily isn't fond of the "no spitting" rule (can you imagine!?!), it seems they are content to continue with lessons.

I was pretty proud of them for doing so well considering the many tears, hours and dollars dropped on Lily's lessons last summer and the fact that Jade has never had lessons at all.

On the way home I spied a sno-cone shop that 1) looked worthy of trying and 2) had a drive through. Feeling that they deserved a treat for being brave during swim lessons, we pulled up and ordered a rainbow of syrup covered ice crystals.

Soon after pulling away, Lily reminded me that we're in a rental and shouldn't be eating/spilling in it. Just a week after our accident, I've apparently gotten pretty used to sporting our little Jeep. By looking at the coffee cups, various receipts, and fast food bags that now line the interior, I'd say we've pretty much made it home. Why not? After being hit by an illegal immigrant with questionable insurance, might as well enjoy the rental. It's sort of like throwing towels on the hotel room floor to me.

Lily had a point though...stains in a rental? That is a whole other issue. Lily exhibited self control by deciding not to eat her sno-cone until we got home. Jade and I, on the other hand, dug right in. All was well. Jade is a neat eater, and I am a pro at eating while on the road, so there were no issues.

UNTIL we go to the driveway. Lily wanted a taste of Jade's red flavor. Somehow during the transfer, Jade's sno-cone got dumped. Dumped out into the front seat...where, I can't decide if it is fortunately or unfortunately, my purse was laid open.

There was still definitely a mess on the seat, but my purse took the brunt of it. What a mess. Here are what my money and checkbook look like now...

And I had to take that picture with my cell phone, because guess what was laying inside my purse? MY DIGITAL CAMERA. Ugh. It is sticky suhweet now.

I rinsed out my purse as best I could, because it is leather so I couldn't throw it in the wash.

Let's just say I don't think I will be bringing it to any summer picnics.

Starbucks, Schmarbucks...puleeese!

2010-06-06T23:46:00.001-05:00

I really am not a Starbucks regular. If I am going to spend $4 on a coffee, it is because I either am already having a bad day or am anticipating one, and therefore need the ultimate pick-me-up.

Case in point:

Yesterday morning, Jade and I had to leave at the crack of dawn with hair done, make-up applied, and two (yes, two!) pairs of tights on (this is all on her...), along with costume, hat, gloves, tap and ballet shoes, in order to make it to her dress rehearsal 45 minutes away.

I somehow left the house without coffee.

Spending the morning with crazed moms, even crazier teachers and over the top crazy dance directors sent me straight into a Starbucks frenzy.

Afterward, I found the closest one with a drive-thru. Drive-thrus are a requirement.

I pulled up and began placing my order. Whoa! The menu had totally changed since my last visit. I stumbled around a bit trying to decide between breakfast and lunch due to the time it was and how hungry/thirsty we both were.

It went sort of like this:

Me: Yes, uh, I'll have a tall skinny caramel latte with extra foam.

Barista: Is that all?

Me: No. Your menu has changed, do y'all still have those kid snack pack thingies?

Barista: Yes. Do you need one?

***enter grinding and whirling of machines***

Me: Yes.

Rude barista: Is that all?

Me: No. Do you have any of your tarragon chicken sandwiches?

***more blenders going to town***

Rude barista: What kind of sandwich?

Me: Tarragon chicken. *sigh* Do you have any?

Rude barista: (with tone in voice) I can check. Do you need anything else?

Me: (pondering. hot coffee is great...i did still want my morning coffee, but geez...it sure is hot...heading to 102 today...hmmm...i think i want an iced too)... Yes, I think I'll have one of your shaken black iced teas....with one Splenda. (a quick glance behind me shows no one else to be waiting)

***more whirling and swirling of blenders***

Rude barista: What else? A tea? What size?

Me: (seriously trying to figure out the size of teas on the new menu...) um, well, the $1.95 one...oh, I see now...a tall one.

Rude frustrated barista: Okay we do have the chicken sandwich. Now what size tea and what do you need (notice not want) in it?

Me: (with a definitely frustrated face, but stinkin' sweet fake voice). Just a tall one, with one Splenda. Oh, and a tall ice water too.

Rude barista with elevated tone: Does that complete your order?!?

Me: Yes. Yes, it does.

Rude barista in most sarcastic voice ever: See you at the window.

***I am contemplating what just happened. Thinking of how usually the baristas are annoyingly nice and conversational. But after waiting, the whole experience had honestly passed from my mind and I was chatting on the phone with Jerry as I arrived at the window.***

The rude barista is there waiting, actually leaning out, the window. She starts off with, "Ma'am, I could SEE the frustration on your face, but you have to understand that we have all these loud machines in here and I simply could not hear what you were ordering."

Jerry says, "Uh, oh. Call me back."

(see? She could SEE me? Oh dear.) (shouldn't they have to post it somewhere that you are being filmed?)

She continues as I put my phone down, "And your order just kept going on and on and on."

***Deep breath.***

Me: So, let me get this straight. You are upset that you couldn't hear me over your own machines and that I ordered too many things. Hmm. Well, I wasn't talking softly and if the machines are a problem, maybe they need to be moved away from the drive-thru area. I don't see how I am at fault. By the way, I could totally hear the frustration in your voice when you said, See you at the window. I, as the customer, should never hear frustration from you.

She appeared completely flabbergasted, uttered, "Well, okaaaay," and disappeared from the window. Next, a young chipper guy...the usual over the top, chatty, friendly type...served me our order. Then she reappeared to tell me that she didn't want me to be upset with Starbucks and handed me two of these thingies:

I realize the cell phone pix aren't really readable. But they basically say that Starbucks is sorry that my visit was "anything but wonderful" and that next time they see me I can enjoy a free beverage. It ends with, "We hope your next visit is better".

How could it not be, right? So this afternoon after Jade's recital was over, I went for a little free pick-me-up. This time I ordered with not only a *sweet* voice, but a *sweet* face too. A grande (why not?) iced skinny cinnamon dulce was the fix. And I waited, and waited, and waited.

12 minutes in a not very busy drive-thru.

I didn't care though. I had a freebie coupon.

At the end of 12 minutes I reached the window, they handed me my drink and said, "Sorry for the wait, this one is on us."

Well, awesome. Still have two more free drinks to go.

With swim lesson chauffeuring and VBS volunteering, I don't see these coupons making it through a week.

But it is ONLY the first week of JUNE

2010-06-06T17:12:00.002-05:00

Spring is OVER. Just in time for the girls to start swim lessons. Trying to remember why I thought it'd be a good idea to do them at an outdoor pool at 4:30PM. Both mornings and indoors were options.

*sigh*

We have a GRADUATE!

2010-06-03T23:56:00.001-05:00

...a Pre-K Graduate that is...

I will admit that I often have thought (and still sort of do), that these types of events are unnecessary and actually rush them through milestones (or milestones that we've created) that should be reserved until later...maybe just until Kindergarten at least. ;) But when it happens to be your own kid, it is really hard not to get totally wrapped up in the fun. Did any of that make sense?

I didn't think so either... on to the pictures... and hoping they'll speak for themselves!

Grad close up.
Grad really close up.
Grad full length. You are supposed to notice the red toes.

Grad and lil sis.
Grad with my parents.
Grad with our family.
Grad with Jerry's parents.

Grad with her best friend from school--Danielle!

Grad with lead teacher-Ms. Heather.

Grad with assistant teacher-Ms. Tracy.

The program consisted of them counting in English, Spanish and German; singing two "color" songs (Blue and Brown), and a sweet and thoughtful delivery of their diplomas by Ms. Heather. She spoke of each child's unique qualities, strengths, and gifts and then predicted what type of profession they might eventually go into. There were future nurses, teachers, architects, Nascar drivers, librarians, actresses, etc.

She started to describe Lily as someone who knew a lot about the Bible stories they discussed, who brought God into her play (example: God would not like you doing that!), and who loved to sing praise and worship songs. My mind was going toward missionary, choir director, Christian artist (she really has a voice!)...so when she said Lily would be the next "preacher", I laughed loud. Like really loud. Embarrassing level of out loud. Like I seriously was having trouble stopping the laughter.

Okay...just so maybe you'll understand all my laughter...Our denomination just does not do the women in the pulpit thing.
They exited.
Grad with aunt and cousin.
We opted out of the cake and punch and headed to Bahama Bucks, where many sno-cones and other tasty treats were consumed. I didn't take any pics of us shoving sweets down our faces, but remembered the camera as our little family closed down the joint with some tether ball.

Jerry and I played each other first. Let's not discuss the outcome of that round.

Then he played the girls. He said that Lily gave him more competition than I did.

When I played her, I realized he wasn't just trying to be mean. She really almost beat me. We don't ever let our kids win just to win though. Ahem. Anyway, maybe this graduate could put her Bible skillz to use as a Christian-summer-camp-sports-organizer?

Still laughing. Good night!

Tooth Fairy Spoils

2010-06-02T11:11:00.001-05:00

Playing tooth fairy was very fun. More fun than playing Santa in a way, to me at least. I guess because it all happens so fast. One day she is freaking out over her tooth becoming loose, then a few weeks later in the halls of a dance studio, in the midst of Jade’s tight crisis no less….she looks up at me in excitement with a bloody smile and the culprit in her hand.

Then I got to roam the aisles of Target just before closing trying to find the perfect gift…One that seemed suitable for my five year old baby who had just lost her very first tooth.

It seems like just yesterday that we were “ooh”ing and “aah”ing over this very tooth as it came in, how could it have already served its purpose and have its permanent replacement standing by?

FIVE is just passing by way too quickly. With Pre-K graduation this week and Kindergarten and SIX coming by fall, when I arrived at Target I was feeling a bit sentimental.

I came upon a necklace with FIVE little gems on it…perfect, requested a new FIVE dollar bill in my change…the one with the purple 5s on it (she thinks anything pink or purple was made especially for her), and managed to grab a pack of real Hubba Bubba pink bubble gum as they flashed the lights at the Target store.

I originally had my eye on a tooth pillow, but knew she’d probably want to sleep with it or even on it. I opted against that for fear of waking her up during tooth retrieval/gift placement. I got this cute little pewter tooth box instead.

Not sure what I was thinking though because the lid is really loud.

So I ended up going in to her room twice, once to grab the box and again to deliver the goods. Jade stirred, but Lily was out.

Only until about 6:40 the next morning when she came bopping into our room shouting about the tooth fairy’s visit. She didn’t even know what the gum was! Poor child, she has been limited to whatever kind lives in the bottom of my purse…usually mint and ALWAYS sugar-free.

I got the cutest video of her describing the whole tooth fairy experience…but I shot it vertically and can’t get it to rotate. Dern laundry pile that I was trying to keep out of the frame. It is also interrupted by Jerry’s phone ringing to alert him that his breakfast meeting would be a no show…too bad Jerry had already left…and also left his phone at home!

Jade was actually the funniest though as she described the bear. The bear that came in her room TWICE that night.

She may be onto something. Ever since that morning they have been waking up super early…today it was 6:20. And with each day I am feeling Grizzlier and Grizzlier. GRRRrrrrrrrrr!

May Day! May Day!

2010-05-25T23:59:00.001-05:00

I only typed it twice, not thrice...so no real alarm necessary.

Rejoicing that May is nearly over and summer on its way!

May is always busy for us, mainly due to family birthdays and mother's day...but this one has really thrown me for a loop.

You know it is bad when your friend posts simple messages to you on FB like, "Kerry, are you still alive & kicking?" And then later follows up with a voicemail commenting that she's glad to hear my voice on the recording or she may have forgotten what it sounded like. So sorry Rachelle! I would be calling you now instead of blogging...not liking that you are an hour ahead!

We've celebrated 3 of the 4 family birthdays that fall in May...one more to go this weekend. Memmy, or Grand Memmy as she is known to our girls, will be 98 on Friday. She was born the year the Titanic sank...oh how things have changed during her lifetime.

Lily's ballet rehearsal/recital/pictures all went well. The only hiccup was on mommy's part...pulled into the parking lot downtown with roughly a minute to spare prior to her rehearsal, and found a $10 cash lot was the only visible option for parking. Pulled right into a spot as the attendant followed me to my car waiting for payment. Dug and dug and dug some more only to find I had not a single bill on me. Left the lot in search of a coin meter...thanking God for the coins on the bottom of mama's purse. Fed the meter what I thought would be plenty of sticky, gummy, fuzzy coins from the bottomless pit of my bag...only to get inside and learn the rehearsal was running an hour behind. Returned to an expired meter but thankfully no ticket.

Now Jade's recital is upon us. Different school, different venue. I am just trying to get past the tight requirements...as in the tights she must wear for pics and recital. Two colors of tights! No costume change, just "ballet pink" ones for ballet and "light toast" for tap. And get this we are supposed to layer them on top of each other for an easy change. Um. Okay. It is like really hot here already. Never heard of such a thing. Also, they strongly recommend buying two pairs of each color in case of runners. That would be $60 worth of tights. Seriously? Do they not know of 99 cent clear nail polish? However the real issue with tights is that I can't find Leo's light toast tights in Jade's size. I could give you a play by play run down on how I have spent 2.5 hours hunting for said tights between yesterday and today, but by the look on Jerry's face after I gave him my play by play, I will go ahead and spare you. Even he was shocked though by the news that one lady had me try an intermediate size 7/8 on Jade...she told me just to roll them up at the waist. She's 2 folks. TWO. And she is a tall two, but she does have a crotch to get past on the way to her waist. Can you say elephant syndrome? I should have taken a picture, but I was too flustered at the moment to find the humor in it.

So, all I know is that she will be attending the two upcoming dress rehearsals, picture day and recital in full makeup and costume...but if I can't find the dern tights they want in a size that fits, they may have to rename her Good Ship Lollipop number to something from Dumbo!

We are also preparing for Lily's Pre-K graduation. She modeled her red cap and gown for us this evening. So stinkin' cute. I am trying to get over the fact that she will be showcasing one less tooth in all the pictures we take on that occasion. Yes, today Lily lost her first tooth! Exactly a month from the day that she realized it was loose. That bloody event coincided with Jade's tight dilemma this afternoon. Good Lord.

Well, I am off to play tooth fairy! More on all that soon...hopefully tomorrow!

Recital Pics and Flowers Galore

2010-05-13T23:45:00.000-05:00

Having Lily's dance recital on Mother's Day Weekend was perfect. I got to sit between my mom and my sister (two of the best moms I know), while bopping Jade up and down on my lap in anticipation of big sissy's show.

Then it was time.

What a minute! Which one is she? Yikes. Oh wait, there she is! Nope, that isn't her. It was so sad...I lost her so many times during the performance! Either her bangs being slicked back threw me or my eyesight is going downhill faster than I thought.

We were only allowed to video and photograph during the rehearsal...and I fear I probably video taped the wrong child, so I am holding my breath until the professional DVD arrives.

The venue was amazing though and served well for pictures. She was a rainbow butterfly in a Dr. Seuss themed recital. Her wings were backstage, so use your imagination!

And then afterward there were flowers. An abundance of flowers.

Enough for several pretty bouquets...

And then Jerry surprised me with a Mother's Day arrangement.

Beauties everywhere I glance. And the fragrance? Delightful!

I think I could cook salmon, or boil eggs, or bring the cats' litter box back in.

Or I could just enjoy the sweet aroma...and not make it compete with anything else. Yep, that sounds wonderful.

A few of my favorite things...

2010-05-08T14:46:00.000-05:00

First thing in the morning...

The Keurig! I am loving this housewarming present we got from Jerry's parents and uncle a while back.

Why I like it? I was the one forever not washing out the coffee pot or throwing out the grinds right away. Nothing to rinse out here...and you have to toss the "grinds" before you can make your next cup, so no issue there!

And the flavors are endless....my current fave? Anything made by Donut House...especially Chocolate Glazed Donut and Cinnamon Roll.

A calorie free donut? Two or three every morning for me!

**************************************

Last thing at night...

Our king size bed. For all the obvious reasons, but also for it's ease in bed-making. I do NOT like making beds. How can I sleep in an unmade bed? Very easily...every night, in fact. Something I despise even more than the regular bed making is sheet changing. That is why our new king is one of my favorite things. It is nearly a perfect square. Actually I thought it was a perfect square until I just googled it...actually they measure 76 x 80, so 4 inches shy. But those 4 inches don't matter when slapping on a new set of sheets...whichever way you turn them, they fit! No fussing over finding the long vs. short side. Love it.

**************************************
Any time in between...when I have put off laundry long enough.

This Bounce Dryer Bar...

You know it is time to get a babysitter when Friday night conversation with your hubby lends itself to dryer sheet vs. dryer bar discussions. These are the reasons we came up with for why we like it so much:

Jerry's:
-He loves the space that he now has in the laundry cabinet that used to be taken up by the dryer sheet box.
-He loves that he doesn't have to remember to put one in. Or as he said, put two or three more in because he can't remember if he had already put a sheet in or not.

Kerry's:
-I love not having to remember to buy dryer sheets.
-I love anything that gets my hubby excited about doing laundry.
-I love not having to chase loose dryer sheets all over the house when folding! Those things seem to get away from me. Oh, and Lord help me, I am still hearing about the time one got left in Lily's napmat for school.
-and the smell...oh the fresh smell...so much stronger than bounce sheets.

*************************************
Tonight...

Little girl dance recitals!

Tonight is the night for Lily's big show. It is a Dr. Seuss theme and she is one of Thidwick's butterflies...a rainbow butterfly no less! CANNOT WAIT! If I can just get her bangs slicked back and staying put I will be one happy mama. Her teacher, a complete Julie Andrews, made it seem so easy during the hair/make-up demonstration...her words were, "just a little spray gel should do the trick". Um yeah. I mixed 3 products and a few cuss words together for the rehearsal and they kind of stayed.

I love her teacher though. Such a cross between Mary Poppins and Maria from The Sound of Music. She sings "A Few of My Favorite Things" with them each week, so one rest time I sat Lily down in front of Mary Poppins so she could hear her sing that song. Lily was frustrated and told me that song never came on...what? Duh...that would be Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. Poor child. The next day we watched the correct movie and it actually provided some real rest!

Must run, can't keep Julie Andrews waiting...I don't have an umbrella to fly downtown with!

What are a few of your current favorite things?

No Schedule and Slimy the Snail

2010-05-06T06:48:00.001-05:00

Ah. I have come to love Wednesdays. They are the one day we aren't running out the door to ballet or tap, or my part time job...which since our move is an hour from here (I know!). I mean, it was my choice to leave the girls in preschool out there 2 days a week...it seemed like a good way to limit their transitions during the move, but after all the driving I am not sure it was the best plan. They do make great HOV lane buddies though, and the plan is to work mainly from home starting in June.

Back to my point...Wednesdays are a great break. Yesterday we had NOT ONE THING planned. I considered inviting some friends over to play or going to visit my dad, but resigned to just spend the day with my two girlies and not venture anywhere. As evidenced in the video below there was time for playdough, paints and colors but apparently no time to break out the hair comb. Yikes...a little scary looking!

Just as our creative juices had been drained, we found a huge garden snail out back.

Have you ever seen such an active snail?

Slimy quickly became our entertainment for the next little while.

I texted a picture to my mom and she replied back, "Wow! That thing is huge, you'll have to pull up a chair and serve him a plate for dinner"! Actually I hadn't made a dinner plan yet, I was thinking that introducing the girls to a little escargot might not be a bad menu.

Thankfully Jerry recommended Mexican in honor of Cinco de Mayo, so Slimy the Snail lives another day.

The TWINS Birthday

2010-05-01T23:22:00.004-05:00

We celebrated two special birthdays today...or one birthday for two special people...not really sure how that is worded!

Jerry's mom and uncle...twins...turned...well, hmmmm I'll just say somewhere between 60 and 65, but one notch closer to 65 than 60.

They drove here and we met up at Joe's Crab Shack (boy that place is LOUD...I think I am the old fogey). Uncle Howard treated us to lunch on his birthday, though we protested he said that since he had chosen the restaurant it would be his treat. I am thinking we'll let him choose our next vacation spot too. ;)

We came back to our house and tried something different for dessert. Cake balls. YUMMY. The shop owner described them to me as being bite sized pieces of cake, mixed with frosting and then dipped in chocolate. The result is very tasty!

The best part though was when Uncle Howard and Memmy opened their gifts to each other. Look at these shirts!

Don't they look like something a set of boy/girl twins would where on purpose!?! You know, to match but not be too matchy matchy?

Anyways, Happy Birthday guys! We LOVE you both and loved celebrating your birthday today...here's to many more! {Envision me toasting you with my margarita cakeball}

I am soooooo not ready for this!

2010-04-25T08:04:00.000-05:00

Lily came out of her room crying this morning. Big. real. tears.

My mind raced. Did she have a bad dream? Did she wet the bed? Did she fall down the ladder from her bunk?

When she got her sobs under control she told me that she thought she had an owie on her tooth.

Okay. I can deal with "teeth owies", so I thought.

I took a look.

No owies in sight.

I questioned her further...I don't see anything Lily, which tooth hurts?

She points to the bottom left center....the very first tooth her sweet baby gums had bore. Back when she was way too young and nursing was still way too difficult. Ugh! How quickly my mind returns to those days.

Okay, back on track.

This one, Lily?

In a terrified voice, she confesses that when she touches it, it WIGGLES.

Oh my goodness. I hold her tight. My baby CANNOT already be losing a tooth.

And then the squeamish part of me starts to gross out envisioning the process.

How long will it take? Will there be strings and doorknobs involved? Lots of blood?

Calm my heart.

Then I remember the adorable tooth pillow I spied a while back at a gift shop. Yes! It is no longer a splurge or an unnecessary item. I NEED it now.

My baby girl has a loose tooth! Retail therapy is in order!

Tickles, Giggles, and SMACK!

2010-04-21T21:43:00.000-05:00

Tickling.

I cannot stand to be tickled. Ah...I hate it. The helpless feeling. Near suffocation from lack of breaths. Possibility of urinating. Whatever. I just do not like it.

My girls though?

They love it. They beg for it!

My apologies for the loud TV in the background...our beloved Mavericks are in the playoffs!

Next, the tickle monster attacks Lily by activating her "collapse button"...and things get a little out of hand...

See? Did you see, and hear, that SMACK at the end? Now I am wearing a busted lip. Just another reason to hate tickling.

Peonies

2010-04-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

Well look what I found when I came around the side yard with the mower...

Peonies!

Who would have planted these on the side of the house? I guess my neighbor gets to enjoy them from her kitchen window.

I was shocked because I didn't think they grew in Texas. We picked 3 of the fullest blooms and I told the girls we could float them in a bowl of water. They smell wonderful! I got hung up visiting with a neighbor and the next thing I knew, Lily was bringing out my largest stock pot. She had been plunging them in the water.

Not exactly what I had in mind. Thankfully it looks like we'll have several more chances to get it right...the bushes are full of blooms!

A Peek at the Blooms in our Yard

2010-04-19T05:42:00.001-05:00

We have been so blessed by inheriting a master gardener's yard. I don't think there is one non-blooming thing planted...even the trees are showing off gorgeous blossoms.

Azaleas

Dutch Iris

Chinese Fringe

Jasmine

White Dogwood

Yellow Lady Banks Roses

Narcissus

Japanese Maple

Pink Dogwood

Some of those have faded and new things are blooming now! Unfortunately it's not just the flowers that are thriving. The weeds seem to love this soil too. So if I gave you the full view...just to keep things real, you'd see this: OVERGROWN MESS!

As well as a dismantled play system that we finally got out of storage. Jerry got it pretty much put together this weekend...just in time for the rain and cold to set in. Boo!

Oh and the tour wouldn't be complete without a shot of another overgrown flower bed that the cats have chosen for their litter box. Lovely.

Of course I did say I wouldn't care where they went, at least I am not changing a litter box anymore. A neighbor just told me about Critter Ridder which I will be putting down soon. I love pulling weeds, but I think running into "litter" would take all the fun out.

Texas Bluebonnet Beauties

2010-04-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

So wishing I had my good camera with me while we risked our lives on the side of the road to get a few bluebonnet pics...

but I didn't, so these will have to suffice.

From the mouths of Lily and Jade

2010-04-12T22:17:00.000-05:00

I have to record a few mistakes in Jade's speech that continually make us chuckle. Soon she will heed our corrections and inevitably we will forget she ever did it.

body
I am sitting on my body.
Ooh. I can see your body.
I better get my panties on so you can't see my body.
body=bottom

cinderella
Mom, why are you bringing your cinderella?
We're going to need a cinderella today!
Where is my Pooh cinderella?
cinderella=umbrella

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Lily got so frustrated with me the other day in the van. She began telling me that she really wanted to watch "Hazel".
Me-Hazel?
Lily-Yes, Hazel!
Me-(completely stumped) Like your hazel eyes?
Lily-No! The girl who has the long hair!
Me-(relieved) Oh...you mean Rapunzel! Okay, well I'll look for that video.
Lily-So mom, do you think it would hurt to have a prince climb up your hair?
Me-Hmm. Not sure that I really want to find out my dear!

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To find out how other kiddos are making their parents chuckle, head over to:

Update on Dad!

2010-04-12T10:21:00.002-05:00

Wow, it has been a whirlwind since I blogged Thursday morn from the OR waiting room. My dad was only in surgery for four hours and they successfully completed 5 bypasses. Amazing!

He had some panicky moments coming off the vent, but he did get off of that too...the same afternoon as surgery. Also amazing!

He had an unfortunate event with his catheter Friday afternoon and that has really been the most of his worries. I will spare you the details, but I witnessed it and it was not pretty.

After all that was resolved, he was up on the floor by Saturday afternoon. Saturday night was a rough night...he had some arrhythmia and ended back up on some IV medicine and was unable to sleep. When I saw him yesterday the IV port was still in his neck and he still had 2 chest tubes, but other than that, he was TUBE FREE! Pretty amazing...considering all the lines he had running before.

We are so thankful for the talents with which the Lord blesses physicians and nurses. I am guessing maybe he'll go home Tuesday. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.

A Heart Healthy Recipe

2010-04-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

Who knew?!? The ICU waiting room is equipped with WIFI.

My dad went in for bypass surgery about an hour ago. He was in good spirits, joking around, and even mooned me purposefully from his hospital gown. He learned that from my grandpa apparently. Dear Lord!

My mom and sis are both waiting on me to type up a recipe for them, so since it is a heart healthy one, I will just post it here...typing it up will help ease my nerves and pass the time until the first update from the surgeon.

I got it from a good friend years ago when she hosted a cooking class at her home. Oh the things we did before we had kids!

Green Bean and Feta Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed (about 4 handfuls)
1 small purple onion, finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

1) Roast walnuts 5-10 minutes on 350 degrees. Set aside until just before serving.
2) Combine dressing ingredients (olive oil through pepper).
3) Add onion and cheese to dressing.
4) Arrange green beans in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 15 minutes or until crisp-tender. Immediately plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process; drain and pat dry.
5) Add the green beans to the dressing mixture
5) Chill green bean/dressing mixture in fridge for about one hour.
6) Top with roasted walnuts before serving.

It is a super tasty chilled summer salad...one that I plan on bringing over to my dad's once he is home!

My mom tried it on Easter with asparagus and it was super tasty as well...although from the top of my memory I had left out several ingredients! Oops...here it is in its totality, Mom!