first day of school

The first day of school , August 11, 2011. T is now in 5th grade, and W is in kindergarten. Fortunately, T found out 2 of her closest friends will be in her class, and her teacher even let her sit between them!!!! woohoo what a great start to the school year! She is very happy. I am glad to see that, because last year she was completely excited about school (I think that was because she missed being at her elementary school where she 'knew' everybody. She seems to really like it so far this year and that is good :)

First day of school!!!! awwww! my littlest girl is now in kindergarten and going all day! Even eating lunch at school!!!!! oh my!  Time sure has flown. She is very excited and I am excited for her :)

 Big hugs for my 'big girl' :)

 W getting walked to the car when I picked her up from her FIRST FULL DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!

 T walking ever so properly to our car in the pick up line :)

 The girls both got some new school haircuts the weekend after school started. They were both pleased to 'pick out' their own hair styles  lol

Shopping and Fast Cars, not much better than that!

We heard on the radio that this Saturday our local mall was having a 'kids chef event' for members of the kids program at the mall. It only cost $5 each to sign up to become members, and it sounded like something T (especially) would love to do. So we signed up and showed up for this event. It wasn't exactly what I expected. From the description I thought they'd really be doing some cooking. Unfortunately, the didn't. I guess they were supposed to do something at the cookie company table , but I guess they got too busy in the food court (that's where all the vendors were from), so they didn't DO anything at that table, but they had hot free chocolate cookies for everyone (which were yummy). They had the pizza guy there who was super friendly and gave us all the pizza we wanted. They also passed out Godiva chocolates. yum. The only 'activities' wound up being making noodle/cereal neclaces. Coloring. Or rolling and forming pretzel dough with the Auntie Annie's pretzel guy. That was fun, but we didn't get to cook them and eat them. However they did pass out free cinnamon pretzel bites (yum). They also got neclaces and chef hats, and cute aprons and tshirts to keep. All in all, the gave out tons of free snacks, but there wasn't any real cooking involved. I thought the girls would be bummed, but they still really liked it and said it was really fun. They had drawings for prizes too. They had 2 large pillow-pets and lots of zany band packages. The two pillow pets they had were a dog and ladybug, which W actually already has the small versions of. I told her wouldn't that be cute if she won, then she'd have a mommy for her baby one. Well, the first name out of the bin was...

T-----------!!!!!!!!

Wow! how exciting! She picked the doggy pillow pet and was so happy. You should have seen the pure joy on her face! They spaced out the drawings, and you had to be present to win. Of course after T got something W was a little sad because she wanted something. I told her  "you never know, maybe you'll win too" so we hung around, made some more neclaces and ate more free food. They then began handing out all the zany bands so almost every child got a package of bands. They liked that too. They seemed to pull out a few names in the drawing but those kids appeared to have left. Then I watched them and they began to spin the bin again, I said "look W, they are drawing another name, lets pray its your name"....whoa it was!!!!!
She was sooooo happy. She got the lady bug which was so appropriate because her whole bedroom is decorated in red ladybugs. So cute. We certainly got a great deal on this event... for $10 we got to attend this event (and all future ones for a year) , we got tons of free snacks, they got to create stuff, free aprons , hat, huge pillow pets, and tshirts!!!!! what a payoff!

Afterwards we headed to Aeropostale because I heard they had $12 dresses and $5 tshirts, so I wanted to pick some up if possible. I scored a bunch for Dan, several for me, and a couple for T. Plus a book bag for school for T. We had lots of fun trying on stuff together. Plus T tried on a pair of cute  jeans that were 00.  They fit perfect! I couldn't believe that she could fit into jeans at a store that I could buy jeans at!   Wow, my little girl is growing up. eek.  (Plus stuff in that store runs small---teenager body types, not womanly or big men), but still!

Me and T trying on the same shirt! Yes, we bought them both!



My two happy girls, with their pillow-pets!

 Afterwards, we met Dan to help him pick out some golf stuff at the golf store. While there we petted lots of cute puppies that people were trying to sell on the roadside. So precious. I love puppies!
We then ate dinner together. One of the reasons I went to town today was to go to Old Navy to use the $20 Groupon I bought this week. I haven't been to Old Navy in I don't know how long! Usually I only shop clearance or sale stuff and their clearance racks are always atrocious so I don't even like to try to look through them. So I went in thinking I have no idea if I'll find anything, I hope I can find enough stuff I like to use up my $20. I did want to see if they had a long maxi dress or skirt for summer. I don't have any and they look really comfy and cool , especially in this extreme heat we get.
Well, my goodness. I found tons of stuff that fit awesome!!!! They even had 5" chino shorts (I love that length) that FIT ME IN THE WAIST!!!!!!   I have a booty, and in order for most bottoms to FIT my bottom, the waist winds up being WAY too big, so I have to cinch them in with a belt, or try to get them taken in. But these actually fit! I was so excited, I bought 3 pair!!!! I did find a maxi skirt (unfortunately not on sale, but by that point I was so in love with the outfit, I paid full price) I got a couple tanks to wear with the skirt and jean shorts. I also tried to buy 2 maxi dresses that I thought I could wear as pool coverups as well, I brought them home for a second opinion. No surprise, Dan didn't like the big flowy, breezy one , he said its for fat people. So I'm returning that one, but keeping a black one that is REALLY pretty, but I probably won't wear in public as a dress because without the swimsuit under it I think its too low in the front. I know people wear stuff like that, but I don't like to. But around the house with a swimsuit it will be pretty and work well. So all in all, I had a great time shopping. Oh, I forgot to mention the best part.... after dinner Dan took the girls home with him while I went shopping ALONE! woohoo! We also switched cars because the girls don't like riding in the Challenger.......woohoooooooooo again for me!
Oh man! That was so fun. I was actually hoping to get stopped at red lights so that I could take off at warp speed from each one! :)   I had the windows down, classic rock blaring, blond hair flying.... I was having so much! For this, suv-driving, conservative, soccer mom.... I was having a major trip down memory lane, and I was loving the speed and the rock n roll of my past!   ;0   I love that car!
Truth is, it was a great day from start to end. The girls got along great and they really enjoyed and appreciated all we did today. Plus, I got some major shopping in, which was incredibly fun!

Mother's Day 2011

This Mother's Day was a beautiful day spent with my family :)  No drama, no arguments, just nice :)

It started with the girls and their daddy making and serving me breakfast in bed (YUM). Eggs, bacon, OJ, toast, and strawberries. YUMMY. We had a lovely day at church and lunch, then a really nice evening. Here are pictures (of course) of the girls all dressed up in dresses I picked out (its mother's day-there is no complaining about attire choices on Mother's Day or Easter in our house ha ha)

What cracks me up about W's attire, is that since her dress was SO fancy (there are even rhinestones along the waist), she went into my closet and dug out my Miss Bellaire crown from a drawer and insisted on wearing it ALL day!  lol When I won that pageant (many eons ago) I never would have dreamed that the crown would wind up on my daughter's head some day. But it sure did, and I have to say I'm getting more of a kick out of her wearing it, than me wearing it :)   What a true princess she is :)

The end of soccer...for now

This is very late in posting, but soccer season has finally come to an end for the girls.
I am happy for the lightened load in our schedule (no more practices Tues and Thurs nights, and no more Saturdays being tied up with games). But I have to admit...
I really loved soccer season.

I loved being outdoors and enjoying the fresh air.
I loved watching the girls run and play (especially W since she was more 'into it' than T was...although T did kick it in gear in a few games, especially the last few, and then it was very exciting to watch her play and really give it her full effort).
I loved being around all the other soccer parents, many of whom I already knew, and getting a chance to get to know the parents of our kids' teammates/classmates who I didn't already know.
Even though I am horrible with remembering names, I recognize faces and I really want to get to know these parents and kids who my kids will likely be growing up with.
I want to be in on the 'ground floor' with these kids. I want them to think back when they are in high school and remember that they know me, "T or W's mom", from 'way back when', and therefore, hopefully, will respect that relationship and be on their best behavior around me and my kids. If I am their homeroom mom when they are little, and always around as they are growing up, (at games/practices/events), then hopefully they will feel that connection to me as a trustworthy adult that they can come to if they need help. And even more importantly, maybe through my interaction with them through the years they will stay on the right track and not veer off into 'bad' territory. Maybe that is a lofty aspiration (I don't have special powers to keep them on the straight and narrow), but when I was a kid I remember looking up to my friends' parents and showing them respect. Part of that respect was to behave properly because I knew they all knew me and my parents, and nothing I did would be a secret...so I should be sure to always try to do the right thing.
(Now I am certainly not saying I was perfect as a kid. I wasn't. I did experiment, and thankfully learned I didn't want to go very far down those roads. But one time when I did mess up in public, and it was a friend's parent who saw me and alerted my parents to my suspicious behavior... although the barf in my bed later that night wasn't hard to miss, so my drinking fiasco wouldn't have been a secret for long anyway lol). The point is, if parents KNOW the kids in town, then they can help keep them on the right track. I want to be one of those parents that my kids' friends recognize and know whose parent I am, and therefore know that I am there...not only watching out for them, but watching them also.
Obviously, at this age (pre-k and 4th grade) its more of the former than latter, but as they grow older it may be the latter. Who knows, maybe that knowledge and history will help the kids make good choices. I hope so.
Anyway, all of this to say,
I really enjoyed soccer season, but it is now over, and I am also glad.
I like having weekends free again, and no more double practices twice a week during dinner time. It was fun and I hope W will do it again. T has already emphatically informed us that she will not be playing again. That is ok. At least she tried it, and it turned out it wasn't something she wanted to continue with. T's difficulty was she didn't like running (soccer is a lot of running), and she hadn't grasped the competitive spirit of 'giving it all you've got' no matter what. That frustrated her dad and I (especially her dad). But at least she didn't quit, and she did have some shining moments where she really did put forth the effort. Especially in the last two games. In fact in the last game she almost got two goals (but they were deflected away. She probably should have dribbled them in closer before going for the goal kick...but it was her first season, and I think she did good). She did get one goal in the second game of the season. That was really exciting :) Obviously getting goals at her age group is a lot harder than in W's class, since W doesn't play against a goalie and T does. I'm still proud of her no matter what! I love her and think she did great.
W's soccer experience was alot different. W was the star of her team :) 
Most of the other players hadn't played before, but this was her second season so she had a little bit of experience and therefore a better attention span for the game. At W's age, attention span can be a BIG detriment to any practice or game lol. She got tons of goals throughout the season totally about 26 I think. In fact, in one game she got 6 goals! She is super fast and is just a really great soccer player. I really hope she chooses to play again because I think she has potential if she wants to continue it. We told the girls we would pay them a dollar for every goal scored and if they got 2 goals in a game we would take them out for donuts. W was so funny, because after every goal she would immediately look over at us with a huge grin, give us the thumbs up sign, then hold up the number of fingers of how many goals she was on. lol.  I think she was more excited about those donuts than anything else ha ha.
Anyway, she did great. They both did, and we are very proud of them. Here are some fun action shots from a game.


W taking the ball to the goal, in control the whole time :)




Catching up and stealing that ball from the white team.




Orange #1 is W. She is about to get that ball away from #8 and make a goal!




T is on the far right, practicing before her final game.

The 'away' field we play at has 2 amazing trees in the parking lot, that of course I had to take advantage of with some 'camera time'. I got a dozen or more great shots! here are a few...



Here is W wrestling with/picking on Grandpa during T's game.



After the game I got some great shots of T in the tree too...



These trees with their textures and shapes were just GREAT photo locations!




Our family. Me in my 'soccer gear', Orange team colors and a ballcap to keep the sun out of my eyes (I NEVER wear hats!)



Land Run

Today, T's school celebrated the "Land Run of 1889" as a history lesson. They participated in a real run for land with their team or 'family'. Once they got their land, they sent one member of their family to the claims office to get their deed for their land. After that, the games began. The school did an excellent job! They had wheel barrow races, egg on a spoon races, musical haybales, real farm animals to pet and hold, 'horse' pogo stick races, sack races, three-legged races, square dancing, laundry (scrubbing on a washboard and hanging on the line to dry), soap carving, rag doll making, string games, checkers, hopscotch, and they even had a 'general store' where they could cash in their 'tickets' for beef jerky, lemonade, taffy, no-bake cookies, trail mix, and giant pickles. All in all, it was really cute!
Eighty-five percent of the kids were dressed in costumes of that time (indians, cowboys, little house on the prairie dresses), and 70% of those dressed up were dressed up real well in full costume! It was really cute! The ones who weren't dressed up in full detail, at least had jeans and cowboy hats so there was still a lot of participation in the spirit of the event. It was lots of fun to watch.
T's 'family' had brought a red wagon and her 'son' pulled her and her 'daughter' all around in it from one event to another. They had a lot of fun and it sure was a pleasure to watch all these fourth graders, boys and girls, playing so freely and well together :)  There were also some high schoolers as volunteers helping to run the games, and it did my heart good to see older students willing to help and partaking in the growth of this younger generation. Good role models are great and I was glad to see them :)
Of course I have lots of pictures to share...


T's outfit that she and her grandma made from scratch!




The actual 'run' for land. They are carrying tents and wagons and stuff to make their 'homestead' on their 'land'.




W in front of the 'general store' where pickles, taffy, beef jerkey, trail mix, and things were sold.




W found a friend in the petting zoo. This goat was less than 1 month old!




T and her 'daughter' square dancing




Her 'son' pulling pulling the girls all over the field, from one event to another.




T and G scrubbing clothes in the 'laundry' department.




wheel barrow races




egg races




I like this picture taken from afar, of the three of them carving soap in the shade and sharing a laugh.



Spring isn't Spring without Mud

We have had a lot of rain here lately. Which really does make it seem like Spring. Consequently, we have an area in our yard that gets VERY (and I mean VERY) muddy. The girls love it. They go out there all the time (even when its not muddy) and play. They create inventive games to play and they 'explore' the land. I love watching them do this and I know how much fun it is for them because I have cherished memories myself of playing in the woods and just 'enjoying nature'. Once again, I am thankful we moved to the country and chose to raise our kids here instead of on the city block we used to live in b.c. (before children).
Today I went out and listened to their explanation of all the stories/details/scenarios they had concocted in their outdoor space and of course brought my camera along too. I was so excited when I viewed the pictures on my camera. They looked so vivid and green. Bright and lush. Just great shots.

Then... I downloaded them to the computer and they just didn't look as good. Now I'm not sure if they will print in the full beauty that I viewed on my camera or if they will be dull like on my computer. So, in an effort to spruce them up I began editing and playing with the saturation and color temperature. I thought I did a pretty good job of getting them closer to what I saw at first, but now when I look at them I wonder if they look 'fake'.  Hmmm. I don't know. I just wish they were as beautiful as they are on the screen of my camera, because believe me... they are gorgeous!  Here are some to check out...


Definately a wise purchase...mudboots!





Leading me down the 'creek' to their 'garden'.




This is one I adjusted the color on. This is closer to the vivid greens I saw on my camera and in person.





Always digging in the dirt or mud. Today they found a frog... highlight of the day. A few days ago they found a Robin egg that had fallen to the ground. Of course they built a nest for it and tried to 'hatch' it. (That didn't work, it got broken).




Love the simplicity of this photo.





I like this one too.




Even though I make my kids smile and pose for lots of pictures, I really do love un-posed pictures the best :)



Out of the mouths of Babes...

We opened the pool yesterday, and of course both girls are just 'itching' to go swimming. We know its not ready yet (we need several warm nights and some sunshine to warm it up enough to swim), but the girls never seem to grasp this concept... as soon as that cover comes off, they want to go IN! Doesn't matter what the temperature is outside, or in the water, or whether the chemicals are right or not. They just want to go in.
Well, today I knew it was still too cold, but the water was clear so I said that yes if they wanted to go swimming they would be able to (I figured they'd jump in, see how cold it was, and we'd be done with this ...for a few days at least). So, as W [who I need to explain turned five at the end of October, and we close our pool in mid-October every year] as she is doing her chores as fast as possible so she can go swimming, Daddy teases her and says something about her excitement for going swimming, and she EMPHATICALLY replies,

"But DAD, I haven't been swimming since I was FOUR!!!!"

LOL

Yes, I guess that's true. And leave it to W to be sure to point out that pertinent fact as a very important piece of information that we certainly should not have forgotten  lol.

She cracks me up.

Yes, she did go swimming (T decided to play with her new science kit instead) and surprisingly she stayed out there longer than I had anticipated.

Little chefs in the house

My daughters love to help in the kitchen, or better yet, make their own creations. Here are a few shots of the fun they have doing this.



T our little chef, who likes to bake...




W, our junior chef, who likes to eat :)



So cute! My mom brought these chef hats with her when she visited. The girls loved them.

 I like in the picture above and below how W is watching T work, and watching T. So cute, looking up to her big sister :)