The Phantom...and the New Addition...

I know in advance that some of you are going to laugh at this.. but we just got a new addition...

In saying that, you probably think we are hard core golfers (and Aana is...), but really the rest of us just enjoy going around the neighboorhod and spending time as a family on the cart. The girls absolutely love riding to the pool or Grandma's on the cart...and it is just a fun thing to have where we live.

That is the nice part about having a parent that likes gadgets... you can buy their leftovers ...which is how we got this. We are trying to think of a name for it... but nothing has come to mind yet.

Today is my birthday, and this year I took it into my own hands. I decided at the last minute to buy myself Phantom of the Opera tickets in Portland, OR...and book a hotel...so this weekend Larry and I went. My parents watched the girls and we had a great time. I wish I had pictures because the scenery was amazing, but I forgot the camera (and Larry said he rememebered...but didn't bring it because he said there was no reason for us to take pictures of ourselves...???) The show was amazing...and has me so excited for Wicked, which is coming early next year. We also went to the market, and instead of looking around at all of the vendors and street entertainers, I found myself finding bums and giving them all of my cash. Larry ended up dragging me away...once I was broke. It was fun though, and it was a nice break from the typical daily grind.

Girls just want to have FUN!!

I feel blessed by my two girls... I never imagined having a four year age gap between children, but I just can't explain how grateful I am for the way things have turned out. They truly love eachother and have a bond that I have never seen before. Aana starts kindergarten soon, and I think Addie will be crushed not having her around during the day. I love having little princesses around the house...

A day at the Fair!

So as long as Larry and I have been married, we had never been to a fair...until this weekend. We went to the county fair with some friends of ours.

The kids had a blast and got a taste of a totally different life than ours....there were farm animals everywhere...and they wanted to pet all of them...and those that know me...know how badly that grosses me out. I am a bit of a germaphob!! The kids rode rides (like the Berry-go- round...spinning strawberries...crazy, I know)milked cows, played games...and then we ended with a disgustingly, amazing funnel cake. I enjoyed the people watching...and if you have been to a fair recently...you probably know what I mean! It was a beautiful day, though...and we had a good time!

Rainbows in the desert?

So...for those of you that didn't know, we really do live in the heart of the desert. Our neighborhood is a little oasis in the middle of the sand, wind, and coyotes. I know that description alone probably doesn't sound the most appealing, but it is a great place to live. Anyway... we rarely get rain and today we got quite a bit. This double rainbow was the view from our backyard...and it was beautiful!

Yep...My Daddys a Dentist!

Randomness and Bubblewrap!

I saw that I could put a playlist on the blog...and when I was choosing songs, I just went for different ones that made me smile for different reasons....so I apologize for how strange the selection is. You can push pause on it...on the actual playlist icon!

And in the further spirit of randomness...I had to share this web site. I think it is funny that someone actually took their time and made this.

http://www.therightfoot.net/mystuff/whatever/swf/bubblewrap.swf

Now I have to tell you, that it just isn't as fun as the real thing! What do you think?

Summer Fun...

The girls LOVE going swimming at the pool in our neighborhood... Addie is fearless and scary. She loves jumping in but doesn't even wait for you to be there to catch her.... I have to be watching at all times when she is near the water. Aana has a blast and is just happy that she no longer needs to swim with her noodle.

Nursery Baby...ooh yeah!

For those that have had a young child you have to wrestle during church...you will appreciate this post!

Addie started Nursery today...and stayed in the whole time~ Victory! That is a major milestone for us, so I had to share!

Lowes Build and Grow Clinic- FREE!

This might be too late for many of you today, but I just wanted to remind anyone that looks at my blog that Lowes and Home Depot both have free kids clinics where there provide all of the supplies needed for the kids to build and take home a little project. Aana and I have had a blast with these.

They get an apron, safety goggles, and a badge for their apron for each project they complete. The Home Depot ones are the first Saturday of the month from 9-12 and the Lowes ones are the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month from 10-11am. The projects change weekly. Some are definitely better than others...our favorite was this really intricate pirate ship from Home Depot or a Castle piggy bank. We have been using them as part of our gifts to grandparents and family. We paint some of them through the week and Aana loves it!!

Check out the schedule: http://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/ or http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?pn=Kids_Workshops&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&cm_mmc=THD_marketing-_-Clinics_site-_-Digitas-_-KidsClinics.

Ode To Addie.. All in a day!

So anyone that knows Addie knows that she is a funny girl. She is a very happy girl most of the time, the pics of the wedding that I had seemed to show her other sides. Sorry for more pics of the wedding, but I couldn't help posting these.

Can you see the progression throughout the day...starts smiling...some drama in the middle...and the last one was taken around 11 at night...after she had cried through the pics...and she was smiling and ready for the camera.

And the one with her playing with her eyelashes...just is so typical. That is her comfort..some kids suck their thumbs, but she touches her eyelashes. When she is really tired, it is both hands... it is funny!

More Wedding...

Dancing With Dad....
Thr girls dancing...
Sparklers...
It seemed like a good idea at the time...until Aana ended up with a hole in her dress and right after this pic was taken Addie burnt her hand.

Road Trip, Wedding, and some In and Out Burgers

So I have been pretty darn bad at blogging lately, but I have been out of town for the last couple of weeks. First a week in San Anotio, TX and I didn't take pics but once I get them, I will post....and then we drove to Sacramento for Brent and Kimberly's wedding.

It was a marathon trip with a 12 or so hour drive both ways crammed into a weekend. We got there and went straight to a great waterpark...so the kids had a blast. Both Aana and Addie amazed me with their bravery on the slides.

We were also able to go to In and Out...which is a RARE treat for us...and I never eat hamburgers, but I gave in and must admit, it was good.

The next day was filled with wedding festivities...and it was a good day. The wedding was beautiful and Brent and Kimberly looked amazing...

It caused me to think back to my own wedding (almost 8 years ago...) and it is amazing how much time has passed and how many things I have been blessed with.

The Girls...and Addie wouldn't get rid of the binky. We lost the cute one sometime in the day and teh "back up" binky was just too ugly for pics but she wouldn't part with it.
Yet another attempt at a family shot...we tried so many, but never got one where we were all smiling and looking decent.

Brent and Kimberly...the lovebirds!

Ok...so who else is reading this?

I NEVER imagined I would succumb to the pressure and read a book about Vampires and werewolves...but out of desperation for a good book I did.

In less than a week, I read the first three and I had been waiting for #4....Breaking Dawn which just came out!

I started it on Sunday on a road trip back from California...and I am trying to think of excuses to ignore the things I need to do in the house and with work so I can just read! I am about 500 pages in...and it is good...

So fess up if you are reading it also...and leave a comment. (Oh...and - Larry couldn't figure out what all of the fuss was about, so he read the first book without telling me.... I don't know about the rest!)