Rules

Carissa has been playing school.  Sometimes I feel bad for her dolls.  She is a very strict teacher!  Here are her rules:

No Hitting

No Pushing

No Kicking

Respect People

Be Treated how you want to be Treated

Pretty simple - yet Bear ends up in the Principal's office almost everyday!! 

The weather is still so great at night for the park. The girls were swinging and I took some pictures of them and cheered them on.  I appeared to be a very involved Mom.  Encouraging and Playful.  Hoping and wishing that would buy me some time. 

Because what I really wanted to do was go find a bench and play Mahjong on my phone.  No such luck.   Dang did I pay the price.  Would you believe this smiley 5 year old (pictured right) cried ALL the way home because I didn't look at her when she was swinging?

...can't blame a girl for trying.

Pressure

Lately my little 3rd Grader has been feeling..., well, everything! She is feeling pressure. She is feeling anxious. She is feeling frustration. She is feeling guilt. She is feeling uncomfortable. It is as if all at once she is noticing everything about herself and comparing it to everything around her. She is being a typical girl. And. It. Sucks.

So for the record ~

Audrey I think  you are so beautiful.  Your creative talent inspires me and I love to see you just go with it.  Don't be afraid to share your ideas.  They are great ideas!  You never know what might come of them!

Audrey your little sister thinks you are AMAZING!!  She longs for the day she can read like you, swim like you and bike like you.  She needs  you to be kind to her.  Listen to her and include her.  She is your built-in best friend.  

 Audrey you are a great cousin.  All these little faces love you so much and they enjoy spending time with you.   You make them laugh and your smile brightens there day.  You will always have them in your life.  That makes you pretty lucky!!

 Audrey you have a LOT of Aunts and Uncles.  They think about you all the time and think you are pretty great.  They knew you since the day you were born and have seen you growing up.  

 Audrey it is easy to let the little things bring you down.  It happens to everybody.  But you have to trust in God and know that you have so many people that love you and think you are so great.  Just the way you are.  

So don't fall for being a typical girl.   Just be Audrey.  And Smile!!

Easter Time

Can't say I have been the best steward lately of recording our memories but I can say we have been making quite a few.  There has been a trip to Tucson, the Zoo, seeing cousins, and even a case of Strep Throat thrown in the mix.  But I am not going to stress about not going in order of events because this is the week before Easter. 

Easter to me is a time for reflection. This year we are doing it as a family starting 12 days before Easter with a bible verse and a treat.    

 The girls have been anticipating what is in each Egg everyday and I think we are all learning something.  Mostly about the power of Jesus and the magnitude of his miracles, why some people are born differently, and how no one person is better than another. 

We have been so blessed - I mean just look at ths carrot crop we brought in from our Garden on Sunday!!  Made homemade Carrot cake and it was so yummy! 

Talents and Praises

I am writing this Monday morning while listening to the girls play Barbies upstairs.  We are officially on Spring Break and I am so happy.  It is nice to have them around just playing with no set schedule or demands on our time.  We ended the school week with the Talent Show. 

Audrey sang with her friend Trinity to Katy Perry's "The One that Got Away".   The song choice had been picked before I had a say and I decided to just sit back and watch this year.  There were quite a few acts before hers that were...um, intresting.  Doubt in my daughters ability started to creep in when she stepped on stage but dang I was so surprised.   She sounded great.  She likes the stage.  She likes microphones.  She is a born performer. 

 I tried to tape it.  Turns out I hit the off button 28 seconds into the act.  So you will have to trust me... she did great!

Justin's Grandparents are in town from Louisiana.  We spent the day at there place and acquired a new toy (another post for another day).   The girls love visiting because they have a room with mirrors along a whole wall.  Oh the possibilties!! 

We were honored guests that evening to a Plumber's Union Event where Justin's Grandfather received a pin for 60 years in the Plumbers Union.  It was quite impressive to think that Justin is doing the same trade that his grandfather was doing 60 years ago.  That is a legacy that should be cherished.

 Justin's Grandparents had 5 children who went on to have 17 kids (give or take) and those kids had (are having) 14 kids and here are just a few celebrating Madee turning 5 at her birthday party.  These kids have no clue the history that comes with them.  The people that made up the lives that brought them into this world.  They are keepers of some great stories and we need make sure we tell them. 



Tortilla Flats

Arizona is 100 years old which makes me have the nagging feeling to teach my girls a little Arizona history.  The Grand Canyon was out because that place just gives me major anxiety thinking about it, so this weekend we choose the Superstition Mountains and headed out to the Apache Trail.

Our first stop was a restaurant called Tortilla Flats.  It is known for the dollar bills it has on the wall.   Legend has it that the Gold Miners used to put dollar bills on the wall when they ordered a drink and they just never took them down.  There are bills from all over the world everywhere.  The food was great and the beer (Superstition Mule Oil) tasted mighty fine. 

It was really hard for some people to resist touching EVERY dollar bill that was at their eye level.  But I guess that is what you would expect. 

Our lunch conversation consisted mostly of explaining what theft, stealing, and jail meant.

We finished the day visiting the Ghost Town on the Apache Trail.  We ate ice cream with homemade waffle cones that were still warm - so yummy!  We sat in the corner and covered our ears for the gun fight.  We were 15 minutes late for the gold mining.  The train ride looked fun but they only took cash - we had none.  The Bordelo was off-limits for obvious reasons but I was able to take this really cute picture and make it look like it was the olden days so all was not lost!

We had one of those really great weekends that make my heart happy!

Super Bowl XLVI

Probably being a Dad of 2 girls your would think your chances of getting to enjoy a Football Game would start to diminish.  But think again. 

Football happens to be a great time for:

1 - Wearing Cute Clothing.  There are shirts designed just for the event and you better believe we each had one (some with coordinating hair accessories).

 2- Dressing up your American Girl doll.  There is no better reason to create a customized tee for your sweet doll and have her wear her sneakers that have been hiding in the back of the closet for so long.

 3 - Party, party, party.  Every girl loves a good party and especially one with a THEME!  Banners were sewn, napkins and plates matched and the food was delicious.

4 - Cheering. You will never find better cheerleaders for you team then the girls in your life.  We wanted to the Giants to win so bad.  We talked trash and cheered louder then all of NY... just for you.

All in all, I would say if you were a Dad of girls, you are the lucky one.  Your love of Football just moved to a whole 'nother level!! 

Way to go Giants.

Companions

At some point I realize that it is going to be uncool to hang out with your Mom.  But this past weekend I really wanted some buddies.  I got the girls and I tickets to see With Two Wings at the Tempe Center for the Arts.  The story was about overprotective parents who didn't want their child to get hurt experiencing the real world.  Well duh? 

 You give birth to these 2 little angels and love on them and then you are just supposed to let them grow up?  Seriously?  What cruel person came up with that plan? 

We had a good time.  The day before I pulled them around a quilt show, we ate overpriced hot dogs from a stand and sang loud in the car.  I will be thinking up more fun ways to disguise my hovering, overprotective instincts.  I plan on getting so good that they won't even know they are hanging out with me.   They will be begging for more Mom and me time!!!