whats the deal...

with duck tape? when I was growing up, it was silver and purely for utilitarian uses like holding together my dad's suitcase or fixing something random around the house. and, I thought it was duct tape (you know, to tape ducts), but its actually duck tape. who knew?

but now...it comes in all sorts of fancy colors and designs

and its not so utilitarian

except for the fact that I got some work done around the house while the girls created :)

weekend recap

this weekend was a whirlwind...spent largely in a pool with goofy kids, sangria (for the adults of course), cookouts and good old fashioned fun with family & friends.

we also had a milestone for my girl, who swam without holding her nose while underwater for the first time (i celebrate the small things around here)

we had a few giggles over her puffy goggle eyes

...and relaxed on our driveway while our neighbors tore.it.up with some serious fireworks

hope your 4th of July was fun & safe!

dancing....

its recital week in our neck of the woods, which means I am going to be elbow deep in hair gel, hair nets, bobby pins and make up.

this is little C's first year of dance and she is quite the mover & shaker. she has an active imagination and has thoroughly embraced her role as a princess.

This is the 4th year Big A has been dancing and I got to watch the run through of her dances tonight. she has gone from a fairly uncoordinated little duck to a graceful ballerina.

although her inner duck still comes out once in a while...

Rudy

For some time now, Big A has been asking to take horseback riding lessons. I have to say that I wasnt all that excited about it, not because I wouldnt love for her to learn, but because I have heard that it can be, well, expensive. I know all kids activities are costly nowadays, but I feared that horseback riding would drain my wallet moreso than, lets say, the church choir.



So, before I put any money towards this little endeavor, I called in a favor to a good friend. She has a horse, Rudy, and agreed to let us come spend some time at the barn so Big A could see if she really wanted to learn how to ride a horse.



We met her horse, Rudy, who was peaceful, patient and gentle the entire time



His momma knew how to talk to him to calm him down, and was great with instructing the kids to not stand behind him so they didnt get a hoof to the chin (honestly, this was something I had not given any thought)



as soon as I saw A's face as it neared her turn to ride, I figured that she had called my bluff on the whole horse deal and her interest in horses was really legit after all.



she did a great job and rode like a champ...even allowing my friend to lead her in a trot.



Little C got in the action, too. Even though she is smiling in this photo, she quickly decided that her time would be better spent creeping around Rudy's stall to see where he sleeps.

Rudy's barn mate is Slew...who is a descendent of Seattle Slew (and I'm not going to pretend to know which race or races he won). Apparently, Slew inherited his good looks from his family, but not the quick legs.

(did you know that horses had whiskers?? I totally did not and think they are hilarious!)

Thank you Rudy & family for a wonderful Mother's Day morning...it set the tone for a great day. We are ever so appreciative of your time and for letting the girls explore and learn.



(in case you are wondering how this all turned out, Big A has not stopped talking about Rudy. I found a local farm that has introductory classes that are very reasonable, and wont break the budget. She turns 8 this week and we figured lessons would be the perfect gift for her...)

the girls.

I'm not complaining about the weather any more. Seriously, I feel like my grandmother. She always talked about the weather. over and over. I feel myself slipping into her pattern so I'm not going to do it.

I will just say that little C made the most of her {rainy} Saturday by dancing non-stop to Dirty Bit, and in the process made us laugh for the good portion of the day.
And on Sunday, we celebrated a beautiful Easter with SUNSHINE!! and WARMTH!!! yeah!

Little C and Big A were having a staring contest in the car and Big A lost after her sister blurted out "you have spots all over your face!"

those little spots are one of my favorite things about my girl...



and, because I'm not complaining about the weather, if you visit my facebook page here, you can download a freebie in celebration of the sun :)

the little green machine

big A has been sick for the majority of the week, so we have been trying to keep little C out of the house and occupied so she doesnt get sick as well.

one day after preschool, she decided to change into something a little more comfy than what she wore to school (which was very similar to what she changed into, only it matched) so she could play outside.

she came downstairs very proud of herself, because she dressed in all green...and in her little world, it was just fabulous.

She added a tutu, and became the 'green warrior princess ballerina'

i kid you not...

I cant imagine what the new neighbors (whom I haven't met yet) were thinking when they saw this little green blur running around the backyard.

three is such a fun age, and little C embraces all that is magical about it. she sings at the top of her lungs, plays pretend with a passion, and is just not one iota embarrassed or shy to do so.

she makes us giggle.

have a great week!

pictures were edited with patti brown's overlays...ethreal used on all of them

the seminary

I'm not much of a playground gal. I prefer wide open fields and new places to explore, and will pick this over monkey bars and plastic slides any day. dont worry, my girls arent playground-deprived, but lets just say that their dad is usually the one taking them there. someone gave me a tip on an old seminary not to far from my home, so little C and I checked it out over the weekend. it was just my cup of tea...cool buildings, lots of room to roam, things to find, and stuff to learn. she's my sidekick with these types of outings, and rarely says no if I ask her if she wants to go exploring. I cant wait to see some green on these trees, though. the brown is starting to get depressing. little C was interested in the 'snakes' on the ground, which were those pod-like things that fall from certain kinds of trees. I have no idea which trees are which, so I really have no idea what kind of trees they came from... but I did know that if you opened them up, there would be seeds in there. so we went on a hunt to find the ones that shook the best - therefore making it easier to open - and had a grand time finding the seeds (and being educated on the fact that eating them probably isnt a good idea) success! and, with each success, comes rock and roll... happy tuesday!!