A Day in the Life...

Visiting Lizard and an Easter Pic

My kids love animals!  It doesn't matter what kind, or how big or small...they love 'em.  I think they get that from their daddy, the spider rescuer.  Yes, he will capture any spider and put it outside.  Not me, I just hit them with a shoe no less than six times and then clean up the mess before he sees it.  He also saved a newborn puppy once by giving it mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.  No joke!  I would not have thought that was possible, but he did it. 

We had the opportunity to lizard-sit for some friends while they went out of town.  You might think it would be tough to find someone to watch your bearded dragon in its huge aquarium...and it probably would be, unless you know us.  We'll pet-sit for just about anything.  I guess I should say, Mike and the girls will pet-sit for just about anything.

Here's what my dining room buffet looks like at the moment.  The smaller aquarium is full of crickets...a bearded dragon delicacy.

 

My kiddos have had the best time with Jasper.  Apparently, bearded dragons are the "friendliest" lizards.  Jasper lets the girls play with him and doesn't try to escape (or bite).  Here's one of their most recent games..."Godzilla's (Distant) Cousin".

 

Rachel put him in the miniature city she built.  Notice the little person they put on his back.  (They crack me up.)

 

They even videoed the thing. 

Oh boy, I think I see a bearded dragon in our future.  (Who smiles like this with a lizard on their shoulder?  Who?  Not me, that's for sure!)

 

The girls are still begging me to hold him or even touch him.  Sorry, I'm just not gonna do it!

On the less reptilian side of things, we had a lovely Easter.  We woke up and did our traditional egg hunt.  Usually, it's outside, but it was 36 degrees that morning, so we opted for an indoor version.  Here are the girls all ready for church.  I sewed Rachel's skirt and Alli's dress.  Erin decided she didn't want a new dress.  She was thrilled that Alli's pretty hand-me-down finally fit her. 

 

Rachel and I are heading out of town for a week.  We'll be back with some fun pictures to share.

Let the Teen Years Begin

Well, the day finally came...my oldest is a teenager.  It's a not so subtle reminder that I have a relatively short time together with my kids.  Rachel could possibly be off on her own in five short years.  I tear up just thinking about it.  I so love having her around.  I can't even imagine what it will be like when she is grown and out of the house.  (Seriously, my mind won't even go there.)

Rachel is not your typical 13 year old.  I gave her the day off school and she asked if Alli and Erin could also have the day off so she hang out with them.  So sweet...I love that!  She could have easily buried her face in a book or vegged out on Wii, but she wanted to be with her sisters on her special day. 

We aren't doing a big party because I am taking her to Arizona in a couple of weeks to see all her friends there.  But I'm still making her favorite dinner tonight and cake, of course.  (She chose meatloaf and a Texas sheet cake.)

So, at her request, the girls watched a Star Wars movie while they ate breakfast.  I think her dream day would be alternating Star Wars movies with Andy Griffith shows, and then throw in an hour or two of Wii.  (I know, not your typical teenage girl, huh?) 

I wanted to post some pictures of her through the years to celebrate her life and what a blessing she is. 

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

   

These 13 years have passed so quickly and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one!

I love you, my girl!

Oh, This Is So Gross!

 

I have no words...other than...ICK! 

Did I mention that Cricket really likes Alli?  I guess she must taste better than the rest of us!

ICK!

Rachel, Rachel, Rachel

Rachel is much loved by her sisters.  We are realizing that many of the conflicts between the younger two stem from them vying for Rachel's time.  They both want Rachel's undivided attention and sparks sometimes fly when one gets more than the other.  We're working on that, of course.  :)

Rachel was sick in bed for a few days last week and boy, did we all feel it.  She's definitely a presence and is missed when she is not around. 

So much so, that Alli and Erin made cards for her hoping it would help her get better sooner. 

Here's Alli's plea...

(This is a drawing of Pablo, our former chihuahua, sliding down Cricket's back.) 

  

Erin's is not quite as dramatic, but equally sincere.  (I think I will have to add Rachel's name to her spelling list though.)

  

Thankfully, Rachel is back in full swing and doting happily on her little sisters again. 

Freaky Weather

Last week, we had a snow storm.  Just a few days later, the temps shot up to the upper 60's, (shorts weather for Erin).  She thought it was quite hilarious to play with snow in "hot" weather.

It was fun while it lasted...it's back down in the 40's again. 

Gotta Love That Face

Nope, I'm not talking about the girls...or Mike.  I'm talking about my fav dog ever, Cricket. She's just about the sweetest dog I ever met.  (Not quite though...I know a pit bull named Roxy that is, by far, the sweetest dog on the planet.)

Cricket will just have to claim second place.     

Father/Daughter Dance

Mike and the girls had such a great time at the father/daughter dance.  Rachel, who was initially a bit nervous about the whole thing, never left the dance floor and her first words when returning home were, "I can't wait 'til next year!" 

 

I'm disappointed that I wasn't home in time to get them ready for this special night (my flight came in after they left for the dance), but I'm so thankful and so blessed to have a hubby who is such a great daddy.  The girls had a wonderful experience.  They are going to have some pretty high standards for their future husbands!

Itty Bitty Snowman

We didn't get a whole lot of snow this year.  The girls were pretty bummed out about that.  They were hoping to make lots of snowmen and another snowfort, like last year. 

Unfortunately, all they could make this year was this little fella...

  

They're still holding out hope for one more good snow.  Hey, it's only the middle of February...so who knows. 

Big Girl Skirt

Mike is taking the girls to a father/daughter dance this weekend.  (Corsages and all!)  Alli and Erin have dresses that fit, but Rachel has outgrown everything.  And she no longer fits into the super cute dresses from Gymboree or Children's Place.  :(

I didn't want to spend the day searching the junior sections at the department stores for a dress, so we resolved to make our own.  Rachel picked her favorite fabric and off we went. 

I used Jona's Edith Twirl Skirt with some minor mistakes modifications.

Here she is...

 

I did something wrong along the way and the ruffle that is supposed to show at the bottom is hidden underneath the skirt.  (It ended up 5 inches too short!)

   

It worked out OK, because it looks a little fancier with only the lace trim at the bottom and the underskirt gives it a bit of a fluffy look and feel.

 

I think she's trying to see just how many things we can make out of this funky floral fabric.  (I love the striped trim she chose.) 

More to come on her other projects...

It's That Time of Year

It's time for Legomania again! 

This year, we took a friend with us.  Yep, it's Shelby again.  We can't get enough of her. :)

7-9 year olds' category was "Sports and Recreation".  Erin chose the Superbowl.

  

And Shelby built a variety of gardening and farming things and maybe a couple other things thrown in there. (I'm so bummed that this picture is blurry!)

 

10 and up category was "Landmarks".  That was a tough one!  They sat there for a while wondering what in the world to build.  Finally, Alli came up with a DC Metro Station. 

 

And Rachel built a "Rainbow" Eiffel Tower.  Did I mention that Rachel and Alli were the only girls in their category?  Heehee...I'm glad that didn't bother them.

 

The great news is...Rachel won second place!  Go Rachel! 

The first place winner was pretty amazing!  He built the Statue of Liberty.

 

He won last year too! 

Here is another one we liked.  Can you guess what it is?

 

The Empire State Building.  It's amazing that thing didn't fall over!

The girls had a blast and wished they did this more often!