18 months... it really is tough work.

Best Friends

Remember this cute boy? Their friendship was new territory for us- Gabby had never had a best friend before. But as the months passed and the adventures of Gabby and Kody continued we soon realized that Kody was indeed a very special friend- he is her best friend. The friend that somehow makes it into every story that comes home from preschool. The friend that is the recipient of the artwork that was once reserved for mommy and daddy. The friend that play dates revolve around.

The best part of this precious friendship is that they both adore each other. Gabby loves collecting bugs with Kody and he loves that she will chase down a cockroach and create the perfect habitat for it. They really are adorable together.

Unfortunately Kody and Gabby will attend different elementary schools. Gabby is taking this really hard. We talk about the fun play dates we will share after school and they are both excited about celebrating their 6th birthdays together (their birth dates are three days apart). But she is still nervous about starting the Kindergarten adventure without her sidekick.

So when her school offered a fundraiser where the kids can decorate a tile that would adorn the walls of their new school Gary and I jumped at the opportunity for Gabby to bring a piece of Kody to her new school with her. We told her about the tiles and before we could even suggest our ideas- she told us that she was going to paint a tile of her and Kody holding hands- so that she could visit it every day and remember her special friend. Perfect!

Today was the day to create.

She started with a horse stamp and then she took off with her creation.

She LOVES it and was sad that she could not bring it home.

This is a picture pre kiln- once it is on the wall I will post a new picture.

We are so excited that Gabby is happy with her tile. We would much prefer her to walk into Kindergarten hand in hand with Kody but we will take the special tile that we know will give our Gabby girl some comfort when she is missing her best friend.

Caught!

Three lollies were confiscated before

I caught the little guy...

Sprinkles

We discovered a little place called Sprinkles this past Sunday.

Jack has discovered a deep love for a little cupcake called Banana Chocolate.

If I could have, I would have devoured mine as well.

Waiting so patiently...

Grammie and Mommy were invited to dance class today. We danced along side our girls and had a fabulous time. Unfortunately my timer was not set so I was unable to capture the memories on film...

I did find the time to take a shot of Gabby and I reading Your Big Backyard.

A different point of view

I can count on both hands how many pictures I have of me and my kiddos.

Sad but true.

I am not a big fan of seeing myself on film and I am usually the one behind the lens.

But my mom has challenged me to make an effort to change this. She was inspired by an article written by a stay at home mom who is determined to capture the day to day moments of being a stay at home mom. You know the moments, the ones that seem to slip away without notice. Like the days you swore you could not handle one more Dora episode or the days you could read Goodnight Moon with your eyes shut. The moments that you sometimes forget but once you are reminded you wish that you could hold onto them a little bit longer.

There are so many days that I wish I could hold onto forever. I realize that I cannot capture every moment on film but after reading the article and getting a few nudges from mom I am determined to keep my camera set on timer and capture the day to day moments that I hope to hold onto forever.

Today the girls and I made jello. It was a beautiful blue and we decided it would be fun to cover it with sprinkles, whip cream and some chocolate chips. Right before we tasted our first chocolate chips I grabbed the camera, set the timer and captured a fun afternoon moment of me and my girls.

Thanks mom, the timer is set.

A gift of time

My baby girl.

I took this picture of Gabby while touring her future elementary school.

I look at my little girl and all I see is a baby who grew up way too fast.

She will be 6 in September. She cannot wait.

Thanks to a September 1st cutoff date she could not start Kindergarten until this year.

I worried myself sick over this wait.

Now I am so THANKFUL for this gift of time.

About a Tree

There is an ongoing debate in our home involving this tree.

Every few weeks Gary wants to cut it down. "It takes away from our view" is his reasoning.


But every spring this big giant becomes a welcoming home to at least one winged family.


This year is no exception.


Last week the girls and I welcomed the first day of spring by buying some new bird seed and making some bird feeders for the above tree.



Gabby had already discovered a new nest in another tree and we were all excited about providing Mama Bird with nourishment.

Mama Dove

Two Dove Eggs

As I was adding seed to the bird feeder that Miss Sophie Cate made last year I was surprised to find a Mama Bird had taken residency. The Mama bird is a House Finch and is common in the Sonoran Desert.

Sophie's bird feeder from last year became a perfect home for the Finch family

Five Speckled Pale Blue Finch Eggs

Mama Finch

Dada Finch

The girls and I were thrilled to discover the next day that the eggs had hatched!! Here is an updated picture of our five baby Puff Ball Finches!!

Five Little Puff Baby Finches

This little one was determined to be fed. Such a big mouth for an itty bitty birdie!

Two Sleeping Baby Finches

To Be Continued...

Treasured Moments

Twinkle Twinkle

Little Boy

How YOU Fill

My Heart With Joy

Reduce Recycle Reuse

Gary LOVES to recycle and he LOVES that the girls have been bitten by the recycLing bug too... but I think they went a bit too far tonight.

Why I woke my sleeping child...

Gary found this incredibly cool bug today. Gabby took no time to fall in love with "Inch by Inch" and place her in a new habitat.

Tonight I wanted to check on Inch by Inch so I lifted the lid of the bug house and discovered this...

So, yes, I woke up my soundly sleeping little girl in order to share this incredible experience with her.

We will see if she even remembers this in the morning.

We will update as Inch by Inch metamorphoses into her new body... so exciting!!

A messy Friday

Daddy was out of town this week and Mommy was not feeling 100% so we decided to end the week by making a big ol' messy mess! The girls had a blast and Mommy got a clean bathroom.

We found this recipe online and in a few minutes the girls had a muffin tin full of beautiful paint to decorate their bath tub.

2 T. cornstarch

1/3 C. liquid soap

Several drops food coloring

Smidge of water to get a good paint consistency
I gave the girls some paint brushes but they had more fun with their hands (no surprise there).

Before playtime was over the tub was covered in a fresh coat of paint. I loved their art work but listening to their songs while creating made the whole evening a blessing. Both girls thanked me as I took them out of the bath... it made a long week end on a perfect note.

After they created for an hour or so it was time to clean up. This lasted another hour. They may of had more fun cleaning then they did creating. The best part... I never asked them to clean and they did a better job than I would have!

Broadway Babies

The girls performed at the Cardinal's Stadium this past weekend.

They had their curls, they had their smiles, they danced their best and above all else, they had a blast!

We were so proud!!

A fairy + glitter = MAGIC

We have a visitor.

She comes into our house in the middle of the night and leaves behind magic dust and a link to the paper chain in the girls playroom.

The girls have named her The Playroom Fairy and she has visited our house twice this week.

And twice this week the girls have cleaned the playroom so that it is fit for a queen.

They put away all the toys (even the ones little brother has left out).

They vacuum.

They spray room freshener.

And most importantly, they make sure the ceiling fan is turned off (fairies don't care for ceiling fans).

Tonight they even left notes and gifts.

I love that the girls believe in fairies.

I love that a little sprinkle of glitter brings magic into our home.

I love a clean playroom.

Curly Sophie

"The girls will need Shirley Temple curls for the next dance show." Really? Have you not noticed my little girl has the most perfect perfectly straight hair?!

Yesterday we purchased these and after some sweet dreams we ended up with the sweetest Sophie Curls.

There was this boy...

Running to be a better ME

I am a runner.

Tonight I ran my first run of the New Year. It was awful. My lungs burned. My legs ached and a coyote ran with me for what seemed like forever. I hate the first run after a much too long break. It is as if your body has forgotten the previous 7 months that you spent fine tuning every muscle in order to earn the label of runner.

Oh well. Tonight was the best run of my life. Truly. It was.

As I was trying my best to keep my feet and body moving at a reasonable pace I thought back to an essay I wrote while in college. I cannot recall the specifics behind why the essay was written but I do remember the first line.

I am a runner.

The essay was not about the runners high some achieve once their feet hit the pavement, instead it was about the literal definition of running. To flee or escape; to leave a place with the intention of never returning.

I have an awful pattern of fleeing situations, relationships or commitments that take me outside my comfort box. If I am stressed, I escape. If I am overwhelmed, I escape. If I am uncomfortable, I flee. And if something changes in my life I run. Not exactly a trait that I want to bestow upon my three young children.

Writing the essay gave me pause but the process of writing and sharing my words with my professor was not earth shattering and it certainly did not change the course of my life.

But tonight as I ran I was trying to figure out how it could possibly be 2009 and why I am in the exact same place that I always am. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. I am a runner. Of course. Given the opportunity to escape, I run.

This year I will continue to run. But this year I will no longer run from life. This year I will run toward a better life. This year I will run to be a better mom. a better wife. a better daughter. a better granddaughter. a better sister. a better aunt, a better niece. a better friend. a better neighbor.

This year I will run to be a better me.