Cross dressing at it's best?!?

Is there really such a thing, anyway? A (HUGE) positive to this whole swapping of clothes event...the kids got along fabulously and dinner was cooked (didn't say it was great).

Making this place home

Because our "new" house has been a part of me since birth, I feel very comfortable here. More comfortable than I've ever felt anyplace else, really. What I'm not familiar with is our new town and it is very much new to me.

I wanted to take the kids to the park for a picnic lunch and instead of the all too familiar Heather Farms park, I opted for the Civic park. What a cute park! Grassy fields, picnic tables, lots of play equipment AND a library. The library is super small for now, but the new, huge library is in the construction process right next door. We're I'm very excited!

Oh, it got better...

The nails we originally ordered for Cooper didn't fit, so his "punishment" is....

Two years ago today...

And the same day, two years later...




Today, we celebrate the Mia's arrival into our arms. Our life would surely be incomplete without her and her spunky personality.

We're hoping to return to Guatemala around her fifth birthday. She's understanding her story a bit more and we want her beloved "Lamalama" to be a natural part of her life. She has a loving foster family just dying to see her again and a country and culture we look forward to sharing with her.

She's just so, so precious.

Yes, crossword puzzles are indeed addicting. And look, I bought my first AARP endorsed book!

Check out these nails...

We have hardwood floors in our new place and two big dogs. Do you see how this combination can go awry?

I found soft paws online and ordered a set. I considered ordering the pink nails, just to torture the dogs (its not like they're really color blind, are they?), but I went with blue instead. If the nail covers work, I might order the green/red combination for Christmas. I really do love my dogs and I'm really hoping the other dogs at the dog park don't notice.

And yes, we did laugh hysterically as we applied the nails. I never thought blue nails could look so cute :).

Now, that's a number I can live with!

I went to pick-up Mia from Sunday school class this morning. I went into her classroom, looked around a bit. Looked around a bit more. Panicked. For the life of me, I couldn't find my daughter. Scary. Really, really scary.

I asked a male teacher if he knew where Mia was and I told him I couldn't find her. We looked around a bit more and we finally spotted my cookie-covered face playing in a little house.

On my way out, I had a conversation with the same teacher.

Teacher: "Oh, don't scare me like that again!"

Me: "I know, I was pretty scared myself."

Teacher: "Yeah, in all the years I've worked in here, we've only lost one kid."

I'm wondering how in the world that statement is suppose to bring me any comfort. Seriously. Thankfully, Mia was found safe and sound and we can laugh a little.

Anyone familiar with the plane crash scene from Madagascar 2? Its a favorite scene of ours. After the penguin pilots crash-land its discovered they've lost two passengers. One penguin pilot exclaims, "Now, that's a number I can live with!"

It was time

It took Spencer almost two years to get on his first bike. It took another six months to get him on his bike without a screaming fit. It took Spencer twenty minutes to ride on two wheels. No training wheels! You could say, he's come far.

We've had trouble trouble with his bike chain because the thing is just falling apart. I heard him ask Mia if they could share her new Dora bike (that's a little bigger than his by the way) because his just doesn't work well anymore. That would be a picture worth taking; my son on the pink and purple Dora bike.

We planned to give him a new bike for his birthday, but December's pretty far away. He was so excited to get his gift early. He tells me everyday that his new bike is the "best birthday present I ever got." He looks so teeny-tiny on his new bike. That's fine by me :)

Oh, dear.

Alfonso found these big ol' glasses in my grandpa's car. He couldn't let those beauties go to waste. Spencer found the glasses stylish and didn't seem to mind their size.

The only thing funnier than seeing your son in the glasses is hearing him bark out orders to his sister. Sorry Mia, for the sake of a good laugh, I just couldn't stop him. I took these shots through our sliding glass door, which is why I was undetected for a bit.
At this point, he's getting really worked up about something (terribly important, I'm sure).
Ah, I've been spotted!

July camping trip

We went to a lake with two other families for a few days. You may notice from one of my pictures, that the water is incredibly blue. Its no Photoshop trick, the water is really that gorgeous. Unfortunately, I've been ordered to never reveal the lake's name for fear it may become all too popular, because you know, we have so many friends.

Lots of dirt, smores, sun, yadda, yadda, yadda. Great time pretty well sums it up. Mia's birthday was on the 14th, so we celebrated with pancakes. I guess I brought along trick candles without realizing so, and the poor thing about cried when the candles came back to life each and every time they were blown out.

Our Graduate

Spencer officially graduated from preschool (opposed to his "unofficial" graduation last year). He got a bit of stage fright and completely clammed up while onstage. Although I was bummed he didn't sing along with the rest of the kids like he did last year, I didn't shed many tears which was a welcome result of his episode of fright.

We asked him what happened onstage and he said he didn't like everyone looking at him. What he didn't seem to understand is everyone was looking at him (and chuckling a bit too) because he was so obviously uninterested in participating. Oh well. Guess it makes for a funny story.

Our "staycation"

With the economy tanking, "staycations" are becoming more common. We had our very own "staycation" in our backyard, capitalizing on the fact it already looks a bit like a campground even without a tent present.

When we went to sleep the wind was really blowing and we were already a little cold, so it came as no surprise that at 3 a.m. we headed inside. It was fun, and as now, the tent is still standing. Maybe we'll try it again soon.

The dessert that's made me forget all about ice cream...

I love Trader Joe's new non-fat frozen yogurt. So, so yummy.

Two little scoops topped with raspberry sauce (defrosted frozen raspberries mashed and just a little bit of Agave syrup added) and whatever fresh fruit we have in hand.

Try it and you may too forget about ice cream.

"I dir-tee"

The moment I walked outside Mia exclaimed, "I dir-tee, Mom"

Really, I never would have noticed?!

Pedal progress

We're excited to announce a few great developments around here! Mia can now reach the pedals of her trike. She's so proud and we are too!
Spencer, the same kid it took six months to convince to get on his bike at all, was riding WITHOUT training wheels in a start to finish twenty minute lesson. Unbelievable!

Little cuties

I'm so glad this...
quickly changes to this...

Note to self: Have a plan

I decided sometime last night that today would be an easy day. "Easy day" to me includes one free of strict plans and a "take life as it comes" attitude. Normally, I like to have a plan for my day, so this fly by the seat of my pants mentality does not come naturally for me.

The kids were both up and wide wake by 6 a.m. this morning. That in itself wasn't so bad, but life with kids is never that simple. By 8:30 a.m. we'd already made it to our first park of the day. We had a fun time and left without any tears, fights, or fits. I was preparing to leave the house so I could pick-up my second bottle of medicine for my swimmer's ear (that I got in the shower by the way) at Walgreen's when I heard a horrible scream coming from the backyard. Mia had taken a fall in the jungle (seriously, that's what it looks like) and was a mess. I feel bad saying this, but I'm kinda glad she fell because that's the only way I would have discovered that she had taken my wallet and all it's contents into the jungle with her. And because our jungle includes a whole lotta ivy, I don't think I would have ever discovered it. Ever.

Alright, so Mia was happy to be repaired with a band-aid and I had my wallet. I thought we were all good when Spencer yelled, "Mom, why is Cooper in the front yard?". I don't make a habit of allowing our dogs loose in the front yard for a lot of reasons, but a major one is the semi-busy traffic. I figured Cooper had found a hole some where in the fence, but after searching and searching I had no idea how in the world he'd made it out front short of hopping the fence which he'd never do. I quizzed the kids and got the confession I, at this point, was expecting. Apparently Mia found herself a bit of free time and decided to give Cooper his wish and let him out front. Nice.

So, we finally headed out for our seemingly innocuous trip to Walgreen's. We made it all the way to the register before an unforgettably embarrassing event took place. Spencer's incredibly observant and I might add, equally nosy. We had to wait just long enough in line to give him time to look at all the goodies at the check-out stand. This is when he noticed the KY lubricant gel and loudly announced, "Hey, I recognize this stuff. You and Daddy have this in your drawer at our house!" I'm not sure who was more embarrassed, me or the teenage checker boy.

After our stop at the drugstore, we went to our second park trip of the day and mind you, it was only 11:00 a.m. Our time at the park passed without any major events other than some big tears shed by little Mia as we were being chased by the geese. Woo-hoo!

I had a huge pile of laundry waiting for me at home, so I banished the kids to the backyard (foolish me), and tried to tackle the task. It didn't take long for a shout from Spencer beckoning the need of my presence in the backyard for something he promised was really "cool". Do you know what was so "cool"? I'll tell you...a just freshly filled pool with a few buckets of added dirt.

Cool, huh?

I love this guy. He makes me melt because he's hot and occasionally, he makes me mad.

He just knew the kids and I would love the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see three (yes, three) helicopters land right before our eyes.

Seriously, he's killing me

Tonight I had a little chance to sneak in some one-on-one time with Spencer.  We were eating a (small) bowl of ice cream when he asked me, "Mom, do you think there really is no pain in heaven just like God promises?"  I believe that to be the truth, and I told him so.  His reply (the killing me part) was, "Well, I'm picturing it in my head right now and I see Great Grandpa swinging from the trees on a swing.  He fell and it didn't hurt him at all."  He then went on to theorize his belief that there must be dirt below the grass even in heaven "or it would just be concrete and that would hurt."

Then, the kid picked out 'Love you Forever' to read before bed.  

I love that kid.  I really, really do.