Change

It seems that everyone talks of "Change" in the New Year. Changing habbits, lifestyles, expectations, sheets (oh, gotta put the wash in the dryer). So I'm leaving Blogger and doing a little changing myself. Here's my official change of address notification. No need to bring flowers. Unless of course you are Arizaphale. She has already sent me a beautiful bouquet. Thank you! I've already unpacked, come visit.

Color

The theme this week over at Stacey's is Color. So here's what I did, I adjusted to add more color. Before, SOOC:

And after, with a tweek here and there:

Go check out the color.

Hiking

We're pretty good about getting the girls out into nature and trying new things. But today I was reminded again about how much fun they have. We decided to go "hiking"on the first day of 2008. The first park we thought of happened to be closed on New Year's Day but luckily there is a very nice nature trail right here in Boerne. The girls had so much fun exploring and Vienne always fills her pockets with "treasures". It was cold though. A frigid 50 degrees. I know, some places are under feets of snow. But that's cold for S. Texas.

My Best Shot

When was the last time you've seen one of these? A couple of days ago we took a short drive out to Fredericksburg for the the morning. Of course, Natalya and her horse radar found this. We didn't have any change to find out if it still worked. But cool anyway.

This is My Best Shot for today. Have a fun New Year's Eve celebration.

Pic of the Day

Daddy is trying to teach Natalya how to ride her brand new skate board. She got one from Santa. I wish there were more gear I could put on her to keep her from getting hurt. She is a complete wimp when she gets banged so I'm not sure why she has been wanting a skate board.

Wrapping it Up

Random photos from the last few days.

Our tree in all it's glory. We didn't put any gifts under it until Christmas Eve. I loved the way it looked for just that one night. We are fortunate.

Natalya's note to Santa.

Toys that were hits this year: The horse barns and all things that neighed, lava lamps, Natalya's digital camera and Vienne's harp (both were the one things they wanted from Santa), Vienne's cheerleader dress up outfit, and Natalya's talking parrot. Somehow I ended up with two vacuums this year. What is everyone trying to tell me?

And a random tidbit from V. She's been talking about Disney World and the It's a Small World ride, which she loved. But instead of Small World she's calling it "Tiny Town". Don't know how that came about but I hope no one corrects her.

Happy Birthday to You

I had to say, before the day ends, Happy Birthday to my HipHub! Cue the birthday song. He's celebrating the big 21 again. I love you, honey. Now I'm off to wrap presents. I haven't wrapped a single one. I knew that the anticipation would be to hard for V so no gifts went under the tree. I guess I could have still wrapped them as I got them so that I wouldn't have to do them all in one night. Darn that fiend Procrastination.

Happy Holidays

Thanks to everyone who visited our "home" this year. Here's to peace in 2008. (Click to enlarge.)

Welcome "home" to Tracey's Best Shot Monday. And our Disney pictures are below.

The Happiest Place on Earth

We had a wonderful trip to Disney World and the girls did great. I think we saw a little of everything on this trip. Our favorite park continues to be the Magic Kingdom park and our least favorite park was Epcot. Not enough there to keep the girls interested I guess. We stayed at our favorite Disney resort and saw just about every character the girls set out to see. Vienne loved the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and Natalya's favorite ride is always the carousel. I was so glad to see that Natalya, at her ripe old age of 6 1/2, was still interested in everything. She hugged the characters was just as happy as Vienne was. I just hope that it stays that way for a long while. And don't believe the guide books when they say that the week before Christmas is the least busiest time to go. It was pretty busy.

Our first park day was cold! We started the day at about 40 degrees and it only reached about 60. It was on it's way to about 80 on the day we left.

We are going to ditch the autograph books next time. It just takes too much time.

Vienne got chosen from the audience to help Belle tell her story. A very happy moment for her.

Our two Princesses. These shirts are from the Sweet Bling-a-Doo Boutique at Etsy. Visit her shop. She is very sweet and shipped right to the hotel to make sure I got the shirts for our trip. She has lots of cute things.

I was so happy that Natalya agreed to dress as a Princess, too. These are the gowns that I made. I finished them up at about 11:00 the night before. They weren't as difficult as I thought they would be but I'm I was very good at procrastinating.

On our way to have dinner with Cinderella.

V loved Cinderella but loved the Prince even more. You should have seen how big her eyes were the whole time we were there.

A little Mickey love...

...And lots of Minnie love. Minnie was very happy to see V in her Minnie dress courtesy of Sweet Priya. It had really made Vienne happy to know that Priya had worn it first.

The lobby of our hotel.

And this is what happens when you ask for kechup at the hotel restaurant. You get ALL of the ketchup. When another table asked for ketchup, we had to bring it to that table. The girls got such a kick out of it.

And now, we rest. I always think that I need a vacation after my vacations. I may post more on Flickr 'cause there are so many cute pictures. Later.

Whew!

I will dust myself off and sleep tonight. I will share our Disney trip tomorrow. Princesses are asleep, dirty clothes are in the washer, there's a stack of mail this high (the post office was supposed to hold the mail but didn't), and there appears to have been a tornado in the house while we were gone. Don't you hate coming home to a messy house? Not sure what happened there 'cause I thought I cleaned a bit. Anyway, more tomorrow. What did I miss?

Pic of the Day

By the light of the tree.

V is feeling good and actually went back to school this week. Thanks to everyone who was concerned. We're leaving for Disney World next week so I just want everyone to be well and in a good mood. I hate flying. Yuck. Vienne want's to "do something Christmas" so we're off to the Riverwalk to see the lights.

(I posted this a couple of days ago but I'm making it My Best Shot. 'Cause I said so.)

We're Takin' a Sick Day

Actually a sick week. We took V to the pedi yesterday because she woke up with a cough and wheeze. Our pediatrician has her on a plethora of meds for the week to make sure she recovers and stays well. But as you can tell, she's taking the whole thing just horribly. But nothing a good tutu, tap shoes, and glitter can't fix. 'Cause that's probably the best medicine of all. And makin' Mommy pretend to be a dog named Princess Cece. "Sit, Mommy. I mean Princess Cece."

Gingerbread in the House

Today we visited the Bear Moon Bakery. We invited our friends to join us in decorating gingerbread houses. What a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday. The wonderful owner of the bakery laid out all the goodies and set the kids a decorating. They all truly took the job seriously. They had so much fun and we went home with works or childhood art. I really hope we can do it again next year. What do you think, Jen? We'll see how long these works of art last. They are just so yummy.

Daddy helping V. When she gave him permission to help.

What fun is decorating a gingerbread house if you can't taste it? No fun at all. Cutie pie Trevor.

Good thing we didn't have to clean up! What a blast the kiddos had. This last one will be My Best Shot for today. For more festivities head over to Picture This.

Main Street with our Buddies

Last night on Main Street was the Christmas parade. Lots of pretty lights, a high school marching band (currently, Boerne only has one high school. Until next Fall, when the second one opens. Won't be a small town anymore!), candy canes thrown at ya' smashing into pieces as they hit the ground. The kiddos sat so excitedly waiting to see Santa. It couldn't have been more fun because our wonderful friends joined us. Oh, and the weather here is whack. For those that are visiting, last weekend we went to Main Street it was 40 degrees. This weekend 77 degrees.

That's what Natalya had to say about that. Maybe Jen got a better picture of the kiddos all lined up in a row.

And THIS is what a Santa experience should be like. The girls saw Santa and the Mrs. walking in the street and ran right up to them. And this REAL Santa opened his arms and scooped them up! Then the Mrs. joined us and and mentioned how she "remembered me from when I was little." Sweet. Natalya asked for a camera and Vienne asked for a harp. I know. And Santa was sweating. The poor guy is used to the freezing North Pole and here he is in 77 degree weather.

(Trying to figure out why when you click the pictures to enlarge and open on another screen they are instead asking to save to disk. Apparently lots of people are having the same problem with Blogger.)


AND Seven Random Facts About Me. Miss Arizaphale has tagged me for a meme. I thought this was my first one but I then remembered that she has tagged me before. I never completed that assignment. She failed me that term and so I must redeem myself and beg for extra credit. Here are the rules to this one:

1. Link to the person that tagged you. Check.
2. Post the rules. Check.
3. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself. Will do.
4. “Tag” 7 people at the end of the post and include links to their blogs. No problemo.
5. Let each person know that you tagged them. Gotcha.

Here goes, 7 Random Facts about me. I will wake you up when it's over:

1. I was born in Thailand. My dad was in the Air Force stationed in Thailand. He met my mom and well, you know how it happens.
2. My favorite movie is Chocolat.
3. My sister and I once, when we were little, opened up every single present under the Christmas tree and then taped them back up. We did not get caught.
4. I taught ball room dancing. For less than a month. I hated it because I wasn't flirtatious like the other gals and that's what was expected. And most of the men that came in were old. OLD.
5. Growing up I always hated my name, Melody. It was so unique and I wanted the names that every one else had, like Michelle, Kim, Debbie (oh, man, are those name so typically 80's?)
6. I have a funky, long, second toe on my right foot. No, I will not include a picture.
7. I have two tattoos and want a third.

Now I tag:
The Honorary Indian, Mama's Boyz, Horizon Way Stories, Texas Cowgirlz, Princess Bishop , Golightly (she's visiting the Alamo City soon, makin' sure she's got street cred), and my sister Steph who doesn't have a blog but can do it in my comments . How do ya like that?

What's Up?

So yesterday I had a day at home while the girls were at school. I have to sew princess costumes for them. We're going to Disney World in a few weeks (yay!) It's sorta the thing for the girls to dress up like a princess while dining with THE princess. Somehow it came outta my mouth that I would make them costumes. Anyway, I'm home, I get all my instruments out, clear some of the stuff from the table, and... I can't find my scissors. My good ones. I spend over an hour looking before I decide that for some reason they are lost and I must work. I try the everyday scissors and then decide this ain't happenin' so I have to go buy new scissors. But guess what I find when I pick Natalya up from school? In the back seat of the car at Natalya's feet. How they ended up there, I will never know. But I did end up buying the springy scissors the retract for you. Now I'm cooking with gas. I'll post pictures of the final creations when I'm done.

Hey, for all you greenies out there, look what I found on Etsy as I'm doing a search for "cuff", you know the wrist kind. The wonderful things people think up:

$5.00! Reusable, washable, and funky fun. And she recommened gifting it with a bag of coffee beans. Neato.
Edit: Apparently this one is sold out but she does have other fabric options. Browse through her store.

And does anyone else have a child who makes you pick out their wedgies?

Pic of the Day

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday. What's up with that?

'Tis the Season

Can we officially celebrate now without everyone going, "Oh, it's too early." We put our tree up last week. It just goes by way to fast. So, to those of you on on my Christmas card list, this is what you will get in the mail. Hopefully it looks just as great on paper. Lookey what I put together:

We took the girls to a creek and let them play. They had a blast. Here's a behind the scenes shot. I call it "The Croc Hunter":

I think this happened a couple of times. What a sport Daddy was. Oh, that's a pink Croc gettin' away in case you missed that.


And because I just LOVE this shot of some very adorable girls, friends of a friend. If you don't just say "Aw" then you are the Grinch.

Meet the beautiful Avery and Adelyn. Click to truly enjoy their cuteness. You should have seen how they totally destroyed those lollies about 20 minutes after they started them. Slammed them into the sidewalk. Just to see what would happen. A riot.


'Tis the season. Enjoy every moment.

My Best Shot? Hmm, what do you think? Now, off to Picture This while you ponder.

Colleen, Your a Genius!

Now how come no one told me this secret before Colleen? She gets my cyber plate of Christmas cookies. Thanks! Now every picture is going to be humongous.

Oh Christmas Tree

We put our tree up last Monday and then decorated it on Wednesday. It turns out that we only have two boxes of ornaments here with us while the rest of the decorations sit in storage. I guess we figured that we could do without most of it for one year but the girls are remembering some stuff that we just didn't bring. They made the tree look beautiful. Even though there is a very heavy spot of ornaments in the front at the bottom. I love it so much I won't change it. It has their finger prints all over it.

(Do any of you smarties out there know how to make the pictures larger in Blogger? I mean larger than the "large" picture option they have.)

Santa the Grinch

He wasn't the jolliest of fellas but he sure was good lookin'. Tonight we took the Grands to the Main Street Boerne Christmas festivities. It was totally Christmas decked out with lights up and down, fake snow, Mexican hot chocolate, and 40 degree weather. We didn't get to ride the horse drawn carriages (and Vienne was a little more than upset about that) because the line was too long so we'll probably go back again next week. This runs for two more weekends so if you are in the area, small town fun.

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving started and ended as usual. We went to the Grands' house with the pecan pie. I think we could have pretty much replayed last Turkey day and wouldn't have missed a thing. Even the same food because we so look forward to our usual turkey and fixins. If any deviation occurs, it's just not Thanksgiving. Natalya started the day announcing that her other top front tooth came out. We were sooooo thankful for that because, again, it was causing great stress. And she was able to enjoy her wonderful turkey feast with no worries.

Another one bites the dust. I couldn't wait to see both front teeth out.

After turkey, after nap exercise. It is cold here. It has been around the mid 40's. That's cold around these parts. Some of North Texas even got snow.

Natalya brings paper out and sits on the driveway to draw. Even in freezing weather, she was drawing trees. I wish I had the tree drawing to scan but she gave the wonderful tree art to Grandma. It was a nice day.

I'm Thankful For...

...This face. And this from Vienne:
(Noticing that Natalya had glitter on her face) Vienne says, "Natalya, why do you have magic on your face?"

Have a wonderful Turkey Day. Count your blessings, not the calories.

This is another shot from our Christmas card session. The Card unveiling on Monday.

And the Winners Are...

Can I first say, "Wow!" And where were you when I was trying to sell theses things at the not-really-a- craft show? Thanks to everyone who came this time. And I got so many new visitors from Maile and Shawn. Thanks gals! OK, drum roll please... The lucky size 2 winner is Cynthia and the lucky size 3 winner is Stacy. Congrats! I will get in touch with you to get your address and choice of color. Thanks to everyone who participated.


Cynthia, I know I've seen you in the blog world somewhere. Leave me a comment on how to find you again.

Looky at What I Just Bought

I love this company. This is the second hat that I've bought from them. Handmade in Portland, Oregon.

Christmas shopping has begun for me. Unfortunately I feel like some of the fun has been taken out of it in light of the many toy recalls. Does anyone else feel jipped? Like some of the naivete has been taken away from childhood. Gone are the days of of perusing the toy aisles with wide eye merriement? I'll be doing lots of searching on the internet for unique, safe alternatives. And if you've been doing that too you've already discovered how difficult it is to buy things not made in China. So, pass on anything you find. And better yet, reevaluate the "stuff" we have and go minimal this year. Maybe each child gets a whole day to herself with Mom or Dad. Suggestions?

Christmas Card Preview

(But that's all I can say because today is Wordless Wednesday.)

Shiner

And I don't mean Bock. Look at my poor baby. She got this when Natalya hit her in the eye with a baseball bat. It was an accident and it was a foam bat. A hard foam bat. When I was little my sister hit me in the eye with a bat, too. Supposedly that was also an accident but that was a REAL bat. 'Member that, Steph? Oh, and that boo boo on V's lip is from the night before when she apparently ran into the fence. I think my baby is going to have a bumpy ride.

Tutu Fun! My First Blog Giveaway

How exciting! My first giveaway. Well, it turns out that I participated in what I thought was going to be a craft show a couple of weeks ago. It really wasn't. I won't bore you with details, but I ended up coming home with too many tutus and a migraine. They are handmade by me and cute. I just don't want to have to keep them or try and sell them 'cause it turns out that the craft show thing isn't really my deal (shopping them yes, sitting around for hours no.) So, one could be yours! I have two to give away. Here are the details:

• One is size 2, one is size 3.
  
• Leave a comment here stating whether you would like to win the size 2 OR 3.
• There will be two drawings, one for the size 2 winner and one for the size 3 winner.
• Leave the comment by Saturday, Nov. 17 at midnight and I will announce the winner on Sunday, Nov. 18.
• The winners will get to choose between two colors that I have already set aside. The size 2 comes in chocolate brown or ballet pink. The size 3 comes in ballet pink/white or light blue.
  

I will use the most technical way of drawing names. That of which will be the pick a name from the hat method. Each of my girls will chose one name ('cause peace be no more if only one got to choose.) The only other requisite is that you have to show us a picture of the tutu wearer once you have received the tutu. Good luck and happy fairy dancing and princess love!

Boys Oh Boys

The other day, my friend Dawn asked me to take a few pictures of her boys. How could I say "No" with faces like these. Plus, I never get to see boys faces in my camera. Aren't they cuties?

Big brother Jackson...

...and Baby brother Harrison in all his beautiful baby chubbiness.

One of these will be My Best Shot for today. Hmmm... Which should it be? I'll decide later. More Best Shots at Picture This.

And more Shawn love... I just had to throw in her other blog that shows off her blog design work. It's all eye candy. I have a feeling she'll be staying pretty busy.

AND, I've been working on our Christmas card. Can't wait to show it to you. Soon.

AND AND I can't believe Stacy is giving away one of her one of a kind custom made creations to one winner. I want it to be me so don't enter. I love her work.

AND, in the spirit of Stacy's giving, I've decided to have my own First Blog Give Away. If you have girls in your life, come back tomorrow for details. You won't be disappointed at the cuteness.

Saturday

We were very lazy today. Which is very odd. But this evening we decided to go check on the house and passed the river. The paddle boats were out so decided to go for a ride. The girls had a blast. The weekends are usually set aside for doing "something fun" as Vienne says. They couldn't wait to get out of the house. I am hoping to have some new pictures of the house soon. They've been spending a lot of time on the rock work so I'm waiting for something new to happen.

The view from right in the middle of the river.

Giddy Is the Word

I wish that I could say that I was the master creator behind all of this lovely but I can't. Meet Miss Shawn if you haven't already. Not sure how fate brought her to me, but I'm so glad it did. It's so beautiful around here now, isn't it? I just adore her and her work. All of it. I think I could gush about her for awhile. Just love it. Thanks, Shawn! I can't stop smiling.

GNO

Girl's Night Out, much anticipated. Last night we went to Spa Jane for ice cream pedis and then for late dinner. Spa Jane offers pedi parties. Jen brought yummies so we ate a little and drank some while we got our piggies pampered.

The pedi room is round. So we could almost all get our pedis at the same time and still gab. Crazy, but I found out that one of the other moms and I went to middle school together. Who woulda thunk. Can't wait for next month.

Oh! And changes coming soon! Stay tuned.

Toothless!

Finally!

To Be...

...Young, carefree, uninhibited, naive, independent, imaginative, loved. To be V.

This is My Best Shot for today. Come on, give us yours at Picture This.

The Soundtrack of Your Life

Just visited Maile's blog and she's reminiscing. Whitesnake apparently has brought back some memories. She's asked what songs bring back memories for you? For me, one song is Open Arms by Journey, 5th grade. Gosh it seems like such a long time ago. Join the fun and find out why I chose Open Arms.

Groovy Ghouls

It's very hard to take pictures of kids who have been on a constant sugar high for the last two weeks. The girls had a blast as monsters but they ditched the suspended eyeballs about half way through our route. We've always dressed up with the girls and will always until it becomes too embarassing they just can't stand it.

Mommy monster with her Groovy Ghouls.

Daddy was the only one that did not get a hand made costume this year. We don't think he really minded.

Checkin' out the loot.

This is what Daddy looks like when he's told the girls to brush their teeth and go to bed for the upteenth time. Hope everyone had a great Halloween. Bring on Thanksgiving.

Pic of the Day

Check out Wordless Wednesday.

Fun in the Fall Sun

The weather has been glorious! Not a cloud and in the high 70s. Perfect Fall for South Texas. Yesterday, Vienne and I played outside while Natalya was at school. V is so into dressing up while Natalya rarely would. Here she is modeling the tutu that her Aunt Linda gave her early in the year. It one of her favorites. Oh, can't forget the Cinderella shoes. It's never the same without Natalya, though. V can't wait until she gets home from school.

Rockey dog getting in on the action. She had already taken her snake in and put it in her bowl. (Click to make them bigger.)

Imagination

They were pretending to be fairies. This is My Best Shot for today. Fly on over to Picture This for more.

Pumpkin Pic of the Day

These Boots Are Made for Playing

Wordless Wednesday

Brrrrr

Now this is what I call Fall weather. This evening it was about 58 degrees and freezing! We loved it. It will warm up a little for tomorrow and will probably be back up to 80 degrees again real soon. We'll take what we can get.

Like Mother Like Daughter

When I was little I was terrified of pulling my teeth out. When one got loose, I would let it hang there until it almost slid right off. My permanent teeth would grow under the loose teeth every time. I get the creeps just thinking about it. I can't blame the girls if they turn out to be the same way. Natalya's top front tooth has been loose for a long time. If she wanted to, she could probably pull it out today. But she won't. We'll see how long it hangs on.

You can see there's a gap there. That's because the tooth is so loose that it is now sitting a little crooked.

This is My Best Shot for today. Ain't she pretty? Tracy has more at Picture This.

And, I finished Halloween costumes today! What a load off. And sewing fur ain't fun. I just need to gather the accessories this week. Here is just a peek at one of them. You don't get to see the whole thing until I get a pic of the girls wearing them. Just think "Groovy Ghouls". And if anyone knows where I can buy striped tights, please let me know. It's too late to order them online.

Go Wildcats!

Our sweet friend Priya celebrated her 6th birthday this weekend with a High School Musical party. Happy Birthday, Priya!

Happy party faces.

Our wild cat.

Tote Bag

Tote bag, my latest project. NOW, I will really work on Halloween costumes 'cause I don't wanna be working on them last minute.

Lucky Me

Yesterday, I got to have lunch with the world famous photographer friend Maile. And I don't think that's an exaggeration. Lunch, a little bit of shopping, and we end up in one of the quirkiest places in all of Boerne. A little place that does mini tattoos and henna. Of course Maile comes armed. Somehow she made me look a few years younger and, well, kinda cute! She is the master. Thanks for a fun lunch, Maile. Hope we can do it again soon. OK, who wants to have lunch with me next week?


Too bad Maile can't boost my ego like this everyday. Few more? Click here.

On a different note... My little V is a character. At pick up from school yesterday, she asked if we could get ice cream. She's never asked before so I said, "Sure. Let's go." Immediately there is an arguement over where to go. Both girls are upset. Finally I say we aren't going because I innitially thought it would be fun but somehow they've turned it into a doctor's appointment. They decide on a place. Happy times are here again. We get home to some more disagreements and V ends up in time out. Later in the evening Vienne comes to me ands says:
"Sorry Momma."
I say, "What are you sorry about?"
She says, "For spilling my juice."
I say, "That's not what I want you to be sorry about. Go think some more."
She leaves and comes back. "I'm sorry for going to my room."
I say, "What? That's not what I want you to be sorry for. Go think some more."
Then Vienne falls to her knees and throws her hands in the air and says, "What am I supposed to be sorry for?!"
Of course, I laugh. I've held the grudge all evening and she's already forgotten.

Living Green

When I was pregnant with Natalya we decided to use cloth diapers. Everyone thought we were nuts. I was always asked, "How hard is it?", "Isn't it a lot of trouble?" "What do you do with the poop?" But did you know that 50 million diapers enter landfills each day and they will stay there for about 500 years? Cloth diapering was the only option for us and turned out to be easy. We did it with both girls.

As a part of Blog Action Day, I am doing my part by letting you know what we do in our family to protect our happy earth. Still today, I am as green as I can possibly be. We are. We, as a family, do our part to protect the environment. It has become a lifestyle. And, again, it's easy. It's the least we can do. And you may think that you and your family can't possibly make a difference but it's you and those millions of others that say they can't make a difference that really could make a difference.

* We recycle!- Our community has a recycling program so we utilize it. Junk mail, plastic, tin goes in the bucket; magazines go to big bins set up at schools for recycling.
* I use canvas shopping bags- I try to never use plastic, and only use paper when my canvas bags have runneth over. Plastic bags go back to our grocery store because they will recycle them. And we try to remember to say, "That's OK, I don't need a bag."
* I try to remember to bring my own cup to Starbucks. They will put my coffee in it so that I don't have to leave with trash.
* We don't run the water unnecessarily.
* We xeriscape. Meaning our landscaping doesn't require much watering.
* I try not to buy water bottles. A tiny percentage of all water bottles are being recycled which means that the majority of them sit in a landfill.
* We use reusable plastic containers for lunches, not baggies.
* We split one napkin in half at dinner. Hopefully we will use only two napkins instead of four.
* We keep our blinds closed during the heat of the day keep our air conditioner from running more than it needs to.
* We donate a lot of stuff. If it's reusable it goes to Good Will instead of the landfill.
* We try to repair things rather than replace things.
* I try to buy bigger rather than many small. It takes less energy to produce one large container of yogurt than it does to produce several smaller containers.
* We turn off the lights when we leave a room.
* We really try hard (really try hard) not to buy those little things that we don't need. This is hard when you have kids. Junk toys and trinkets will ultimately end up in the trash.
* We talk about things that the girls understand and have an interest in. Like endangered animals and protecting the park.
* We pick up trash when we go for a walk.
* We play outside.
* We try to remember to turn off the tv when we're not watching it. We are working really hard on this one.

OK, you get the idea. And even though that list looks pretty long, I know there are still tons we can do. Hopefully the girls are learning as we live and will be able to carry these lessons with them. Because isn't it scary to hear about the demise of the earth? What will you differently today?



And in honor of living green, some pictures of the girls enjoying the great outdoors:


Natalya is really enjoying fishing with Daddy. This is her yesterday with her catch (and release.) She actually caught three!


And amazingly, Vienne's catch. Amazing because Vienne caught one within seconds of the line hitting the water. Perfect for her attenion span.

Rockey and Her Snake

Our dog Rockey is a little looney. Very sweet, but looney. She has a pet snake. It's a toy but we think she thinks it's real. She carries it around the yard, carries it up the slide, brings it in the house and puts it in her food bowl.

This pic is a little blurry because Rockey flinched just as I was approaching her. She thought that I was going to take her snake away.

And this is Rockey just as her snake falls through the crack in the floor of the play set.

And Rockey coming out through her door after leaving her snake inside probably in her food bowl. Looney I tell ya.

This last shot is My Best Shot for today. Check out Picture This for more.

And to see how we are living green check out my post for Blog Action Day.

Fun Run+Fun Fair=Fun Day

Yesterday we went to Natalya's school's first annual Country Fair and Fun Run. The day started off with a 5k run and 1/2 mile run. After we exhausted ourselves we ate too much candy and had some fair fun. The school also held a silent auction. Lots of donated items and class projects had to have brought in soooo much money for the school because we took home a few items after paying a pretty penny. But it was for a great cause.

Getting in race mode.

Aunt Jennifer getting in race mode. This is what she gave me when I said, "Look like a runner." Can you believe she's training for a triathlon? Amazing.

Vienne, HipHub, and Jen set to run the 5k. On your mark...

Natalya and I ran/walked the 1/2 miler. She did so well. This is her saying, "I think my legs are going to fall off."

Colored hair spray. You should have seen the tub later that day.

There seems to be a slight resemblance. Hmmm.

I was so excited to see the sack race because I hadn't seen one in such a long time. This is how the race started...

...And this is how it ended. The bag was ditched and she ran to the finish.

The hat that Daddy came home with proudly won in the silent auction.

Girl's Night Out

I have been waiting so long for this. Last night, we had our first GNO! Six hot mommas met for dinner and drinks. We had so much fun and it was long overdue. I'm already looking forward to next months adventure. Don't let us down, Jen. Once again, I realized how lucky I am to have such great girls friends in my life.

Hot momma Dawn. Doesn't she look so glamorous? Not many pics turned out because it was so dark and orange in the restaurant. And I forgot to change my lens.

This was dessert. It started out as Tres Leches. It didn't last long enough for me to take a picture. Some one last night mentioned making one so here's a recipe. Yum.

Any of you veteran GNOers have great ideas for evenings out, throw 'em at us. We just might consider just about anything.

Run!

I think that it's safe to say that the girls usually run every chance they get. It has to be buillt into the child's brain. Every cell in my body wants to yell, "Walk, please...don't fall!" I think that is built into every mother's brain.

She was running to see her sister. More from the pumpkin patch here. Run over to see more of Thursday's Theme Walk at Picture This.

Sick Day, Schmick Day

She's supposed to be sick so we've been hanging out at home. It's really more so that she doesn't politely share her tonsillitis with her sweet friends at school. But I'm thinking that if she weren't 3 that she might just be faking it. Playing dress up and kitchen and hide and seek for hours can definitely be mind numbing. She's going back to school tomorrow if for only one day this week.

Pic of the Day

(She's tons cuter bigger. Click to enlarge.)

Sick Day

My poor Sweet V has tonsillitis. For some reason it didn't occur to me that this was contagious. So she'll have to stay home from school for a few days to get better. An hour visit to the clinic and ten days of amoxacilin. She'll be totally over the meds routine by day three.

Here's another from our pumpkin patch visit. We took a hay ride through an apple orchard.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we visited the Love Creek Orchards annual pumpkin patch. We've been going there for years. Last year we wore jackets and long sleeves. This year it was a warm 90 degrees. We always have so much fun there and the girls really look forward to it.

Natalya's obsession with horses started before she was two. She's delirious when she gets to ride a horse. Hence, the obligatory pony ride at the patch.

And I guess when Natalya eventually gets a horse Vienne may want one, too.

The girls also got to hold baby chicks...

...eat carmel apples...

...paint pumpkins...

...and get their faces painted.

I will post more from this set through the week because I just took so many. This one is My Best Shot for today. Sure I'll be seeing more pumpkin patch pictures at Tracey's Picture This.

Oh, and I get nothing from this but Photoworks is having a photo contest that could win you a Nikon D40. I don't use Nikon but I'm sure it would be a great camera to win. They have a few categories that you can enter so you might want to check it out. But then again, if you don't enter then it will increase my chances of winning so... hmm... forget I said anything. Where's that delete button...

House Update

We went to the house today and were surprised to see a HUGE mess!

Is the house going up or is it coming down? Check out the floor. It looks like there was a mini explosion in there. At least this is one mess that I don't have to clean up. They've been doing a lot of the stone work. Inside...

...And outside.

And there is a hole in the ground now for the pool. Now is the time to have a pool put in because the season is ending and no one is thinking of swimming. Pools go in fast at this time. Did I just jinx myself?

Pics of the Day

Vienne is doing much better in school. We had a bumpy start but last Monday she just decided that she was going to have fun. She woke up saying, "I'm not going to cry today." Of course I was leary. But drop off was good. Since then it's been great. She is even saying that she wants to go to school. Thank goodness it didn't last as long as I pictured it would.

Gone Fishin'

Last Sunday evening we got together with our best pals for picnic and fishing. We all brought a few dishes, our poles and the bug spray and had a fun time. We will be doing it again soon. We are so fortunate to have great families surround us and our children. I know that the girls realize how lucky they are to know such wonderful people.

Natalya has been really really wanting to fish for a very very long time. She loved it. And did so fantastically her very first time fishing that she even caught one! I think she may have a new hobby.

As for Vienne, well, we'll chalk it up to her being just a little too young. She didn't have the patience to wait around. She was gone in 60 seconds. But she had great intentions.

Our pretty little fishing hole with a view.

And Vienne's second big sister, Priya. Every time Vienne sees Priya she say, "I love Priya."

Antiquing We Will Go

OK, so we really didn't go "antiquing" by definition. We weren't searching for anything old and collectible. But the whole event is considered the Texas Antique Weekend. They did have antiques but we probably passed them on by. We had our eyes on more funky wares and came home with some fabu stuff. A couple of places that we visited that can also be visited via the web: Rhinestone Cowgirls; The Junk Gypsy Co.; Salvage-Style.

We stayed at a cute little B&B called The Katy House in teeny tiny Smithville, TX. The town has a claim to fame, though, being the place where they filmed Hope Floats. We had two days of the most fantastic food. We happened to stop at a gas station/bakery and ate the most wonderful fresh baked pastries. We can definitely say that we had a fantastic trip but our Spring trip will have to be longer. One day just doesn't do it. This place was huge. Enormous. If you don't find something to take home you just have lost your mind.

The Spring show dates are posted as the first week of April 2008 so let us know if you wanna join us fun shopping and great food. The more the merrier.

Angelia's bedroom...

...And the kitchen. Would have been very convenient to make cookies at 2:00 AM.

The sign says it all.

We weren't officially shoppers until we got the bugaboo cart. We did make several trips back to the car but, boy, was this a life saver.

Angelia and Laurie. Laurie met us there since she came from a different city. And, no, we did not buy that frog. That's how this restaurant found us to bring our order.

Road trippers. Can't wait to do it again in the Spring. We'll have built up our endurance, bought some more maps, and gathered a few more friends. Thanks, Angelia and Laurie, for an fantastic time.

One more for the road, this is the only one that I really edited. The town was an old rail road depot. So the b & b was train themed.

Gettin' Back Into the Swing of Things

It seems that I brought back something from the antique show that I didn't pay for. A very bad cold. I've risen from the bed and am feeling much better so I will catch up on posts later today including pics from our antique adventure. So, what did I miss?

Ritual

This is very late but I decided to post it anyway. Tracey's theme for this Thursday is ritual. We probably have several during our day but the main one lately is our get ready for school ritual. It's typical, nothing out of the ordinary. But today was special. Today Daddy decided to go in to work late (we had two appointments at the house that we made early). He takes Natalya to school most days but he has never taken Vienne to school. And V has been wanting him to. So today we got ready as usual but instead of just Daddy and Natalya leaving the house, we all left (in two cars because Daddy did still have to get to work). We had planned on dropping N off, going to the bakery for muffins, then dropping V off. We got to Natalya's school, unloaded and OOPS- no backpack. Natalya giggles. Daddy goes back home to get it then meets me and V at the bakery. We have our muffins then take V to school. We unload at her school and OOPS no school bag! Vienne giggles and I go get the bag. Greg heads to the house for our construction meetings but not before saying, "I'm never doing this again. It threw everyone off." Our usual ritual was interrupted and not without a price. There is a reason we have rituals. It keeps us all sane.

Tomorrow, a super fun friend and I are heading to what is said to be a famous antique show a couple of hours away. A girls road trip. We're staying a night then shopping Saturday. I'm hoping to find at least one good treasure. And it's not even the shopping that thrills me the most. It's the idea that this will be the first time that I've been away over night without Greg and the girls. Ever. Don't judge. I'm just overly attached. I'm learning to let go. Hopefully I'll bring back a good story.

House Update

Just an update on the house. It is moving along very well. They've sheet rocked the inside and textured the walls. They are currently putting the stone on the exterior and will paint the stucco as soon as I get a chance to run over there and check out the sample color they put on the wall.

The exterior will be part stone part stucco.

The front door waiting to be stained. Although it's up now, I think they will be taking it down. They don't usually keep the doors on and usually use construction doors. They had to install it to make the door frame. Hmm.

Blogger is Whack...

...This morning. I guarantee the pics are there. Please check back later. Hmm...Is someone working on it? Is anyone awake? I was packing up to move two weeks ago and thought, "Well, it doesn't happen that often." Time to rethink. Ugh.

Happy Monday

This was Natalya's serious face. I just love it. I have been practicing more with Stacey's "eye pop" tutorial. What a difference it makes. This is My Best Shot. Heading over to Picture This.

Before and After

If you don't visit Stacey on a regular basis like I do, you're missing out on some great photography (and, well, cute kids!) But as an added bonus, on Saturdays she posts photography tips. I'm constantly trying to improve my craft so I love her tips. Stacey is a fantastic teacher and her tutorials are so easy to follow. Today's tip was on how to dodge the eyes to make that wonderful "eye pop" that I've seen a lot of lately. Go over there and check it out. But first looky at what I've done! The first shot is the before and the second is the after. I followed Stacey's eye pop directions and then processed some more for the final oomph. What do you think, Stacey?

Before
After

Pic of the Day

I had already published this post with just this picture but I had to come back and add a note.

Today I had lunch with Natalya at her school. If your child's school offers this, I would definitely take the opportunity to do it. It was very nostalgic. It has been a long time since I've sat in a school cafeteria. Honestly, I was even a little anxious. I don't really know why. Maybe I was just excited.

And I had great reason to be. When Natalya saw me she started jumping and had the biggest smile on her face. She came to me and gave me a humongous hug like she hadn't seen me in days. She had even made me a "Thank You" card for coming to have lunch with her. Ok, I've been crying some these days because of the trouble that I've been having with Vienne. You can't imagine how happy she made me just in this one minute period. I cried again. She'll have no idea how much I needed that.

So we sat and ate our fries and chicken. She told me all about the lunch time routine. The teachers have taught the kids sign language so that they can ask for things with less words. That cracked me up. She told me about some of her friends and then about what they had already done in class today. I saw my baby grow up so many years right before my eyes.

Lunch was over and she joined her class. I thought to myself, "She is my angel. She gives me strength. How lucky I am."

Four Little Bubble Blowers

We had play group yesterday with some of our neighborhood friends. Look at my Sweet V. My dark haired beauty among all those blond boys.

Vienne's been having a hard time the last few days of school. I've had to leave her while she cries. It really goes against every thing I know as a Mom. When my children cry, I run to them. It's so hard to walk the other way. I felt like I had an angel today, though. A grandmother was dropping her granddaughter off and noticed that I was teary eyed. She came to me with the most heart felt hug and said the sweetest prayer over my shoulder. I can barely remember the words but I do remember "give her strength." It stayed with me all day. To you my angel out there, thank you.

Pattin' Myself on the Back

I'm still learning the flare thing but I think I did pretty good on this one. I got low to take this and happened to see the sun through the trees. I crossed my fingers and clicked. Not bad, eh? Then I chose to over expose a little and added a touch of grain. I chose this as My Best Shot. Now I'm going over to Picture This to see other amazing shots.

Botanical Gardens

Today we took a trip to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. It really is a lovely place. When it's not in the 90's and humid as h-e-double hockey sticks. The gardens currently have a special exhibit going on called Dora and Diego's Garden Adventure. I debated about whether or not we should go to the gardens during this event because I really want the girls to like it there without all that hoopla. But we went and they enjoyed it. Dora and Diego lead you through some sections of the gardens where the kids can explore gardening, sand play, musical instruments.

Simple Pleasures

A couple of weeks ago, the girls got to experience water balloons for the first time ever. And they loved it. So I bought water balloons for them to play with at home. This was Natalya's face when we brought them out. It's so hard to remember how simple things can be so wonderful.

Craft Day

So me and some fellow hip mommas decided to get together today for our first Craft Day. A little something fun to do while the kiddos are in school. We all brought over a project, gabbed, and had lunch.

They only project that I could come up with was painting these letters for V's rooms. They have actually been sitting on my bedroom floor for months! Thank goodness for Craft Day.

Flowers

Had time to play around a little. Here's what I came up with.

My Best Shot

Follow the leader to Picture This for more Best Shot's this Monday.

Happy Sunday

Nothing to say today, just a few pictures to share.

The Morning Sun

Does anyone else ever feel guilty that they take more pictures of one child than another? Lately V has been more willing to participate. I guess I can be the one person who can say that they have just as many pics of my second child as my first. 'Cause I hear it sometimes dwindles with each child. But how cute is she?

Shhh, Baby Sleeping

(Wordless Wednesday here. Please tip toe.)

Hula Wants to Have Some Funna?

We do! We had a blast today celebrating Labor Day with a luau with our Fab Friends the Fab Five. I can't say enough how lucky we are to know 'em.

Festivities of the day included "Hot Potato". Err, um, "Coconut".

Water balloon toss. LOTS of busted balloons over here. This was the first time the girls had played it and they loved it.

The girls also got to make thier own leis.

The Hip Hubs probably talking shop. Or gossiping. You know how they can get.

My pretty island princesses putting their feet in the water. It only reached about 81 degrees today but it was very humid. We didn't swim because the water was cold. I somehow don't think the kids would have minded very much.

And where would we be without our friends. We love 'em.

Happy Labor Day

Hope no one is working on Labor Day and that you are out celebrating in some wonderful way (or just doing nothing). It's raining here this morning so that may put a damper on our plans. Have a fun day!

This was taken at the parade this weekend. To see more go here. This is My Best Shot. There's no homework at Picture This today.

Kendall County Fair

This weekend is the Kendall County Fair. There are livestock shows and auctions, a carnival, and this morning there was a parade. It was the longest small town parade ever at almost 2 hours. The girls had a blast and Daddy is now broke. We marvel at how much it is to go to a fair. The rides average about $3 each. You could easily spend $50 in just an half hour of play.

Pretty queens and princesses.

Candy! Run!

Sister love.

Daddy enjoying fair food and a refreshing beverage.

The longest corn dog ever. Vienne only ate two bites of it.

8 second ride. Any bull riding fans out there?

Coo Coo for Coconuts

This picture kinda makes me laugh. Natalya and I were at HEB the other day and she saw coconuts. Many a time I have said, "OK, one of these days we'll get one so you can see what they look like inside." Natalya reminded me so we took two home. Greg drilled a hole in each and we let the girls drink them. It was no surprise that Natalya did not like it and it was also no surprise that Vienne did. Then Greg smashed them open. I did what I could to shred some of the meat and made smoothies. If anyone has a trick to doing it let me know 'cause I had utensils and coconut everywhere. On the other hand, I now know why they have it already shredded and ready in bags.

Sewing Frenzy

I've been all consumed these last few weeks with several sewing projects. Thought I'd share some of them:

OK, no sewing on these. The girls, being my biggest fans, love them. Who says summer's almost over?

V's nap mat for school. I decided the day before school started that I am going to have her nap at school. So we ran out and got the plastic mat. Then I made this cover with fleece camo and contrasting motorcycle fabric. Girlie with a little edge, just like V. Attached pillow and attached blanket. I impressed myself.

And preschool totes. This is V's before the monogramming. Pink and brown zebra with black eyelash fringe. I also made two camo totes for two boy friends.

Next project will be Halloween costumes. The girls want to be monsters. Since we have always dressed up as a family, Mommy and Daddy will be monsters, too.

Wordless Wednesday

(Thanks Jen and Priya!)

Wordless Wednesday.

If You Find Me Wandering...

...Please send me home. I feel a little lost and lonely with no Vienne around. It's eerily quiet and I think the Dog thinks something is up. It hasn't been just me and Rockey since before the girls. But V's first day of school drop off was a success. She didn't fuss or cry and woke up ready to go. This is how I hope to see her when I pick her up or else I'll be thinkin' that I'm the worst Mommy ever:

We're Go For Lift Off

Natlaya, may your first day of first grade be indicative of the many first journeys you take. It's a big, big, big world. We know you'll go far.

This will be My Best Shot for today. As always, the party's at Tracey's Monday mornings.

Me and my girls taken by our sweet friends.

Among the many accomplishments I know she will be honored with is this! My big girl got first place in the A Little Perspective photo contest hosted by Tracey Clark et al. Natalya is very artistic at heart and I see lots of wonderful creations in her future. (Our sweet dog has a been a good model lately affording both Natalya and myself a first place win recently. We adore her.)

It will be Vienne's turn tomorrow!

House With a View

We visited the house this week. The sheet rock should be going up within a few days. Fun. After that appointment we had a picnic dinner at the park of the sudvision that we are moving to. They have a nice play ground for the kids and a very nice lake with a walking/horseback riding trail.

Feeding the ducks.

A horseshoe print that Natalya said looked like a heart.

A Mother's Dream

So I woke up this morning and had my morning Google Reader fix. I found that Melody at Slurping Life had posted about a Mothers and Daughters Blog Carnival by Sarah of Real Life. I am a mother of daugthers, two gorgeous ones, so I decided to join in. It's extremely personal, though. And that's not like me. So here goes:

We struggled with infertility like gazillions of families today. I considered myself lucky when we had our first daughter. She was born beautiful. And of course I called her "Angel Face". She was not only beautiful but she turned out to be the EASIEST child to raise (OK, after the first few months of very tiring nights.) She never complained and never wandered and never (I mean never) said "No". I thought, "What's all the fuss about. This parenting thing is easy." And still today she is the sweetest child anyone could meet.

Of course we wanted more. At least one more. We stared infertility in the face again, I gave myself the shots, and I grimaced at the megazillions of doctor's appointments, toting my poor daughter along. After 2 1/2 years of wanting, we had our second beautiful girl. Two girls. My dream come true. Or was it?

I loved my first born immensely. Nothing could compare. I looked at her everyday and knew this was me. This was why I was here. Of course every mother says that but I truly felt it in my most inner being. So when we started trying for our second I was a little torn. No, a lot torn. How could I love another child as much as I love my first? And again, every mother says that. But I truly felt it in my most inner being. I wasn't worried that it was working. I thought, "OK, I'll go through the motions but no big deal. Maybe next month." And when next month came and still nothing. Still felt the same. Maybe I don't want another. "This next child can't compare. How could he/she live up to what I already have?" It couldn't.

And then I secretly started hoping for a boy. Ooooh, if I had a boy it would be different. I could love him differently and inherently everything would be different. Different parts, different likes, different ways of loving. Want a boy, want a boy... "Looks like it will be a girl. Congratulations!" Wow... A girl... Yea, thanks... Hmmm.

So I carried her in my womb knowing it was a girl. All these months I tried to imagine what life would be like with her on the sideline. I tried to imagine how she would fare as second best. I tried to imagine myself holding a child that was not my Angel Face. I slapped myself in the face everyday thinking, "How could a MOTHER think such horrible things?"

And then she was born. And all of a sudden, the most fantastic, most incredible, most spiritual thing happened. I did love her. I did LOVE her. And she was beautiful. And she held my hand. And I cried. I brought home my second baby girl and I cried again. How could I have wasted all those months of not loving her? I felt ashamed. I did not feel worthy. I felt the lowest low of any lows. I promised her that I would make it up to her. That all the time that we lost would me made up and it would be as if it didn't happen at all. It was my dream come true after all.

I had always dreamed of having two girls. I grew up with a sister and I have so many fun memories of growing up with her. That's what I always considered perfect. Now being the mother of two girls is my fairy tale. They are both so different and I know that was on purpose. My second is definitely more spicy and adventurous and full of all of the challenges that I didn't get to experience with our first. I think they are both equipped with characteristics to help them face their future challenges as girls. And I think that I am helping them face those challenges with dignity and pride.

Still today I wonder what it would have been like to have had a boy. I really can't imagine it. Sometimes I still don't think I'm worthy of the love my girls give me everyday. But I will always make sure that they know that they are worthy of the love that we give them. And I hope that I can be the mother that they would have dreamed of. I was meant to be the mother of two girls. From my most inner being, I believe it now.

HipMomma

3 Days and Counting

Yesterday was a good school prep day. Both girls had their open houses, Vienne in the morning and Natalya in the evening. Vienne loved her new school. The teachers were warm and welcoming. And how could you hate a classroom that was FULL of toys? I think she's gonna like it there.
Natalya was in aw the whole time we were at her school. It seems so big to me since her kindergarten was in a small private school (they brought the lunch to their classrooms and there were only 7 students.) I was a little in aw too. It brought back some memories walking into the library and the cafeteria. Natalya sat in her desk and to her it was the just as fun as opening Christmas presents. As we were leaving she said, "I wish I had homework to do tonight." I love her.

Vienne pretending to be Handy Manny.

THE desk, with a cubby. Sweet.

And Me at the end of the day.

Not for Emotionally Unstable Moms

Today the girls and I went to see the movie Arctic Tale. From the makers of March of the Penguins, this movie follows the lives of a baby walrus and a baby polar bear from birth to adulthood. Natalya has always been fascinated with animals and loves watching Animal Planet. So it was no surprise that she took to this movie very well. Vienne was disappointed that it wasn't a cartoon and now says, "I don't like the polar bear movie." I found it very enjoyable, amazingly shot, and very educational. The underlying lesson for the movie was global warming and the effects it is having on the habitat of these animals and ultimately us. That's all I need for a movie of this kind.

What I didn't need this week was a heart wrenching tale of losing babies (in a couple of ways) and the story of making your way through life with one too many life threatening situations. My baby is off to school next week for her first time. I think I'm feeling a lot like the mama polar bear. Did you know that polar bears stay with their moms until they turn 3 at which time they are sent away to survive on their own with nothing but the the lessons they have learned from their MOM!? OMG! Vienne is 3 and that's what I'm doing next week! I'm sending her out saying, "This is when your life changes."

OK, a little dramatic. And she may not encounter many fierce boy polar bears. But I, like so many Moms, hope that my children take with them the lessons that they have learned at home so that they know how to deal with the difficult situations in life. I feel like I've gone the distance to see that they are fed, and to make sure that they are warm and sheltered, and I comfort them when they are ill (sniff, you won't be prepared for that scene.) I hope that it is these things that ground my children and help lead them to the happy life that they are destined for.

My baby cub will be fine I'm sure. But I can't help but think that the mama bear still, after saying her good byes, hopes that they think of her when they are gone. And that they return to her with wonderful stories to tell.

(BTW, they are offering free screenings of this movie. Visit the website for details.)

Pic of the Day

7 Days and Counting

I just realized that this is our last week of sleeping in! The girls start school next Monday. Of course, sleeping in for us is only 7:30 but still. I can't believe how many things change with just one event.

These are the books that I am reading to V to get her ready for school: How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends by J. Yolen and M. Teague; If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff; The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn; Dora Goes to School by Leslie Valdez; Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle. Any other recommendations?

This will be My Best Shot for today. Been to Picture This lately?

OH! And I just had to mention that I entered this picture in the Photoworks Dog Photo Contest and I won 1st place! Enter your cute dog in this month's contest and you too may win a $100 gift certificate.

Ya Shouldn't Have

You know how it's always better to receive kudos when it's least expected? Like now! Melissa had some nice things to say about me and gave me an award. Aw shucks. Thanks, Melissa! I will pass it on to Jen because she wrote a post just on this subject a few weeks ago. She is sooooo nice. I'm so glad to have had my children grow up with her children; to Arizaphale because her comments are just the nicest, aren't they? I know she's left some at your blog, too; and to Maile because her comments are always so encouraging and, well, she's just so darned nice to know.

Have a nice week.

Fly Girls

Well, they are pretty fly. Natalya and Vienne are accessorizers.

Natalya found my sunglasses and put them on.And when monkey sees, monkey does. We enjoyed a great afternoon at the pool with friends. We have been loving the Texas sun. Guess what? It's raining today!

Thursday's Theme at Picture This is "fly". Whatcha' got?

Pic of the Day

Tiny Dancer

This is my Sweet V. She asked me specifically to take "my picture with me like this." Vienne had her first dance class last night. And, in my unprofessional opinion, she may be the best dancer in the class. As many of you moms or dads know, it is the most tooth rotting, heart melting experience watching your little 3 year old, among other 3 year olds, try her hardest to tap or point her left foot in sync with the other 3 year olds and the teacher. I think some of the other girls may have thrown her off because she knows what her left foot is.

House Update

They were delayed with the rain but it seems that they are on track. We are getting a roof. But we are anticipating rain this weekend. The fun stuff should be coming soon.

Manic Monday

Busy day today. My mom is off of work today so I get to leave the girls with grandma while I run a few errands. The girls loath the fabric store (so did I when I was little) so I get to go in peace. Anyone else preparing for Halloween costumes already? I feel like I need to do a million things today. We'll see what gets done.

Here's My Best Shot for this Monday. Check out what everyone has for today at Picture This.

Cook-key?

Does it count? Thursday's Theme at Picture This is "key". Looks yummy, doesn't it?

Seeing Red

For some reason, it didn't occur to me that dragonflies could come in red until this one let me get close enough to it to almost see her smile. The Lens Day Challenge today is "red".

Pic of the Day

Field Trip

This weekend we visited the "Here Be Dragons" exhibit at the Institute of Texan Cultures. Greg has been wanting to go to the ITC for a long time. It's filled with all things related to Texas history. The current special exhibit is about dragons. As you enter the exhibit there is a really cool animated dragon. The rest of the exhibit talks about how dragons came to be cross culturally.

This picture was taken at the entrance of the ITC. If you've ever been to Texas you know that the flag flies everywhere. This is a huge neon flag that I thought was very cool.
Across from the ITC is the 750 foot tall Tower of the Americas. It's one of the first things you see when you approach downtown San Antonio. We've never been up there. Frankly, I'm a wee bit scared to go up. There's a restaurant at the top.
And our little Sweet V. She's always asking, "Where are we going next?"

Saturday Afternoon Post

This morning Maile was in our little town again for another shoot. So I met her to pick up Vienne's portraits from our session. It was like Christmas. I opened the bow, then the paper, and there was my beautiful girl's face captured just as I know it. The book that she created was amazing. I may just have to carry it around with me for a couple of weeks to share it with any stranger who's willing to give me a few minutes.

Afterwards, the girls and I roamed Main Street for awhile. Trying to figure out why I always have so many pictures of Vienne and less of Natalya, I realized that when Natalya is done with me pointing the camera at her, she starts making funny faces. Here ducky, ducky.

(The "bottom" one will be My Best Shot. Whatcha got?)

Fasten Your Seat Belts...

...It's going to be a bumpy ride. The HipHub has decided to join the Air Force reserves. He has already completed 17 years in the Air Force. When his time was up in the AF two years ago, we (mostly meaning "I") decided that in the best interest of the family, he would not sign on for more years. He had already been deployed to Saudi Arabia and to Iraq and he would have definitely had to go to Iraq again soon. He had always intended on joining the reserves at some point to finish up 20 years and therefore "retire" from the AF then.

He just couldn't let it lie. It was burning at his inner being. OK, I admit, from a retirement standpoint, he's right. That money in the future will certainly be nice. And he did look handsome in his uniform. Very handsome. But deployments are hard. Greg is telling me that he has some reassurance from somebody (I want credentials and it all in writing) that deployment is less likely. But if you are military aware, there are no guarantees. That is definitely a journey I don't want to take again. I will keep my fingers crossed that it's an uneventful 3 years.

Thursday's Theme is "Trip". Pack your bags, grab your passport and visit Tracey at Picture This.

Pic of the Day

Speechless today? Join Wordless Wednesday.

Ready to Roll

We just can't protect her enough.

Duck!

Duck sits all alone.
Days pass as it rains and rains.
Come inside wet duck.

My Best Shot Monday (but not my best haiku.) Check out Tracey's Picture This for more best shots.

Pretty Eggs All in a Row

Does anyone else think that eggs look really cool all lined up in a carton?

All is Fair

I asked Natalya, "What does it mean to be fair?"
She replies, "It means to be nice to people and to give them what's theirs."
I say, "Are you always fair?"
She says, "No. It's hard being fair."

This was taken at Boerne Berges Fest about a month ago. Small town carnival, big time fun.

This week's Thursday's Theme is "Fair". Get your tickets and join us at Picture This.

Pic of the Day

Slippery When Wet

This is what's called in and around the San Antonio area as a "low water crossing". Whenever we get heavy rains or everyday for a year rains like we've been having, the news people will come on TV saying "watch out for low water crossings" because some spots over roads will flood. Is this a San Antonio phenomenon? We were driving home the other day and decided to take a new road home just because. As we were driving we see the "Road Closed" sign. But like every other San Antonian we think, "That doesn't apply to us. Let's go around it and see." As we drive not even a mile down we see the next sign that reads "Water Over Road" and sure enough, there was. This doesn't look as daunting in the picture but the water was rushing. Fast. Super fast. Many a loony driver will brave this mini flood of water and end up on the news themselves not able to tell their story. The rain continues even as I type. Did I miss the memo to build our ark?

Hangin' With the Homies

The other night we met some wonderful friends for dinner and a swimming. The girls had a fabulous time. But the water was so cold because it really has not warmed up to Texas hot due to all of the rain. We lucked out though. We had a clear evening and dodged the rain. For now. It did come back.

"Should it be a cannonball or a jackknife?"

Vienne with 3 of her favorite friends taking in some evening sun.Sunset by the pool. This will be My Best Shot for today. Check out what everyone has to offer.

Back to School Blues

When I was little, I used to love the phrase "Back to School". I always thought is was cool going shopping for new school clothes and I was always so anxious for summer vacation to end. These days it seems that I hear "back to school" earlier and earlier in the summer. Summer vacation is short enough and seems to fly by while we try to cram in as many fun things as we can. HEB already has out the kids' school supply lists! The catalogs start multiplying in the mailbox with the "must have back to school trends". My head starts spinning trying to figure out if I should register the girls for swim and dance or just riding lessons or just one for swim or does she want to play soccer again?!

So, lately I've started talking about going back to school because I figure I have to get them prepared. Them. Both girls. This Fall, Natalya starts 1st grade and [sniff] Vienne [sniff] starts [sniff] preschool. "Back to School" is monumental this Fall. The end of Summer now also means that I lose my 24 hour companion. It means that for those few hours a week someone else gets to experience why I think V is such a cool gal. It won't be the same around here. I won't be the same around here. "Back to school" will never be the same again.

We took Natalya to get her back to school hair cut. She had so much fun and smiled the whole time.

Holy moly, is she only six?

Her hair only looked this good for about 15 minutes. It ended up behind her ears as usual.

House

So far the house is still going well. Nothing really fun to report. The bones are going in so it's not too interesting at this point. But we meet with the cabinet guy again this weekend and that will be fun. Fireplace box is in for the great room.

The girls' tubs are in. And for some reason, that was very exciting for them.
Someone else is building a house on our house.

Drip

"No, I can wash my hair by myself!"

Don't be a drip. Join us at Picture This for Thursday's Theme.

Dinner for 7

My sister Stephany come home to visit and for Vienne's birthday. We don't get to see her enough but we'll take what we can get. Mom and Pop and Steph came to Boerne to meet us for dinner. My sister is so beautiful and is a great artist. She has the most fantastic personality that nobody could meet her without adoring her. The girls love her.
Grandpa and V.

Mom and StephVienne said, "Let's make funny faces!"

So we did.

Pic of the Day

The Eyes Have It

I think a gift we were given as moms is that we can often tell a lot about our children by looking at their eyes. When they are telling the truth, when they are frustrated, when they are not really listening, when they are proud of an accomplishment, or when they are not feeling well, it all seems to come right from the eyes. While we were in Cali, Natalya got a unexplained fever of 103. It all came and went within 24 hours but she did not want to be sick. Too many fun things planned and she knew she'd be missing out. But I knew she wasn't feeling well because her eyes looked so tired and droopy. So, as though as she is, she stuck it out with a smile on her face and blue bags under her eyes. And, as it often happens with Natalya, all of a sudden it was gone and she was back to her usual perky self. This is My Best Shot Monday. Come see what others have contributed at Picture This.

Home Sweet Home

We made it back from what turned out to be a whirl wind trip to CA. I can't believe how tired I am. I always thought it would be cool to jet around the world at a moment's notice but I've found out that airplane travel is the pits. It's unpredictable, it's uncomfortable, it's so nice to be back home. We did have a good visit with the family though. Just wish they lived closer.

But in all my weariness, I still manage to get back on the computer to check up on what's happened while I've been gone. Maile's Photo Tip Friday was on Reflections so here's what I have. And she has more pictures from V's photo shoot. I can't help but smile, laugh, and cry all at the same time when I look at them. I will have pictures up of our trip and Vienne's birthday party soon.

This is Vienne discovering that she can see herself in the bumper of Daddy's truck.

Life is a Highway

This is My Best Shot Monday. Filler' up and follow me to Picture This.

This picture fits my travel themed story. We were supposed to have left for CA yesterday to visit Greg's family. We woke up at 3:30AM to be at the airport at 4:30AM to find out that our 6:00AM flight was cancelled. (You know, even my salon calls me when my appt. needs to be rescheduled. We got no call from the airlines.) Skip through a series of events, we will try again this morning with another 6:00AM flight. I truly believe in karma and think that I was being punished. Only happy thoughts for the rest of the week.

Photo Tips

Not by me, of course. My awesome photog friend Maile has started a new blog (does she ever stop working?!?) over at WOAI (our local NBC channel.) Every Friday she is offering tips on how to one day quite possibly maybe in my dreams get my photos to look somewhat in a little way but probably never as good as her photos. I will keep trying. Oh, and she has the best photo of Sweet V up as an example. Check it out.

She's Crafty

Thought I'd share a card I made for my friend who's having her first baby. They think it's a girl. And it will be a Texan.

Send in the Clowns

We celebrated Vienne's birthday with dinner at Rainforest Cafe and the Ringling Bros. Circus. I think Greg and I had just as much fun as the girls do. The circus was extra exciting this year. I think the best show was watching the girls watch the show. They truly were amazed. I hope it stays that magical for a long time.

Walking along the Riverwalk to Rainforest. We actually had some sun light and Vienne was so blinded that she had to pull out the shades.

This was Vienne's "Volcano". I think it could have served at least 10. But the girls were happy to try and finish it all themselves.

Rubber elephant for Natalya: $15 (wow.)
Pink, spinning, light up thing for Vienne: $20 (ouch!)
Cotton candy, regular size, regular color: $10 (WHAAAAAAAAAT?!)
The looks on the girls faces as they watch the acrobats flying right above us: the cheapest part of the whole evening.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweet V!

Of course, we always get sentimental on our children's birthdays. I started to hit me about 2 weeks ago when Vienne started to act like a "big girl" with big girl conversation, more independence, more complex thinking. She is a complete opposite from Natalya which has brought us different challenges and has made us experience the world from a different perspective. We can't wait to see what the next year brings for our Sweet V. She is definitely wearing "3" very proudly today.

This is Vienne at about 3 months old. Daddy was just about to leave for Iraq.

And Vienne celebrating her first birthday with a little bit of cake.
Vienne today coloring with big sister. Check back for more celebration pics. We'll continue to celebrate over the next week with a trip and a party.

Spectacle

For Vienne, this was all the spectacle she will take. She still doesn't like fireworks. But a few sparklers and a mini fireworks show in the street was enough. We did the small town parade (click here for pictures) in the morning and ended the day with cupcakes with our sweet neighbors.
Spec-ta-cle: noun; a visually striking performance or display. From Latin spectaculum, public show.
Join us for Thursday's Theme and show us yours at Picture This.

4th of July Parade

This morning we celebrated Independence Day with the city of Comfort at their annual 4th of July Parade. It's a very small town about 15 minutes Northwest of Boerne. Lots of character, antique shopping, and small town flare. I was really hoping that this would be a "typical" small town parade and it was. Lots of children, tailgates open, dogs on leashes, and lots of smiling faces.

This is Natalya's expression every time she sees a horse.And for the girls, the best part of the parade was that every float threw them candy.

Red, White, and Blue

My Best Shot

Hmmm, there seems to be a theme running through most of my pictures lately. Gotta work on getting that outta there. Think dry, think dry, think sunny days.

Here's one more from our day in the rain. Can't help but love her. This is My Best Shot Monday. Check out what other have contributed today.

Sea World

One of Vienne's favorite places is Sea World. We had not been yet this year so the Hip Chicks were very excited to go today. For Vienne, the highlight of Sea World is still Shamu. Natalya doesn't care so much about him anymore. But Vienne will still watch in awe. While we are at Sea World we have to visit the dolphins and sharks, see Shamu, and do some swimming in the water park.

A self portrait of me with my Sweet V.

Say, "Cheese!"

And this is us waiting for the torrential sideways rain to stop before going into the house. It didn't. We got soaked. We wondered if the people still at Sea World were getting wet. We managed to get through most of the day with no rain.

Sweets

Vienne's very first lollipop EVER (and blue tongue) courtesy of Miss Maile. Maile is our favorite photographer in the whole world. We were honored to have her take Vienne's 3 year portraits this morning. Maile worked through rain (yes, still raining) and then 110% humidity. She is a true artist and we can't wait to see the photos. She is also the sweetest gal and the girls love her. And they love her even more now that they associate her with sweet treats.
Vienne will be celebrating her 3rd birthday this week. We'll be trying to fill the week with things that she loves. This afternoon we went to Pottery Barn Kids. They make that place so much fun that sometimes it's hard to get the girls out of there. But it's one of Vienne's favorite places.

If You Can't Beat It...

...Join it! If you are the one doing the rain dance, please stop the music. It has been one of the rainiest years ever. We get short breaks and then it's back. It's no fun when you are trying to build a house, it's no fun when you have outdoor plans (hello, it's Summer vacation), and it's no fun when it has rained every day this week. But it IS fun in your bare feet and a raincoat.

You can't tell that the rain was coming down but it was. The Hip Chicks were soaked before they finally agreed to come in.

Progress

Through all of the rain (geez, what's with the rain?!?) the house is still progressing. The air ducts are in and there is a roof. We met with the electrician and the cabinet maker yesterday. Electricity, not so fun, but essential. Cabinets, fun.

And thank goodness for the portable DVD player. Greg and I had to be at the house for about an hour and a half yesterday with the girls. They were little angels (with the help of Barbie and a Pegasus.)
And Natalya looking through the window of her future room.

Let's Begin

This week's Thursday's Theme is "Begin". How will it end? Picture This.

My Little Mermaids

The Hip Chicks love their swim lessons. Both of them have been taking lessons for a long time. Natalya is doing great and is waiting to move up to the next level. She could be in a pool all day long. Vienne has been in the "baby and me" classes with Mommy. Until today. She finally gets to be in the "big girl class" because, as she says, "I don't need you anymore!" An advantage to having an older sister is that she has someone to learn from. Vienne was under the water sooner than Natalya. It was a bittersweet moment to watch my two girls so independent. But that's what I wanted anyway. Right? Maybe. Maybe not so soon.

Like, Oh Ma God

Maile was sweet enough to invite me to her Rad 80's party Saturday night. Just check out the photos. They explain everything. I can tell you that she and her gal pals really party hardy.

Walking with Dinosaurs

Today we decided to visit the Witte Museum. The Witte normally has a few dinosaurs on display but they currently have a special dinosaur exhibit. Natalya loves dinosaur books but was too scared to enter [insert ferocious dinosaur roar]. Vienne got to enjoy it with Daddy.

How could both girls have gotten so lucky to have inherited Daddy's eyelashes? One day they will appreciate them.One of the best things about going to the Witte is getting to ride the train. We park in the San Antonio Zoo parking lot, ride the train to the museum, and then catch it on the way back. Natalya and I just about freaked because these creepy crawlies were everywhere. Millions. Literally. Nothing scares me more than a worm. Vienne on the other hand is waiting for the day to really freak us out.

This last picture is My Best Shot Monday. Put on your pink shoes and follow me to Picture This.

Second Best

Those of us with two (and three and four plus) know how hard it is for the second child sometimes. They miss out on the Wiggles because the older child doesn't want to watch them, they have to run to catch up, they get hand me down clothes, they have to watch the older child do all of the most fun fantastical things that a child could imagine. And they can't do anything about it.
Poor Vienne. I sit back and watch her grow up behind Natalya struggling, frustrated everyday. Vienne wants so badly to finish the puzzle that Sister started. Vienne wants so badly to be at the finish line at the same time as Sister. Vienne wants so badly to have the new, pretty rain boots and not the old faded ones. Like Natalya.
Most days are good. I watch from the background Natalya being the big sister that I always imagined she would be. I watch them playing the games that Vienne chooses and hear them laugh and see them smile. I remind Natalya all the time how happy it makes Vienne just to have Natalya by her side. It's hard convincing Vienne that one day it will be her time. My hugs and sweet kisses just don't compare to a scooter ride with Big Sister. At her side. Vienne may have to push a little harder to stay there, though.

And so, this brings me to Thursday's Theme- Glee. Sister+Scooter+Friends= A very happy moment for my Will-Never-Be-Second-Best. Glee at Picture This. It will make you happy.

Free Movie Wednesday

Today, Natalya and I took Vienne to see her first theater movie. Regal Cinemas offers free movies on Wednesday and Thursday through the summer. Today's flick at our theater was Charlotte's Web. We don't know if it met the expectations of Sweet V but she sat for most of the movie while 10 babies and their mommies paced up and down the aisles (not sure if they were expected to sit and watch an hour and a half long movie.) Natalya's review of Charlotte's Web: "It was good. The best part was when the horse fell down. Yea, you should go see it. And the popcorn was the best."

In My Black Boots...

It's Monday again. Give us your Best Shot at Picture This.

Happy Father's Day

Vienne woke up today saying that she wanted to take Daddy to the Wildlife Ranch. So that's where we celebrated Father's Day. Daddy has just as much fun there as the girls do anyway. We think he imagines himself as the head game warden of the Texas Wildlife Department. And in his daydream, he's perched up in a tree with his binoculars watching the buffalo roll in the mud all day.

There are so many reasons why the girls think their Daddy is the best. The biggest reason would be that he "takes good care of us". For example: Today at lunch the girls wanted a milkshake. So we ordered the shakes and for some reason they came without the usual cherry on top. Vienne was so upset. So Daddy asked the server if he could bring Vienne a cherry for her shake. The server soon came back with a little bowl of cherries. Vienne couldn't have been happier. Thank you, Daddy, for filling our lives full of little bowls of cherries.

Boerne Berges Fest

Tonight, we took the Hip Chicks to Boerne Berges Fest. Supposedly it began 40 years ago to celebrate the German heritage that is Boerne. The Fest included lots of events such as live music, Dachshund races, and a parade. The only thing that the girls were interested in was the carnival.
Natalya loved this ride. I think she smiled the whole time she was on it.

Vienne will have to wait a little longer to ride the above ride. For now, this will do.

2007 NBA Champs

Yay for the San Antonio Spurs!!! It was a nail bitter at the end but they swept the finals. Can't get any better than that.

BlOG OF NOTE

OK, maybe this will be of no interest to anyone of you, but I thought it was very interesting and humerous. Found lowercase L today. It was recently chosen as a "Blog of Note" by Blogger.com. Check it out.

Imagine

The Hip Chicks like to imagine that the flowers are kings, queens, and princesses. The other day Natalya checked on them and found that the king had died. As in any monarchy, he was quickly replaced.
What can you imagine? Join us at Picture This for Thursday's Theme.

Enjoying the View

Enjoying the view from our future back porch.

Exploring Art

This morning, Natalya and I explored the art of Jackson Pollock. This is what Natalya created, inspired by Jackson Pollock.

"The Wacky Rainbow" by Natalya, age 6

We All Scream for Ice Cream

We are currently renting in a quaint neighborhood not too far from where we are building. We find this neighborhood interesting in many ways since we came from a neighborhood that was secluded because the people lived on large acreages. Here, there are swarms of kids (which amazed the girls when we first moved here), there is almost as much drama as Wisteria Lane, we get to see the garbage truck (which Vienne loves), and we get an ice cream truck.
I have such fond memories of the ice cream truck. I remember being in the second grade and living in Arkansas. I remember me and my sister running on the hot-as-hell concrete in our bare feet to get to the truck before it drove off. It was the best treat ever.

For weeks, Natalya has been hearing the ice cream truck drive down our street and for weeks I've been saying, "OK, next time we'll try to catch it." So tonight we heard the familiar sound that every ice cream truck has. I resisted because we were already brushing teeth for bed. For some reason it always come at bedtime. But tonight, something made me get Natalya, grab my camera (of course), and pull $5 from my purse. We hurried out the door, in our bare feet, and found the truck around the corner. Natalya chose Bugs Bunny on a stick. It was so nostalgic that I came home and smiled.

This is My Best Shot Monday. Visit Picture This for more.

Daddy Day

Today Natalya got to have what she calls "Daddy Day". That's when it is just her and Daddy. Most of the time we all get to explore together but Vienne was a little under the weather so she and I had to stay home. Natalya and Greg got to go to the Cibolo Nature Center for "Turtle Talk". Then they went to lunch and checked on the progress of the house. The house is starting to look like a house.