ErinAlice

Happy April

2010-04-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

I am really pathetic at this blogging thing. I spend an inordinate amount of time in front of my computer but never seem to make it over here. April has been an eventful month, a new car, another year older for me and my daughter and Easter. Here are a few pictures of the various ways in which I have been spending my time, in case you were wondering.

Huh????

2010-02-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

Not quite sure who is going to have a harder time making it through my daughter's puberty, me or my girls! I mean really. My oldest daughter is getting ready for that "life talk" at school. When I started talking to her about she closed her ears and said "Mom! Just don't talk about it." To which I replied "Well you already know everything, so what is the big deal?" ..."Mom, just don't go there!" My youngest daughter spent the better part of Tuesday in tears. Sobbing...When did this parenting/life thing get so complicated? And so dramatic? Did I cry that much? Was I that sensitive? And I thought the toddler years were tough. Oh and I'm trying to finish school and I'll be 40 next year! You know that saying "You can't scare me, I have kids?" yea, I get it.

Two months!!??

2010-02-14T19:19:00.001-08:00

Realized it has been 2 months since I last posted anything. 2 months?? Really? I am not sure where the time went. Lost in the holidays, and then post-holiday clean up. Lost again in the beginning of the year mayhem and beginning of the semester syllabus editing and proposal writing. Is it really the middle of February, already? I still have to post the pictures of the fabulous American Girl bunk bed-among other things. I still have a wreath hanging outside my door. Before I know it the school year will be over, I will be that much closer to finishing my dissertation but (probably) that much more behind in everything else...sigh.

COYOTES!!!

2009-12-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, we all went to a Coyotes game. The girls' first one. We had a blast! We even got to meet some of the players after the game and the girls got some autographs. Very exciting. Happy Holidays!!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-07T13:12:00.001-08:00

It is that time of year again. Where that certain sound or smell or song triggers a memory of a Christmas past. Maybe one where you had to ride a bus for 10 hours in a blizzard. (A trip that should have lasted 5). Or to a Christmas spent with mostly strangers who gave you matching sweaters. The excitement you felt when you saw the UPS man or how impossible it was to fall asleep on Christmas Eve so you just laid there and giggled with your sisters. It's a great time of year to focus on creating unique (and hopefully happy) memories with your own kids. Mine already have their favorite Christmas songs (Bing Crosby's White Christmas..I guess good taste runs in the family) and their favorite Christmas movies (Elf, The Grinch and A Christmas Story just to a name a few). My girls keep asking for snow so I regale them with stories of skiing out my front door one Christmas day or making snow angels in the backyard. Whatever memories you have or memories you make, here is wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Cheers!!

Puppy parties, soccer and softball

2009-10-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

Puppy cake, my daughter stuck some of her Little Pet Shops into it. Cute!!

The girls and their puppies!

Party Mascot. Don't let this party get out of hand girls!!

Just when I thought my life couldn't get any busier, it gets, well, busier!! The girls are playing different sports with different practices and games! How do you people with more than 2 kids do it?? In addition to that, my baby had her 8th bday: A Puppy Party! Bailey was the mascot and they played Pin the Paw on the Puppy and Dog, Dog, Cat. Fun fun fun. In between all of this I am working on my proposal and teaching. I would probably start to complain but I don't really have the time. Softball and soccer pics are coming soon!!

Hockey

2009-09-16T10:37:00.001-07:00

I have no idea where he is....

That's him right there, on the left...waiting!

So not only are the girls in a sport, now the hubby has joined a hockey team. The first game was Friday night. They did not win but it was fun to watch. The pictures aren't that great-it's hard to get a hockey action shot!! Go Chiefs!!

Sports

2009-09-05T14:41:00.001-07:00

It is almost that time of year again. Time for the girls to play a sport. This is the first year they chose different ones. My oldest: softball. The youngest: soccer. It will be very interesting to find out what our schedule is. Here are some pictures I took today when we took them to a park across the street from our house to practice with them. See-there is some green around here. They are very excited to get started and did great. Perfect day for it. Overcast and cooler than it has been. Go girls!!!

School stuff.

2009-08-10T08:42:00.001-07:00

Their outfits for Meet the Teacher night. Darling!

On the first day of school with her new haircut.

Check out the retro lunchbox...love it!

The first day of school. Notice her new haircut.

First day of school with her retro lunchbox.

The girls are back to school. Yes, really. Last week was meet the teacher night (there are pictures) then they got cute haircuts. They were so excited for school to start (there are pictures of this too). I am missing them but know they are having a great day. They are in 4th and 2nd grades already. Where did the time go???

20 years and new stuff

2009-07-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

Our new fish, Rainbow.
Syd playing with the new Wii Fit. It is fun!

Their new iPods. Watch out!!

Me and Anita at the reunion.
Me with Gail, Geof and LeAnn.

Because I am suckish at keeping up with my blog I find the need to combine topics that have nothing to do with each other. So here it goes. I had a fabulous time at my 20 year reunion and still can't believe I am old enough to have one. The reunion was full of beautiful people and I wish I could have talked to more of them but such is life. Also, the girls have gotten some new items that they are excited about and wanted me to share. My favorite is the Wii Fit(especially the yoga). But they also inherited our iPod nanos and due to the death of their last little fishy, got a new one.
In a little over 3 weeks they will be back in school. WOW!! Now back to relaxing.

You know you are in Minnesota when....

2009-07-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

We are back from our vacation out in Minnesota. It was lovely, the scenery was lovely, the people were lovely and now: back to reality. So here is a list of things I thought of that let you know you are in Minnesota.
1. You hear people say phrases such as : You betcha! and What not.
2. There are towns with names like Nowthen and Shakopee.
3. You see more trees then people (and mosquitoes too!)
4. You see more different kinds of wildlife in one week then you did all year back home (we saw: moose, deer, sand hill cranes, bald eagles, Canadian geese, blue heron, muskrat, beaver, snapping turtles and loons).
5. There are lakes everywhere that are NOT man made. Like, they are natural and everything!
6. You see "waiting houses" by the road-these are small structures made to hold children as they wait for the bus in freezing temperatures!
7. People you barely know are willing to help you out.
8. It stays dark until 9:30 or 10. Huh???
9. Most everything has the name Viking attached to it. Viking Nursery, Viking Bottling, Viking Street, Viking Recycling....you get the picture.
10. You start to think that maybe 108 really is hot!!!

For all my FB friends, there are many pictures posted there. Go see them. Happy July!!

Summer....so far.

2009-06-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

Are you looking at us???

Her cute frog!

Her darling kitty-cat!

Swimming with the dolphins....

...in our pool. I mean who knew??

It has been a great summer so far. The girls and I have spent numerous hours in the pool and sun and attended many birthday parties (see the figurines they just painted at one such party that took place at As You Wish). Next weekend is their dance recital where they will be doing a hip hop number called "Get Shorty" or something like that. (see top pic. for costume preview!) The week after that we head to Ely for some relaxation and fishing. Happy Summer to everyone.

Goodbye first grade, goodbye third grade--Hello summer!!

2009-05-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Celebrating with red velvet and chocolate cupcakes, yummy!!

A lamp shade the girls and I made for one of their teachers, it was pretty cute if I do say so myself!!
My oldest and her teacher-we love her and will miss her!!!

My oldest and her friend who looks a lot like her!!
My youngest during water day!!

I say this every year but I can't believe the school year is over. My girls are growing so fast. They are now big fourth and second graders!! They love school and their teachers so the last day is so bittersweet! We are, of course, looking forward to our vacation but the girls will miss all of their friends! Time to get out the sunblock, the swimming suits and the sunglasses!! I hope you all have a fabulous summer. I know I will.

Baseball and art

2009-04-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

My daughter drew this picture for me a few days ago...have I been having too many cocktail hours lately??
Us at a spring training game.

It was the Dodgers vs. Angels at the Angels stadium. It is so nice and it was beautiful weather!!

The Angels won 10-4. We got to see some great fielding and hitting. My favorite part was making jokes about the Dodger play Hu. We would say "Hu is up?" or "Hu's on first?" Aren't we clever!! Also his name is Chin-lung...insert own joke here!!

Celebrity Sightings and Spring Break

2009-03-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

All of us at dinner at Loco Patron. Yummy Margaritas!!
At Biltmore Fashion Square by Mojo's yogurt. Yum.

The kids at Fiddlesticks. They loved the go-carts and mini-golf!

The family with Gma Laurel by the Tempe Town Lake dam.

The kids at the zoo.

Okay my spring break seemed to go on for quite awhile. With all the family in town we stuffed as much fun as we could into not just one week, but two. I am tired. We had a great time with cousins, gmas and sisters. The weather here is fabulous so we spent lots of time outside!!

On an unrelated note, I saw Grant Hill at the mall and Donovan McNabb at the gym again. It takes every ounce of self-control in me not to say to Donovan "I love you man." Maybe it is just a matter of time. Gpa Jbob says he sees Grant Hill at his school all the time. He also talked to Shaq the other day. What did he say?? Hi. I hope you all have or had a fun and restful break. Now , get back to work.

There is hope.

2009-03-08T10:38:00.001-07:00

Here is a conversation I had with my oldest daughter while we were riding in the car:

D: Mom, do you know what I would do if I won a million dollars?

Me: No dear, what would you do?

D: I would use the money to help save the environment.

Oh, Mr. President, is there any room on your cabinet???

A New Post-finally

2009-02-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

Her picture is the one to the left of her head, behind the guy. He is not part of her drawing. The objective was to draw a desert landscape with the illusion of space/depth.

Since my last post, a lot has happened:
1) I passed my comps (where I have to orally defend what I wrote for my written comps). Yea! I don't ever want to have to do that again. (I don't have any pictures of this.)
2) Celebrated our 15th anniversary. Yea! We had a great dinner at Durant's (see pictures above).
3) My oldest daughter got her picture chosen for the district Art Show. (see picture above)
4) My youngest daughter sang at the school Multicultural Night. (see video).
5) Both girls got sick. Here is a funny story related to that. We were at the Dr.'s office waiting for some test results and my youngest daughter pulled out her a strand of her hair and dropped it and then said to me: "Mom. My DNA is on the floor!". Oh her Aunt Lisa would be so impressed!!

It is looking like the month of March is probably going to be even busier! Can't wait for Spring Break!

More hats!!

2009-02-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

In addition to the lovely hat my mother made me, she also made the girls each one AND one for each of their friends. Aren't they so cute??? We are the fancy hat family now. If only I could get the hubby to wear one....

Golf and a hat! But not a golf hat.

2009-01-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

First- my mom made me the greatest hat. Those pictures were taken by me (big surprise) to show it off. My mom also made my daughters similar ones. Too cute!!
Secondly- The hubby and I went to FBR today and it was great. The weather was perfect and the golfers had some good shots. So because I am related to Dr. Write, I offer a list of what I did/saw at FBR.
1. Phil Mickelson-Love him. Why? He went to ASU and he is a lefty. Well he doesn't write left handed but he golfs left handed-why?? I don't know and I don't care. I seriously love that guy.
2. People watching-especially lots of women showing off their purchased body parts. This is expected in Scottsdale but more annoying at a golf tournament. Apparently fake boobs are a money magnet, or something.
3. Eating and drinking overpriced food and alcohol but not really minding b/c it was 70 degrees and sunny and we were not at work or school!!
4. Getting free beer from a friend. Now that is what I call a friend!!!
5. Meeting friends at the bird's nest after the golf for one last gold plated beer.

Now I gotta go get ready for our big Super Bowl party on Sunday!!!

GO CARDS!!

2009-01-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

If you know anything about football you know that historically the Arizona Cardinals have, well, sucked. So the fact that they are going to the freakin' Super Bowl is nothing short of amazing. It is all Cardinal Fever here now!! This post is our tribute to our team. We hope they can win it all on Feb. 1st. GOOOOO CARDINALS!!!!!!!

New Blog!!

2009-01-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

Well new years call for all sorts of new things so I decided I would change things up a bit. My friend Anita has a cute pic of her boys on hers so I thought I should do the same thing. Plus with all the different combinations of colors and fonts it gives me plenty to do when I should be doing my homework!! I hope you all get new starts in this new year.

New Years resolutions

2009-01-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

I don't even remember what my resolutions from last year were so I will just assume that I met most of them. I am all about positive thinking. :) I am going to keep my list short this year.

1) Successfully defend my comps and proposal (this will be done by summer)
2) Do something great for my 15th anniversary (any suggestions?)
3)Stay active (gym, outside etc. whatever!)
4)Read books. I won't say a number but I want to read more (education books do NOT count).

That is it. Happy 2009.

Christmas Break 2008

2009-01-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

Bob and the Bobettes!! Watch out. They have trench coats and they know how to use 'em.
All of us at a Mexican restuarant.
The cousins at Amazing Jakes!!
The girls cousins. Aww.
The girls with their gpa on our hike up South Mountain. Nice.

Since our break is coming to an end (gasp), I thought I would post some pictures from our fun vacation. My dad and his wife came to visit and then my sister and her two children. We have been having so much fun we don't know what to do with ourselves. We hope you all had as much fun as you could fit in. Happy New Year!!!

Why I married Wayne.....in case you were wondering!!

2008-12-31T21:32:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T16:15:00.001-08:00

Enjoying the snow in Flagstaff!!
More of the snow!!
The girls in their Christmas Eve pjs.
Even Bailey got in on all the fun!!

Well I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and were able to spend it with the ones you love! It was a great day out here. Have a Happy New Year too!! Cheers.

Glasses!

2008-12-17T12:12:00.001-08:00

The sides are so cute, little dark pink hearts! I don't know what is up with that first one, but in real life it is pink too! She picked them out herself.

I don't know what it is about kids in glasses but I love them!! My youngest daughter just got some and she is so darling. Isn't she??? I can't get enough!! I posted the pics so you can also share in her cuteness!!! Of course I also posted a picture of her sister because she is just as cute!!

Vegas baby!!

2008-12-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

All the sister-in "Venice".

One of my favorite places in Vegas: The Belaggio!!
We ate at Toby Keith's restaurant. Wasn't he kind to pose with us??? :)
Our view from the 14th floor.
Umm, did I take a wrong turn somewhere???

Okay I am back from Vegas. It was a GREAT time. We walked. And drank. And then walked. And ate and drank. And then walked....you get the picture. It was great seeing all of my sisters!! We had a fabulous room and fabulous fun. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Now back to reality. UGH!

8 Things....

2008-11-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

Dr. Write tagged me, again, so here are my lists:

8 shows I watch:
Numb3rs
Without A Trace
Medium
CSI(the real one)
Samantha Who?
Project Runway
So You Think You Can Dance?
Barefoot Contessa

8 restaurants I love:
PF Chang's
Pei Wei
The Barrio
Durante's
Macayo's
Caffe Boa
Ra
Kid friendly ones that also serve great food!!

8 things I did yesterday:
Eat
Shop
Grade notebooks
Blog
Go on Facebook
Talk on the phone
Take dog for a walk
Snuggle with the girls

8 things I am looking forward to:
Finishing this semester
Christmas
Vacation
Vegas in December
Finishing my PhD
Watching my daughters grow up
Growing old with my husband
Bush's last day in office

8 things I wish for:
Many more years with my husband
Health and happiness for me and my family
WalMart to go out of business :)
Cool weather for awhile
My girls to able to fulfill their dreams
Spend a couple of months in Europe
That bad people get what they deserve
That good people get what they deserve

8 things I love, in no particular order:
My wonderful husband
My fantastic daughters
My whole family
My dog Bailey
Cocktails
Mexican food
Holidays
Vacations

8 things I can't stand, in no particular order:
Rude people (especially at Christmas time)
All the hype over a poorly written vampire book
Anything to do with vampires
Poor service at restaurants or stores
WalMart
Arrogant people who don't know or care that they are arrogant
People who drive toooooo slow
When my children are hurt or sad

Well that was a bit harder than I thought but I did it. What's next???

Coldplay: A Review, Turkey Day Trauma and Polar Bearing!!

2008-11-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

Some cool special effect lighting.
The back drop for some of the songs!
Here they are singing right in the middle of a row of seats located in the back of the arena. Chris is on the far right. It was really cool.

First: a review of the concert. It was fabulous!! I was already tired when I got there so the fact that they had not ONE but TWO opening acts was a bit tedious but when they came out, they were great. Near the end of the concert, they ran down towards the seats in the back and did an acoustic song from there. The people sitting there were losing their minds!!! Chris was quite charming throughout the whole concert and it was an excellent show!!

Second: Our Thanksgiving Trauma was that our oldest daughter was hopping on the pogo stick when it went into a puddle, she lost traction, fell backwards and hit her head on our sport court-yes, concrete. Ouch! She blacked out and then said she was nauseated and wanted to sleep. Uh oh. So the husband took her to Urgent Care who quickly sent him to an ER. She got x-rays and a CAT-scan and everything is fine except for the bump on her head and raging headache. We know how to have fun!!

Lastly, was our witnessing of "Polar Bearing". See video for all the explanation you need. FYI: the temperature of the pool is 55 degrees!!

Fall Recital 2008

2008-11-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

The girls played in their 5th piano recital last night. They have been playing for 3 years and are really blossoming into great musicians!! They played their songs flawlessly and were very focused, even when a small boy started screaming and crying during my oldest daughters piece. Yikes!! They like getting all dressed up and playing for people. Bravo girls!! Bravo!!

Diva in the making

2008-11-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

The other day my youngest daughter asked me:

"Mom. What is the difference between a shoulder bag, a hand bag and a clutch??"
A girl needs to know these things!!

My new obsessions!!

2008-11-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

During the campaigning I got sick of seeing him and McCain. But I must say now that he is president, I think I have a bit of a crush on him!!
These are truly sublime!! They are crispy and salty and healthier than you average chip or cracker. They are great with hummus. I can't get enough!!
Okay a pretzel, smothered in peanut butter, drizzled with caramel, then covered with chocolate? Oh and throw in a few peanuts for good measure. I mean what is not to like??
I am normally neutral when it comes to cleaning products but I just got this vacuum and I must say, it really SUCKS!!! I love it. How did I live without it???

Movies I've seen: A list

2008-11-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have been tagged by Dr. Write to create an alphabetical list of my favorite movies or movies I have seen. As it turns out, most of these are my favorite. Here they are:

August Rush
Big Chill
Casablanca
Dirty Dancing
Ella Enchanted
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Good Will Hunting
High Fidelity
Ironman
Jumanji
Knocked Up
Legally Blonde
Memento
Nim's Island
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Pride and Prejudice
Quantum Leap
Ratatouille
Say Anything
Truman Show
Uptown Girls
Vanilla Sky
When Harry Met Sally
X-Files (the first one)
You've Got Mail
Zoolander

Whew!!! I did it.

Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

The flag my youngest daughter colored.

The girls and I trying to take our own Veteran's Day picture. Notice the flag??
And again....we tried about 4 times. It is harder than it looks people.

Our family would like to say a big THANK YOU to all the past, present and future veterans. We hope that everyday, not just Veteran's Day, you feel loved and appreciated.

Cheers to you!!!

Geologist humor!

2008-11-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

My husband, a geologist, thinks is one of the funniest things ever. I thought I would share it with you. Notice what the geologist is wearing and how he looks a lot like my stepdad(also a geologist)...

Oxford is annoyed and you should be too.

2008-11-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

Below is the list of Oxford's top ten most annoying phrases.

1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science

I know I have some but I can't think of them right now. What sayings/phrases annoy you??

Butterscotch Bear and a letter.

2008-11-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

This week was my youngest daughter's turn to be Student of the Week. What does that mean? you might ask. Well the most important thing it means is that she got to bring home the class bear: Butterscotch. It was very exciting because he got to go trick-or-treating with us and everything. She took him everywhere. He is really quite tired now. After school today she gave her sister a letter she wrote. This is what it said:

Dear Sissy,
You are the best sister in the Holl intiyer WORLD!!!! (this is just how she spelled and punctuated everything).

How cute is that??

Geez Mom!

2008-11-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

Today while I was helping my youngest daughter complete a class project, my oldest daughter came in. She saw a picture of something we were working on and said:
"Geez, what is up with that?"
To which I was beginning to respond:"Well dear-" she quickly interrupted me and said:
"Mom. That was a rhetorical question. I didn't actually expect an answer."

Oh, my bad!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

The girls with gma and gpa(aka The Mad Scientist). Don't you love the severed hand?

A house divided. Go SunDevils.(She went as a cheerleader!) Go Wildcats. (She went as her dad!)
The friends. See Madonna on the end?? She looked so much like her, it was scary!! Sorry about the darkness. I was having issues with my camera. I'm sure it was my fault!
My youngest daughter's pumpkin.

My oldest daughter's pumpkin. Her classroom theme is "The Island" so she carved waves and a palm tree. Cute!!

As you can see, Halloween was a success. By success I mean they kids got candy and the parents got to hang out and drink together. Yea!! The weather was perfect. There was a nice breeze so it wasn't too hot or too cold. I am glad it is over. Now there is Thanksgiving to think about, and finals, and then Christmas. I guess it is always something. I hope you all had lots of fun!!!

Tinker Bell and Pumpkins

2008-10-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

The release of the movie Tinker Bell has been a heavily anticipated event in my house. So to celebrate its release yesterday, I hosted a premiere today. In case you don't know, fairies like to eat "Pigs in a Blanket", fresh pineapple, chocolate chip cookies, candy corn and popcorn!! The movie was lots of fun. After that, we had to carve Pumpkins for the annual Pumpkin Walk tomorrow at school. I think they turned out pretty cute. I probably have carpel tunnel but hey, the kids are happy. I can't believe Halloween is in two days. What??? Well Happy Halloween.

Big Words and Knitting-but not necessarily in that order.

2008-10-27T22:12:00.001-07:00

My mother is teaching my daughters to knit. Yes! Knit!! Here is a picture of the dish cloth my oldest just finished for me. Isn't it great? I think so! After giving it to me she said: "Mom. I feel so exhilarated giving you that dish cloth." (She recently received a free dictionary from school and has been reading it every night!) Some other new and exciting words she has been saying lately:

"Mom. Dinosaur bones are archaic." Then: "Mom. You are ludicrous!" And finally, to her sister: "Hey. You are a lunatic."

I wonder what audacious sentiments she will be enunciating next. :)

HSM3

2008-10-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well I took the girls to see High School Musical 3 tonight. Yes on opening night. I was expecting a massive throng of tweens and teens crowding into the theater, fighting for the best seat. But alas, to my great relief, the theater was not crowded, there were plenty of seats and I did not have to sit next to some prepubescent teen who shrieked every time Zac Efron came on the screen. It was very cute and sweet and I will probably be singing those songs the rest of the weekend. It was good- but it was no Grease. Of that, you can be sure!!

A recent conversation

2008-10-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

The other day I had to take my youngest to the doctor. We were sitting in the exam room and this was our conversation:

Daughter: "Mom. I want to be a doctor. But not a boob doctor."
Me: "Did you just say boob doctor?"
Daughter: "Yea. You know. A doctor that delivers babies. I just want to look in noses and mouths with that stuff."

Ahh. Hilarious!

Amazing Jakes!!

2008-10-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

To top off the great fall break we have had, the girls and I went to Amazing Jake's.(check it out, it is pretty cool!) I took some cute pictures but not with my camera- with my phone and well, I did not get my phone because of its ability to take pictures so they aren't that great. But trust me, we had a blast!! The best thing about it is that everything is inside. So the girls rode rides, played mini-golf, went bowling, ate, rode more rides, ate some more....you get the idea. All and all it has been a great break. I can't believe it has been a week already!!! Hope you are all having an enjoyable fall so far. It is only supposed to be in the 70's tomorrow. Yes! I think fall might actually, finally be here.

Create your own Obama quote

2008-10-08T10:27:00.001-07:00

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

"You know, there's a lot of talk in this country about cloudiness. Well I think Americans are tired of the same old homelessness. Ordinary Americans believe in education, they want less
meth addicts, they just aren't sure if their leaders believe in sunshine."
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

Brr!!???

2008-10-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter's friend had a birthday party at the ice skating rink. Oh what fun!! Since I have only been ice skating oh, twice in my whole life, I was expecting disaster. But it was easier than I thought. I didn't even fall down. For us, it was all about clothes. We actually got to wear boots and hats and jackets at the same time!!! It was a nice break from the sun and heat and we all had loads of fun!!!

Watch this please!!

2008-10-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

My baby is 7!!

2008-09-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

The birthday princess with her crown and wand. All bow to the princess!!
This is their "But mom we HAVE to do a funny face picture!" picture.
Miss E said "Mom, I want to use that layered plate thing. It's fancy." Here is the royal feast.

All the princesses are in attendance.

Bling from Grandma. Notice that the necklace is the Eiffel Tower. She is obsessed with all things French and blingy. Grandma is all too happy to oblige.

Yes it is hard to believe but Miss E turned 7 today!! It has been a big, busy, birthday weekend. Her party was a success. She is fantastic, wonderful, intelligent, lovely, beautiful, etc. We are so glad she fought so hard when she was born to stay in this world because I know it is a brighter place with her in it. We love her. Kisses and hugs to our big girl.

Happy 40th!!

2008-09-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

Wayne: The Chris Farley years!!!!

My mom and me: Peace!!
The birthday boy. Doesn't look a day over 29.

The whole family.

Yesterday was Wayne's 40th birthday. We had a "choose your decade" costume party. Many people released their inner hippy. My look was inspired by Cher. Not the chap wearing, body revealing Cher of the 80's but rather the fully clothed bell bottom wearing Cher of the 60's.(Everyone was thankful for that!!) We all had lots of fun and the husband said it was his best birthday party ever. Of course, I think it was actually the only real birthday party he has ever had (I can give you that sob story at another time) but still, it was pretty fun. Happy Birthday dear. I love you!!

FUNNY!!!

2008-09-14T14:48:00.001-07:00

Finding our center

2008-09-11T20:28:00.001-07:00

If I have learned anything during my short time as a mother of two girls it is that it is not effective to ask them why they are crying. First of all, they probably don't know. Secondly, even if they do know, it probably won't make sense anyway. When they are crying or are just generally upset I say to them in my very calm yoga voice:
"Girls. Let's breathe." (We inhale, we exhale).
Then holding my hands together in front of me, palm to palm, I say: "Now, let's find our center."(There is a moment of silence).
Well they usually stop crying or whatever it was they were doing. I don't know if they actually find their center or are just trying to figure out what the heck I am talking about.
So, the other day my oldest was on her bed crying a little bit. She looked at me and said: "Mom.(sniff)I think I need (sniff). To find(sniff). My center (sniff).
She inhaled, she exhaled and then patted herself on the chest, looked at me and said. "Okay I feel better now."
Who knew???

Happy Grandparents Day!!!

2008-09-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

The girls making the bouquets with their good friend Raeleigh.

The one on the left went to gma and gpa and the one on the right went to Gigi.

Gma and the girls with the flowers!!

For grandparents day, a local florists held an event where a child could come and make a bouquet for his/her grandparents and for each bouquet made, the florists made one and donated it to a local nursing home for people with Alzheimer's. The girls each made one, one for grandma and grandpa and one for Gigi. They had fun and the grandparents loved them!! A big happy grandparents day to all the grandparents out there!!!

The girl has her priorites straight!!

2008-08-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

For a class assignment, my oldest daughter was to draw a picture of her community and include the important places.
Home: check
School: check
Park: check
Target:???yes-check.

And that is it. No library. No bookstore. No grocery store. I give her this, the girl knows what's important. I'd give her an A.

Telltale signs you live with children.

2008-08-14T20:43:00.001-07:00

1. You find stickers in random places, like the bottom of your shoe, the middle of the kitchen floor or stuck randomly to bedroom doors.
2. You spend some morning untangling necklaces and many evenings braiding Barbie's hair.
3.While vacuuming you find itty bitty Polly Pocket shoes and tops buried in the carpet.
4.You open up your cell phone to find that your wallpaper has been changed as well as a ring tone or two.
5. You know most of the words to more than 2 recent Disney movies.
6. You find yourself singing songs from afore mentioned movies when your children aren't even around.
7. Hannah Montana songs are on your iPod.

I am sure they are many, many more....

Funny conversation with daughters

2008-08-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, while in the bathtub, my oldest daughter said "Mom, can you say touche to yourself?" to which I replied a very intelligent "Huh?"
Daughter: You know, you say touche when someone makes a better point."
Me: Yes. I know what it means.
Daughter: So, can you say it to yourself?
Me: Why?
Daughter: Because I was talking to myself and I made a point and then I made an even better point.
Me: Sure honey. If it's just you, I guess you can do what you want.
Daughter: Oh, okay. Good.

Then a few days ago, after we had gone back to school shopping we were all sitting down eating lunch when my youngest daughter said: "Mom. I love shopping." My mother asked her "Would you like it if all you did was just look around and you didn't buy anything?" She did not need to think about her answer. She answered very emphatically "No!"

Oh boy!!!

First day of school!!

2008-08-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, believe it or not, today was the first day of school. The girls were so excited. It all went very well. They were darling, of course. Notice that they chose the same outfit for the first day. They love to match! I can't believe they are in 3rd and 1st already. The reported that they had a great day and that it will be a great year. Only 179 days to go. (Just kidding!!!) :)

John Mayer

2008-07-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Wayne and I went to see John Mayer again this year and it was, of course, fabulous. It is interesting to observe our concert watching skills because they are, well, very different.
Let me give you an example of the conversations we had:

(Crowd is going wild, house lights dim, stage lights flashing)

Me: Is that John Mayer?
W: Hey, what guitar is that?

(Spotlight shines on John and crowd goes wild).

Me: Oh my gosh! He shaved his head!
W: Sweet. Look at that guitar.
Me: Ugh. Look at that arm tattoo.
W: Oh man. Do you see that amp he is using?
Me: What kind of funky pants is he wearing?
W: Yea. That guitar is so great. It is a (blah, blah, blah).

Pretty funny. Some of my favorite parts were:

1) When he sang Stitched Up. I love that song,
2) When he played his version of Guns and Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine" and imitated Axl. Pretty hilarious.
3) The group of teenage girls next to us. One of them said "Oh my gosh, he looked at us!"(of course we were a few rows back and there isn't any way he even saw them) and then as a group: "John Mayer is sexy!" They were pretty cute.

Rock on!!!

In the Pines, In the Pines...

2008-07-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from Pinetop/Lakeside where we spent a week with the parental units and Dr. Write, Middlebrow and Son. It was a fabulous time with fabulous weather. I have some wounds that are still healing, but that is a story for another time. It was hard coming back to the heat but, unbelievably, school starts in one week so I gotta get in gear.

The cousins, ready for fishin!

Ready for the cover of Fisherman's World.

The cousins chillin' at the playground.
We ate here. I don't know how I feel about eating at a place where the mascot is a big fat pig but it was some of the best BBQ I have ever had and I shared a plate, so there is that. We are all excited here that school is starting soon. I will try to make this week drag on.....

Has anyone seen my shoes??

2008-07-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

One of the girls' favorite thing to do is dress up in my clothes. Here are a few of their latest outfits.

The black shoes are the ones I wear when I clean the counter!!

Dressed like me and the hubby. Lookin' good!

A grumpy old man and a fancy lady??
What will they put on next??

How I became invisible in Iowa and then began to drown in Arizona.

2008-07-13T18:53:00.001-07:00

The best burgers and ice cream in town!!

Taken at Eleanor's burial site. Beautiful.

All of us and Grandpa George.

The girls, some kittens, and their cousin Morgan.

The barn that Wayne worked on. It is coming along!!

We have returned from Iowa and I think I ceased to exist the minute I arrived. Let me make a list of the things I did NOT have in Iowa:
1) Cell phone service
2) Email
3) Internet (okay to be fair I did have dial up but that is the same as not having it all, right?)
4) Stores

Wow! I did not know I could survive a whole week without all of that. However, here is a list of the things I DID have:
1) Family
2) Friends
3) Beer (see #1 and 2)
4) Laughter/Tears
5) Bugs

So when I "reappeared" in Arizona, the monsoons started and it rained, HARD, for about 3o minutes. (I don't have any pictures of that.)The streets were flooded and the temperature dropped to 75. Wow. What a crazy, crazy week. The above pictures are from our trip. Thanks to all of our Iowa family for making us feel at home. We love you all!!

In Memory Of....

2008-07-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Wayne's stepmother, Margaret Eleanor (Hamman) Harrison passed away today. She was 80 years old. I dedicate this post to her. She was a gentle, loving person and she will be dearly missed. Enjoy these pictures of her. They were taken two years ago when we went to visit them out at the farm. Our family is headed off to Iowa to attend her memorial. Rest in Peace Eleanor.

Joe Bonamassa

2008-06-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

Wayne and I went to Joe Bonamassa's concert. (For a guitar solo, go to about 2:45 on the video that comes up on the above link. It is of him singing Sloe Gin-FYI my favorite songs are Asking Around for You and High Water Everywhere.) If you have ever played guitar, touched a guitar or heard a guitar (and guitar hero does NOT count) than you have to hear this guy play. He is amazing. He toured with BB King when he was 12. I mean really. It is almost like a religious experience, hearing him play live. We saw him at the Tempe Center for the Arts which is an architectural wonder. The whole thing was fabulous and if you ever get a chance to hear Joe in concert, go. You will be a better person.

Hot, not that I'm complaining.

2008-06-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

I got into my car and the thermometer said 100 degrees. Now that would be okay if it were in the middle of the day but it was 9:30 at night. That's right, night. Now some of you people might need the sun to actually make it hot. But not us......I mean come on. How can it still be so freaking hot when there isn't any sunshine???? Are you kidding me? I can take 100 during the day cause I blame it on the HOT SUN. I saw a man jogging tonight too. Jogging?? Why wait?? So you can be hot and not be able to see anything?? It really is unbelievable. Now mind you, this same thing happened last year, and the year before that and chances are it will happen next year. But every year I am just amazed that it can stay so blazing hot without the sun. But time will pass, winter will come, it will be in the 70's and I will probably forget this little tirade until, well, about a year from now. I hope you are all enjoying cool summer evenings. And by cool I mean NOT 100.

Recent conversations with the girls

2008-06-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

(In Costco)
S: Mom, I can't go to college. I don't even know how to divide yet.
Me: Well honey you wouldn't go now. You have about 10 years. I'm pretty sure you'll know by then.
E: Yea mom I can't go either. I barely know how to add and subtract.
Me: Dear, you have about 12 years. I wouldn't worry about it.
Both: Hey mom, get those chips!!!

(In the car-sometime later)
S: Mom. A kid in my class told me that sex was when a boy and girl kiss in bed. Is that true??
Me: Um. Yea...
S: Mom, that. is. disgusting!!
Me: Um. Okay...
S: Oh, turn up this song!!

Never a dull moment.

So long Socal

2008-06-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

The girls with their friends Natalie and Tiffany.

Girls Night Out: Tamara, Dorothy and me!!

The girls with their friends Allison, Kristen and Lauren.

Well we are back home from CA. We had a great time but we were all extremely exhausted. It was great to spend time with my friends and for the girls to be able to spend time with their friends. Now we need a vacation from our vacation.

Laguna Beach

2008-06-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

My daughters and I are currently on our annual California summer trip. We went to the beach the other day and, even though I am not a beach person, it was a wonderful day. The weather was perfect and the girls thoroughly enjoyed body surfing and going to the tide pools. It was a great break from the hot desert. Surfs up!!!

Mt. Lemmon

2008-06-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

We took the girls down to Tucson to go camping for the weekend. Thank goodness because it was 109 in Phx but only 75 on top of the mountain. It is 111 here right now-it feels like hell, I am not joking. I am glad we were able to get away and cool off, at least for a few days. We took the girls to Lemmon rock, where their father and I had one of our very first dates (awww). Anyway, we all had fun. Enjoy the pics.

Misc. Etc. Whatever

2008-05-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

I have not been good about posting pictures of the girls' life events so I thought I would post them together here.

The singing program of Mary Poppins songs.

The girls right before their piano recital. They both memorized their songs and are becoming quite the piano players!

Miss E's Kindergarten graduation. This is her teacher. She put together a very sweet program. My babies are growing up!

My Uncle Paul was in town and had rented a Mustang convertible. My daughters LOVE these so he took us all for a ride. They loved it!! Thanks Paul.
Here they are swimming at the pool at our gym. It is a great pool and they have lots of fun. We will go here a lot over the summer.

It's Been Awhile

2008-05-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

Since my last post lots has happened. We celebrated mother's day :) , I finished my third year in the program, wrote a paper, graded papers, tried to get organized and helped my daughters say goodbye to another school year. That's right, yesterday was their last day. Now they are 1st and 3rd graders. Hard to believe. We have been busy busy so we are glad it is over, at least for awhile. It was 113 here on Monday and yesterday it rained and was about 75. Today it is cool and cloudy. Weird!! I am not going to complain though because the triple digits will be back soon. I hope everyone has a fun summer. I know I will.

Ouch!!

2008-05-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

What are those pictures of? You might ask. Well before I explain, let me start by saying that there are not many disadvantages to living by a golf course. But there is one. Sucky golfers!! Those pictures are what happened today when some really bad golfer hit our door. Now why does he/she have to be bad?? Well our house is basically right at the tee box so to hit our door the ball would have had to fly either straight out from or behind the person hitting a ball. Now I am all for golfing but if you suck, please find another hobby. :) Just another day in paradise!!!

Things I love!!

2008-05-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

My dog Bailey!!

My youngest daughter and her unique style.

My oldest daughter-I especially love them when they read!

My super husband.

This one speaks for itself.

Since I have spent the last few days doing and thinking about things I hate-writing papers about random and obscure educational theory and getting work done on my car-I thought I would post pictures about some of the things I love. Other things I love that I don't have pictures for are: chips and salsa(all Mexican food really), pedicures, massages, chocolate and doing nothing and/or reading by the pool. Yes, I do also love the rest of my family like my parents and my sisters, of course. How could I forget them??? What do YOU love??

Cute!!

2008-04-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

After school today my oldest daughter said: "Mom. Dad works hard every day. We should make him a big banner." So, that is what we did. It turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. How sweet is that??

Eddie!!

2008-04-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

What exactly are these pictures of? You might ask.. Well one of my oldest daughter's friends-I'll call her Alice, is Eddie Vedder's(of Pearl Jam) first cousin. How? Well Alice's dad is Eddie's uncle because he and Eddie's mom are brother and sister. Confused??? Well anyway, he was in town and Alice's mom and dad, knowing how much of a fan the hubby is, offered to have him sign this cover that we have hanging in our music room. How cool is that!?!?!?!?! . Sweet. Rock on Eddie. Rock on.

Skateboarding

2008-04-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well since the skateboard/skate park were such a big hit we went and bought another one. Now they both have boards. When we got to the park a couple young boys saw the girls' boards and said: "Let me look at your deck. That's sweet." and "That's cool."
Needless to say, this helped them feel cool enough to go in. They had fun! I think Dad wants one now...well they are cheaper than a sports car!!

Wheels

2008-04-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Both girls got new sets of wheels. One got a scooter and the other, a skateboard. I took these pictures because:

a) I have a camera.
b) They are so darn cute! and
c) I have come to the sad realization that they are, in fact, growing up way too fast and I want to be sure I capture as much as I can.

They went to the skate park with dad to try them out. They had a blast, scrapes and all.

Again, but last.

2008-04-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

A present my daughter made me in art class. Love it!

The birthday girls!!

Me and Gigi (my daughter's great grandma)

Me and mom

Me and the hubby.

Okay I promise this is the last birthday post. Really. We both had a fabulous day. We thank everyone for their cards and calls etc. These pics were taken last night at my mother's house. We gathered after dinner at Nello's (yum) for rhubarb crisp and presents. Hard to believe I have an 8 year old daughter. Time sure does fly.

Birthday part deux

2008-04-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

The great thing about birthdays, at least around here, is that they last all week. We have calls coming in, cards being sent and presents being delivered. Our daughter told us last week that one of the things she wanted for her birthday was to go golfing with dad...how cool is that. So, Dad bought her a set of Jr. clubs and they hit the links on Sunday. The report was that she had the game of her life. Dad wasn't so lucky. She also said she wants breakfast in bed. I think I can swing that. Oh and I hope you all got your taxes in. If you did, join us in our celebrating! Happy birthday, again.

Happy Birthday Miss S.

2008-04-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Next week my daughter and I have a birthday. Tonight she is having a slumber party. She picked out the cutest table decorations. Yes, children of the 80's that is paisley!! They had a water balloon fight, played Twister, ate pizza and a cookie cake(yum). They also danced, sang and watched 101 Dalmatians. For breakfast we are having donuts and bacon. The breakfast of champions. It has been lots of fun. I can't believe she will 8. Where did the time go?? I almost forget it is my birthday except that I still turn a year older. If I don't celebrate will it still happen?? Anyway hugs and kisses to our dear daughter. Enjoy the pictures.

2008-03-29T16:38:00.001-07:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

I hope the Easter Bunny was good to all of you. We went to church last night and then out to dinner-we had sushi. Yum!! Hope you all had a fun and relaxing day. I am trying to relax today because I leave for NYC tomorrow. YIPEEEE!!!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day

2008-03-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

I hope you wore green and rubbed an Irish person for luck. Well I don't know if rubbing an Irish person would be lucky but it might be fun!! It is a big day in my house for sure. No green and you will be pinched. Or worse. I hope everyone had at least one beer or some other type of libation to celebrate. Even if you don't really care, it is always good to have a drink. ERIN GO BRAGH!!!

Losing my mommy card???

2008-03-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago the girls were fighting. I mean really physically fighting. For the first time. It was close to bedtime and here is part of our conversation:

Me: Ok girls. When you make bad choices then you get consequences. It is NOT okay to hurt each other. So as a consequence I am not reading to you tonight.
(dramatic pause)
D#2: (2 big deep dramatic sighs)But mooommmmyyy I have bad dreams if you don't read to me.
D#1: Me too Mom. Don't take away a story. Can't you take away our Wii or our Gameboys? Yea take away our Gameboys.
Me: But if you WANT me to take it away then it isn't a very good consequence is it??
Both girls: But moooommmmyyy(serious crying)....

It was rough night. But I ask you-what kind of a mother takes away reading??? What the heck?? I know it is what they love the most at night but geez as a mother and a teacher I can scarcely believe it myself. I think I am seriously in danger of losing my mommy card. But, it did the trick, at least so far. Oh and they did NOT have bad dreams. This is good because I don't think my conscience could have taken that.

Read Across America

2008-03-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

In honor of Dr. Seuss, the girls' school had Read Across America Day. All the students were encouraged to dress up as a character from one of their favorite books. My oldest went as Katie Kazoo from the series: Katie Kazoo, Switheroo and my youngest went as the Cat in the Hat. They are darling aren't they??? Read, read, read!!!!

A million miles away

2008-02-19T17:52:00.000-08:00

Taken from our balcony.

The happy couple.

Inside the lobby.
Balcony at night!

The hubby and I went here to celebrate our anniversary. It was quite beautiful. We ate at their 5 star restuarant Kai-spectacular!! Here are a few pictures of our adventure. It was only 10 minutes from our house but it felt like we were a million miles away.

Anniversary and Valentine week!!

2008-02-15T12:36:00.000-08:00

What a great and crazy week this has been. On Tuesday the hubby and I celebrated our 14th anniversary. That's right, 14!!! He gave me beautiful roses and chocolate. I mean really what else could I want. I think I will keep him around for a few more years. :) I had lots of fun helping my oldest daughter make a Valentine box. Remember that?? I probably had more fun than her. Of course both girls got loads of cards and candy from their friends and teachers. Above is a picture of the box and of the flowers. My favorite part of the week was getting a hand made anniversary card from our oldest daughter. Here is what it said:
Happy Aniversery! (Inside) Great Job! Keep it up! 14 years?! WOW! From your very excited daughter. How sweet. A little encouragement never hurts!

Funny!!

2008-02-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

Super Tuesday??

2008-02-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Since I am a registered Independent, yes that's right, I can't vote here in AZ. So I sat on my couch, with a beer, and watched the results of everyone else's votes. My hubby and I were telling the girls who the candidates were. Here is a conversation I had with my oldest daughter:
Daughter (pointing to a picture):Who's that?"
Me: "Oh that is Hillary Clinton."
Daughter: "A girl?"
Me: "Yes"
Daughter: "Oh come one mom. You know a girl should run the country. Come on."
Me: silence
Daugther: Well?
Me: "Well it's just that.....you see I....it's like....(daughters look like they might cry).Yes I think that it would be great if a woman ran the country."

You know this parenting thing would be a LOT easier if life wasn't so complicated.....

Cool!

2008-02-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

I mean that both literally and well, not. What is that a picture of you might ask. It's frost!! Why did I take a picture of frost? Well frost isn't a big deal this time of year most places but it is the first time we had frozen water here!! My daughters had to feel the ground. I heard people talking about how they had a bit of frost on their windows and how cold it is. Okay I won't say cold but 35 is chilly. For sure. Of course I heard the high this weekend is supposed to be in the 70's so whatever. I knew it wouldn't last which is why I had to take a picture of it. Oh and Happy Super Tuesday!!!

FBR Baby!!

2008-01-31T18:42:00.000-08:00

As most of you might have heard things are bit crazy out here- with the Super Bowl and FBR happening at the same time and all. The husband even talked to a guy at the gym who is planning a big party that Pamela Anderson is going to. The tickets are $2000.00. YIKES. I mean really who would pay that to see Pam??? Just so we aren't totally lame- today the hubby and I went to the FBR open. I don't have pictures because cameras and cell phones were not allowed. Really. I wish the man that was standing behind us at one hole talking on his cell phone and smoking a cigar would have paid attention to that little rule. So obnoxious. Besides that we had a fabulous time. The highlights?? Seeing Phil Mickelson. I heart him. He is a former Sun Devil and he golfs left handed. What is not to love?? Also seeing Vijay Singh, Fred Couples, Aaron Baddeley(who won last year) and seeing 3 or 4 birdie puts. All in all a great time. If you are ever here during the FBR I highly recommend it. But leave your cell phone at home!!

Love is in the air

2008-01-26T21:08:00.001-08:00

Well I was tagged by Dr. Write to make a list of things I love. This is pretty easy for me. I love love. I am pretty sappy when it comes to love but I will try not to make it too sentimental. Okay here it goes:

1) I love food. Mostly food that I know I shouldn't and that I don't really want people to know I eat like french fries and potato chips. Or really bad for you cereal like Cap'n Crunch or Lucky Charms!! I don't eat these things often but when I do I totally love it!!
2)I love romantic comedies. I just love to get sucked into a good love story. And yes I usually know how it is going to end before it even begins but that is what I love. I don't even really care who is in it I just love them. I don't get critics who waste time reviewing them. I mean what is the point? They usually say things like: It was too predictable (well yea) or it was unoriginal (duh). I always wonder what they expect when they go watch movies with titles like "You've Got Mail" or "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." Really people. Come on.
3)I love the sun. Yes I know I better love it but I really love feeling the sun on my skin. It feels better when it is a nice 75 out instead of a sweltering 120 but I must say I like laying out(with sunscreen on of course) and just feeling the warmth. Also it is a good excuse to drink Margaritas!!
4)I love my family. I know-Ahh!! We all went out to lunch today and my youngest says:"I love being in this family." How cute is that? I mean what else can I say??
5)I love my DVR. I don't know how I could live without it. Watch a commercial? Please. I also really hate it when it doesn't record a show it was supposed to but I only feel that way because I really really love it.
Okay that does it for now until I think of everything I forgot.

A letter

2008-01-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

Here are the contents of a letter my oldest daughter gave to my husband and me:

Dear Mom and Dad, I love you. You are the best. I'm so glad to have you two. I love you so so so so so so so much! I'm so so glad you give me apurtunitis (her spelling :) ) to do things. I'm lucky to have you two. Yours truly

Okay if that isn't the sweetest thing! I'm saving it in case I need it later-when she's a teenager.

Also I had to take her to the doctor for something, which turned out to be nothing and in the car on the way back to school she said: "Mom, call Dad and tell him it's just puberty." Hilarious!!!

The End is Near

2008-01-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I go to class in the morning, I teach a class in the afternoon and then I go to class again in the evening. Nothing like hitting the ground running....I am tired already just thinking about it. Today was a great way to end it-Grandpa was in from Idaho and dropped by to say hello. He played the Wii and drew pictures with sidewalk chalk. We had lots of fun!! But alas, it must come to an end.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!!

2008-01-09T19:32:00.001-08:00

This is what I do when I don't want to work. I procrastinate. I blog. I read ratemyprofessor.com (funny). I clean(this is the last resort). So since I am in the procrastinating mood, I thought I would show these pictures of my girls after a mud fight in the backyard. We had just had a full day of rain (yea weather!) and the girls decided to go play in the mud. When they came to the back door I saw them. I started to speak and my oldest said: "Mom. Don't get mad. We are kids. Don't you want us to have fun and enjoy life." Yes. Indeed. So I threw them in the tub and their clothes in the washer. Everyone and everything is clean and they had fun. I am off to do school work. Or clean. Or both. Or neither.

New Years Fun!!

2008-01-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

My oldest sister and her two kids were in town from Michigan. One day we went to the Biltmore so they could all swim and go down the water slide. They have a life-sized chess board there. The girls played a bit and then decided that playing hopscotch with the checkers was more fun. Here they are being real life models at the Gap. When she put on the green hat my daughter said "Hey mom, I'm a hip hop dancer." Then we started singing Will.i.am's song "Where'd you get your body from."
School starts for them tomorrow-unbelievable! Happy 2008!!!

Resolutions???

2008-01-01T21:57:00.001-08:00

Because it is New Years Day I think I need, like many others have done, to make some resolutions. Of course the only resolution I ever really kept was the one I made last year which was not to make any resolutions. That is always a good one but here are a few others I might consider:

1)Spend more time outside(this only applies to Jan-Apr or May).
2)Walk Bailey everyday-this actually is the same as #1 really.
3)Get another year older-of course since my daughter was born on my birthday 8 (almost) years ago I haven't actually had a bday since then so I am not sure I will age this year either but maybe.
4)Survive the PhD program one more year. This is actually harder than it sounds. If I did age this would definitely speed up the process.
5)Say Yes when I can and No when I should....this too is harder than it sounds and made even more difficult with children.

That is it-for now. I hope you all enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season. Happy New Year!!

Christmas pics. etc.

2007-12-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

The Friday before Christmas my youngest daughter had a fever of 103. A few days later, my other daughter started feeling bad. I kept them inside. On Christmas morning, my oldest had bright red cheeks, a fever and a tummy ache. She even let her sister open the last few presents. Now I know she is sick if she does that. They haven't been sick all year. Yes that's right. All year so when do they get sick?? On the one day you don't want to be!! Then the next day, I did not feel well. Today is the first day the girls have left the house in a week. I think we are all on the mend. Geez. Despite all of this, Christmas was a huge success. I have included a picture of the girls with their Polly Pocket race track, yes it is called Race to the Mall. It is very cute. They love it.They are also in some fetching dresses but I forgot to get a picture of them but trust me, they were cute!! Next is a picture of the race track put together. It was not easy and may stay on my tile floor for months just so I don't have to put it together again. I swear you need a degree just to put those freaking things together. There is a picture of the post-Christmas mess. It is clean now but it was not easy. And some other pictures of the girls. I love Christmas and am always a bit sad when it is over. The big hit was the Wii which we have already spent way too much time playing. Oh and the girls are better than me and will probably always be. It is very humbling. I like to play when they are asleep. Hope Santa was good to all of you and Happy New Year!!!

She is 7 going on 17...I need help!!!

2007-12-24T07:23:00.001-08:00

We were all listening to the Christmas songs on the radio and my oldest daughter asked:"Mom, is this Bing Crosby's rendition of White Christmas?"
I replied:"Umm yea"
Then she addes: "Rendition means version mom."
"Yea, I know what it means I just didn't know you did."
"Oh yea mom. And I like Bing Crosby better then the new singers. He draws his notes out. It's nice." (She's my hero). Then later, while riding in the back of the truck she says:
"Mom if I had an iphone I could be on the internet right now."
This relates to something she said last week: "Mom, I want a cell phone."
To which I replied:"But you don't like talking on the phone."
She said:"Oh I don't want to talk on it mom, I just want one because they are cool!"

Well at least she doesn't like the phone. I am hoping she follows in the footsteps of her auntie, Dr.Write and continues her aversion into adulthood. Merry Christmas and I hope Santa is good to all of you this year!!!

Snow day....in AZ!!!

2007-12-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

Now to most people having a snow day means there is no school. But here in AZ having a snow day means the snow is brought to the school. That's right for just $100.00 a ton, snow can be made and blown onto the playground out here in sunny Phoenix. I must say all the kids really loved it. There wasn't much and to those of you that have more than enough snow I am sure it seems like craziness. But this is AZ and many of these kids have never even seen snow. Can you imagine??? So here a few pictures of my Nanooks of the North in the gloves that they get to wear once a year-and this was it!!! I hope all of you are enjoying whatever kind of weather you are having and Merry Christmas!!

Finally!!!!!

2007-12-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

Yea! I am officially done for the semester. Over the weekend I:
1)Posted grades for the classes I am teaching.
2)Finished reading and writing a paper for an online class I am taking.
3)Worked on two papers for another class I am taking.
4)Did research for yet another one of my classes.
5)Put up the Christmas tree.
6)Finished my Christmas cards.
7)Threw a Christmas party(fun!).
8)Went to a play.

Yes well it isn't hard to see what the highlights were and why I am feeling a bit tired right now!! The play we took the girls to see was The Quiltmakers Gift after the book of the same name. It was very well done and held at the Phoenix Art Museum's theater. We had a great time. The pictures above are a couple we took before we went. After the play we went to my mom's where we got to eat Gigi's homemade potato soup and ice cream sundaes for dessert. Yum!! I have just returned from my last class of the semester. Only one more semester of classes to go and then...well I don't want to rain on my own parade so I'll just leave it that. It has been cold here and rainy. We are loving it. I am wearing long sleeves, jeans and shoes that are not flip flops. What a concept. Okay well I am sure everyone is in full holiday mode. Happy Holidays everyone!! Oh and a big Happy Birthday to Dr. Write and Middlebrow. I am a lame sister. I will call tomorrow. I promise.

What I did today.

2007-12-05T20:27:00.001-08:00

I am nearing the end of the semester. Here is a list of what I did today (just because my brain is so fried and I can't think of anything else to write):

1)Walked and saw a dead javelina by the side of the road.
2)Went to Costco (a highlight of my day).
3) Worked on a paper on the computer.
4)Read articles on the computer.
5)Posted a paper for my online class.
6)Picked up girls from school(also a highlight).
7)Read 2 chapters in book for a class tomorrow.
8)Made dinner(and then inhaled some).
9)Worked on paper again.
10)Drank beer.
11)Drank beer.
12)Went to bed.

I am thinking I am pretty much gonna to start it all over again tomorrow. Thank goodness for beer!!