Wheels

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.

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

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.

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.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Happy Easter

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

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???

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

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

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!!

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!!

Super Tuesday??

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!

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!!

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

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

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

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!!

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!!

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???

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.

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!!!

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!!!

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!!!!!

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.

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!!

Week from Hell

Okay -did you ever have one of those days? How about one of those weeks? Well this week has been one of those weeks. I mean really- how much can one person take? First, on Monday, I got my car towed on campus. On Tuesday I had get new brakes on the truck, on Wednesday I had to get our house de-termited(apparently they are very common out here and are subterranean so you never ever see them!!). On Thursday I left my computer bag with my laptop AND backup hard drive sitting on the sidewalk-I drove away and forget to put it in my trunk. Fortunately for me it was found by a groundsman and returned to the police department. I also had a really bad allergic reaction to my hair dye and had to go to the dermatologist. Yikes. Today is Saturday and I am really hoping that the weekend will give me time to slough off the bad and channel good. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Wish me luck!!