Happiness is...

... fresh baked muffins and hot cocoa for breakfast. ... dance-a-thons in the living room.

... playing house- in your own house.

... painting 'thank you' cards.

... baths that are long enough that you have to re-fill the tub with warm water... twice. ... read-a-thons at bed time.

....time to enjoy these moments together.

Something I'll Want to Remember

Jared came home late from work last night. We sat up and watched TV for a bit. Around midnight I heard little footsteps in the kitchen. Then little Eva peaked around the corner. She sleepily climbed up onto my lap and told me that she wanted to "nuggle" me. I wasn't about to let little ears snuggle me in the living room with Comedy Central on in the background. I knew that Jared hadn't been sleeping very well, so I didn't want to let her sleep in our bed. I decided to climb into her little twin bed instead. The little one clung to me as I wrapped my arms around her. Apparently I fell asleep right away because the next thing I knew the light was starting to creep into the room. I could feel little eyes on me. I kept my eyes closed, but I smiled. Then I felt the softest little whisper in my ear.... "You are pretty. If I put a rose in your hair, I would call you 'Pretty Rose.'"
Seriously, could she be any cuter?!

If I Don't Have Your E-mail...

Then this is your card this year! :)

Dear Family and Friends...

As you may have noticed, I have not sent out cards this year. (I will start on 2010 next month to make sure I get them out in time, since I have more than enough blank cards waiting. ) We still wanted to send out a quick note to let you know how lucky we feel to have such wonderful people in our lives. We hope that you all have a wonderful (and restful) holiday full of peace, love, joy, and patience.
Here's to 2010 being the best year yet!

Love,
Jared, Lucie, Naiya and Eva

Dear Santa,

All I really want for Christmas is a baby brother. His name will be Cash. He can take all of my toys and I won't cry.... and my candy too. I will hold him. He will be cute.

Love,
Eva


How do I explain to a 3 year old (as she looks up at you with those big eyes) that Santa's elves don't make baby brothers in their toy shop?!

Oh... and all Naiya wants is a kitten. Apparently the guinea pigs did not have the desired effect of satiating her need for a pet.

525,600 Minutes

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how life has changed in the last year. Tonight I took a peek back at what I was writing on my blog a year ago. It made me laugh. I felt bad for not blogging for a couple of days! This year my blog is down right neglected. So much for all of those memories I wanted to write down for my kids. I used to tell myself that I will remember them and write them down later, but I've gotten to the point that I can't remember what I ate for lunch today. Oh well, at least we have health insurance (for when I go crazy ;).

Last December 6th this is what I blogged:

Wanna Help?
Lately I've seen a lot of people asking for ideas of how to help on their blogs. I know that a lot of us are not able to help as much financially as we could in years past.If you are interested in volunteering or helping in some other aspect, here are a few ideas of places you can go/call in Utah:
~ Salvation Army needs volunteers 801-988-4204
~ Eagle Ranch Ministries needs volunteers 801-254-4945
~ To help the United Way visit http://www.uw.org/
~ To volunteer for Toys for Tots (their current staff is only 6 people because of deployments) call 801-583-7318
~ The Crossroads Urban Center needs volunteers call 801-364-7765 or visit http://www.crossroads-u-c.org/ (this is the place that organizes my food co-op, LOVE IT!)
~ Volunteers of America site is at http://www.voaut.org/ or call 801-363-9414 ext 117
~ The Food Bank always needs volunteers and food visit http://www.utahfoodbank.org/ or call 801-978-2452
Also if you want more ideas on ways to help (or if you need help this holiday season), you can dial 211.


I don't know if the information is still accurate this year, (and I really don't have the time to look into it) but I thought it would be helpful just the same. Not to mention that it was a quick way to post a real live blog without much typing and time involved. (This counts right?)

I hope you all are enjoying the magical moments of this holiday season. I know I am.
Oh and BTW... consider this your Christmas card this year. ;)

Words I have heard in the last 5 days... and wish I hadn't

Flu
Croup (again)
Silent Reflux
Irritated Esophagus
Prevacid
Follow-up in 3 months
Nebulizer
Steroids
Follow-up in 1 week
Ear Infection
Burst Ear Drum
Antibiotics
Follow-up in 2 weeks

At least I didn't have to go to work on Friday.... right?
(And, no, I am not sick.... yet.)

Stuff I Haven't Blogged About (in pictures)

I still haven't downloaded my own pictures, but I finally saved all the pictures that my mom has been e-mailing me, so here ya go:

Eva's Birthday (at Neema and Pa's)

HalloweenWe got all ready to trick-or-treat, and Eva started hacking up a lung (she was getting 2 weeks of croup) so we hit a few houses and called it a night.

The Zoo (with Neema)

Neema's Birthday (at Ichiban... mmmmm) First time hitting the slopes this season (with Pa): Apparently the trick is to have them test it out on carpet first. ;) The funniest part is that this is how they rode up the canyon... in the ski's and everything. That way when Pa got them to Alta all he had to do was lift them out of the seats and onto the snow. Always thinkin' ahead, that's Pa!
And this is when you know that they are done.

I miss... (in no particular order)

Time with my kids.
Blogging.
Keeping my house tidy.
Cooking dinner... that doesn't involve a pre-packaged something.
Going to the park with my girls.
Nap time.
Hanging out in pj's.
Eating breakfast.
Reading the newspaper.
Reading.
Play dates.
Saying "Whenever, just let me know what works for you" when scheduling something.
Going to the gym.
Chatting with a friend on the phone in the middle of the day.
Reading friends' blogs.
Snacks.
Having the freedom to offer help to others.
Not having to use hand sanitizer every other minute of the day.
Being able to go to the bathroom whenever I want.
Time (although I didn't realize I had it at the time).
Eating lunch in "peace" (although I didn't realize it was peaceful at the time).


And yet... I'm sure there will be a time in the future when I miss some things the way they are now.

Alive and Kickin'

Alive, busy, stressed, even hectic.... but happy (for the most part)! :)

Hope you all have a Happy Happy Halloween!!!!!

I am the smartest person EVER!

To prove this, ya wanna know what I went and did? I decided that, since I was incredibly overwhelmed with everything I have going on right now, the best thing to get Eva for her birthday last week would be 2 guinea pigs. Notice I haven't blogged since then (even though I had a 4 day weekend for UEA)? Hmmmm...
Some day I will download a photo of the newest members of our family. Their names are Milo and Otis. They are both girls. ;) They are both adorable. The girls love them. That alone makes it totally worth it.

My Personal Tornado

Life is hectic. Lately I feel like I have a little tornado following me everywhere I go. I run through the house picking things up, throwing in a load of laundry/dishes, preparing for our busy mornings... When I'm getting ready to leave in the morning, I am the tornado. Then as soon as I'm sitting still in the car, the tornado is in my head. I run through the check list of things that I was supposed to do or still need to do. It's never ending. Even weekends are a little (way) crazy. This weekend, for example, Jared has gone on his annual boys camping trip. He will be back Sunday afternoon. After school today the girls and I had a work party to go to. Then it was cleaning up and getting the girls to bed. Now I have to grade SAT booklets (which we do by hand) because tomorrow we have my food co-op in the morning (I signed up to do some volunteering before the camping trip came about), as well as the usual Saturday chores. I promised the girls a trip to the park to ride their bicycles and then we will go to Neema and Pa's house. I will put the girls to bed there tomorrow night and , after they are asleep, I will go to my friends house warming party. On Sunday I will be taking the girls to the Circus at 10:00 as part of Eva's birthday celebration. (She will turn 3 on Tuesday.) Jared should come home in the afternoon and then we are off to dinner up at the Chamberlain's. Somewhere in between there I need to get my regular lesson planning and prep done. Did I mention that since it is Eva's birthday she is in charge(I guess I'm really the one in charge) of am and pm snacks for her preschool on Monday and Tuesday (they have different kids on MWF and on T Th). I'm tellin' ya a tornado. Oh.. and tomorrow is our 6th wedding anniversary. My gift to Jared was to let him go on this camping trip. The other guys planned it, and I knew he really wanted to go. I thought maybe I'd start working on our wedding album while he was gone so that he could have a real gift... but maybe lucky number 7 will be the year that I get that done. Speaking of gifts.... what am I going to get Eva for her birthday... and when the crap am I going to go shopping for it??!! I sure do miss the "hectic" of yester-year. No time for "The 12 Days of Christmas" to run through my head any more. I've only been doing this for a month. I know moms (like mine) who have always worked full time. How do they do this month after month, year after year?!

Anatomically Incorrect

The girls drew family pictures in school today. Eva's looked like a bit of a snow storm. In Naiya's we were all naked.... and apparently we were all boys too. I'm sure you get where I'm going with this.

And He Ran...

Another weekend quickly slipped away from me! On Friday night we went camping up in Logan Canyon so that we could watch George run his first Marathon. It was sort of a whirl wind camping trip. By the time Jared got home and we got packed and up to Logan it was 10:30. Then we still had to find a spot and set up the tent! We were officially camping by 11:30 and stayed up until 1:30. (The girls slept in the car but woke up when we stopped to set up camp.) Around 4:30 in the morning I realized that we were about 150 feet from the highway (I woke up thinking we might get run over by a semi!). Fortunately the girls slept until at 7:00. They must have known that that was when George started running because they both just sat up at 6:59. :)
Daddy made eggs over the camp fire for breakfast and I packed up camp. We were out of there by 8:30. Still, Naiya said it was, "The best camp out ever!"
We made it down to see George run his 21st mile of the race and pass him a much needed can of Coke, some Vaseline, and stick of gum. (You'd have to run a marathon to know how good a Coke sounds around the 20th mile.) I got to run a block (or so) with him. That's about all I could have done at his sub 7-minute mile pace.
We also were able to see him finish in 3 hours and 6 minutes. He qualified for the Boston Marathon (which was his goal). He ran his first Marathon about an hour faster than I ran mine (many, many years ago). Way to go George! It must be in our blood though, because it wasn't 5 minutes after George's finish that my mom and I were scoping out the course for next years race. (Until I realized that I have barely enough time to eat and sleep let alone train for a marathon!) ;)
Last night we went to my parents house to watch the BYU game. Well, I didn't watch. I slept. Thank you to mom and dad for taking care of my girls so that I could take a nap and Jared could enjoy the game. You are awesome!
Today I had big aspirations of taking the girls to the last day of the Utah State Fair. It sooo did NOT happen. Some laundry happened. The grocery store happened. An hour long read-a-thon happened. A 2 hour nap for everyone happened. Honestly, the nap alone was better than the Fair could have ever been.
Now I'm getting ready for another week. Lunches are packed. Clothes are set out. Papers are corrected. Monday's lessons are planned and ready to go (minus a few copies that need to be made in the morning). I'm going over the SAT booklet after this.... and then back to my favorite activity of late... sleep. Hope you all had a great weekend!

A Marathon

This last week has been extra, extra busy! Wednesday was the preschool "Back-to-School Night" at our school. Of course I felt it was important to attend as a parent. Yesterday was our first class field trip (a Summer walk). Then, last night, was the elementary school "Back-t0-School Night." It is a time when we, as teachers, prepare 15-20 minute group presentations for the parents of our classes. Then, of course, we answer individual questions or concerns. We do one for our reading class, one for math and one for homeroom. I know that I am teaching all day, but for some reason I always feel extra nervous and intimidated when it's time to talk to a group of adults! It turned out okay, but I talked right up until the bell and didn't get everything covered ( or giving a chance for the social studies teacher to get a word in! ;) Then I always second guess everything. (Yeah... I can be a little insecure, can ya tell?) It was scheduled to run from 6:45 to 9ish. After finishing up, cleaning up, getting things ready for today..... I got home at 10:45. Seriously! Can someone invent a machine that momentarily stops time?!

I must say, however, that I am thankful that cute Jared got the girls to bed, packed lunches for everyone for today, and even did the dishes (that never happens!!). I am also thankful for the caffeine that will keep me going through today because the plan tonight is to go camping up in Logan so that we can be there to cheer for my brother, George's first marathon on Saturday! I feel like I've completed a week long marathon, and now it's his turn to cross the finish line (although I don't think he'll need caffeine to help him to get through his). I've very excited for him to have this experience. All that is left to say is... GO GEORGIE GO!!!!

Some Days

Some days when both girls are finally sleeping I hear a little voice in the back of my head sing. Today by 6:45 both girls were out. I swear the heavens opened up and I heard a whole angelic chorus. ;)

A Child's Prayer

(By Naiya)

"Dear Mother Earth
I am grateful that there is no school today and that the school is closed. I like to stay home on the weekends. I am thankful that some day the school will close forever and I will never have to go to school again. Thank you for Daddy working hard to make money for our family, and thank you that mommy makes us good food to stay healthy.
Amen"

I Can't Leave Eva Out

As I mentioned earlier, today I had a viewing to go to. Although Jared and I had decided that he would stay home with the girls and I would go represent the family, Eva REALLY wanted to come with me. She begged. She pleaded. She promised to be nice and quiet and help to bring joy to my friend (Elissa) who has lost her brother. She brushed her teeth, did her own hair, and put on a dress (with flip flops of course). How can I say no to that? So she came with me. We waited in line and she was wonderful. As we approached the entrance to the main room where the family was greeting visitors, there was a video. A couple of the pictures of my friend and her brother brought tears to my eyes. Cute little Eva asked me to pick her up. She gently wiped the tears from my eyes. Then she leaned in close and gave me a hug and whispered... "Don't worry Mommy, You will see Elissa in just a minute. She's right in there." So sweet! She thought I was sad because I miss my friend. I'm so thankful to have these girls to make the hard times a little bit easier!

Leave it to Naiya

Today was a little rough. I'm still sick. I have to get a bunch of handouts/outlines to turn in tomorrow morning to the principal to review before back-to-school night next week. I have thought about it but haven't had time to type stuff up and get it together yet. Tonight is the viewing of a dear friend's brother (unexpected and tragic). My class was just not in-sync today.... It probably has to do with the fact that I have a lot on my mind and am not in-sync either! After school I was done. It was all I could do to not jump on top of a desk and call out "SIT DOWN! BE QUIET! KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELVES!...." (Fortunately, I refrained.)
My cute girls were tired and GRUMPY after school. :( Eva had an accident in class for the first time this year. I just wanted to crawl under my desk and take a nap.... but I'm glad I didn't. Instead I asked Naiya and Eva what song they sang in school today. Eva was too grumpy to sing, but Naiya thought for a minute and then she said "Can I sing it to you?" Of course!! This is how it went, (there was no real tune when she sang it so you can make up your own as well) "It's okay to have a cat at your house while you are at school. The cat won't be sad. He will be happy when you come home. He will snuggle you. It will make you happy. He might scratch you, but it won't hurt, because you love him and he loves you. It's great to have a pet. A cat is a great pet. Maybe you should get one today!" (Apparently someone really needs a pet.) Leave it to Naiya to brighten the day! :)
Hope it brighten yours a little. I'm off to try to spread a little joy.

A Moment I Wouldn't Trade for Anything

Today, after school, I took the girls out to the school play ground for a little bit so that they could play before we went home. I pushed them on the swings until I was too tired to push any more and then they pushed me (sort of) ;). Then they were off to play on the slides. Between the running back and forth and giggles, Eva calls out, "Naiya!" Naiya responds, "What?" Then my cute Eva says "Naiya, I LOVE you!!!" with a huge smile on her face and all the enthusiasm she could muster. Naiya smiles back and says "I know!" Then they both bust out in a fit of laughter.
I am so grateful to still have time to catch moments like this!

Closing the Gap

Some times I feel like the wife/mother/teacher I would like to be and the wife/mother/teacher I am at that moment are way off. The frustration seeps in and I am out of the zone. The last little bit I feel like I am closing that gap.
I was so worried about where I would find the patience for all of my students and my two little monkeys (who I knew would be worn out at the end of each school day). Although there are times when I feel the patience running thin, for the most part, I have been able to dig deep and find enough to go around.
I was very worried about where I would find the time to pack lunches, set out clothes, shower/become presentable, get to school on time, teach a room full of kindergarten and first graders all day (we usually leave the school between 4:30 and 5:00), go to the grocery store/Wal-mart/Target/Coscto, go through the girls backpacks and talk about their day, make dinner, feed the kids, do baths, bed-time stories, get the girls to bed (around this time is when Jared usually gets home), clean the house, do 2 loads of laundry and the dishes, correct papers, get lessons together for the next day.... (Ya get the idea.) I was so worried about how it would all work out that I had nightmares during the weeks leading up to starting school. Some how though, the time is there.
Maybe I don't get the girls beds made before I run off to school (which drives me crazy). Maybe I don't get every paper corrected. Maybe we grab Subway as we are leaving Wal-Mart instead of a home-made dinner and are becoming all to familiar with Costco's veggie pizza (YUM!).
Somehow, I am thriving on it. I am getting more done than EVER before. Tonight I even found time to e-mail a personal note to every single one of my parents to let them know how things are going with their student and I am blogging for the second night in a row. So (at least for today) I am thankful that life is good. Busy, but good. I feel lucky. I am happy.

Very Little Labor Today

It's Labor Day. The past few years this hasn't meant much because Jared usually works at least part of the day catching up on jobs and such. This year it was heavenly. Granted I am sick (sore throat/fever/cold kinda thing), and I still had to do the mom stuff that comes with all 365 days of the year, but (AND THIS IS A BIG BUT) it was a day off of work. An extra day to enjoy my little monkeys. A day for slow breakfasts, read-a-thons, catching up with friends and family. A day to stay in PJ's until the last possible minute before we head out the door (in this case not until 3:00 PM!) A day to snack thought out the day on all the goodies Goompa and Nana sent us home with from their house on Saturday. A day to visit Neema and Pa. (Neema has just returned from 10 days in Czech.) A day that BOTH of my girls *pause for dramatic effect* TOOK A 2 HOUR NAP. Maybe it's because we've had a couple of losses in the last week that have hit close to home, maybe it's being back at work full time, maybe it's the fun stage that the girls both the girls seem to be in.... No matter what it's from, I am extra EXTRA thankful for all the wonderful blessings in my life. I hope you were able to enjoy a day with little labor and a lot of love.

Round 2

Gearing up for the second week of school. The first day last week was a little rough for all of us. Here's a picture of the girls in the parking lot. I would like to add that Daddy is the one who got them dressed and drove them to school every day this week. What would I do without him? I have to say that it was really hard for me to give in to the fact that I would not be able to do their hair and dress them each day. It's been a good learning experience for me, to say the least. (Guess what, they were just fine without clippies in their hair and their socks rolled just the way I like them.... go figure!) The second day was much smoother for me, and the girls did a little better too. The third day was back to bumpy but not quite as hard as day 1. Friday wasn't too bad at all... after the girls got settled in. Here's Naiya after school on Friday (she took a 3 hour nap). The weekend has been great, but I have gotten NOTHING done. Well, not nothing.... Friday night we pitched a tent in the living room and rented movies. Then we had a family camp in (or a "camp-over" as Naiya kept calling it). Saturday Jared took the girls on a bike ride and I did laundry/dishes and cleaned the bathroom. I went to the bank(s). We also had a read-a-thon. Other than that, I have no idea where the day went! Seriously out of 18 awake hours, I can only account for about 3 hours of stuff. It was nice (for a change). Today was a little more clean up, more laundry, shopping for Naiya's school clothes, dropping of an invoice for one of Jared's customers, grocery shopping, lunch packing for tomorrow/setting out outfits for the girls and myself and catching up on facebook/blog reading and e-mails. (You must be proud that I actually spit out more than a paragraph and included pictures.) Oh, and the most wonderful father of mine came over and set the tile in the downstairs soon-to-be bathroom. Here's a glimpse at the progress...(THANKS PA, YOU REALLY ARE THE BEST) I did NOTHING for work all weekend. NOT ONE THING! I'm sure I'll regret it come tomorrow, but I know I am fully prepared for Monday, so the rest of the week with have to wait till tomorrow night. As for me, I think I'll wait for the washer to buzz and then get to bed around 10 for the first time in a couple of weeks. A great end to a great weekend. Here's to a good round 2! Hope your week is great too!!

* At some point I will go back and post pictures of Naiya and Jared's birthdays and such... baby steps. :)

Day 1

Today was my first day back teaching in 4 years. It was also the girls first day at preschool. They both did great although Naiya didn't like that it took "a hundred hours to be at school." They aren't sure they want to go back tomorrow. I told them that I knew it was a really long day for them (they have to go all day since I have to teach all day) and that I was very proud of them. I also told them that they would get used to the long day and it would be okay. Now will someone tell me that?
My kids are sad and miss me.
I miss my kids.
My house is s mess.
I still have tons to do to get ready for tomorrow.

Once again, I have pictures that I am not going to take the time to post right now. I'm happy to get this paragraph typed out... seriously!

A Birthday at "Da-Goon"

Naiya turned 4 today. Being the terribly overwhelmed mother that I am right now, I did not throw her a party. This is the first time I have not done at least one birthday party for one of my girls (and I'm feeling more than a little guilty). To make up for it, we took her to Lagoon- lovingly referred to by Naiya as "Da-Goon." (Apparently the "la" in Lagoon is way to french for my child.)
We had a great time. We have never taken the girls to "Da-goon" before, but we will certainly be back lots as they get bigger. The funnest part for me was watching them giggle like crazy on EVERY ride (the faster the better). They were loving it!! Although both girls have a ways to go before they can ride the major roller coasters, they both were tall enough (Eva just barely) to go on rides like Musik Express, the Tidal Wave, and the Tilt-a-Whirl. We even made it to Lagoon-a-Beach for the last hour of the day.
What a fun day... and to end the day we were treated to dinner at Neema and Pa's house where, of course, Neema had prepared a delicious meal, accompanied by a beautiful and even more delicious cake, and topped off with loads of presents. (Between the two sets of grandparents plus aunts and uncles, my kids make out like bandits at any gift-giving holiday.) The child has school clothes and shoes, a new booster seat, new snuggle cow for her bed and more money than she knows what to do with. I think her favorite part of the night, however, was the cake. Neema had baked a white cake with chocolate shavings in it covered in chocolate and decorated with strawberries. YUM!! I'm not sure that Naiya even tasted the cake though, she was too busy picking of each strawberry (save one for Eva) off of the cake. (I guess it's a good thing that she prefers strawberries to cake.... leaves more for me! :)

Today I had my first day of school meetings and was feeling even more guilty that I had to ship Naiya off to get babysat on her birthday. Thankfully I know she is in great hands at my friend Betsy's house and at Neema-and Pa's. (I'm so lucky to have good friends and family to help when needed!) Of course Naiya was spoiled some more with another cake at Betsy's house and she got to spend the day helping take care of Betsy's new dog. (Honestly that was probably more fun for her than anything I could have come up with!)
After I picked them up cute Eva had a little gift for her sister. She thought long and hard about what her sister would really like for her birthday and decided that a new CD was just the thing. It truly was because when Naiya saw the "5 Little Monkeys" CD cover she fell into a giggle fit for a good 5 minutes.
Although I don't think she would have noticed if we didn't' get her anything, of course we got her a little something..... A new set of wheels! Now that Eva's short little legs can reach the peddles on the tricycle, Naiya got to upgrade her tricycle for a two-wheeler with training wheels.

All in all, despite the lack of an actual party, I think it was her best birthday yet. I hope they continue to get better and better each year!! :)

*I did take pictures of the day... but seriously, at this point, I am just happy to have typed something. I will download the pictures... someday......

Feeding the Wolves

My dad e-mailed me this story and I really liked it, so I thought I would share....

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee grandfather told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"
The wise old grandfather replied, "The one you feed."

Hidden Peak

The girls hiked to their first peak last weekend. We met up with Pa and Neema and a couple of friends from Czech (Petra and Zdenek) We made it to the top of Hidden Peak at Snowbird on Sunday!!

I have to admit that we did cheat a bit (okay, a lot). Pa bought us a ride on the lift thinking it would take us 1/2 way up and then we would finish the rest of the hike with the group. Apparently it had been some time since any of us had been to Snowbird because, since they have that new tunnel near the top of Hidden Peak, they extended the lift to all the way to the tunnel entrance.
We ended up walking through the tunnel and back and then we hiked down for about 20 minutes and met the group. (No picture of the tunnel as Pa had my camera so he could take the picture of us on the lift.) We hiked back up to the tunnel (which took WAY more than 20 minutes) and then split up. Naiya wanted to go back through the tunnel and Eva not so much. Pa, Daddy and Eva hike up the regular way while Petra, Zdenek, Neema, Naiya and I went back through the tunnel and then up to the peak from the backside. The girls really were troopers and pretty much hiked from the tunnel to the peak by themselves. At the top, we had a picnic and then rode the tram down. Here are some of the pics from the day:

Pa and Eva checking out the wild flowers...

Naiya throwing snowballs....

Pa RUNNING UP HILL with BOTH girls. Of course Pa treated the girls to a bounce in the bounce house on the tram deck.

You would think that this would be enough for one day, but hey this is us we're talking about here. We went back down the canyon to Neema and Pa's house and took the girls for a swim. I didn't get any pictures of this but the girls had a BLAST playing with Petra and Zdenek. I was amazed at Naiya. She was wearing her floaties, but would swim with her face under water across the pool (the short way). She really is getting brave. I'm wishing I had signed her up for swim lessons this year. Next year I will have to get them both in for sure.

Some Rules Were Made to be Broken

So we may not win any "Parent of the Year" awards, but at least our girls are having fun!!

We Be Jammin'

A typical summer morning at our house....

(Notice the "audience" of puppets Naiya has on the floor by her feet.;)

A Portrait

Naiya drew a portrait of me. The resemblance is uncanny. ;)

A Home Visit From My Stylist

The other day I tried out a new stylist.... Actually it's a team of two stylists that work together to create visual masterpieces.

Here are the results of at least an hour (seriously) of their hard work:

(This is the one and ONLY time you will see me with my curls brushed out, so take it all in folks!)

I want...

Whoever invented this is a genius!

Thank You Jana!!

We love LOVE the new outfits you sent for the girls from Janie and Jack. :)

What can happen when Mommy is busy

Today while I was tutoring....

Eva had a read-a-thon on her bed

Naiya took Leo to the hair salon

and apparently, there was some sort of earthquake in my girls room.

Yummy Summer Salad

At my b-day party, my good friend Elissa made a DELICIOUS summer salad. I had to have the recipe. In the last couple of weeks, I have made the salad at least 4 times... mostly just for myself (although my girls really like it too).

She got it off of wwww.foodnetwork.com, and here it is for you:

Tri-Colore Orzo
1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
2 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese (or feta cheese)
1/2 cup dried cherries
12 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool.
Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve.

My Changes: I've been making mine with spinach instead of arugula (about 3 cups) and I use 1/2 a pound of the orzo to make it more green. I didn't have feta so i put tiny cubes of mozzarella in it instead. Also I didn't toast the pine nuts.

(The picture above is the Food Network's version. I took a picture of mine, but I don't have my camera cord to download it!)

Another Lesson Learned

While we've been house/dog sitting for my parents, we've been doing a little (tons of) driving from their house to ours and back for things like tutoring and laundry (my mom's washer started leaking the first time I used it... of course). Yesterday, as I was driving back to their house, I noticed that my gas gauge was quickly slipping towards the E. I debated. I was tired. It had been a looong day. The girls (mostly me) were hungry, and dinner was waiting in the Crock Pot back at Neema's. Should I stop and get gas or wait until morning taking the chance that I would forget and then be running late tomorrow? (Which happens ALL the time.)
Just as I was passing the turn off for the last gas station before Neema and Pa's, a car from the oncoming lane swerved right into me... almost. Seriously, I think we touched sided mirrors for a split second (maybe).
I pulled over and regained my composure... then I turned around and went back to get gas.
Thank you fate for reminding me that my goal for the 30's is to be on time.

rhinoplasty?

As I mentioned in my post about my new addiction, we are house/dog sitting for Neema and Pa. Although Eva sleeps in a big girl bed at our house, she had a crib here at her grandparents house. The crib makes night time snuggles difficult, but she still has been getting tickles.

For whatever reason (too many to list), I have been even more tired than usual lately. So yesterday instead of standing up and reaching down into the crib to tickle her little back, I sat on the floor and carefully squeezed my arm in through the bars of the crib. (Thankfully my arms are the skinniest thing on me!) As I closed my eyes, leaned on the crib and tickled her, Eva looked at me and said, "Mom, you need to stand up and tickle me." To which I replied, "Mommy's sleepy and wants to sit for your tickles today." At this point my sweet, innocent child stood up in the crib with her hands on her hips and said, "Well, when you are close to me your nose looks like a rhinoceros and I would like it if you tickle me from a little further away...... please."

At least she said please. ;)

R.I.P. Auggie!

We'll miss you Auggie Froggy!!

Auggie Froggy Chamberlain

Some time before February, 14 2007- July 20, 2009

A Joke from Naiya

Why did the chicken cross the kitchen?

Because when he crossed the street, he got hit by a car.

A New Addiction

We don't have cable at our house, and apparently that is a good thing. We are house sitting at my parents house (where they DO have cable). Jared turned on

and now we're stuck. Can't turn of HGTV.... Help!!!

How the heck do I get these guys to come over and finish my basement?!!!

Summer Toes

The girls have been BEGGING and begging me to paint their toe nails. I don't like the idea of toxic polish, but I finally found some nontoxic polish. This is the result of their first ever pedicure (complete with soak, scrub, lotion and polish) courtesy of their mama. They were so good through the whole process and now LOVE to show off their tootsies to anyone (friends, family, the guy behind us in line at the grocery store... :)

Our New Family Puppy

Yup! That's a picture of my oldest child balancing a treat on her nose!

I am...

Many, many years ago (like 1988), my grandma came to visit and brought me a book. The book was like my journal only with empty pages (not lined). She (and my aunt and cousins) had each taken a page to write me a note or draw me a picture. I excitedly took it to my family members (except for George who wasn't writing at the time) and had them write something. Martin (being all of 11) wrote "hi" with a smiley guy and his signature. My mom wrote something lovely about how she will always love me. My dad wrote this:

To tell you the truth, at the time I was sad. I wanted him to write something about how he thought I was beautiful and how much he loved me. Something like that. It's funny now that, on my 30th birthday looking back, those four words are probably the most meaningful in the whole book. Not so say that the praise, love and well wishes are not wonderful. They are. It's just that now I realize that even at the ripe young age of 9, my dad knew that who I am is perfect and I should always be true to myself.

In the spirit of this wish made for me by my dad 21 years ago I write this list of 30:

I am a mother.

I am a wife.

I am wondering if wife should be before mother.

I am a teacher.

I am short.

I am curious.

I am nosy.

I am shy.

I am stubborn.

I am sarcastic.

I am sincere.

I am frustrated.

I am frustrating.

I am funny (ha ha funny).

I am funny (hmmm funny).

I am a worrier.

I am a warrior.

I am smart.

I am scared.

I am spiritual.

I am strong.

I am conflicted.

I am lucky.

I am grateful.

I am loving.

I am loved

I am trying.

I am 30.

I am me.

I am wonderful. (and so are you!)

Tea for Two... or Maybe Three

The girls got all dressed up today and wanted to have a tea party. We boiled a pot of peach tea, got out some treats and practice calling each other "darling." It was simply fabulous!

30 is the new 20...Right???!

Last night, Jared and I were going to go out for my birthday dinner. We dropped the kids of at my parents house, got gas in the subie then went over to spread some quick cheer at my good friend Betsy's house before our dinner reservations..... or so I thought. Instead it was a big surprise party.

Yay for surprise parties with lots of dear friends!!!

The reaction?... I cried. Seriously people... CRIED. I'm a baby. I'd better toughen up by tomorrow cause I hear that big girls don't cry and I think 30 certainly qualifies as a "big girl." (maybe even a woman... wait no.. that's still almost as weird as being called "mam.")

My mom made the yummy cake: Seriously... 30 candles is a fire hazard already! I'm voting that from here on out we just do the numbered candles as to prevent the loss of hair/structures/lives.

It was so nice to see lots of dear friends that I don't' get to see enough of. I've posted more pictures on facebook, so I won't post a bunch here, but thank you to everyone who helped with, came to, thought about, or would have been to my party. Especially thank you to Betsy for hosting/doing tons of prep for the party, my mom for supplying lots of food (and CAKE! :) and Jared for the idea, the phone calls and the banner. It was the best!

Swinging Life Away

A few years ago this song used to play on the radio every five minutes. I'm not sure who it's by or what it's called but it went something like this:
"We live on front porches and swing life away. We get by just fine here on minimum wage. If love is a labor I'll slave 'til the end. I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand. Swing life away. Swing life away..... "

A day at the park recently reminded me of this song. It's been stuck in my head since that day, and since the above lyrics is all I can remember it's driving me crazy. If you know the song, let me know! Either way remember to swing life away! :)