Halloween, haunts and hooligans...

******************************************The girls had a great time dressing for Halloween. Not having the money to spend on the fancy $35 Walmart quality costumes, nor the desire to dress my precious darlings as hustlers - we opted to be creative this year (perhaps the beginning of a tradition). Missy chose to be 'cat-girl' having her face decorated by a class-mate while Sissy decided she'd be Super Piggy! (Her mind goes places even mine doesn't!) They both had a great time. We enjoyed them and they enjoyed the holiday. **** As a matter-of-fact, they're still enjoying the holiday. Last night I found Sissy sitting at the kitchen table with the bowl of Halloween candy in front of her and wrappers of candy surrounded her bowl. She confessed this morning that she was trying to make 'toot-sweets' like she'd just seen on Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (the movie). What she was successful in making was a super sugar high child! Fortunately she doesn't have school on Tuesdays, so she was able to sleep off her indulge!

Mommy, is this appropriate?

Sissy joined me at a local community affair. I worried that she'd been too young and disinterested and might get anxious to leave. Much to my surprise there was a hispanic girl close to her age also at the event. The two were so excited to spot each other - just to have someone alike.
The little nina didn't speak English and the little girl didn't speak Spanish. Thinking this new relationship could never work with this language barrier - I learned a lesson.
Those two girlies talked to each other (in their own words), played with one another and danced allll over the affair. At the end of the night I asked Sissy if she learned the other little girl's name. She answered me indignantly: "Mom, she doesn't know our language. She doesn't speak Colorado!"

*******************************************************************************
The other day Missy paraded Sissy out and around so proud of her (Missy's) fashion design. She says she wants to be a designer some day. Sissy is compliant and enjoys being Missy's model. Watch out, world! Here they come! The drama queen and her understudy.
(At least they look good. Inappropriate, but good.)

Anniversary brings Happy Times

Well, here we are, Mister D and I...eleven years of marriage and two beautiful daughters later, we have made an investment in our future and their child-hood memories with this new purchase of ours. We began tent-camping this summer and have loved the times at the lake so much that after much coercing and prayer (and finding a steal of a deal) we invested in this beautiful bumper-pull camper trailer.
This weekend was our first weekend out and happened to be our anniversary. Missy said it best when she announced that this was our best weekend ever camping and 'our' best anniversary ever! ha!

Palin for President!

I know Sarah Palin is the Republican Vice Presidential nominee, but I am all for Palin for President! An amazing speaker; her true, down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach hit a chord within my soul. She fired me up from the moment she took the podium and even inspired me to believe in the depths of myself about what I could do for my family, community, government and even my country in the name of God.
She is level-headed and strong-willed. She is brave, strong and confident. She is amazing. A floundering campaign has been revived in the choice of Governor Sarah Palin for Vice President. A country will benefit from her service and we will all be stronger after this leadership takes hold of an uncertain economy. Palin for Vice President (for now) and Palin for President in the (near) future.

Saved by the Bell

While summer is a wonderful break from the mundane schedule of life, it was so good to get the girls back into the routine of things! **************************

Missy began 3rd grade Aug 19th and while she was anxious about being in a new building, she was pleasantly surprised when she knew almost all of the kids in her class. It was good to be reunited with friends from years past. The overwhelming amount of homework hasn't started yet - so it is still an enjoyable time for all of us.
*************************
Sissy began her first day of Pre-K on Friday. She was so excited to go back to school to see her friends, too! I will surely be a bawling mess next year when she starts Kindergarten! I can't believe she is nearing 5 yrs old so rapidly! Daddy caught this precious bunny moment on film and I couldn't pass publishing it!

************************

Even Granma didn't realize how wonderful it was to have the girls back in school until one afternoon when the killing began - again. Sissy spit on Missy and Missy was about to have her head for it. The screaming and thrashing began all over. THEN Granma realized HOW glad she was she'd been saved by the proverbial 'bell' of fall.

News Bulletin

Local girl dontaes 10 1/2 inches of hair to charitable organiztion Locks of Love and impresses mother with thoughtful, unselfish giving but proves to depress mother by continuing to grow up. She will begin her first day of 3rd grade in just 3 days. Her summer has been a fast one.

Missy age 8 1/2

Knock your sox off - I'm back!!!

Hello long lost blog audience! Please forgive my absence...many things have been occupying my time in the last 2 months.

Our summer has begun in the midst of the busyness and this one is for the record books. We have begun to camp. Yup! Old fashioned tent-camping. This picture here is the morning after our first adventure. Boy, was it! We had a beautiful evening setting it up (thankfully as we really didn't know what we were doing) but as soon as we said our bedtime prayers thanking the Lord for his calm provisions, the wind took off. It would have like to blow us to Kansas like little Toto in the Wizard of Oz! It was a time of character and growth. Missy cried real tears and simply wanted to go home. Sissy, on the other hand, began to pray. 5 minute prayers at a time. Needless to say, we survived unscathed and have even gone again! What fun!

Another delightful thing this summer is the visit from our darling cousins. Seen here with Missy & Sissy are Ash & Pay from Texas. Their mother just celebrated her '29th' birthday and we have so enjoyed having them in our midst! We all would enjoy it if they lived closer but are truly thankful for the time we have when they get to come and visit.

Ash and Pay got to spend the night and would you believe (yes, I know you would) that those 2 older girls were up until after 2am! I'm sure they have solved all the worlds problems by now!

The little ones had a great time entertaining one another, too. Even tho Pay didn't plan on staying, it was the best thing in the world! Sissy says Pay is her 'summer brother'. Augh!!!

Let's go a huntin'...for Easter eggs!

Looking for Easter eggs was some afternoon fun for the girls. They both got new clothes from the 'Easter Bunny'. The night before Easter both girls acted excited about the Easter Bunny coming to our house. They quizzed whether or not he'd be coming. I told them he'd never come to our house before - he'd always ended up at Granma & Papa Bear's house so one couldn't be sure. Well, Sissy had quite a time trying to sleep that night. She finally confessed that she didn't want That Bunny coming in her house! ha!

Author among us...

The other day Missy brought home a chapter book she had been skipping recess to write. It was called, "My Life in Egypt". Her name in the story was Zipporah, her father was Pharaoh and her mother was an Egyptsie. (You know, Mom...like a belly dancer.) (!) Her story began with her beloved cat whom accidentally bat her tail against the wall which caused the wall to open up to reveal a hidden staircase! Zipporah and the cat went down to investigate when they discovered a figure standing in the distance. It was an Egyptian boy named Zatnatpanaya. The story continued (I can't tell you all...you'll have to read it yourself...) and is now being further explained as Missy writes her second book in the series. Hmmm. An author among us. I could live with that!

Reader Bee

We are sooo proud of our little Missy. She a bonafide reader bee. We had parent/teacher conferences and found that all of her scores had jumped significantly since the first of the year. Thank you miss Junie B. Jones! (A character book series she loves.)

Fun in the Sun...

What a fun time we had the other day in the 70 degree weather when we went to the local park and Sissy's little friend from preschool ended up there, too. The girls found lots of lady bugs but Sissy's friend wasn't as sure about picking it up as she was. In the end the friend found the courage to hold it and what a photo op it made!

Too much TV!

I am fully aware that children are subject to too much TV in today's world. It became my reality, however, when I overheard my oldest ask, "Dad, is it 8/7 Central?"

BUSTED!

Once upon a time (last night - to be exact) there were two little girls (Missy & Sissy) who were put to bed at a very reasonable time (8:00). This was a bit earlier than ususal and since Mommy was deeply entranced by a particular show (American Idol) the girls were a bit distracted by the noise and couldn't go to sleep (or so I'm told). After an hour had past and the clock had struck midnight (well...9:00) Mommy went to check on her pumpkins. Missy was playing with the cat - (Uh-oh!) and Sissy was no where to be found (bigger uh-oh!).

When Mommy went to check with Daddy and HE didn't know where Sissy was, they both decided to check the bedroom again. No Sissy in the wet bed.
What?! WET BED?!

A bottle of water had been dumped all over the bed leaving a sopping wet mess! Then when Mommy turned around, THERE was Sissy - standing in the closet - with a pretty dress and baby high-heel shoes.

Needless to say Mommy wasn't happy and let her know it. She immediately began sobbing with remorse. She just "...didn't mean to!" Ha! How does one not 'mean' to get dressed up? I don't know but I couldn't help forgiving her when she asked because she was so sincerely sorry for what she'd done.

************ Tonight I was informed that she had gotten all dressed up so she could sneak downstairs and **dance** with her Daddy. ************* aughhhhhhhhh! Way to break a mother's heart!

Marriage?...

A few days ago I had an interesting conversation with Sissy. It went sort of like this:
Sissy: "Mommy, when will I get married?"
Mommy: "Well, you have a LONNNNNG time to worry about that."
S: "Who will I marry? I think I might marry Aaron."
M: "You don't need to even think about it until you're an adult."
S: "Will I look like you when I'm growed up?"
M: "Definately not."
S: "Will I be as big as you when I'm big?"
M: "Probably not."
S: "Well, I love Aaron and he loves me, so I think I will marry HIM. Will you miss me when I'm married?"
M: "Terribly!"
S: "Well, don't worry - me and Aaron will come visit you, Daddy & Missy EVERY DAY!"
M: "OH, NO you won't! Missy won't be living here then!"
S: "Yes she will."
****************************************************************************************************************

Not a Baby Anymore...

I just can't believe it but my baby isn't a baby anymore! While today isn't the "day" we celebrated Sissy's 4th birthday today with her very own Hello Kitty cake & ice cream. She was surrounded by grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and one cousin. And of course Mom, Dad and Missy. What a fun time it was. Lots of great gifts (thanks!) and hugs, hugs, hugs! We love you, Sissy! Happy 4th birthday!

Walking Advertisment for...

While saying our goodnight prayers together the other night, Sissy informed me, "Mom! We need to get First Alert!"

"What?" I asked.

She answered, "First Alert! We need to get it! That way when we fall down or there is a fire, all we have to do is press the white button and the firemen or police will come and save us!"

Then it all sunk in...oh, First Alert! I realized that I have a child that watches T.V. and is able to regurgitate what she hears.

A good reminder for me! Children are sponges and absorb EVERYTHING!

"Oh, be careful little eyes what you see - oh, be careful little ears what you hear...for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little one what you do."

Influenza!!

Our house has become the haven for the dreaded INFLUENZA!!!

Missy came home from school Wednesday night not feeling so hot. Thursday she was certain she shouldn't go to school. We were certain she should. She was definitely in slow speed that morning and when Mister D took her temperature it was around 99.5. (She warned us she had never had THIS allergy before!) We fully anticipated a call from the school, but never got one. By Thursday night BOTH girls were feeling terrible and had come down with terrible coughs. Neither had a good night and Friday they spent the day with Granma Bear.

Sissy had fevers, too, which we combated with our trusty friend, Tylenol, but when Missy's fever topped out at 104.2 we were terrified. We rushed her to the doctor, got an uncomfortable nasal swab and a positive Influenza result. Ugh.

The doctor was kind enough to prescribe Tamiflu for the entire family - Granma Bear included. So, we've been hibernating and trying to get over this delightful stuff. Fortunately Mommy and the girls have a 3 day weekend, so a full recovery is surely in the stars for us! Make certain if YOU start to feel achy, feverish and develop a cough - GET TO THE DOCTOR!!! There is only a 48 hour window for the Tamiflu to work. It won't stop the flu, but it is touted to shorten the duration and lessen the symptoms. Best wishes and Stay Healthy- from our home to yours!

American Idol Fanatic...

Well, here it is...my next post and it's all about the next American Idol season! As a fan since season 2, I'm so excited! Missy occasional thinks she'll be the next American Idol, however that stage fright thing might be an issue for her. This is Mister D's favorite part of the season - the try outs. I guess we all get some satisfaction seeing that 'anyone' can try out. :) Missy used to try to convince me I should try out and is terribly disappointed that now her mommy is "too old" for A.I. Sing on, sing on!

Happy New Year!!

Happy 2008 to you all!

Our year always begins with special times of celebration as our two darlings turn a year older. Missy is always first with her January birthday. Today she turned 8 years old. It's hard to believe but she won't let us forget. We surprised her with a party for she and her 3 closest friends at a local dress-up/tea party place. She isn't usually one to love surprises, but this one actually hit the spot. She was thrilled.

Even Sissy got in on the fun when she joined her big sister for a bit of dress-up and some cake! So much fun! Happy Birthday, big girl! We love you!