Get Me a Pen.

Carly is too smart for her own good. We were at the pool and as you know, every hour the lifeguards make the kids get out for fifteen minutes. They blow the whistle and say, "18 and under out of the pool. Five and under only in the kiddie pool." Each time the whistle blew and the lifeguards gave their spiel, Leighton would climb out of the pool and head straight to the kiddie pool. Carly was getting very frustrated with the situation. She tried to follow Leighton into the kiddie pool.

Me: Carly, what does the sign say?
Carly: Five and under only.
Me: So, that means you can't go in the kiddie pool.
Carly: Well, I am five plus four.
Me: You can't go in, the sign says five and under only.
Carly: Do you have a pen?
Me: For what?
Carly: I'll just change the sign.

She will be the child who is brought home by the police for vandalizing signs, so she will still be following the posted rules. Speed limit 25, nah, a little spray paint and now the speed limit is 75.

My New Obsession

Altered Notebook Purses

They are so easy to make and easily done while kids are napping or watching a 30 minute t.v. show. I found the tutorial at Sisters Stuff.

This one is for Carly's friend Avery.

This is a close-up of the simple embellishment.

It is just a chip board a that I inked with markers.

This is the back.

The girls have asked when we can go pick out their paper. This is one of the only times I am as excited as they are to go.

First Day of Third Grade

Otherwise known as....Where did the summer go???

Carly, all ready to hop in the car.
(The crocs were not quite that bright when I purchased them online. Thank goodness she likes them.)


Carly and her teacher Ms. Danielle Alford. She is a very sweet teacher. Her daughter Lilly was in Leighton's preschool class last year. We are very excited to have Ms. Alford this year.

Stay tuned...Leighton starts next Tuesday. We are hoping for no tears (from Leighton or Mommy.)

Anyone You Know?

This entertained four girls for over an hour and they asked to do it again the very next day.

Gotcha!

I finally got the girl on video. She has been rather tricky. Whenever the camera comes out she refuses to walk. She has taken up to twenty uneasy steps. Her preferred mode of transport is still crawling, especially when she is in a hurry, i.e. the gate to upstairs is not in place, the fridge or pantry has been left open, the laundry, bathroom, or my bedroom door is ajar, someone has placed a remote, phone, or mouse where she can reach it, you get the picture.

What's For Dinner?

BREAKFAST!

This was something I looked forward to as a kid. Once in a blue moon, my mom would make breakfast, real breakfast, for dinner. She would make pancakes, waffles, french toast, bacon, eggs, sausage, etc. Now that I am the mom, I love to have breakfast, whenever I want, for dinner. My kids seem to enjoy it, too.

Even, Jensyn.

Thanks, Great Great Grandma Jensen, for the best pancake recipe and Thanks, Dee for making them.

The Glass is Definitely Half Full

Leighton has become extremely concerned about her appearance. She wants high heeled everything and will only wear dresses or skirts. She is obsessed with the mirror and spends a good bit of time looking into it lovingly. I have been trying to think of a way to teach her about the beauty inside.

Well, I was reading through the newest Better Homes & Gardens this past week. Leighton was next to me making sure she wasn't missing out on any neat houses, pretty shoes or makeup. The advertisement for Operation Smile was on the next page. Leighton was horrified at the pictures of these children with cleft palates and lips.

I asked her if she would like to be friends with any of these kids. She scrunched up her nose and replied, "Ewww, No!" I asked her why and she said, "They look weird!" I explained to her that these were children who were born this way and that they needed surgery to repair their birth defect.

She continued to look at the pictures as I spoke more about the children and how they were made fun of or not wanted by their families just because of the way they looked. I asked her. "What if Jensyn was born with a cleft palate, would you still want to be her sister?" "Of course, I love her!" was the reply I gratefully heard. I then went on, "Don't you think that these children deserve someone to love them and be friends with them?" At this point, I thought I could see her coming around.

She sat on the couch and studied the pictures some more. I watched her as she started smiling at some of the pictures and making comments like, 'Oh, look at this little boy, he has such pretty eyes.' 'This little boy looks so sad. I would be his friend to make him happy.' 'This little girl is so happy.' At this point, I figured the lesson was a success, so I got up to start laundry. Leighton brought the magazine to me a couple of minutes later with this gem:

"Mom, you know what? All of these kids can smell their own breath whenever they want!!"

Talk about looking on the bright side. I had to go in the other room where she couldn't see me, to laugh so hard I cried. When I came back, I was so proud!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa/Dad

Happy Birthday!! We love and miss you! Here's to a diet Dr. Pepper and a run of 150 mph out the back side!

Oh, how I hate the new walker phase

Jensyn loves to take off walking. Unfortunately, it always seems to be directly to the (very sharp) edge of the coffee table. This is the latest boo-boo, merely seconds after it's occurrence. This is the stage, where we don't go in public very often. Those pesky rude looks and occasional DFS visits, you know.

I am not stupid, but.....

I have been trying to update write my resume this week. It is HARD!! I figured I could knock it out in a day (two days, max.) It's been almost a week and I am still not done. There is a lot of information online, but not all of it is helpful. I hope to have it done and posted by the time the girls are in school. Wish me luck, because apparently I need it.