So it was a crazy busy week last week. I think our family is not made for a fast paced craziness. We definitely need our down time…breakfast after 9, pj’s till 11, craft projects strewn across the den and Grace’s room, and “potions” being made in the bathroom sink, are all up our alley. Anyways, so we had a big week with graduation, graduation parties, crazy kids day at Mia’s school, and Grace’s tap “showcase”. All events were well-attended by the grandparents. I think half the audience at the tap showcase was comprised of Grace’s fan club! Not only was it a busy week but an emotional one. Mia’s graduation was particularly sad for me…it has been an incredible three years for Mia. Her preschool is such a joyful, loving & nurturing place for little people to begin their school years. I really am at a lost for how to put words together to describe what a wonderful place this is. I wonder what our world would be like if all children had such an opportunity for a strong start to life. The three teachers that run this school are really remarkable with their patience, tenderness and love. They create an environment rich with learning and fun, while establishing boundaries and high expectations for behavior and citizenship at the same time. Our family has been so blessed by this school…I think we need another baby, so I can go through the preschool experience again! I wonder if it’s because I was a kindergarten teacher that I feel so strongly about it, as I know a good thing when we find it…dunno! Anyways, thank you for listening to me ramble…on to pictures from our week!

Grace’s Tap “Showcase”: She was pretty nervous, but her wonderful teacher knew exactly what to say to get her up on stage and smiling…did I mention we’re surrounded by wonderful role models and teachers?

A few shots from Mia’s week…

My favorite shot from the week…and a comparison from two years ago!

Thanks for looking & don’t forget, I love comments!

So here are more than a few photos with details from mia’s party. I had so much fun creating and crafting for the last few weeks! Many ideas were found on various party blogs online…yep there are blogs dedicated to parties, crazy huh?!? I didn’t know this until recently, and I have to say they are a lot of fun to look at. It’s amazing all the creative ideas people come up with. So without further ado…the details!

Treat bar…yummy and so much fun. I was very impressed with the children’s restraint…they all waited until they were called to fill their treat tins!

A few more details…
My cricut and my color printer are by far my favorite craft items, well, not to mention photoshop! I was very excited about the treat tins, as they can be re-used for crayon tins. I used a polka dot digital paper, changed the color in photoshop, printed on a full sheet label, then cricuted the children’s initials with my favorite cricut cartridge, Storybook . I also used the Storybook cartridge for the birthday banner! I cricuted the flower centerpieces then cut/pasted them to make them 3d, I think they turned out cute! I had so much fun with the signs, another photoshop/color printer creation. I was getting a little punchy when creating the signs, hence the silly wording. Oh, and my sweet girl got her Sleeping Beauty in the form of a cake! And it made a cute centerpiece to the treat bar.
Hmmm…guess that about it!

Thanks for looking!

So we’re working on miss mia’s party and we got the invitations out! I think they turned out cute, princessy but not too disney princessy. I also love the wrap around labels I printed on my new color printer…how did I get by as a crafty person for so long without a color printer!?!?! I’m having so much fun printing everything in color, oh I’ll have to take pictures of the food labels I made…soooo cute! Anyways, mia was very excited that the post office had “king and queen” postage…what are the chances of that???



Oh, and I can’t forget the bazillion cups we stamped with a crown. This set-up tuned into a fantastic math lesson for Grace!

Thanks for looking and indulging me with my party/crafty craziness!

Hmmm…I had hoped to post a bit more often, however goofing off seems to have gotten in the way already!  We were invited to stay at the Westin Villas in Scottsdale with some friends.  Wow…it was HOT.  I mean, feel faint, kind of heat…I can’t imagine functioning and getting things done each day with it so hot outside.  I suppose I’m a bit spoiled!   But the heat was perfect for hanging out at the pool and having fun with the girls.  Their swimming really progressed in the three days we were there.  The shots I got weren’t exactly great, but I love the smiles and excitement on their faces.

Mia LOVED going down the water slide with daddy!

and Grace braved the slide by herself!

Thanks for looking!

Well…we live in a town that has free trolley rides for the summer months.  I was sad to say that my children had been wanting to ride the trolley all summer and here we are a couple days before the service ends, finally going for a ride!  So daddy came home from work a little early so we could take the trolley downtown to walk around and get an after dinner treat.  Since they already had ice cream that day we opted for caramel apples…what a rough life huh?!? And check out the sunset.  No need to vacation elsewhere when we live here…we are blessed!

Anxiously waiting the long anticipated trolley ride. There was much debating as to whether it would be a red trolley or a blue trolley!

and the verdict is….a BLUE trolley folks…do you hear the cries of disappointment?

oh well…spirits perked up as the trolley began to move!

then we walked along the boardwalk, and it was time for mommy to torture the children…

and let’s get daddy in on the fun…he wasn’t exactly thrilled with being a model even when it only involved holding his children’s hands and staring at a gorgeous sunset!

but he did enjoy spinning the girls!!  I love the look on their faces!

Thanks for looking!

Well…I guess it’s our version of camping now.  Luxury town home with gorgeous views, whirlpool tubs, down comforters, wireless internet and flat screens may not be everyone’s version of camping, but it sure is easy to get used to!  Anyways, we went to mammoth last week and I’ve just begun to sift through the million pictures I took, mostly with my point and shoot, as I wasn’t about to lug my camera everywhere.  While I was sifting through I found the shots below.  The first set are two years ago in the exact same spot on a the bank of a little creek where we went fishing with daddy, and the second set were last week.  I cannot believe how fast two years can go by.  I also can’t believe how young Grace looks…at the time she seemed like such the big girl, but looking back she seems so little!  I wish I could freeze them a while longer…oh well…that’s why I take thousands of photos…right?!?

Here are a few more shots of the girls on my favorite bridge…not sure if my pictures do the bridge(or the girls) justice, however they’re a huge improvement over my shots two years ago!

Thanks for looking!