We've
had a mah-velous time lately. Everything is winding down to summer,
including Girl Scouts. The troop got an AWESOME fire station tour.
Above is my favorite shot, everyone is so happy! The fireman was
showing them what people look like through the lens of a camera with a
heat-sensitive lens. (Apparently it's hilarious).
Gretchen
in her tie-dye hippie outfit (it was tie-day day at Ella's school, and
even though Gretchen doesn't go to the same school, she was DEFINITELY
getting in on that action!
And Ella bein' all cute an puttin' out fires and stuff.
That helmet is REALLY heavy.
See? I know.
And
since we tried on the fireman uniforms, the firemen decided to try on a
girl scout uniform. Awwww! I'd maybe buy cookies from him. He looks legit, right?
And
here are some random pictures of the girl from last Sunday after
church. The girls got new church dresses (Except Ella changed into her
pajamas within 30 seconds of arriving home. Because she's my child and
knows that comfy clothes = happy day.). And happy, happy news, Colby
finished putting in the sprinkler system in the backyard! Hooray for
Colby!!!! So soon our lovely trees will be shading some lovely
grass!!! Hooray!!!!!!!!
I titled this image "SISTERS". Just bout sums it up, right?
Super Dramatic Swing Ride!
Ella learned how to send a telegraph message at the State Capitol with the fourth grade. She wasn't overly impressed.
Gretchen
found a "little baby baby caterpillar!!!" and made me take a picture
before letting it go. She wanted to bring it home for her bug-catcher.
Also known as the bug-graveyard. So so sorry bugs. If we catch you,
you will die. Put your affairs in order. The end is near.
I
was the Art Mom in Gretchen's class this year. (Me and about 5 other
volunteers, without which it would have been literally impossible!!!
Because kindergarten art is HARD!!!) We had the Roaming Art BBQ at her
school last week. Parents came to school with picnic lunches, and then
walked around the school to see all the art. We had six projects on
display. (Including the awesome clay fish (above), which the kids made
for Father's Day.) Don't you love those "Mountain Lion" charcoal
drawings (on the toned brown paper above the clay fish). And the "Van
Gogh Sunflowers"??? Kindergarten art may be hard, but it's also SO
CUTE.
GG
& her BFF PaiPai being all emo in front of the art wall (not her
real name. But the name by which she shall be known for all time
forever in our house.)
I
had to bribe GG with an ice cream cone to get her to take this picture
in front of the roses. This is one of the vintage dresses that Grandma
Diana/Auntie Adrianne sent from our childhood. Awww! Gretchen wants so
badly to sleep in the under-dress like an old-timey pioneer child. And
I shoot her down every single time. Sorry honey, that's what happens
when you have the meanest mom ever!
And,
lastly, here's a sweet pic of me & Ella at our little friend's
"Candy Land" themed birthday party yesterday. In the words of our
little friend's mom, "I'm NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN!" It was very very
very cute. And she is now very very very tired. I should tell her to
give up now and start doing birthdays at Chuckee Cheese's. Where people
who've totally given up throw their children's birthday parties. That
should be their slogan.
Ella has 1.5 more weeks of
school, Gretchen has 2.5. AND THEN IT'S SUMMER!!!! This is wonderful
and horrible at the same time. I'm really looking forward to going to
Lake Tahoe with our besties, but I'm dreading how many times I'm going
to hear "I'm so bored, why can't I just watch a show?" (repeated
ad-nauseum until I give up in a fit of wondeful parenting and yell,
"FINE!!! JUST GO!!!!!" You know, cause I'm awesome like that.)
I
have a few ideas to keep us mentally healthy and emotionally
un-scarred. Gretchen is going to build herself a dollhouse. In fact,
she's building
THIS dollhouse.
And Ella is going to work on her comic book, "Candy Duck". Which is
about the exticential crisis of a white house aide in a time of
political upheaval. Just kidding. It's about a duck that likes candy.
Also, I'm going to have "screen free" hours til 1pm every day, and "not
allowed to ask mom for ANYTHING" from 8:30 - 11:30 every day so I can
attempt to get my work done.
Can you tell I'm a
little stressed about summer? Ha! But then comes fall, and everything
is going to be AMAZING. Yup. For the first time in 9 years I'll have
SIX UNINTERRUPTED HOURS A DAY TO WORK. This is tantamount to a
miracle. And I'm not exaggerating. I've already mapped out a new
marketing plan and everything. Hooray for not working til 10pm every
night!!!!
Ok, now I'm going to go enjoy my sabbath with
the girls. Which means, of course, that we're going to eat snacks and
watch stupid movies for hours and hours. Woo hoo!
xoxo
