Spring Fun!

 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