24 December 2013

19 December 2013

Then There's This

Not sure any commentary is needed . . . .

17 December 2013

Tis the Season

It has been a busy couple of weeks from Thanksgiving till now as we count down the days of December. The weekend after Turkey Day we went to Tucson for a night to get away and go to one of JP’s Cyclocross races. It was a fun jaunt and I’ll share some pictures of the quick trip when I get a chance. The rest of our days have been filled with wrapping up soccer and shuttling Pickle to rehearsal for her Nutcracker performance which finally culminated this past weekend. She had a run through on Friday night, dress rehearsal Saturday morning, a performance Saturday night and then finally the matinee on Sunday. I think she had a lot of fun and did a great job as a Mouse battling the toy soldiers.

I volunteered to help on Saturday night backstage which meant I spent over 3 hours in a tiny room with 25 ballerinas aged 4 to 8 helping get them dressed – undressed – and redressed. We also had to keep them quiet and entertained when they were not on stage.

Luckily my friend Cathy joined me and she brought her magic box of crafts. The girls made cards which definitely kept them entertained but also made a huge mess. As stressful and exhausting as it was, I was excited to be a part of that night for Pickle. The family attended her performance on Sunday afternoon and it was a very well done production and the mice were fantastic! She was not able to come back out in costume at the end of the show Sunday, but I did snap this quick one before she went on stage Saturday night.

Also this month Pickle participated in a Holiday Concert at school. We got to attend and listen to a short program of holiday themed songs. She was really, really excited about it but I think had a bit of stage fright as she looked scared and quiet up there. Unfortunately I did not get great pictures during the presentation but we did get some cute ones at the end. These are her buddies from Kindergarten.

We found time to decorate our tree this past Sunday night. We put out a fun snack dinner to eat while we decorated and I had everyone put on Christmas pajamas from last year so they would look cute in pictures. However, we failed to take pictures. Oh well, the tree looks great and I finally have somewhere to put the presents that have been piling up already!


And finally we worked in a trip to see Santa this afternoon after school. Most of the holiday cards are in the mail, almost all presents have been shipped to Louisiana, and we just have a few presents left to buy (I like saving some shopping to do with my mother-in-law in the festive days before Christmas). We are in good shape and getting to enjoy most evenings snuggled up to drink eggnog and watch Christmas specials on TV.

08 December 2013

Otis Arrived

Otis made a very timely appearance this year arriving for December 1st while we were out of town. We had taken a short one-night trip to Tucson for a bike race and when we got home on Sunday morning Otis was waiting and watching. He brought along several new Christmas books and an empty box with a nice note to the kids instructing them to gather some of their toys to donate to other children.

The girls were excited about this task and wasted no time in filling the box with items, but the Boy was not as generous. I think he may have some hoarding tendencies passed down from his Dad or just too sentimental about things. We will have to work on him.

23 November 2013

Six Years Ago

Six Years ago (nearly to the minute) I pushed out an almost 10 pound Pickle. I have written about her birth 
11/23/07
11/23/12
on the blog before so you can click back to refresh your memory if the story should interest you. Going back to read what I wrote last year on her birthday or the year before I think that should I choose to sit down tonight to pour out my heart once again, I would be repeating myself. What this tells me is her personality has been with her since day one and we are just along for the ride.
11/23/11
I stand by what I said last year and will keep repeating to myself even in her most trying moments, her strong-willed demeanor will be an asset as she progresses in life. I think it will benefit us when she starts dating and goes off to college and even in her future career. When she sets her mind to something she is going to do it and nobody is going to stand in her way! 

This past year has been a busy one for her particularly since starting first grade in August. Pickle has acclimated exceptionally well to her new school and has really blossomed in her class and excels with her schoolwork. She is playing soccer, taking ballet, and will be performing as a Mouse in a production of the Nutcracker next month. Between all of these activities she is busy playing with (bossing around) her sister and drawing and writing stories.
11/23/08

11/23/09

11 November 2013

Girls' Room

As previously mentioned in this post, last year we embarked on a multi room makeover to ultimately be able to create (or really recreate) a home office. This involved having the kids (Park & Pickle) switch rooms and move New Kid in with her sister. We successfully accomplished setting up The Boy's room quickly while he was spending time with his grandparents last summer although there are still several projects still lingering to hopefully help get his room (i.e. Legos) better organized and displayed. We also easily integrated New Kid's crib in with Pickle's loft bed and they adapted to being roommates with ease.



The Girls' Room has been an on-going transformation including giving up the crib and moving New Kid to her big girl bed. I think I finally have their room finished including flower pictures that we took and have been talking about getting framed and hung. JP did the painting last year when the big room moves took place and we are both really pleased with how the two colors turned out. I think this will be a room the girls will enjoy for many years. I found the flower mirror at a "junk" shop and was totally thrilled to find something so cool and unique for their room.

10 November 2013

Happy Birthday JP!

Yesterday was this handsome devil's birthday! He is spending his birthday weekend in Tucson racing his bike but I didn't want to let the occasion go by without recognizing his special day. The kids are excited for him to come home to a table full of treats and cards and to celebrate tonight at Oregano's.
I see now where Pickle gets this look!

06 November 2013

Lunchtime Fun

New Kid gets to dominate the scene at lunch because she still only attends a half day of school. This is her time to get all the attention and she owns it. I listen to hilarious stories that are as far fetched as they can be. Today was different, though. As I sat next to her something started happening that is best seen. 


05 November 2013

Another Cuspid Milestone

 In keeping with the theme of mouth wide open pictures of Pickle I give you these.



The tooth had been loose for a couple of days causing the usual amounts of distraction at soccer games, dinner tables and dance rehearsals alike. It was a point of distraction throughout Monday's school day until finally during math she pulled hard enough to dislodge the little bugger. It is little, too. She has very tiny teeth. 


04 November 2013

Turkeys!

I got the Halloween decorations put away yesterday and started pulling out some of the Thanksgiving items. These little turkeys are the cutest!


I love all our fall decorations as they really help set the season for us since it is harder to get into the spirit when it is still 80 degrees every day. It is easier to know it is fall with decorative gourds and dried corn set about the house. 

03 November 2013

Sunday in the Park

I love this picture and how it completely exhibits Pickle . . . from the wide open mouth - a constant in most pictures of her - to the unique socks. She was tearing up the park today on her bike! 

02 November 2013

Academic Achievement

Look who received a Personal Success Award for Academic Achievement! One student receives this award from each class and we have the first quarter winner in our house!

01 November 2013

Halloween 2013

We survived another year! This time around we had a Dinosaur, Angelina Ballerina, and the Emperor. I had a lot of fun with the Emperor's makeup but by the time we took pictures he had rubbed most of it off goofing around with his friend.


















As we have for the last several years we also had friends over to trick-or-treat with us. Darth Vader and Captain Rex helped round out our Star Wars trio and Super Girl helped save the day.

31 October 2013

Happy Halloween







For weeks now the constant conversation has revolved around Halloween costumes. There have been some creative ideas but none was as creative as New Kid. She marched into the bathroom and emerged with her 
declarative cry, "I'm going as a step stool!"
Have a great Halloween!




06 September 2013

Cuchara Wildlife

This was a great year for seeing wildlife in Cuchara. We were treated to several deer visits to the cabin and a large bear even strolled by on the hillside for an afternoon snack. JP and I spotted a couple of foxes on the road and we were also lucky enough to see a Mama Bear and her cub cross the highway. 

The day we climbed the peak we also saw several Ptarmigan and Marmots; the latter were very entertaining. We always see many chipmunks but we had one on our climb that day that followed my sister-in-law and I very closely as we went down the mountain. JP took this picture of an interesting butterfly on our climb as well.

Ptarmigan
The best surprise on our trip was seeing this regal Big Horn Sheep which we have never seen before in this particular area. We briefly saw him on our way to town that day but were not able to stop and investigate. When we saw him again on the way back in the exact same spot we were sure he was a fake and just a ruse to trick the tourists, but we took the time to stop and watch and photograph and did see him move his head to know he was real.

04 September 2013

Cuchara: Favorite Photos

Here are some of my favorite snapshots from our Colorado trip last month:





01 September 2013

This One . . .

This one is three (and all that comes with that).

This one had her first day back at school too (about 3 weeks ago).

This one does not like to follow bedtime rules (and will come out of her room to share things like how to hula hoop).

This one knows how to fight back (and sister has the marks to prove it).

This one started "sandpaper letters" this past week at school (but already thinks she can read).

This one has many stories to tell (but few are true).

This one wants to do whatever her sister is doing (and sister likes bossing her around).

This one is a sweet, loving, caring child who is quick to say I love you and ask about your day. She is a snuggle bug and lap-sitter and even though she is in her "trying three-yr-old" stage, she is a joy.

08 August 2013

First Day of School 2013

     Once again, and too early I might add, the younglings have returned to school. This year is another pretty big year as The Boy has been joined at the local elementary school by Pickle. Yes, she has moved on up to first grade! She is pumped about it, too. It was hard to hold her back from running out the door this morning after she got dressed. The Boy was not so excited.
     After a fine breakfast of waffles we tied our shoes and headed out. We were joined on our walk by 2 of Pickle's past and present classmates. We thought it would be nice for the three of them to head into the unknown of a new school with the known of some old friends. It helped a great deal. About 4 houses from school Pickle reached down and took the little boy's hand and held it all the way onto the playground. In fact, she was still holding it as the bell rang and they walked into the building.
    I walked down to meet the kids after school and found two very pleased little ones. One was just glad to be out of school for the day and the other just couldn't wait to go back. After a snack of fresh lemon squares a little paperwork was completed and a paragraph about summer vacation written and then the bags were packed for another day.