Picture of the Day

Another Teenager In The House

For Lucy's birthday she wanted to invite some cousins over and just have fun together. Some of the things they did were make paper flower pens, played the squirt bottle game, had a photo shoot, and ate lunch. 

The girl's: Jacqueline, Chloey, Breanna, Kandus, Brynley, and Lucy.

Lucy was so excited to see her cousins. She especially missed Chloey and hadn't seen her since the 4th of July. For her birthday she asked for a 3D pen and absolutely loves it. It totally fits her creative personality. It was such a fun day.

Lucy Is Thirteen!

Lucy, I know you were kidding around in this picture, but I wanted you to know that you truly remind me of a rainbow, full of color and spark. Your happy personality brings so much life to our family. Just like a rainbow! Never stop being you, blunders and all. We need Lucy just the way she is.

I love you so much Luce and I am so proud that I get to be your mom.

Celebrating Lucy

Lucy's colorful personality

Locked Up -Celebrating Skipper

Lucy's Perspective: I remember one day, when Kandus got home from school, mom and dad took her into their room and talked to her about something bad that she did at school. I think the bad thing was that when me and mom took her to school she was screaming and chasing after mom and the car and wouldn't go to school. After mom and dad talked to her, dad brought her down stairs and made her stay in her room and she was in there for a really long time.
We were all watching Lord of the Rings down stairs too and dad was all comfy with a blanket on the couch. Mom went up stairs for a minute and Kandus kept on asking me to come in the room with her. She was making an Ariel picture to go on the ceiling and I remember liking it a lot. I was teasing her about Gollum, saying "MY PRECIOUUUS", and it would freak her out. I kept leaving her because I wanted to watch the movie. She was complaining and got mad at me so dad said I had to leave her in there alone.
After a while I went to the window to look at Jack outside and to my left I saw Kandus...OUTSIDE...OUT OF HER ROOM...GLARING AT ME LIKE A MEAN OLD DOG. I knew exactly what she was thinking. She was thinking, "Don't you dare tell mom and dad." So I watched her through the window for about 5 minutes deciding whether or not to tattle on her. I finally got the courage to tell dad. After all, I was his partner in crime. I timidly said to him, "Dad, I saw Kandus outside." Immediately I felt a blast of guilt go through my body. Kandus was my sister soul mate and I betrayed her! But at the same time, I felt like she deserved it and I was really interested to see what would happen. Right when I told dad, he threw off his blanket and went outside, half stomping half running...MARCH RUNNING! I remember following him and watching as Kandus let out a high pitched scream and ran only 3 steps before he easily caught her. Dad carried her inside and for the next while she was actually LOCKED in her room and the window that she snuck through was blocked. She was in her room for the rest of the evening making things and playing with her American Girl doll. That night when we went to bed she was not happy with me at all. 

In Preparation For My Birthday

When my mom asked for a recent picture of me for my birthday coming up, I realized that they were really sparse. It makes sense, I am usually the one behind the camera...

In fact, when I really thought about it, it had been a while since I had been involved in a dress up "occasion" like the kids and I used to do...I really miss that. I'm not going to lie, for a while I felt sad that I hadn't taken the time with them, at least being on the other end of the camera with them once in a while. When I mentioned it to the girls and told them that I couldn't find a recent picture besides a stupid duck face, they were all over the idea of dressing me up that very night. For my birthday.

I asked for a cool bird eye like Skipper did to Lucy a couple months ago, I thought it looked so cool. And for my short hair...I mentioned braids and that crazy hair was best. I could never make myself be serious all the time. Laughing is just way too fun. I ended up giving my mom a few pictures from a couple years ago and also this picture below.

I will be turning forty in a couple days. In case you were wondering, that's 280 in dog years.

Forty years old is monumental, right?...I may be getting older and hopefully wiser, but I definitely hope I will always hold on to my goofiness.

14 Cubic Yards

We had a load of garden soil mixture(14 cubic yards) brought by and plopped in front of our house on the street last night. I felt almost embarrassed as we got looks from a few neighbors, I assumed because of the giant daunting size of it. Dae took 3 days off this week so that we could work on the yard together during Spring break. So today we rented a mini bobcat tractor and slaved all day long until dinner, putting the soil in flower box after flower box and when those were full, it went in a big giant pile on the patio in the back yard to be added to places later on(like the rock wall). To think I was worried at first that we wouldn't have enough...I now believe that the landscaper estimated a little too much. There is one thing I did learn and that was how incredibly good Dae was at driving that "thing" around. He was an absolute pro. He couldn't stop it from tearing up our grass though. Deac and Lucy worked so hard along side us all day while Skipper was playing at Disneyland with Lexi. When we were close to getting done I mentioned jokingly to the Deac and Luce, that when she gets home we should have her do all our jobs for us for a week. There was a pause and then absolute seriousness in Deac's voice when he answered, "Yeah, we should. Can we please do that mom?" He also told Lucy in private that he wished I would just finish all the shoveling myself.

Jack took off for an hour on the town today while we were busy and no one saw him get out. He came back in a panic, pawing at the front door and licking his lips...I wonder. He was then fed lunch by Lucy and then accidentally fed lunch again 30 minutes later by Dae, not realizing. He wolfed down his second hobbit lunch just as quickly and hungrily as he did the first, no surprise there. He was sick later that day because of it.

Welcome Home Sign and Valentine Boxes

No matter how many times I have tried to save one of the many cool signs Lucy makes for dad or any one of us to reuse, she doesn't want it. She likes to make new ones. I guess it is all in the doing it that means something to her, which I totally understand. It is never expected, but I love that she does that for us. The kids spent the evening doing crafty things...

 Lucy and Deacon's Valentine boxes for school.

Makeup Mishap and A New President

Tonight was another one of those nights that I walked in the girl's bathroom to find them decorating each other in a really bad way. I mean, really bad. This time, I will call it a makeup mishap. Skippers mouth was a mix between a clown and a mess. I don't know who looked crazier...I must admit, I loved the bird look on Lucy that Skipper did, along with the Donald Trump motif next to the frowny face...very much Lucy. It seems Donald is the topic of conversation everywhere lately. At school, at home, everywhere. The kids really get into talking about him.

"Relax mom, I already know all the bad words...darn, booger, and Donald Trump."...(Netflix humor the kids have picked up)

By the way, we just very recently and regretfully accepted him as our president and heard his inauguration speech. We are all a bit concerned and apprehensive about the future in so many ways at the moment. Way back when I first saw him on a couple episodes of "The Apprentice", I decided then and there that he was not a nice person. I couldn't believe how mean and narcissistic this billionaire/businessman and celebrity was. He is someone I never in this world would have chosen or imagined as my president. But it is said and done. Donald Trump is our president now. 

The "Trump experiment" begins and our cause for hope widens. 

Beauty Stealer

 She calls herself the BEAUTY STEALER.

It would be best to beware and stay away if you want to keep your beauty because...

She'll cut your hair, put crazy makeup on you, and keep you under the bathroom sink.

Consider yourself warned.

(Little Lady trying very hard to look ugly, but it just isn't working)

6th Grade Sad Walk

Lucy's 6th grade class performs the sad walk of the Egyptians because of the pharaoh's death.

The First Snow On Thanksgiving

Today was the first snow this year and it happens to be Thanksgiving. It was barely a skiff on the ground, maybe an inch. Lucy and Deac were so excited about even a small amount that they went out and layed in it for a while. This is what I saw when I looked out the window and laughed...Lucy was on her back, Deac was laying face down licking it.

Merry Thanksgiving!

Lucy's 12th Birthday

For Lucy's birthday she wanted a couple cousins to come over and have dinner(taco salad) and spend the evening with us. Lucy and Chloey(cousin buds).

Doughnuts and icecream for dessert!

Left to right- Kandus, Deac, Brynlee, Chloey, Breanna, Lucy, Jaxon, and Jacqueline.

She wanted roller blades which is what she got. Kandus gave her this crazy game of try to talk with a big contraption in your mouth. They all got a crack out of it that night and it was quite a hit.

After the party Kandus, Lucy, Chloey, Jacqueline and I, went to the mall to meet up with parents and hung out there for a while being silly. Pretty sure she had a great time on her birthday.