Explosion

From the title,

you may assume

I am talking about this:

This is what I saw on my way to the store

this morning.

It was just a bit alarming,

and a little too close to home.

However, that's not the explosion

I'm referring to.

This afternoon Jordan decided to

paint her nails.

I walked in just in time

to witness the array of polish colors

she had selected for the occasion.

She had it all planned out -

which hand and which finger each one would

go on, and in what order.

When Sydney saw the finished product,

she said it looked like a

nail polish explosion

happened all over the place.

I think they look just lovely.

A London afternoon

Since school started,

life has been a little crazy.

So today, I decided it would be

London's day.

We would spend the day doing

whatever she wanted.

I thought this would be nice and relaxing. (ha)

Here's how it went:

1. Storytime at the library.

2. Band-aid on (invisible) boo-boo.

3. Picnic lunch in the back yard.

4. Swinging on the swing.
5. Read Winnie the Pooh, her favorite.
6. Change into 3 different swimsuits when

she heard about our weekend plans

to swim at a hotel.

7. Airplane swings in the family room

till we both got dizzy.

8. Taking care of her baby. (see below)

"Mom, look, it's a scary monster."

"No, it's just a baby!"

9. Giving London rides in the baby's stroller.

10. Dancing, singing, merry-making to

musical instruments and nursery rhymes.

11. Spend 10 minutes making ourselves the

most comfy pretend beds ever.

"Sleep" for 5 seconds. Wake up and do something else.

12. Make cinnamon rolls for our breakfast-dinner.

13. Let the kids take over on

dinner preparation.

14. Crash on the couch for a minute.

Kids are the best, aren't they?

It turned out to be a little relaxing after all.

Really.

(An actual conversation

which I happened to overhear.)

So this morning, Jordan is the last one

eating her breakfast.

London comes up and I fix her

a bowl of cereal.
She wants to sit in the seat next to Jordan.

Jordan says, "Hi, London!"

London replies, "Hi!"

Jordan: "Do you want me to

pull the chair out for you?"

London: "Yes. Thank you."

Jordan: "You're welcome."

Jordan: "I love you."

London: "I love you, too."

And they lived happily ever after.

The end.

Sparkle

These lilies just popped up one day

in our flower bed,

amongst the green leaves

and groundcover which pretty much

fill the whole space.

They have never been there before,

I don't know why they suddenly appeared this year.

If you look closely, you can see

that the petals sparkle,

like they were sprinkled with fairy dust.

Every time I see them,

it makes me smile,

like they were put there

just to brighten my day.

The spoils

Freezer burn

I recently discovered

Heaven in a Container.

But don't take my word for it.

Read the reviews for yourself.

(from needcoffee.com, not that I do)

"Review: It's like a street gang comprised entirely of Cinnabons ambushed you on a cold night, dragged you into an alleyway and took your wallet, leaving you for dead. But all of that in a positive, tasty and addictive sort of way.
Calories: Enough to power a baby elephant for two days. In each spoonful."

Okay, so that's a downside.

I'm willing to jog a little extra time

just to be able to eat this stuff.

It rocks.

Dreamland

Tonight, while she sleeps,

Jordan will receive

her first visit

from the tooth fairy.

She has extraordinary
teeth that fall out
overnight.
Yesterday, we
noticed it was
a little loose.
Today?


Gone.

Wow.

Memory-making

Today we

took a little

trip to

Glenwood Springs.

Also, it was

hat day.

What a

good-lookin'

guy!

Well-known landmarks

of one of Colorado's

tourist towns -

Hotel Colorado

and the famous

Hot-Springs Pool.

Wistful

glances on a

hot day.

This is what we

actually came to do.

Yea!! It brought back

memories,

we haven't mini-golfed

in quite awhile.

London has

almost

perfected

her swing.Check out that follow-through!

This really cracked me up.

Read the bottom part (if you can).

A little meander

across the

bridge to see

the rafters

on the Colorado.

We finished up the afternoon

at DQ with some giant

dipped cones for the kids.

A perfect end to a perfect afternoon.

Moves

London's gearing up

to start her first

dance class

in September.

Today she found a

random cd,

asked me to put it on,

then showed me her stuff.

Accessories are a must-have.

She'll be ready for her

toe shoes in no time, I'm sure.

Wow!

My husband

spoiled me for my birthday

this year!

It's my first digital SLR,

so I feel completely clueless.

I would love to take a photography class

at the local college,

but they don't offer one this year.

My next task is to read the manual (yee-ha)

and watch the tutorial DVD.

Can't wait to start using it!

I have the feeling it will become

somewhat of a permanent fixture

in my hand.

Stocking up

I love this time of year

when the morning air

is crisp

and fresh fruit

is abundant.

The kids love freezer jam,

so I thought I'd make some

to put away for the year ahead.

Yesterday and today's batches:

peach, raspberry-peach, and mango.

Tomorrow will be strawberry.

Mmmmm!

It's nice to be able to preserve

that fresh fruit flavor

to enjoy during those

long winter months.

Too soon

It's hard to believe it's

that time of year

already.

The kids went

back to school

on Monday.

6th, 3rd and 1st grade

this year.

London misses them (so do I!).

This morning when she saw me

making their lunches, she said,

"Are they going to another school today? No!"

But they are excited to be

back in the routine, and love their

teachers and classes so far.

After the first day, Austin told me,

"I think it's going to be a great year!"

Eeeeek! x 8

We had a pretty good

wind storm on Sunday night

that must have blown

the lid off the dog food container.

Yesterday I went out

to feed the dogs

and found a

surprise.

Ughhh!!!!
The kids thought they were so cute

and Jordan wanted to keep them

as pets.

I had to explain to her how they

multiply!

Doug came home and took care of them

for us.

This lucky fellow was saved for

snake food!

(Doug's office pet - no, really!) Sometimes I feel like I

live in a zoo.