well-rounded daughters

I knew from the beginning that I didn't want my girls to be too girly. Don't get me wrong, I love the dress-up clothes, the layers of jewelry, the want for fabulous shoes, but I still want them to enjoy some other stuff, too. Ya know, splashing in the creek, playing in the dirt, riding bikes, playing with cars, kicking a soccer ball...typical boy stuff. I want them to not be afraid to get dirty, hurt, or hot & sweaty. Okay, I don't like to get hot & sweaty, but since when do kids notice that feeling of discomfort? Having fun doing "boy stuff" is a great thing. I want them to have fun and not worry about their clothes/hair/shoes/fingernails. I want them to love doing things that Daddy did when he was little. Sure, I enjoyed some typical boy stuff when I was little, having spent many summers at the farm, but what a great way for the girls to bond with Daddy by doing the things that he enjoyed so much. Oh, he'll join in even if they are playing with girly stuff, but come on, what dad wouldn't love for his girls to learn how to throw a football or catch a baseball? All of that to say, my girls are becoming well-rounded. They have chosen, as previously stated, to embrace all things Star Wars. This is great! A classic sci-fi that Daddy loved as a kid and still enjoys now. So after breakfast this is what I saw....

Yep, that's Miss O in her Tinkerbell nightgown reading a Star Wars book to her baby doll. But oh, that's no ordinary baby doll...that's Super Baby! She's a super hero baby that rescues people. She can fly and she's really strong...her super powers, of course!

And yes, that's Miss E in her Tinkerbell nightgown playing with her beloved dolls, dressing them in their prettiest clothes with the fanciest shoes...all the while wearing the Darth Vader mask...with the "dark side" breathing sounds :o)

Why yes, I think this is the beginning of two very well-rounded daughters!

got coffee? me neither.

Let me just start by saying that my head is screaming for a cuppa coffee. Oh, why did I not buy more. I ground the last of it yesterday and forgot to get more. I knew it was getting low, but I just forgot...why?! why?! Glass half full = thank goodness we still had some Pepsi leftover from Miss E's party on Sunday. Oohh..I could have a cup of tea, I suppose. If I'm still coherent at the end of this post I might give it a whirl.

Today is library day so this morning that's where we went. Some of our friends were there. We had a nice time...and we checked out Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode One. I know, I know. Why would I want to see that? Well, Miss O wants to see a "real" pod race and there is a really cool one in this movie. There's no way she could watch the whole movie...too long, too intense, too weird, too many alien things...but the convenience of scene selection makes it possible to show her some cool, yet not scary, parts of the movie.

After I hung a load of laundry I checked on my garden. We had huge storms last night with tornado watches and all. I do love a good thunderstorm, but come on, right after the girls go to bed? Glass half full = my girls aren't scared of thunderstorms because Tim and I love them. So even though they heard the thunder and felt the house rumble there was no whining or crying. Tough chicks, huh? :o) So as I was saying, I checked my garden to see if anything got beaten to the ground. All of my plants were just as perky as they could be. And, and, and, I have some serious tomatoes growing on my lemon boy plants! Oh yeah, I'm going to have some good salsa this summer. You wanna know why?...my cilantro is coming up nicely too, that's why! I can almost taste it. Oh, and the radishes (the seeds that Miss O chose) are almost ready to pick. Maybe another week or so...mmm, so good in a salad. Gorgeous, I tell you. There is nothing prettier than planting something, taking care of it, and having it grow so nicely producing the things we love to eat. The girls help with the weeding and when it's harvesting time, they'll help with that, too. Do you know kids that hate veggies? Help them plant a garden...I bet they'll eat the plants they grow...or at least try them.

On another thought completely (see, without coffee I'm a little ramble-y...okay maybe it's just me) Miss E got a new quilt for her bed, so did Miss O since they share a room. The girls love them...very cute. need caffine.must go.can't stop yawning.must go nowwwwwww.

oh, the fun!

Luuuke, I am your faaatherrr!

Thanks to my friend Kim for the great Darth Vader masks. The girls were thrilled! I know, you think it's a little weird, but that's what makes it so cute. The girls just love Star Wars stuff and plus...don't you think the masks really bring out the sparkle in the bunny t-shirts? So thanks again Esther's Mom!

Aaaahhhh....I love cute fabric.

This year, now that my girls are getting a little older and I have more time to use my sewing machine, I thought I'd start a new tradition for their birthdays. The girls get to choose the theme for their birthday (it usually revolves around the cake). So the tradition is to make a cute dress as a gift that goes with the theme. Little Miss O's dress turned out great for her bumblebee theme. So now, Little Miss E's birthday is right around the corner and she has chosen to have a puppy cake and I found the cutest fabric to make her a dress to go with the puppy theme. Here's a peek a the fabric...when I have a finished dress I'll post a picture. The fabric is so cute though I am going to have a hard time cutting it.

Picnic playdates....and falling branches.

Last week on a nice sunny day we met some friends at the neighborhood park to play and eat lunch. It was sunny and warm. Just the slightest breeze...quite lovely. When we arrived my girls went straight for the play ground as I walked to the picnic tables. After walking by the big shade tree I heard a cracking sound, then.....CRASH! A huge branch from the tree came crashing down right where I had been standing just seconds before. First, praise God for His sovereignty that no one was hurt. Second, I am so glad the park is right beside the fire station. We had fun for a short time, but as we were finishing lunch it started pouring down rain so we had to leave. It was fun while it lasted! Here are some pictures. It's hard to tell how big the branch is, but trust me, it's huge. Since then, we've gone to the NC Zoo (loved it!) and we've had another playdate. I'm working on that post, too. Lots of cute pictures to come!

we've been busy

We had a play date yesterday. What fun! Since it was raining *again* we stayed inside to play. We did a spring flower craft so we would remember to be thankful for the rain, ya know...April showers bring May flowers. Okay, so I was the one that needed to remember to be thankful for the rain. Rainy days make for long days sometimes, but we had lots of fun.
Between the days of rain we had some really nice warm days to play outside. Bubbles are so fun. If you haven't purchased any bubbles in a while, you should, it really is fun. Thanks Aunt Mel :o) It's just the beginning of bubble fun for us this season, but Miss O is mastering her skills in bubble blowing.



Miss O: Hey mom, I've been practicing. Now I'm a Bubble Master!


me: Great! but, what's a Bubble Master?


Miss O: It's like being a Jedi Master, but with bubbles. I'm like Yoda, but instead of having a light sabre I have a bubble wand.

Welcome to my world! May the force be with you!




Oh, and speaking of Star Wars, if you get a letter from me with a big Yoda stamp on it...let me explain. I took the girls with me to the post office to buy more stamps and, low and behold, there are Star Wars stamps! Who knew? My girls were so excited to see Yoda stamps that I had to get them, but I don't think the post office lady had ever seen such excitement over stamps before. Hopefully, we brightened her day. Who doesn't love Yoda, right? Or as Yoda would say "Who loves Yoda not? Yes, hmmm.

Alright, I confess, I am not the coolest person in the world. Surprised? Not really, huh? I do enjoy some good ol' Yoda and the girls (and I) enjoy trying to figure out how Yoda would say things since he seems to say everything rearranged. Well, I just found a website to make my life easier when it comes to translating things into Yoda language. It's called YodaSpeak. You should go there and try it...it's fun! Really it is...go ahead, I won't tell anyone.

Going to the library, today we are. Yessssss.