Sunday, September 27, 2009

Barbie Party

In the blog post yesterday I mentioned the Barbie party for EMN and here are the photos from her celebration. She's been calling it her "pretend birthday" since her actual birthday hasn't happened yet. She's very precise, you see, and she's also noted that her parents haven't given her a present for her pretend birthday. Hmm. Anyhow, we had a few friends over for crafts, food and fun and of course, a pinata. She declared it "the best party ever!" and that was even before her friends showed up :)! They all played their hearts out and it was a fun event to host. Happy 5th (almost)!!

Daddy frosted all 48 cupcakes and put a 5 on each. First thing she asked - "why do they all have S on them??"





She's playing with Barbies in the background as I type this post. Did you know that all Barbies have special super powers? I love listening to her role play with her toys. I've already used my special super powers to solve one crisis - the shoes. I think they should all be painted on. One gift was a set of beautiful dresses and so she dressed up all her Barbies (and her new Ken) for a fantastic party but didn't have enough shoes or couldn't get them all to fit/stay on. Easy - the party is on the beach so they can all go barefoot! Mommy super power to the rescue!

Soon after the party was over she disappeared to her bedroom for a long nap.


The day ended with a gorgeous sunset and so Mike grabbed my camera and took several shots. This was the best of the bunch. Enjoy!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Saturday

Operation Birthday Party for EMN is now complete and it was a success! So now it's time to reflect on where time went this summer ...

Let's take a few steps back in time to earlier this summer. These are a random smattering of photos with noteworthy events all shown in chronological order (I'll get to our big trips soon ... I promise). First we have kite flying on a gusty day in mid-June. The picture makes it looks better than it actually was but hey, we were out there, we tried it and then packed up the kites for the beach where the kids learned what a really windy day was like.


Next up was Bergesfest in Boerne. We attended the carnival with some of our squadron friends while the guys were all on an airshow trip back to the east coast (and coincidentally meeting Angelina Jolie). The carnival was a huge hit! The kids went on lots of rides and crashed on the trip home. Below is one of their "roller coaster" experiences, which was short lived. The tamer rides seemed to be more preferred by MTN. EMN loved the fun house and spent most of her time in the rotating tube at the end, like the closing scenes of Grease (which she's never seen).



Keeping busy by making bead necklaces and other various creations. This has been one of the best toys ever! They make ropes and decorations for the lamps and all sorts of things. I love it because they play together, use their imagination and keep coming back to the same toy.

July 18 was the 8th anniversary of Mike's F-16 ejection over Turkey. We had some friends over for dinner and celebrated the fact that he's safe and still with us. We have a few pieces of the charred jet remains in Mike's office as a souvenir of that day (as if we could forget).


EMN making a batch of Rice Krispy Treats in July. She couldn't believe how easy it was and hopes we do it again soon :)

Riding bikes has been very popular this summer and this is just one day of many. They like to ride across to the light pole seen across the street and then back.

We had our part of our downstairs painted and here's a glimpse. We're very pleased with the results! There's another wall of red in the kitchen and more shades of yellow/gold throughout the downstairs. Now we're ready to finish/continue decorating - it's a long process apparently!

In July kids attended Vacation Bible School at our church while I worked in the craft program. The theme was Camp EDGE and EMN is still singing songs she learned at VBS. We even bought the DVD so she could fine tune her dance moves and she watches that on a regular basis. I knew she would enjoy it, I just had no idea how much! MTN had to be in the nursery (pesky potty training) so his experience was scaled back, but since he's been watching the DVD he's caught on to the music at least. I enjoyed my time working with the youth and other crafty ladies. It's been nice getting more involved at church and learning more about all the programs they offer.


Worn out after a day at VBS!
Watering the plants with their new watering cans (hers is Ariel, his is an oil can with Lightning McQueen)

Fun in the sand box, newly filled with 300+ pounds of sand.


Beading bracelets as a "Thank You, Good Luck and We'll Miss You" gift for M'Audra, our babysitter. She's off to college and she's just the best!



EMN loves loves loves to draw and color recently. This is a self portrait and she requested I photograph it. So here it is for everyone's enjoyment.
Nothing like two empty moving boxes and a couple of blankets to fill an afternoon! I'm just happy I finally emptied two more moving boxes!! It's been a year that we've been here now and it's high time permanent homes be made for some of these items. The kids played with these boxes for days - they were rocket ships, boats, houses, forts, beds ... just great play items. So glad I could stimulate their imaginations!
August 2nd was our simulated Father's Day since Mike spent his on an airshow trip (and meeting Angelina Jolie - I have to keep working that in there because it's fun to tease Mike). The kids made cupcakes for him and definitely enjoyed the fruits of their labor!

On that note, I'll end the whirlwind update. Hope you enjoyed the random photos! Happy Fall!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

A Return

A return to the blogging world! I've been debating on where to start; a report on what we did on our summer vacation? Cute photos of back to school? Soccer pictures from today's game? I'll probably hit all of those at some point. In the meantime I thought it was probably most important just to put a post up to say "Hi" and "we're here" and "all is well".

The kids have been in school for just over a week and are loving it. Both are in preschool and have teachers well suited to their needs. My Bible study and MOPS have resumed and our collective family scheduled went from nothing to something every day of the week almost overnight. It's so nice to have a steady hum of activity and so far everyone seems to be handling it well. I haven't forgotten to pack a lunch and I haven't messed up the carpool line so I'm feeling pretty good. And the kids seems to be adjusting to their earlier bedtimes, earlier wake-ups and new routines. MTN has even shown interest in toilet-training - hurray! Lots of changes around here and as we all settle into the fall schedule, I'm working blogging time into my day (I hope!!). I've got so many pictures that are too cute not to share!