chocolate fu manchu

making chocolates at our house can get a little out of control. see for yourself. so silly! actually it was mrs. potato head that did it. i'm surprised that the girls went along with it.

btw - new post over at www.upcyclery.blogspot.com. my latest creation.

halloween

here is a few halloween picts - same as everyone else. i was feeling the pressure to post.

time for a change and happenings

if you follow my thrifty to nifty - i have changed to www.upcyclery.blogspot.com - thanks for following me there. i hope that it isn't too much of a bother.

here's what's happened in my world...

growing...

...up,

...hair,

...personality.

experiencing

...the circus,

...the beach,

...thrills,...mystical creatures,

...creepy creatures,

...and one very long road trip!

the end. for now.

happenings - family pictures

we recently went home to hang out with grandma and papa for a few days. grandma was kind enough to take some family pictures because i am too cheap to get them professionally done. i like more of the candid stuff anyway. plus, i can photo shop my body to whatever size i want. just wanted to share a few with you. oh! my girls are super-uper adorable! i know you will agree. and here is our little family. sorry but mr. & mrs. are not as photogenic as the little girls. we kinda ruin this picture. but it is what it is. and for the record i did not shave a size off my hips. i haven't gotten there yet. i might have to give myself some more defined biceps too. it never hurts.enjoy!

first day of school - belated

on july 29th 'smalls' had her first day of kindy! surprisingly, this day was not a sad experience (for me or 'smalls'). i felt more pride than anything. it wasn't until 2 weeks after she started and i just 'dropped' her off at school instead of walking her to the door that i started to cry. although i am sad to miss out on 7 hours of her day, i am excited for her and this experience. she is super ready to be in school and eager to learn. at night she comes home and practices writing words, sings us new songs and teaches me the 'rules'. she loves her teacher and friends and they love her too.

(here is how i captured her first day. )

her favorite subject: art & PE
her favorite thing for lunch: PB&J sandwich (she calls them 'jelly & jam sandwich')
her favorite toy on playground: monkey bars (which she has mastered)
her favorite in-class activity: singing (no surprise there)

my favorite thing about school? i love being able to be home and not worried about meeting her social agenda; running to parks and playgroups. i can actually sit and relax a bit and save on gas.

giveaway

great giveaway here at tricia's sister's blog: www.breakfastatgigis.blogspot.com - if i win this will be the only time that i will ever be able to shop at anthro - fingers crossed. please, please, please!

happy birthday, year one complete!

somebody is one year old!!

wow, that went fast. here are 'tater's' stats:23 pounds
32 inches
favorite food: (this should be broken down into categories)
- breakfast: blueberry yogurt
- snack: pretzels and freeze-dried apples or pears
- lunch: cereal bars - the gerber ones
- dinner: chicken - yeah, weird.
- anytime: ice cream and mini m&m's - a typical girl
favorite toy(s): the ugly baby that we found at a thrift store, legos and lately this dog that you pull behind you and it barks made by fisher price
words: 'aya' which means her name, sometimes she says 'dada' and means it

what she can do: wave, walk, dance, give kisses

likes: baths and swimming, babies, her sister's toothbrush, and music

dislikes: diaper changes, being dressed, and sitting in her car seat

we are so glad to have this sweetheart a part of our family. she brings us so much joy and happiness. we love to watch her grow and experience life. she is so much fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATER!! WE LOVE YOU!

also...

here is a fun, little hike we went on over the fourth holidays. its a little state park called castlewood canyon and it is just outside franktown, co. it was beautiful! i recommend trying it for yourself. just wear pants bc there was poison ivy and there was quite a bit of it. 'smalls' was extremely sensitive to the fact that there was. we had to cross the creek and that was a little crazy bc there was no bridge. but the views were gorgeous and it was fun to play in water and see butterflies, wildflowers and nature. enjoy!

starting out. what did we make 'smalls' carry you ask? well, she had to bring her stuffed animals along. i got to carry them most of the time, lucky me!

first and safest river crossing, cherry creek actually.
'smalls' loved this little cave but would not go inside, so we decided to take a picute in front instead. 'smalls' leading the hike.peek-a-boo! who's that cute baby?

at the end of our 3 mile hike, 'smalls' was getting that 'my legs hurt' attitude so she ended up on dad's shoulders. mr. potato head packing an extra 70 pounds! talk about tough! yes, that is MY man! looks like someone's legs feel better.