Renee made this pretty "friendship" bracelet for me this evening. Such a sweet girl!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Friday, August 12th
Renee made this pretty "friendship" bracelet for me this evening. Such a sweet girl!
Thursday, August 11th
The girls and I, Darby (Renee's friend), and Mary and her boys met with Andrea to see her art show and then went out to lunch for Korean food with her. It was such a lovely afternoon! Her artwork is amazing; she has such a good eye for detail. The girls and I enjoyed asking questions and learning more about her craft and inspiration. Lunch was fun too. Drew and Andrea both told us stories about their life in Korea and introduced the girls and I to our first Korean food experience. Thanks Andrea!
Sunday, August 7th
For his 6th birthday, Buddy got a stuffed panda and this duck. He also got a bath, which meant he got to get on the bed. He's such a good dog!
Thursday, August 4th
Today Cameron was awarded a scholarship for his participation in Mock Trial. Yay Cameron!
Wednesday, August 3rd
This year the family disagreed about the date of Buddy's birthday. Matt thought it was the 3rd and so posted that date on Buddy's FB page. Everyone wished him a happy birthday. ;o) I am convinced it's the 4th and Renee thought it was the 5th. So we celebrated his birthday all three days. Friday the 5th Emma and I took him to PetSmart for a pedi/mani and two new toys.
Tuesday, August 2nd
Emma went to Preteen Classic Movie Night (a SAIL activity). They watched Robin Hood in Technicolor! Victoria provided Mike and Ike candy for the kids to snack on while watching the movie. It was the first time I have every tried that candy...yum! I ate an entire (small) cup and then some.
Saturday, July 30th
Family photo for the SAIL yearbook, turned in late (thank you for the grace period Ricki!)
Friday, July 29th
Renee went with friends to a homeschool teen dance in Ft. Worth. This was taken at a pre-party before the long drive. This girl can dance! I think she dances well and she always looks like she is having a blast! She's not shy about dancing and actually gets a little frustrated with her friends when they won't because they are too embarrassed to dance in front of others. She even participated in a game of spin the bottle (for hugs). Perhaps it's time to lock her up until she is in her 20's.
Thursday, July 28th
I adore this spirited, stubborn little girl! After I spent an exhausting afternoon taking Renee shopping for an outfit to wear to the teen dance, Emma was adamantly determined to get me to take her swimming. Obviously she won!
Saturday, July 23rd
My sister, Brenda, and I found so many hidden treasures in my grandparent's home. Most things were lovingly placed at least 14 years ago, before my grandmother passed away. They stayed in their designated drawers and cabinets, waiting to be discovered. As we turned plates, bowls, and little trinkets over, most times we would find a small label indicating who or where it came from or it's significance. One plate said "1945 our first set of good dishes". We found beautifully embroidered napkins, table cloths and place mats with homemade matching tie-at-the-waist aprons. My grandmother's cookbooks were very entertaining to look through! We found suitcases still packed, one with a hotel kitchen and another with a travel bar, just waiting for the next spur of the moment trip. All the years my grandfather lived alone, none of it was touched.
This box, found in the top drawer of the guest room dresser, had the best treasures of all. On the left side you can see handmade doll clothes, both sewn and knitted. On the right side is my grandfather's Mason Bible. Inside we found Brenda's first shoes, two beautiful, embroidered, infant baptismal gowns and under all of that, my grandmothers wedding dress. It was a gorgeous, perfectly handmade 1940's dress! She didn't wear the typical white gown. Her dress was colorful, bright and happy.
I can't easily express what these time capsules meant to me. I was deeply moved how even though both had departed, they were still able to show Brenda how much they loved her. My grandparents were truly amazing people! I love not only who they were, but also how they lived...with such integrity and purpose.
Thursday, July 21st
My grandfather's ready-to-wear tie
Today was his memorial service, the one he didn't want. All he wanted was to be with his dog, Toby. We did make sure that happened. There was a very small gathering of close friends and family at the cemetery. Afterwards, everyone dined at Red Lobster, his favorite.
Monday, July 18th
Twenty-two years today, one day at a time. This shelf next to my bed holds many things I treasure: artwork and kind notes from my beautiful children, books, a picture that hung on the wall of my childhood home, and photos of my grandmother, my dog Charlie and my dear friends. The shelf itself was built by my grandfather. It was in my bedroom as a child, only back then it was covered with stickers.
Sunday, July 17th
This is a horrible photo taken with my phone camera. Obviously we went to see the last Harry Potter movie, which was fantastic! We are all sad it's over.
Thursday, July 14th
Auburn stayed the night with Emma three nights in a row! I believe they were pretty happy about that! In honor of the release of the final Harry Potter movie, the girls attempted to watch all the preceding movies in order....a Harry Potter movie marathon! They made chocolate frogs and ate "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans". Here you see them sorting out the flavors, hoping they get it right. After Emma and Auburn went to great effort to decorate the room with owls, brooms, books, wands and such and dress up in Hogwart appropriate attire, they sat down to watch the first movie. They didn't even make it half way through the movie before they fell asleep. Cute girls!
Tuesday, July 12th
This helicopter is usually used to lift large amounts of water onto forest fires. . When we saw it, it was being used to lift huge bales of seed-filled hay. The intention is to get things growing again in order to prevent erosion. They guy flying this helicopter was very nice and allowed the girls to climb into the cockpit to check it out. Before arriving in the Sipapu area to lift bales onto the mountainside, the pilot was working on putting out the Los Alamos fire. This machine costs 7 million dollars and there are only 18 in the world. They are used like cranes and can fly in higher altitudes, so it's the perfect aircraft for putting out forest fires.
Monday, July 11th
Matt, Kelly and the girls made homemade ice cream the old fashioned way, by cranking it!
Saturday, July 9th
Our day was spent in Taos. After lunch a the Bent Street Cafe, we went shopping! Always the first stop is the yarn store, Renee's favorite! She and Grandma Kelly both bought some lovely yarn. Emma went to the fabric store and purchased some beautiful fabric, specially chosen for baby Oliver. She wants to make a pillow for him (even though we keep telling her babies don't use pillows). Twirl toy store is also a favorite. Emma, Renee and I all got things from that store, notably a jump rope and hula hoop for Emma. That evening we all went to Sipapu Lodge and enjoyed some live music performed by our friend Chris Morel.
Friday, July 8th
We went into Taos with Brent and Kent to have lunch at Micheal's Kitchen, a long time family favorite. That afternoon we relaxed on the porch with Eddie and Kelly and learned all about Eddie's time in the National Guard. That evening, Kent, Brent, Matt, Renee, Emma and I had a friendly pool tournament which lasted late into the night. Emma came in first place and I got second (shocking everyone)!
Thursday, July 7th
We went to Santa Fe and did all of the usual tourist stuff. The New Mexico History Museum and Governor's Palace were great! Renee wanted to see the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum; the artwork was fantastic, of course, but the museum was a little small. The girls and I learned some things about her we never knew before; she was a very interesting person. We checked out the La Fonda Hotel, The Loretto Chapel with the miraculous spiral staircase and heard a beautiful choir practice at the St. Francis Cathedral. Lunch at the Shed was very good! After getting some ice cream and coffee, we did a little bit of tourist shopping and headed back to the cabin.
Wednesday, July 6th
Because of the fires, the National Forests and State Parks were closed. We weren't allowed to hike or drive into the forest with out risk of jail time and huge fines. So, the five of us went for a drive. First we drove up to Morphy Lake outside of Mora. Then we drove from Mora through Angel Fire to Taos and back to the cabin from there. In all of our years of going to New Mexico, we have never been down some those roads. It was lovely! We not only saw some beautiful views, but also met some friendly horses, saw several different birds, entertaining prairie dogs, and three mama elk with their calves.
Tuesday, July 5th
They spent the day either lounging, floating down the river, or working on the reconstruction of the dam. I read my book on the porch, hanging out with the humming birds and enjoying the beautiful day.
Monday, July 4th
The kids played disc golf with the Weatherly guys then went home to cool off in the river. After that, we went into Taos to have dinner at Outback Pizza (yum!). That evening, we sat outside in front of the cabin with the Weatherlys, looked at Saturn and other planets through the SAIL telescope (the one the kids helped build), identified constellations, searched for passing satellites, told stories and laughed.
Saturday, July 2nd
I cheated and posted two photos. I couldn't decide which one to use.
The first photo is one with Renee's sign for the firefighters. This group picture was taken at the annual Fourth of July party with all of the residents of Las Mochas. The sign was filled with heartfelt messages of thanks and a hat was passed to raise money for the small, local, volunteer fire department. The photo was printed and framed and it, along with this sign and the money raised, were all given to the local, first responder firefighters. I believe the firefighters hung Renee's sign on the station wall.
The second photo is of sweet Emma singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the party. We all gave her our full attention and sang along. She practiced for weeks to make sure she knew the song well. It was simply beautiful.
Friday, July 1st
Driving to Las Mochas, New Mexico from Plano takes us around 14 hours (with stops). Much of the drive looks like this. When I took this picture (with my phone) Emma was in the middle of asking Matt about our location. It went something like this:
"Daddy, where are we?"
"In the middle."
She giggled, "In the middle of what?"
"Nowhere!"
Actually, I think we were almost to Childress. I think it's pretty!
Thursday, June 30th
Renee spent many hours working on a sign Grandma Kelly asked her to make. It was for the firefighters who put out the Osha Fire in New Mexico. The fire got within 3/4 of a mile from the cabin! Amazingly, the wind direction and speed shifted and the firefighters were able to stop it before it burned through the valley. It was ignited because a beaver, who was working on some home improvements, fell a tree into a power line next to the Buddhist Monastery just down the road from the cabin. It was named the Osha fire because the beaver lived right near the entrance to the Osha trail (hiking).
Wednesday, June 29th
Emma is proud of herself for making dinner for the family. She made nachos, one of her all time favorites!
Saturday, June 25th
Going home after a short visit! Just one more picture with Grandma before we leave!
Thursday, June 23rd
Wednesday, June 22nd
Cooper! My mom's dog is one of the only little dogs I truly enjoy. (I like the Maestas dogs too!) He is half Chihuahua and half Pomeranian. His personality is absolutely fantastic and incredibly mellow for a little dog. Emma loves that he has outfits to wear. I doubt his little feet touched the ground very often during our visit. All three of us took turns carrying him around.
Tuesday, June 21st
Friday, June 17th
Renee had a few friends over to hang out in the backyard. Buddy could tell we were expecting visitors and got on the couch in the school room to watch for their arrival. He doesn't usually get on furniture, but I guess he felt compelled to break the rules to do his "job".
Wednesday, June 15th
Two of my sweet children brought me gifts at the end of a rough day (for me). Cameron brought me fresh tortillas from Central Market (yum!) and Renee gave me these pretty flowers. My kids are amazing!
Tuesday, June 14th
This was taken with my phone at Astronomy Club. Lissa and Emma worked together to engineer a contraption able to protect a raw egg from a significant fall. They named their work "Fluffy". The point of the experiment was to emphasize the need to protect sensitive and delicate technical equipment from harsh falls onto rough Martian landscapes. It worked!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Friday, June 10th
Both Cameron and Renee learned how to ride their bikes by riding them down grassy hills to find their balance. Emma has not been able to do this because she has a severe allergy to fire ants. If she were to fall in the grass and get just one fire ant sting, she could end up in the ER, or worse. She has been reluctant to learn how to ride on the road or sidewalk for fear of getting road rash. So, she has been using training wheels far longer than she has wanted to. Then this Friday she decided she wanted to learn how to ride without them. Thirty minutes later she was riding her bike. One would never know she was a late bloomer!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Bike Ride
I made her go inside and put on her jeans before she could ride. (She already knew to wear her helmet.) As for her hair, she deliberately makes it go over her left eye. She likes it that way!
Peace (Sunday)
Renee's peace earrings (double pierced) and peace shirt (tie-dyed) makes me think she is trying to tell us something.
Homeschooling (Friday)
A bunch of homeschoolers got together at Rachael's house to observe and identify various microscopic creatures.
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