Shoe love

Here are my FAVORITE pair of shoes in all of their old, ratty glory. I've had them for 4 years and I love summer because that means that I get to wear them all the time. But I think it's time for a new pair. I can't decide what kind to get - backstrap or not, the flip flop kind, triple strap, pattern or plain?? There are just too many choices for me...if I could, I would buy several different kinds and be done, but this summer, only one pair is in the budget. Nevertheless I can't wait to get a new pair wear them to shreds too.... On Saturday, we went to the local blueberry festival and left the house with only $10 in cash - it was $7 to park and no ATM so we wandered around, longing for blueberry smoothies, cake, anything...but to appease the girls we got a bag of kettle corn. It's funny because that stuff is all over the place - when you go to festivals of this kind in Germany, France etc.. you can get the exact same stuff. Must be because it's good...even Paige thinks so.

10 Things

#1 - The Tate family came to visit for Sunday dinner a couple of weeks ago. They were picking Kendall up from his mission. They are really a great family. Hope they had fun seeing Kendall and that he is adjusting well to post-mission life. #2 Maggie turned 10 - I can't believe she is in the double digits. I don't have any good pictures, but I liked the streaky flames in this one. We had a family day on Saturday to celebrate and her party with friends will be this Saturday at the pool.
#3 Tomorrow is the last day of school! Paige will be so happy to have someone around in the day time. Look at her with her puppy - this is actually a question on the developmental questionnare we filled out for her 12 month check-up. "Does your child play with dolls/stuffed animals by carrying them around?
#4 Christopher is gone again. Back to Italy, Germany & Turkey - he will hopefully be landing just in time for Maggie's party on Saturday.

#5 My neighborhood has turned into the Ghetto - on Friday night, teenagers broke into the other half of our duplex, and the neighbor across the street has decided to have friends over to hang out/drink beer/play thumping music/rev their speed bikes with until after 11:00 on several occasions.

#6 How embarrassing is it that the Air Force is about to re-do bidding for the new tanker for the 3rd time? (I have a much longer rant about this and government in general, but am restraining myself because Daniel is too busy parenting at the moment to really enjoy it.)

#7 My teeth still hurt after going to the dentist 8 days ago. The last 2 nights I have woken up in pain. I would go back, but I am out of benefits until February and have already spent thousands this year on my teeth.

#8 Ashlee hates the smell of clean sheets - whenever I wash sheets, she asks me not to wash her pillowcase because she doesn't like the smell. (I wash it anyway) So tonight she went to sleep with her pillowcase under her pillow until it smells how she likes it again (and it is time to wash it again)

#9 Today was beautiful weather - perfect weather. Mid 70's, no humidity, it was so nice, I have all of my windows open tonight, again, so nice.

#10 We have a pet rabbit - we often find him under the trampoline or in the front yard, Ashlee has even built a little nest under there for him. I hope I didn't scare him away with all the cayenne pepper I put in the flower beds - something has eaten my morning glories down to the nubs and now the trellises I put out for them to snake around look a little silly. We also have a pet tadpole that the girls have named Bubba (I didn't coach them, I promise.) I am honestly surprised that he has made it this long, and I hope he makes it to be strong enough to be set free!

Finally!

I am so glad that Obama finally has the nomination! If you don't have Obama fever, let me help you with the following link of his speech tonight! He is so inspiring and I am so looking forward to January 09!

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

Music

To go with the following post - here are some of the girls' favorite songs from tonight. It won't stay forever, I promise! Oh, and the song I didn't know the name of - I called it superman, is really "Soldier Boy" by the Chipmunks

If you come to my house at any other time than right after Paige has gone down for a nap, or after she has gone to bed, then you will find my dishes in the sink - rinsed and ready for the dishwasher (usually) but not there yet.... and here is why!







No matter how engrossed she is in whatever she is doing, when she hears the dishwasher open , she comes as fast as those cute, little, round legs can move.





It's just better to leave it closed until she is sleeping. So, don't judge me because lately the dishes stay out of the dishwasher for extended periods of time waiting until Paige is soundly sleeping.





I don't know why I can't take a good picture of all three of these girls, but I can't. (This is the best of four that I took tonight). Their school was having a fundraiser tonight for one of the Moms who is walking in the Breast Cancer 3-day in Philly in the fall. It was a hoe-down. So we dressed in our best western outfits and tore it up. You should have seen Maggie and Ashlee on the dance floor - I wish I had taken my camera. They were having a great time!!! Maggie knows several line dances that I don't know - one called superhero or superman or something like that, she also can do the Cotton-Eye Joe and parts of the electric slide - hearing that took me back to high school or maybe even earlier, I can't remember. So fun! I think her favorite one was the one that has a little bit of cha cha and hand clapping - you know, "slide to the right...., slide to the left.... everybody clap your hands...."

Christopher - I don't know if you ever check this while you are gone, but we miss you and hope that you are safe and getting your papers done!

Christopher left tonight on a 10-day trip. He has been in training for the last 2 months or so for an upgrade to instructor, so he has been HOME! But, the squadron is really hopping now and we probably won't see much of him until it is time to head west for the Reeves Reunion and family visiting. He has nearly 30 (28) days of use or lose leave, plus about 25 more just regular ol' leave days that don't expire at the end of the year - and guess what? He can only take 2 weeks off (he had requested 28 days). So, in order to use the rest of his leave before September ( the fiscal year ends in October and he deploys the first part of Sep) the powers that be suggested that he take his days off on the weekend.
I know, I had to ask him twice too. "So you mean that on the weekends, days that unless you are flying or are in the simulator, you would normally have off, you will have to use your leave time then?" I think I asked something like that. And, yep, that's what they want him to do.

Anyway, here is a picture of his plane, I think that they are dragging some fighters somewhere during some part of their trip, just like in the picture. It seems like I remember a part of a conversation he had with one of the other pilots - 16 airplanes or something like that. So, it feels almost inevitable with that many planes at least one will have a maintenance issue and they will be delayed. But, we'll keep our fingers crossed that everything will go as planned.
He will be all over the world and we will be trying to tackle a few projects before he gets back - fixing Paige's and possibly the girls rooms up. A trip to Ikea to get the high chair that fits underneath our kitchen table and maybe a few other things. Just 4 more weeks of school for the girls - I am ready for them to be done now.

Here is the cute dad helping Maggie wtih her math one night - he is really good at that job. Just one of the many, many, reasons we miss him when he is gone.

Ashlee's Birthday, other things

She's 7 - I can't believe how fast the time goes. As I type this, I am getting a little bit of that mommy angst. I want to go back and remember better and enjoy more of the time I have with them. But, I can't. So, I will do better at enjoying them and being with them now. She had a good birthday. These two pictures are of the party we had at the house, here she is completing the obstacle course. We had 9 girls total (counting our 2 - 10 if you count Paige) Christopher said it was like herding cats. But I think all the girls had fun and Ashlee enjoyed her day.

This is during the scavenger hunt - they took this game very seriously and I was glad no-one got injured as they raced from clue to clue.

Here are Maggie and Paige playing - Paige is in heaven playing the piano with her sister - look at that cheesy grin!

And, finally, the caterpillar circus - that pile of stuff in the neighbor's yard may look like a big mess to you, but don't be fooled. This is the beginnings of a caterpillar circus. Maggie and friends made flyers announcing the big event and put them on mailboxes around the neighborhood (you should have seen Ashlee's face when they shared that piece of information with her). The big day will be 31 May 2008, cost $1 per person (family and friends will be free). That day, only one trick was taught to the caterpillars, and I am sad to report that interest in training waned early - only one afternoon. Sadly, all of the participants have since died - the performance is in question....stay tuned.