Mother's Day Bloom and My New Apron

For Mother's Day Jasmine brought home a potted flower pot from school. I have kept it next to the sink and watered it every other day or so just to see what happened. Well to my surprise last night I noticed a bloom. So cool!! (if you can't tell, I have never been one to keep plants or manage a flower garden). Jasmine was so excited and insisted we take a picture.






While at mom's on Sunday she asked me if I wanted an apron she had made years ago that she no longer used. I've never really used an apron, but when I saw it I thought it was so cute I couldn't resist.



(do you have any idea how difficult it is to take a picture of the lower half of your body, it took several takes to get this photo).


..... **On another note, Jasmine is obsessed with sleepovers**
Last night we went to a couple's house from church for a Growth Group meeting (our ABF ~Adult Bible Fellowship~ class has several small groups that meet outside of
Sunday's and this was our first time to attend). The couple has a 3 year old daughter that Jasmine had a grand time playing with. When it was time to go she insisted they needed to have a sleepover. She does this with all friends-new & old.

An Interview with Jasmine

Got this idea from a couple other blogs I frequent and thought it was a fun idea.

What is your favorite color? Pink

What is your favorite outfit? Ballerina

What do you most like to do? Have sleepovers

What is your favorite food? Salad

What are you going to do when you grow up? Ride ponies

What makes you giggle? Movies & Mommy

What makes you happy? Barbie & when someone gives me a hug

What makes you mad? When someone takes a toy away

What makes you sad? When someone hits me or makes me cry

What do you like to do outside? Jump on trampoline and climb trees, but I don't know how to climb trees. Maybe I can do that when I grow up too. But what if there are crabs up in the tree, with their pincher's. That would hurt. (see what an imagination she has)

Anything else you want to say? When I grow up I'm going to wear a big beautiful dress and pick flowers for Kaja and Nessa and Alex.

**Man, she is going to be one busy bee when she grows up. Climbing trees, picking flowers, riding horses**

A Cry for Help

Does anyone have any will power they could loan me, I seem to be fresh out!!

I do great during the day. Granola bar for breakfast, soup for lunch, several 100 calorie snack options to choose from if I get hungry in between. And I drink a gallon of water while at work.

But once I leave work, it all goes down the tubes.

We get home and the kids want a snack and I start cooking dinner. A nibble here, a taste there, an occasional bite. Before I know it I start figuring in my head and my calorie count is through the roof. All I know if I need to nip it in the bud.......why oh why does all the bad stuff taste so GOOD!

Put a Fork In Me....I'm Done!

I think I need a day off to re-coup from the whirlwind weekend we just experienced.

All started Friday, I dropped Jasmine off to spend another day of Adventures with Aunt Linda.



They had scheduled to ride ponies Friday, but due to weather they had to opt for indoor activities. They had LOTS of fun and when I went to pick her up this is what I witnessed...



After getting Jasmine we ran to get Cash and stopped by the house long enough for me to make a pan of cornbread I needed for later. As soon as the cornbread timer went off we shot out the door to meet the troops at Chuck E. Cheese's for a couple hours of fun. As soon as we got there Jasmine asked for cotton candy. I told her we would get some on the way out. Next thing I knew she was introducing me to a new friend (who happened to have a big bag of pink cotton candy---coincidence, I think not!). Jasmine followed her around for a while *guess she got her fill of cotton candy*.

Here is a picture of Jasmine and her 'Friend' (she looks completely innocent, doesn't she??)


After Chuck E. Cheese's we went home and I cooked a couple dishes for Saturday's family reunion, which kept me up way past my bedtime. The kids were apparently worn out too because I had to wake them up at 8:30a so we could be out the door by 9a (why doesn't that happen on mornings I have nothing scheduled so I can sleep late too??). We had a great reunion w/ about 70 in attendance. The kids had lots of fun running running running. We put on a little skit w/ lots of colorful characters, as you can see below.



Jasmine was playing shy, but Cash was front and center on the stage. After the skit Cash refused to take his costume off and spent the rest of the day as Superman. At one point I heard Joe call his name and he responded, 'I not Cash, I Superman!' **with his hands on his hips and legs spread apart**...too funny!



I just had to post this picture of Cash and Tyler swinging at the reunion. Does this look comfortable to anyone?? **Notice the bodies up top and the legs out the holes don't quite match up**




After the reunion we ran home long enough to drop off left over food and Joe. Started a pot of pinto beans and were back on the road again. This time we went to Vanessa's dance recital. She did a GREAT job!





**OH, did I mention between the family reunion and the dance recital I acquired an extra child for the night. Jasmine had her friend Bethany spend the night.**

FINALLY--we get home around 10:30pm, but oh no, that is not all she wrote. I then proceeded to make cupcakes and refried beans for Sunday's activities.

Sunday we went to Mom's church to witness Vanessa being baptised. Which was very awesome!! After church we all went to Mom's for a big fajita lunch. Once home I tried to watch a movie w/ the kid's, but quickly fell asleep. They took that opportunity to make a huge mess of the living room, which I did not have the energy to straighten up before going to bed. So guess what I'm doing tonight.....

Here are some other cute pictures of my stinkers from the weekend

WARNING - The Fashion Police are on Patrol . . .

Last time Jasmine and I were at the Thrift Store I picked up a shirt for me and asked if she liked it. She was quick to tell me 'No'. I thought it was cute, so I put it in the basket as a maybe. When Jasmine realized I had put it in the basket she picked it up and told me again she didn't like it and tried to hang it back on the rack. I ended up getting it and wore it today. While getting her ready this morning she looked at me and said, 'I think I like that shirt now. Remember, when we were at the store and I didn't like it. Well, I do now.' What a great memory, it was probably two weeks ago when I bought it.

Check, Check...1,2

Here is a cute picture of Cash testing one of Joe's friends microphones.


**Wow, three posts in one day. That's like a record or something.**

A Trip to the Zoo

Aunt Linda is in town and that means non-stop activities. Yesterday on my way to work I dropped Jasmine off so she could participate.

First stop was the zoo. I was able to take a couple hours out of my busy work schedule and hop on the train to meet them there. It had rained pretty hard in the morning and was very humid, but we still had a great time. Here are the pics.

Striking a pose w/ Karoline


For those of you not aware, Jasmine has been asking for a pony since she was two years old. She just LOVES them. After her ride she asked when we get to bring one home with us...




Cutest otter I've ever seen


Aunt Linda bought all the girl's matching outfits, they were so cute (and easy to spot)


Poor Adrianna wanted no part of sitting on the turtle...


While taking a picture on the turtle the Lion started roaring, so we ran over there. I asked Jasmine what she thought the Lion was saying and she replied, 'Jasmine, Karoline, please come over and see me'. Isn't that greatness.


A beautiful butterfly


This was the last stop before McDonald's and sadly where I left the fun.


I jumped on the train and headed back to work while the girl's went to the McDonald's by the zoo and spent the rest of the day shopping from the sounds of it. Jasmine fell asleep shortly after leaving Gramma's house.

Rain Rain, Go AWAY...

Last time I checked I live in Dallas, NOT Seattle. I am officially over it raining everyday....

That's all on that subject. I'll post pictures of our short trip to the zoo yesterday later today...Ciao

My Cup Runeth Over...

Is there anything that fills your heart w/ joy more than when you are in a different environment for a meal and your 2 year old reaches for everyone's hand and leads you in prayer....

A Weekend In Pictures

This was the state of Cash's bed Saturday morning. Don't know why, but I think he may have gotten up at some point during the night for 'playtime'.



Reading books we picked out at the Church Library.



Father's Day family photo from lunch at Gram's.

Sleepovers and Snacks

Tonight Jasmine was suppose to have a friend spend the night, but due to the events earlier this week I thought it best not to have visitors in our home just in case nasty germs were still lingering. SO....Jasmine is going to sleepover at her friends. She was very excited. I took her over their this morning and she was very anxious to arrive, 'is it far away mommy?' 'do we have enough gas?' (I don't know where she comes up w/ some of this stuff). Most of the trip she was sitting straight up looking out the front window. After a while she finally relaxed, but still kept an eye on where we were going.

Patiently Waiting


On another note...the other night the kid's got super quiet and I got worried. I start looking around to see what they had gotten into and look what I found...



They had found the baggies of cheetos I separated for Jasmine's school lunches and were chillin in Cash's bed having a snack. I told you Jasmine was good at getting her own snacks (sometimes much to my dismay-she's been making ketchup sandwiches on her own for some time now) and she's pretty good at looking out for her little brother.

Popcorn Anyone?

Last night Jasmine runs into the living room and says, 'Mommy, I am making popcorn'. I jump up thinking the worst, that she has thrown a microwave popcorn bag in with the wrapper still on. Not the case. She had taken the wrapper off, placed in the microwave facing the correct way and pushed the three minute button. So, we had popcorn last night thanks to Miss Jasmine. For some reason this worries me...she has always been pretty independent when she wants something to snack on by getting it herself. But her using the microwave scares the patooing out of me!

Where did it all go wrong........

We had a great weekend. Friday we went to a friend's house for a Bible Study. Saturday we had friend's over for dinner and had an awesome visit. Sunday after church while the boy's were napping Jasmine and I went to one of my friend's house for a jewelry show. Then it happened....

'Mommy, I think I need to throw-up'

Oh, no. So I grab her hand and we run to the bathroom--false alarm. Whew. Next time she says it w/ a little more urgency and takes off running w/o me. Sure enough AND she made it to the bathroom (on another note: I am VERY excited she recognized and made it to the bathroom by herself this time as opposed to letting the chips fall where they may, so to speak). This happened a few more times, poor thing just couldn't keep anything down.

So I take off Monday and take her to the Doctor. Nothing major and she is feeling MUCH better. After we leave the Dr.s office she says 'Mom, Dr. Johnson is great. He is so good, and handsome'. OH MY!

We met Gramma for lunch w/ her lunch bunch and take care of a few more errands while we are out. Once we got home I start feeling a little weak myself. Then Joe comes home sounding terrible and goes straight to bed. Needless to say, the last couple of days have not been fun. Only now Momma and Daddy are the one's not feeling so well and the kid's are fine and dandy and ready to GO!!

Please tell me what we are to do when neither Joe nor I have enough energy between the two of us to tame these wild beasts. Finally I locked both the kid's in Jasmine's room with me and had them watch movies while I slept on her bed--just to ensure they weren't terrorizing the WHOLE house. Let me tell ya, 8pm couldn't come fast enough. The timer went off and I put Cash to bed and told Jasmine she had 30 minutes. 8:30pm I took a good dose of NyQuil and passed out.

I am feeling much better today, but Joe hasn't quite kicked it yet. I tell ya, I believe the sauna at my gym is a miracle worker. I sat in it for 20 minutes Tues & Wed and just sweated all the bad stuff out of my system....good riddance!

It's Official...

Jasmine has graduated for Pre-K!

They had a fun performance where Jasmine's class were the flowers and then certificates were distributed. Mom, Joe and I all attended and she was very happy to have us there. She did a great job during the performance, but not so happy when we all had to go to work after the festivities. Funny at this age they don't quite understand it being the last day of school. Each day since, she has asked about taking something to school or mentions something she intends to tell one of her friends. Sadly, her Pre-K school disperses into four different Elementary Schools. I believe only four other girls will be going to the same school as Jasmine. There are a couple she will be able to keep in touch with through Sunday School, but for the most part she will not have contact with others until Middle School.
Makes me a little nostalgic for lost relationships...anywoo here are some pictures.


There's my flower

Taking a bow (she's on the back row)


Receiving her certificate of completion


There are times when Jasmine can be challenging--she is very head strong and independent (not sure WHERE she inherited that from). With that being said, I would like to express how thankful I am to the teachers for their hard work and dedication to the children. I pray Jasmine, and Cash, are blessed with teacher's who are as enthusiastic and caring as the staff at Jasmine's school was this year. She had a great year!

***Funny how quickly they fall back into old routines. This morning while getting Jasmine ready, she did not wake up--I got her dressed and in the car. She did get out of the van and walk into the sitter's house, but quickly grabbed a pillow and went back to sleep on the couch.***

Miss Independent

The last two mornings have been met with Miss Jasmine wanting to make decisions on her own. I get her up to get ready for school, put her clothes on, brush her teeth....then we get to the shoes. Both mornings she has refused to wear what I had chosen and insisted on picking some out herself. I realize I need to choose my battles wisely and if her shoes don't match her outfit they will not be sending her home from school. And apparently matching is just not that important to her--oh well, doesn't mean I won't stop trying.

Here is a sample of her coordination skills.........

Luckily, this was just an outfit she threw on after getting a little muddy outside. If we were to be going somewhere I believe I would have had to intervene.

Oh, did I mention Sunday she wanted to wear her pink, purple & white striped scarf tied around her waist to church over her pretty yellow floral dress. That was definitely a fashion statement.

Coincidentally, Cash's new favorite phrase is 'No, mama, I do it myself'. They sure grow up fast.

There's a New Sheriff in Town!

We had another busy weekend and from the looks of my calendar it isn't going to slow down anytime soon. First thing Saturday we took Dally to get his shots. He did great and we were in and out within 20 minutes, which I thought was AWESOME!





Next up was a Chuck E. Cheese's birthday party, which is always FUN? The kids had a great time and were good and tired by time to go home. Here is a great picture of my nephew enjoying his cake.


CAKE IS GOOD!!

Sunday while getting ready for church we heard a storm was-a coming (AGAIN!! We are officially living in a swampland, so frustrating). We took off early so we could get a spot under the covered parking. Since we got there early the kids and I went to the Library to pick up some books and they were so cute sitting in the chair reading a book when I went to check on them. Unfortunately, I was loaded down and not able to get to my camara in time to capture the moment. After church we ran home, had a quick bite to eat and then off to another bday party. Two problems here:
1. I thought the party started at 2p until leaving and pulling out the address and seeing it says 1p on the invite...OOPS! No big deal, they were just starting up the snow cone machine and hadn't done cake or presents by the time we got there.
2. They rented a big water slide and I totally overlooked this detail as well and forgot Jasmine's swimsuit. Now the house we were at belonged to boy's so they offered a t-shirt and swim trunks. Jasmine refused to wear by saying 'I'm not a BOY!' This one turned out OK too. She had fun swinging and running in the backyard, which resulted in mud being splattered all the way up her back. You see, when she runs she kicks her feet all the way up and turns her head a bit so she can see her cute shoes. I know--PRICELESS!!

And now for the pictures that coordinate with the title of this blog. One of Joe's friend's passed down this get-up that their boy has outgrown. Cowboy boots, sheriff badge and belt complete w/ holsters and toy guns. The hats we already had. How cute is he?


And, of course, Jasmine had to dig out her cowboy boots and find our other hat!