VBS Day 3

We hit the halfway mark at VBS tonight. I really like the curriculum this year, and knew Group would deliver once again. One thing I've noticed about the various companies that produce Christian educational materials - Group somehow seems to come out on top every time.

One of the things I like the most about their approach is that they keep it simple.  There are only about six or seven songs for the entire week, and typically four or five of those songs are VBS-ified versions of songs we already know.  The hand motions are simple, and that allows the kids to quickly get into it.  The teaching material is easy to follow and keeps the stations focused on one larger activity or concept instead of a ton of smaller things.

I'm a huge fan of Group, and they're not paying me to say that.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from tonight.  Since I'm teaching all night, photo ops are minimal.

Cassidy and Hello Kitty are ready for more adventures on the high seas!

Campbell had to have a turn with my hat, too.

Cassidy singing during the opening songs.

SSSHHHHHH! It's a surprise...

Breathe, Mom.  I'm not pregnant.

I've figured out what we can do to properly christen Sergeant Sexy's new ride.  I wanted to do it when I bought the Silver Bullet, but time slipped away.

When you get a new car...
And ya feeling like a star...
What you gon' do?
GHOST RIDE IT!
Ghost ride ya whip!

Exactly what is Ghost Ridin' the Whip?  I pulled this definition from the Urban Dictionary: the act of putting ones ride in neutral, opening all doors, placing the volume dial on 10, and simply rollin'. One can actually take the process up a notch and actually exit his/her ride. Once outside, one can dance and flow to the beat.

If you're still not sure what that might look like, check the Ghost Ridin' Grandma and Grandpa...


 
The girlz and I are already practicing our dance moves.. Sergeant Sexy will be THRILLED.

VBS Day 2

VBS Day 2 is in the books!  My legs are starting to get sore from standing in one spot for 2.5 hours every night, but it's nothing a little bit of Motrin can't fix.  The kids are having a fantastic time, and that makes it all worth it.  Cassidy is having so much fun I have to literally drag her out the door when it's time to go home.

Mommy Taxi made the rounds to pick-up everybody from their respective schools today and took them to the church for dinner.  Sergeant Sexy met us at church to take Campbell home.  The poor thing is ANGRY that she's not quite old enough for VBS at this church, and she doesn't hesitate to let people know it.

VBS Day 1

Today was Day 1 of Vacation Bible School at church.  I'm teaching Chadder's Theatre again this year, and it helps that our new church uses a curriculum I'm familiar with.  Even better, VBS at our new church is 65 minutes shorter than our old church AND the drive home takes all of two minutes.  This makes a huge difference when you've got overexcited little ones that need to hit the sack ASAP.  I do miss our old friends, but I don't miss that 20 minute drive at 9:30pm AT ALL.

VBS isn't a whole-church affair like it was at our old church, so Campbell doesn't get to participate this year.  Unfortunately, she has to stay home with Daddy.  Bummer.

Cassidy had a BLAST and can't wait to go back.  I didn't take any pictures tonight, but I did get one of the girlz at the grocery store this afternoon.  They love each other so much.  It's too sweet!

Gymnastics Exhibition and Family Lunch

Early this morning, Cassidy and I went to the pool for swimming lessons while Daddy and Campbell went to her Gymboree classes. After swimming, I took Cassidy to her End of Year Gymnastics Exhibition. She did a FANTASTIC job!

After the exhibition, we all met back up for Family Lunch. The girlz Godfather is visiting from Iraq, but he has to go back in a few weeks. Gramma Kathy likes to get everyone together for lunch, and she took us to one of my most favorite eateries today. YUM!!!

Cassidy on the vault

Cassidy on the uneven bars

Cassidy on the high beam

Cassidy doing floor exercise

Cassidy parading around the floor during the finale

Cassidy is proud of her trophy!!

Two peas in a pod, with full bellies from lunch

Girlz Run Amuck

This is what happens when Mommy gets too tired - the crazy starts coming out.  Since the girlz copy everything I do these days, well... see for yourself.

I don't recall what prompted me to tape up my eyebrows, which in turn made the girlz immediately tape their eyebrows.  I should remember since it was just last night.  But last night feels like it was at least a year ago.

Mommy is tired.  And in this house, a tired Mommy is a crazy Mommy.

You And Me... In Our Sport Utility Vehicles!

We went to the dealership last night to finalize the paperwork, transfer plates, and get a final cleaning for Sergeant Sexy's new ride.  I stopped and picked up dinner for the girlz so they could eat in the dealership's playroom.  This helped us fill much of the boring downtime that prompts our princesses to show off their party tricks.

Bye bye, souped-up station wagon... hello SUV!!

Cassidy eating in the playroom... blurry because I took the picture through a window!

Campbell waiting for her chair to be installed in the new car.  Check out that hambone grin... she's excited about Daddys new ride!!

Now that Sergeant Sexy and I are the proud owners of our own SUVs, I thought the time was right to post one of the girlz favorite Veggie Tales videos.  It takes on a whole new meaning now...

Happy Father's Day!

We had a great Father's Day.  We went to church, ate lunch together, and Campbell took a long nap.  She needed it - she was EXHAUSTED from all of yesterday's activity.

While Campbell was sleeping, I took Cassidy shopping so Daddy could enjoy a quiet afternoon.

We visited Mama, Papa, and Pop late this afternoon.  What a fun weekend!

Campbell showing Pop her Elmo shirt

Campbell and Mama

Papa and Campbell doing whatever they do.  It's their world, I just take pictures of it.

Campbell gave Papa some sharp-looking flair on his arm.  He never would have let me do that... just sayin'.

Pop and the Girlz

Papa and the Girlz

Father's Day Gifts

We took the girlz to the local Color Me Mine this afternoon to paint a platter for Sergeant Sexy's Father's Day gift.  He's been asking for a big platter to use when he grills, and I thought it would be cooler for us to paint a platter ourselves rather than to buy one from a store.  It was fun and I'm excited to see how it looks after it's been glazed and fired.

Ready to paint!

Painting our (censored) platter

On the way home from Color Me Mine, we made a pitstop and bought Sergeant Sexy a new ride.  The girlz LOVE it, and I have to admit I also like it way better than the last car.

Afterward, I took the girlz to a convenience store so we could refuel with icees and snacks.  Campbell got angry that I had to take her stuff away so the cashier could scan it, and she showed the entire store one of her new favorite tricks... the Floor Flapping Screamfest Routine.  Hooray!  My favorite!

Sergeant Sexy drove his new ride home, and I imagine we'll probably drive it to church tomorrow.  I hope he lets me put blue street-glow lights on it.  Oh wait... that's right, street-glow lights are ILLEGAL and Sergeant Sexy is all about obeying the law.  I'll find another way to make it special! 

Happy Father's Day, Sergeant Sexy!

Father's Day Cupcakes

Believe it or not, there were no swimming lessons or dance classes this morning.  Cassidy finally got to enjoy a relaxing Saturday morning!

While Campbell and Daddy went to Gymboree Art and Gymboree Play classes, Cassidy and I were hard at work.  First, we signed Father's Day cards for Daddy and Papa.  Then, we went upstairs and killed ourselves worked out to Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred video.  After a quick shower, we ran down the street to gather suppliers for a special Father's Day project I found in a Family Fun magazine.  Father's Day cupcakes!!

We made the cupcakes, iced them, and prepared the decorations.  We used black food coloring to paint grill marks on Hot Tamales (hot dogs!) and Caramel Cream Candy (steaks!).  We also used brown M&Ms (logo side down) to make hamburgers.  I used the food coloring to paint a grill on the top of each cupcake, and Cassidy sprinked orange sugar on top (hot coals!).

The finishing touch was to put the food on the cupcakes, making each cake look like a tiny little grill.  What a cool idea, and super-easy to do!

Her eyes are closed, but this was the only picture I took of Cassidy stirring the batter.

This can't be safe.

Cassidy was SO PROUD of these cupcakes!!

Daddy and Cassidy check out the finished product

I packaged up these four to take to Papa.  Great job, Cassidy!!

2 Year-Old Well Princess Check-Up

Campbell had her 2 year-old well princess check-up this morning.  She looks wonderful, and made sure to do her very best party tricks for Dr. Pediatrician.  Her height and weight are right on target, and her head is just as big as ever.

At 24 months, your child is...

* 24.75 pounds, and that is at the 23th percentile for weight.
* 33.5 inches, and that is at the 37th percentile for height.
* has a head circumference of 19.5 inches, and that is at the 92nd percentile for head circumference.

She got three shots, and was not happy about it.  She cried and made a very dramatic fuss, but got herself together before we even got out to the waiting room.  She's such a trooper!

Recital Portraits

We missed gymnastics tonight because Cassidy's dance class was scheduled for recital portraits at the exact same time. It figures!

The photographer got some great pictures, and I bought plenty to pass around. We were even able to get one of Marissa and Cassidy together, which I thought was really cool of him.

Another year of dance has come and gone!

Sweet Girl

It really doesn't get any sweeter than this...

Dance Recital Day!

Today was dance recital day, the day Cassidy and her class have been working toward since last September.  The entire class did a fantastic job with both routines.  Each one of them looked beautiful, and I don't have to tell you who the MOST beautiful two were.  You can figure that out for yourself.

Marissa's Mom and I were Parent Volunteers for our class, and we came prepared with a giant stack of coloring books, construction paper, crayons, scissors, tape, glue sticks, stickers, pretzels, and bottled water.  The class did excellent during the long waits, and they made our job way easier than it should have been.

After the second routine, we took the class on a field trip.  The auditorium had a balcony, and Parent Volunteers were invited to let their classes watch some of the recital during the wait periods.  The girls felt important to be on a field trip, and they were just as happy as they could be with their nosebleed section seats.

See what I mean about them making it easy?!?

Cassidy has been talking about the recital all evening and she's already asked when she can do another recital!  Here are a few pictures from tonight...

Check out my friends, hard at work on their crafts

Cassidy and Marissa busy coloring Care Bears

Cassidy with Nana Jill and Poppie Bill

Cassidy with Nana

Pink-os share a moment after the show.  Great job, girls!!!

Ballerina Pink-os

Today was the dress rehearsal for the 2009/2010 dance recital!  Cassidy and Marissa looked beautiful (duh... obviously!!), and did an excellent job practicing their dance moves on the stage.  I can hardly wait until tomorrow!

Pink-o and Pink-o are ready to dance!

Crazy love

Our group's dressing area is in the music room.  While waiting for our turn to dance, Pink-os found remanants of an ancient civilization.  They quickly figured out its purpose, but I had to laugh every time I heard one of the kids say "what is this thing?!?"

Lined up and ready to dance!

Dance Pink-os, dance!!!

Sit Down

Campbell is talking more and more every day, and each day the words and phrases become clearer.  Check this out...



She's a demanding little thing, isn't she?!?

Oh. Em. Gee.

Could also be spelled: OMG.

What have I done?!?  We were doing just fine in our daily routine...

1. Wake up.
2. Keep girlz from killing each other.
3. Feed and dress girlz.
4. Keep girlz from killing each other.
5. Put Cassidy on the bus.  Watch Campbell wave and make cute faces at Mr. Looove.
6. Drive Campbell to school.
7. Return to house to work, do laundry, work, pick-up toys, work, wash dishes, work, plan dinner, and work.
8. Get Cassidy off bus.
9. Prepare snack for Cassidy and supervise homework while working.
10. Pick up Campbell from school.
11. Dinner.
12. Bath, stories, songs, and bed for girlz.
13. Finish working and turn off laptop.
14. Watch TV with Sergeant Sexy.

Everything was FINE.  Our days were a smooth-running machine, and then this thing called "Summer Break" happened and ruined the whole thing.

Monday was Day 1 of Summer Fun at Big Girl School.  The school year is over, so the bus doesn't run.  This means I'm driving both girlz to their respective schools each morning and returning for them in the afternoon.

One round trip takes 70 minutes.  70 MINUTES!  That's 2 hours and 20 minutes of driving per day!!

I was almost late to pick up Cassidy on Monday and I was seriously freaking out the entire drive.  Can you imagine being 5 years old and watching all your friend's parents come get them, while wondering where your Mommy is?

Campbell MUST be potty trained by next May.  The girlz need to be realigned into the same school as quickly as possible.  Spending 2 hours and 20 minutes on the road every day is already growing old and we've only been at it for 2.5 days.

OMG.

Happy Birthday, Campbell!

Campbell has had a fantastic birthday weekend!  It was perfect, and we really couldn't ask for much more.  Well... a 10 degree cut in the temperature would have been nice, but it was certainly nothing to complain about.

The celebation started Friday, and I dressed Campbell in her special "Birthday Girl" shirt.  I don't know why Cassidy is making that face... probably because I was trying to capture a moment.

Auntie Shauna gave Campbell the most wonderful birthday celebration at her school.  Check out the birthday princess cupcake cake Auntie brought!

Campbell had to put on the crown right away, and used the princess wand as a spoon.

Cassidy and Campbell had a great time enjoying the festivities with our K2 friends!

Campbell made sure she gave Auntie lots of sticky kisses.

Campbell's birthday celebration for the family was Saturday, and it was pointed out that we have a tendancy for "Extreme Partying"... Cassidy's party was in a blizzard, and Campbell's party was in 100 degree heat!  We got Campbell's birthday cake from Lisa's, of course.  And it was delish, of course!

We got an extra bonus this year, and Nana made a special cake for Campbell!  It turned out great, and everyone commented on how beautiful it was.  Thanks, Nana!

Everybody knows we don't do birthday parties without our insanely talented friend, Ashley.  She fun to be around and she makes the kids the happy, and that makes her easy to love.  The fact that she's probably the most talented person we know is just an added bonus!!

Campbell got a butterfly face this year.  Beautiful!!!

Cassidy got her face painted, and then washed it off for reasons I still don't fully understand.  Something about the lipstick tickling her lips?!?  Luckily, she was able to get a second turn in the chair to have her arm painted.

Papa and Campbell are tight.  She adores him and he adores her right back.  They live their own little world.

Blowing out her birthday candles!!

Papa, Cassidy, and Campbell eating cake in their own little world.  My role has been specifically defined - Gestational Carrier for months 1-9, Historian from birth until forever.

.

Thanks to all the fun from Friday and Saturday, we were worn out this morning.  We got to sleep in justa bit, and then rushed off to church.  I made the girlz pose for a picture, Campbell insisted it be on the front porch.  Mama and Papa gave them the dresses they're wearing... aren't they adorable?!?

And after church, we went to the toy store for Campbell's birthday club celebration.  She got a balloon, a birthday crown, and they announced her name and birthday over the loudspeaker!  She didn't quite understand what all the fuss was for... but she didn't protest, either!

Happy Birthday, Campbell!!