Just Call Me Twilight

When Oldest Daughter was about to turn three years old, we chose to celebrate this momentous birthday by visiting Disneyland (and yes, I do realise that turning three is not really momentous, but under three means that Disneyland lets you in for free.  If you have seen the Disneyland ticket prices lately, free truly IS momentous!). As Youngest Daughter is a month away from turning three herself, we thought it only fair to make the trek to California to celebrate it in the same fashion.  So that is exactly what we did.  We rented a mini-van, loaded myself, Handy Hubby and my parents (Grandma K and Grandpa P) into it and off we went! Ok, let me kibbitz a bit about the mini-van.  I never, ever thought I would say this, but mini-vans rock!!!  I totally want one now! The ease of getting children in and out of the vehicle, the storage, the extra seating - I get it now in a way I never did before. Anyways...

Today was a fun day for my family.  As it is with all families with young children.  Today was Halloween!! As they cannot dress up in costumes at school, we did the next best thing - we dressed them up in Halloween-themed outfits.  Check out Oldest Daughter's socks. Youngest Daughter completed her outfit with a Halloween headband. When it finally became trick-or-treating time, Youngest Daughter made the cutest Minnie Mouse. Oldest Daughter became a female ninja turtle (the costume was completely made by Handy Hubby!), finished off with a serious ninja expression. They were so cute in their complete opposite styles! JCMT

Today I am proud of Oldest Daughter.  Scratch that.  I am proud of Oldest Daughter every day.  But today, my chest swells with the proudness that only a mama (or daddy) can feel.  Today, Oldest Daughter was celebrated as October's First Grade Student of the Month. Oldest Daughter was being recognized due to her displaying the outstanding quality of being respectful.  She had been witnessed being respectful of herself, her fellow classmates, her teachers, others and the environment.  They found her to be confident, proud, capable, assured, appreciative and self-reliant in her classroom and on campus.  As many of you know, Oldest Daughter struggles with Anxiety Disorder.  Simply explained, all things stress her the heck out.  Since adding a puppy to our family, the small anxiety attacks have ceased.  But big anxieties, such as getting an award and having to accept it onstage in front of the school ...

Hey, hey, hey - it's New Music Tuesday once again!!!  Prop your feet up and get ready to be transported - even if it's just for a few minutes.  I promise it will be worth it!!!  JCMT Nicole Atkins - "The Way It Is"     Awolnation - "Sail"      Rhye - "Open"    Chet Faker - "No Diggity"      Mountain Man - "Sewee Sewee" 

Happy, Happy Tuesday!!  The Littles and I are on October Break.  A full nine days of sleeping in, not rushing through a single, blessed thing.  The weather is beautiful - park weather for sure.  Happy, Happy days indeed.  Today I am introducing you to a few bands/singers you may not have heard of prior to this blog post, but will want to find out more about once you have listened to their music.  As usual, the name of the song and group is the link to the video for those of you seeing this post on your phone, otherwise you can click on the video itself to enjoy the tunes.  I am also always looking for new bands to feature, so drop me a line if you have one.  JCMT The Lone Bellow - "You Never Need Nobody"   Cage the Elephant - "Cigarette Daydreams"          La Roux - "Bulletproof"          Jetta - "Crescendo"          Sh...

My head is spinning just a little because of how full this week has been.  Please indulge me as I share a few of the highlights. Monday Today I turned 43 years old.  Yes, that's right - I am a woman that has just admitted to her true age.  I am proud of every single one of my years.  Not every one has been fantastic.  Not every one would I want to go back and re-live.  The point is though, I have been given these past 43 years to make my mistakes, learn from those mistakes and become a better person from those mistakes.  All of my years have been a gift that some have not been lucky enough to have received.  I know there are many people no longer with us that would give anything for another year, or just one more day.  So I feel it is my duty to feel blessed by having had these years and I look forward to the gift of each new year I may be granted with. To celebra...

My baby is growing up.  How do I know this?  Today she started first grade. 

Oldest Daughter will be starting school in just a few days, so for us anyways, summer is coming to a close.  It has been an enjoyable one, full of visits with great-great aunts and uncles, trips to the circus, trips to the library, Vacation Bible School and ArtCamp, days spent with grandparents.  It has been a time of sister-bonding, sleeping late, playing with friends and watching too many cartoons.  I am sad to lose this time with Oldest Daughter but quite excited about her new adventures in First Grade.  Here are a few highlights of the girls' summer.  JCMT SUMMER WAS Bubbles     Backyard Wading Pools       Local Kids Club Fun       Swim Lessons       Visiting Bass Pro Shops       Celebrating Fathers' Day         Meeting Great-Grandparents         Me...