Copy Cat

What you can see is this cute little girl standing against the wall, what you can't see is her dad behind me (and the camera) making her copy his every move, and she did a great job too!

Swimming in April (and March)

The girls have been swimming and swimming and swimming.  Both of them love the pool and the water.  Maybe they are half fish, or maybe it is normal to love swimming so much when you are a child.  With the solar covers, the liquid that keeps the pool warmer and from evaporating, and the solar heater on the roof, they have been able to swim already.  The water temperate has been around 82, which isn't really that bad (I did get in once and I was not cold).  

Summer hasn't relearned how to swim again yet but she will.  Pepper is probably going to learn how to swim this year.  That baby loves the water and hates being constrained, I think she would prefer to drown, or she might just surprise us and start swimming.  She loves to jump in, go underwater, and try to get away from you.  Thank goodness for the solid gate around the pool.  

It is suppose to be 90 today and at 9:00 am this morning the water is already 78.  I have a feeling we will be swimming again today.  I shaved my legs just incase.

T

Summer Shines Some

Getting this child to pose for a picture is just ... grrrr lol, she would just rather be doing what everyone else is doing, or making sure Pepper isn't having all the fun.  Summer is a great older sister but she doesn't enjoy being left out of anything.

We only have 5+ weeks left of homeschooling and we are both glad.  We would both rather play, or do other things :o) but I think Summer has really learned a lot this year (somehow).  Her reading amazes me some days.  Yesterday we headed to choir and she brought a book along and sat in the back seat reading it to me, spelling the words she didn't know.  I have no doubt that she would be able to read even more had I spent more time with her, which is why we will not be doing homeschool next year.  Plus she misses being around friends her age and while she really enjoys playing with Pepper, I bet some time away from her will make it even better.

Summer hates having her hair brushed.  If you can't tell from the photos, the hair was not brushed today.  I will be glad when she can start brushing it herself and actually does a good enough job to get the tangles out.  Summer loves spending time with anyone that pays attention to her.  Imagine that!  She really loves her choir class and singing, though I don't know that she can sing at that well, yet?  She enjoys her piano class and her dance class but her choir is her favorite.  I really should look into some sort of group sport and see how she does.

She is the most thoughtful little thing, loves to share, loves to hug but only wants kisses on the cheek (maybe its my breath?).  She loves taking care of her sister, feeding her and helping her get dressed, brushing their teeth together.  She wants to help change diapers but not the poopie ones.  She has no real issues sharing toys (amazingly) and has learned how to trick Pepper into giving her something she wants by trading her something.  I guess the girls get along very well considering.

She is getting so big, she is going to be 6 soon and in school all day next year.

17 and some months

Pepper is growing up and doing some of the cutest things.  Her vocabulary is really amazing since she will repeat anything you say, and she ow speaks little sentences.  Two I remember right off are "icky bug" and "more sips".  Often her and sissy hang out and play, and Summer has even been getting Pepper dressed in the mornings when she goes to get herself dressed.  Her hair is getting so long now, and she has such personality all her own.  She doesn't like to be told to do anything and at times will throw a little fit, but its rare and not horrible (yet).  She really loves playing with my iPhone and the kids apps I put on it for her, like the nursery rhymes and animal sounds ones.  She is a good listener I guess, she doesn't tend to get into trouble on her own.  She doesn't enjoy shopping because she hates being confined to the cart and we often find her standing, thankfully they have seat belts or we let her walk as much as we can.  

She is great at kissing and hugging :o) and goes to sleep at night at for naps without any problem.  She still eats most foods and is really using a spoon and fork like she has been doing it forever.  She loves swimming in the pool even when the water is just above freezing.  She doesn't want to be held though, she would rather you let her go and she swim, except she can't swim yet, but I bet she will be swimming before long.  

She has a fascination with shoes, as I guess do most babies.  She is always putting someone's shoes on even if she already has shoes on.  She especially loves flip flops.  She is starting to be a little cute mommy holding and cuddling with her baby dolls.  She helps Summer cook pretend food in the play kitchen, and she spends a lot of time playing with her cars.  I can always find her picking through books - something she really enjoys is having a book read to her.   

She is getting so big, I can't believe how fast she is growing.  

Another Birthday

I am turning 37 tomorrow.  I have really enjoyed everything about 36.  36 was a wonderful awesome amazing year (should I put a comma in there somewhere?).  Pepper got older and became a much easier baby and Summer started kindergarten. We went to the beach and disneyland.  I got to see my grandma at her 75th birthday in Oklahoma and my grandma-in law at her 80th birthday party in Texas.  We had a great Christmas and New Years.  And we bought an amazing new house!  It was just a great year.

Of course getting older isn't without a few concerns, like the fact that I think I am going to eventually but not yet need reading glasses.  Well I might need them now but I haven't gone to an eye doctor in a long time.  I also noticed that I packed on an extra 5 pounds that looks a lot more like 20 and I don't see it going anywhere, especially the way I have been eating and not working out.  I shouldn't complain because I really still look great, and I don't have any more wrinkles, at least that I can tell. Plus I haven't seen a grey, white, or black hair yet so things are definitely still good.

Earlier this week I actually put on some makeup and decided to do one last self portrait photo shoot before I turn 37.  Here I am with a lot of makeup, some natural window light, a little bit of skin softening and some eye sharpening thanks to Lightroom (photo editing software for those of you who don't know about that kinda stuff) and tada!

I just look so happy - and I am, and I hope 37 is just as fun as 36 was :o)  I am not really even sure the girl in those photos are really me, she looks so happy, and young.  So far being old is rocking.

Spring fun and photos

For the past few years in the spring I take the girls to the local springs preserve and take photos.  The weather is warming up, the girls get all dressed up, we have a good time walking around and taking photos, well mostly, I do anyway.  Pepper had fun walking around, not so much posing for photos.  At least she was cute, and Summer ... wow she is a big girl now, all grown up and looking so pretty!

Easter is Over and so is March

I hate when Easter falls in March, I have no idea why, maybe because we already have St. Patrick's Day and Spring in March so let's leave Easter for April!  It doesn't matter now because it is all over, bring on April!  Here are the photos of the girls cuddling with a baby chick then going on an egg hunt at the BBQ we had on saturday with friends.  It was a really good day, I bought 3 baby chicks from a local feed store.  I had to keep them warm and was so scared they were going to die even though we only had them a few hours.  They were so cute and chirpy, and apparently lived to see another day.  In fact the only aught oh was when Pepper almost beheaded one, oops.  Easy!