Dragon Boat Race

This past weekend, Andy participated in a dragon boat race and the girls and I went along to watch him. I've been so upset that I haven't been able to download these pictures until now because I lost my camera cable.

This was the first time he has rowed or even been to a dragon boat race. He did great and we were so proud of him! His team participated in two heats, coming in second in the first heat. Unfortunately, they lost their second heat, but looking on the bright side, they were able to go home after a long day at the lake. It was very hot that day!

The girls got antsy hanging around the team's tent because I was watching them like a hawk near the lake and they couldn't really play. Thankfully, there was a small area that let us get them up and moving.

They had a pint sized dragon boat for kids to play in and the girls were all over it. We had to pry Sophia away from the drum!

They had a few inflatables and I was shocked when Emma said she wanted to go down the slide. She didn't want to go down by herself so Andy went with her. I was proud of her for taking a chance!

Great job honey! The girls and I loved cheering for you!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Yesterday was such an awesome day and was completely a "Mom Day." Nine of my teacher friends and I went white water rafting down the Ocoee River. The upper section of the river was used as the canoe venue for the 1996 olympics. We did not use that course, although we sure felt like we did! We rafted the middle section which was exciting enough for a novice like me.

Since there were ten of us, we split up between two boats and it was so much fun to watch our friends go down the rapids from our boat. We had such an amazing guide and boy, did we have a great time! Everyone is our group made it down the river safely and only left the raft to swim and enjoy floating down the river for a bit. If you are in the Tennessee area, OAR was fabulous!

A passenger from another boat did fall out of her raft and our group rescued her! We happened to be stuck on a rock when she went by and we nabbed her. If we wouldn't have been stuck, we wouldn't have been there for her. God sure knows what He's doing!

I did not take any pictures but I stole a few from some friends. :) Thanks Laura and Jennie!

Here's our second boat with our sweet (and very adventurous) friends!

All smiles after an amazing trip!

Thanks, ladies, for such an amazing day! You all make every day a fabulous adventure and I am so blessed to work (and play) with you!

Screech Owl, Screech Owl

Sophia is so vocal. She is that kid in the store...you know the one. Screaming, yelling, shouting. She's happy, just LOUD.

She has really started to love reading and will read the same two books over and over again. She also loves animals and wants to know what they're called and what sound they make. She is HILARIOUS when she reads Brown Bear, Brown Bear because she attempts to make the animal noises and it quickly becomes more like Screech Owl, Screech Owl.

This time, she also decided to give each of the animals a kiss which was so sweet.

No Sleeping and Surfing

It's a sad day at our house. We are officially saying goodbye to routine naps for Emma. She'll still nap maybe once a week or so, but it was becoming such a battle to get her to sleep, which led to major frustration for the both of us.

This week I decided to try something new. She must lay in bed for about 20 minutes. If she falls asleep, GREAT! If not, I softly knock on her door to give her the ok to get up and play with her "quiet box." I put together a box with random quiet objects that she doesn't get to play with all the time--stuff that Sophia can't play with.  She knows that she can't be loud, come out of her room, or play with anything else not in the box. So far it's working out great, but I'm waiting for the inevitable testing of limits.

My biggest worry about giving up naps was that she was going to be super cranky and tired, but she's happier now that she's not being forced to nap. We'll see how it goes once the "new" wears off.

Both girls had Little Gym today and it was my day to be with Emma at dance. I miss being with her in the parent and child classes, but it's fun to see how independent she's becoming. She's usually so timid and I love seeing her blossom and be adventurous.

During the gymnastics portion of her dance class, the girls had a chance to "surf" on the wheel. It looked like so much fun and Emma couldn't wait to do it over and over again!

Father's Day 2012

Father's Day is such a great holiday because both of the special men in my life are so deserving but also so self-sacrificing. They always do so much for everyone else and one day isn't enough to show them how much they are appreciated. 

Yesterday the girls and I visited with my dad and today was spent at home with Andy and the girls.  Here's the lowdown on how we celebrated:

 The girls and I made Andy breakfast in bed. They worked pretty hard. ;)

 

Lots of snuggles were had.

We had a little fun in the sun.

We took Andy to his favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner.

 Kisses were also on the menu.

We fed some ducks...

 

...and became very popular.

 We gave Daddy some gifts,

 and ended our night catching fireflies.

Andy,

Thank you for being the best dad and husband three girls could ask for. We are so lucky to have you in our lives and we couldn't love you more. 

Happy Father's Day!

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

You know, it's just normal life when one day, you have the perfect summer day, and then BAM! You have today. Today was just one of those days. It started out rough, with both girls up before 6:30 am. Emma woke up in a "mood" and dragged her feet all morning long. She wanted french toast, she wished she had pancakes, she would eat if she could just have a waffle...you know how it goes. This did not go over too well since we had to get ready and out of the house for school.

After I dropped Emma off, it was just Sophia and I. We had a good afternoon; we did some shopping, went swimming, and then it was lunch time. Apparently Sophia had witnessed Emma's breakfast tantrums and wanted to show me that she could do even better. She threw food, threw her cup, screamed, refused to eat, and then cried because she was hungry. We didn't have time to dwell on it because it was time to clean up the thrown mess and pick Emma up from school.

Usually when I get to Emma's class, she's happily playing and bubbles over with the tales of the day. Today, as soon as she saw me, she burst into tears and latched onto me. The teacher told me that another child pushed Emma and she hit her head. That, combined with being tired, did not equal a happy girl. My mommy heart hurt to hear my girl tell me that she tried to sit next to a boy and he didn't want to, so he pushed her. I know these are three year olds and they do that kind of stuff, but it's never easy to witness your child being hurt.

On the ride home, Emma told me over and over that she was really tired, but when we got home, she refused to sleep. She laid down in her bed but would not settle down. Do I even have to tell you how "the witching hour" went? Sigh. Luckily (for me) I met a friend at the park to take pictures of her and her darling little girl, so I got a short break, but then it was right back into the ring.

I had planned on going out for ice cream as a special treat for a rotten day but Emma refused to eat anything, so the ice cream plan went out the window. The girls passed out pretty quickly and I'm hoping that tomorrow can be a fresh start to a much better day.

To end on a good note, here's a shot of my girls in one of the rare moments they were both happy at the same time. :)

Summertime!

Today was the perfect summer day! The girls and I didn't have anywhere to be today; no preschool, no Kindermusik, nada. Shortly after breakfast the girls and I got lathered up in our sunscreen and headed outside to enjoy the sun. Things got off to a somewhat rocky start, thanks to our cat who left us a "present" in the backyard. Or I should say, the remains of the present--yuck! After corralling the kids (who were not happy about the sudden change of plans) back in the house so I could clean up, we were ready to try again.

Emma and I made a tinfoil river while Sophia played in the water table. Emma quickly got busy collecting things to float down the river and had a blast until the backyard started flooding. Whoops.

For the rest of the morning the girls played in the sprinklers and at the water table while I relaxed and enjoyed watching my girls play. It was heavenly! After lunch we headed back outside to enjoy a popsicle and a little more water play.

Sophia was a little confused at first.

She quickly figured it out!

I love these sweet kiddos!

We didn't stay out too much longer until we headed in so I could give the girls a bath before their naps. Now they are sleeping (why aren't I???) and resting up for Little Gym. Chicken soup is bubbling away in the crock pot so I don't even have to worry about dinner. I love days like this!

Taste the Rainbow

Emma is back to school after a week off due to VBS. Her first day back was "Rainbow Day" which gave me the perfect opportunity to make this amazing rainbow bread that I've been dying to make.  Emma loves rainbows and I love making her special rainbow treats, like rainbow waffles.

I found this fabulous tutorial online that walked me through the steps. Be sure to check it out if you want a more detailed tutorial. I cheated and used the ready made dough found in the freezer section of the grocery store instead of making my own. Whatever dough you use, the process is the same.

 Divide the dough into six equal sections. I didn't worry too much about how precise the sections were. I just eyeballed it. Add color to each ball of dough and knead in the color. I used Wilton's gel food coloring. Let each ball of dough rise to double the size.

 Spread out the purple layer, making it about the size of your bread pan. Repeat with all six colors, working up to the top red layer. Brush water on top of each layer to help the layers adhere to one another.

 Place in a greased loaf pan and let rise until it has doubled in size. It was pretty humid when we made this and ours took a few hours to rise.

 Bake the loaf according to your recipe's directions. Ours cooked for about 25 minutes on 350. The bread is done when it makes a hollow sound when you tap the top of the loaf.

 If you want a soft crust on your bread, brush the top with butter. If you like a crustier bread, skip this step.

When the bread is cool, slice it up and watch the amazement in your kiddos' eyes when they see the beautiful colors!

 Emma's rainbow lunch was a peanut butter and jelly on rainbow bread, strawberries with rainbow sprinkles, and rainbow Goldfish.

The end result is one VERY happy rainbow lover!

A Night at the Movies

Last night, my sister invited us over for an outdoor movie night. Each child got to sit in their own "car," complete with headlights and a steering wheel, while they watched Cars 2 (what else?). It was so cute and worked out so well!

Emma doesn't sit (quietly) and watch movies but she really enjoyed eating her popcorn and drinking her lemonade in her own car alongside the "big kids."

Sophia was happy until the snacks ran out and then she had to be taken inside so she could run around.

Both girls were up way past their bedtime, but wouldn't you know, they were still up at 6:30 this morning. At least they had a great time! One more item to check off our bucket list!

Stuff Emma Says

I know Emma isn't the only kid that says stuff that almost makes us pee ourselves. There are times when we literally have to walk away so we don't laugh. I don't know what makes this stuff so funny: Is it that her thoughts are so pure and honest? That she doesn't have a filter? Or is it her little voice just saying funny stuff??? I don't know what it is, but I know it's pure comedy.

*Me to Andy: I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back.
Emma: Mommy! Good job letting us know you need to go potty! I'm so proud of you!

*Don't worry Daddy. I have my special crystal necklace that makes Sophia go away.

*(Sticking her finger down my clevage as I'm trying her shoes) I like your belly button, Mommy!

*While The Little Gym instructor was asking her about her birthday and getting ready to have everyone sing to her, she walked up with a plastic circle that she folded in half and said, "Here! I made you a taco!"

*Mommy, I need to go back to school because my teacher misses me. She's crying, "Oh, my Emma, my Emma!"

*Emma: I have a nipple on my face.
Me: You have a WHAT on your face?
Emma (pointing): A nipple.
Me (relieved): Oh, a dimple.

Water Fun and Dance

We had such a fun, but busy, day! We met up with our friends Amber and Matthew at the splash pad for the first time this summer.  One more item to check off our summer bucket list, although I'm sure there will be plenty more visits!

It was a little cool, but the girls still had a good time. It took Sophia a little bit of coaxing before she would go in, but once she realized that she could fill up her bucket, she was good to go. Emma kept herself busy filling smaller buckets that she then transferred into larger buckets. She was covered with goosebumps, but she didn't want to leave. She took a few breaks to warm up and was right back at it.

Sweet friends

After the girls took their naps, the most hectic part of the day began. Both girls have Little Gym on Wednesdays and their classes are back to back. Andy took Sophia to her class while I fed Emma dinner and got her ready for dance. While Emma was at her class, Andy brought Sophia home, fed her dinner and got her ready for bed.

This was Sophia's first experience and we were a little worried about how she'd do. Emma and I got to the gym a little early so we were able to catch the last few minutes of her class. She looked like she was having a ball! Andy said she was a little rambunctious, but oh well. It's gym!

She was so surprised to see Mommy and her big sister!

Emma had her first dance class and she was SO excited! Her class was broken up into two groups; one three year old class and one 4-5 year old class. Emma and one other little girl were the only three year olds, so they got lots of attention. Emma's group started out with dance where they did tap and ballet, and then moved to gymnastics. Emma had been waiting to wear her tap shoes all day and couldn't wait to get started. She did a great job and I was so proud of her! Sorry about the quality of the pictures. I was using my little point and shoot through the window.

I LOVE this picture!