COOLING OFF! (and rambling)
This pool has been kicking around our garage forever so this week I filled it up for the girls. It's perfect for Mayce and great for the big girls too. Our backyard is shaded in the late afternoon so it's nice not to have to put the sunblock on. We can just walk outside and cool off. Mayce was actually in bed this time because she is sick, again! The Motrin is finally working though so she's in much better spirits today. Yesterday all she wanted to do was sleep on me. A 2 1/2 year old with a fever gives off a whole lot of body heat, let me tell you! I was wrinkled and sweaty! Because of this we were not able to make our field trip to Modesto. I had to do so much bribing to avoid a melt down with Payton and Fallyn. Dave's parents have purchased a business in Modesto so Dave's been down there all week. The first couple of days he had commuted but last night he stayed down there and we were going to join him for the night. So I think we're headed there this afternoon for just a quick trip. I love the innocence of children because going to Modesto is all they can talk about. I love them!


END OF SCHOOL
Payton's school does an end of year carnival that was a lot of fun. Tons of people were there but that was a good thing. Dave was out of town so it was a girl's night. And it was also before this current heat up so it was nice outside! We played games, went on a train ride, had Payton's face painted, and went on the inflatable toys. They could have stayed forever. Next year we'll have to go earlier and I'll need to take backup.

SOFTBALL

Payton played softball and had a lot of fun this year. We had a great fundamental coach and Payton was hitting the ball from a pitch (most of the time) by the end of the year. Her team was named the Bluebirds and the girls were so cute. I was even reunited with a friend from high school who's daughter was on the team too. She enjoyed it and wants to play again next year. She and Fallyn will be able to play on the same team next year. That will be nice!

REVIEW
part III

Fallyn graduated from Pre-School on May 26th. She attended Play With Me Preschool and loved every second of it. She met such good friends and learned so much! We'll miss Miss Becky but it won't be long (one more year) until Mayce will be heading off to pre-school. Ahh!

REVIEW
part II

Memorial Day Weekend
We went to Redding to spend the weekend with our wonderful friends who we miss so much! Saturday we went to Turtle Bay which I think is a state park with animals and nature stuff. (that description left much to be desired!) It's right there at their world famous Sundial Bridge. We BBQ'ed with friends on Sunday and the men took the kids swimming at the hotel while the ladies lunched Monday. It was a good weekend. Oh - except for the part where Mayce had her 2nd worst tantrum Friday night. The stress of it was compounded because we were in a hotel but seriously I almost drove home that first night because she was freaking out. Ahhhh!

There was a lego display and I thought it was only appropriate for Payton to take a picture with the heart! My little "heart baby".

Happy Birthday Fallyn!
My Fallyn turned 5 on May 21st. So we had another party and another Webkinz (thank goodness!) The three weeks between their birthdays was very long with Fallyn drooling over Payton's webkinz. Yea, issues resolved. More cake and more family. We love having everyone so close!

Zoo Field Trip
On Monday 5/18 Fallyn, Mayce, and I went to the Sacramento Zoo on a field trip with Fallyn's pre-school. We had lots of fun and were there early so we got to see the Lyons and tigers. The girls had a blast!

Happy Birthday Payton!
April 29th was Payton's 6th birthday. We had fun with friends and family. Her cousin Owen gave her a Webkinz. We are now hip and with it!

REVIEW
part I

Disneyland

In mid-April we went to Disneyland with Dave's parents and his brother's family. Our girls loved spending so much time with their cousin and enjoyed their first visit to see Mickey. We could have spent several more days there but felt lucky to have the two we did! With SO many pictures here are a few highlights:

Dallas

Dave and I had the chance to go to a Nascar Race in Dallas the weekend following my birthday. We had "hot" pit passes which allowed us to go pretty much go wherever we wanted. We were truly spoiled because we also had a golf cart to take us where we wanted to go and we watched the race on the top floor of a condo (which was nicer than our house.) It was a weekend full of racing. Our driver won the Nationwide Race so we were in the winner's circle and had our picture taken with Kyle Busch.

In the words of my darling Mayce . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO MY!


Is is weird that I'm publicly wishing myself a happy birthday? I just wanted to show off my dream birthday cake. Will I ever be able to justify it's purchase? Probably not, but a girl can dream!

Dedicated to Lisa Parker:
So, I just got a new AIO printer and I'm playing with the scanner. This isn't too clear but it's my first attempt. Anyway, Lisa was disappointed that last November I didn't post the memory lane picture, well here it is! I can never believe how young (& thin) we were.

November 29, 1996

My Girls!
Just some fun pictures for fun!

One of the best parts of being a mom is when your children play nicely together. I love that my girls get along and make my job so much easier. They are so sweet and loving I am truly spoiled!

Don't think I'm a horrible mom but this was my girl's first time to Fountains. They still don't know there's a kid's water area yet. (So let's keep that on the down low for now.) Thankfully they turn that off for the winter. They loved to watch the fountains. This may become a regular thing for us. Where's Mayce you ask? She is digging up the landscaping, nice!

We found these suckers at Cost Plus. They are hilarious. It was fun to see them wearing these around.

Payton's 100th day of school was last Friday and here's what we did. 100 feathers! That's right, they glued 100 feathers to this board after they did 25 hand prints. So these are turkeys. We didn't make it very easy on her class (or teacher) because we did them in groups of 4. I'm sorry I made you count to 100 by 4's Mrs. Williams! We had a great time making this, but it was the largest in her class. We have learned from this experience and next year Fallyn's will be smaller and not feathers. (We are still finding them around the house.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAYCE!!

My baby is 2 today, and that's crazy! It seems like just yesterday the most petite of the 3, weighing in at 8 lbs. 5oz., was born. She is turning into a little drama queen, and keeps me laughing. You know how watching your kids is like looking in a mirror. They pick up on your little traits or habits you weren't aware you had. Well I have discovered that I must *sigh* A LOT. Little Miss Mayce sighs about everything. Every time she lies down, sits down, or anytime I tell her anything. What does that say about me? Sorry to anyone who I have sighed at, I'm working on it! So in the words of Mayce, "Happy New Year to my." (For whatever reason happy birthday sounds more like happy new year. You understand right Poppy?) Love ya Mayce! (Party photos to come . . .)

Here are some pictures from Mayce's party. We are so lucky to have so much family (& family's family) near by. We had a great turn out! She had a blast and was so excited for it to be her day.

Mayce got lots of fun stuff. Clothes, books, toys, she cleared all categories.

Okay, our theme for the evening was, Horton Hears a Who. This is my (along with my wonderful assistants Payton & Fallyn) creation of the flower that carries the speck that carries the Who's. My girls informed my that it wasn't exactly right, but good enough for me. I think this may be my first crafty, bakey, mom cake. The picture does not do it justice!

Here's a picture of most of our crowd. We had poppy's and grandma's, cousins, 2nd cousins, aunts, uncles, and cousin's grandparents. Mayce sure can gather a crowd!