My Two Fairies

I only have these two glorious fairies.

I have to make it count!!

I love them.

Scarlet Jorlyn

My glorious, precious baby.

Who is far from being a baby.

But she is still my baby I suppose.

She HAAAAAATES pictures. So I'm grateful for her participation, however un optional it was.

Ella Ruth

I decided to so a 'theme' photo shoot with the girls.

I like to do their pics every year, but I usually do them in the Fall.

This time I wanted to do 'fairies'.

Fairies coincide better with spring AND their outfits took 3 months to ship!!

So Spring it was!!

Here is my beautiful, bright first born.

Special thanks to my sister for spotting the location and to my mom for her tree!!

Some Days He Comes Out to Play

Some times I can convince Brent to come out in the back yard and play!!

He was making fun of cheerleaders and I told him to put his money where his mouth is.

He has since agreed to call cheerleaders athletes.

But still holds firm we're bad spellers!!

The dismount off this was rough!!

Sick Day

Ella had a terrible cough last week.

It was one of those deep, mucous filled ones.

She wasn't necessarily sick, but I felt like her teacher didn't deserve to listen to the wet chorus of phlegm rattling in her chest and the following spit that accompanied it.  

So she stayed home and rested, read, and played a few games.

We colored together and it made me excited for summer.

The vacation, NOT the season.

Kato doesn't like his human to be sick,

but it likes it when she is home!!

Sand Saturday

 My children love the out doors.

I love the out doors.

But taking my children out doors is an entirely different subject.

I struggle with motivation to just forge into the unknown.

I want them to have fun days and not just look back on their childhood as one giant tv session,

so today we were brave!!

 They happily sat and dug until a dirt bike almost ran them over.

Note to self, keep them closer to the dunes.

Dirt bike enthusiasts: consider someone might be around a corner, especially if there is a car at the base of a hill.

Let's all share nice!!

Sand is so therapeutic.

We took off our shoes,

yes in February,

and rubbed our toes around in the soft cool grains. 

 We've never taken Kato to the sand and he was crazy!!

He was running everywhere so fast his feet didn't touch the ground.

He'd sniff around, find a random spot, and vigorously sniff and dig.

He come up with a sneeze and a shake of his head, with his nose covered in white sand.

he looked like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas!!

Ella was trying to bury herself and Scarlet gladly elected to help....

maybe I should watch that!!

We had a fun time and the sand will see us many more times 

before summer descends on us and makes it impossible.

Or more accurately,

undesirable.

What does Mommy.....

I found this little list and decided to try it with my girls. All answers were unsolicited!! I was pleasantly surprised by their answers!!

1. What is something mommy always says to you?
E: Listen!! I love you. Have a good day.
S: Pay attention. Go to your room.

2. What makes mommy happy?
E: Us!!
S: Christmas

3. What makes mommy sad?
E: When we don't listen. When we're sick.
S: When you miss daddy

4. How does mommy make you laugh?
E: tickles
S: Being silly

5. What was mommy like as a child
E & S: I don't know

6. How old is mommy?
E: 31
S: 6?

7. How tall is mommy?
E: 5 ft
S: very tall

8: What is mommy's favorite things to do?
E: cooking
S: exercise

9. What does mommy do when you're gone?
E: go places
S: watch tv

10. If I was famous, what would I be famous for?
E: cleaning
S: killing rats

11. What is mommy good at?
E: cleaning and cooking
S: running and exercise

12. What is mommy not good at?
E: catching gophers
S: killing spiders

13. What is my job?
E: stays home. does hair.
S: cleaning

14: What is mommy's favorite food?
E: fruit and steak
S: Ravioli

15: What makes you proud of mommy?
E: You are always helpful
S: Kiss attacks

16: What do we do together?
E: Games
S: Everything

17. How are we alike?
E: Same eye shape. Same ears. Same body shape. Good at writing.
S: Same ears.

18. How are we different?
E: Hair color. Eye color.
S: Hair and eyes

19. How do you know mommy loves you?
E: Nice to me. Gets us pets. Makes me lunches.
S: When you miss me at school.

20. What do I like most about daddy?
E: He's a police officer
S: He loves you

21. Where is my favorite place to go?
E: Walmart
S: Beauty store

22. How old was I when you were born?
E: 20 something
S: Big

I love my little chickens so much.
I had started getting into the habit of calling them my little monsters, or my little blood sucking vampires, or little devils.
I realized that while it was all in good fun, it was still negative.
If anyone has watched "Parks & Rec" with Leslie Knope, I stole some of her compliments for her best friend Ann and have made some up myself.

My beautiful land mermaids.
My beautiful starfish.
My graceful, leaping porpoises.
My graceful, swaying sea ferns.
My majestic, golden unicorns.

They giggle, and now every night as I tuck them into bed they ask me, "What are we today!?" I've become quite inventive!!

Hair Days

Scarlet does not enjoy having her hair done.

It MUST be in a pony tail.

Every. Single. Day.

Some days bribes or threats must be utilized to get that pony tail in place!!

This day we had to play beauty shop.

Scarlet sat on the floor with Kato in her lap,

while I kneeled behind them and rapidly pulle dher hair up.

Kato got brushed and buffed with a cotton ball,

and then he got a bow in his 'hair'.

Poor blessed beast!!

Somedays

When Scarlet was at the height of her emotional turmoil,

and we didn't even know there a was a specialty to her needs,

there were days I didn't know if we would survive.

There were days she would be in her room, screaming her lungs out,

furious for reasons beyond my ken,

and I would sit in a different room and sob.

I would cry while my whole heart broke.

I didn't know what to do!!

I didn't know what she wanted!!

I didn't know what the hell was wrong with her!!

Other days, I too would be furious.

Boil with rage and bitterness.

I would go outside and throw rocks and tear grass up from the roots.

I loved this child with every breath I took.

Why was our lives like this!?

Our family was in a constant state of high alert that was rapidly wearing down every member.

I loved Scarlet every minute.

But I doubted my competence as a mother,

as a mother in Zion,

as a woman,

as a person.

I doubted her ability to function as an a adult.

Her ability to function in life,

at all!!

An all encompaning sadness seemed to hang over our family.

It hurt.

What were we supposed to do?

Thankfully we received the help we needed and we have headed in a glorious direction.

Scarlet's program is working.

I have been warned to worry about 'labels'.

I'd like everyone to know I could give a royal rat's hat about labels.

My little girl is thriving.

And she cuddles with me.

And tells me she loves me.

And tells me "goodnight my beautiful land starfish".

And wishes me Happy Warthog Day.