Homework

Payton's homework last night was to ask 4 adults what they were afraid of so they could use the information today to do a graphing activity in Math.  Payton asked her Grandma, she said snakes.  She asked Grammy, she said spiders, I said I was afraid of flying and Tung said snakes.  We asked Reagan what she was afraid of, she said Monsters.

Reagan said to Tung this morning, "I know what you're afraid of Daddy, you're afraid to wrestle someone bigger than you because they would crush you".  Then Payton says "yeah, they would crush his glasses too" and then they both crack up.  I love when they both gang up on their Daddy to make fun of him, he needs a little joking back to balance what he gives to everyone else all the time!

Taylor Swift

I have a crazy love for all tween and teenage things.  I love all the Disney shows, the music, the kids themselves everything.  I especially love Taylor Swift. For a while I have wanted to see her in concert and have read she puts on a really good show.  In the past year or so I have wanted to see her even more, the girls love her and can sing the words to every song.  How can a 34 year old woman identify with what a 24 year old girl is singing I will never know.  Maybe it's just I wish I had some of her lyrics when I was in high school and it would have helped me understand others and myself more.  Music is just my thing and has helped me get through and understand a lot of thoughts that race in my mind.

Though crazy I really wanted to take the girls, Payton I knew would love it, Reagan too, she is a little young and I knew she would get tired (she fell asleep for a few songs near the end), but she couldn't be left behind, she would have been so sad. They both were so excited, we told them the night before, because I finally found tickets just the day before.

I made them t-shirts super quick in the afternoon.

Reagan wanted hers to say Red and Payton wanted Fearless

 We got there early, I had 2 pairs of tickets in the same row, so we had to ask others if they would mind trading seats with us so we could be together, 2 girls agreed no problem, so we could sit together.

Tung gets a medal for going with us to an arena full of screaming girls.  Bucket List Item crossed off.  Even if no one else ever understands it, I just had to go see her and I will always remember it!

He said he didn't need his picture taken, I did anyway

They gave out mini Diet Coke after the concert and we were so thirsty we let them drink it at 11:00 .

First Day of School

The day Reagan has waited for finally arrived, she was so excited about going to school and riding the bus! She stood outside for 15 minutes this morning asking when the bus was coming, she could hardly stand it. As soon as Mrs. Evans pulled up she ran right up the steps, she had to tell her to stop and turn around so I could take her picture!  She sits in the first seat right behind the bus driver.  Payton asked if she could sit with her but they all have assigned seats, and said maybe they could sit together later on.  When Reagan got off the bus this afternoon she sat and watched it drive away like she was so sad to get off and wished she could ride it longer, so funny.

They both had a great day of school, Reagan took a tour of the school and got to be the line leader because she is the shortest in the class! Payton got to search the school looking for Isabelle the Important Fish, they found her in their classroom the most important room in the school, they had to write about her and then got to eat the special snack she left for them, Hershey kisses. Payton's teacher Miss Altieri has an ocean theme for her classroom and she has taken it to the fullest extent, referring to everything in ocean/sea terms, it makes it a lot of fun.

 Payton picked out her outfit herself and her new scarf that goes with "practically everything" she says.  I'll never forget her saying that, so cute!

Reagan ate all of her lunch, we were worried about whether or not she would have time to eat it all and would she just eat her fruit by the foot, or if the sandwich would be gone? But she ate everything, she packed it herself and wanted to pack it again tonight she thinks taking her own lunch is a lot of fun!  Payton already wants to buy lunch tomorrow, they are having cheeseburgers.

I'm so happy they love school and it's so fun to see Reagan excited about being independent and doing things herself!  Before she went to bed tonight she told me that she was tired at school today, 15 minutes later she was asleep, she fell asleep the earliest tonight she has maybe ever, no nap at Kindergarten wore her out!

Carrying her backpack that is as big as she is!

Nabeel and Nazeem came to see them before the first day.

Taking care of her little sissy.

Mixed Up Words

Reagan has always mixed up words and phrases, I've been wanting to write down some of the funny ones before I forget, but I know I've already forgotten many.  A few weeks ago at the baseball game she said "Is that the vampire behind the batter?" Tonight while helping her take a shower, she asked "Are you going to use the air conditioner?" I've been putting conditioner in her hair to make it less tangley but she remembered air conditioner.  I hope I can remember some of the others, she says them so seriously it's not like she's doing it to be funny, she just really doesn't remember, cracks me up!

The Big Girl

I am so proud of Payton, she learned to ride her bike with no training wheels last Sunday April 21. She had not been too interested before, but asked Tung to take the training wheels off about two months ago, it was cold but she tried riding down the road, she was not excited and scared to try by herself, I guess she made up her mind because on Sunday she wanted to try again and within 20 minutes was riding all over the place.
She has decorated her bike with streamers to make it pretty and I need to make her a new basket for the front.

She loves tennis, she has been a little thrown off because for the past 2 weeks we couldn't go on her night because of things at school so she has had different coaches and different kids in her class and it has made her a little upset not knowing who was going to be there each week but next week will be back to normal.  I'm glad she likes it and I'm having fun learning about tennis while I watch her too.

It's interesting to watch the kids learn forehand and backhand, since Payton is left handed she is backwards from everyone else, this coach was left handed too so was showing her how to hold the racket for a backhand.

She loves her friends but we are finding it challenging to figure out how to teach her to be her own person and not do or say things your friends tell you to just because they tell you to do it.  She is such a smart, caring girl and wants everyone to like her.  She was so excited one day when a girl in her class who has not been very nice to her sometimes told her that she was her friend.  Payton said she has tried to be nice to her and play with her and the girl is finally being nice back, so cute.  Love that girl.

Sleeping

Love how she fell asleep wearing the 3D glasses. The little fingers, lips, chubby cheeks. I love it all.

Excited

I think Reagan is excited about vacation. We told them weeks ago we were going to Disney, Payton has been very excited talking about it but Reagan hasn't said much. I was even thinking does she realize where we're going?  Apparently she does but just hasn't showed us until just these past few days.  She has told Ms. Susan at preschool every day for 2 weeks that she feels excited because she is going to Disney World.  At 10:30 she was awake in her bed, cutting, coloring and taping something, she told me she was too excited to sleep because she's going to Disney tomorrow.  She brought me an adorable card that said Reagan Mme. Mme is Mommy. She's adorable how she is starting to try to spell words and read. She is picking words out of stories and recognizing them now.  She is getting way too big.  I'm glad Payton is better after having a double ear infection last week and we are so ready for vacation!

2013 Snow Part 2

Payton and the Pig

This might be one of my most favorite pictures of Payton ever.  I love her smile, the little piece of hair sticking out of her hat, how carefully she's holding the baby pig. Everything.

Poppin Tags

I like thrift stores, I like rap songs, and I like challenges.  I had never heard the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song Thrift Shop until my favorite DIY blog, Young House Love posted their Thrift Shop Challenge.

I was in. Finding time to get there was a bigger challenge.  I didn't have time to go to a thrift shop in the city which I'm sure would have scored many more interesting items but dragged my kids to the suburban Goodwill to see what we could find.  Here we go..."Ice on the fridge is so damn frosty"  well it was pretty frosty in the 30 degree, 30 mph wind gusts trying to get my 7 year old to take a picture and not lose the $20 in the process!

"They had a broken keyboard"  seriously, does every thrift store have one of these?

"Dressed all in pink, except my gator shoes, those are green"



"Draped in a leopard mink...."  Well, close enough

These had to be included just for the hilarity. 

 The fish sang and my girls thought it was hilarious! I do not ever remember seeing the McDonald's commercial that this guy sang about.  And also, there must be a reason why all singing fish you ever find at Goodwill still in the box!

And this was the biggest tv remote we'd ever seen!

And here's what I bought....

These still had the tag on the inside and do not look like they were ever worn.  Pink polka dot $50 Etienne Aginer wedges for $10

and a cute pink Pyrex bowl for $3.25 just like some olive green ones my Mom had. I don't know what I'll do with it but I had to have it.  $13.25 total!

I can't wait to see what everyone else scored for their $20!

Beach Weekend

For the past 3 years we have gone to the beach the last weekend in January for a mini vacation to swim in the pool, have a good dinner, relax and have fun.  The pool this year was probably the nicest and most heated we've found.  The girls loved the little sprinklers that came out of the sides.  We ate dinner at Flip Flops that we saw on Diner's Drive Ins and Dives, the fish tacos were really good and the owner was very nice.  The hotel had a nice breakfast too.  It was a great relaxing weekend!

Snow on the beach! I've always wanted to see snow on the beach!

Silly posing in front of the fun striped curtain.

Sticking her tongue out at me instead of silly posing.

Sometimes I amaze myself and remember off the wall things like bringing boots for snow sand walking.

They loved walking in the beach foam...until it went over Payton's boots and soaked her, then the fun was over!

Snow on the sand!

Ocean...Sand...Snow Cool!

Tung snapped as we all were worried the ocean was going to get us!

Morning Sunrise

Going over the sand hill that covered the pipe to the beach.