My little cheetah!

What happened to my little girl? She looks so mature... and adorably cute. She is dressed and ready to take her dance pictures for her upcoming dance performance, which happens to be to the song The Circle of Life from The Lion King.

Of course, she is a cheetah... but to me looks a lot like Pebbles Flintstone (especially considering the outfit and bone in her hair)!

 

Go climb a tree

I love when my kids play... like really play. I spent my childhood playing outdoors and climbing trees. So, watching them take the time to actually climb a tree (even a small one) and find some happiness in goofing off is rewarding.

Her happy place...

My daughter could spend every day in the barn riding horses. It is a love, and her happy place.

March for Science

Why we marched?

We live in a STEM-oriented city. We want to encourage our elected representatives to enact evidence-based policies and support our local organizations which promote science and tirelessly work to make science accessible to people of all ages.

2nd B-Day

Sometimes we all wish we could have two birthdays... and sometimes... just sometimes... you get to celebrate twice. We drove to Chattanooga for Grandparents, an Aunt and Uncle, and cousins to celebrate Callie's 10 all over again.

My kids and my brother's kids!

My parents with me and my brother.

Look who's 10!

It was a day all about my little girl... who is growing up so quickly!

Stop 1: Unicorn Frappuccino
A quick visit to the nearest Starbucks was first on the day's adventure. She wanted to try the new Unicorn Frappuccino...

Verdict: Just OK. She said it was super sour and not what she was expecting.

Stop 2: A Movie at Home
She wanted to watch a movie with her brother, who was all for any opportunity to stop studying. We ended up watching Sing.

Verdict: She liked the movie (and I didn't hear Jackson complain either). She ate some popcorn and snuggled with us. She was a happy birthdayer!

Stop 3: Build-a-bear with Friends
She didn't want a party, but this was close to a party. She asked a couple of her friends to meet up at the mall to build stuffed animals and hang out.... see stops 4-5 too.

Verdict: She got a stuffed animal (a rainbow bear named Galaxy)... so, this stop was a win. Plus, she got to hang out with her friends and they got some animals too... double win!

Stop 4: The Bouncy-Thing at the Mall
This was an unexpected "please mom" thing to do. And since it was her birthday... I obviously said yes...

Verdict: Fun! She is afraid of heights... so this was adventurous for her. Her friend was happy to jump with her. And I was secretly glad she wanted to do it because I love when she tries something she is afraid of.

Stop 5: Cake!
Even though it wasn't an official party... there was cake involved. And gifts from her friends!

Verdict: Cake. Gifts. Basically, Party. She loved it! Enough said! 

Stop 6: Dinner with the Family

Our family likes to have dinner together as our birthday tradition. The birthday person gets to pick the restaurant (and the rest of us try to influence the birthday person to one we really want to eat at). After a very busy day, it was nice to just sit down as a family and spend this time together (plus, a pic of my hubby... showing he exists from time to time).

Verdict: A great meal. A great day. A great family. A great birthday!

I still cannot believe she is double digits... 10!

Little Mermaid

Field Trip

High schools put on some wonderful plays. And our homeschooling community is great about organizing opportunities for the kids. Today, we went to a local high school to watch The Little Mermaid. Plus, we get to see a bunch of our homeschooling friends (and moms).

She is loving me... it is a field trip school day!

Rainbow Hair

I had delayed it for a year, but Callie was insistent. She wanted to try some fun hair colors, and I finally found a product to use that wasn't permanent. I wanted to make sure it would wash out in case she hated it. Plus, I opted to place it under a layer of hair, just in case.

There are actually three shades from blue to jade, as well as a pink, but it is hard to tell with her brown hair. The color is light and not overly noticeable when her hair is down. The brightness of the color is more prominent with blonde hair. However, she is still excited about her new colors!

My little rock garden

I worked all weekend... and created a rock garden beside the pool.

It was hard work. It was exhausting. It was possibly done with me fussing at people to help...

However, it looks great and should be easier to maintain!

Volunteerism in action...

There are things in our lives that remind us how amazing our kids are... and for me it is when Jackson mentors at TOPSoccer.

TOPSoccer is a soccer program for young athletes with disabilities and Jackson is often asked to volunteer because he can work with some of the more severely disabled children. He has a patience and ability to relate to children with special needs... it is a pretty amazing gift!

When I watch him mentor, it's like a parenting win... I feel like I must have done something right!