something for his travels

When Tyler is gone I send him lots of image texts throughout the day.  It's nice because I can show him what we're up to instead of telling him.  And, he gets to see all three of his girls! I also like to use it when we're on the road or I forget my clunky DSLR. It sure is a handy little doodad. Thank you for the iPhone sweetie. The camera is definitely my favorite feature. 

Enjoy!    

Georgia Aquarium

So in case any of you were wondering we're back at Ft. Benning for Airborne school.  That means we got to go the the Atlanta aquarium again!  And this time I remembered my camera!  YAY! Except it was so dang crowded, I could hardly take any pictures.  However, even though there were lots of people there, we had a blast.  I love the aquarium!  When I think about where I might be and what I'd be doing if I didn't have children or wasn't married I could imagine myself working at a place like this aquarium.  The girls loved it, and I think Rachel got much more out of it this time around.  

Waiting in line... Bright-eyed and ready to go...

   I just love this picture.  It's not often that my baby cuddles into me like this anymore.  So sad.  Why do they have to grow up?  Oh well, I'll take what I can get.

This is my favorite room of the aquarium... the giant wall!!! Can you find my babies?

completely fascinated...

   The belugas!  These guys are so cool.  They love to rub up against the glass and play with their air bubbles.

The petting pool...

She got to pet sting-rays and bonnet-head sharks!

We were lucky enough to be there during feeding time.  Rachel was so into this and kept asking to feed them too.

Hey Mr Grump Gills,
You know what you gotta do when life gets you down?
Just keep swimmingJust keep swimming swimming swimming
Happy Monday everyone!  

Ice Cream Truck

You know that tune that all ice cream trucks play? My Dad used to tell me that tune meant that all the ice cream trucks are out of ice cream and they're going home for the day.

  He is the king of outlandish, crazy stories.  And I, I believed every single one of them. 

Every time he would fart he'd say, "Man, those rocky mountain barking spiders are all over the place!". I was amazed!  How did they get all the way down to Houston? 

He always played up the Santa Claus bit.  I'm pretty sure I believed in Santa Claus until I was sixteen. 

Every time I had a cookie, he'd point at the wall behind me and say, "Look a spider!".  I'd look and turn back to find a big chunk of my cookie missing.  

Tyler hasn't quite mastered the art yet.  That's okay though because I'm pretty sure we won't have to worry about ice creams trucks when we get back to Weatherford.  Plus, we're on vacation, at least that's what I'm calling "training" these days.   

Which one wins?

Ah yes, the pink one. Sundae crunch.    

Look at that concentration.  Don't drop it! 

Now I know what all you people are talking about when you say not to tell your children to say cheese... Holy cow, it looks strenuous...  

That headband mysteriously found itself in our cart has we were walking out of Target.  I have to watch that girl, she likes to throw things in the cart when I'm not looking.  However, I think this headband suits her, and I was too lazy to go back in and return it.  Luckily, it was only 2 bucks.  There's something about this picture... Rachel is always carrying around a flower, and she frequently gives them to me.  I love them all, even the weeds.  

We love to share!  As long as Daddy only gets a little bit. haha. 

Rachel, the princess

I remember someone giving a talk in church about parenting.  They said that teaching your child is just like feeding a baby.  Food gets everywhere, on their clothes, on the bib, in the highchair, and all over their face as you try to get that spoon in their mouth.  And yet, even with all the times you've missed they still get fed and continue to grow. 

Lately I feel like I just keep missing.  I know that isn't true.  Rachel and I have our good days and we have our bad days. The girl is as stubborn as her momma, but I just keep at it.  Trying to keep life at a good pace.  Trying to stay stern and consistent. And trying to keep my voice down, always making sure that she's knows I love her. As I started thinking about FHE, it hit me.  Inspiration... the still small voice...  WELCOME, stay awhile and let's chat!
Well, it was worth a try... It was a rather short visit, but I at least knew what the FHE lesson was going to be.  

Princesses.

At first I thought, haven't we talked about princesses enough around here?  This girl is crazy about princesses.  I promised myself that this wouldn't happen, but it was completely beyond my control.  My little girl loves princesses, especially Ariel.  Greeeeaaaatttt, a story about a disobedient teenager. sheesh.  
Anyway, a thought was put into my head... Tell her she's a princess.  Tell her what a real princess is. I've done this before, but another time won't hurt.

So we did our usual thing... 
We sang lots of songs ("I'm so glad when Daddy comes home" is her favorite, so we sang that one twice), said a prayer, and then I asked Rachel who her favorite princess was.  She immediately started listing off all of them. We talked about how pretty they are and what kind of dresses they wear, you know, girl talk. Then I said, Rachel is a princess too! Princess Rachel! She smiled and said, I'm not a princess, I Rachel! Yes darling but you can be both! Then I started talking about all the wonderful things that make Rachel a princess.  Her chocolatey brown eyes, her beautiful smile, and that she is a daughter of God. And if she makes good choices she'll be able to go to the temple and live happily ever after too.  That's a real princess.  
We sang "I love to see the Temple", and that was it.
I could definitely tell that I got the spoon in her mouth.

Later that night as I was looking for a General Conference talk to read, I found "Your Happily Ever After" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. It was a talk given in the April 2010 Young Women broadcast.   
I definitely recommend it especially if you have little girls. Plus, it's always nice to be told you're a princess. :)  

There have been times when I've wondered about "Happily Ever After".  I've seen happy marriages end, and good people stuck in horrible marriages.  But after reading this talk I've come to the conclusion that everyone can have "Happily Ever After".
 "Sandwiched between their “once upon a time” and “happily ever after,” they all had to experience great adversity. Why must all experience sadness and tragedy? Why could we not simply live in bliss and peace, each day filled with wonder, joy, and love? 
Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. Let me repeat: how you react to adversity and temptation is a critical factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.” 
I love that... no princess reaches happily ever after without adversity.  It could be an evil stepmother, infertility, deployment, a broken heart, sickness, loneliness, or an enchanted beasts castle... we all have to conquer adversity. But, everyone can eventually reach their "happily ever after".  I know it sounds silly and girly, but it's true!  And so good to know. 

   

a sad story

Remember how I said I should have been a farmer? 

Well, I take it back.  

It was doing so good.  There's something about corn...  it's so tall, so big! It makes me feel so proud.  So proud in fact that I used it as our family picture backdrop.   

   And now it's so dead.  That's right, all that hard work, all that water and not a single cob (cob, husk, corn thing-a-ma-bober... whatever the right word is).  I told you this was a sad story. I couldn't tell you what happened.  I think it was some sort of disease that makes them all mushy, almost like they got attacked by worms.  I also attribute this failure to the Texas heat.  The Dallas/Fort Worth area experienced 40 days straight of triple digit weather with no rain! This is not summer people, it's a season I like to call HEdoublehockeysticks! Nothing but hot and dry.  Talk about rubbing lots of lotion into my heels.     
Although the corn suffered, the rest of the garden did alright.  Especially the squash!  We were up to our eyeballs in that stuff. And it looks like a watermelon is coming! 

So, I guess it wasn't a complete failure.  But still sad.  Oh so sad. Every time I see corn on the cob at the store I can't help but let out a big long sigh. 

*sigh*

There's always next year. I think I'll stick with Plan A for a bit longer though.  

her big girl bed

I finally found one! Yes, a toddler bed. This one was the right price, but needed a little work.  So, my handy man husband sanded her down and put on a fresh coat of paint, and now she's as good as new! 

Tyler brought the bed in and Rachel knew it was just for her. She was so overwhelmed all she could say was, "Daddy made my bed! Daddy made my bed!". She walked around saying that all day, and I can't lie, it made me walk a little taller every time she said it. I did good, and I loved how grateful she was to her Daddy.  It was so much fun watching her jump on it and cuddle with her teddy bears. She wouldn't let anyone else come near her bed. I usually enforce the sharing rule, but not this time.  I think there should be a few things that are all yours and that you don't have to share.  I don't know, what do you think? Anyway, bedtime has always been tricky with Rachel, especially when we travel, so I was happy that she liked it. And I certainly didn't mind that she was a bit possessive... Yes it's yours!!! Now, go to sleep! haha! :)     

   

Yep, she's a walker

Every once in a while someone would ask me how old Rachel was when she started walking.  This would be when I said, "7 1/2 months".  Most of the time the person would say something like, "No way, that's just crazy!" followed by this funny look on their face.  I don't really know how to describe it, it's just a "I don't think so" kind of look.  This look drives me crazy because there's no contending it.  It's just there! So, this time I have proof. Maggie also took her first step at 7 1/2 months, and now at 8 months she is a full fledged walker. What can I say, my girls are go-getters at this walking thing!   

   I love those baby blues...

I'm in a vintagey mood today...

Are you going to stand up? No Mama, I think I'll just sit here and look cute...

hehe...

Baby Monster on the loose!

I LOVE her big smile!

Both my girls love getting roughed up by their Daddy...

Now off to teach that noodle a lesson...

Alright, now you can all wipe that funny look off your face.  

Thanks.