Big Dreams

I asked the girls what they wanted to be when they grew up and Daisy very firmly explained that she was going to be a princess...and Superman.  She is pretty cool.

Rocky piped in that she was going to be a mermaid.  

It sounds like we are in for some big adventures.

 Here they are getting some practice at a royal luncheon with a few of their favorite buddies.  They have been wearing their crowns all weekend.

 I feel a little bad that Rosy always ends up as the bonus picture.  She just doesn't really have much to say.  This photo is for my friends that get a kick out of her gnawing on celery at the playground.  She has moved on to carrots.

Swinging in the Rain

 I heard that princesses tell each other horror stories about this sort of thing.

 We went to the softball game to watch our U of O girls kick butt.  They are an awesome team and we had a great time in the rain.  Even though it never rains at Autzen it apparently does at the softball field, a lot.  If anything the rain just added to the fun.
Brandon carefully explained the finer points of the game to the captivated audience.

 In unrelated Rosy news, you cannot believe the carnage we encountered the other day when she got ahold of one of those pink animal cookies with the sprinkles.  Poor little elephant.

I am thinking that I should make it an official policy to start and end with a baby in the bathtub.

Public Works Day

The city of Eugene has an activity every year called Public Works Day.  It is a favorite of the kids. 

Hopefully this is the first and last time that these jokers are in the back of a police car.

 Rosy was only mildly amused until we got to ride on the dump truck and then she was all out bored. 

Bonus Photos: 

Hippie Chick Half

 All of my photos from the Hippie Chick Half Marathon were stolen directly from Laurie's Blog which is much more professional than my own.
After chowing down on some spaghetti we drove out to Katrina's house where I quickly realized that I had forgotten my bag.  I hadn't forgotten my pillow or Rosy but I had somehow managed to leave behind my clothes and shoes, which are kind of important when it comes to participating in a race.  I would love to write more about the fact that since Rosy was born I can't seem to remember anything but that is a whole post in and of itself.
For a second I contemplated running barefoot in regular clothes and with no sports bra (it was the Hippie Chick after all) but I nixed that idea pretty quickly.  Brandon proved himself once again as being an awesome husband by getting up a little before 4 AM so that he could bring me my stuff.

We had a blast with our sleepover the night before where I got to put on the coolest nail polish I've ever seen.  Hanging out with these girls is so much fun that I forgot to get nervous.

Michelle, Katrina, Marci, Laurie, and Lindsey - Hippie Chicks Forever

 As you can see we were all very excited to get going.  It was a beautiful morning and there is a cool feeling at a women's race like this.

 I did a pretty good job jabbering away at Katrina and Laurie for the first 10 miles. 

I was too busy talking Katrina's ear off to even notice the windmill.

 Then I was hit with a wave of fatigue and it was up to Laurie to get me through.  A word about this girl.  She is fast, really fast.  She could have used her race pace, left me in the dust and finished 20 minutes quicker, but she stuck by me to the end.  I had told her that I wanted to finish under 2 hours and she made sure that it happened.  I won't divulge all of her tricks but I will say that she has a pretty great singing voice and she knows how to use it.  Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like that.

I knew that Brandon and the girls were at the end and I was so happy to see them.  Because I love them, and also because I knew that I could stop running.

1:53:07 a new PR!

I love each one of these women so much and I feel incredibly lucky to have friends that are so amazing. 

Moms

 All things considered this year our Mother's Day photo turned out pretty good.  I love my babies more than anything.

 They all combined forces to make me Brandon's specialty pie.

 Happy Mother's Day to two of the best ladies ever.  Thanks for everything.

 Could they be any cuter?

Bonus Picture:

Riding the Potty Train

 Daisy told everyone we saw that she was potty trainin'.  It was a pretty intense week or so but before I knew it her chart was filled and she won her potty prize.  It also helped out that she had a huge basket full of Easter candy that we used as bribes.  She was funny about her chart and very deliberate in the choice of sticker that she made.  It took longer than it needed to fill it because she insisted that all of the people were wearing sticker sunglasses and snorkels.  She doesn't mind taking a little extra effort to make sure that things are done right.
I was less-than-thrilled with her choice of prize because I'm not really into the books that make sounds but lucky for me this one was broken when we opened it.  She doesn't understand that the buttons are supposed to do something so it is a win for both of us.

In other Daisy related stories we had an incident that included a certain ball being shoved up a nostril.

She found an air-soft BB outside and was having a great time playing until somehow it found its way in her nose.  She told us right away and Brandon and I both did our best trying to get it out.  I won't go into details about our methods, let's just say they weren't successful.  The doctor was really sweet and let Daisy look at a variety of long tweezers so they could pick just the right one.  They decided on the ones that looked like scissors and had kind of a flat end.  The actual removal wasn't too bad, but it definitely wasn't pleasant.  It was bad enough that when the doctor asked us if we wanted to keep the ball Daisy insisted that she throw it away.  The ball in the picture was innocent.  The one that actually was in there, it is important to note, was green.
In the end she made it out, no worse for the wear.  It actually worked out all right for her because she got to stay up until 10 o'clock, wear her p.j.s to the hospital, and was given a My Little Pony sticker as well as an orange popsicle.
I didn't get anything out of it,except the trauma of watching it all.  Hopefully we both learned our lesson - Daisy - that she shouldn't put things in her nose, and me- that Daddy needs to be the one that handles medical related problems in our home.

 Every night when she is getting ready for bed Daisy will say, "And in the morning we can have breakfast!!"  This very thought of another meal gets her so excited she can barely sleep.

How could you not just love this little girl? 

A Bunch of Rose Bud

Not sure if she is waving or asking for a handout

 Rosy is growing so fast and I am feeling distraught that I haven't caught more of her life on camera.  The last week or so every time I look at her she is being adorable and I pull out the camera.  This may seem like an overabundance of photos but trust me, I'm only scratching the surface here.  The problem is that she is just bursting with cuteness. 

 She has become pretty expert at wriggling her way out of anything that tries to impede her ability to move. 

Seriously?

When Brandon shaved his beard she was terrified and would burst into tears every time he looked at her.  He had to hold the bowl in front of his face and then they could be friends again. 

 She is proud of herself now that she can sit on her own, and now that she has her very own cheering squad.  Rocky and Daisy were so thrilled that they gave her a standing ovation.  There might be a day when she is older that being the little sister doesn't come with this kind of glory, but for now she is eating it up.

She has got the entire family in the palm of her hand and we all are happy to be there.

5 Years Old!

 Rocky's birthday was on a Monday so it mostly consisted of business as usual.  To brighten it up a bit we made crepes for breakfast.

 Rosy didn't know that food could be that good.

 She had lots of great presents to open from her grandparents and we went to the Sweet Life for petit fours.  Brandon described them as a quarter the size of a cupcake and twice as expensive.  Who would have thought that my girls would be so thrilled with such tiny cakes.  She also went to her soccer practice which she loves.  I'm not sure that it can really be considered soccer because it is high school students leading a  series of circuits, one of which is Duck, Duck, Goose. 

Rocky is as enthusiastic as ever and her creative little mind keeps every day fun. 

The other day she turned on the news while she was in the bathroom and after a minute she came running out and said, "MOM!  I just heard the news!  Someone went to Mexico and did something!"
She was pretty proud of herself for filling me in.

She loves school and playing outside and she has recently bonded with her friend Garrett by liking the cartoon Ben Ten.  She has some great dance moves and has a great memory for lyrics to top 40 songs.  She recently has been climbing trees and riding her bike.
I can't believe she is 5.  How can it only be 5 years since I became a mom?  It feels like she has been a part of my live forever.

Eugene Marathon

 We made our annual trek out to watch the marathoners run past.  My friends Katie, Laurie and Jim sped by so quickly that I hardly even saw them. 

 As you can see we were quite an enthusiastic crowd.  I think everyone was still a little buzzed (and of course I mean a Mormon buzz from ice cream) from the Bill and Ted party the night before.

 I love the marathon and it inspires me every year.

 

These race photos every year are part of the the holiday staples that mark the growth of the kids.  It is like when we make our kids sit on Santa's lap every year, but way less horrifying.