Time to Trick-Or-Treat

This year it was up to one very adorable ballerina, one exceptionally sweet ladybug, and one tiny little Halloween monster to tame all the spooks with an overdose of the cutes.

P. and A. designed the faces for their respective Jack-O-Laterns themselves!

We Love Visitors!

In late October we were lucky enough to receive a visit from Grandma M. and Aunt M.A.  All sorts of fun things happen when we host visitors (which is why we like them so much). Here is a picture of us gals at the Desert Botanical Gardens...

cheering for our favorite soccer player....

and making "ghost" treats out of Nutter Butter cookies and Tootsie Pops.


We also took Grandma M. and Aunt M.A. to A.'s school fair where carnival treats...

and bounce houses were enjoyed by all!

 

When Scorpions Attack!

Yep, you guessed it!  That's a scorpion--in our bed.  It's dead, but it wasn't two minutes before this photo was taken when it stung Jay shortly after he'd laid down to go to sleep.  One scorpion is bad enough but this is actually the second scorpion that has stung Jay while he's been in bed.  This first scorpion managed to sting him twice before we were able to kill it.  Poor guy.  (Jay, not the scorpion)  

School Daze!

It's the first day of class for Pink #1 and Pink #2

A. strikes a pose before heading out the door to her first day of Kindergarten.

A. took to Kindergarten like a fish to water!

P. was all confidence at home on the morning of her first day of Pre-School.

That confidence waned a bit upon arrival, but once she got through her first day, she became one pre-school loving Pink! 

"Hey!  What about me?"  Au. gets comfortable in her car carrier as she accompanies Mommy on carpools. 

It's the Dog Days of Summer

and the Pinks have been busy trying to stay cool. 

Here's what they did:

Swim Lessons

Keeping with Arizona custom, A & P spent their mornings at the pool perfecting their skills and making waves with their stylish optical accessories.

A. made vast improvements in overcoming her hesitancies towards water.

P. never had any hesitancies towards the water.

Learning the backstroke.

P. was so enthusiastic about swimming that she was described by her teacher as "one crazy little fishy!"  The moniker has stuck and now we call her that at home.

Rainstorms

It doesn't rain often but when it does, it pours.  And the temperature drops just enough that it's physically possible to endure being outside.  Here, Jay risks electrocution to edge our lawn during a monsoon in order to avoid having to do it in the extreme heat. 

With rain, comes mud (we still haven't landscaped that one corner of our yard yet) and with mud comes two little girls who love to roll around in it!  Besides, making mud pies is another excuse to wear those stylish optical accessories.

They even got Au. to join the goggle club.

Post Rainstorm Bike Rides

With Daddy's help, A. has shed her need for training wheels and is now the sleakest, meanest little dirt bike riding beauty on the black top.

Not to be outdone, Au. puts on a mean face too while being introduced to her future bike.

Dance Class

A. & P. took a Disney Princess themed dance class at the local Parks N' Rec.  Here is A. in her Tinkerbell Fairy Friend costume practicing her turns.

P. stretches during warm-ups.

Curler Cuties

Just for fun, the girls decided they wanted to give curlers a try.

 It was a wee bit difficult getting all of P.'s hair wrapped in sponges as it's still rather short in the front, but we at least managed to get the back curled.

Bouncy, Flouncy!!

Au. says, "Why bother with curlers when bald is so beautiful?"



We've Been Haboobed!

On July 5th a very large dust storm--also known by the arabic designation of "haboob"--hit the Phoenix area.  The dust cloud was reportedly over a mile high.  I took this picture while standing on the kids' playset in the backyard just moments before the wall of sand hit our house.  The storm was so thick that the sky went from sunny to black almost instantly.  Needless to say, I spent the better part of the next morning sweeping what seemed like half the Sonoran Desert off my back porch.  Curse you, Haboob!

In the Baby Moment

Grandma called to say she wanted to see more pictures of Au.  We were happy to oblige.

Here she is in her favorite "jailbird" pajamas.  Hey, if being cute is a crime, then she's guilty as charged!

Smiley, smiley!

All tuckered out.

Bedhead

Six consecutive portraits of P.'s typical morning coiffes

 



One Really Big Month!

In April our family returned home to Utah to celebrate Grandma Deena's graduation, Easter, and to hold Au.'s baby blessing with extended family.  

 P. was soooo excited to congratulate Grandma Deena that when she ran up to her to give her a hug, she had so much force travelling with her little 3-year old body that she accidentally knocked Grandma backward into the potted plant.  It was quite the comical moment. 

It's official:  Grandma Deena is now Doctor Deena; although I'm pretty sure we'll still just keep calling her "Mom".

P. finds a pretty blue egg during the family Easter Egg hunt.

 A. skipped over picking up the blue eggs, making a beeline instead to collect all the pink and purple ones.

And after all the eggs had been decorated and hunted, it was finally time for Au. to shine.  Here she is looking simply angelic in the exquisite blessing dress that Grandma Margaret smocked/embroidered/sewed for her.  Seeing her in that dress reminded us all of how close to heaven she really is. 

Au.'s blessing was a wonderful moment for us as parents and for the whole family.  Thank you so much to everyone who came to share this special day with us.