stay-cation

you may remember the trip we took to Tucson with State Farm in April, Jason worked, we played, (i learned this is called a "stay-cation" in the biz) - well we were at it again. this time, at one of the most beautiful hotels i have ever seen worldwide, the Royal Palms Resort! our room opened up onto this amazing courtyard with a fountain and plenty of lounging areas, too bad it was only comfortable before 8am and after 9pm.it was in Scottsdale, it was fabulous, and the girls and i had an awesome time, swimming (the pool was tiled in 1" mother of pearl tiles giving the water a luminous quality that i just couldn't quite capture on film), shopping, and overall staying cool. the girls and i had such fun exploring the seemingly endless garden paths, gazebos, lawns, fountains, and even hideouts(this was a "secret" garden we found the girls performed here several times during our stay, and even "found" a kitty cat here).....but this "stay-cation" gave me a novel idea - what if next time we do it without kids???? we'll see, apparently we are some of the crazy few who have never spent a night away together without their children, just haven't had the chance. well, as i will be nursing again soon, we may get crazy next month with a little mommy/daddy stay-cation...stay tuned!

pretty, pretty princess take 2

Anna was bombarded with princess things for her birthday. she and dad had fun dressing up and posing together! so, maybe he would benefit from having a son?

instinct

i gave Madeline her first Oreo, and to my surprise she immediately twisted the top of and licked out the inside before turning her attention to the chocolate cookie portion. pure instinct.

Anna told me she learned her technique by watching the grandpa and boy on tv? ah, the age old question, nature vs. commercials?

big like sissy

so. Madeline always wants to do just what Anna does, even go potty. ususally i say no because i am too busy keeping them germ free and i know she will not really potty train anytime soon. but this time, it was just me and Maddie so i let her go. and she did! still, i'm not going for the whole potty training experience anytime soon! one at a time, that's my motto!

so existential

Madeline loves to read, and to "read." she will sit with any book (sans pictures) and "read" to herself. this week, she is sulky and brooding while she mulls over a little Camus in her spare time. ah, one year olds!

happy birthday to America!

so, if you live outside AZ you may not know that the place can really become a ghost town in the summer. we, in fact have high hopes to spend the rest of our Independence Days on the beach in CA. however this year, as last, we were pretty much stuck.....luckily, our neighbors were out of town and suggested we have free reign in their pool. we took them up on the offer, and had a great fourth with family and food! at first i wondered if i'd ever use these water shoes, then after battling Maddie to stay in the pool rather than burn her feet, i realized they were necessary! the girls love to be wrapped up like burritos at the end of a long swimming day!
mommy splurged on her favorite - Cool Ranch Doritos, yum!the next day at church, i broke out the patriotic dresses!i'm a sucker for these sisters, they are too cute!

Happy Birthday to Anna!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so, amid sparkles, pink, flowers, fluttering butterflies, and plenty of balloons, Anna turned 3! she requested a butterfly party where she wore butterfly wings, played butterfly "hot stotch", pin the heart on the butterfly, made butterfly crafts, and ate butterfly cakes and cookies. 10 of Anna's closest friends showered her with sparkly, girly gifts, and dad finished off the day by fulfilling Anna's birthday dinner request: McDonalds with and ice cream and plenty of play time!!!!!!!!!!! Anna's favorite present though was from the Beardsleys, who sent Funshine Bear, via Fed Ex. how exciting! and Anna made sure to share her gifts with sissy and Nalu, what a nice 3 year old girl!

ps: after the party Jason had to go to work right a way, he called a little later and i said clean up had been easy and i was just about to vaccuum. when i got off the phone, mommy's little helper had gone to the closet and gotten the vaccuum. she was so proud! (so was i!)