One for the Record Books.

I am ashamed to admit that I started out the day complaining about Mother's Day.  I am not a fan, as it is usually not filled with the things that a mother truly wants (like quiet time).  Do you hear the cynic in me?  But today was different.  For starters, it was the first Mother's Day that I got to spend with my own mom in probably 20 years.  My mom had flown in for the recital which was yesterday (I will post about that later) and her plane did not leave until one o'clock today.  I woke up and made us all french toast in honor of my mom.  Then the girls each gave me potted plants to go along with their beautiful homemade cards they gave me Friday after school.  Those are the best kind of gifts.  Then Kevin set the girls to work picking up the house while my mom and I got to sneak away for a long walk.  It was a beautiful morning.  We walked for over an hour, talking and reminiscing. 

After that we set out for Starbucks to get coffee for Kevin, my mom and I.  It was only my mom and I that were going to run and grab the coffees.  When we got to Starbucks, my mom announced that she was treating.  In mid exit, I made a game time decision to leave my purse in the car.  Bad move!  When we returned to the van, the realization that my keys were inside my purse inside the locked van hit me.  Fortunately, my mom had her cell phone (did I mention the battery was almost dead) AND Kevin was in the shower.  UGH!  At least we had our coffee.  After a short wait, Kevin and the girls pulled in.  The girls were laughing hysterically, "Mommy locked herself out."  After we made it home, it was time to head to the airport.  Kevin also had to leave to go to the State Golf Tournament.  The girls and I dropped everyone off and returned home.  It was so sad to let my mom leave, but she will be back in just a month.  She also brought one of my window treatments down with her.  It is so amazing (again I will have to post a picture later).  Every time I see her work I am reminded of how talented she is. 

The rest of the afternoon was amazing.  The girls from next door came over and played with Kendall and Sidney for FIVE hours.  No fighting!  They just played as hard as four little girls can play.  They dressed up, they drove the white convertible until the battery ran out (and even worked out their own system for taking turns).  They played on the swing, had a water fight and snuck some candy.  I did not have to referee at all.  It was magical!  What did I do?  I organized.  I love organizing.  I went into my zone and cleaned my closet, the pantry and anything else I could get my hands on.  I read gossip magazines and painted my toenails.  Again, it was magical!  This was truly the best Mother's Day ever.

Preparing for the Big Stage.

The girls have been working hard preparing for their dance recital.  The theme this year is Beauty and the Beast for Kendall and Winnie the Pooh for Sidney.  Kevin attended the rehearsal last week and came home with very detailed instructions (good man!).  Grandma Karen is coming to town to watch the recital.  Grandma Terrell made it last year.  I got the worst flu in my life the evening after the recital.  Let's hope we do not repeat that!  The girls are very excited.  Their dance teacher, Miss Kim, has prepared them well.  They are ready for the "big stage".  Kendall is quite experienced as this is her second year.  She has been filling Sidney in on all of the details.  I took them Sunday to get pictures.   In typical fashion, they hammed it up for the camera!  I really think the motivation for pictures is that it is the one time that they are encouraged to say "Monkey Butt".  Outside of pictures, those types of words typically end in trouble. 

A Missed Moment.

I rarely talk about work on this blog, because work is work and I really make an effort to keep my family time separate.  I chose a path in life.  That path was to be a working mom.  This is sometimes a very controversial topic among people, but it is a decision that I have not really consulted too many people on.  I think that a woman should do what works for her and her family and do it with as much grace and enthusiasm as possible.  Kendall asked me the other day what I hoped for.  I replied that I hoped that she and Sidney would both be successful.  She then asked me what "successful" was.  I thought for a moment and told her that it was doing the absolute best that she can at whatever it is she chooses to do; whether it be a gardener, a mommy, a doctor, a fireman, etc.  She seemed satisfied with that. 

All of this rambling brings me to the reason for this post.  I got a promotion recently at work.  Along with this promotion comes more travel.  I knew this.  Our family discussed this.  We are prepared for this.  99% of the time it works out just fine.  Today I leave for a one night work trip.  Tomorrow morning the girls have their Dance Recital rehearsal.  This is where we get their costumes, they rehearse, etc.  Kevin will be going (not me).  I am sad.  I am a mom.  I will miss doing that.  I know it is something small and there will be many more dance rehearsals.  And so it goes, this is the path I have chosen.  It does not come without sacrifice.  But that what in life does not come without sacrifice?

Spring Fever.

Gorgeous, Beautiful and Amazing.  These are the words that I use to describe this weekend.  It was definitely a taste of summer.  Kevin took advantage of the nice weather to start building the storage shed.  He made quite a bit of progress.

I took advantage of the nice weather to plant flowers.  It is risky as the weather could still take a turn for the cold, but I just could not wait any longer.  At least with the potted plants, I can bring them inside if necessary.

As for the others, I will just hope for the best...

Our friends, the Nelson's came by on Saturday night and Rebecca left me with so much inspiration that I headed to the nursery again today.

I set up the fountain which was my Mother's Day present from last year and Kendall helped me plant some pretty white and pink flowers around it.  The flowers are the "creeping" kind, so in my mind I picture loads of flowers eventually around the fountain...we will see.

One of the best things this weekend was the sound of children's laughter coming from the backyard.  At one point, we had six kids in the backyard.  The girl's have been making friends with the neighborhood kids.  It is great to watch them play and run back and forth.

I pulled out the girls summer clothes this morning.  It was like Christmas.  Sidney was having a great time changing her outfit every 10 minutes while she explored all of her "new" things.  I let her be, but came upon an interesting surprise later that morning.  Her and I were out grocery shopping and she said she had to go potty (YES!).  Off and running we went.  Once in the bathroom, I discovered she had on a long sleeve shirt and capris.  Under that she had shorts and a tank top.  Under that she had a swimsuit.  Under that she had underclothes.  What?!?!  I thought that her pants looked a bit tight, but who knew?

Let the Home Projects Begin!

Last week the weather cleared long enough for us to begin the long list of house projects we have made.  We moved into our  new home at the end of October and had all winter to dream up lots of crazy ides for the yard.  We were very excited that the yard is pretty much a blank slate.  I have said in the past, and often think, that we are not yard work people.  Yet time and again we find ourselves obsessed with transforming our yard into a backyard retreat.  First on our list was the concrete work.  The house came with a small covered patio.  We decided to have that taken out and a large stamped stained concrete patio put in its place.  The men came last Monday to start the work.  Here is Kevin surveying the scene after day one.  This would also be the last day that the dogs would be allowed in the backyard for six more days. 

We had them pour a slab for the storage shed that we (by "we" I mean Kevin) will be building.

While we were at it, we put in a pad for a dog kennel.

After several long days of a large Golden Retriever and a Chocolate Lab being cooped up in the house, the patio was complete.

It is beautiful!  I was certain that the minute we put our large table and chair set on that it would look small.  Instead the table and chair set (that I thought was "large") now looks small.  I will have to post more pictures once we get everything situated.  Now to start building the shed....

Our Week in Photos.

Last Sunday we got out a few of the Easter decorations.  The girls had a lot of fun decorating.  Yes, they are sitting on top of the dining room table - EGADS!  Grandma Juanita sent them each a new spring dress.  I think I was doing the wash every night as they wanted to wear them every day.  They still LOVE dressing alike.  I wonder how much longer it will last?

I could not resist this picture.  Even their little hands are precious.

The girls have been doing a lot of imaginary playing together lately.  They have taken it to a whole new level from setting up classrooms and grocery stores to playing doctor to their dollies and stuffed animals.  A couple of weeks ago, they were playing hide and seek with Kevin before church.  They are getting VERY good at it too.  Kevin and Sid were found hiding in the shower one round.  Naturally I had to join in on the fun.  When it was my turn to be it, I even checked a room that Kendall was hiding in and she did not make a peep.  It was only after my second check of the room that I heard her start to giggle.

The cuties also received some beautiful hand-me-down dresses from one of Grandma Terrell's friends.  The dresses are gorgeous.  I believe I have already removed a spaghetti sauce stain from Kendall's.  They certainly do get their wear out of the dresses they have.

We made our first yard purchase.  We bought a spruce tree to replace a dead tree in our front yard.  It is a bit small right now, but we are excited.  Note the dead tree in the background that we still need to remove.  We trimmed the beds in our front yard this weekend and filled up 4 garbage bags and a trash can in the process.  I figure the neighbors will either be grateful for the clean up or we will be the recipients of a landscaping service package.

The girls found signs of the first ants on the sidewalk.  They have met a few of the girls in the neighborhood and have been having a lot of fun running around on their scooters, blowing bubbles and acting crazy.

The Easter Bunny came by the house Sunday morning.  The girls were thrilled to open their baskets.

After a few pieces of morning candy, we got ready for church.  The girls looked beautful in their dresses from Grandma Karen and Papa Mark.  They picked out the dresses in January when we were visiting up North.  They have been waiting in anticipation to wear them.  To speak to the fact that they love to dress alike, they each had originally chosen a different dress.  But as soon as they realized this, they quickly went back to the rack to pick one out that they both liked.

Our feisty little Sidney would not take the bucket off of her head for a pretty picture.  Hmm.  Well, a silly picture will do.

 Kevin set up the tripod for our annual family Easter Picture.

After church, the girls joined in the Easter egg hunt.  Sidney was checking out the competition before the race.

Kendall is off and running.  At one point her and another girl were going for the same egg and she spilled her entire bucket.  The other little girl was very sweet and helped Kendall gather her eggs up.

Sidney was a fierce competitor this year and had a blast running around finding the eggs.

After the hunt, we found a seat on the grass to open the eggs and see if we had the "golden ticket".  Each year they hide a golden ticket in one of the eggs for a "special prize".  No golden ticket for us, but I would call ourselves winners anyways.  I say "us" because I did have my share of Easter chocolates.

This Easter marked a first in the Strong household.  It was the first time I let the girls go hog wild with the candy.  Up until now, I ususally let them have only a couple of pieces then we spread it out over the next few weeks (or months) until it is gone.  This year I dumped the candy in their baskets and told them to go to town.  They lasted until about 3pm, at which time they seemed pretty done with the candy.  I gathered up the remaining candy to be used as after dinner treats (and shared with mom and dad, of course).

It was a very nice weekend.  The best part was talking with the girls about the real reason for Easter.  Kendall was particularly inquisitive this year and had a lot of questions about Jesus and what the Easter holiday really means.

Lots of excitement!

Kevin and Sidney just returned from a spring break trip to Grandma T's house.  They spent the week packing her house and cleaning up to get ready for the house to go on the market.  Where is she going you might ask?  She is coming here to live.  Not in our house per say, but VERY close by.  We are absolutely thrilled.  She has decided to finally retire from her current job and take a new job being "Granny" to the girls.  The girls are very excited.  Sidney in particular is going to do very well.  She is at a point that the close attention and loving is exactly what she needs.

So what did Kendall and I do while they were gone?   Non-stop girl time and loads of fun.  We had girlfriends over (both young and old) for bubble blowing, crafting, wine drinking, long walks and lots of laughs.  On Saturday night, we attended the flower show with our friend Bridget.  Kendall had a great time and when asked for a picture she gave us her best mermaid pose.

The girls have each received a digital camera.  Kendall got hers from Grandma T at Christmas and Sid got hers as a potty reward from Grandma Karen and Papa Mark.  They are quite the photographers.