What Not to Wear, starring Kirra ~

Kirra was dancing around in her nightgown but we were about to go out to dinner, so I told her to go get some clothes and I'd help her get dressed. After a few minutes she came downstairs and perched herself on the sofa next to me and Bandit (the dog). I just grabbed the camera and tried not to laugh too much...

Do You Believe in Magic?

While we were at their house, the girls got violins and were preparing to start taking lessons. I guess time will tell if they love it or not. Here's Alahna....she already has that beaming look, you know - the one you get when you realize you can make music...just like magic. :)


Of course, it helps if you have on a party dress and sling your violin over your shoulder like a child prodigy, on the way to a recital with much older kids. That, and the fact that you look like an angel too.

Two more pics from our poppy trip. If I could do this day over, I'd have gone in late afternoon, the light is nicer then. It was so bright at noon that we were all squinting.

Isn't this child the most darling rainy-day girl, EVER?? This ensemble was from Old Navy...she was happy to model for me. I always get better pictures of Kirra if I just grab the camera and start shooting. She pays attention and looks my way.

We left early on Easter morning, and didn't get much time to say goodbye, but that's OK. We talked it out the night before. Alahna buried her head in my shoulder and said, "I'm going to miss you so much! Mawmaw...when you're here, everything is better."

You said it, sweetheart. ♥

Put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket...

Mark Twain said that. But it reminds me of what was going on at the Eggstravaganza when we took the girls the day before Easter. It was held in the city park and attended by thousands of kids. They have them hunt on different fields, according to age. Each hunt is scheduled about 20 min. apart. The thing is, the eggs aren't really hidden...they are dumped on the grass. But anyway, you line up, run out to the grass and scoop up as many eggs as you can. Then you give the eggs back (??) in exchange for a small sweet prize. Very small. In fact, you get more of a biteful scoring samples at Sam's Club than what was in that prize. And then they recycle the eggs for the next hunt. I guess times are tough in California for the Big Bunny.






When it comes to dyeing eggs, Alahna is an expert but Kirra's a fast learner.





I think they could've dyed eggs all afternoon but these are all we had.


When it came to hunting them in the backyard though, we had plenty!!




We love to decorate eggs...we love to hunt eggs...we love to EAT eggs...we should be on a billboard for the egg industry.



Really...it could read, "Got Eggs?" :)

Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick...

While we were in CA, Jason wanted us to try out his awesome new gun, it's an AR-15, which is a semi-automatic. We drove to another county for a round of shooting (the family that shoots together...). We all took a turn, even me. There is video, and no, I'm not going to post it. In the unlikely event that I ever decide to run for public office, I have to think of my political future...anyway, here's a few shots. ;)

These guys are tough. They shoot, they eat meat, they have guns. Their look says, "Leave our women alone, stay away from our cattle...and get off our property!" OK, so not so much...but still, don't mess with a Louisiana man when he's eating crawfish. :)

Just to show that we're well-rounded and enjoy more civilized pursuits than shooting in the mountains, we also went to see the poppies. Antelope Valley has a Poppy Preserve that's a big hit. The poppy is the state flower of California and they have a Festival every year to celebrate. So, it's not Contraband Days, but still.

As beautiful as the orange poppies were, I was watching...anyplace that has warning signs about rattlesnakes puts me on alert. Poppies are good, snakes are not. Never, not in a million years. Case closed.

To be continued...

Today Was a Fairytale ~

But can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me
Fell in love when I saw you standing there
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale

We followed the Easter Bunny (he said Go West!) out to California to see our grandgirls!!! They are darling, daring, cute, adorable, enthusiastic, hilarious, wild, sweet, gorgeous and smart, all wrapped into one package! And they think we're the cat's pajamas. ;)

They're both really blonde, but Kirra has the white-hot hair that's exactly like Jason's at that age (his hair was so white I was accused of coloring it!) Both girls were excited at the surprises we brought for them. Alahna was stunned when she saw herself on the cover of a REAL book. See it here: http://susan-daysgoby.blogspot.com/2009/11/best-day_1656.html

Not only did we bring greetings from the Easter Bunny, but we also threw in some Mardi Gras too. I taught them how to dance around with their umbrellas and yell "Throw me something, mister!" And I made their Daddy promise to bring them to Louisiana some year for Mardi Gras.

It was cold when we got there and rainy the next day so we headed to the movies. We saw How To Train Your Dragon in 3-D and also Tooth Fairy. After a couple of days it warmed up (just a little) and we headed for the park.








Alahna's in first grade (couldn't wait to have her read to me) and Kirra's four. At their age they're firmly planted in the kingdom of princesses....castle and handsome prince included, of course. They like all the Disney princesses...Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Tiana, and also at least one grown-up princess named Taylor Swift. :) They play her music and dance around fast and sing breathlessly. Kirra skips words but believe me, that only makes it even more precious. ♥

More stories to come...