Quotes

I had asked Mirra to pick up her toys in her room. Instead she opted to lay in the middle of her bedroom floor calling to me while I tidied up in the next room. "Mom.....Mom.......Mommy, can you hear me?"

I replied "Yes, Mirra, can YOU hear ME?"

"Uuuuhhhhhh"




I asked Drew to help his sister with something and he replied most politely
"No, thank you. I'm sharpening my pencil, but thanks for asking"

Mirra's Milestone

Three days with no 'accidents'...YEAH!!!!
So proud of Miss Mirra J.

Drewisms

Drew was ticked off at his dad the other day for beating him in a race (we still need to work on good sportsmanship). Drew said he was going to turn his dad into a frog.

Drew tries out his British accent after watching a short cartoon about a pig.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there!!! I'm truly thankful to have a great dad and to be married to a great dad as well. Pappy and Andy, I love you both!

Here is a little story...

I was in junior high I think when I started learning how to cook. The first big meal that I made was lasagna. I used my mom's recipe and followed everything to the letter (or so I thought). We sat down to eat as a family that night. At the first bite it was obvious that something went wrong. The recipe had called for minced, fresh garlic. When I didn't find any I had substituted garlic powder. The taste was so strong that my mom, brother, and I could only stand to eat that first bite. But my dad finished off most of his portion, knowing I worked hard on it. I wouldn't have blamed him for not eating it...but it sure means a lot that he did.

Life in the Woods

A month ago both kids had a nasty bug over the weekend. As they were recovering we ventured out for a little fresh air and discovered this big tortoise by the pond. It quickly grew tired of our avid interest and scooted back into the water. At that point we found a crawdad.

More Great America

What do you get when a blogger and scrapbooker join forces for a day? LOTS of photos...


My favorite photo of the day




Drew and Dante just got off a "spinny" ride. They rode it at least 3 or 4 times. These two boys were like peas in a pod and had a great time together.

Jam Session

Our first night at Six Flags we walked by these drummers and they invited the kids to play along. So awesome!

Friends and Fun

Our friends met us at Six Flags and we had a blast. The weather started out to be less than ideal but the crowds were thin and the sun eventually appeared. Some of us adults even managed a couple of rides on some big coasters. Superman rocked!

My college friend, Sue and her daughters Bianca (who turned 1 that day) and Tatianna with Mirra. Her husband Paul and son, Dante, are in the background.


Ruh row Raggy!
Extra tough!

The girls

Six Flags Great America

The two-story carousel was our first and last ride in the park. The kids ended up riding it a total of 3 times in two days. Each time they rode the exact same horse. Mirra named hers Pixie and Drew named his Fargo.

Candids

Mirra's Party

Mirra's party had a Princess and the Frog theme. Andy made gumbo, which Mirra loved. I made a Princess Tiana cake and cupcakes with lily pads and frogs. We played pin the frog on the lily pad. We had a large crowd and a good time, even though the weather was a little less than ideal. Mirra had a good time and didn't want it to end.


Mirra, Lilly, Damon & Drew

Eating cake with Great Gram

Mirra was excited about the worm she found

Mirra shows us how old she is

Cousins Trisha & Ashley

What the big boys did to entertain themselves, riding wagons down the hill





Andy, Grandma Leslie, Uncle Donnie and Aunt Trish

Papa, Grammy, Aunt Anita and Great Gram get into the royal spirit






Even Drew was exhausted by the end of the day

Mirra's Third Birthday

Mirra turned 3 on June 2. We had a fun day at the zoo with cousins, Hannah and Colin. That evening Mirra had her picture taken and we went to Chuck E. Cheese.


Princess Tiana doll from Drew


Cousins



Mirra's demonstration of fluttering like a butterfly.





Mirra has changed a lot in the last year. She is a great conversationalist. She has entered the "why?" phase. She asks why everything happens. This line of questioning eventually ends with me admitting: I don't know. She retains a lot of the answers she receives and presents them later in other conversations, which is pretty cool to hear.

She is also in the middle of that unpleasant defiant, whining phase. But, her amazing development compensates for those trying times. She knows no strangers. She has a certain confidence that stimulates her curiosity and social skills. I know that confidence will cause us to butt heads in the future, but I sure hope she can keep that quality. It will be very beneficial in adolescence and adulthood.

Her imagination is astounding. One day she was pulling imaginary letters out of her belly button to 'build a word' like they do on her favorite cartoon. "C-O-R-N: house!"

I'm curious to see what the next year brings.

More Race Pictures

Drew gets autographs from drag bike champions



Mirra and Uncle Donnie at John Force Racing. This place was ENORMOUS!




Drew poses with the Cooper Tire ladies


Drew and Uncle Terry before the race Saturday