My Rival

Years ago my father gave me a poem by Rudyard Kipling entitled "My Rival". Well that was back when I was seventeen. I'm now racing up on 49 and I have another rival. This rival is sweet, adorable, beautiful, blue-eyed medium brown haired girl. Just last night I watched her flirt with my husband. I watched as my husband melted in front of her. He thought she was acting shy but she was flirting! She was all coy. Almost everyday I watch as my husband falls under the spell of this minx. There is a special light in his eye reserved just for her. And I love every minute of it.

I have to say that this girl has a beautiful smile. It lights up her whole face. She has an imagination that is quite developed. She has a growl that is quite endearing. She stands with her hands out stretched and her fingers curled and then the growling starts. As it builds her little back arches and her belly thrusts forward, I've never known a child to growl so much!

There are so many things about this little Imp of mine. I'm working like crazy to remember to enjoy EVERYTHING because they grow so fast. She's no longer an infant.
She's right smack in the middle of toddlerhood. So there will be more posts about this adorable little child of mine who flirts with her daddy and wraps him around her little finger.

Summer Excitement

So, here's the back story to this posting, my husband and I grew up in families that were in no position to take the proverbial family vacation. My husband's family were farmers and there simply no way to go very far for a vacation. My family's vacation was to get in the car and drive practically non-stop to my parents' birthplace to visit their families. On the surface that sounds fine and you know it was but it sure would have been nice to stop and see some of the sights along the way. We never did because my parents wanted to have as much time with their families as possible. I understand that and appreciate it, too.

I'm excited about this year's summer vacation because we are going to do something we never got to do as kids. We are going to go Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We get to see some of the majestic West! Never thought I would. I want to see the Morning Glory pond at Yellowstone and of course Ol' Faithful but there are still so many things I want to see.

The best part of this trip is we get to stay in a yurt! This way we get a kind of camping experience but it still seems civilized enough for our dear DQ. She wanted to stay in a motel. This is about the same cost and I don't have to figure out how to stick all the camping gear into the mini-van and I don't have to buy a tent. These yurts do not have TVs! I'm so happy. I want the kids to run and be free (with supervision) like it was when I was a kid.

First Day of Summer Break

Yesterday was the first day of Summer Break. I spent it in a seminar learning about PF's retirement benefits. I feel really good about things. I'm not in the dark anymore. PF and I had a wonderful lunch together. We returned to the seminar. Around 3 o'clock I left to go to work. It's funny how I tend to understand these things better than PF. He is really smart but he doesn't get this financial stuff. PF needs go through his papers to find and verify there correctness. I told him we would do this together. He didn't get it. I told him that I needed to know where these things are; that I need to know that they are accurate. We started on this last night. In fact I started working on my own financial situation. Even though the seminar was geared towards federal government workers much of the information can be applied to non-feds, too. In fact going through my paper work I've discovered that one of my SS reports has me mixed up with my mother! I have a work history that starts back in the 1940s! My later reports show that someone in SSO figured out that there was a mistake.

Have you noticed. Nothing about the kids. In fact I didn't see the kids from 8 to 8:30PM. They spent the day at my Mom's house. I guess they had a good day. I haven't heard much from them. PF took the kids to the park last night. They had a blast. MI came home with me when I swung by the park offering them all a ride home. DQ, ST and PF all walked home. MI had some quality time together. I was glad for it.

When DQ and ST came home they were hot and itchy. They wanted a shower. So I popped them into the shower. I explained to MI that she isn't as old as her sisters so she needs to get to bed. Bit of a struggle there. Oh well. Lastl night happened so quickly. It's all kind of a haze. This was the first week that I started working evenings. Next week I will only be working evenings from here on out. I'll be spending my days with the girls. I think it's really going to work out well. PF is leary about it but I don't think he needs to. His afraid that the kids are going to get bored. I just want time to be with my girls. They are all growing so fast. There will be time enough for them to have activities/commitments later.

I consider today being the 1st day of summer break. So far things have gone well. The weather isn't the best. We've had some showers. They've found some rolly polies and made a home for them. They are now in the study with me as I write this. They are on the other computer playing the Math-a-thon game. It's funny to watch/listen to them. DQ goes from being helpful to being frustrated. ST who's playing remains calm, cool and collected. I probably should get off and get some work done. I have a ton of laundry do.

More of MI's work

MI's smilely face.

ST's journalling

We got ST an easel for her birthday present this year. It has a chalkboard and a white board. Due to the ethereal nature of this medium we've been taken to photographing outstanding work.

ST wants to enhance this drawing but I rather liked it the way it is. So I made a bargain with her that as soon as I scanned it she could enhance it all she wants to.

I bet you are expecting these drawings to be published in some chronological order well they won't be. I wish I could say I was an organized person but I'm not. I wish that I would be posting pictures in some logical order but I'm not. I am in my get done mode. Maybe once I get things going here I can change my ways. This post will be dedicated to ST's work.

MI's art

This was accomplished sometime last year. If you compare it to the bottom picture you can see her stick figures evolving. I will have more of these to share in the future.



This was done at the private preschool this year. You can see the maturity of the work.



This is among the first stick figures MI ever drew. MI didn't draw smiley faces until about a year ago. Before that the mouth was a straight line.