Kaylee checks out the Dardenne Prairie City Hall Park

Swinging with our good friend. Kaylee is in back of our friend's arm.


Kaylee's expression looks like she is thinking "Now What?"

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Sophia's fourth birthday

Sophia opened a couple presents on her actual birthday. She really loved the Fredbird baseball cap her dad got for her.


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Princess birthday party fun

Sophia's fourth birthday party


Toys everywhere.


Playing


Dress-up dramatic play


Kaylee in the wagon


Princesses putting on their crowns



Friends playing together


Kaylee climbing as usual


The girls ready for cake


Blowing out the candles on her fourth birthday princess cake


Cake and ice-cream


Just pick that big scoop of ice cream up and shove it in your mouth.


Messy face


Yummy cake!


Friends checking the fun toys


Grandma helping Sophia read birthday cards.


Opening birthday presents


Barbie has a bike.


Kaylee holding the Hawaiian babydoll.


That will be HOW much?


Kaylee shopping

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A Princess Birthday Cake fit for a four year old Princess

Sophia had a birthday party this weekend. She told me exactly which friends she wanted to invite. At almost four years old she told me the names of Fourteen kids she wanted there. I thought that was pretty impressive that she could recall all those names. So, we had to bake and frost a cake. She chose the Princess idea and I thought we could do that, just needed to buy the doll top and used my Pampered Chef large mixing bowl. I baked the cake dress form in the bowl at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes and the other round cake pan for the normal round cake time.



I demonstrated that Sophia could spread the bright pink icing with a butter knife. Sophia was so excited to spread the icing on the slightly frozen cake so it wouldn't crumble.



Here I am helping her smooth the icing around a bit.



Here, I asked her what else was needed. Flowers of course was the answer!



So I taught Sophia on wax paper how to make icing flowers with the Wilton icing bags and tip set I had. She thought the best part was eating the mistakes. Oops, she licked her fingers.



Here is the finished cake.











Sophia was so proud of her Princess Cake we made.



She is naming her Ariel in this photograph.

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Hemming dresses that is all I got

My life has been a little crazy lately since I have decided to pursue an absolutely crazy goal of wanting to complete a triathlon before I am forty years old. This amazing feat which I have decided is going to help me lose the baby weight requires constant training. Unfortunately for me between chasing Kaylee and keeping her out of trouble, answering Sophia's stream of conscience questions, doing all the normal household chores and mom stuff; training for my long term goal is making me drop into bed with exhaustion each night.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I tend to be a bit of an overachiever. I feel a goal isn't worth it if it can be reached easily. I believe in working hard to get an end result. Laziness is not an option. The harder you work, the more you appreciate the outcome.

Many who have known me for awhile know that I usually bite off more than I can chew, work a job or three, pursue a Major in college or two. Workout twice a day studying martial arts while learning to ride a mountain  bike. Yes, even studying for my Master's Degree several years back while working full time job. Deciding to learn to sew but not just with a sewing machine, learning how to use a serger at the same time. Yes, my history of pursuing interests and hobbies and learning is a bit overwhelming to most but what can I say, I don't want to be a "boring" person and I will have loads of memories and stories to tell my children and grandchildren someday, maybe. I am rarely ever bored and don't sit still for long unless I am asleep. Zzzzzz!

So once again Debbie has taken on the seemingly impossible mission of wanting to complete a triathlon before 40 as a long term goal to my short term goal of losing weight. The only problem is, I don't "know how to run". I mean "run" properly like runners do in a race. So on June 8, 2011 I started a new endeavor. I started running. On off days from running I have been riding the bike and even took a few spinning classes. With all this going on. It has not left a lot of time in my day for my other favorite pastime of sewing. So I am settling for "hemming" dresses. With the weather changing, I expect I will once again have regular dates with my sewing machine hiding away from everyone in my (relaxing oasis, no, just kidding) office and being able to create fun with material and thread. I sure miss sewing with my machines but with everything else, being a wife and mom there just isn't enough hours in the day. A mom my age needs at least a little beauty sleep because I sure am not getting any younger.


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Wishing the rain would stop so she could go for a bike ride with mom.

Poor Kaylee put on her bike helmet and is looking out the patio door at the rain.




Running around trying to get my attention yelling, "Bye Bye!"




I feel so sad for her. She wants to go bike riding. She is also saying, "Hat, hat, bye, bye!

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Bicycle riding lessons

Sophia told me she wanted to learn to ride her bicycle again so out we went. Can I say, this little bike is sooo heavy.




Her first crash. She rolled off the cart path near our neighbor's house.




Kaylee wanted to try to ride her little bike too.




Wanna race?




Kaylee telling me she has a hat.




Look mom, I can do this just like Sophia, right onto the grass.




This is right after she fell off the bike and landed on the concrete. I told her, to just shake it off, and I acted like it was no big deal. She needs me to act like that to teach her "No Drama." Everyone falls off but that shouldn't stop her. The difference between a winner and a quitter is the "winner never quits". The "quitter never wins" Get back on that bike! She got back on the bike after a kiss and hug and started trying again.




Smiling.




There we go....




Here we come.....




Focus on making circles with your feet and don't forget to steer the handle bars.




Keep going!




Back the other way....




Okay, now make sure you point the handle bars the direction you want to go so you don't hit a house, a golfer, or a tree my darling.




Starting to get the hang of riding.




Kaylee was tired of riding so she began practicing climbing steps.




Here we come. Guide the handle bars where you want to go.




Sophia was just starting to get the hang of it when she said, "Mommy, I am tired of riding. I want to go 'run' now!". And she hopped off the bike and started running while I put her bike back in the house.



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