2 Wheels Pictures

Ditch those training wheels, Gabrielle!

That's right, Gabrielle is now 2-wheeling! Last weekend she learned to ride without the safety net. It was a smooth learning process in the safety department, but the courage department needed a little work. Our cheers were punctuated with screams of fear from Gabrielle. She also cried a little bit. All this took place after she had learned to ride, and as she was riding. Perhaps all those years of injury (concussion, broken collar bone, head wound, stitched hand, etc.) did more damage to her psyche than her body. Regardless, we are proud of her! To celebrate this milestone, Daddy rode with Gabrielle and Emily to Dairy Queen to get an ice cream. Since Greg's bike has two flat tires, he rode my bike and I drove in the car!

Roxy

Well, we finally wore Greg down enough and got a dog. She is a 5-year-old Shepherd/Chow mix that we adopted from a co-worker's MIL who was moving. She settled into life at the Potter household very quickly, but the cats still are not used to her. For the most part, she leaves them alone, but they hiss and growl whenever she walks into the room. Lucky (aka Buddy) stands his ground, and has even swatted at her when she gets too close. Purrmo on the other hand has banished himself to the garage since Roxy's arrival. He sleeps in the sleeping bags on top of the camper, which works during the colder winters. I don't know what he will do during the summer to keep cool. When Purrmo does venture in the house, he bolts every time he sees Roxy. She believes this is a game, and chases him! Hopefully, they will all learn to get along soon. The girls love having a dog, and are pretty good about cleaning up the doggy land mines in the backyard and feeding her (although they do have to be reminded several times before completing those tasks!)

Our Holiday Dance!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Day 10 and 11

Hi Greg:
Sorry to have missed yesterday's post, but you didn't miss much. We were driven to the airport by Kelly and Derek. Brenden had school. After that there was a six-hour flight back to AZ and you weren't there to greet us. That was pretty much our Wednesday. The only out-of-the-ordinary thing was the behavior of the girls on the flight from Chicago to Phoenix. Granted it was almost four hours, but they were pretty aggravating. Why are they always so well behaved on the way to CT, but never on the way home? The kitties were very happy to have us back, and I loved sleeping with my pillow again. You know I can't sleep well without it, although my mom did buy a new pillow for me and it was a pretty good substitute! I would have slept even better if you were home.

Today the girls were so excited to spend the day at Miss Karen's house so they could play with Emma and Owen. Work was pretty good. Evan, Marv and Dale were in AZ so they were the guest judges of the annual chili cookoff. Sorry you had to miss it. I had a nice chat with Evan, and then went to the chiropractor for a much-needed adjustment. After the plane ride yesterday I was in a lot of pain. It's much better now, but I could use a neck rub when you get back. I'll trade you for a back scratch! Tonight I went scrapbooking at the Vineyard Church, and the girls had fun playing with all of the kids there. We're getting close to your return home, and we can't wait. We're praying that you are reaching people for God, and being spiritually renewed yourself. I can't wait to hear all about your trip.......

LL Shrimati

Day 9 Nepal

You posted a message today! Yeah, I love hearing from you. This is the longest stretch of time we haven't talked in the 19 years we have been together. Well, except for that one time.....but I won't get into that! Today we stayed at home so the girls could make Grandma their personal playmate. They carved pumpkins, which I doubt will last until Halloween, but I was outnumbered. We made baked apples and they played with Stephanie from next door. We had dinner at Friendly's and then came home and watched Dancing with the Stars together. It was nice not to have to watch it alone! My parents are leaving first thing tomorrow for a funeral in New York so Kelly and the boys will take us to the airport. You know how I like to squeeze every last second out of a visit so it will be hard to see them go before we have to leave. Even after 13 years, I am still not used to saying goodbye to my parents. The girls are even worse than I am........coming home to an empty house will not be any fun either, but we know you are doing God's work and we're very proud of you! Until tomorrow.......

LL

Day 8 of Nepal Trip

Hello LL:
Today was a relaxing day. We spent the morning a my parent's house playing games with the girls (Parcheesi takes forever to finish). We then went to the orchard to pick apples and pumpkins, which we brought to Kelly and the boys. Derek was in considerable pain and could hardly walk, so our day at the pumpkin patch together had to be scratched. We spent the afternoon with them, and all had dinner together when Michael and his kids came over. It was so hard to see Derek hurting, but the kids had fun being together. I showed Kelly your blog, and have been checking for new posts. I am still waiting for one.....I am praying that you have been enjoying your trip a little more since you had the picnic and time to witness to those boys. I pray they accepted Christ.

LL, Your Shrimati

Day 7 Nepal Trip

Yeah! Today I got to see your smiling face! What a surprise that was, and it was so encouraging to read your story about witnessing to those boys during your hike. I can't wait to see more pictures.....I hope you got one of you on top of the bus! Same old, same old here. We had a better day than yesterday. Again the weather was perfect. We spent the morning at church and then relaxed around the house. I got the troops in gear and we cleaned the house. After being here five days with your messy girls, it needed it. We had a home-cooked brunch and dinner, and I think you would be envious of the dinner. We had filet mignon. I know you are a little beef-deprived in the Hindu country. I promise to make you a steak for your welcome home dinner. I am counting the days until then.

Tomorrow we are going to the pumpkin farm with the boys, which should be a lot of fun. I will finally take some pictures. I have hardly used my camera, which isn't at all like me. On Tuesday, my cousin Heather is thinking of coming up to spend the day with us. I haven't seen her babies so I am excited to see them all. I am not looking forward to going home on Wednesday because then it will be very apparent that you are not here. I come to CT all the time without you, although I usually talk to you several times each day. Well, it will just be that much closer to your return. I am praying for you and counting the minutes until then....now I am going to look up what "dahl baht" is.

LL your Shrimati

Day 6 of Nepal Separation

Greg:
Absolutely nothing happened today. The fact that I am able to write that is a miracle. Only by God's intervention was I able to hold myself back from violence. It all started out innocently enough. My dad wanted to go to Vermont to look at the leaves. The leaves are fine here, but I went along with his plan. I even researched some things to do in Southern Vermont, including a craft fair and a fall festival. We didn't leave until 1 p.m. Not a good start. I fell asleep during the ride up there and when I woke was told we were going to New Hamshire instead. This was not a planned detour, but rather a let's-make-the-best-of-getting-lost situation. It was about 3 p.m. and instead of having lunch at a quaint local eatery, we bought donuts at a gas station Dunkin' Donuts. I don't like donuts. We later pulled off the highway and spent 20 minutes in a tiny art/craft store. Apparently this was the end of our journey because my dad promptly got on the freeway and started heading south. We drove all that way for that? Having eaten nothing for seven hours, I was getting a little grumpy and wondering why we were not pulling off the highway for dinner. Apparently we were looking for a Texas Roadhouse that was seen during the ride north. Of course the Texas Roadhouse was nowhere to be found so we settled on Outback Steakhouse. We did have a great meal and finished up right at 7 p.m. Great, we should be home by 8 p.m., right? Wrong. I woke up an hour later and discovered we were in Cape Cod. Don't ask, I have no idea how we got there either. We were actually in Falmouth. I wanted to get home as quickly as possible so I jumped in the driver's seat. We just got home. Nine hours later. We spent more time in the car today that on the airplane to get to Connecticut, but at least on the plane we actually went somewhere. So you see, I needed my LL to talk me out of the bell tower, and your message really lifted my spirits! On the plus side, your girls were very good especially being cooped up in the car for so long. Sorry my post turned into a vent, but I always feel better when I "talk" to you. Maybe I was so annoyed because I miss my LL so much. Hopefully there will be more (something) to post tomorrow! LL and XO

Day 5 of Nepal Trip

Hi Greg:
Today Derek had his surgery so Brenden spent the day with us. It's easy to say that I am no longer a favorite Aunt of his. My mother let's the kids get away with everything so I had to be the heavy....the girls are used to me telling them what to do, but Brenden was not happy. I had too many rules, like he had to walk near us in the mall instead of running way ahead. I did manage to get a hug when he left so maybe he forgave me a little bit. Boy does he remind me of Bobby! He just likes to annoy the girls and push the envelope as far as he can. When Derek returned from Yale-New Haven hospital he seemed like he was doing pretty good. The last time he had surgery it took almost two days for him to recover from the anesthesia. They used a different medicine and it only took him two hours to wake up, which of course upset Kelly. Good thing Cappa was there with her.

As for our day, we took the kids to the see Bobby and pick more fall leaves in the cemetary. After that we went to the Christmas Tree Shops and the mall where Grandma bought entirely too many toys, and I bought too much stuff to get home on the airplane! We also went to Borders where she bought a "Knock Knock" joke book, so guess what we have been listening to all day? At least these are real jokes and not the made up ones that inspired the book purchase in the first place! I don't think the girls understood the intent of a "knock knock" joke. After shopping, we took the kids to dinner at Wendy's and then back to my parents' house to play with all of their new toys until Derek returned. We are hoping to see them again tomorrow, but it will depend on how he is recovering. There are plans for us to go to the pumpkin farm together on Monday if we can't see them tomorrow. Boy I love spending time with them, I just wish we could see them more often. You should see all the kids together. They play so well, and have so much fun.

Tomorrow we may head north to Vermont if we can't see the boys to see fall in full bloom. The leaves have just started to change here, and it's beautiful but not fully fall yet. I am sure that it will be like last year and change the week after we leave again!

The girls are really starting to miss you....today Emily was getting a little fresh with me and I told her that she needed to pray for her heart. That prompted an immediate conviction where she started crying. She told me that she didn't know why she had acted that way. I think it's a little bit of Grandma (getting away with everything will do that), and a lot of missing you. We are all suffering from that! I keep hoping for a new post from you, but so far no luck. It's getting harder every day to not hear your voice. I keep thinking about your return and how excited we will all be.....I can't wait to kiss your yips, but I am a little concerned about hugging you after being in Nepal for two weeks! Remember the situation after the Nepali dinner? I'll take my chances! I'll post more tomorrow........LL

Day 4 of Nepal Separation

Hello my LL:
Well we are nearing the end of Day 4, which was a good day, but we are still missing you. All the girls (including Grandma) slept in. We spent the afternoon shopping for the girls so I had to spend my time wondering around different sections of the store! I didn't want to start a Grandma/Mommy war.....after shopping, Grandpa took the girls for ice cream, yes before dinner. It must be the beautiful fall weather that put me in a good mood to allow this travesty of nutrition! There are few sights more beautiful than the sun shining through the yellow leaves of a gorgeous fall tree. Kelly brought the boys over and I got to see my adorable nephews. The kids play so well together. I wish we could see them more often........Derek gave me big hugs, but I literally had to tackle Brenden to get my arms around him. It wasn't a very heartwarming hug with him squirming on the flooring screaming for me to let him up, but I will take what I can get. They had school pictures today and looked so adorable in these new sweaters. Tomorrow Derek is having his surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital so we need to have lots of prayers for him. I am praying so much for you that I know I will have plenty of time to talk to God on Derek's behalf.

Emily wants to say something:
Daddy, we miss you so much. I can't wait until you come home to tell us all you did in Nepal. Love you, bye!

Gabrielle's turn:
Dear Daddy, we miss you, and I love you very, very, very much! We're praying for you, and I don't know any more to say. Love your Shi Shi!

I guess that's it for today........I'll post tomorrow. Until then I will try to sleep, but it's so lonely. I'll try to just pretend you are suffering from insomnia on the couch :) I hope the toilet situation has met your expectations so far. I noticed on the itinerary that you are still in the Hotel Shakti. I pray that you are meeting and encouraging people already, and that God is moving in your heart as well.

LL

Day 3 of Nepali Trip

I am writing to Greg during his two-week mission trip to Nepal so he can stay up-to-date on our daily happenings:

Hello LL:
Our first full day in Connecticut was a perfect fall day. It was warm enough to not need a jacket, but there was a crispness to the air. The sun was shining and my mom and I decided to take the girls (or did they decide to take us?) for a walk in the meadow down the street to collect leaves. You know that sweet smell of the leaves in the fall? It was beautiful. We were walking around on crunchy leaves, which was Gabrielle's favorite thing to do, and just enjoying being outside. Emily was intent on picking a wildflower bouquet for Grandma's dining room table, but it looked like a handful of dead leaves! Maybe we should go buy some real flowers.........I hurt my knee carrying the luggage upstairs last night, so I was quite a sight hobbling around the meadow. My right knee is strained, and you know the thing with my left foot, needless to say the marathon training is on hiatus. I won't even get started about the arthritis in my fingers or you may trade me in for a younger model!

My dad treated us to dinner at the 99 Restaurant, which is not my favorite, but we had a pleasant dinner regardless. My mother apparently got tired of me ranting about B. Hussein Obama (I couldn't help it, CNN was on the TV right in front of me!), so she mandated no talking about politics or religion at the dinner table. What else is there to talk about?

The girls are watching entirely too much TV and eating too much junk so they are loving being at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I haven't needed you yet to talk me off a ledge, but that's not to say I haven't needed to hear your voice. Your three girls miss you immensely, but I miss you the most. Don't tell the girls I said that or it will start a round of "Best for last, third the nerd!"

Tomorrow is a day of shopping, which should be fun as long as it's not the toy store. I know, I know. That's as inevitable as the coming winter. I check your blog for any new messages every chance I get, but there is still no end to the communication blackout. I don't want to get too mushy on this public forum so I will close by saying that I am praying for you and with a simple.....LL

Day 2 Nepali Trip

Greg:
Well, you would think with an entire day of travel we wouldn't have time to miss you....you would be wrong. The girls were very excited to visit Grandma and Grandpa that they woke up at 6:15 a.m. and got into bed with me. Their excitement soon gave way to drowsiness and it was difficult to get them out of bed just 15 minutes later! Once they were up, they were ready very quickly and carried their backpacks around the house for 2 hours. Candie drove us to the airport, and both the girls were so good during the first leg of the trip. They forgot the headphones to the DVD player so they had to cram in close to hear their movie. Southwest was great, and I "borrowed" some of your drink coupons! The second leg they were OK, but there was a little bickering. I started the Ann Coulter book and was laughing out loud! Hopefully I was annoying some nearby libs! We were happy to land and the girls were running ahead of me to reach Grandma. The drive to my parents house seemed longer than usual, but it was probably due to the 6 hours on an airplane. I know, suck it up! You could do that on your head after the day(s) of travel you just completed. I was thrilled to see your first post on the CalledtoNepal blog. I almost felt like it was a message just for me, but I especially enjoyed the shout out. We will continue to check your blog every day waiting for any news. I don't do well with a communication blackout. You know I need to talk to you every few hours! Every time you cross my mind (yes it's practically every 5 minutes) I say prayers for you. The people of Nepal are blessed to have you serving them. We are so proud of you. We miss you incredibly, but know we are doing OK so far. I will try to take some pictures of the girlies to post while you are gone. Hope you get a chance to check them out, Arabic internet connection and all!

LL

Day 1 of Nepal Trip

The posts for the next 14 days will be a running commentary to Greg so he can see all he missed while he was on his mission trip to Nepal.

Here we are on Day 1 of your trip. At this point you only left the country about 5 minutes ago, and I am missing you terribly. I can't believe I missed the only call I will probably receive for the next 14 days. I am so angry! I took the girls for a run along the canal and saw your call when I returned. You see? Exercise is horrible! I was hoping you would call back before your 9 p.m. EDT flight out of JFK, but no such luck. I am not expecting a call from your next stop in Dubai tomorrow. I hope you are comfortable on your journey.

Today was ordinary. After we dropped you off at 0-dark-hundred, we took a nap until 7:30 a.m. Work was quiet without you there, but the girls were amazingly good tucked away in your office watching movies. I bought them lunch at Chick-fil-A as a treat for their good behavior, which they ate back at the house. We took our 3-mile run and then returned the movies to Blockbuster. On the way, the odometer flipped 51,000 miles (I am probably more interested in that fact than you). Now I am finishing up your postcards and will start packing soon. I should have had packing night with you on Saturday.

What a treat, you just called! I was misinformed about your flight departure time so I was expecting a communication blackout for the next 14 days. It was so good to hear your voice, my love love. Of course, the girls were all excited and then sad again. I am chasing those blues away with some chores and they are currently vacuuming. I will try to get everyone to bed early so we can get up early and have a relaxed morning before our flight. I will think of you every minute, and check your blog for updates. I hope you can get internet access in Nepal so we can hear updates about your trip.

Until tomorrow's post, I miss and love you!

My Mom's Birthday

Happy Birthday to my Mom! I wish we were there with you today. In normal circumstances we would celebrate with you, but today because you are under the weather we would take care of you. When the girls and I visit in a couple of weeks, we will celebrate like you are 29! First we will cook you breakfast in bed. Probably nothing too elaborate because little hands make big messes in the kitchen. Then we will take a walk in the meadow down the street. We will watch the girls running down the path collecting flowers or rocks. I can imagine how beautiful the meadow will be with the fall leaves just starting to make their annual appearance. Where would you like to go for lunch? I think we should try to find a place with a little outdoor patio to sit and enjoy our meal. After lunch, we could spend the day shopping. I would prefer to go to the Christmas Tree Shops, but this is your day and I know you will want to buy things for the girls. So I promise, no nagging you about buying them things! After a day of shopping, I will make you dinner. We will invite Kelly and the boys over and you can be surrounded by the four most important little people in your world. Then we will eat cake. Nubian roll, of course!

I love you Mom! Until our fun day, I will post this picture of the girlies for you to enjoy. It's obviously out of date because of Emily's long hair, but they are just as cute!

Gabrielle is learning to read!

Here is a video of Gabrielle reading the first book she learned. Most of the words were her sight words, and she figured out the rest by sounding out the letters and matching them with the pictures on the page. We are so proud of our big Kindergarten girl!

Her Smile is Back

On Thursday we had a little scare with Gabrielle (again). She had a cavity filled, and almost four hours later I noticed something wrong with her face. When she would talk or smile, the left side of her face wouldn't move. I brought her right back to the dentist and he told me that there was an 80 percent chance that the paralysis would wear off in 24 hours. If not, the nerve would regenerate in two months. Thank you Lord for answering our prayer and that this one time, Gabrielle did not beat the odds and the novacane wore off by the next morning. Her dentist called to tell me that he had researched facial paralysis, and there was not one documented case of this occurring when the novacane was given in the top teeth. Of course, if it was going to happen, it was going to happen to Shi Shi! Here is a picture of her beautiful smile. I was obviously too upset to take a picture while her face was partially paralyzed. Greg was upset that I didn't get a picture.....that's a dad for you!

Sedona Pictures

Sedona

Question: What do you get when you cross a couple with two children who haven't been away for more than a year, and their very hectic upcoming schedule? Answer: A needed weekend get-away in Sedona! That's right, Greg and I were able to leave the girls with their grandparents while we headed north to a slighter cooler city. We took the Jeep and did some off-roading and some hiking. A highlight of our trip was an afternoon shower that created waterfalls over some Indian ruins we were hiking. All in all, it was relaxing and very nice to be able to finish an entire conversation without the interruptions from two very cute little girls!

The Emptiness

What started out as a small project to fix the fireplace that Greg blew up in November, has turned into a full-scale backyard remodel. The landscaper told us that four trees had to be removed. Two of the trees were too big, and would cause structural problems if they weren't removed, and the other two were dying. Well yesterday, these men with horrible chain saws attacked our backyard. These aren't really before and after pictures because the after shots will hopefully look better once the work is complete. But now our yard is extremely empty. I never knew there was a view of the neighbor's house two doors down! What didn't help was Emily screaming every time a branch hit the ground. She is like her mom, she doesn't like change either!

First Day of School

Well, in Arizona school starts really early. Our school is about a week ahead of everyone else here, so the girls started school this past Thursday. For Emily, it was been-there-done-that as she is entering the third grade. It was a different story for Gabrielle. You see, our baby is entering Kindergarten, which is a clear symbol of a different phase of our lives. We no longer have preschoolers at home, with the flexible schedule and carefree days. We are now the parents of school-aged children. We are beholden to scheduled vacations that the school decides, and we have to wake up every morning at 6:30 a.m. The girls were both very excited to meet their new teachers, make new friends, and of course wear their new clothes. Both of the girls walked off with barely a look back at Mom and Dad, but I sobbed when I had to let my littlest start school. My mom was always very good at hiding her tears until we were safely out of sight. I am not my mom. I was able to pull myself together for the second day, though. Here is a cute picture of the two girls ready for a brand new adventure!

New York City Slideshow

NEW YORK, NEW YORK! (and CT)

We just returned from a week's vacation back east. We spent four days in New York City, which was amazing! It was fun to share all of the sights with the girls, but our feet sure hurt. A few of the things we saw included the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the WTC, the Empire State Building, Central Park, Times Square and more. We were lucky enough to see the Yankees play in the final season at Yankee Stadium, and we watched the 4th of July fireworks over the East River. All in all it was a fantastic weekend.

On Monday, we did some family visiting, which included stops to see both Greg and Vicki's grandpas. We then headed to CT to spend the rest of the week with Vicki's parents. After a whirlwind few days, it was nice to just relax a bit. We spent one day visiting the Potter side of the family, checked out a few movies, spent an afternoon at the beach, got to see our nephews and ate at our favorite seafood restaurant. We also attended Greg's 20th High School Reunion, which was fun and interesting.

All in all it was a fabulous trip, but it was the kind of vacation where you need a vacation to rest once you return home!

Locks of Love

Today Emily donated her hair to Locks of Love. It's a non-profit organization that takes donated hair to make wigs for children with cancer. She has been trying to grow her hair long enough to donate the required 10 inches for more than a year. She finally decided to cut it a little shorter, and now has an adorable bob that is stacked in the back. It's quite a change from the long flowing locks that went all the way down her back for several years! Greg and I are so proud of Emily for her caring heart and generous spirit. She is such a special girl! If you are interested in finding out more about Locks of Love, you can visit their website at: http://www.locksoflove.org/.

Another Kids Say.....

We are planning our trip to New York City, and the girls are getting excited. We were asking the kids what they wanted to do on our vacation, and Emily said she wanted to see the "Miss America Statue." It took me a moment to realize that she was talking about the Statue of Liberty! She is so funny......

Kids say the darndest things....

On our way to Rocky Point last week, there was a border patrol stop in the middle of the desert. Gabrielle asked why we were slowing down, so I told her they were looking for illegals. She replied, "Why are they looking for eagles?" Isn't she cute?

Mexico!

Hola! We just returned from a very relaxing week in Rocky Point, Mexico. We had a great time reading by the pool, sitting on the beach, building sandcastles, seashell hunting and enjoying the Mexican cuisine. Greg and the girls took part in the daily resort activities, while Vicki plowed through three books. The view from our balcony was amazing! Here is a cute picture of the girls from the balcony. We are all a little more bronzed, and a lot more relaxed. It's so fun to get away together without having to worry about normal "home and work" stuff.

Our Busy Last Few Weeks!

The weather has been unseasonably cool this spring....it is usually over 100 by the end of April, but we have enjoyed 80 and 90-degree temperatures throughout the month of May. I do not remember a single Memorial Day weekend that was spent outside in the 8+ years we have lived in Arizona! So last weekend, we took the Jeep for a little off-roading, which is definitely a different experience with two little girls sitting in the back screaming, "Weeeeeeeeeeee!" at the top of their lungs! We also spent an afternoon at a local park for a picnic with some friends of ours. What a beautiful day.

Gabrielle graduated from preschool and had her stitches removed. Emily is almost out of school and has enjoyed the last week of mostly parties and fun time. The girls both ended their year in Mpact, a Wednesday night program they attend at church, with a graduation program. I am enjoying the switch to the summer work schedule where I only have to be in the office two mornings a week, and Greg is excited to have hired a landscaper for the summer! No more mowing in 110-degree temperatures.....yeah!

This past weekend, we went to the Diamondbacks baseball game on Friday, which was complete with fireworks! It was the final week for soccer, and we hosted a pool party at our house for Emily's team. We also took the girls to see "Narnia Price Caspian," which was a little too frightening for Gabrielle while Emily loved it! Needless to say, the girls are exhausted today having stayed up late all weekend long. Hooray for an early bedtime!

Check out my Slide Show!

Four Stitches!

We spent the weekend camping in the mountains with our small group. It was a very relaxing time until Gabrielle was injured. A shovel sliced her hand, and we ended up driving 40 minutes to the closest hospital (the drive should take 55 minutes!). The doctor stitched her up, and for being such a brave patient we took her to Dairy Queen for ice cream. She has to keep it bandaged for 10 days and we will get the stitches removed next Tuesday. We can add this to the list of her broken collar bone, concussion, two eye surgeries, and head laceration. Emily on the other hand has hardly had a paper cut. Gabrielle sure keeps us on our toes, but we are so thankful that she is OK, and there wasn't any permanent damage to the nerves or tendons! Here is a picture of her the next morning showing off her bandaged hand. Our poor little Shi Shi!

GOOOAAALLLL and the rest of our busy week!

Emily scored her first soccer goal during her game this past Saturday! Here is a picture of the kick.....I didn't get a picture of the ball in the goal as I was cheering to hard! Her team won by a score of 2-0. Gabrielle's team tied, and she was upset that her sister's team didn't tie as well. Here is a picture of her dribbling the ball, with the permanent grin on her face. In every picture I take throughout the game, Gabrielle is smiling! I love my new zoom lens, which allows me to get great shots at the games.

Earlier in the week, Gabrielle had a preschool field trip to a local park. They played with a parachute, fed the ducks, played with puppets, painted, blew mega-bubbles and had a water fight! What great fun.....here is a picture of Gabrielle digging for dinsaur bones at the field trip with one of her friends.

Her preschool hosted an art show this week and encouraged each of the kids to create a piece of art to display. Gabrielle insisted on making a sculpture, and did a pretty good job of copying the fairy that was shown on on the box of clay! Emily did help her little sister with the legs and hair, though.

Finally, Emily attended a Sing-a-long with her Brownie troop. Dozens of troops from the area got together to sing silly camp songs. Emily's troop sang a song about Bazooka Bubblegum! She did really well singing in front of all those people, but Gabrielle wanted to sing too! Next year she will be old enough to join the troop with her big sister, and I will remember to bring a chair. Sitting in the grass for several hours gets uncomfortable!

Late Skiing Pictures

I promised to upload some skiing pictures from the Spring Break post last month, so here is are two of the girls on the slopes! They picked up right where they left off last year, and were ready to to up the big hill after just a few runs on the bunny slope. What a fun day with the girls.....

Furniture Project

Well, I have spent the last three weekends trying to restain our bedroom furniture, and I finally finished! It was a pretty satisfying project, and turned out looking pretty darn good! I am just glad that I didn't listen to Greg to buy new furniture just because the color wasn't right with the new bedding! I went from a cherry color to the deep mahogany shown here. It's not a great after picture, especially with the clothes on the floor waiting to be put back in the drawers, but I liked showing that Gabrielle was my little knob helper! Next up....the dining room table!

Soccer Stars!

The girls both played in their first soccer game this past Saturday. Both had a chance to play goalie and run around the field chasing the ball. It was great fun to watch them, but difficult to keep our eyes on two games at once! We can't wait for the games next weekend!

Emily's Baptism

On Sunday, March 9th, Emily was baptized. She had asked Jesus to be the Lord of her life and made the public commitment through baptism at Central Christian Church. In addition to her parents and sister, she was lucky to have both sets of grandparents, her aunt and uncle and cousins, and many family friends in attendance. We had a brunch at our house afterwards, and celebrated her birthday a couple of days early. We are overjoyed and so proud of Emily!

Spring Break

The girls are on Spring Break for two weeks, so we decided to tag along with Greg to Tucson during his conference. We stayed at a really nice hotel, and kept ourselves busy while Daddy worked all day. We arrived late Wednesday, and spent the afternoon with a co-worker's family at Chick-fil-A. The kids burned off some energy in their play area. We had a late dinner, and had to carry the girls up to the room. Thursday, we went to the Tucson Children's Museum with two other families. There were three moms and 12 kids....they were all pretty good, though! The kids went for a swim until Greg was finished, and we could go out to dinner with him. Today, we drove up north to Show Low through a beautiful canyon. It's quite a bit colder here, which is good as we will be skiing tomorrow at Sunrise Resort. The girls have been asking to go again since our trip to Colorado last Spring Break. Let's hope they remember how to ski....we'll keep you posted, and will share some pictures too when we return to Gilbert on Sunday. We will head back home early so we can make it to church on Easter Sunday. The girls have such pretty dresses, we couldn't miss church!

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

Grandma and Grandpa have been here for since the end of January and we are enjoying having them around. The girls have their own playmates nearly every hour of the day. I wish they would spend more time doing some fun activities instead of just cleaning the house while we are at work and school, but they say they are having fun. We took a trip to San Diego on President's Day weekend, and had a great time at Sea World and touring the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway. I am actually playing hookie from yard work at the moment, while the rest of the family is outside so I will post pictures from our mini-vacation later!

Well, we survived the holidays. We stayed in town, which was a bummer because that meant Greg and I worked most of the week of Christmas. The girls enjoyed being in the office, playing Webkinz, coloring and basically running amuck. We are happy to be back to our school and work routine. Greg and I just returned from a weekend trip to Boise. It was nice to have a couple of days to ourselves, but it sure was cold. The one benefit of cold weather is skiing, so we hit the slopes at Tamarack. Attached is a picture of the girls from Christmas.