Vacation Day One

We decided to actually take a trip this year. I wanted to go to St. Louis. Schaun wanted to go to Colorado. I didn't want to go to Colorado. Schaun didn't want to go to St. Louis.

Schaun suggested that we go to Silver Dollar City and Branson then head to St. Louis. I still wasn't thrilled, but we are compromising right? Then when it comes time to actually book hotels and such, I decide I would rather stay home then visit Silver Dollar City in this heat. We did this a couple years ago and all I remember is the sweat.

Schaun then tells me about his last plan. He thinks we will have a good time going to the Mall of America. I was skeptical about going to a Mall for vacation, but it was a good time when it was all over.

We stayed in a great hotel, Staybridge Suites. It was like a little apartment with a kitchen and bedroom. They had shuttle service to the Mall of America and that was nice until we realized the very odd hours it ran on. We arrived Sunday, much earlier than we expected to. (This is due to Schaun driving like a Nascar racer on the way up). So first thing we did after dropping off our bags was to head to the Mall and check it out.

Monday we spent the day at the Mall in Nickelodeon World and the Aquarium. This indoor amusement park inside the mall really has something on Disney parks when it is hot outside. Rides, air-conditioning, and no lines. It would have been so fun IF Becca had wanted to have fun. She decided AFTER we bought her ticket that this was not for her and she didn't want to ride. Bridget loved it a lot though. In the Mall is also an aquarium. It is amazing that this place is so huge! The aquarium was very cool. You walk thru these tunnels and have sharks, giant turtles, sting rays, and all sorts of huge fish swimming over your head and next to you. They had a cool jellyfish display and many seahorses! Bridget had my camera in there as I didn't think any pics would turn out with the glass, but she got some good shots!

The pictures are all mixed up, but a couple are us in front of the hotel. A couple are shots of Nick World from the top of the Ferris wheel. The Aquarium, a shot of the QVC store for my mom and the silver things are the escalators. I have a photo of the girls with every character that was walking around in the park. They thought that was so cool and funny. This is the first day.

4th of July

Okay, Okay. I realize that I have not posted anything in months. Bad Kerry! Here is something.

Becca says

Becca is my ornery, stubborn child. She does not fear consequences. She knows them, weighs them, and then decides if "it" is worth the risk. She has been pushing the limits with us though. We have been tougher on her lately. She is feeling the pressure to modify her actions and words, and doesn't like it.

Almost every evening we go outside and hang out in the driveway and cul-de-sac. Last night we had only been out for a few minutes when Becca decided to be a bit ornery to Bridget. Bridget chastised her for the action and Becca proceeded to her famous pout mode in return. She was slowly coming my way with a very unhappy face and informed me that things in her life were not going all the great. I suggested that maybe she should think about her actions and words and notice how they make others feel.That she needs to think about how they would make her feel. There was a little pause on her part and I had a silly little moment when I thought I might have gotten my point across. Nope.

Her response was......."Maybe I am not the right kid for you."

I didn't know to laugh or cry at that statement. So I just stared at her dumbfounded, with a gaping mouth, thinking how scared I am of the teenage version of this child.

Dance Recital 2010

It's that time again, dance recital. This year Bridget was in three dances and Becca in two. So if you know how much the poorly made costumes run, add those numbers up and feel the pain I did when I paid for them. Of course they look adorable in them, so it is worth it in the end.

Both girls were in a tumbling act done to music from Aladdin. Becca was the "mid-west farmer's daughter" in her tap dance to California Girls. Bridget was in a hip-hop dance and a pom/jazz act. Becca likes it all, but doesn't love it like Bridget does. Last summer Bridget took just a tumbling class and really took to it. She practices her moves ALL the time. I find myself telling her to spend some time right-side-up.

Later this week, after we get haircuts :-) I am going to take some still shots of them in the costumes, but here they are from last night (and some from dress rehearsal ).

Hot Air Balloons

Yesterday we went to Gardner to see this hot air balloon festival. I wasn't sure what this would be about. It could be a total waste of time or really cool. It was somewhere in the middle. Not super exciting, but cool to see so many hot air balloons at once. Of course, we didn't go into the main part of the crowds and things for the kids to play on. We stayed over on the far side of this pond which turned out great for pictures. It made a nice reflection of the balloons.

Finally, the end of the year is here!

Honestly, I started this school year with dread. I didn't want to work it, but I know most people don't want to work a job. So poor me right?

I am done working at the Montessori school. At least full-time work-- I told them I would be glad to substitute. It is just the five day a week obligation without any way of having time off that was just too much. I feel some sadness with this. I will be leaving a friend that I enjoyed going to work with everyday. We had some good laughs over the past two years.

This year started out rough with Bridget's teacher and the testing that went on. Things worked out by the end of the year though. Bridget gained confidence thru this year. I think, sadly, that it partly due to her not liking her teacher and partly due to maturing a bit.

Becca is an official Kindergarten graduate! She is ready to move on to the elementary school. I will miss the montessori setting so much. Bridget did well in it, but Becca really flourished in it!

So now I am the mother to a third and first grader. Yikes!

Since I was not able to leave work these past few weeks, I don't have pics of Bridget. I do have pics of Becca's last days and graduation ceremony.

Growing up

Look at this big girl! In a previous post I said that Life touch photos sucked. I have to eat that statement for these pictures. They turned out very nice.

We are winding down this school year. I will be happy to see it go for the most part. I will be sad to see Becca move on to the elementary school.

In a couple weeks the school has a Kindergarten graduation ceremony that is very exciting for the kids. She looks sooooo cute in her cap and gown!

Daddy Daughter Dance 2010

Today was a busy day. This morning was "morning with mom" at Bridget's school. I was able to arrange going to work a bit late so I could go this year. Last year I missed this and Bridget was really disappointed. Then this evening was the Daddy Daughter Dance at her school. It was all about Bridget today. She found this dress some weeks ago and was so excited about it. It is the same color that she wore to the dance last year, but she decided it was a good color on her and it would match the tie we bought Schaun last year. Smart girl. This girl is a ham for the camera!

The fun never ends

When we got home from dance tonight, I sent the girls up to change their clothes. Becca comes yelling out of her room that the lid to the gerbil cage is closed but the gerbils are gone! What? That doesn't make sense. I go look and sure enough, they are gone. They chewed a hole thru the plastic tube and took off on a vacation. Luckily, we found them both in her room before Daisy did.

This is the second time the gerbils have escaped recently. I think they had a taste of freedom and liked it too much.

The following are a few things the girls have said that I don't want to forget. They make me laugh.

A friend of the girls developed an ear infection. I was passing that news along to them and Bridget asked how you get an ear infection--is it from earrings. I said that it was on the inside of her ear. That is when Becca piped in, shooting Bridget the "you are so stupid" look and said that she got the infection from all the listening she does. Of course!

We went to Sonic and got the girls a slushy drink. Bridget got watermelon and Becca got cherry. They are drinking and Becca of course has to take the lid off and make a big mess out of the thing. That was when she discovered and announced that she had a real cherry in hers. Bridget proceeded to rip her lid off--you see where this is going? I did and started laughing even before she said the words. She looked in her cup and asked why there wasn't a watermelon in hers.