Happy 4th

Madeline and Grace weren't feeling well enough to stay up until dark, so they did sparklers and fire crackers just after sunset.

First movie

Sam came home from work yesterday morning to take Grace to lunch and to see Toy Story. It was her first movie in a theater, so she was very happy about it. Poor Madeline was upset that she couldn't go also. While I was trying to take a picture of Grace and Sam before they left, Madeline saw us from her bedroom window and came busting out. You might notice the red mark on Grace's forehead...Grace was in Madeline's face, telling her she was too little to go with them, so Madeline whacked her. Grace didn't retaliate; I think she knew she had that coming.

Sam asked Grace on the way what she wanted for lunch, and since she's a cheap date, she told him the Cheesecake Factory. They settled on Taco Bell since they were pressed for time. I did my best to cheer Madeline up, and took her and Charlotte to pick out a couple new books, two new fish, and then to Chick-fil-A to eat and play. Grace had a wonderful time at the movie, with her popcorn, M&Ms, and Icee. Madeline was happy when they brought her back some popcorn.

Recent art

Each of Madeline's drawings are one of two styles, depending on her mood. This style is done with a lot of concentration and her head down close to the paper.
She draws this style quicker, and usually doesn't finish with her saying, "TA-DA!" like the other.

Grace is stuck on hearts and rainbows. Almost all of her pictures have her in them, and most include Madeline. This one has mountains and turtles.

Our family.

The bounce castle.

Buzz Lightyear, the sun with a tree.

At the duck pond.

With planets and the sun.

Another Buzz Lightyear with a potted flower and the garden.

I woke up this morning and Grace was fully dressed, sitting at her table, and drawing this. Her hand-print, and she thought each color would like to have its OWN rainbow.

Big girl

We're celebrating Madeline's first week in big-girl panties! We're very proud of her, and more importantly, she's very proud of herself!

Wedding flowers

Grace told me today that she wanted to have white blooms when she gets married. I told her when she's ready to get married, I'll get her white blooms. This started a little discussion between Grace and Madeline about where they can and can't pick the white crepe myrtle blooms they want for their weddings. I told them I thought this was all a little early...first they had to be grown up to get married, and second, they needed to meet someone they loved so much that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with. Grace immediately said, "Well, Mom, I already love Daddy...I'm going to marry him!"

Father's Day

To celebrate Father's Day we went to Texas Motor Speedway and watched Sam drive 10 laps at 150 mph in a NASCAR stockcar. The girls and I had a blast cheering him on, and if course, Sam had a great time. Before we left, we were offered a ride around the track a few times too.

Swing set

Our new swing set has already given us countless hours of fun. For some reason, Grace and Madeline start cracking each other up when they swing together. Until the cooler weather gets here, Charlotte still has to watch from her swing on the shaded porch.