My redhead

*****************This picture was on the front page of Etsy last Friday! :)********************

I was taking pictures of my oldest for my etsy shop, Coronado Orange and then I was playing around in photoshop with them. She loved this picture so much she put it on her
"myspace".

You know how you have that "awkward phase" in junior high? Well, I think she is finally past that stage. Of course it helps tremendously that she has an aunt who spoils her and takes her to one of the best salons to get her hair done too. And then add in the fact that we love to watch America's Next Top Model, and voila!, she loves to pose. :)

Junior high has not always been the funnest place for her, but I'm hoping as we near the last 1/2 of it, she seems to be doing much better there. She is incredibly nervous to start high school next year. I just hope the confidence she seems to be having lately will cross over to help her transition to high school.

Here, where we live, her school is a K-8, where the "junior highers" are separated by the lower grades, however they still are basically all with the same kids.

So come next year she will be integrated with kids who come from all different schools too. While it's nice that they get to stay with their classmates for so long, it's almost like it's putting off that "intergration factor" when you merge with other schools.

Anyway, I just also wanted to show off my oldest today. :)

Show Not Tell

In my oldest's language class, they have these assignments which are called, "Show Not Tell", in which they have to write about some part of the book they are reading from one of the character's point's of view. The most recent book they read is called Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes. She read us her most recent Show Not Tell last night and I though it was amazing. So amazing that I'm showing it here:

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I stand there, silent and motionless. The fast pace of my pulse is in rhythm with their footsteps. As I look across the green, I see the red stream pouring in, each individual carrying a gun, ready to blow my head off at any given moment. I know this could be the end of me, and that I may never see Rab, Uncle Lorne, or Cilla ever again. However it's too late to back down now. Besides, being able to have a man stand up as a free American is so much more important than my living. All of a sudden, I hear that first shot. That first shot that begins our fight, our determination, for freedom. I lift up my gun to fire, and I pull the trigger. But, it won't shoot. I drop down to the ground to try and safely fix my firearm. At that very moment, a bullet blazes across my head, just barely missing my skull. My gun finally manages to work, so I bound back up to shoot a fire of my own. I find myself staring at the whites of their eyes. Those hungry eyes staring straight through me. Before I can pull the trigger, I feel a bullet, a British, gruesome bullet piercing through my flesh. That bullet knocks me to the ground, leaving me in a pool of my own blood. My mind is telling me to buck and keep fighting, but my body is in debate. The one thing that my mind keeps repeating to me is "One less man to fight, one less chance that a man can stand up."

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Having A Little Bit Of Fun......

.........telling my oldest a little bit about my "early days", if that's what you want to call them. LOL!!

We had just finished watching Project Runway where the designers had to design certain genres of music for the other designers. So we were talking about rock 'n roll and such and I told my oldest about how I had danced on a table once, danced in a DJ booth and at one time I wanted to be a cage dancer. No.....not a STRIPPER, but a cage dancer. Hey, it sounded like fun then. I never did it though.

I always get a kick out of telling her a little bit about my past. She's always like, "EWWWWW, MOM, I CANNOT picture you doing THAT!!!" Teehee!!

I actually do not consider myself to have a wild past. I know too many people who were way more wild than me. Yes, sometimes we were wild, and sometimes I look back on that and think, "Holy Cow, were were SO lucky to survive that! Imagine what COULD have happened"

And while I do tell her some things, there are plenty of other things I'd rather not say, but when the time comes and she asks me, I will have to ponder on what I do tell her. I don't like having "skeletons in the closet". There were too many of those in my family.

I do want her to focus on her education, which she does seem to be doing, very well at the moment. I just need to make sure she continues that when she gets in high school.

I was an Honor Roll student in high school, and had I applied myself more, I probably could have been near the top of my class. But high school became more than just education for me. It was a time where I had fun as well. And I need to teach her the balance in that. And we always talk about WHEN she's going to college, not if.

1st Day of School

Tuesday was their first day of school.

Yea me! LOL!!!

Every single year I always take the same pictures of them going to school. Even when the oldest was just going to school.

Here is my youngest in her "Mitchie" outfit (Camp Rock movie). She LOVES this outfit and so it was fitting she picked it for her first day of school outfit.


Wow, I can't believe she's in 1st grade. She is now the age that my oldest was when I got pregnant with her. I can't believe THAT much time has already gone by!!!
And here is my oldest. Her top is from Hollister, "of course". I'm telling you, I felt like SUCH a "MOM" when I took her shopping there last week. It's one of the HIP stores to shop at (meaning expensive, of course), but she usually finds stuff in the clearance section, because even though she loves their stuff, even she thinks it's expensive.
She still loves her hair too. (Thanks Aunt!!)

Wow, time flies, huh??
After we took these pictures, we were off to school and then yea, I was free!!! LOL!!

Actually I don't get my first "me" day until Thursday. I am very much looking forward to it! :) I love my girls with all my heart, but I do enjoy my "me" time. :)

Countdown to School

Enjoying her last days of summer vacation.

I am enjoying it as well.

As much as I can't wait for them to go back to school, I have enjoyed the laid back atmosphere that is about to end.

We don't sleep in every morning, as I do still have to work, but on the days I don't and we don't have to get up, boy is it nice to sleep in until 8:30 a.m. Yes, you read it right, that's about the longest I even like sleeping in. Because too much after that I feel like my day has already gone.

Next week will start the cycle of getting lunches ready, getting everyone in bed on time, getting to school on time, picking them up from school, helping out at school, etc.

The girls already started soccer practice so we're already doing that. Although next week the oldest will start softball practice as well. I'm going to work on going to the gym more while the oldest one is at practice too, at least the softball practice, because the gym is right around the corner.

But ahhh......I will enjoy this last week.

Next Stop, 1st Grade...

My baby is no longer in Kindergarten.

Wow, how time flies! I can't believe she's already done with Kindergarten!

"Field Day"

Today is "Field Day" at her school.

Which means the Junior High kids get to wear tank tops, flip flops, and even their bathing suits under their clothes if they want to, to school.

After lunch, they all get to go outside and basically play in the water. They have this HUGE water slide (Sue, similar to the one you had), and lots of fun water activities for them.

How fun is that for them!!

I think the most fun for them, is getting to wear tank tops and flip flops! Heehee!

They used to be able to wear flip flops to school, but now they can't. Don't know why they can't, but they can't. Well, at least when she gets into high school, she can wear flip flops every day if she wants to. Unless they change that rule by then...................