It's 11:58 pm. It must be time to start wrapping presents. That's what all sane parents do, right?

NINJA!

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I need this!

And so do you. Don't forget to check the customer pictures.

http://www.amazon.com/AutoExec-WM-01-Wheelmate-Steering-Wheel/dp/B000IZGIA8

Jenny Craig

So, the food is pretty tasty but even though the sodium is low, it's more than I'm used to. My feet and hands are so swollen up :(
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Taking the pedometer off at 11136 steps or 557.9 calories.

My last meal

Alexia's last daycare payment was this past month. I'm not seeing the extra money quite yet but decided to sign up for Jenny Craig anyway. My sister in law has gone through the program before and it helped her out. I'm not in a good place with food right now. Actually, I've never been in a good place with food. I've tried just about everything except Jenny Craig. Let's see what happens next. I just finished my last meal before the JC food starts tomorrow. What did I have? A peanut butter and honey sammitch. Mmm Mmm!

Fancy North Valleys Panther beads

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Reading a book with Mark Twain

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Reading a book with Mark Twain

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We're in Fallon for the "SYFL Experience.". They're right! It's quite an experience!! We have an hour before warm ups start & we're standing in a Kid Zone line.

Giant Burger is coming back!

Fishtank Ensemble

It's a silly name for an amazing musical group. I've seen them twice now and am just so impressed by them. Their lead singer plays the musical saw! How can you not like a band where someone plays a musical saw??

http://www.fishtankensemble.com/

Their main violinist, Fabrice, is self taught and doesn't even read music! Ursula, Fabrice's wife and lead singer, has such an amazing voice. She goes back and forth from singing to playing her saw and it sounds practically the same! I have NEVER seen someone play bass like Djordje! And Doug's guitar playing is beautiful.

I am smitten.

Woah!

These pinecones are bigger than her head!
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Self portrait

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Ms Sassy Pants

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Bored!

Is what Alexia tells me she is. We're sitting at the Laundromat washing our sleeping bag & blankets the kitty has peed on. I can't go camping next week with a stinky sleeping bag. All the things she brought to keep herself occupied are "boring."
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Lexy's Fancy Hair

Courtesy of Girly Girl
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New mama & her babies

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We're having a lovely lunch all together at the DownUnder Cafe.

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Hugs & Squishes
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Fw: IMG00728.jpg

Obviously Kiernan has been training his sister in the art of nostril photos

Dear Blogspot,
Why do you taunt me with your mobile blogging when I can't get my phone to work?

Sincerely,
A Frustrated Blogger

Fashion Show

Kiernan totally ditched us all weekend in favor of his friends (from what I gather, there's nothing to do around our house....it's boooooooooring). Alexia picked out several new dresses from Penney's yesterday during their sweet sale and wanted to show them off. She spent about an hour last night making flyers for her Fashion Show and posted them all over the house (I just realized I didn't take pictures of them-but will).

She only made it through two changes of clothes before she was done changing clothes and decided to do something else.

The size 6 dress was on sale for $5.00 and the hat was $3.00. A steal!

This dress is also a size 6 but has a lower neckline. The only way I'd let her get it was if she would wear it with an undershirt. She is totally in love with this dress, which surprised me since it's blue and purple and not pink.

Daddy knows that it's polite to bow to royalty.

Her after Fashion Show couture.

There comes a time in every little girl's life....

Where she decides, "To pierce or not to pierce?" Alexia asked me last week why she couldn't pierce her ears like her friend, Ally. "Well," I replied. "You've never asked." She looked at me like Huh? That's all it takes? And immediately asked, "CanIpiercemyears??" (It sounded just like one word.) Sure.
So we were at JCPenney's yesterday and she asked, "Mommy, you said I could get my ears pierced. Can we get them pierced today?" Sure. REALLY? Yes. PINKY PROMISE? Yes. And she made me pinky promise. We stood in the checkout line at Penney's and she just could not stop talking about it. She told the clerk and she told several ladies in line about how she was on her way to get her ears pierced (I don't think she even took a breath.) They were all very amused. She even made me Pinky Promise her one more time while our items were being rung up.
We left through the mall entrance of Penney's and headed straight for Claire's. The assistant manager helped us choose these pretty pink daisy earrings and had her sit in the piercing chair. She gave me the whole run down about what she was going to do, how to clean them, when they can be changed out and started getting the piercing gun ready. She was cleaning her equipment when this very loud, boisterous woman walked by the chair and loudly asked Lexy, "Are you getting your ears pierced?!" Lexy nodded with a little smile. "Oh, you are SO BRAVE!! When I got my ears pierced I cried like a big baby. But I bet you're going to be SO BRAVE!!!" I couldn't even begin to repeat what this woman was telling her but just that she was SO LOUD!
The assistant manager seemed ready but was waiting. I think she realized I was looking at her like, "Aaaaaand??" and said, "I'm just waiting for the store manager." I felt a little panicked for a second. How did this young girl make assistant manager when she doesn't even know how to pierce ears at an ear piercing store? Au contraire! Claire's employees are very smart, indeed. I was asked to stand in front of Lexy in the chair so she was looking directly at me. The assistant manager had one gun at her left ear and the manager had the other at her right. The assistant counted down, 3-2-1 and they both pierced an ear.
Lexy insists she said, "OW!" but she didn't. Her mouth opened in a loud gasp, her eyes filled with tears and her lip started to quiver. She was staring straight ahead, trying so hard not to cry that I almost cried. She looked up at me with gigantic eyes full of pain. Just then, the VERY LOUD woman said, "You did it!! You got your ears pierced!! Ohhhh they're beautiful!! You are SO BRAVE!!! You didn't even cry!" She was so loud that Lexy's head snapped up in surprise and it was like she shook it off. "Yes! I got my ears pierced!!"
I went up to the cashwrap to pay for her earrings and cleansing solution and they put her bottle inside of a cute pink bag that read, "Just Got My Ears Pierced." She carried that all over the mall. Every so often, she'd stop and loudly asked, "What does this say again, mommy?"
She can't WAIT to show her friend, Ally, tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they have the same earrings which will no doubt delight them both.

Kiernan wants his ears pierced. I told him no. Not until he's much older. Then we'll talk.

Ear piercing

Alexia came home the other day with heart shaped stickers on her earlobes. They were her earrings. She was very proud of her earrings and kept brushing her hair back and waggling her head so everyone could see them. She started naming off all the girls in her classroom who have pierced ears already. "You know," I said. "You could get your ears pierced for real if you wanted." Her eyes got real big for a second like WOAH! She looked kind of scared but with a hint of, "But I'd be so cool!" at the same time. And that was the end of that talk.

Egg Drop 2010

Lexy and daddy worked hard on her Egg Drop Contraption for this year's contest. Lexy dubbed it the "Black Tulip." It's black drip line connected with drip line elbows and connected with zip ties and duct tape. The middle section is three athletic socks. One is tied to either end of the Tulip with one tied in the center between the socks at the top and the bottom. The egg is inside a ziplock sandwich baggie filled with packing peanuts. At the top sits a nice big fluffy garbage bag parachute. You see, this isn't our first time at the rodeo.

Yes, it is mighty! Rowr!

All the kids at Lexy's school bring their Egg Drop Contraptions in hopes that their fragile egg will survive being dropped from the roof of the school.

Teacher Collin has the Black Tulip and is carefully fluffing the parachute out.

HOORAY!

Sierra Safari Zoo

It was such a beautiful day that I decided we should get out of the house and go somewhere outside. I chose the Sierra Safar Zoo over in Red Rock. We scooped up Kiernan's best friend and his brother and we took off to the zoo. I paid our entrance fee and bought an ice cream cone full of feed for each child and one for myself and we set off to see the animals. Our official "Greeters" made us feel plenty welcome with a hearty "Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawk!!" The peacocks were out in full force today. Several sat in the tree and across the wall separating the main house from the zoo.

We were all anxious to feed the deer but worked our way through the smaller displays up front.

This sloth fell asleep with his arm still on the branch. Not THAT is tired!
For future reference, deer like shoelaces

The white deer looks like it's laughing. He's probably laughing at Lexy cuz she has deer spittle on the backs of her hands.
It was a deer mosh pit!

What we were the most excited to see what the Zoo's newest large cat; the Liger "Kalika."

She looked at us lazily as we walked up like HEEEEEEY People! Once more people walked over to her cage she got super excited. Then she started acting like the 1 year old kitty she is. One of the big cat volunteers came to her fence and started talking to her. Her idea of playing with him is for him to turn his back to the fence and bang his hands against the chain link. She got a real intent look on her face and pounced!





Some of the other animals we enjoyed




All the peacocks we came across were big hussies and were speading their feathers for everyone. Very pretty!

We all got a little sunburned and drank a ton of water but had a good time.

No, I have no clue what those two are doing.