The Reason I Moved Here

Hello seasons, I missed.....especially while living in the hot humid armpit of the United States for three years and then another year recently in the sunny sunshine of eternal blonde ambition. However, moving here was so worth it. Hello Fall! It's been awhile and I sure missed you.

So this past week the four girls went on a roadtrip. My mom, me and my girls. Something we don't do often enough, we got up and headed out pretty early. Heading up in the mountains..... it was the perfect morning, crisp and beautiful. The girls love to hike in the mountains, and they tolerated mom and I when we got hysterical......which is often.

Mom and Duchess were partners on our walk. They kept together, so nobody got lost. Plus in case Duchess slid down, mom was there to break her fall....

My partner, Princess, left me often. Probably didn't help that I took 140 pictures (seriously) on our little trip. It was absolutely fab...but I got left, often. Apparently I'm not a good partner. But wow, what a gorgeous day.

Since mom and I were together, I felt honor bound to carry on some of her traveling traditions.... like the one where you send your sweet, unexpecting kid way off in the distance and then run like crazy to the car, slam the doors, crank the engine and lower the windows, screaming GO GO GO to the driver.... the kid is quick, we didn't even have it in drive before she was crawling in the backseat, what a studette..... who can carry a grudge with the best of them!

Here are my girls doing what they do best, being sisters. I love these shots.... they melt my heart. These are frame worthy and rare occassions of utter peace and no hairpulling.

I mentioned peace didn't I? Well okay it didn't last..... this isn't what it seems, cause it sure looks like Princess is pushing Duchess into the water, but Duchess was determined to "feel" the water so this was them holding on for dear life as she plunged forward.

In the end, three generations of strong, talkative and persistant women spending a day together in the middle of nowhere? Priceless.........

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Raising Them Right

As the parents of two little girls, we were very happy when Princess's school announced a self-defense class that we could sign her up for, free......during school hours......cause how much easier could it be at this point......So we jumped on the wagon.

So she had a full week of this. Then Friday night we went to watch her graduation. Okay, instead of giving out certs and making it quick, they had demonstrations. Which was boring until my kid got to her part. Look at that ponytail swing! Cause she put some stank on that fake knee to the groin! So after the round robin demo the kids started suiting up in pads....ummmm excuse me? Why does my kid look like she's a contender on American Gladiator (anybody remember that show?)

It was so stinking exciting. They had an obstacle course set up and each kid ran through, okay, each of the brave kids ran through, alot of them sat on the sidelines sucking their thumbs, which I completely respect cause I was that thumb sucker too....not Princess, obviously she got The Man's genes on that one.

My kid was amazing. She screamed NO in the face of the sweet lady asking for money and then tried to grab her. She pecked the eyes of a dummy who jumped out at her, literally pecked, people! Then when the big real live man in a huge red padded outfit grabbed her arm, she kicked his shins, she stomped his instep, she then got picked up by said red man as he attempted to cart her away. She was amazing. She threw a couple of elbows to the face and then started kicked his chest till he dropped her then she nailed him with a groin shot and took off towards the safety corner.

The Man was almost hoarse from yelling for her and I would share the video but she screams out her name and our home address to the "policeman" in the safety corner....and I don't like unexpected company so I can't share....although if your family, email me and I'll send it over.

So here is my proud girl, very empowered to stand up for herself and fight off evil! I've got a superhero in training.

And Duchess, you ask? Well her and puppy were keeping mommy company.... after she got in trouble for asking "What the hell?" when her sister got grabbed ........ dang military kids, they got potty mouth.........

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Flash Friday

Finally got off my lazy butt and added the labels to my site, yeah me!

Otherwise, I'll work my way through our highlights this week:

1. I haven't smoked....in 98 days
2. Princess's teacher said she is a dream and doesn't over talk (pick me up off the floor, that was a shocker)
3. We decided to continue with the new house hunt (pray for me, this could get ugly)
4. I golfed for the first time in my life and work paid me to do it
5. I started the campaign to turn my car into a 4x4 due to cold weather, snow issues...which is so far not working, but I will perservere.
6. Duchess got in trouble at school for refusing to wear shoes (yep, my red neck is showing)
7. I verbally attached a group of teenagers for.... just being teenagers, on my nightly walk .... when did I get old?
8. I realized that my diet is failing horribly and am now pricing non-evasive surgury to remove some of the uglies...... yep .... just as I thought, too freaking expensive.
9. I now headbang everytime my phone rings, thank you Dropkick Murphys.......
10. The Man is now suspsicious about why I'm watching "The Departed" too many times .... is it me or is Mark Walburg just a GREAT actor?

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Coach Daddy

Duchess is finally okay with the idea of getting up every Saturday morning and heading out to play soccer. She still insists on the orange "my soccer" shorts and the pink converse cause she is too cool to match. In fact, I overheard a parent comment "yeah that's Duchess, she is the one always in orange shorts" in passing when we were approaching...in a very accepting, it's okay that she's strange kind of way.

So when we got to her game on Saturday, it was to find that there was no coach. No preschool soccer allows a coach on the team with the 6 kids. Cause really if there was no adult, they would just kick each other and see who could roll their way to the goal first. So The Man stepped in and took over as Coach Daddy.
Now Coach Daddy had his hands full from the start.... Cause Duchess thought surely she could just stand beside him, he was her daddy and he was the coach....confusing. So he took the time to gently shove, I mean push her towards her position, oh like eighty-four times.

Now she was like silly putty at this point, cause the minute he turned his back, she was right back underneath him. She's a lefty, so she prefers his left side.....interesting.

Of course there was the time she wasn't concentrating in the huddle cause she was chasing a ladybug. Cause ladybugs have to live too....honest, she says that, my little tree hugger. And there were the times she had to leave the field in mid-play cause she found a rock and they didn't belong on the field, so someone (HER) had to carry them over to the fence and throw them in the grass.

Then there was the "Can we just go home" instance in mid-huddle. With a little cheek smushing and some nose rubs between them, she agreed to see it all out. Then proceeded to walk off the field cause she saw someone (not me, promise) eating her animal crackers snacks....

But in the end, she won. And The Man, he got an award for keeping a big ole smile on his patient face throughout the whole experience that was preschool soccer. So when we get to the parking lot and go to divy up into our separate vehicles so one can go home with Duchess and one can take Princess to her game....Duchess announces that she's riding with Coach Daddy.

Damn, that was just sweet......and I kept the animal crackers.

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The Petite Mouse

Since getting the small role in the show, Princess has leaped and jump her way through my house. Which means that since she is named after me, she inherited some of my less graceful attributes. Which means that she's only run into the wall four times in the past week, while leaping and jumping through the house. Does it make me a bad parent that I have to bite my tongue not to laugh, especially since she busted a gut the other day when I fell down the stairs?

But here are the pics from the auditions, such a happy day for her, and me even though they promptly handed me the fundraiser forms and rigid rehearsal schedule....dang

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Flash Friday

Princess would like to share the news: she landed a small role in the annual Nutcracker! She will be a petite mice, rehersals start this coming week, but she is still on cloud nine! Congrats baby girl! Only 6 sessions in conservatory ballet and she is rocking!

Not to mention, the ever chatty child has actually been quiet in class so far this year! This is a huge accomplishment on her part.

She is having the best week!
Duchess is proud to announce that she is still the baby in the family and that is enough accomplishment for the week. :) Seriously pre-school is in session now and she can write her alphabet and name. Go girl. Now we're working on her counting, you know... 17-18-19-50-24. That sort of thing.

Soccer is going better. She is playing and pushing and kicking. Quite fun actually. She still is exhausted when leaving the field, poor baby can't take the action without needing a nap.

The Man still lives here but I haven't seen much of him since he got his new handgun. He's spending alot of time at the gun range, "to sight it in" uh-huh...... this is my "I'm believing you" face. But he's a happy man.

I started jogging, and then I started soaking in the tub then smearing myself with bengay....cause that crap is highly overrated....what is wrong with you people, jogging is the devil!

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Kill'em with Kindness

Just look at this innocent darling of mine. Duchess is such a sweetheart. Friend to everyone, human and animal alike. She has alot of hippee qualities....I love this about her. My little true hugger, and as long as she doesn't join PETA, The Man supports her gentle ways.
So when I started finding her little china teacups turned upside down on the little saucers, I went to question her about the little corpses of dead ants (don't get that little dead-ant song stuck in your head now) inside. But then I got side tracked, probably by something chocolate and forgot. So then when I found her laying on her tummy in my foyer the other day with her little kitchenette plastic sink I couldn't figure out what she was doing.

"Honey, whatcha doing?"

"Saving the ants"

"Huh?"

"Saving the ants"

"Saving them from who, wait we have ants?"

Sure enough, there is a little family of ants from the sudden chill in the air and they are traveling cross my foyer in search of my pantry, suckers, they are on the wrong side of the house for food, haha!

"Daddy will kill them"

"Ummm okay, he sweeps them up honey and puts them in the trash"

"He kills them"

"So what are you doing with them?"

"I"m gonna drown them down the drain to go live with Nemo"

Kill'em with kindness, that is my girl.

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Robinette Hood

So during the bi-weekly pilgrimage to Wal-Mart, the center of our world....Princess reminded me that I needed to pick up her film from camp. I totally forgot that we dropped off her disposable cameras almost a month ago.

I love this kid~ This kid rocks. She is totally getting her own bow for Christmas.... The Man has decided.

Camp rocks....especially science camp. However, next year she wants to try science, horse and cheerleading camp. I need a second job.

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No, Seriously!

I have won my first award.....

This is a big moment for me, cause it means that I actually have people who read my blog. Someone actually digests the mental stuff I'm throwing out here, God help'em!

So a little about the award (stolen from TigerLambGirl's place) : "According to Bella Enchanted, who created the award - the award is supposed to be given to those "who are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others, that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!"

Yeah, someone thinks I'm nice, so take that you mean ole man who lives next door and is in my HOA and thinks you can threaten to tow my car cause I parked on the street last night....the reason you still have perfectly aligned hedges in front of your house is because I'm so nice, and I couldn't find my hedge whackers, but the real point it, I'm NICE! Opps, Off Subject!

So thank you very much TigerLambGirl for reading me and actually coming back for more. Hmmm wonder if this means I get to share the award?????? I'll ask and then edit this bad boy if that is the case......

I'm off to continue being nice to the world, hee hee....

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A little moutain communing...

We're on a roll, actually planning day trips and getting out of the house again. Not sure what it was about this move that made me a homebody (okay, who's lying, I'm always a homebody) but we are slowly breaking the chains of lazy....

Saturday found us out of the house all day....after driving around for ever, we happened upon this little charmer, a covered bridge....
The novelty wore off pretty quick though as there was no food (duchess), no animals (princess) and too quiet (me) so The Man took us away.....

This is certainly big sky county. I love the skyline here, it's different in every direction you look. I just happened to put down my dirty cajun romance novel and catch this formation. Looks like whipped cream, yum......

As we drove up through the mountains we happened upon a ski lift, woohoo! No riddle me this batman....if the weather looked like that, what would you do?

A. Use the weather as an excuse to shop inside all the ski town stores....

or

B. Allow The Man and kids to convince you to ride the ski lift in question.....

and

the

answer

is

......brought to you by the letter F.....

Tune in tomorrow to see pictures of our daring ride.....

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What I know about Soccer: Nada!

Both of the girls love soccer, so I really need to remember to hit up Wikipedia and learn something about the sport huh, especially since The Man and I are helping to coach Princess' team as seems the coach didn't like having almost all girls on his team and resigned, (insert f-bomb here)!

However, I'm pleased to say that Duchess has actually got in the spirit of exercise.....
She runs! She actually surprised us this game, maybe cause The Man has had her kicking a soccer ball everywhere she goes, he is quite sharp!

She gets tired but......

She rebounds and gets going. Isn't she rocking the "I dressed myself" look today...Orange shorts, blue jersey and pink converse.....

Now Princess' game was a little different that day, as since we were helping to coach there are very few pics...but look at the beautiful view from the soccer field. I love it here....

Oh I mentioned coaching right? Well here's The Man and The Photo Elusive Step-dad doing their best side line coaching!!!!

Soccer is great, except you probably shouldn't yell at your four year old to push her way into a huddle. Cause she'll then *push* four different people down and then run them over on her way to the ball....she gets that from The Man, not me....nope, I'm not aggressive like that at all....

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