Vacation!!!!

I haven't quite gotten to it yet, but we took the girls on a SURPRISE VACATION! We left on September 23 and came back on September 28. Marc and I decided that it was time to take the kids to Disneyland..........WOO HOO! Well, we got everything planned and reservations made and then had to wait for a whole month before telling the girls. Shaylie and McKinley didn't even know we were going on vacation let alone where we were going. They finally figured it out on Saturday evening when I was packing up the clothes bags and getting everything ready to leave the next morning. As soon as I get caught up with work stuff and things around the house I will actually post a blog with pictures of our vacation!

McKinley is in PRESCHOOL!

So I consider myself a pretty big slacker of a mom................she actually started preschool on September 5 and I'm just barely getting around to posting the blog about it. Oh well, what she doesn't know won't hurt her right? Anyways, so far she is loving school! On the first day she was soooooo excited to get ready for school and couldn't wait to get there (we went the week before and met her teachers and saw the whole school). When we got there she was still thrilled, but when Marc and I turned to leave she got tears in her eyes (which didn't make it any easier for me to leave my BABY at school) and then ran into the back room. We went ahead and left knowing that she would be fine in about 2 minutes, plus we both had our cell phones with us "just in case". I have to say that I'm proud of myself because I did not lose it and bawl like a baby after dropping her off, I merely had watery eyes and didn't talk for a bit because I knew I'd cry if I did. McKinley's preschool goes from 11:30 - 1:30pm and I have to say that those were the LONGEST 2 hours you can imagine. Finally I got to go pick her up and she was EXSTATIC about everything they did that day! She loves her teachers, the animals at her school (Myrtle the turtle, two hampsters, and a goldfish), she loves the other kids and of course all the fun toys that they get to play with during "recess". Here are a few pics that I took that day...........ENJOY!

McKinley in her "First Day of Preschool" outfit!

The coolest 1st grader and preschooler you'll EVER meet!

Finding the apple shaped name tag with her name on it (and a pretty cute hair style too)!

Ready to learn!

McKinley with her teachers, Shelly and Amanda!

What did you do all day?!

I got this off of my Myspace Bulletin.......................I thought it was pretty cute and very accurate! Enjoy!

What Do You Do All Day? A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?" She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?" "Yes," was his incredulous reply. She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it." Send this page to another mom..........PRICELESS!!!!

Bridal Veil Falls

Today was Shaylie's actual birthday so we thought that since we had already done the party thing that we would celebrate in a different way. We took the girls and hiked up to Bridal Veil Falls and then went out to dinner at the restaurant of Shaylie's choice (unfortunately her FAVORITE place was closed, dang it Tucanos). Here are some pics from our little adventure!

Marc, Shaylie, McKinley and Princess on a bridge along the trail to the falls.

Shaylie and McKinley playing in the water at the base of the falls.

Marc playing in the water! (The mist from the falls felt great since it was quite HOT!)

Marc and the girls!

Me and the girls!

Looking down at the highway and the falls below.

Bridal Veil Falls

Shaylie is 7!

Here are some pics from Shaylie's 7th Birthday Party! We had the party a week ahead of time due to the holiday, but we still had a lot of fun!

Here's the birthday girl in her new birthday outfit!

The Bratz cake! LOL Shaylie had this picked out 3 months in advance!

PINATA FUN!!!!

McKinley, Caleb (my nephew), Shaylie, & Taylor (Shaylie's best friend)

We also took some pics with the grandma's and grandpa's that were there, ENJOY!
Shaylie and McKinley with their Great Grandma Messick (who happens to be 90 years old)!

Shaylie and McKinley with Grandma Jerri (Marc's mom)!

Shaylie and McKinley with Grandma and Grandpa Messick!

1st Grade!!!!

Shaylie started 1st Grade today! I can't believe that she'll be at school all day long. She was sooooo excited and nervous she could hardly stand it! Shalyie loves school and I'm sure she'll be at the top of her class again this year! We are so proud of her and her sister!

Shaylie in her outfit for the first day (striking a pose as usual)!

My two cute girls before leaving for school!

Shaylie outside her new classroom.

Shaylie with her teacher, Mrs. Olsen.

Although, if school makes them look like this we may reconsider............

McKinley's a yellow belt!

McKinley and Shaylie have both been taking Jiu Jitsu and loving it! Marc helps in their classes and they are both enjoying doing the stuff daddy LOVES! Both girls are doing exceptionally well in it and on August 11 McKinley was able to test and move up to a yellow belt in the Samurai Kids program! Shaylie started in the Samurai Kids program as well, but since she is doing so well and is big enough and old enough she is moving into the Youth program instead. Shaylie had more then enough stripes to earn her yellow belt in the Samurai Kids, but it takes more hours to get the yellow belt in the Youth program so she will test for her yellow belt in December sometime, hopefully Marc will get his purple belt at the same time! Here are a couple photos!

McKinley with her new belt, certificate and gum from grandma Jerri!

My Crazy Girls!!!!

Here are a few pics of my two girls, they should give you a glimpse into their personalities!

McKinley being the cheerleader!

Shaylie striking a pose!

Making daddy's new toy even cuter!!!!

Cruisin' with daddy!

Getting Started!

Marc and I have been married for 7 1/2 years and we have the two most beautiful daughters ever! Shaylie, our oldest, is going to be 7 years old on September 2, and McKinley, our youngest, turned 4 years old on May 7. Both our girls take jiu jitsu lessens and are having a blast hanging out with dad more! I work "part" time four mornings a week and spend the rest of my time being mom. I love the balance I have now between work and home, I still get the adult interaction I crave, but still get to be home most of the time with my girls. Shaylie will start 1st grade this year and can't wait to go to school all day long! McKinley will be in preschool and is absolutely psyched at the thought of "going to school"! Hope you enjoy our blog!