Crazy Haired Calla...

Time with Grandmommy and Papa...

My mom and step-dad help us out by watch the girls for us some, but rarely do we all have time to get together and play. The girls love riding their scooters around their back porch. Here's Papa helping Calla...


Calla dunking the ball. "UH!"

Grandmommy reading to here princesses...

Calla got sweaty, so I made all of her curls stick out everywhere...

Animal Night...

Every few months, the Petroleum Museum has family night where they open the whole place up and have a huge themed extravaganza! This time was animals! Calla loved getting to feel all the soft fur...


The ferret was silly...

Leslie loved meeting all the animals! I think it was pretty surreal for her because she knows a ton of facts about all these animal from watching Diego, but you could tell she thought it was pretty cool to see and touch them in real life...

One of the craft stations had an alligator puzzle to color and cut out. Of course, Calla wanted to make one too...

Regardless of whatever awesome tables they have set up, the highlight of the trip for Leslie is always walking through this permanent exhibit tunnel and ocean scene...

It was MEGA crowded, so we didn't last too long. Instead, we decided to swing by the old K-mart parking lot snow cones!

Calla showing Daddy her red tongue...

Everybody showing eachother our colored tongues...

To Princess Leslie...

I came across a passage in one of the books I'm reading, "The Me I Want to Be," that spoke very strongly to me as a mother...

"Often people have dreams for their life when they are young, but over time they simply give up. Writer and artist Gordan MacKenzie tells of visiting children in kindergarten and asking them "Who is an artist?" Every hand shoots up. This decreases to half the class by third grade. Over time many find that becoming the me they were meant to be is too hard or that it takes too long. When we give up on our growth and life's purpose, we languish."

Even though I'll admit that Leslie is currently not the best artist... or dancer... or gymnast in her class, I never want to be the one that discourages her from developing to her full potential. So, today before nap I was cuddling on her some and asked her,

"Leslie, are you an artist?"

"Hahaha- yes mommy. I'm an artist."

"Do you know what an artist is?"

"Yes- a painter."

"That's right, and you are a very good painter. What else are you?"

"Ummmm... a princess."

The conversation went on for a while going over all the other things she is and enjoys. But I thought "a princess" really encapsulated it all. Today she can be a princess just as easily as she can be an artist. The world is still so full of possibilities for her. I pray that her spirit remains young and open to everything God has designed her to become. And that we all cherish this time of innocence and preserve it for as long as possible.

Swimming and Sports...

Yet another pool day. These kids love the water!
Ever since Leslie watched the adults play volleyball at the family reunion, she's been obsessed with it. Her and Daddy practice all the time, and she's actually really good at it! (As long as you throw it perfectly.)

Ready!
Bump!

And follow through!

Finally, a cute little cheesecake picture of Leslie...

Accessorising...

I know yall see alot of dress-up, but it's pretty much Calla's favorite activity. This day was especially cute because of her shoes. She ALWAYS wants to wear the princess high heals, but her foot is too small to keep them on. Today however, she figured that layering her shoes overcame this obstacle perfectly...
Nothing funnier than wearing Potato Head glasses! Except maybe the fact that her boobies are hanging out of this dress...

The green ones are beautiful too. Poor girl doesn't realize that her future probably holds many pairs of glasses:) I guess it's a good thing she likes them!

Mornings with Calla...

When Calla first wakes up in the morning, she's usually pretty angry. It takes her a few minutes and gulps to get in a good mood:)

However, once she has her cup, she is a different baby. We really enjoy having a baby that will let us cuddle on her some! Here I am snuggling with her one morning while she wakes up with a cup of watered-down Crystal Light...
Daddy gets lots of snuggles, too...

I thought it was funny that she was sitting on the folded up nap mat on top of the ottoman watching TV. Rough life...
On a side note... She has started sliding off of the ottoman head first on to a pillow while yelling, "Mermaid Calla!" Hilarious.

Hair/Storm...

This picture was cute when it was taken (a month ago) because it was one of the first times she had her hair fixed...
The girls love for Daddy to read to them...

Calla's hair didn't last long. At least I always get a good laugh at how it looks when she pulls it out...

Tonight had a nice summer storm. It was warm with distant rolling thunder, so the girls wanted to go outside and enjoy it. Us too...

It remind me of the evenings I used to spend on the patio as a child with my dad watching a storm roll in from Odessa... eating pork skins I'm sure. I think that was where my love of weather began! And now I'm passing it on to Leslie... who, by the way, already knows several cloud types:)