We LOVE Technology!

I don't know how the pioneers did it. We had to make an unexpected trip to Utah, and this is pretty much all Afton did the entire 11 hour drive. She either watched her Dora dvd or screamed and cried or slept (not enough sleeping though). So as we are driving through the barren desert that is Nevada, the big girls were watching a dvd, Afton was watching her dvd, and Tim and I were enjoying the music on the ipod through a fm tuner...I looked at Tim and said, "How did anyone ever drive across Nevada with a toddler and no technology?"

Funny things that were said on our drive:

Annie..."Are we almost to Key Largo yet?" (she meant Elko)

Mia......(In an effort to hurry through Winnemucca, we got BK for lunch but forgot to get the Mia's cheeseburger plain.) "Oh no, this has mustard on it!" "Sorry Mia, we forgot to get it plain." "That's okay, Annie just reminded me that I like mustard."

Annie...(She was watching a dvd rather loudly, so I tossed some earphones back and told her to put them in the hole on the side of the dvd player they fit into.) A: "This isn't working, they're not staying in." L: "Then you've got the wrong hole." A: "They're in the right hole" (and about now I look back to see she's trying to get them to stay in her ears. I guess she had the right hole:)

Tucker's 1st Photo Shoot

Ode to Alder Creek

It was really the most relaxing day we'd had since the baby came. We decided to spend some time at our favorite river spot before the summer ended and school started again. I spent the better part of my time there trying to coax the girls down this little rapid on the inner tube. I could tell Mia would do it before we left. At one time she sat in the water at the entry point contemplating if she should go down. Then she ran over to me and asked, "Mommy, will you give me something if I go down that rapid?" I assured her that she could have 2 oreos if she did, and next thing I knew she was going down the river rapid. After that, we couldn't get her to stop... not even for 2 oreos:)

First Day of School

School has officially begun. It sounds kind of crazy, but I'm actually looking forward to getting my schedule back. Summer has started to feel chaotic. I need the girls back in school and I especially need Tim back in school. When he's home I don't always get my chores done. Anyways, Annie is now in 3rd grade and has joined the spanish magnet class. She is very excited to learn spanish and speak it with Daddy. Mia is in 1st grade and is so happy to get to eat lunch in the cafeteria. We went school shopping last week and I told the girls I would get them backpacks. But apparently backpacks aren't "in" anymore. They needed "messenger bags." And I thought to myself, "Here we go." As long as the trend they want is modest and affordable (and never has a cartoon character on the front), I guess I can't complain.