The Clarks in Austin

Tooth

2011-04-11T10:24:00.002-05:00

On the way home from our visit at Texas A&M, Lauren pulled out her other front tooth. She was very excited about it. The next morning, she told us the tooth fairy not only left money, but also left a note with a jewel, explaining the jewel had been left for Emma and Lauren was to share it with her. Lauren said she gave Emma the jewel and threw the note away. (P.S. - the note and jewel were a surprise to mom and dad! The tooth fairy is real!)

Texas A&M Vet School Open House

2011-04-11T09:27:00.007-05:00

On Saturday we drove to Texas A&M because their Vet School hosts an Open House every year. You can go through various labs and learn about different good and bad bugs associated with small and large animal breeds, you can see actual cows, horses, goats and sheep. They had a petting zoo, a milking cow demonstration (Lauren was up front and got sprayed from the udder!), a horse with its skeleton painted on it to show movement, and a fistulated cow. A what?!? If you were to tell me I was going to wake up on Saturday morning and stick my arm into a live cow's stomach, while it was eating hay, I would have mentioned something about you being crazy. Well, it was I who was crazy and did just that. They say having a hole in the side of its belly does not hurt and equated it to an ear piercing. And that cows have no pain receptors in their stomach, so us searching around in there also is not hurtful. Emma asked why the cow was broken and its juices were falling out. I think the kids liked it because they did ask questions and talked a lot about it! Lauren found a tent for a group that rescues poodles and wanted to stay there for a while, and Emma found her Longhorn and also a momma cow and her 6 day old calf. They were also amazed by the police horse!

UT Women's Softball Game

2011-04-11T09:08:00.003-05:00

Through girl scouts, I've been added to a mailing list for discount tickets to a variety of sporting events, mainly UT athletics. It's great because it gives us a chance to see sports that we may not typically choose ourselves, at a drastically reduced cost at that! This time, we watched UT women's softball. Found a great place in the stands behind home plate which was also in the shade and enjoyed it a lot! The girls thought it was neat and mimicked the pitcher's arm for a while after the game. Bill also bought peanuts because he said it was "required" at any ballpark games.

Soccer

2011-04-11T09:00:00.004-05:00

The girls started soccer this spring and were so excited to not only play, but use their new soccer cleats and shin guards (thanks Grandma Luci and Grandpa Denny for the early birthday presents!). We enrolled them in a program which is non-competitive and works on developing the basic skills for soccer. Emma is really intense out there getting after the ball and driving it to goal! Lauren is attentive and practices the drills, but we do catch her every once in a while doing a cartwheel or round-off when the coach is elsewhere!

Getting Schooled

2011-04-11T08:38:00.003-05:00

Both Emma and Lauren had a chance for parents (and grandparents) to come and see what they've been learning and working on at their schools. Emma was excited to show us her math skills adding and subtracting little animals, then writing the problem out on her sheet of paper.

Lauren worked on a research project to learn all about monarch butterflies, then wrote and read her report to us. She also shared her report and life cycle artwork with Emma's classroom who started studying monarchs this past month. It was so cool to see Lauren wanted to share what she'd learned with her sister!

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

2011-04-11T08:33:00.003-05:00

Lauren and I visited UT in February for "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day", as part of a girl scout activity. We had a lot of fun designing the perfect bubble wand, bunny copter, and gum drop dome. It was awesome to watch her think through the "problem" and come up with her own solution, and watch her face light up when it worked how she had envisioned.

Who is that Masked Child?

2011-04-11T08:30:00.003-05:00

*South by Southwest freebies...fake moustache and t-shirt proclaiming "person wearing a free t-shirt"*

Our Holiday Visitors - A Photo Gallery

2011-02-04T13:33:00.008-06:00

We were so lucky this Christmas to have Great-Grandma Lavis and Aunt Dee Dee come visit us! The weather was great and we did so many fun things!We played go-fish almost every day...and Cootie too!
Grandma Luci and Grandpa Denny gave the girls Rip Riders for Christmas - they are really fun! Lauren and Emma also still enjoyed riding bikes, and Lauren ended up with a nasty road rash to show for all the fun they had over break!Lauren and Emma enjoyed time with Grandpa Denny, while Great-Grandma, Grandma, and Mommy ran away down the street to The Lake Austin Spa for a day of sheer relaxation. We each had our own treatment, then met up afterward for lunch at the Aster Cafe. It was certainly a highlight of my vacation to have both my mom and Grandma with me at one of my favorite Austin locations!
Another highlight of our holiday was attending Austin Ballet's The Nutcracker. It was a wonderful show!

Christmas Advent Event

2011-02-04T13:29:00.002-06:00

I am so behind on my posts, I'm just now posting about our Christmas activities! We participated again this year in our church's family advent event, and it was even more fun because we had our two family friends and Grandma Luci and Grandpa Denny there too!
Needless to say, all the activity...and sugar wore Emma out!

Glamour Girl

2011-02-04T13:24:00.002-06:00

Lauren and her girl scout Daisy troop did so many neat things for others in their community this year, that we decided to "pamper" them! They went to a kid's salon and had their hair, nails and make-up done. They also picked out a fun outfit then paraded on stage and had a dance party. The girls really enjoyed themselves!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...Feb?

2011-02-04T13:13:00.005-06:00

The winter storm which has hit much of the U.S. made for an exciting Friday for us! School was first delayed two hours, then quickly canceled for the day due to snow and ice covering the ground. The girls could not wait to bundle up and get out there to play!

Chuy's Parade

2010-12-03T10:33:00.004-06:00

A Christmas tradition for the Clark family is to attend the Chuy's Children's Parade downtown. The girls each bring an unwrapped toy to donate and get to watch a pretty cool parade too! This year, we had extra special company - G&G Clark, G&G Lavis, and The Schultz Family!

Learning to Knit

2010-12-03T09:31:00.003-06:00

Grandma Clark (aka GG) brought knitting kits to Texas this trip and taught the girls how to knit hats for their American Girl dolls. Bill even got into the knitting mood.

Friday Update

2010-11-12T08:25:00.003-06:00

I love Fridays at work because:

It's Friday (duh)
Everyone in this company is burning banked vacation since they changed policy and we can no longer bank hours but instead go to the "use it or lose it" policy. There are people here who get 8 weeks of vacation annually, plus 5 floating holidays, plus had 2 months of banked vacation to use up in 2010. Needless to say, I'm the one turning the lights on and off every Friday - there is no one here.
Per #2 above, I have a lot of time to myself with no one calling me, emailing me, or stopping by unannounced
I can catch up on my blog reading and writing

On Thursday, Lauren's school hosted a Thanksgiving lunch. Bill was already there as a W.A.T.C.H.Dog for the day, so I picked up Emma from school and met them all there. We arrived early enough so Emma was able to catch recess with the 1st graders. She ran out the door with all the kids and b-lined straight to the swings, where she got into the sitting line...how did she know to do that? She waited patiently and was so excited to swing on the big kids playground. Lauren, on the other hand, rallied the kids and got Bill to play a game of tag. Seems all the kids decided to be the taggers and gang up on the Watchdog :-) The lunch was really good and Emma was so excited to eat hot lunch at the elementary school, even though she says she gets hot lunch every day from Chef Tara (at her school).

We had a family homework assignment to disguise a turkey so that it would be spared from being a meal on a Thanksgiving table. We discussed possible disguises...a cheerleader, a football player, a princess...all great ideas. We ended up wrapping it like a Christmas present, attaching a tag to its beak which read "To: Santa, From: Lauren"...it turned out very cute. Lauren, Emma and Bill colored the Turkey while I cut out the wrapping paper and made the curly streamers. Lauren taped the paper and streamers to the Turkey. It was a lot of fun. Here's a picture of my two turkeys working on the turkey.

Sweet Berry Farm

2010-11-01T08:49:00.004-05:00

Lauren's class took a trip to Sweet Berry Farm on Friday, and I was able to go along for the day. Even more special, Emma was able to come along and participate as well (our 1st grade teacher ROCKS!!!). The kids had so much fun going to all the stations prepared for them. They shucked corn in a rotary machine, then took the kernels and cobs and made a cute Thanksgiving decoration out of them. They had a pumpkin relay race, then took their pumpkin to a painting table and decorated them. They had a hayride and ran through the corn maze (no child left behind...whew). It really was a lot of fun!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T08:35:00.004-05:00

I finally found my camera USB download cord, so we have pictures to share! We had two families over for Halloween yesterday, and spent the afternoon getting ready, eating, and running around the neighborhood gathering candy. It was really a fun day.

Bill was "The Situation" from MTV's reality TV show, The Jersey Shore. I went as the Wicked Witch of the West Texas, and the girls were also witches (so I was also called the Mother Witch last night...).

My favorite picture was finding Emma and her friend Baelen eating their candy...sitting in the bowls of candy.

We're Baaack

2010-10-19T12:41:00.010-05:00

It has been far too long since the last post. I blame this on ease of keeping tabs on Facebook, busy schedules, brutally busy work days (seriously, they expect me to do work instead of blog!), and general exhaustion after the kids are in bed. But, I've decided those are all bad excuses to not keep everyone up to the minute on happenings in the Clark household. I searched high and low for my camera and USB cord this morning, but realized my procrastination on organizing the home office has just come back to bite me. So, I'll hunt tonight while sorting papers. I do have a picture though of Emma at school...she is working on tying, and is proud to tell all that she can tie her shoes! She can also ride her bike with NO training wheels. Her knees are proof :-) We do have video on Bill's phone, and once we figure out how to get that out of the phone, we'll get it up here.

I'm sure you are all wondering what we've been up to since the last post. I will make the attempt to list the activities here, in no order of occurrence because they've all blended in my mind:

Lauren lost her third tooth and Mommy was in town to witness the event. She actually took a paper towel and pulled it out herself!
Emma transitioned from being a Longhorn to being a Giraffe at school. She is doing so well! She has commenced her reading program and read her book to the entire class.
Lauren started first grade!! We are THRILLED with her teacher, the classroom, and the overwhelmingly positive feelings we all have this year. What a difference! Lauren's spunky personality is back, her imagination and creativity are full speed ahead, and she is just an all around happy little girl. We couldn't be happier.
Bill's new business venture, Microventures, received full SEC/FINRA approval and is up and running!!! He's been busy with the start-up and media, and loves what he's doing.
I raised $$$ for Alzheimer's Research by participating in Austin's Memory Walk. It was emotional and rewarding. Although they did not post final rankings, I had to be in the Top 1o individual fundraisers for the Austin event, and I was the first one back from the walk (it was not a race, but I wanted to be first!). I was so proud to be able to do this for my family and friends. I can't wait to participate next year!
Lauren's school had their Fall Fest event last Friday! Lauren spent a good deal of time in the petting zoo holding bunnies, baby chicks, and chasing a baby pig around the pen. Emma spent most of her tickets trying to win at the cakewalk. She enjoyed the game, but didn't end of winning. They had a hayride and bounce houses. It was a nice evening.
We determined in October our neighborhood was targeted for garage break-ins. We are OK, but did realize that someone unscrewed our garage exterior lightbulb, hoping that we'd forget to close the garage door and then take a few items from us. Luckily, we double and triple check every night so they never had a chance, but still unsettling.

That's all I can think of at this point, and work is bugging me to get back to it :-) I will try to be better on getting updates loaded here!

~Jessica

Emma's School Celebration

2010-07-16T16:06:00.004-05:00

Even though Emma's birthday was officially last Saturday, we held her school ceremony today. Emma has a poster which shows pictures from all 4 years of her life, and after talking about each one, she walks around the sun (a candle) holding the globe, which represents Emma growing one year old (since the earth takes 1 year to travel around the sun). Afterward, we celebrated with UT cupcakes on Spiderman plates - it was a hit!

Lauren at School

2010-07-15T09:24:00.003-05:00

Lauren is loving Leadership Summer Camp! She is making all sorts of new friends, and learning some neat things. She's been doing oragami projects. The class also held a lemonade stand, and put together an entire business case for it. It must've been a good one - they raised $245 in 5 hours! They are giving all the money to the Austin Zoo as their community project.

Happy 4th Birthday Emma!!

2010-07-10T13:19:00.003-05:00

WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!!!

Week in Michigan

2010-07-07T19:49:00.020-05:00

It has been a fantastic and busy summer so far. We had the best intentions of this summer being low-key given the very hectic school year, but little did we know that 2 weeks prior we would decide to make the 23 hour voyage to Michigan for the week! Our best friends, Jim and April, were baptizing their precious little girl, Madelyn, and being the nice friends they are, didn't tell us right away because they didn't want us to feel obligated to attend. So with about a week and a half before the baptism we get the phone call. HA! We decided to pack up the kids and the car and make an adventure out of the whole thing. Best part - Jim had no idea we were coming, so Saturday morning when the girls rang his doorbell, April told us later Jim yelled to her to get the door because "there were some little kids" at it. April was in on the surprise so she yelled right back at him to get it. And boy, did we surprise him well - he was stunned for a good half an hour. We were so honored to be able to witness Maddy's baptism, it was such a special day! We spent the rest of our week in Michigan between Grandma Gail and Grandpa Tom's house, where we went at the Detroit Zoo and to the Grosse Park Woods Park, and Grandma Luci and Grandpa Denny's house, where we climbed to the top of the Ludington lighthouse and went on a dinghy ride. While also in Detroit, I was able to see my best friend from college, Heidi, and her daughter Sophie - it'd been over a year since I'd seen her last and it had felt as though I'd just seen her last week...that's when you know you have a wonderful friend! We had so much fun visiting Michigan in the summer - the girls did ask where all the snow was though :-)Here is a photo recap of the events:

Lauren and Emma LOVE baby Maddy, and had so much fun feeding her. Why neither of my children are clothed, I have no idea, but at least they feel very comfortable at Jim and April's house!

Lauren and Emma with Maddy after her baptism -she was out and looks like a porcelain doll! Not even a bear hug from Emma could stir her awake! The next picture is Lauren with our great friend, Greg. Lauren loves Greg, as you can tell by her face. The last picture in this bunch is our handsome men. L to R: Bill, Tom, Don, Greg and Jim.
Now, off to the Detroit Zoo! I was very much looking forward to this day, and was even more thrilled when Tom was able to get away from work to join us. We spent close to 6 hours at the zoo, riding the train to the back of the zoo (first picture below) and walking all the way to the front. I, as pseudo tour guide and holder of the map, ensured we saw EVERY exhibit! It was an awesome day - I may have had more fun than anyone :-) Emma was thrilled to see a Longhorn so far from Texas and begged me to take pictures of it with her. We also have one of her flashing the hook 'em horns sign which will be sent to her teacher (who taught her the UT fight song at like 2 years old). The girls favorite exhibit was the prairie dogs, and it is so cool because they have below ground tunnels for the kids to crawl into and pop their heads out just like a prairie dog! You can see Emma looking around for the little critters. And no trip is complete without a boo-boo. Lauren tripped over an uneven sidewalk section and slammed her head into a glass door. So, the local paramedics were called and I of course thought the world was coming to an end...until I saw this picture Bill took. Lauren certainly loves the attention, even if accidentally-gained.

While in Grosse Pointe, we decided to stop by the War Memorial where Bill and I were married, to get a couple of photos of the girls and us together. Can't believe it will be 9 years next week! How time flies. A favorite photo for most brides is standing in the wrought iron gate entry way. I remember standing there in my gown with Bill. Now, it is amazing to look at the newest picture and see the girls standing there where we were 9 years ago.

We met my best friend, Heidi, at a quaint park near her home which gave the girls a chance to play with Sophie, and me a chance to catch up with Heidi. I'm so glad she is in Michigan as I'll for sure now be able to see her more than just every couple of years!

Now, off to Ludington! We packed up the Clark van with the girls, Gail, and Jim, April and Maddy following behind, and headed up to Ludington to spend some time on the beach and just relaxing by the water. We walked out to the Lighthouse and to my surprise it is now open for visitors to climb all the way to the top! And we did just that - the girls included. At the very top you can see the light and the fog horn and a few miles out - it was definitely a first for me and super cool! The girls didn't mind much that it was a bit cool and windy on the beach for the adults, and spent a few hours building sand castles and collecting lakeweed to build the barriers. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Bill and Jim seemed to really enjoy each others company and were quite adamant about getting a picture of the two of them with the lighthouse behind them :-) Grandpa Denny took the girls and Bill for a dinghy ride around the marina and the girls just thought it was the best. They also met Grandma Luci's fishin' buddy, Robert who was very proud to show off his latest catch to the girls. And finally, photo proof that mother-in-laws do get along very well together - contrary to what some experts may think...ha ha ha!! It was a wonderful time having everyone together and looking forward to doing it again.

As quickly as the week came, it was over and the massive 23 hour drive back was in front of us. We decided to break it up over two days and spend the night half way through. Somehow, the straight through drive to Michigan was more appealing to us all than the drive home :-)

Happy 6th Birthday Lauren!

2010-06-05T06:30:00.003-05:00

How time flies! Growing into such a wonderful little girl. We love you so much Lauren. Happy Birthday! Love, Mommy, Daddy, and Emma

Having a Field Day!

2010-06-05T06:09:00.003-05:00

Friday was Field Day at Lauren's school. So many fun activities set up for the kids. Lauren loved the water relay obstacle course, pearl hunting (marbles buried in sand inside kiddie pools) and Kona Ice snow cones. Needless to say, she was tired after that morning. Afterward, she went to YMCA because they were having an end of the year pizza and awards party - couldn't miss out there either....oh, and a water balloon fight!

Emma Buckaroo

2010-05-30T14:41:00.002-05:00

Emma went to her friend's birthday party this morning at Buckaroo Ranch. They played games and Emma even rode the pony, and then asked if she could have one for her birthday. Emma brought back her cowboy hat and I'm sure that will be a staple of wardrobe for a while now.

Dance Recital Pictures

2010-05-25T10:05:00.006-05:00

Art Festival

2010-05-23T13:37:00.003-05:00

Emma's school hosted an art festival and we had so much fun on Saturday. They had face painting which the girls took full advantage, a balloon artist where Emma got full battle gear and Lauren a heart flower bracelet. They had a disco room and the girls had fun dancing away. The girls also made birdhouses and various other crafts. They even ate nachos and rice krispy treats. It was a fun day!

Dance Rehearsal

2010-05-23T13:15:00.005-05:00

We are down to the final moments for dance (yippee!). Saturday was full dress rehearsal, which meant getting the girls' hair done and make-up (gulp), as well as in their costumes. It was chaotic but the girls enjoyed themselves and were really very good for the almost 3 hours we had to be there (mind you, their routines were only about 30 seconds long, but spaced out enough that we couldn't leave and come back). Bill even has a dance in the recital!
Here are pictures from rehearsal.

Emma and I were worn out...obviously not Lauren though (or Bill for that matter!).

Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean

2010-05-20T13:41:00.004-05:00

Rosa and crew came this morning and did a fantastic number on the house. I'm not embarrassed to say they found dust bunnies hiding in places I did not know existed. I can see my face in the hardwood floors and the girls rooms look so cute, I almost cried. They washed my bottom panel windows, in between my washer and dryer (I wouldn't even go there!) and I've not seen the silver without spots on the shower in I don't know how long. It's amazing what level of grime you put up with when you work full-time. I can't wait for them to come back! They are coming the day Grandma and Grandpa Clark come :-) Grandma Clark has been such an advocate (and a persistent buzz in Bill's ear) of us hiring help with the cleaning...she is going to be so proud of me! Here are the girls' rooms after the transformation. Rosa even stripped the beds and put fresh sheets on them - heaven!

Daddy/Daughter Dance Photo

2010-05-20T10:45:00.002-05:00

We are the Biscuit Brothers!

2010-05-17T12:16:00.005-05:00

We had the opportunity to see the Biscuit Brothers this weekend. They were giving a free concert at a local outdoor shopping center, so we couldn't pass up two of our favorite things - the Biscuit Bros. and something free :-)

We were there early, of course, so spent some time in the Apple store where I swear the girls can manage all the electronics better than me. Lauren was working the iPad and iTouch to play games and listen to music. Emma found the kids table and was playing a Dora game on the iMac. I had a tough time figuring out how to operate the trash can to throw away my coffee cup - ha ha.
Wandered our way back to the outdoor music stage to find Dusty, one of the brothers, setting up his guitar. He was excited to see the girls and jumped down to catch a picture with the girls. Here's a link back to our last fun encounter with the B Bros gang.

Project Planet

2010-05-17T12:06:00.003-05:00

Lauren had her biggest homework project of the year this past weekend. She has been learning about planets at school, and the final assignment was to select a planet of her choice, check resources out of the library to write a report, then create some piece of artwork to accommodate the report. Lauren picked Pluto. I was there with her in the library when she selected the resource book. I forgot that Pluto had been demoted...it's not a real planet anymore. Well, part of the book report Lauren was tasked to write asked what she knew about Pluto. Thankfully she already knew Pluto was not a real planet anymore, that instead it was a dwarf planet. Whew - crisis averted. So, she wrote about what made Pluto special and not like the rest of the planets. It has a messy orbit - she really liked that. It means there is a bunch of junk in its path unlike the other planets. It also rotates opposite to all the other planets in our solar system. Lauren liked demonstrating this to me by spinning herself silly in the living room. She decided to create a diorama of Pluto, and thankfully we had the help of Lauren's friend Grace who corrected me that the background should be black, not blue as I had planned to direct Lauren to paint it. Where was I during planet week?? Crossing my fingers Lauren gets a check mark for her awesome diorama!

Mother's Day Activities

2010-05-07T15:54:00.002-05:00

Emma had mother's day tea this week at her school, and since I had the opportunity to participate in daddy's picnic with Emma, I let Bill go to the mother's day activity with Emma. They had a great time and Emma showed off her work and also found a crafty alternative with her lunch napkin.Lauren's kindergarten class held a spa day for the moms. Lauren's table mate was by himself so we asked him to join in with us. This is what happens when you let two 6 year old kids loose on your face with your make-up bag. It was really fun and the kids had a blast. I think they did a pretty good job actually!

Topsy Turvy should be renamed the SCAM-WOW

2010-04-21T20:33:00.003-05:00

Ok - So I allowed Bill to talk me into buying the Topsy Turvy, and drilling a hole into the deck to hang it. I also got suckered into putting the thing together and filling it with the plant and dirt. I'm now also having to water the thing this week while he's out of town. I had my reservations about the thing even before tonight, given that the design expects to hold 30 lbs of beautiful tomatoes with a 2" piece of foam in the center opening - Ha!
My absolute breaking point (pun is intended, read on) was when the plant did in fact start growing, but UPWARD toward the sun (duh) rather than toward the ground like in every advertisement I'd seen to date. Then finally, the poor plant's backbone had enough. The base of the plant growing toward the sky became too heavy, twisted and snapped. It was growing full yesterday night, and by tonight was one big nasty plant of wilt.
The bright side is that the second shoot of the plant, still growing upward, has 3 tomatoes growing. I'm sure any bigger and that little branch will break off as well.
It really is topsy heavy, turvy curvy down. The scam-wow (play off sham-wow, the other obnoxious infomercial) is the perfect name for this ridiculous product.

Father's Day Picnic

2010-04-21T20:22:00.006-05:00

Emma's school held their father's day picnic today, a little early so that all the kids could participate before school ends for the summer. Bill is out of town (and oddly was last year too), so I came and watched Emma do classroom work and eat a sack lunch with her and her friends on the playground. Last night I asked Emma if it was OK that I come instead of daddy since I'm not a dad, and she said "Well, I'd better ask my teachers in the morning if you can come." So, sure enough, this morning when I walked her into school, she asked her teacher if I could come. Thankfully, they said it'd be OK this time :-) He had a really fun time. Bill was bummed, but I guarantee he didn't mind missing out on the pre-made sandwiches...ham and cheese with mayonnaise...mmm, good!

Our backyard lizard

2010-04-21T20:18:00.004-05:00

He usually hangs out in the big tree in our backyard, then scurries under the deck most days, but lately this week he's found a semi-secluded perch on our deck railing. The vine keeps him hidden but with all the flowers blooming, the location brings in a lot of tasty bugs. Emma has named him Spike.

Public Apology - April Recap

2010-04-19T20:08:00.012-05:00

We've been really bad about keeping up with posts. It's not like we've had nothing going on, it's that we've had too much lately, and the blog has suffered. I realized I'd had an Easter post in draft since that weekend, and so everything after Easter has also not made it to the blog. So, grab a cup of coffee, use the little girls/boys room, and hope your computer chair is relaxing, because here we go....

Easter Weekend
Fun filled weekend with a visit from the Easter Bunny. Left two really nice baskets for the girls (forgot about mom and dad, although he did put a few Reese's peanut butter eggs and Cadbury cream eggs in...hmmm...I wonder how he knew?!?), and also left cracky eggs as well. These must be a southern thing as I'd never seen them growing up in the Midwest. They are like little pinatas made of real egg shells filled with paper confetti. The girls love them. They make a mess of your driveway. Church was great, we had 3 Easter lilies and brought them home to plant in our front flowerbed (4/19 side note - they are still doing well). They place a large wooden cross outside and the girls thought it was really pretty. In the afternoon we dyed Easter eggs and had 9 different colors to choose from. The girls decided to create an assembly line and dip their eggs in every one of the colors.
One Giant Step
Emma made the decision on her own to transition from being a "napper" to being in "bridging" at school. She saw a friend's work and when the friend said Emma could start doing the work once she moved into bridging, she asked me if she could make the switch. I told her to talk with her teachers the next day. She did and they said she'd need to talk with the master teacher when she returned from vacation. I don't think the woman had two feet in the door before Emma asked whether she could make the switch. Nothing like taking your career into your own hands! It's been two weeks now and Emma loves bridging, and is bringing home what she says is "challenging work". I still think she's adjusting a bit to the no nap thing during the school week.
Tooth Fairy, 2, Mom, 0
For the second time now I've been traveling on business when Lauren loses a tooth. This is a big deal for me and it's now quite humorous to us all that her teeth are just waiting for me to be gone to let loose. Lauren's second tooth was hanging on by the tiniest of root the morning I left, and I kept prodding Lauren to just yank it out (I'm sure my mother would be proud). But, it just would not budge until I was 1500 miles away in a Minnesota hotel room (I'm sure my father can sympathize).
Roll Call
Lauren loves playing school, and especially likes being the teacher. I'm so glad she wants to play this and that school has become such a positive experience for her, as I'm a school junkie who if I'd had infinite time and money with zero responsibility, would have probably been a professional student. Here she is taking roll call Sunday morning. The frog and I received a check mark for being present, Emma overslept and missed school, and daddy was marked absent even though he was on his "field trip".
Daddy/Daughter Dance
Lauren's girl scout service unit sponsored a daddy/daughter dance Saturday night. The theme was diamonds and denim. Lauren was excited to wear a dress that we'd had in her closet since last Christmas and had Grandma Luci take in while she was visiting. She even had jewelry from her garage sale purchase earlier that morning (spent her tooth fairy money on a basket of jewelry from the neighbor girls). They went to the dance while Emma and I went out to dinner (Thundercloud Subs) and planned to hit the grocery store to stock up for the week while Bill would be in Boston. But, we instead navigated through a torrential downpour and through small lakes of flood water to get back into the neighborhood. We had over 2.5" rain fall in a matter of minutes!
Hey Cupcake
Sunday afternoon treat. They have some cute names for their cupcakes. I had Red Velvet (white cream cheese frosting, red velvet cupcake), Emma had Vanilla Dream (pink buttercream frosting, vanilla cupcake), and Lauren had the Michael Jackson (white cream cheese frosting, chocolate cupcake).

Our new Business

2010-04-02T21:47:00.005-05:00

Check out the business I just started. Still in the initial stages and we just launched today. Full launch is this summer. -Bill

New Links

2010-04-01T14:54:00.002-05:00

I've added a few new links to the right, giving props to some of the ladies in my circle who write on either a personal blog or a conglomerate (see Deep South Moms). The Stiletto Mom blog just cracks me up because here's a woman trying to balance it both (I see me there, just not in stilettos but trying to rock it in the corporate world with mad engineering skills while in a cute skirt) and wondering why sometimes the luck scale seems to be off balanced (see her spring break post).
Just some additional sites to fill up a few minutes of your day.

Enjoy.

~Jessica

The Month of March

2010-03-29T20:45:00.005-05:00

We've been slacking in our postings for the month of March, mainly due to the fact that most evenings we spent with Grandma Luci and Grandpa Denny during their motor home adventure to Texas. Here are a few photos of the things we've been doing this month.

Kite Festival 2010

2010-03-15T12:02:00.002-05:00

We had a great time at the kite festival yesterday. The weather was perfect and we were able to get our kite up for a while until another kite cut our line. -Bill

Not time to swim yet

2010-03-15T12:00:00.002-05:00

The girls really wanted to swim all weekend. They didn't understand that even though it was 80 the water was still really cold at the pool. Warm for people in Michigan but we like the water to at least be in the 70's. Sorry we are spoiled. I took the girls to the pool so they could at least test out the water. -Bill

Saturday afternoon yardwork

2010-03-15T11:57:00.002-05:00

On Saturday afternoon we got together with a few neighbors and all pitched in to help weed and trim another neighbors yard who can't do it as much anymore due to health conditions. We had a good time and of course took the opportunity to bring out the grill and have some food. -Bill

Dinner @ Grandma & Grandpa's Place

2010-03-15T08:40:00.003-05:00

My parents brought their motor home to Texas and are staying at La Hacienda, just around the corner from our place. Last Thursday the girls and I went over for dinner and to hang out. We had a lot of fun. Lauren shelled pistachios for Grandpa, Emma shelled and ate her own. The girls jumped on the bed, then made it back up, we had hot dogs with mac & cheese, then went to the playground for a little while. They wore Gabby out.

Business Up Front...Party in the Back

2010-03-15T08:30:00.001-05:00

Bill decided yesterday was the day to start his summer buzz cut, but first we took a few head shots for the business looking all professional, and he then decided to have a little fun with a mohawk.

Watchdogs at Laurens School

2010-03-11T10:55:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I went to Lauren's school for the day to be a watchdog. It is basically dads who go to school and participate in various activities in your childs classes and other classes as well. I had a great time. Lauren and I started the day by raising the flags and then I spent some time in her room helping with various art activities and 1x1 with kids reading. Then I went to PE and played a awesome game with the 4th graders. It was dodgeball but with an interesting spin where you have to knock over a pin at each base and then put the ball in a crate to get the person out. The runner can run around the bases as many times as they can. I scored 3 points! almost 4.. next time. After that I went to recess with Lauren and then lunch with her. After they left lunch I spent about an hour with the other kids trying to steal their candy and then headed back to the kindergarten area to help out. We ended our day by taking down the flags and folding them up. It was a great day and I plan on doing it again in May. -Bill

Future basketball players

2010-03-11T10:53:00.001-06:00

Jessica was at school for a PTA meeting and the girls and I were there for the book fair. While waiting for Jessica we played in the MPR (multi purpose room) and the girls were hanging on the rim. Lauren said to not tell her PE teacher because hanging on the rim is not allowed. - Bill

Random pictures

2010-03-11T10:50:00.001-06:00

Here are a few pictures of the girls going on hikes and playing in the front yard. -Bill

valentines day at taco bell

2010-03-11T10:48:00.002-06:00

Yes this post is almost a month late but I have been busy. We always go to Taco Bell on valentines day. The kids love it because we let them get what ever they want. -Bill

skateboards

2010-03-11T10:44:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures of the girls playing with their skateboards. They are pretty good at balancing on them. Better than I thought. I expected to have a lot of injuries but none so far. I probably jinxed it. -Bill

Yard Work with Daddy

2010-03-06T07:40:00.002-06:00

Lauren and Emma helped Bill rake the grass last weekend but had more fun playing in the pile of dead grass. They were pretending to be birds and the grass pile their nest. Emma looked so comfortable that she almost fell asleep!
The girls have also found another use for the exercise ball that we relegated to the backyard.
As a treat Bill popped popcorn and the girls watched a movie.

World Thinking Day

2010-03-06T07:35:00.002-06:00

Last weekend Lauren had a Girl Scout event at the local middle school. Each troop in the service unit selected a country and hosted a table describing highlights of the country, and a food table showcasing a local delicacy. We had Brazil, and luckily one of our troop moms is from there, so we had the inside scoop on everything Brazil! Here is Lauren at the booth. Each of the girls received a passport and when they visited each troop's booth, they had their passports stamped. Ours was a soccer stamp and Lauren enjoyed stamping each girl's book. Lauren was also selected to be the flag bearer at the opening ceremony. She carried the flag with her friend Bella.

Building our Snowman

2010-02-23T16:12:00.002-06:00

Keep Austin Weird...

2010-02-23T13:25:00.001-06:00

Sunday was 75 degrees. Tuesday we have snow sticking to the ground. Now that is WEIRD!

The New Playscape

2010-02-22T19:38:00.002-06:00

We purchased a playscape from Costco a couple weekends ago, and after a few false starts with other potential people, we had two firefighters come this past Sunday to put it together. There are a few remaining items Bill will put onto it to complete it, but it is assembled and safe enough for the kids to use. Sunday night, after bath, we let the girls go out and try out the swings. Tonight, after work, they went out there while I prepared dinner. Not a single issue and all I heard was laughing and "push me higher"! Love this playscape.

Emma's I Can Teach Night

2010-02-17T08:31:00.004-06:00

Emma hosted Bill and me last night at her school, and taught us Montessori lessons she's been mastering at school. We were so proud of her, but better yet, she was so proud of herself for showing us so many of her lessons. She was a great teacher!

Lesson #1 - Continents. Based on the color, Emma knows the name of the continent (it matches both a flat puzzle and globe in their room). She lays out the names of the continents on her mat, then matches various animals living on each continent, and calls out all the names of the animals as she matches them to their continent.

Lesson #2 - The pink tower. Emma taught us about matching the different size cubes to their 2-D squares on each card. Then, she created the tower from biggest cube to smallest cube.

Lesson #3 - Screwing Work (what a lot of people would like to do I'm sure with their jobs...and try not to giggle when your child brings this over and says what they are working on). This is working on gross motor skills and Emma finds the correct size nut to correspond to the bolt, then connects them all. They make it tricky because they have extra bolts that do not fit any of the nuts, and she is able to quickly figure out which ones go with each other. I just loved watching her concentration on this lesson.

Clean-Up: Here is my future engineer hard at work, ensuring her mat is perfectly rolled up. She was so serious about getting this perfectly aligned.

Lauren Ran a MARATHON*

2010-02-17T08:22:00.002-06:00

*26.2 miles, 1 mile a week for 26 weeks

Lauren started running a mile every Monday just shortly after school started through a program at school called Marathon Kids. Last week she completed her 26.2 miles and Monday received her awards medal for such a great accomplishment. She went up to get her medal from the coaches, and her first response to me when she came back was "When can I start my next one?".

Outside Play

2010-02-17T08:08:00.002-06:00

This past weekend was beautiful, well until the cold front came through Sunday afternoon and dropped the temperature about 20 degrees, but before that we spent a lot of time outside playing. The girls found mud in the backyard and made all sorts of delicious muddy creations. My jasmine vines have already started blooming fragrant yellow flowers, so the girls could not resist picking some and smelling.
Lauren decided to set up school for Emma and their friend Carter. I like the use of all our carseats as classroom chairs, and how intense Lauren's students are focusing on whatever lesson being taught.

Emma Hard at Work

2010-02-11T12:15:00.002-06:00

Some of Emma's favorite stations at school are in the home living center. Here is a picture school sent to us this week. Now if we could just copy this at home...

Scout Sunday

2010-02-07T16:05:00.004-06:00

Today was Scout Sunday at church, and Lauren participated by handing out bulletins and passing the offering plates in the balcony, which was her favorite part since we don't ever sit up there. After church, we headed downtown for another Scouting event, watching UT Women's basketball play against Texas Tech. I was wondering (hoping) that Bevo the UT Longhorn mascot would be there, and that the girls would get over their phobia of large stuffed animals. At first, they didn't want to go, but I finally got them to get a picture. After that point, Lauren would not leave Bevo alone. He was up in our section of stands quite a lot during the game and Lauren kept following him around, and he would rub her hair for good luck. They were also tickling each other and laughing. Emma was at first nervous, but before she could really think about it, Bevo reached out and touched her nose - she was "hooked" too.

A Post for Emma

2010-02-03T19:47:00.002-06:00

I realized the recent posts are all centered around Lauren, so a post dedicated to Emma.

Roller Skating with Troop 411

2010-02-03T19:40:00.003-06:00

Lauren's January event with her Daisy troop was a service unit level roller skating party. We had so much fun and Lauren got the hang of it really quickly. I hadn't been on roller skates since junior high and took me a little longer. I loved that the roller skates were still "old school" tan canvas with orange wheels.

Lauren's First Bowling Event

2010-02-03T19:37:00.003-06:00

Lauren was invited to her friend Cameron's 6th birthday party, which was held at a bowling alley and arcade place here in town. Lauren was so excited because she is awesome at Wii bowling. I told her it'd be a little different, but she did really well. It helped that the bumpers were up and she used the ramp thing to guide the ball right down the center. I can't wait to go back with Emma and Bill.

Lauren's First Loose Tooth

2010-02-03T19:30:00.002-06:00

So, this actually occurred Monday, Jan 18th, but it has been a whirlwind last two weeks, that I'm just now getting to all our activities. I was in St. Paul, MN when Lauren called to tell me she'd yanked her own tooth out and was really excited for the tooth fairy. Fast forward to Tuesday morning, and I received a call telling me the tooth fairy had left a dollar with a 5 on it under her pillow. The tooth fairy asked for advice on Facebook on the going rate for the first tooth - clever.

The Lone Spartan

2010-01-20T16:28:00.002-06:00

Here is a picture of Emmas Class on Spirit day. She is the lone Spartan in a sea of Longhorns. -Bill

Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of All Ages...

2010-01-17T12:28:00.002-06:00

We went to the circus yesterday and had a great time. We had the first row of seats off the floor, so we were able to see everything really well. I was slightly nervous though at how close we were to the tiger cage and where they brought the elephants in and out of for their part in the show. We were so close we could see the elephant's eye lashes! But, it all went well and the girls liked the show. Lauren's favorite part was when a clown had a stuffed animal which was really a dog dressed up as a stuffed animal - it was cute. Emma's favorite part was seeing the elephants, although the cotton candy came in a close second.

The New Computer

2010-01-10T18:24:00.002-06:00

Bill has been looking on Craig's List daily for an Apple computer for the girls. He found one last night and picked it up this afternoon. The girls already have a Skype account and have been chatting with our friends in MI (see picture on computer), and Grandma and Grandpa Clark in FL. Next is getting Grandma Luci's computer set up so when they are back in MI they can chat with the girls too.

A Good Week

2010-01-09T13:12:00.002-06:00

Lauren and Emma both had a great first week back at school, so in celebration we went to the local ice cream shop. It didn't seem to bother the girls it was on the coldest night in Austin, in like a decade. Thankfully, we still had all our winter gear from going up north over Christmas handy!

Last Day of 2009

2009-12-31T15:50:00.002-06:00

Typically spent taking down the ornaments, which I have to say is pretty easy this year for 2 reasons: 1. I only put up the tree and about 1/2 the ornaments for it and 2. I bought these gigantic plastic bins to store the Christmas tree. They could easily fit both Emma and Lauren in one!
Happy New Year!!

Random Christmas Pictures

2009-12-31T08:02:00.003-06:00

Here are some pictures that I didn't use . -Bill

Girls eating at McDonalds in high chairs because they thought it was funny:

Pretending to drive Grandpa Denny's RV:

Our many art projects with bendaroos:

A visit to the Ludington Library:

Back home eating an Ice Cream treat as a reward for being awesome for 10 straight days and 2 flights. (Glasses are because they wanted to be rock stars)

Fun Activities

2009-12-31T07:54:00.002-06:00

While we were at our friends house we did a lot of fun things like decorating cookies, a trip to the Ann Arbor kids science center, Jungle Java and lots of art projects. Thanks April for keeping us busy. -Bill

Meeting a new friend

2009-12-31T07:50:00.000-06:00

We stayed with our friends for the last two days in Michigan so we could we their new baby Maddy. The girls loved playing with her. -Bill

Visiting Michigan State

2009-12-31T07:47:00.001-06:00

On the way back from Ludington we stopped at MSU to get some Spartan gear for the girls and get our picture with the Sparty statue. -Bill

Sledding Fun

2009-12-31T07:42:00.002-06:00

Over Christmas we went sledding 3 times. The girls loved it. -Bill

Lauren Getting air on the little ramp on the hill.

Warming up with hot chocolate after 30 trips down the hill.

Christmas Part 2

2009-12-21T12:14:00.001-06:00

Today we had Christmas again. Santa was nice enough to stop in Texas last week and in Ludington today. I think he is going to stop by again on Christmas in Detroit. The girls are so spoiled!! but they have been great for 5 straight days so they deserve it. -Bill

stopping by to see Grandpa

2009-12-21T12:10:00.002-06:00

Before we went to Ludington on Sunday we stopped by to see Grandpa/ the girls Great Grandpa. They were excited to see him! Emma gave Grandpa hugs for 10 minutes. -Bill

Family Christmas pt 1

2009-12-21T12:05:00.002-06:00

Jessica's family Christmas was on Saturday. We had fun seeing all our family and the girls love seeing their cousins. It snowed again so we were back out rolling around and eating snow. -Bill

First real snow of the season

2009-12-21T12:01:00.002-06:00

There was no snow when we got to Detroit and none in the forecast for the next few days. The girls were so excited when we woke up on Friday morning and it had snowed a few inches. We had to go play first thing in the morning and get our first taste of snow for the season. -Bill

Detroit Science Center

2009-12-21T11:57:00.003-06:00

On Friday we went to the Detroit Science Center. The girls had a great time with all the hands on exhibits and we also went to a IMAX movie. -Bill

On the Plane to Michigan

2009-12-21T11:54:00.001-06:00

On Thursday we headed to Detroit to start our world tour. The girls were great on the plane and at the airport. Thanks Girls!!! -Bill

Funny pictures

2009-12-14T09:10:00.003-06:00

I posted the first picture on my facebook page while we were waiting in line for Santa. I didn't even realize that the kid to the left of the girls was picking his nose until I got some comments back on the picture. Today while looking at my other pictures I discovered that he was really into it because I snapped him 2 times. -Bill

Santa Came Early

2009-12-14T09:04:00.004-06:00

Since we are leaving before Christmas to go to Michigan we had a talk with Santa last week and he decided to come early just for us so he visited Friday night and we opened presents Saturday morning. Actually all day because we had dance and had to leave. We dragged out opening presents until about 4:00 which was nice. -Bill

Girls opening their Zhu Zhu pets which seems to be the biggest hit this year. They love them.

Their Princess skateboards. It took Santa a long time to find girly boards.

A swingset that the girls have wanted for a long time.

Opening their Leapster 2's which should come in handy during the airplane ride.

Swinging in the backyard.

Gingerbread Church

2009-12-14T08:54:00.003-06:00

We went to Church to build Gingerbreak Churches. It is our second time doing it and this time we were prepared with bowls and spoons. -Bill

Emma passed out on the way home so I dropped her in her bead like this and she stayed like that for 2 hours. Funny!

Lauren in Choir

2009-12-14T08:52:00.003-06:00

Last weekend we went to an event at Church on Saturday and before it started Lauren and her Choir sang some Christmas songs. -Bill

It snowed in Austin

2009-12-14T08:49:00.002-06:00

I am way behind on posting pictures. 1 reason is because our Camera is broken and the other is because I have been studying for a test for the past 2 months. We had snow about a week and a half ago. I stayed home because we were going to get 2 inches and people in Austin can't drive in rain let alone snow. All we got were flurries. Our pictures were not as good as these: http://milestogomommy.blogspot.com/2009/12/snow.html

We are looking forward to real snow in 3 more days.

- Bill

The Jessica Tree

2009-12-09T10:45:00.002-06:00

When I was in junior high, I went to an Earth Day event where a local Christmas tree farm handed out seedlings, which were nothing more than a root ball and one single spruce limb. I planted it against my parents' house not thinking it'd make it, but it loved the location and began to take off. A few years later, my dad transplanted it into the middle of the yard and that is where it stands today. As a reference to size, the white picket fences are approximately 6ft. This week's blizzard like conditions in Michigan really make the tree look spectacular.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

2009-12-06T15:09:00.002-06:00

Chuy's Parade

2009-11-29T16:12:00.002-06:00

We always enjoy going to the Chuy's parade each year after Thanksgiving, and the girls loved this one the best so far. I also like taking a photo in the middle of Congress Ave. with the Capitol right behind us. Maybe this will be the Christmas card for 2009...

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T09:04:00.003-06:00

Had a lot of fun yesterday preparing the dinner, getting the tables set for everyone. The table decorations for the kiddie table were hats and seat mats made by Lauren, and the napkin rings were ribbons with each of the girls initials, that they could remove and tie into a necklace (take that Martha Stewart). And I agonized over the centerpieces because the premade flower arrangements at the grocery store were so expensive for almost nothing. Instead I bought two bouquets and made 3 arrangements out of them...for the price of one of those small premade ones. Here is the one for the adult table, the picture of the kids table shows the second one in a tin can and the 3rd one was on my counter top with the buffet of food (not shown). The kids most enjoyed Bill popping popcorn. The turkey was my best thus far...even when I had a slight panic attack as Bill was cutting into it asking me if it was at the right temperature. I realized the timer went off and I just took the turkey out of the oven and let it rest, never checking the temperature. Thankfully, it was done perfectly...whew.

Native American Day

2009-11-20T15:25:00.002-06:00

Jessica and I were at Lauren's school today for Native American Day. We made a war shield and then I left after that. Jessica stayed and volunteered for the morning. -Bill

A lot of popcorn

2009-11-20T15:24:00.001-06:00

Last night Lauren, Emma and I popped popcorn for about an hour for her schools Native American day. If we keep this up I will need a bigger popcorn machine. -Bill

Church Choir

2009-11-20T15:05:00.002-06:00

On Wed I took Lauren to her Choir practice so she can get ready for the Sunday performance. Emma and I ran around the church for an hour and then we went to Chick-fil-A for dinner. The girls are giving me their mad faces in the last pictures -Bill

Deep Fried Hotdog

2009-11-18T08:27:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I went to a hotdog place downtown called Franks for lunch. I am not a hotdog guy but when I saw the regular hotdog wrapped in bacon, stuffed with cheese and deep fried I had to try it. It was the best hotdog I have ever had. check them out. http://hotdogscoldbeer.com/eats.html -Bill

Busy Little Bee

2009-11-16T09:56:00.003-06:00

I went 31 years without feeling the sting of a bee, until Saturday morning when a yellow jacket decided I needed an early morning wake up call. I hadn't even had my coffee yet when that little thing decided to unleash itself on my shoulder blade. And I had just had a massage the day before, all relaxed and whatnot, so it had to tense me right back up. I cannot believe how painful it was and how long the effect lasted (I'm still "sore" in the 3 spots). I no longer care if there is a shortage of bees, I will be swatting away, protecting my family from the little buggers.

Bye Bye Golf Cart

2009-11-15T06:56:00.002-06:00

Today is a sad day. My beloved golf cart has been sold. We had a great time in the year that we had it. Now we will have to walk to the park. That is no fun. But maybe in the future we can get a bigger one with neon lights. There is always next year. -Bill

Turkey Lunch

2009-11-12T09:27:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I went to Lauren's school to eat lunch with her. It was the thanksgiving lunch. We had a great time. -Bill

Kids Playroom

2009-11-12T09:23:00.002-06:00

My game room has finally been turned into a kids playroom. I predicted this 5 years ago. No more bar, all that is left is the mirror, a few cabinets and the green paint. Now it has all the girls toys so we can keep all the mess in 1 room. I am off to the garage. The last room that is still mine. -Bill

The Circus

2009-11-12T09:18:00.002-06:00

While Lauren and Jessica were at camp Emma and I went to Dance, did grocery shopping, Laundry and then out to the Circus. We met some friends from church there and had an interesting time. It was definately a budget circus. They had elephants and most everything you would have at a regular circus but when they called out the Lions 4 little dogs came out. To be fair they did have haicuts like a lion would have. All that mattered was that Emma thought it was the greatest thing. We will have to take her to the real circus when it comes to town - Bill

No Training Wheels!

2009-11-10T08:32:00.002-06:00

Bill took the training wheels off Lauren's old bike (currently Emma's) and was going to work with Lauren on the grass. She jumped right on the bike and started riding on the street, without training wheels! She was so excited. I have a video, and will try and figure out how to get that loaded onto the blog. In the meantime, here is a photo of the great event!

Daisy Camp

2009-11-10T08:03:00.004-06:00

Lauren and I spent Saturday at the Girl Scout's Camp TexLake, which is inside Pace Bend Park. It was a fun day to spend at camp, walking around the park, cleaning up the shoreline for the service activity, doing many crafts which were hosted by the Girl Scout Cadets. We had a lunch picnic with all the girls and during our break the girls colored a large banner. Lauren had so much fun swapping her troop goodies with the other girls. Here are photos from our day.

Lauren's 50's Party at School

2009-11-06T09:26:00.004-06:00

The kindergarten classes at Lauren's school decided to celebrate the 50th day of school by throwing a 50's themed party. I asked Grandma Luci to make Lauren a poodle skirt to wear for the day, and it looked just darling on Lauren! Grandma Luci also made one for Emma :-)