I'm still here!

No I haven't forgotten about my blog....on the contrary, several times a week things happen that I can't wait to post and share pictures of. But our computer at home is so much slower than the one here at work, and the last time I tried to upload pictures, it took about an hour and then it failed at the end. And I haven't had the time, or more importantly the patience to try again!

Plus this is the busiest time of the year at our house...it's "birthday season". Mallory turned 4 on May 8, Jesse turned 27 on May 11, Mariah will turn 5 on June 6, and Arissa will turn 8 on June 17. Plus there was Mother's Day. Plus I'm planning birthday parties. Plus Mariah is graduating from preschool. Plus this is a super special birthday for Arissa because once she's 8, she'll be baptized, and so I'm trying to plan for that as well.

Also, at drill team practice on Tuesday night, Arissa got an invitation to try out for the big drill team. The one that competes and does tours. She's very excited, and I am excited for her. I'm also a little weary for her, because I'm not sure she understands what a commitment it will be. They practice A LOT. And they're expected to do nothing less than their very best for the ENTIRE practice, every practice. And they march in parades....sometimes long parades, when you don't think your legs can carry you until the end. Arissa is good at drill though....she's the best in the class she's in now. And I know that should would be just as good in the big drill team. But she's only 7, soon to be 8, and I wonder if maybe it'll be too much for her. And once we sign up, we sign a contract for a year, which means if by the 3rd month she's drop dead tired and it isn't fun anymore, she can't quit because it'll mess up the whole group. But I don't want to be negative at all, and I'm not trying to be. I'm trying to be realistic. So I sat down and tried to explain as best I could, what a commitment it will be and that it's a lot of work, there are times when it's more work than it is fun. But she feels that she still wants it, so try-outs are May 30....and now I'm nervous for her. :O)

What else has been happening.....well I've been working on my garden quite a bit. Sometimes it seems silly to me, being as that we're just renting right now and someday I'll have to leave all my beautiful flowers and plants and hardwork for someone else to admire or change or neglect. BUt for now, my hydrangeas are beginning to bloom....and I feel so happy everytime I look at them. There's SO many buds about to bloom, it's incredible. It makes me proud too, because I've finally learned how to take care of them properly....you can only cut them at certain times if you want them to bloom the next season, for instance. Also, Jesse built a trellis out of wood, and my new Wisteria is rapdily climbing it. This week I noticed it surpassed the top of the trellis but had nowhere to go, so last night Jesse had to add on to the trellis so it can climb to the roof, and then soon we'll need to add something to the edging of the house so that it can climb around it.

This is Jesse building the trellis....and our sweet little neighbor friend Alex watching.

And every saturday for the past month the girls have been taking swimming lessons. It's so much fun to watch, they really enjoy it and it's so cute! It's funny how different they are though....Arissa, of course being the oldest, is really learning fast and at the last class she was able to swim a short distance w/o the teacher holding her. She also loves to jump off the side and swim back up. Arissa is very diligent and serious.

Mallory is a little daredevil....she's FALLEN into the water twice, and once was the very first time she got in, and she still loves it. She shows the most excitement, she's always smiling. She loves the water, and she also loves the toys they let her play with. She plays while she waiting for her turn to go out into the pool, and then to entice her to try going under the water, the teacher will toss her toy-du-jour out aways and then help Mallory "swim" to get it. And then there's Mariah...my sweet little girl. She enjoys it too.....when she's not terrified of it. She does NOT like going under the water, and a lot of the time she sits there and cries. Not wailing cries, just little sobs....she still wants to be in the water, and when her teacher asks her to try going under, she does, but most of the time her face looks like this:

See what I mean? I feel bad for Mariah but at the same time, how cute/hilarious is that face? I thouroughly enjoy the 1/2 hr I spend watching them swim every saturday.