When geeks become dads

A visit to a ranch

Roses love sunshine
Violets love dew
Angels in Heaven
Know I love you.

-from Down in the Valley (author unknown)

If I were gusty April now,
How I would blow at laughing Rose;
I'd make her ribbons slip their knots,
And all her hair come loose.

If I were merry April now,
How I would pelt her cheeks with showers;
I'd make carnations, rich and warm,
Of her vermillion flowers.

Since she will laugh in April's face
No matter how he rains or blows --
Then O that I wild April were,
To play with laughing Rose.

Laughing Rose by William Henry Davies

Pictures taken at the Sahuaro Ranch an 18th Century Ranch in Glendale.

Orphan Alert: Boy ageing out in July!

Please take a look at this boy. His file is listed with Madison Adoption Associates and his name is David. He is aging out in July and his file is being sent back THIS WEEK and he will lose his chance at having a family forever.
He was abandoned when he was 7 years old. Please email Diana at diana.maa@comcast.net if you think you might be interested. He is listed as being healthy and helpful but struggles in school because of a lack of knowledge. Please help this young man!!!!

Amy's bob

I usually cut the girls hair myself. Amy has special hair so I took her to a special place that cuts kids hair and she got to sit in a police car and watch Cinderella while a professional cut her hair. We love it. At first she said she looked like a Chinese Girl, which is the highest compliment in our family. But now we all think maybe she looks more like Dora the Explorer, also a very high compliment around here.

Oh the Cleverness of Me

Yesterday we had a high of 96 degrees here. We are one of the minority of houses around here with no backyard pool. Didn't want one with Lucy the Mischievous One. I got out the girls little inflatable pool. In the move we have lost the little cork that holds the air in the pool. It was a $30 pool, still good but useless without the cork. I went to a couple stores to see if maybe they sell replacement caps. None. I really didn't want to buy another pool for lack of a cap. I got a brilliant idea, if I say so myself. I went home and raided their toybox and came out with several rubber balls. I found one that was a good fit, and ta da! Cork.

Happy children.

Oh and Angie is not pictured because we were having swimsuit issues trying to find one that fit her. She was wearing one too big, I thought the one she wore last year was too small. I took her to the store today and had her try on a bunch of swimsuits. Turns out, she still wears the same size. So I took her home and put her back in a 18mo-2T swimsuit. Such a little bit!

Exploring the desert

Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Demolition Lucy

Today was a typical day with Lucy. Woke up cleaned up a mess. At naptime, kept hearing something coming from her room. Went to check on her and found her in Karianne's bed. She had emptied Karianne's piggy bank, got into her jewelry box and broke open Karianne's lip gloss- all over herself and Karianne's bed. It took me a long time to clean up the mess. After I came downstairs from cleaning that up, found her dripping with some spill and found soda all over the kitchen floor. A good mop to the floor and went to sit down. Didn't bother changing her, just took off her wet shirt. She went outside to play. When she had been playing quietly for too long I went out to check on her. Found Lucy sharing a bag of dog treats with the dogs. I cleaned up several more Lucy messes before putting her to bed. I'm tired.

Cuties

Amy was talking it up with some strangers today and being pretty funny and making us all laugh. They told her she was cute. Angie piped up and said, "Yup, she's a cutie

." Amy, always looking for a chance to argue with Angie said, "I'm not a cutie! Cuties are oranges!"

Orphan Alert: 4 yo sweetheart

This little sweetie sounds like my Amy in personality. Some lucky family is gonna have fun with her!

She's 4 years old and her file is with Bethany Christian Services if you would like to know more about her.

Here's her description:

Ling Ling lived with her grandmother until approximately 2007. The grandmother was mentally unstable and neglected the child and left her alone. She came into care in 2009 and has been living in a foster family. Ling Ling has moderated delays in all areas of her development. It is unknown at this time how much her delays are due to the deprivation and lack of care she received in her early years. She receives speech and occupational therapy and progressing slowly. She can be stubborn but if talked to calmly, she is able to follow instructions given. She is very affectionate with her foster family. Her foster mother is teaching her boundaries with strangers. Ling Ling always wears a smile and will need a family to accept the unknowns of her potential

Oh Lucy

This morning I woke up and came downstairs to find Lucy had gotten into my food coloring, had dumped them all out and was finger painting in it. It is not coming off of her hands and mouth. Can't get it out of the wood cabinets either. She is just going to have to have green hands for a while. Thank goodness Easter Sunday was this past Sunday. Those hands would not have matched her dress.
Yesterday she crawled in bed with me in the early morning hours and when I got up I found that we were both sleeping in chocolate crumbs. I always thought that would be a dream come true, but it wasn't. Very messy. She was covered in chocolate. My clean sheets had chocolate on them. Went to her bedroom and found her bed and teddy bears with chocolate all over them. Found 2 wrappers and finally figured out she had gotten up at some time in the night and raided the Easter baskets and ate 2 of her sister's big chocolate bunnies. That girl!

"Never tolerate the idea of martyrdom about the Cross of Jesus Christ.
The Cross was a superb triumph in which the foundations of hell were shaken.
There is nothing more certain in Time or
Eternity than what Jesus Christ did on the Cross:
He switched the whole of the human race back into a right relationship with God.
He made Redemption the basis of human life, that is,
He made a way for every son of man to get into communion with God.
The Cross did not happen to Jesus, He came on purpose for it."

--Oswald Chambers

I happen to know there are some people out there who read this blog that love scrapbooking and Cake decorating. Well rejoice, the two have met in the middle so you can do both at the same time! Also you can enter for a change to win by going to: http://bit.ly/new_cricut_cake