First Dance Class

I loved when Baylee was in the stage of loving everthing girly such as princesses and dress up. Now Baylee is too old for that, at least she thinks she is. Last week Sydney went to her first dance class with her best buddy, Halle. Sydney was so excited to wear tights, a leotard and she could not decide on what skirt to wear so she wore two, but she wore one up under her arm pits. She loved the ballet and tap class. Every time we drive by the dance studio, Sydney says, "My dance class". It is so cute, my baby is becoming a big girl. I am so happy to have another girly girl.

Daddy/Daughter Date Night

Travis wanted to take Baylee on a date night just the two of them last week. They have done this since Baylee was 2. She has always wanted to wear makeup and put on perfume because that is what I always do before a date with Travis. This date Travis took Baylee to see the Hannah Montana movie in 3D. Even though we went to the concert in October, she is such a fan she wanted her Dad to take her. Baylee really has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger. Travis would do anything for his girls. On Sunday, Travis and Baylee went on a little walk and as I watched them walking hand in hand, I thought to myself how I hope they always have this type of relationship. Baylee loves being with her Dad.

I have been tagged!

I was tagged by my friend Aimee. A little info about me and my sweetie!

How long have you and your significant other been together? together for 9 years, married for 9 years in May.
Who eats more? Travis
Who said "I love you" first? Travis asked me if I loved him, and I said" Yes, I am falling in love with you" then he said, "I love you too!"
Who is taller? Travis, but when I wear my tall shoes I think I am getting close, even though he denies it.
Who sings better? Definetly Travis, he also can sing OPERA!!!
Who is smarter? I think Travis is smarter, he is getting all A's in his MBA program.
Who does the laundry? I do.
Who does the dishes? Mostly me but he does help when there is a need.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Travis
Who pays the bills? Travis just started, since he has taken all of these finance courses, he is much better at budgeting and has more patience.
Who mows the lawn? Usually Travis but when he is really busy and it has not had time, I will go out and mow while he is at work and it really bugs him. He does not want the neighbors to see me, because it supposedly is his job.
Who cooks dinner? I do mostly but Travis is really good at stepping in if I am gone or need his help. He cooks a mean Travilada (Chicken Enchiladas).
Who drives when you are together? Travis
Who is more stubborn? ME
Whose parents do you see the most? Travis', my parents live too far away :(.
Who kissed who first? Travis did, after I gave him plenty of hints.
Who proposed? Travis
Who is more sensitive? I am, I cry at almost anything such as a Chick Flick, Oprah or even a cheesy commercial. He can be very sensitive when it comes to his little family.
Who has more friends? I stay in touch better with my friends but he does have his best buddy, Jess, they talk at least 3-4 times a day.
Who has more siblings? He has 5 and I have 3.
I am tagging: All of you!

Now it is your turn to answer these questions on your blogs.

The Invisible Mom

A friend from church sent this to me and I know I have read it before but for some reason today when I read this story, it really touched me so I wanted to share it with all of you.

I'm Invisible.
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response,
the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm
on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"
Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone,
or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing
on my head in the corner, because no one can
see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more:
Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being.
I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?"
I' m a satellite guide to answer,
"What number is the Disney Channel?"
I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."
I was certain that these were the hands that once
held books and the eyes that studied history and
the mind that graduated summa cum laude
but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter,
never to be seen again.
She's going, she's going, and she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner,
celebrating the return of a friend from England.
Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip,
and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.
I was sitting there, looking around at the others
all put together so well. It was hard not to compare
and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my
out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could
find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled
up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually
smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic,
when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped
package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book
on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly
sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
"To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what
you are building when no one sees."
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour the book.
And I would discover what would become for me,
four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have
no record of their names. These builders gave their
whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They
made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion
of their building was fueled by their faith that the
eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book
told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while
it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird
on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man,
"Why are you spending so much time carving that bird
into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will
ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.
It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me,
"I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day,
even when no one around you does. No act of kindness
you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked,
is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building
a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a
disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my
own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn
pride. I keep the right perspective when I see my self as a great
builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will
never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be
on.
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could
ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing
to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it,
I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing
home from college for Thanksgiving, "My Mom gets up
at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then
she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses
all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built
a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to
want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to
say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot
be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very
possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we
have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Great Job, MOM!

The Lunar Eclipse

Did anyone see the lunar eclipse tonight? It was so beautiful. It is hard to believe that the sky was crystal clear here in Portland, so we were able to have a great view. We gathered outside with the kids and a few neighbors to experience it. I hope others had a chance to see it. It was fun showing and teaching our kids all about it. Baylee wanted to know why it was so special, we had to explain that it does not happen all of the time. We will not see another one until December 2010. A neighbor of ours had a big telescope to look at the moon more closely. The moon look red at one point. It was an amazing sight.

Our dog, Diesel

Diesel is such a great dog but he can be a little annoying sometimes because all he wants to do is follow me around 24/7. He just loves his Mommy! Diesel always has to have a comfortable place to lay. If Sydney's special blanket is on the ground, or a sweatshirt of Travis', or even our dirty laundry I am sorting, Diesel will go lay on whatever as long as it is not the hard ground. He even tries to lay on my nice pillows off of my bed. Every night we read scriptures with Jake and Baylee in Jake's room and of course Diesel is there. He loves to lay on top of Jake's teddy bears that are in the corner of the room. I saw him all cuddled up with Jake's Build A Bear so I had to take this picture. He is such a tender hearted dog and everyone falls in love with him. You would love him even if you do not like dogs.

Finally a day without rain in Portland

When the kids woke up today they were so excited because the sky was blue and the sun was out. Travis had to go to school all day so the kids and I decided to have a nice Saturday at the park with a picnic and to just enjoy the outdoors. In Portland, the rain starts to get old so we were so happy to have a little sunshine. It made everyone HAPPY!