Spring Has Sprung and It's Still Raining

Today I had a special delivery, a Spring wreath from my favorite catalog, The Country Store. Annamarie & Hal sent it as an early birthday gift. It's beautiful! Thank you for the Spring cheer, you inspired me to do some more decorating.

Her First Ball...Meet Cinderella

What a beautiful young lady, she cleans up well. I must tell you that I can't remember the last time I saw Heidi in a dress. First we went to her friend Demi's house to meet up with everyone and take pictures. They all screamed when they saw her and told her how beautiful she looked, they loved her dress, her hair, her mask. The mask was entered into a contest at the Ball, she did not win but felt she had a creative one indeed. When it was over she came out screaming that she was high, high on grape soda and cake. Heidi told me she danced to every song and said she would be sore in the morning...she was!

No Braces AND An Award

This has been a good week for Heidi. On Tuesday she had her braces removed and I must say that it was worth every penny, every penny that Delta Dental did not pay. She has not stopped smiling and looks like a million bucks. On Thursday night Heidi was honored with a certificate for academics. She earned a 3.67 and is so proud of her hard work.

I'm a Hillview Hawk

The big day arrived this week. Heidi is now in 7th grade and loving every minute of her new adventure. So far she has made new friends, mastered a combo lock, moved through crowded hallways and enjoyed switching classes. I can say that she wakes at 6:00am and is ready to head out each day by 6:45...I might not be ready but she is. Here are a couple pics for your viewing pleasure.

A Few Extra Pic's Too

No trip to Disneyland would be complete without pictures. Since I can only put 5 to each new blog I thought I should add some more. Enjoy!

The Best Birthday~Ever!

I am remembering back to a time when Disneyland was a chore, fun but a chore. Packing strollers, extra clothes, a blanket, etc... Of course there would be the random stuffed plush Disney character that would just overload you at the end of a long day spent in the sun, in lines and the constant restroom breaks. Well, let me tell you times have certainly changed. We, the adults are the baggage, needing coffee and restroom stops and of course the "I'm so thirsty" coming out of the mid to late 40 year olds mouths. The children no longer complain about stopping to take a picture, they pose! It is us, the older folks that whine when a picture needs to be taken, we don't always look our best. How pleasantly surprised I was to notice that our now tween was so "into" Disneyland that we found ourselves lagging behind and anticipating the next rest while a crazy ride awaited the young ins'. Another ride on the Pirates of the Carribean is a ball for all, no more shock rock rollercoasters for any of us. What a relief it was to have a 21 year old Britt, so responsible and on her toes to wait in line for the dreaded Space Mountain with it's loud piercing rock and roll music. As soon as the girls, Britt, Heidi & Sydney, were off to wait in that 45 minute plus line...we high-tailed it to the nearest air-conditioned building. Oh and the concrete seats in that place, just like a recliner chair with the softest seat for your rear. Feeling refreshed after that cool air and caffeine fix, they were back. The 3 of us had smiles on our faces and felt recharged and ready for more. It was refreshing to be with Heidi at this age, the age of I'm cool if you don't embarrass me. So with that we let the girls go and just followed the "popular girl" and felt cool to be part of her birthday entourage. Big Sis even showed up in a t-shirt she painted just for the occasion. It's an actual stencil she made from a real picture of Heidi showing the peace sign. Beautiful work of an artist and a Little Sis that thought she was so special to have a sister that would actually paint and wear her face on her back. No whining about lines, heat, hunger or thirst, from the birthday girl. This child of fear has become a tween thrill seeker. Hands were raised on every ride and drop with screams of "Rock On! Come on people put your hands in the air!" all while flashing the peace sign with both hands. It was the happiest place on Earth and I wish time could have stood still, well maybe for a few more hours. Time caught in a bottle would not happen, but on film instead. The look of our beautiful redhead enjoying every moment of her special birthday gift from Grandma Annamarie and Uncle Hal, feeling so important and acting like a young lady. She was grateful, thankful and told us while eating dinner that this was the happiest day of her life, the best birthday ever. With birthday gift money from Grandpa & Grandma Nichols in hand off we went to the big corner store. Fully expecting to be in there for what would be an eternity, she knew right where to go and what she wanted. Over to the Nightmare Before Christmas section of the store a t-shirt and shoulder bag are what she desires. What? This can not be it, there has to be a giant stuffed Disney something she will be begging for. Never happened, she is now a 12 year old. Just like when she was turning 3, she knew what she wanted then and now was going to get it, all on her own. So on the eve of my little Pumpkin Head's 12th birthday, Happy Birthday, Dear Heidi, Happy Birthday to YOU...AND MANY MORE (days just like this)

The Next Georgia O'Keeffe? Possibly!

Sorry about not getting these photos off to you, and you know who you are. My bad! Brittany entered a mural contest back in December 2009 at Cal State San Marcos at the urging of her good friend and schoolmate Zac Fullmer. She kind of forgot about it, so she says. And so time went on. As many of you know, Britt has email issues. The issue is that you have to check your email, duh! This might be getting off the subject but did you know she almost did not get to attend Sophomore year of college...yadda, yadda, yadda. I think she grew tired of Knut and I asking her everyday if she was checking it, now SHE does. It had to have been one of the most exciting emails she ever received. She had 2 weeks to paint a 60ft x 12ft mural. The mural must contain the 8 signs of wellness in some way shape of form. When we went to the unveiling the professor said that she was chosen due to the fact that she actually submitted a painting itself. The other entries were wonderful as well. She worked along side a wonderful senior student, Kevin. The end result is simply colorful, well thought out and very Britt. The $500 bucks was worth the hard work. RoCk On BrItT!