Sleeping Beauty, The Witch, and The Pirate

It sounds like a Narnia tale.

Actually, it was our Halloween night.

But similar to a fairy tale……………….all things considered.

Here’s the spell, if you take a daughter of an ex to an ex-wife’s place, plus add in two daughters from former ex to now step-dad of said daughter to new step-mom of step-daughters, with a dash of Halloween *poof* you have trick or treating at your new husband’s ex’s place (or a brew of crow’s foot in a cauldron, take your pick).

Did you follow all that?

Never mind, it was fun. I loved it. The kids loved it. The neighborhood rocked Halloween and that’s all that really matters. I care about this family – every part – chopped, blended, mixed, and all. I want the best for the little girls and their happiness. Trick or treating with mom, dad, step-mom and new step-sister is a pretty rad deal – for them, me, mom, dad, and especially step-sister (you’ll see why at the end).

What was more surprising? That this kind of thing was possible? Plausible? Successful? Or that Sydney at age sixteen went trick-or-treating and got away with it? Because she is so cute. Because she shielded herself with two little kids sisters.

Above and beyond, I would like to thank Jason’s ex; aka the little girls mom. For letting me stalk shadow her, crash enjoy her Halloween night, and invade bless her home with my lens. All for these adorable pictures of the girls in the costumes she made. She MADE them. Aren’t they the cutest things ever or what?

The Witch.

The Pirate.

The Candy Thief, I mean Sleeping Beauty, of course.

So there you have it. Sleeping Beauty, The Witch, and The Pirate.

Off to save the world To take your candy……

…with a smile that will leave you with a why-did-I-just-give-them-the-whole-dang-bowl.

They might even share, yeah, right.


And Sydney? This is sooo going on Facebook.

P.S. For more Halloween costume parade fun. Be sure and visit the SITS girls. You could win a Canon Rebel T2i DSLR camera.

Shy Baby Chubba Cheeks

Two summers ago, these two little girls came unexpectedly into my life. Unexpected because I did NOT want to date anyone who had children. Not because of the children, I love kids. It’s the other parent I have problems with and that messy situation is a little too much, so I thought. There’s plenty of single childless men in the sea, right?

But…….the man upstairs had other plans (and isn’t that JUST what I get for thinking that?).

I am glad he knows better than I, because what I would have missed……. here they come two big-eyed dark headed shy little girls into my heart. I met Molly before Bridget and talked about it in her birthday post here.

I met Bridget a few days after her 2nd birthday, July 4th. It was in the garage. Jason had pulled the Commander in and was getting them out of the car. She was clinging to her daddy like a little monkey. Her head on his big shoulder, her arms tight around him. All I could see were those chubba cheeks with pigtails.


Bridget on the right, at almost two years old.

She didn’t smile. She didn’t laugh, just ducked her head not looking at me. But oh! She was precious. She was a BABY. I couldn’t believe how little she was. I, like any normal person, wanted to squeeze her to death, and pinch her little cheeks. But she would have none of me. That’s okay. One thing I am, is VERY patient.

We trekked to a ridge in Fort Worth to set up chairs to watch fireworks, since Dad had three chairs, a blanket, and a cooler to tote. Guess who got her hands on chubba cheeks? Squeee!

Up we went and got settled. She wasn’t so afraid of me after that. She sat in the chair next to me and stuffed her little chubba cheeks with peanuts. Fascinating how many they could hold.

We had a good time and she even let me carry her down the hill back to the car. But let me tell you something. Steep hill + flip-flops + child in arms + plus four-year old child in hand = FALL.

Yep, I fell. She cried, and really didn’t want much to do with me after that. Can you blame her?

She stayed Daddy’s girl for a long, long time….

Until I was safe…..and she was sure I was safe, ha!

I think it was October 2009 when our breakthrough occurred. She let me carry her after the State Fair, and she would NOT go to Daddy, or let him hold her. Only me. I had arrived in shy baby’s world.

Today, life with her is amazing. She is the kindest, sweetest baby girl. She gives the best hugs, the best cheesy grins, and she will pat and rub to her heart’s content as she lays her head down in comfort next to mine.

Shy baby chubba chubba cheeks, how I adore you. Your smile lights my world and your heart sings the sweetest song to mine.

Happy, Happy Fourth Birthday! My how you have grown into a BEAUTIFUL little girl.

Yo, Where my apps at?

Where my apps at? Yo.

Where my apps at? Where my apps at? Where they at?

I got pride in i cause my apps are pretty fly.

But where they at? Where they at? Yo.

Ahem, excuse me, I’m channeling some Swagger Wagon and if you haven’t seen this yet? You gotta. It is too cute.

Now, see my issue is real. My iPhone is in requisition to an almost four and six-year-old. They have ways that you don’t realize. One second you’re holding your iPhone; Tweeting, and Facebooking. The next thing you know, with a nod and a wink, it spins away slipping right into their greedy outstretched hands. As if they used their MIND. Suddenly little grubby fingers are tapping away like iPhone pros. Tap, tap, tap, circle, finger point thumb. Huh?

I remember the first time I handled my iPhone. I tapped and nothing happened. Tapped harder, nothing. Tilted the pad of my finger to use the other side, nothing. Different finger, nope. Then I wiped the screen on my pants leg, tapped repeatedly and STILL nothing. TAP! Let’s not even talk about the scrolling, and enlarging. I’m not ashamed to admit, it took me a few weeks.

But these children, they just pick it up swiftly pecking away; no stops, no jerks – next thing I know – the younger one is watching Barney on Youtube (by the way this is GREAT at a restaurant before the food comes out). She also likes to press the Twitter app, for some reason the bird chirping gives her giggle fits. Tweet, tweet, tweet. Ha ha ha. Endless entertainment, I swear.

The older one started out playing Preschool word games; ABC phonics, Kindergarten words, Preschool Tap, and of course Tinker Bell’s Fairies Fly. Sweet right? I felt so proud giving up my precious iPhone for the education of a precocious child. You know what app she ended up on when I happened to glance over at her progress level? Slots. Yeah. Are we in trouble or what?

I thought FINE. If she is going to invade my app domain. I’ll show her. I started downloading some harder games. Simon says, Differences, and Wordsearch. The six-year-old found four matches on Differences in less time than I had found ONE. And Wordsearch? No problem. For one, she can read – really well. AND two, she discovered the clue button. Probably because she can read. She clues on the puzzle right away and gets the word highlighted in pink. Yeah, I no longer have high score on that one.

They play Checkers, Tic Tac Toe, Tap Tap Revenge, and Burpz (oh, that one gives us fits, sorry mom). But listen, I have more than just app issues. I have shame. My iPhone commandeered by a preschooler and a kindergartner. I think iPhone should make a CHILD device. Not iPad, not iTouch, more like iCan, because more than likely they can, and better than me. Or how about iGenius? iLittle? iAmtoocutetosaynotoo? iGiveup? idigress…

Surely there is some app that is solely mine. Own and mastered by just me. Uno? Nope, she wins that. Deal or No Deal? She loves to pick cases! But wait, I don’t think she ever got the million and you know what? I did. I totally did. Ohhhh yeeeeaahh..

Take that little iPhone geniuses!

So there ya have it, an app that is still mine. Well, that and WordPress, just wait til’ she hijacks that one and starts her own blog, Tales from the Swing Set, The real life confessions of a Kindergartner, or Musings of a Day Care Drop Out. I can already see her hits exceeding mine……

Look out world, it’s a whole new generation. Just give me my apps back.

Where they at?

iphone-3gs-hands-on