Sunday Snapshot -- Home again, home again!!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy 4th of July holiday!!

Sunday Snapshot -- Monkey Toes

How Clara earned the nickname "Monkey Toes".....

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!!

Sunday Snapshot -- On Your Mark, Get Set...

......Go!!!

Wishing everyone a fun weekend! I'm still trying to catch my breath from all these races!!

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Please help send me to Vermont for the Stonyfield Barnstorming Tour by voting for me here! As an added bonus, if I make the top 3, Stonyfield will make a $5000 donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. ((fingers crossed!))

You are allowed one vote per day per valid email address, and voting ends May 25th @ noon EST.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who is voting for me!! I truly appreciate it!

Sunday Snapshot -- High Tech Toddler

We purchased this refurbished ancient iMac on eBay years ago as Emily's first learning computer. This week, it has been officially passed on to Clara! It takes a lickin'... and keeps on tickin'!

Sunday Snapshot -- Happy Mother's Day!

................from my brother's puppy, Storm!!  

Sunday Snapshot -- Happy 30th Birthday, Sesame Place!

A big thank you to Mom Bloggers Club and Sesame Place for organizing such a fun Tweet Up and allowing us to take part in Sesame Place's 30th Birthday celebration during opening day yesterday by providing free admission tickets for our family and a complimentary lunch!! We all had a wonderful time! Sesame Place is the only amusement park featuring all of the fun characters from the much-loved PBS program Sesame Street. Emily LOVED meeting Grover!

Of course, there were plenty of big hugs to go around to Zoe too!

Sunday Snapshot -- Look Who's into Sidewalk Chalk!

Wishing you a fun and frugal weekend!!

Sunday Snapshot -- Egg Hunt Fun

Wishing you and your family and fun-filled weekend!

Sunday Snapshot -- She's Six!!!

Sunday Snapshot -- Hurray for Naps!

Sunday Snapshot -- Little Eskimo

A Quick Update

We wanted to pop in here to thank you for all of your caring and supportive comments. Your powerful thoughts and prayers are working! My father is home now and is recovering remarkably well from surgery. Much of the girls' artwork was proudly displayed in his hospital room, and we printed out all of the wonderful comments from this post for him to see.

Our local MOMS club was also a huge help, and many members dropped off meals for the girls and Mark while I was away. We are very grateful for all of their help and support! And someone... we still don't know who.... even shoveled our driveway during the intense snowstorms we had here. We feel truly blessed to have so many people looking out for us!

Yesterday was Mark's birthday, and we went to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate! Hence, the photo above.

We'll be back Monday with our usual adventures in frugal fun!

Sunday Snapshot -- All Dressed Up (Sort of)

Almost a year ago, I had found these beautiful holiday dresses for both of the girls at our local thrift store. The girls wore them to my parents' house for Christmas dinner, until my brother gifted Clara with an adorable monkey bathrobe and sock-monkey slippers. She LOVES them. The minute she saw them, she made it quite clear that she wanted to try them on. And while you can't see it in any of our holiday photos, I swear she is wearing a cute holiday dress under that robe!!

I thought she would wear them for a few minutes, then take them off. But noooooooo! She's been wearing that robe for about 3 straight days, and cries like you're ripping her arm off if you threaten to change her into anything else. The only reasons it has come off were for a few minutes yesterday (she had an apron on so she could paint), for baths, and for sleeping. In the morning, the robe goes right back on!

I haven't done it yet, but I'm considering taking her to the grocery store with it on. It's either that, or deal with incessant screaming in protest.

Hey, you pick your battles.

Sunday Snapshot -- We've been interviewed!

Hmm... what could possibly be making Clara so happy?

...a surprise visit from Grandma and Papock!

Also, we are honored to be featured on the Examiner for a fun interview. Be sure to check it out!

More frugal crafty goodness coming up... fun!!

Sunday Snapshot -- Frugal Entertainment

Mark and Emily were outside raking leaves, while I was inside taking care of some laundry. A few minutes after they left to start raking, I heard Clara struggling with something...

... it was like a grunting sort of noise. Was she trying to lift something heavy? I went to investigate...

...and I found this! She had dragged her princess chair to the front door to watch the "show".

I could have sworn I heard her say, "Hey, you missed a spot!"

More frugal crafty goodness, and a special blogiversary celebration is coming up this week! We are very excited!!

Sunday Snapshot -- Princess Hair

Instructions for this awesome 'do found here!

Sunday Snapshot -- Pumpkin Patch!

I took Clara to the pumpkin patch! (Emily was visiting with my parents for a few days.) It was so much fun!

Sunday Snapshot -- Happy Birthday, Abuela!

Sunday Snapshot -- Puddle Jumper

Jumping in puddles is so much fun...

...even more so when Mom jumps in too!

Sunday Snapshot -- Facial Expressions

Clara is growing up to be quite the expressive toddler, as evidenced by these photos:

"Who farted?"

"Was it you?"

"Nahhh.... It was me!"

Hope you are enjoying your weekend. More crafty frugal goodness coming up!