Does anti-secularism really have a chance?

 Q is out of town.  Again.  I got super jealous so I bought myself something of a splurge on-line.  I'll let you know how it goes.  It is pretty much not fun to work all week and have to put these kiddos to bed on my own.  No, let me rephrase.  It sucks to put Annie to bed period.  She is psycho!   How about some late night pics I dug up from the unposted archives?

 At the parade, the kids next to us were a tad bit crazy and not a little rude.  They wouldn't let Annie get any candy.  Their parents kept telling them to run and get all the pieces thrown in front of us too.  Weird.  Who does that to a cute little 2-year-old?

 V is so chill.  Annie will be her defender through and through.  Have I mentioned how dreamy it is having two girls.  I am currently WISHING so bad for another.  Wouldn't three be even better?

Will Mitt win?  

Does anti-secularism really have a chance in a society increasingly devoid of traditional values?

Peach Days Extravaganza

The Stirland Family Show is epic.  Have you see it?  Add something like 40 years of entertainment camaraderie (or com-drama-rie) and the hottest weekend of the year and you've got our yearly extended family show.  Although I have to say this was thee coolest labor day weekend I have ever experienced at Peach Days.  Here are the highlights:

 

It would appear that Violet likes fireworks as much as Annie does!

Find anything good at the thrift store lately?

No baby yet.  Big surprise.  I just keep getting bigger and bigger.  In the mean time, we have been living it up the last few weeks of our summer vacation.  Swimming almost everyday, bike rides at dusk, movies in the afternoon, eating out, cuddling.  Today alone Annie and I went to kneaders and Grandmas Toblers bakeries before noon to get nothing but brownies and treats. I tell you, there is nothing NOTHING like summer vacation.  It is heaven on earth.  Here's the latest:

In recent AWESOME events:  We are going to close on our condo!  Oh the years we spent praying for this and we finally have a closing date.  It's been so long that I've been out there, I forgot that we do own a pool... at our condo.  It is perfect for kids.  So Q and I took Annie one last time to say goodbye and enjoy the pool for the first time in years.

 I'm trying to get Annie to smile again for photos.  So far we've had marginal success.  

 Have I mentioned that we live in THE BEST neighborhood in SGU?  We absolutely love it!  Plus, almost all of our neighbors have pools and are kind enough to invite us to swim.  Swimming is just about the only thing I can do right now since I was supposed to have this baby LAST WEEK.

 I am such a lucky mom because Annie is totally into hats and sunglasses lately.

 I've been teaching Annie some new dance moves but so far, kicking back with her feet up (and crossed) is the most popular move she has picked up from me.  At least it beats her grunting every time she bends over to pick something up (hmmm, wonder who she learned that from?).

 Two smile-inducing phrases that do NOT work with Annie:  "Show me your teeth"  ( she does, literally), and, "Say cheese!" (she runs to the fridge for a cheese snack).

 Find anything good at the thrift store lately?  I buy almost all of Annie's toys there.  Our thrift stores are so NOT great but I've managed to walk away with a few good finds.  I even found some awesome HUGE frames that I've been looking for forever.  Then my mom borrowed them for Megan's wedding and when I tried to get them back she didn't let me have them.  We haven't seen the end of this tug of war.  So, what genius item have you found at the thrift store lately?

Arts Festival 2012: