summer haircuts!

Its been only 1 1/2 official Summer Vacation days away from school...but look at the changes in these cuties! I know of many boys that get their heads shaved for summer, but how many girls or women take a little off the top as well? We are tickled pink with the results of Mandy's hairstyling skills. Monica and Amanda hit the 'Mandy Salon' yesterday. We'll have to catch a glimpse of those elusive girls later.

Brielle couldn't wait to jump into the chair fast enough.

The before shots

Almost done! (That's our cute friend, Mandy, in the mirror)

It's way too tough to wait around for your turn when you are six.

"Come on...it's not so bad....."

Whew! Crisis averted! Her smile has returned.

Jenna's before shots.

Jenna is picture perfect!

The two models at home. Brielle is acting like she is tired of being the model
(but secretly she swishes her bob when she thinks we aren't looking).

We have often discussed how wonderful it would feel to donate our hair to a charity that makes wigs for children/adults with illness. We haven't done that yet.

a belated video

Jenna loves soccer. But more than soccer, she loves mugging for the camera. That is why this video is so funny. This was the only goal she made all season. She would rather we all just get less serious about the goal making part.

Thanksgiving 2007

Its been a busy week. James' parents drove from Murrietta (2 speedy hours away) for Thanksgiving. James' oldest brother Steve and his girlfriend Kathleen also joined us for dinner. Excellent holiday! I'd do it all over again, but maybe not with two turkeys. James and I have liked to have a turkey ready before all other side dishes need to be cooked. That way it can be cooled and carved and pretty for presentation. We also like our guests to return to their homes with their own supply of meat. We overdid it this year with a 20 pounder and an 18 pounder. Nothing will be wasted, I assure you. I love, love, love turkey. Here are some highlights of our week so far.

The girls baked and painted cookies.
















The girls and I at a beach house in Ventura. Gorgeous house!!








James' parents Paul and Marian.









Have you ever used egg wash to paint cookies? I remember doing this as a little girl. My mom basically rocked in the kitchen! I scrambled to find a sugar cookie recipe, but it was not tasty. However, the (almost inedible) cookies were vibrant! I tried a recipe from the ward cookbook. Generally they are the tried and true, generations-proven recipes. I actually had to scratch a big X on this page. Oh well, we doctored up a few with cream cheese frosting....everything is good with cream cheese frosting!

Our friends from Utah, the Cranmers, visited us and invited us to play at their beach house. Leslie and Ken have been our friends for almost 15 years. They brought 2 of their sons, Kyle (15) and Luke (9), and Kyle's friend Ty (15). Kyle and Ty are extremely cute and so my girls were sure not to miss out on the beach house with the Cranmers. Monica brought her friend Anna.

Last night, 10 of us went to see the movie "Enchanted". I had the best seat between Jenna and Brielle! We giggled and laughed throughout this movie. Even James isn't holding back on how cute--and yet enjoyable this movie is. We took his parents and our friends Allison and Anna.

Go Me! or "Why I'm Not a Quilter Yet"

Look what I did! This photo doesn't show the completed item with the girls' names and coach's name. Well, embarrassingly enough, I don't sew and I would appreciate you not pulling up any high quality resolutions--thank you very much! I just got a little 'bee in my bonnet' and when I was at last Saturday's opening day at the soccer fields, my eyes were always drawn to the cutest, home made team banners. Since our team's banner was still unmade, I decided that Jenna's team would get one of those--and it was up to me. How gallant, I thought. Well, as you can see, experience was not behind me. I felt like I was back in 7th grade sewing class with Miss Hanson tsk-tsking over my shoulder. I know enough about using a sewing machine to know when I'm cheating. I cheated a lot on this Ladybug banner. I'm still laughing at the bunched-up mass jammed around the feeder area. I hate to ask...but "what am I doing wrong?" So, the banner took 2 days to figure out, and I was ready to display it proudly today at Jenna's game. Jenna has other plans. She plans on being sick and not playing her game today. I reluctantly agree. She was up coughing a lot last night. Thank goodness I have a blog to document this momentous occasion. By the way, I did a banner for Brielle's team last year. It was nice, but I learned that hot-glueing fabric is just not as sturdy as the sewn fabric.