Play

The girls have been SO adorable lately. Last night, they started playing this Indians (aka Native Americans, they call them both) game. I looked up and I see that they've taken their shirts off, and they have their broomstick skirts pulled up to their armpits.

"Well that's a nice dress." (My bad, right, never assume you know what's going on.)

Cecilia says, "They're not dresses, they're buffalo skins." Huh.

I'm thinking that they have "Little Hawk's New Name," in their heads.

Later on, in the bathtub, Cecilia is washing Francesca's arms, "You have to be beautiful for the buffalo hunt, because the buffalo hunt is tomorrow."

Then in the bedroom there is some talk again of the buffalo hunt and Francesca points out, "Cecilia, you don't have a horse. You can't do the buffalo hunt without a horse."

Cecilia never misses a beat, "Well, I won a horse!"

"You did?" Francesca asks, clearly intrigued.

"Well, yeah!"

"How did you win it, Cecilia?"

"Well I won it at the rodeo. I raced and I won at the rodeo. I rode Micca and I won another horse called Miss Holly, so you can ride one of them if you want to."

I think Francesca and I both were awestruck by her creative comeback.

Yesterday, we noticed a homemade rocking horse sitting by the curb near a new neighbor's house. It was sitting in a pile by the sidewalk with a pair of old skis and an old barbecue. Obviously, it was a freebie. But not being one to take on more STUFF, I tried to ignore it. But today, when we walked by it again, I told the girls that we could come back for it if it was still there tonight. So after nap time, they put on their hats and shoes and bolted out the door with a 'lead rope' for their new horse. How awesome that we can get so excited about someone else's trash! Its outside in the 'barn,' (our sunflower circle) eating grass with the cow.

Francesca said, "Mommy, I'm going to feed them everyday."

I said, "Okay, that can be part of your morning chores."

"Oh! And if I forget, you can remind me! Okay!!" So she spent the rest of her time gathering the neighbor's grass clippings and piling them up in front of her horse and cow. Just doing our part to clean up the neighborhood, I guess.

Oh yeah, let me make you barf with one more cute thing. We have this Once Upon a Dinosaur tape that has songs about dinosaurs. One of the songs says something about how dinosaurs roamed the earth 65 million years ago and Francesca changed the lyrics to make it about Native Americans, "Where did they go, we do not know? Once upon an Indian." (Even though I tell her they're everywhere, she won't believe me until she sees someone riding a horse, draped in buffalo skin.)

Crackberry for Sale ($160/each O.B.O.)

Are these things even worth anything? They were freebies but I thought they were pricey . . . let me check . . . okay, it says they retail for $350, but they're selling them for $49.99 with 2 year contracts (which we just had to buy our way out of.) Hells bells. But at least I'm not getting my MA in Media!!!

A Degree in Media

Nielsen, the ratings company, recently reported that kids ages 2 to 5 spend an average of 32 hours a week in front of a screen, outpacing older kids (children 6 to eleven are second, averaging 28 hours a week, with researchers thinking that school keeps them from first place).

Thirty-two hours a week is practically a full-time job! Twenty-eight hours a week is more than a (semester of) college education. Do we really want our children to be getting a degree in media watching???

Pooped

Man, I'm so tired at the end of the day. I think that since I've had my crackberry, I'm MORE tired because instead of spending my evenings reading, or tidying up, I spend them staring at tiny typeset on my stupid crackberry. I seriously want to get rid of the thing. But can I? Blah!!! I hate being addicted to any plug-in-drug. I hate to admit it, but I've even joined Facebook. I can see the allure of this, but the simple sentences and improper grammar are maddening, not to mention the counting friends, and asking friends if you can BE friends, and 'liking' things! ARGH! The temptation to search for x-boyfriends is just too great. Yes, I did find a long lost friend or two, but do I really need to accidentally happen upon the wrong profile, and see the words, "donkey pounding," and "teabagging?" Seriously? Come on, Chavez or whatever your name is. Is it even possible to get rid of a crackberry, once one is addicted? Will I need rehab? How bad will the withdrawl be? See, I'm already ending my sentences in adverbs, since joining Facebook. The world is going to hell in a Facebook, Smartphone Curve Crackberry sponsored handbag.

I'm so ashamed and embarrassed every time my children catch me glancing at it . . . at the dinner table. Oh the shame.

And the texting. The texting is out of control. I sent over 300 texts last month. That's more than, 10/day, which is about one every hour of the day . . . and this is the example I'm setting for my children? My ever so present-ness is so not present when I'm mad-texting.

The Crackberry has got to go. OH, and I think we could totally be making a car payment instead of Crackberry payments. Cellphones suck, but Crackberries are heroin for the plugged in masses. Unplug me.

Blurry is Good

I know this is blurry, but you can't tell how wrinkly and old I look with the 'affect.'

Driving the Jeep

I just remembered what Francesca and Cecilia were playing the 1st day the drove that Jeep that mom and dad bought them. You would never guess in a million, billion years.

The were calling one another Pa and Ma, and pretending they were 'driving' the wagon on Little House on the Prairie. It was hysterical. "Wait Pa, I have to check something," Francesca gets out, checks the gas tank with a wrench, gets back in. "Okay Pa, let's go." "Okay Ma." Says Cecilia.

Cecilia's Photos Improve

Cecilia took this today behind the Blue Pig Art Gallery, which is the old Lumber Yard (for us old timers) and it is actually quite beautiful. Maybe she'll be showing inside the gallery one day.

Neigh Neigh

Granny is trading a friend tutoring for horseback riding lessons. We went for our first one today and it is love at first sight. Francesca seems like such a natural. The pony is 26 years old and totally mellow and awesome and our friend Jennifer couldn't be a better teacher. Here they are brushing Neigh Neigh and getting aquainted.

Jennifer kept correcting the way Francesca was holding the reins and telling her it was like a karate chop and I'm pretty sure she doesn't know what that is, which is funny.

Here's Cecilia, "Jennifuw, why do you call it a lesson?"

After her ride, this cowgirl likes to sit down and take a nice long drink of water.

Best June Ever

Napping Together

June Bug

Playing Together

Subtitle: Ladies Going for a Drive in the Country

Subtitle: (Cecilia is the driver, as a general rule.)

Subtitle: What Arrives at Granny's House via UPS, Stays at Granny's House

We kicked off the back to back festival marathon by camping at Riverbend for four nights and three days (minus the rain break we took on Saturday night) for the Palisade Bluegrass Fest. We are so psyched that Palisade is hosting this great event. Camping 1 mile from home in the lovely Riverbend Park rocks. Here is Cecilia just waking up from her camper nap.

Francesca enjoying her dinner of teriyaki chicken on a stick while baby Julian chills in the pup tent in Telluride.

One of Telluride Bluegrass Festival's best dressed festivarians, engaging in her favorite pastime, picking flowers. To our delight, Telluride boasts an amazing abundance of the most enormous dandelions of all time (seriously.)

This is one of my favorite moments of the trip, walking to and fro on the creek trail, through forest, dilly dallying. Here is Cecilia and her favorite accessory, her "cow purse," which is stocked with everything a lady needs, multiple pairs of shades, keys, contacts, cards, phone, etc. Of course, she gets tired of carrying all of this, so

its usually me who is seen carrying around the cow purse, which doesn't have near the adorable effect it does when Cecilia totes it on her arm like so.

Oops. Cecilia got ahold of the camera.

Granny Retired

Daddy is Tired