I can’t get over the fact that we are already halfway through September. It is still pretty hot here so I can’t quite get on the Halloween/Fall bandwagon yet, but it is so close I can almost taste it. (Mmmm…pumpkin goodies are almost here!)

So what’s been happening this crazy September?

Well, let’s start with the youngest member of the household. Addie turned 8. We celebrated Addie turning 8 in many different ways. And Addie has way more activities than any 8-year old should have. We did manage to steer her clear of soccer this year, which means no Saturdays spent on the soccer field, no coaching for Daddy or I, and no whining about how it is too hot to play. If she truly loved playing, of course I would have promoted it, but the truth of the matter is, she did not love playing it. But she really loves ballet. And now tap and jazz, too. She was invited to be in the Select II class and opening that invitation letter was probably the highlight of her summer. So four hours of dance a week is her physical activity. She had to choose between choir (which she LOVES) and ballet (which she LOVES MORE) this year, so that was a tough decision – but dance won out. And of course she’s sticking with piano and Girl Scouts, too. Plenty to keep her busy.

Oh, and we added two kittens to the mix. Those two take up every.spare.minute of her time. You can only imagine the joy they bring her. Working on actual photos of tweedledee and tweedledum. With them both being black…and always on the go, it makes real photos kind of impossible.

Emma Grace is enjoying being the “big fish in the little pond” at school. The 5th graders get to do all kinds of really cool stuff. She and Daddy are going to Astrocamp next month. Mrs. S. asked J. if he’d like to be one of the chaperones since we have all female teachers at school, they need to enlist some Dads to help corral the boys. I think J. is looking forward vetting all of the 5th grade boys and instill a strict “stay away from my daughter” policy that will last throughout high school.

Em got the teacher she wanted this year and is really loving on school. I am really loving that I never have to ask her about tests, homework, etc. She just does it and does it well. Such a relief. They also start orchestra or band and she has chosen the viola as her instrument. That is…well, let’s just say “going.” It is going to be lovely when she gets some practice behind her bow, for right now it is a little, er…screechy.

She’s waiting for club volleyball season to start – which will be her one big activity and she is still taking piano (she’s practicing right now!) and this is a big year for her in Girl Scouts. They are working on their bronze awards and I can’t wait to see how they independently come up with service projects for that!

J. is very busy at work doing all kinds of cool things – but is most recently obsessed with his new car that he gets this weekend! In truth we are all a little obsessed with it. He is getting a Tesla – an all electric car. They are really cool – he and Em are going to fly up to SF and drive it back down the Supercharger highway on Saturday. There will be a full report and photos next week – you can bet.

And me? I was happily plugging along and keeping the house (somewhat) in order and everyone going to the right place at the right time; working on getting our Girl Scout troop up and running again for the year; starting a Media Club at school so the 5th graders can learn to do the newsletter instead of me doing it each month; and doing some fun projects in the TwoBirdies Workshop. And then I decided to stir it up and apply for a part-time job at the girls’ school.

I applied, took the test, interviewed, accepted, did all my paperwork and am starting the job…all within the past week. Kind of crazy, yes – but I am now the Computer Lab Tech, in charge of the computer lab! Can’t beat the hours…Tues, Wed, and Thurs. during school hours, so I go to school with the girls, and we’ll all walk home together. I still get Mondays and Fridays to do what I need around the house/without the girls and when school is closed…I’m off! It’s perfect.

I asked the girls what they thought of me working at their school and Addie was very excited and Emma said, “Wellll…it’s fine, as long as you don’t try to kiss me in front of all of my friends!”

What?!

So anyhow, tomorrow is the first day of the new world order. We shall see what adding another layer of chaos does to our life.

This is how it always happens. I have such good intentions and the then the days, weeks, years just get away from me.

So…I meant to show you all what the TwoBirdies have been up to, and then I looked up from the chaos that is all back-to-school around here and realized, another week is just sliding by over here.

We have been doing lots of tees over in the workshop. If you aren’t friends with us on FaceBook (why the heck not?!), then get a peep at this fun-ness…

Almost every tee we finish I deem “my favorite t-shirt ever!” and this one is no exception. If you could see these in person you’d want to rub your face on them, too! We started doing a few of these for the high school athletic boosters to give away when the members support the boosters. And…they are so, so cool…the Boosters are now selling them as a fundraiser and we just got another order. So I think they are making some cash…and some people very happy. The vinyl is silver and looks so pretty on the navy blue tees!

Before those tees…these were my favorites! We made these for our sweet little friend Autumne as she scoots off to play softball for San Diego Christian.

This is the same navy tees (yeah…bad, bad lighting!) but we used a baby blue vinyl to match the school’s colors. Looks super cool with the blue on blue.

We threw together some rush tees for a basketball team last week for a weekend tournament. And, they took 2nd place – had to be the cool shirts!

And for the Sherlock fans, especially one in particular who is celebrating her birthday on Monday (Addie’s heroine & Audrey’s big sis, Yvette) we “borrowed” a design that I’ve been seeing all over the internet. I’ve only seen maybe two Sherlock episodes and this tee is from one of the two I’ve seen.

So that is what we’ve been up to. Plus vinyl-ing up some stadium chairs, car decals…and we are going to try our hand on pop-up tents/shades next week. So stay tuned for that one!

Have a great weekend…we are on our way to see our Cubbies, Wolverines, friends and family in Chicago and Michigan, so I’m quite certain that this week will fly right in a blink!

- Get new family photos taken!
It’s been on my to-do list for so very long now. It just keeps getting rolled over to next month’s list and never really gets done. I have been trying to be better about being IN photos more instead of behind the camera, but the last real family photos we had taken was on the beach with Rose in 2009? And…well, Addie had just turned 4. Emma was 6. Babies!

I have been telling J. that we really should do it this year, with celebrating the 20th anniversary and all. And then Jeff & Jessica had just had baby Amelia’s photos taken by Ann Molen and I really loved how they turned out. I also loved that she came over to the house and she shoots on film! (Seriously…on film! I didn’t know people still did that!) So I booked a date before we could back out or find some other excuse or reason to not get them done.

I just got a few (ok, many!) sneak peeks back from Ann. They are the best present anyone could have ever given this Mama. I’m usually happy when I can look at one photo and think “Wow, that is a good shot of everyone! Nobody’s pouting. I look decent. etc…” 

But this session. I love every photo more than the last. Every.Single.Photo. I just kept opening them and literally tearing up because I couldn’t…can’t…believe how well she captured all of the love that we have for each other. And everyone’s personality. There is even one where Addie is looking a little pouty…like her dramatic self, but you know what…that is the perfect snapshot of our family at any given moment.

So these are just the sneaks…apparently there are even more (!) on the way. You ready?

I could just die. And die happy. I can’t even pick a favorite to print – I love them all.

My eternal gratitude to Ann for capturing these. They are priceless to me.

**Warning: Incredibly long post forthcoming. Probably should have split it up and spaced it out, but then…well, the chances of it all getting posted this year would slip dangerously close to nil. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back and away we go!”**

Yesterday I spent the day at school helping with registration/roundup which means…our last week of summer is slowly dwindling and school starts – Monday!

I know I say it every single year, but this summer really flew right on by. We managed to pack a lot in to our short few months. Er, none of which I managed to blog about. So, here is a quick little tour through our summer adventures – selfishly posted so I have it all documented somewhere.

First weekend of summer: San Diego for Starlings Nationals Tournament.

Em and her team placed 2nd in the bronze division and Emma had a GREAT weekend. The brand new glasses gave her confidence and she had some really great saves. Perfect way to end the season. Then, Daddy jetted off to China, and the girls went the opposite direction to Michigan.

The Two Week Michigan/Wedding Trip.
The first part of the Michigan trip we spent prepping for my brother’s wedding. The prep part included getting my parents’ backyard wedding ready in between rain storms.

The bridge awaiting to be decorated.

Thankfully the rain held off, Daddy made it straight from China, nobody fell in the pool, the wedding was lovely, and they are now happily hitched.

After the festivities we took the girls to Ann Arbor to get them excited about going to UofM. (NO…I know that our Cali girls would NEVER make it a winter in Michigan…but Daddy can still dream.)

Our favorite eats stop.

And then Daddy traveled back home while the girls and I continued up to the great North to spend some good quality cousin time.

We fished.

We festivaled.

We celebrated birthdays.

We monster-trucked.

And finally it was time to get back to our freshly painted house! (That saga, er…story you can find here.)

Next up: San Diego Safari Park and Comic Con.
Daddy had to make a quick stop in Boston, so he left us in San Diego for a few days on our own and the girls and I hit the SD Safari Park.

It is actually pretty cool. You get very close to the animals…

…or you can get up and over them in a balloon like this.

Which looks more like this.

When we had had enough monkeying around, we flew down and hung around at the pool and waited for Daddy to get back to the west coast.

J. has been going to Comic Con for years…like 10, 12 years maybe?

The last few years the girls have been accompanying him and finally they talked me into “just going to see it for a little bit!”

I waited til Sunday morning and then trekked down with them. And I can honestly say…It wasn’t nearly as wretched as I had imagined it to be and it was kind of entertaining.

I was able to visit a lot of the artists that the girls love. Met Katie Cook, who we have all been a long time fan of. Got some cool art from Joey Chou which I LOVE. Spent a lot of time in the “crafting” aisle – which was surprisingly cool. In fact, I didn’t really spend much time in the actual “comic” part at all.

After a few hours when it started getting a little crowded and people started getting a little “shove-y”, I was ready to get outta there.

But, I may certainly be talked into popping in again next year!

Last trip before school starts – Camp Surf.
We have never been to a YMCA camp, but after visiting this one in Imperial Beach – HIGHLY recommend them.

I’m not sure anyone ever counted, but just from the Girl Scout families we had 60 people from our school, and the Cub Scout families joined us too, so I think we had well over 100 peeps representing from our school.

We pitched our tents on the sand about 10 yards from the shore, so we got to fall asleep and wake up to the ocean waves. But the best part of the weekend was that the Y counselors take care of everything! Food, clean-up, activities…it’s all covered.

They taught us how to surf – Addie was the best at it. The trick is to “POP up when the wave takes the board.” MUCH easier for an energetic little 7-year old to do than an over 40 Mama!

Gracie looked totally in her element and we had to drag them out of the water at the end of the day.

And the camp even organizes a “skit night” that anyone can join in. The Y counselors were hilarious and when the girls weren’t in the water they put together a little skit, too. (Harry Potter Puppet Pals, if you aren’t in the know…)

Pretty Potter Pals from carrie voris on Vimeo.

I think every one of my Girl Scouts (and MANY of the parents) have already asked if we can do it again next year, so we have put it on the docket for next summer, same weekend. Save the date!

Miscellaneous other summer fun.
For the few weeks that we were home in between all of the trips, we managed to squeak in some serious friend time, too.

We birthday beach partied with Audrey for her 10th.

And had some campfire smores.

We hiked Eaton Canyon to find the “falls.”

Daddy and I celebrated a 20th anniversary.

We found a new cool band and got to go backstage at their concert.

And we found a Harry Potter Diagon Alley in the middle of Los Angeles.

Which takes us all the way up to today. Still 4 days left…any suggestions to pack a little more in?

Oh my. We were such babies! It was so long ago, I don’t even have ANY digital photos…had to go all old school and scan this beauty in!

I had no idea twenty years ago when I said “I do” what an incredible ride was in store for us.

Living in our 11th (12th?) city together and raising two of the most amazing girls ever, through all of the moves and jobs, the ups and downs, the laughter and tears (thankfully much more laughter!) – I can say with all of my heart I love this little blessed life we have built. And it is for sure one ride I never want to end.

Happy Anniversary, my love.
xo,
c.

Today started off with Addie and I butting heads, both of us crabby. She from not enough sleep; me from feeling sorry for myself that I’ve been referee between two girls for what seems like days on end. All I kept thinking was “I’ve had enough. Only one month. One month til school starts.”

Then we hit the beach.

Happily our day ended on a much better note.

There is something about the smell of the warm ocean breeze, the sting of the salt on your toes, and watching two girls soak up every minute of their day with such joy that really wipes the slate clean and leaves you longing for more. More days like this. More beach trips. More time.

Now I can’t stop thinking, “only four more weeks til school starts?”

He’s totally the fun parent.

Our rock to stand on.

Our shoulder to lean on.

We couldn’t ask for a better Daddy in the whole world.

Love you, Daddy.
-Your Girlies

Hello summer!

Our first day “off” was spent crafting some goodies for our June birthday girls later this week, so I can’t really show you any of that. BUT, I can share what we did for the teachers last week!

We whipped out Big Momma and vinyl’d up a bunch o’ stuff for the girls’ teachers and the office manager and principal.

We monogrammed – I guess “vinylgrammed” some great beach bags that we got on clearance from Hobby Lobby at the end of last summer. The bags are great because they are vinyl, wipe-able and great for sand and water.

Inside the cool bags we put a Summer To-Do board. The Summer To-Do Printable I downloaded last year and I cannot for the life of me find where I downloaded it from! (I’ll keep looking and see if I can give them credit!) We popped it into a fun painted frame, attached an expo marker with velcro and voila! Fun little sign which list-makers like me…LOVE!

And we vinyled up a little summer drink cup, too. And with that we sent the teachers off into the summer sunset all prepped for some summer fun.

Which is exactly what we intend to do as well. Look at the little cooler bag Birdie #2 made for me…

I can’t wait to use it for summer picnics in the park. Any fun summer crafty plans around your parts of the woods?

I realize that I’ve been absent over here. And also realize that I totally skipped Crafty Tuesday this week, my one lone day that I’m sure to post something. Birdie #2 and I have been frantically finishing up some projects, I’m chugging along on the living room re-do, and goodness if those children and all of their activities don’t take up A LOT of time.

But we are still here. We are hanging in. And we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled posting very, very soon.

Daddy is somewhere over the Pacific Ocean right now on his way home to us! And I couldn’t be happier.

It is so funny how often I long for something, get it and then realize “oh, that isn’t what I wanted at all.” I *thought* having a few evenings to myself would be a great treat, but come to find out – I don’t like being a single parent. Even during a relatively ”easy” week with nothing more than our normal ballet, dance, piano, volleyball practice, choir, Girl Scouts routine (yeah, that is a normal week…) it is an exhausting week when you can’t check out for a bit when Daddy comes home.

And even when the girls are just being their sweet selves…

…it’s just not as fun without my most-excellent sidekick. So, welcome home, Daddy! And know you were very missed. xo