If the crown fits...: March 2009

G'ma came to see us! We timed it so that she got to spend a couple of days with me while the kids were in school and then she got to spend a few days with all of us while they were on Spring Break! Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate for the first few days and it was rainy and cold...but once the kids got out of school and Spring Break started it was PERFECT.

G'ma thinks of fun things to do and lets the kids do things that *I* usually scoff at because it its "too messy" or not very convenient...I'm not very fun like that. While she was here, we had two fun nights of making chocolate covered strawberries which we ate right out of the fondue pot...Yum.

We also took a trip over to Third Monday Trade Days to take a look around and get a ginormous hot dog on a stick. These signs always make me giggle and creep me out a little:

There has to be an object lesson in there for Young Women's somewhere...hmmmmm.

Poor Tyler spent Saturday at a Merit Badge Marathon in The Colony and didn't come to TMTD with us. BUT he did earn TWO merit badges (2 of his 3 Citizenship ones, so that was awesome). Way to go Tyler!

Monday was a gorgeous day, so we decided to take a trip over to Fort Worth to the zoo. So did everyone else in the metroplex! :o) It was fun to spend the time in the car visiting with my mom. We parked out in the north 40 and headed in...we love zoos. The Fort Worth Zoo is bigger and has less of a zoo feel than the Dallas Zoo...less "cagey" I guess. The kids loved it and G'ma and I were tired. :o)

There is a Texas Wild section of the zoo...suddenly you feel like you are at Six Flags, without the rides...

Parker has the eyes of a Hawk and found every wild lizard and spider in the place. We'd be walking past an exhibit and he'd say, "Look, there's a spider!" or "Look! There's a lizard!" He especially liked this one at the elephant exhibit and wanted to go back at the end of the day and see if we could find it again. Um, no.

These guys were funny...the one went down and sat next to his friend and kept trying to see what was in his mouth...he wouldn't open to show him though, didn't want to share.

See what I mean by less cagey? Here are the giraffes. I'm sure they love their natural habitat!

And who can resist the termite mounds?

Cute kids!

In the Texas Wild exhibit Parker and Tyler caught this rattler...

..and Tyler learned some supplemental lessons for his Texas History class.

We really liked this guy, who stood perfectly still. For a long time. He was funny looking and almost didn't even look real 'cuz he just wouldn't move. Isn't Liza beautiful, though?

Park and Liza posing...

Cute kids, fun zoo, good times!

We miss you, G'ma! We can't wait for July!

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{nine years old}

Aliza with Julie, the historic American Girl doll from 1974.

Nine years ago today, the most beautiful baby girl ever was born.

She was so pretty, with her beautiful red hair and her flawless skin. We were so excited to have her finally here. It had been a long, emotional pregnancy, but we made it. I was so excited to have a purple stone to add to my Mother's necklace, she was due February 27th. And it was leap year, so even if she was late it gave us an extra day in February. Proving stubborn right from the beginning, she arrived bright and early on the 1st of March.

It was so fun to have a little girly girl to play with after the rough and tumble of the boys.

And she loved to dress up and put sparkles in her hair and dance...

But it wasn't too long before she proved that she could hold her own with her brothers and keep up with them too!

She's always been our little princess, and she's had daddy wrapped around her finger from the start. And Papa.

(Click on the picture above to see it better...)

We named her Aliza because it means "great joy or happiness." And she has brought us so much joy!! She is brave and strong, she is tough and tender. She is such a great little athlete, we can't wait to see her develop her talents!

Aliza likes to read, play with her friends, swim, ride her bike, play softball and basketball and be outside. She misses soft grass and snow. She loves to ride horses. She is a great traveler and loves to go on road trips. She loves a good adventure. She loves her teacher. She loves four wheeling and sledding. She is such a great little helper, she vacuums and sweeps and organizes without me even asking.

She likes Zach Efron and High School Musical. And when she grows up she is going to marry Joe Jonas. He's the cutest one.

I have loved to watch her grow up, the older she gets the more fun she is. She is fiercely independent and is so responsible.

For her birthday, she wants to go with mommy to get our nails done together. I can't wait!