The dress is here!

My MOH dress came in for Jen's wedding. I did an entire photoshoot for JLO and Shell. I wasn't sure how much I was allowed to blog........:)

What about Maia?

Well, Sweet Maia, who refuses to share the spotlight....met her sister's monkey tricks with one of her own:
She placed the hat on her head herself! She is a pretty fancy cowgirl!
Now we are working on her "HEE-HAW!"

Green Light!

The scene of the crime (one of many!):
This is what Liah does when you don't jump at her demand! She takes matters into her own hands! She can work the DVD player and was not satisfied with the current showing. After a failed attempt to boss us to promptly change the DVD to one that suited her fancy... she went about things the Liah way! (We keep the DVDs out of reach because she becomes an obsessive compulsive DVD exchanger!) Apparently, nothing is out of reach from this child!
Things were looking dim.... then Gaga started the green light/ red light system with her (This is probably the seventh behavior chart "Chris Jr." has tried)! We are seeing success so far! She had all greens Monday and Tuesday! Here she is modeling her Einstein undies she picked from her Super-Duper-Surprise bag! Yippee, Hooray! Liah is having a GREEN day! We will post the progress! :)

Yeah Dad!

Dad's team won again! We are so proud of him! Gooooo Eagles!

Miss America Training....

The pageant was on last night! We watched and picked our favorites. This was a great opportunity to start introducing these ideas and practices to my girls! Miss America 2016-2018 watch out... The Goodens are preparing now!


Here's Maia working on her photogenic skills!
We are still waiting to see what natural talents will develop. For now, Maia has taken to the drums!

We discussed natural beauty secrets and took turns practicing our facials and interviews in the Fisher Price mirror!
We then discussed healthy eating and shared a bottled water! (Well, there was a small girl fight over the water! haha)
Here's is Liah's talent portion. She was inspired by Miss Virgina... toe ballerina!

And no folks.... this time I am not kidding about any of this!

Another weekend.... another walk!

This time we went and got Liah some new shades. She threw her other ones over last weekend! She picked out 2 rockin' Dora pair!
We also stopped by McDonalds. The girls were a big hit with all of the "Grandparents!" We figured Gaga, Gapa, Grammy & Grampy wouldn't mind if we shared a little bit! We smiled and talked nicely to all the older people. They really loved us!


Sunday is rainy so no walk today! :(

WANTED: Babysitter for 2 adorable and easy-to-manage girls.

You must come to our house. You must keep us happy and safe all day long. You must do this with a smile. You must also take care of our dog and house while babysitting. We pay peanuts. If interested contact us ASAP! ;)
We are pretty sure Gaga just needs a weekend to relax. She really, really loves us! She'll be back Monday!

Love Liah and Maia (2 sweet and loving little ladies)

Gaga Put In Her 2 Week Notice...Uh oh!

It was one of those weeks! Managing my children is no small task. Gaga does a superior job of wrangling Maia, pottying Liah, pleasing Stella and keeping the house standing, all while making lunches and dancing to Yo Gabba Gabba. Most weeks are like that of any with children: a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs.... but overall pretty darn exciting! Then came this week...... I remind you our children have taken on the best of our (Tami & Chris) personalities. They are filled with drama, independence, defiance of authority and stubbornness wrapped around 2 little Divas. How could that at all present a challenge when trying to instruct, entertain and "babysit?" Well, a week filled with thumbs down, time outs, girl fights and calls to Mom at work drained Ga! She has decided to pursue other employment options! :)

Priceless

I got lots of presents for Christmas. Also, since I am such a good girl, I get a lot of super-duper surprises. I am the baby so my big sister has to share her toys with me. Really, I do NOT lack attention and love! However, the joys in life include playing behind the curtains and getting mohawks in the bathtub! Priceless! Love- Maia

Call me crazy....

In a side by side comparison, I swear Violet Affleck resembles Liah. (A pastier version!)

Dad is the MAN!

Dad's BIG game was last night. Sadly, we missed out because Miss Liah napped until 5:30! :(
So instead of being Dad's #1 cheerleaders we ate mac-n-cheese and waited for him to call with details!
He called with GREAT news! He led the Eagles to another victory! We are so proud. We made signs for the door.
Dad is #1 in SO MANY ways! He is the man!

Where does the time go?

10 months ago Maia Lee was born! She was 8 lbs. 6 oz., 20 inches and a month early!
We were surprised with her March arrival, fully thinking we had another 3+ weeks to wait for her April 12 c-section. We had a nice "vacation" at the hospital. The night chef (yes chef... this is AZ!?) was awesome, Chris had his own bed and Maia was a fabulous baby!
The only missing piece was Big Sister Liah who was home with Gaga! Naturally, her FIRST ever ear infection and time on meds was when I went into the hospital for "an overnight procedure!" (Little did we know... the procedure ended up being birth!) Liah got better and enjoyed her new Baby sister!

Today, the Baby is 10 months old! She is way too close to one! This is her "SO BIG" picture! She is far from our tiny little snuggle bunny. She is a crawling, talking and eating machine! She is working on walking. She can take up to 5 steps independently! She pulls herself up on furniture and can walk with ease along it, while holding hands and behind her push carts! She is amazing! She says Mama, Dada, Ga, No and we swear she says Liah! She spends a lot of time in her sister's stuff! She is working on solids with her newly showing 8 teeth! Her favorites are fruit puffs! She now weighs in at 19 1/2 pounds and is 29+ inches long! Time flies.... yet at the same time it seems like she has been in the Gteam forever. Our sweet little Mai Mai Bean Pie!

From the mouths of children...

Liah woke up this morning with another strange hairdo! It appears that she slept equally on both sides of her head, leaving a poof on the top. We were calling her Liah rooster and cockadoodledooing. A few minutes passed, she looks at me (Mom) and says Mom pig and oinks at me. Dad on the other hand is a hooting owl. Needless to say.... this provoked another 3 mile power walk. I'm wondering if I should take this personally?!

Love this email.... so true!

THE PASSING OF REASON

The Teacher Applicant

After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, “Let me see if I’ve got this right:"

“You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning."

“You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. "

“You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job. "

“You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the state exams. "

“You want me to provide them with am equal education regardless of their handicaps. and communicate regularly with their parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card. "

“You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. "

“You want me to do all this and then you tell me …..

…….I CAN’T PRAY?’’

Another COOL "W" for Dad!

We had a bit of a rough start getting ready for Dad's game today. We just couldn't seem to shake the sleeps and get our "cheer" faces on!

But when we did..... We enjoyed a nice chilly evening in the desert! GO- G-O, Go Daddy Go!
He led the Eagles to another win!
We were so good, Mom and Dad gave us a super-duper-surprise! We got matching Blue's Clues socks. They are way cool!

We took a LONG walk!

This weekend, while Dad had Saturday school, Mom walked us all the way up to Starbucks and McDonalds.
Liah had some yummy fries on the way home!
Maia enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine.
It was so fun.
Mom enjoyed a guilt free frap, she walked off the calories before she had the drink! mmmm
We all missed Dad on the walk!

Where's my wrinkle cream!?

I am at a point in my life where I am holding tight to my youth! As I approach my 29th birthday (in June, a year from 30!!), I am starting to feel a bit old! There are several factors that contribute to my problem. None include details such as: I adore glitter. I believe a little sparkle helps...in my case a lot. False eye lashes can be tasteful and worn to teach kindergarten. I relish in the fact I still can perform my high school fight song, high kicks included. Pep assemblies make me tingle, I love them! I am a master at the "Souja Boy" dance. I wear bows in my hair. I have dance parties at home, with my family.

However, Amanda is just months away from graduation. My LITTLE sister, who started high school when I started teaching, is about to be a colleague!? How can the girl I remember changing be a grown-up!? It seems like yesterday I wore my fancy bow (thank you Uncle Tom) to see her at the hospital. I remember when she started Kindergarten and she sat in back with the "in" crowd because I ruled the bus in 7th grade. When I started driving, after much convincing, I drove her to the corner and got her a grape ring pop. She was holding a Barbie in my prom picture. I took one of my first "personal" days to document prom her junior year. I woke her from a party-induced slumber (what do you want she was in college!) to do unspeakable acts when my water broke with Liah. And now she calls me to ask about treasure chest items and lesson plans.

I used to be the cool, young, hot teacher! Heaven help me....that woman has been replaced....by Manda!

And what do I get? I get big fat unsightly bruises from a middle school tug-o-war competition. What am I 90?! (In my defense I was one of the smallest and was trapped in the rope...being tugged myself.... this however only means I am also weak! Chris has no injuries to report!:( )

Anyone who knows me, knows what all this means.... Here comes the wrinkle cream, hair color, tan in a bottle, thigh-master band aide I will apply to my real wounds! :)