12 X 12 - July 2012

I started off the 12th by getting ready for a busy day mostly spent out of the house. First I packed a few snacks:

Am I the only one in love with the new portable apple sauce packs?

Then if was off to swimming lessons for Sade. It was the last day and for the first time Megan and Jackson came with me. Although it was much cooler yesterday than it had been on Tuesday and Wednesday (an unbearable 115 degrees) we were still hot and had to cool off a bit in the pool.



Me and my Meggie:



After swimming we headed right over to the Springs Preserve so we could catch the 11 am Venom show, which is ending in the next few days:



(Separate thrilling Springs Preserve post forthcoming!)

After exploring for a while, we went to the mall for lunch.



Are your kids as obsessed with escalators as mine are?

We walked right by the pet store and so of course had to go in. I was bombarded with requests from the children for a dog.



After arriving home the house was in desperate need of a cleaning, but while at the Springs Preserve I had injured my toe badly (by opening a bathroom door that bent back my toenail), and consequently had to sit on the couch to rest. But luckily I have great kids that cleaned up most everything for me.



It throbbed for pretty much the entire day, but am happy to report that today it doesn't hurt at all!

After a quick rest it was time to drive to swim team.

My swim team mom posse:



Talking with these ladies makes sitting outside in the heat completely pleasant. Kathy (sitting next to me) was my very first Las Vegas friend. I won't go into details, but I owe a whole lot to Kathy. She has taught me so many important things.

When arriving home we were all very excited to see that Eric was there. He had been out of town for 3 days, and had been missed by all of us:



Eric and I had shakes for dinner, while the kids had pizza:



After dinner Eric and I took a trip to Home Depot to purchase equipment for our sprinkler system that is broken. While on the way there I spotted 2 pallets in a dumpster that I made Eric throw in his truck.



Have you seen the amount of pallet projects on Pinterest lately? One of two may be debuting in my house soon.

Speaking of Pinterest, after the kids go to bed I now spend my nights pinning things while watching T.V. I always like to be doing some sort of project while watching T.V., so this has worked out perfectly for me.



I was tired yesterday and ended up being in bed by 11 pm, which is early for me.

Busy, fun summer day.

Lego Tracks

Jackson has lots of Lego's. However, instead of using them to build skyscrapers, boats or spaceships, he likes to use them to build elaborate tracks. After all, cars and tracks have always been his first love.

 You may notice that Jackson is shirtless in every picture I post of him this summer. When we are home he likes to be clothes free. Often this means pants free too, but I have held off taking pictures of him in that state. 

Megan's 12th Birthday Celebration

Megan started off her birthday supporting her brother by attending his basketball game (they won 26-16!). After the game the kids and I went to see Brave (Eric was out of town and wouldn't be arriving home until 2 pm).

We all really liked it.

After the movie we went to lunch, came home and luckily discovered Eric has just arrived. Which meant Megan could open her presents!



She received clothes, shoes, an i-tunes gift card, a Claire's gift card, make-up, a mirror for her room, a bodyboard, hair accessories, a new cell phone and money.

For her birthday Megan decided she wanted to ride the roller coaster at New York New York. Poor Jackson wasn't tall enough to ride it (you have to be at least 54 inches), but Megan, Eric and I all rode.



Although Eric and I have been on it before, we had forgotten how jarring it is. All 3 of us were not feeling our best after riding it.

Nevertheless, we continued on our journey and visited M & M world (for my little M & M: Megan McClellan).



Sadie was really hoping the "Green M & M lady" would be there.



We purchased three bags of the worlds most expensive M & M's and then went on our way.



Our next stop was Serendipity at Caesars Palace for dessert.



There were a ton of people standing around outside of Caesars which we found odd, but on the way back to the car we discovered the reason. Apparently they were shooting off fireworks that night so people were just waiting around for them to start. When he heard this we went up to the roof of the parking garage to watch them.




 Gorgeous! It was a great way to end Megan's birthday.

At 12

Megan is 12 today. Be still my heart.

When she is tickled she laughs incredibly loud. Like 150 decibel loud.

A few months ago she decided to work on bettering her relationship with her siblings. To that end she goes into each of their rooms every night, gives them a hug, and tells them that she loves them.

She can hear a song one time and remember almost all of the lyrics. However she can't remember anyones name to save her life.

She gets car sick.

She loves to swim and is a natural in the water.

She would watch T.V. all day if we allowed it.

I have the kids read every night before bed, but most of the time Megan can be found writing or drawing instead.

She is a major bed time staller. Getting up multiple times for a drink and to use the bathroom.

She can still get by on small amounts of sleep, but I have noticed she has been sleeping in a bit later in the mornings (after all the teenage years are almost among us!).

Her favorite color is purple.

Her favorite singer is Taylor Swift.

She has become private about her room. Always keeping her door shut when she is not in it.

She continues to be orally fixated and hence chews a lot of gum.

She has a lot to say. She tells us lots of things about her day, her opinions, her favorite T.V. shows, etc.

She takes on a lot of responsibility around the house. Especially babysitting and cleaning.

She gets along with everybody.

She has a really great sense of humor and is quick witted.

She desperately wants a dog but her parents are committed to being pet free.

She is a music lover and always has her IPOD nearby.

She has an independent soul and will make her own way in the world.

Happy 12th Birthday Megan!