Our Welcome Home Posey

Bryce and I went to Ekalaka over spring break to visit my Mom and Dad. It is a nice 12 hour drive across Iowa and South Dakota. There is almost absolutely nothing to see on the drive there and less to see when you get there. When I say nothing, I mean nothing like what you all think of. There are plenty of deer, antelope, cattle, sheep, wild turkeys, pheasants, and lots and lots of LANDSCAPE. I love it. I love the quite and the tranquility of nature. It forces you to slow down and take in the peace of it all. My mom and I went on a walk and these calves followed us along the fence the whole way.

Spring Break in Ekalaka

My mom and I spent a lot of our time sewing purses. She helped me with mine and I watched her perfect hers.

Just a cute Mother don't you think. She is the best in the world I am sure of it.

Missy was my best friend while I was in Montana. She is the smartest dog I have ever seen. I told her to smile for the camera and look what I got. SHE SURE LOOKS LIKE SHE'S SMILING TO ME!

My Mom takes a walk nearly every day. Somedays she goes 7 or more miles. We just went about 4. Here is the landscape that we saw. Notice that there are no houses, just landscape.

Missy loves her walks with Mom, and she was nice and tuckered out when we got home.

Medicine Rocks Outing

The Medicine Rocks are quite amazing. Amidst a quite desolate landscape are these huge sandstone structures. They look like there were carved into majestic statues for a museum. They are naturally made from the eroding of the rock by water and wind. The Native Americans who used to call Ekalaka and it's surrounding areas home, came here to receive healing and and medicine. They didn't live amongst the rocks though, they considered them too sacred.

I had to take a go at them. Bryce is a very accomplished rock climber and I was trying to show off for him. I wanted to show him that I had the stuff to be as good as him.

Here I am actually 80 feet plus off the ground! Yeah right, I am about two feet off ground, and about a second after this picture was taken I got scared and had to have Bryce help me down.

Bryce of course made it to the top within seconds. I was going to give it a second go, but I decided not to. Bryce really is the King of the Hill here.

Purse Maker Extraordinare

My Mom is a very accomplished seamstress. She has been very into making pursed lately. She loves to search out designer purse styles and try to make them. Her latest is a Juicy Couture look a like. If you want to check them out her blog. www.celindascreations.blogspot.com She is quite the inspiration. I have been needing a new purse and I decided to make one. I had huge ideas of making a Fossil copycat, but that didn't happen at all. This is what came out of my endeavores.

The fabric is actually very pretty. I did get ambitious and sew in two pockets. Actually, I can't lie, my Mom sewed in the majority of these pockets. I cut them out though and directed her where I wanted them.

My Mom took this picture. I am such an amazing model am I not? Check out my Mom's blog to see her latest. She is really quite talented. She has modified the Juicy purse to be more of a diaper bag.

Some Really Cute Kids

For Easter I got the kids a bubble maker. Their Mom is very adamant about not using it inside the house. So, we took it into the little balcony. I thought that the bubbles would show up in the picture, but obviously they didn't. Myah is starting to become a very good reader. Here she is reading her new favorite book "Kitten for a Day." She is reading it to her favorite little animal, a snow Tiger which she called Snowy Snowflake. I love this picture, she looks so so cute.

Myles would not smile or pose for a picture for anything. Here I actually caught him by surprise. He looked at the camera at the very last second. The picture came out adorable. He looks like a little baby model. Besides the dirt on his face.

This is what I usually saw when I pointed the camera at him. He is shooting me with a bubble gun and I'm not sure where he learned to stick out his tongue. The tongue is quite a new development. He must have picked it up from preschool.

57 Degrees and Muddy Sand

It was 57 degrees yesterday! I have been promising the kids that we would go to the park, but it keeps on snowing. Even though, when it snows, they still want to go. We actually got to go yesterday afternoon. Of course, the only thing they wanted to do was play in the sand. Or, should I say mud because it was so wet from all the snow melt. Initially, I told them that they couldn't play in the sand, only the playground equipment. But, there was this magnetic pull just dragging them to that sand. So, I gave in. I just always feel kind of bad when their Mom comes home and they are really dirty. I didn't have time to wash them up at all afterwards. BUT, they had a blast.

Here Myah is building a pyramid with sand and sticks. it was actually really cool after it was all finished, but I didn't get a picture of the finished product.

Myles wanted to make a pyramid too. Only, he didn't have enough patience. Every time he built one, he couldn't resist smashing it to the ground with his Power Ranger moves. He made about a hundred of them, and they all got destroyed.

This picture I told them to smile for me, and Myles wouldn't. He was making all sorts of silly faces, so I just took the picture when Myah was making a cute face and came to grips with the fact that my little buddy was not going to cooperate.

Finally, Myles wanted a pyramid for real. But, he didn't want to make one on his own. He wanted Myah to make one for him so he could smash it too. Here he is begging her to make a pyramid for him, she is pushing him away because she is really frightened that his is going to ruin her hard work. He then asked me to make him a pyramid, which I did, and he smashed.

It was really muddy sand. As you can see in the background, there is still some snow that hasn't melted yet. "Oh no, look how dirty my hand got Mahali!" Myles has called my that ever since I started nannying for him. He does know how to say it correctly, but I guess habits are hard to change.

Hooray

Myah, Natali, and Myles upside down, posing on the couch. We were a little sad that the weather today wasn't as warm as yesterday, so we had to make the house fun. Posing for the camera did the trick for these two. Hooray for winter! If we keep telling ourselves that, maybe we won't be as upset when the next strom hits.

SAY CHEESE!

I work as a Nanny for two wonderful kids. This is Myles and Myah Randles. They are my "nanny" children. I love them pretty much as if they were actually mine. They are as much a part of my life as anyone is. Myles is three, and will be four on the 29th of this month. Myah is six, and the smartest most creative little kindergartener I have ever met. I brought my camera to work today and Myah found it in my purse and had to do a little posing with her brother.

They play together so well. They really have had to depend on one another their whole lives. Their father hasn't been a part of their lives almost since birth. Their Mom Jennifer, who is an amazingly strong woman, has been through so much. She has raised these two beautiful kids as a single Mom, having to go to work everyday to support them, when all she wishes is the stay home and raise her kids. She has such unwaivering faith that "God knows best," and that she keeps going no matter what trials are handed to her. And, believe me, she has had her share of struggles. Recently, their family has been blessed with another addition. Jennifer got re-married in December to a remarkable man, who the kids now call Daddy. These people have blessed my life so much.

Myles really is heavier than Myah, but she is always the big sister. She takes such good care of him. Before I took this picture, they were playing "Mom and Baby." So, Myah wanted to get a picture of her carrying Myles. He doesn't mind at all.

The three of us. My little "daytime" family.

Myah is quite the little model, and couldn't stop posing for the camera. She wanted Myles to do a cheerleading pose with her. He consented, but he wanted to do a sommersalt for the camera and rolled right out of the picture.

Here he is at the end of another sommersalt attempt, with Myah cheering him on!

MARCH BOOK CLUB

Hi Girls,

I know it has been a while, but I just wanted to touch base with everyone and say hello. We didn't have a meeting in February, and to be honest I don't know for sure who is supposed to host this month. So, if anyone objects they can let me know, but I will be the host this month. I have chosen a book, and it is a very short read so you will be able to get through it quickly.

The book is called "The Little Prince" by Antione De Saint-Exupery. It was written in French first, and translated into many other languages. So, get the English version! (unless you can read another language, which I know some of you can)

I do have a copy of it, if anyone wishes to borrow it. It is also available at the libraries and is only about $7-9.00 at any book store.

The date is Tuesday March 25th @7:00 p.m.
It will be at my apartment which is: 4222 Grand Ave. #16, Des Moines.
My phone number is: (515)991-9642. Call me!

Anyone is welcome to come. Please let everyone know about it.