Happy, Happy!

It's a big, big Happy 4th Birthday for Isi. She let's us know everyday that she is a big girl. Now I just need her to understand why she still needs a car seat. We had a small party for her at the house and below is her good friend Harrison from swim class. She was very cute with him holding his hand and showing him all over the house. She even gave him a nice big hug and told him she loved him when it was time to go home. Too cute!
Athena had a few of her girl friends over and they were a great help and also in charge of the video camera. I haven't even viewed what is on the camera yet, hmmm, could be interesting.

We held Isi's party on Sunday since Saturday the girls were trying out for the travel soccer teams. Both made it!! Hera has turned out to be a little soccer pro. She scored two goals her first game ever!! The girls are also in the Drama club at school and will have roles in 'Alice in Wonderland'.
Along with planning Isi's party I made this cake for our shop owner at work since it was also her birthday and she owns four Dachshunds. I am definitely getting better at the whole cake decorating thing.
Isi is posing in her new outfit from Gramma.
I actually wore this outfit to work, Clara stayed home though cause Saturday's are too busy to bring her. My wig matched her much better when she was first colored. I washed her yesterday and she is still pink, I hope I don't have to cut it all off!!

The other big news her is we have been given and accepted another dog. Yes I have lost my mind, although that happened long time ago. His name is Murphy and he is a two year old Wheaten. He fits right in and is a good pup.

That's it for now. Time to go and clean some dogs.

Miss everyone! Time to think of making a trip down, it's beautiful this time of year.

All our love,

The Sfikas Family

We're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo!

We actually had a really crappy day here last Saturday along with a rare Saturday that I do not work so we went to the zoo. We stopped by Walmart on our way to the Phoenix Zoo and grabbed umbrellas along with a really cute pair of bright pink boots for Isi and prepared ourselves to get wet. We couldn't have gone on a better day. The animals were all out because of the cool weather and it only sprinkled for a short time only when we first got there. I feel like zoo pics are so cliche but then I get there and I have to have a picture of everything, especially the lions because they are never out. I plan to post more of our pictures on facebook sometime soon. (See, I have to write that to put pressure on myself to actually do it).

I did actually have a backup plan if the weather didn't let up a little. We were driving in the middle of massive lightning and thunder, thank goodness the storm had already started moving north.
I have finally finished a knitting project!! I refuse to tell any of you how long this tank took me to make. The material is really soft however I might just take out the tie. Because of the yarn adding bulk to my waist on top of being very small busted I look like I have no waist. Maybe I'll try some dark ribbon and a little contrast might work. I was wearing shorts in the photo but I had to chop my legs out otherwise you would have needed sunglasses to look at me, yup, that white.
Clara was also another recent project since I was practicing her haircut and blendin her shorter back into her longer legs. I was thinking of entering a competition coming up in October but I haven't decided fully yet if I am going to chicken out or not. I think I would like to watch one or two more competitions before entering one. We'll see.

I try to keep the girls sewing something now and then and these are lunch bags they made for school out of scrape material we had kicking around. They were a lot of fun and super easy. I added velcro to press the top together along with a strip down the back so they can fold up their bags and keep their lunch from moving around as little as possible.

Isi is becoming such a big girl we decided it was time to move her into a big girl bed. So much for doing this over the weekend because it has become a huge pain in the rear. This all started because we bought a crib that converts to a full size bed. We had to go to Babies R Us for rails which they couldn't get us because they don't make our crib anymore. We were told to hit up the mattress store for something that might work. Ted brought the head board with him to make sure we got what we needed. Well, the mattress store got us a mattress and then we had to special order a small box spring because we didn't want her bed too high. We then had to go back to Babies R Us and show them the head board because they are the only ones that can possibly have rails to fit the slots in the bed. Of course now the rails also have to be special ordered. To top things off I ordered bedding on line and of course some things are backordered!! So, for potentially one to two months Isi will be sleeping on her awesome mattress on the floor in her room. Lesson learned, buy all the stupid pieces of furniture up front even if they seem minor!!

Yasas from all of us,

Charmaine

It's official, I finally have too much on my plate! As long as I can keep everything organized I do love all the activities I have been able to keep the kids busy with over the summer. I still can't believe the whole summer is gone and the kids are starting their second week of school already. Athena started 8th grade and Hera 6th, Hera is also in Sage math.

We started off with Birthday parties and sleepovers galore in June. Of course tons of swimming also not just us but dogs too. Even Clara was getting in the pool. Notice below that Clara when done swimming still has a dry head and no yard debris stuck to her then there is Jackson. The stuff stuck in Jackson also has prickles and I have to remove every tiny bit every time he swims. Why can't he just shake and roll in the grass like a normal dog??

The woman who trained me in grooming had her 50th birthday this year so I made her this special t-shirt to wear for the day. When I started I had a hard time doing anal glands and she would have to do it all the time, (didn't help the way she does it I still can't do, I had to finally develop my own technique) so it became a joke the she was Queen BS (Butt Squeezer).
Hera was part of a fantastic cooking camp this summer and came home with the best recipes. Below we are enjoying homemade doughnuts. I have never made homemade doughnuts before and thank goodness they take so long to make otherwise I could get very large off of these. Hera continues to pick a couple of recipes every week to make at home and helps keep everyone fed while I am at work. Have I mentioned how much I love that I have girls??
Athena spent her summer learning to play guitar and has a gorgeous one that was a birthday present from gramps. She really enjoys it and I look forward to looking for more lessons once we get a little more settled in our school routine.
Isi spent her summer taking swimming classes and low and behold the girl swims already only doing one class a week. She would swim every day if she could. We are very proud of her and she is already signed up for classes all the way through December.

We have decided to put dance on the shelf for now due to how expensive it is and to try new stuff so Hera has joined Athena playing soccer. The girls spent their first week back at school also going to soccer camp every night for 2 1/2 hours all five days. They had a blast along with all the blisters, bruises, aches and pains. Hopefully their practices will land on the same nights so I don't have to make too many trips in the evenings.

Athena has taken her soccer skills one step further and is taking a class to be a referee along with some of her friends. I like those friends!

That is most of what we have been up to lately. Ted still is loving his new job at CA and has been traveling to a new city, Salt Lake City to to some work for the Church of Latter Day Saints. As for me I am busy with the same old stuff and am trying to put aside a little time most days for craft projects. With everyone's busy schedule that is what I am missing the most these days.

We'll be in touch sooner,

I miss everyone tons,

Charmaine

June 2009 Recital!

I can't believe we are almost through with June and I am already making plans for July. Our biggest highlight so far this month has been the much anticipated dance recital. This took up two whole days, one for rehearsals, the second for the two shows the kids put on. Hera and Isi both took part in the first show and as for the late show only Hera needed to be there for one of the dances. Below I am starting the loooong process of getting the girls stage makeup on. Thank goodness they just had simple hairdos. Anyone have any secrets to get a 3 year old to hold still for makeup??

I had to catch the moment before anyone wrecked all my hard work.

Ready to go! I dressed the girls once we got there and still Hera managed to put a run in her tights. Thankfully one of the ladies from the dance studio had extras she could sell me.

Isi actually wanted the lime green so she could be like Tinkerbell.

At the recital we were given the pictures the girls had done the month before. I love them!

I think the color was off for Isi's. Doesn't that look like purple instead of pink?

Everyone else is doing great. Athena finished the school year with honor three quarters and principals list last quarter (straight A's ). She is now taking guitar lessons and celebrates her 13th birthday this Saturday. I officially have a teen in the house, yikes!

Isi has started swimming classes and doesn't particularly like them. She can only handle being dunked so many times before she starts to lose it. I'll feel a lot better when she can swim a little on her own since we have the pool so she is just going to have to suffer for a little while.

Hera finished 5th grade with straight A's for the entire year and will be starting advanced math when school starts up again. She starts Art class today for the summer! She is my crafty one and I look forward to posting her creations here pretty quick.

Ted has his cast off already and can now swim. I am sure he is enjoying a cool week in Denver right now. Wish he would have taken us with him.

As for me, I have caught everyone up on dentists, and eye doctors. I am looking forward to a few slower weekends ahead. Hmmmm, might be time for a neighborhood BBQ.

Stay cool,

Love Charmaine and Family

The Story!

This is how it all went down....
Friday night was the planned business/friend/date night and we were having a couple pick us up to meet another couple at this very trendy place in Scottsdale called Saporos for Sushi (I'll admit it, there were actually a few things I almost liked). After getting home from work I held everyone up cause I was late! I hate being late! As we finally left the house we merged onto the major freeway here ( 101 ) only to land behind a mini van that was swerving back and forth across three lanes of traffic. This made me yell at Ted to phone the cops before she killed someone. We honked the horn and were having heart attacks every time she almost hit someone or a cement barricade but she wouldn't pull over. Well of course Ted is saying things like 'there she goes, she's gonna crash', then she somehow swerved at the last second saving herself. Apparently this is not what dispatchers like to hear and told Ted very, very firmly, ' Sir, please keep it to new relevant information please'. We then follow the woman off the freeway and she actually stopped at the red light where we discovered her temporary license plate was very expired. Ted asks the dispatcher, 'Should I jump into her car and stop her?? Can I make a citizens arrest??'. (Of course not!!!! Heaven only knows what she keeps trying to dig for under the seat). I think part of Ted was really liking our little chase. As soon as the light turned green, crazy lady was speeding down the street and made it two blocks before finally rear ending someone. My nurse friend and I checked on everyone and Ted reaches into crazy lady's car and takes her keys. Finally police show up and we tell them the whole story. Thank goodness the woman of the car hit was fine, just shaken up cause someone very easily could have died. The crazy lady kept reaching for something on the floor which we later saw was a crack pipe. She also had prescription drugs all over the passenger seat and had been drinking. She also had several different peoples identities and had no clue where she even was.
Crazy or what!?
Needless to say this made us very late for diner but we had a wonderful evening with friends along with a very needed extra drink for those of us not driving.

Drive safe and please, no citizen arrests.
Love Charmaine

The Heat Is On!

It is 110 degrees today, 43 degrees Celsius, yuck!! It's too early to be this hot already. At least it means we can swim and I look forward to doing just that a little later on today.

I don't have a lot of pictures to share but the ones above are of Athena's and my little trip to Durango, Colorado for her last soccer tournament of the season. What a beautiful little place. It was an 8 hour drive that we shared with another mom and the teams awesome goalie, I never could have made it on my own. The girls played awesome and tied for first place taking home second place medals due to the team they tied was the only team they lost to. It was pretty exciting, the girls can be pretty rough. Athena had forgot her cleats at home so we had to buy her new, expensive ones and everyone teased her all weekend that she must have played so well due to them.

A few days before we left for Durango Ted decided to break his arm in his first real hockey game. The poor guy calls me on his way to the hospital and I was already in bed. By the second time he called I thought I better check what was up. Being so sweet I left him a message on his phone and went back to bed, am I a nice wife or what?? We were worried he may have to have surgery because the bone broke in two places but in the end things were going to heal just fine on there own. The really crazy thing is that the guy he hit (hit him??) met up with Ted in the hospital emergency room with a broken arm of his own! Ted's coach can't believe it, he has never seen anything like that. Ted should be able to have the cast removed in about a month. He is the first one to break a bone in our household and hopefully the only one.

Hera and Isi are doing great. They had dance pictures the other day which required an hour of makeup and hair before I went to work. Hera even was required to wear fake eyelashes, first time I did that and actually was pretty easy. Also doing a three year olds makeup is not easy especially since she wants to be done after about five minutes. Can't wait to see how there pictures turned out. You can't imagine how bad I wish I had a chance to take a few of my own. I'll at least have another chance at the recital next month.

This is the girls last week of school already. Athena is having her birthday party next weekend since some of her friends won't be around this summer. Do you think I have anything ready yet?? Better start some lists. I have also procrastinated big time on some summer camps. Hopefully I can still get the girls in their chosen activities. Hera wants to do art and take some cooking classes, Athena wants to play guitar and Isi I want to put into swimming. We'll find out soon enough what I get done.

Chat more soon!

Love The Sfikas Family

Petopalooza and Many New Firsts!

A Big Sunny Hello from all of Us!

We are enjoying some gorgeous weather here along with many fun events that have been going on. Last Thursday was Isi's very first pre-school concert. It was adorable!! After the children sing they are released to sit with their parents for the rest of the show. This is when I discovered for the first time that Isi took off for the swing set and can 'pump' all by herself? When did that happen? Isi has also decided she wants to be even more independent. She put herself to bed the other night. That's right, a kid who wanted to go to bed with no help and actually fell asleep! Okay, as proud as I am I must say I am feeling a little rejected. The next night Isi decided to sleep with Athena. This was their very first sleepover together. Again she got ready by herself and slept all night with Athena. Isi has even decided I am not aloud in the bathroom with her anymore. What the heck happened?? She wasn't like this at the beginning of last week!

For a long time I have been looking forward to attending 'Petopalooza' held very close to my house. The photos are of the pups taking part in 'Lure Chasing'. This is so Jacksons calling. He was so fast by his second run that the event co-ordinaters asked me to join their club. That would be very cool. Clara on the other hand, likes it but is more interested in other dogs. As for the photo below, both dogs were not supposed to run together. Hera was holding Jackson while Clara took her turn. Jackson wanted to go again so bad he tore away from Hera and chased the lure with Clara. It sure got Clara running (she is behind Jackson) and the crowd laughing.

Besides the Lure Chasing event there was tons of booths set up for anything you could ask for your pets along with a few other events that were a blast to watch that we didn't participate in such as 'Dock Jumping', 'Obedience', and even a 'Flying Disc' competition. Maybe next time we'll try something else.

We even won a basket that was raffled off full of some pretty cool stuff for pups, that made Isi's day!

As if one day isn't eventful enough, the same day as Petopalooza Isi took part in an early Easter Egg hunt. Athena and Hera were a big help hiding eggs and helping the little kids get all their eggs.

Isi pigged out on almost all her candy at the park! Needless to say she slept very well this night.

Be in touch again soon,

Have a great week,

Love the Sfikas Family

Blue Dogs and Dirty Dogs!

Hello From all of Us!
One of the things I have been experimenting with lately is color on dogs. I thought temporary tattoos would be a lot of fun and something a lot of people don't do that would add a little extra income. My dogs have hair too long for a tattoo (below I'll tell you about a poor attempt to tattoo Clara) but I needed to test the color to see how long it would last, how easy it would wash out and also if it would be messy, rubbing off on stuff when dry. I call Jackson my "oops" dog since he is always the one I experiment on and it doesn't always turn out, so this time Hera helped me turn my dogs head blue!! You can imagine the attention we get when we go for a walk. I think it turned out pretty cool. After a week the color faded and most of it came out in the first wash so now he only has a hint of blue. Good to know if a client didn't want color for a long time. The funny thing is a tried to use a blow pen to put a heart on Clara's rear end and that has stuck wash after wash as a silly pink blob, guess she was the 'oops' dog this time. So much for being 'washable'. Thank goodness it at least dried pink cause when the pink blob was even slightly damp it looked like she had a really, really ugly wound.

I have finally started buying a few plants hoping to start growing a few veggies in some large containers along with some colorful flowers. I have a bell pepper plant doing awesome along with some chives but my tomato's and parsley had an unfortunate life span thanks to two hair balls that thought they would eat them.
Isi's big highlight are her earrings. They are gorgeous on her. The girls were so easy to take care of when they were little I thought Isi's would be the same until she lost one of them. Trying to get a new one in has not been an easy task especially when they are hoops, I'll have to buy her something a little easier to change out that won't irritate things more.

I have been taking many pictures of dogs I work with to start a book people can look at when they come in showing off my work and also helping them choose lengths and styles they may like. This dog came in severely matted and, as you can see below, very dirty! Below I had already started shaving him down when I realized I should take a photo, you couldn't even see he had eyes when he first walked in. He was such a good little mutt, usually they want to eat you when they have lots of mats cause it hurts but he was a very good boy and there was actually a cute dog under all there.

As for the rest of the family, Ted hasn't been traveling and it has been wonderful to have him help around the house and with the girls. He has started to play hockey a few nights a week and feels especially well after a cortisone shot in his knee for an old injury that has plagued him for years.

The girls just had a nice, slow spring break hanging out with friends. We needed to slow down after that nasty cold that went around, no one was recovering from that very well including Isi who is recovering from a sinus infection.

Now we are counting down the days that Theia Kash and Vince will be coming down, only two more weeks! Also coming up is another soccer tournament ( the Far West Classic, and I can't tell you how much Athena is a natural at the sport ). Athena's team is awesome placing 1st and 2nd in most tournaments. They are at an age where things are getting very exciting to watch.

See you all back here soon!

Love The Sfikas Family

Disneyland 2009!

We are finally feeling recovered after a wonderfully, busy few weeks. Teds parents and sisters along with the kids came down and we all took off to Disneyland together. Below Isi is freaking out and skipping as we are walking into Disneyland for the first time.
After two awesome days in Disneyland I attended a Groom and Kennel Expo. It was really cool to be able to take classes and get up and personal with people well known in the industry. They also had tons of cool stuff to buy and grooming competitions to watch. While I did that the family spent a day in Sea World and the next day in Universal Studios.

We bought Isi this dress after meeting Princess Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine. She got to sit on their lap and chat with them. It was darling!

The girls were off doing the big rides while Ted and I took Isi around the park doing all the fun little kid things. Isi couldn't be more happy meeting all the characters. Ted and I did do a few rides together and I finally went on Space Mountain and nearly peed my pants. What can I say, I am definitely not a roller coaster junkie. Can you believe Teds mom went on the Matterhorn? Fun ride.

I am only now finally fully unpacked and catching up on house stuff but would do it all over again.

Till next time,
The Sfikas Family

Mexico!

We are back! I would never think we could have so much fun in only 5 days, but did we ever, and it was made even more fun because we met up with family (Brent and Char, Jan and Kenny, and of course Dad and Pat).
I was starting to worry we wouldn't make it on vacation after Jackson got sick and we weren't able to board him, I caught a nasty cold, and Ted obliterated his toe nail thanks to the corner of a wood bench he dropped on it. Somehow everything worked out thanks to help from neighbors and Ted's toe not becoming infected and a speedy recovery for me.

Even with a few clouds the weather was beautiful and warm. Our hotel was awesome with us landing the best suite in the house on the ground floor with the beach right outside the sliding doors. The kids had a blast playing on the beach, (where you could walk forever), swimming in the pool, pigging out on strawberry slushies, and, of course, some fishing off the beach (no luck there). From our beach you could see whales, porpoises, fish, and manta rays all leaping out of the water, very, very cool! The water wasn't safe for swimming in our area but that didn't make the beach any less fun, in fact I think all the waves made it even more fun.

On Tuesday of our trip the girls and I went on an awesome fishing trip with Gramps. In the picture are all the Durados we caught which we brought one back to the hotel and they cooked us a fantastic fish diner for our group. How cool was that for the girls to catch diner? We also caught a needle fish and Gramps will tell you all about the 'huge' fish he caught that are not in the photo (I have already embarrassed Gramps enough so I won't go into too much detail).

On the Wednesday we took a horrible bus ride into Los Cabos. It was insanely crowded to the point if you weren't claustrophobic you still started to feel like it (Hera had to stand the whole time with her poor face at but level) and it was long. Once off we enjoyed the downtown doing a little shopping (Isi's now favorite toy is the cute little guitar above), we got severely harassed to buy junk, and we swam with the dolphins (picture above with us in our wet suits). Very beautiful city, but even so we were happy to pay a taxi back to the hotel and take it easy for the evening.

Thursday we celebrated my Dad and Jan's birthday a little early so we could participate before leaving Friday afternoon. We had cake, too much to drink, live music (very interesting), and tons of laughs.

I have tons of great photos to share so keep an eye on facebook or join up if you aren't already cause there will be some stuff you don't want to miss!

Big Hugs and Kisses from all of us,

The Sfikas Family