the pale moon light

Mystery in the front yard--

Tonight the yucca looks a little mischievous.... a little eerie.....a little mysterious.
Any guess why?

 (check out what we were doing last year on this date.....click here)

be a sport.....

Guess what Princess and Sweetheart are doing today??

hmmm..... (any guesses?)

Well, they're participating in their very first team soccer game.

 I thought they should participate in an athletic event to keep their bodies strong over the summer.

So for the past few days they've been attending soccer practice in the evenings.

Baby Cookie really wanted to participate as well; but they didn't offer her age division.

So for the next few Saturdays we will be attending early morning games against other teams in the city league.

 iridescent HOT PINK soccer balls!!!

Sweetheart loves her pinky pink soccer cleats

 FIRST SOCCER GAME

(a.k.a. Football for those of you who prefer)

Not the best focused pix..........but Princess is far left and Sweetheart is center

I haven't been to a organized soccer game since my Bam was a little guy.

Does this officially make me a SOCCER MOM again??

tennis anyone??

My girls were invited to (their friend) Miss Deja's house.......she's one of Princesss Fifi's best friends.

Miss Deja's grandmother took all the girls to enjoy a game of.... TENNIS.

Sweetheart told me they had a very nice time

Cookie said they didn't spend too much time on the court because ... it was decidedly too BLAZING HOT.

They put in a few good attempt at a game but HOME was much more appealing to them.

*****I wasn't able to find the right cord to upload the pics*****

Instead Fifi found these snaps of an amazing tennis court online. 

The location is most likely.... Dubai.

The skyscraper resembles a sailboat

Star ship enterprise

I'm positive a game of tennis would not be on my mind....

These guys are probably wondering who will retrieve the tennis ball...

if every school had PLAY DAY......

Its time to put away the backpacks and books for the day......and time to bring out the sunblock, swimsuits and shorts....for today is PLAY DAY at Cookie and Sweetheart's school.

A day filled with outdoor fun activities for all the students.

Bouncy house

Water slide

Volleyball

Races

Slip and Slide

Water balloons

and

Popsicles, Lemonade and sack lunch under the trees

sweet popsicle in the HOT SUN

FUN!    FUN!!    FUN!

Did your school do stuff like this??

I remember my elementary school doing something similar......what fond, fun memories for all.

--GOOD TIMES--

a fishy field trip

Fun time for Fifi, as today her advanced studies science class headed to the Bosque School for a field trip. 

They were working with the Bosque school, New Mexico wildlife and Rio Grande Open Spaces to finalize their wild fish monitoring program they began earlier this year. 

During the school year, Fifi's advanced studies science class, recorded the daily fish activity and behavior of several different native Rio Grande species.

The BEMP (Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program) teachers at Bosque School toured the students along the bosque near the Rio Grande River, where they re-released the native fish back into their natural habitat. 

Fifi was impressed with the Bosque school and enjoyed getting out of the classroom for the day too.

 In fact, the advanced studies science class enjoyed more than a few hours away from school today....

;-)

(click here for the last trip we made to the Bosque school)

Protons--Neutron or ISOTOPES....

Take me out to the ball game....

Take me out with the crowd....

Albuquerque Isotopes v. Nashville Sound

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack.... 

....or some ice cold lemonade

I don't care if I never get back....

box level seats aka fly ball zone

Let me root, root, root for the home team....

If they don't win its a shame....

For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out....

At the old ball game!

posing with the Orbit the bobble head.
.... is he a dog or an alien??

posing with Marge and her ginormous soda

my luvs cheering on the team....

Bart Simpson and Sweetheart

FYI

The Albuquerque Isotopes are a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Albuquerque was previously represented in the PCL as a Dodgers' affiliate by the Albuquerque Dukes, who won several PCL championships in the 1970s and 1980s before relocating to Portland, Oregon, as the Portland Beavers in 2001. The Isotopes began play in 2003 when the Calgary Cannons relocated to New Mexico.

The fictional Springfield Isotopes from the long running TV series The Simpsons was the influence for the new name of the team. In the episode "Hungry, Hungry Homer", main character Homer Simpson attempts to thwart the team's plan to move to Albuquerque by going on a hunger strike. Subsequently, when an Albuquerque Tribune online survey helped the team decide its new name, "Isotopes" received 67 percent of the 120,000 votes.^[1]

Though team president Ken Young admitted that the name came from the series,^[2] he said at the name's unveiling, "We picked it because over the past year it has become a popular name, and it does have something to do with Albuquerque."^[3] The "Isotopes" name is appropriate, since New Mexico has a number of well-known scientific/military facilities dealing with nuclear technology, such as Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP), as well as hosting the Trinity test.

J FOGERTY KEITH URBAN - CENTERFIELD 

hopping down the bunny trail

Happy Easter

These beautiful Easter lilies are for you....

(thank you for visiting our little blog)

We're up early, Nana and Cheii just called.

 They're in town!!

They're with my sister (Auntie Leprechaun) they'll join us later for Easter mass.

After church, we'll go back to our house for

roast lamb,

 organic spinach-apple salad, 

baby potatoes,

strawberry shortcake

and fresh mango-orange juice

Afterward we plan on having a super fun Easter egg hunt in our back yard.

 Fifi, Sweetheart and Cookie decorated the eggs.

While Bam found these super cute vintage Easter images for decoration.

We're looking forward to a beautiful day....

Have a Hoppy Easter Day!!!

spray me down....

When you live in New Mexico you must wear sunblock year around.

If you have children.....they must wear sunblock

It's not a matter of not wearing it....... it's a must!

So when I heard,"Mommy, the sunblock is empty", this morning.

.....I knew we had to make a trip to the store after school.

So many to choose from....our fave is the spray on, no rub variety.

Fifi gets distracted by the glittery, sparkly advertisement
 as she shops for lip balm 

Sweetheart, your hair is so super long and pretty.... 

We've found our water proof, sweat proof, 'no rub' Neutrogena helioplex spray sunblock, 

Paraban free EOS lip balm with SPF 30, 

Goody no snag hair ties, 

Burt's Bee's tea tree oil, 

and 

 Beyond Carrots facial cream.

The weather is getting warmer and the temperature is slowly rising.

Hurray for healthy skin and tangle free hair.....  and coupons! *whew*

leaf only your footprint.....

The temperature has been getting colder.

The wind has been a little harsher.

So the leaves are finally falling off the trees!

We've been looking forward to these days all month long.

We love taking walks with the leaves crunching beneath our feet.

The leaves are littering the streets, the cars and every yard around.

It's a beautiful new sight........

Everyday I'm shufflin'.....

Tonight we're having a glow party in our backyard.......

We thought it would be fun to have some outdoor playtime before the cold weather sets in.

Bam makes a glow hat
while Lobo Louie looks over his shoulder

We have glow sticks in every color and configuration.

Now all we need is some music.......

Princess Fifi brings out her super reliable, portable, battery-free radio / flashlight. 

(perfect for nights like tonight)

The 'Party Rock Anthem' song comes on perfectly to the start of our family glow party.

BEFORE

AFTER

"Is this what its like to be invisible?" says Cookie.

Can you properly identify my glowing children in the photos below?

Chasing, racing, jumping and laughter filled the night skies of our backyard.

"Thank you, Mommy, for the best glow party ever."

Bam's getting chased by orbs while Fifi leviates

No, it's just camera trickery and trampoline action....hahahaha

Our family glow party ends when our cheeks and noses are rosey.
We then take the party inside, where we have hot chamomile tea with lemon and freshly baked cookies awaiting us.

Mmmmm......

--Come to the DARK SIDE we have Cookies--

Amazing the fun, a small trip to the dollar store for glow sticks, can get you.

Below is a fancy house complete with lighting effects and music that goes perfectly with our party theme blog.

Everyday I'm shufflin'......

If only you could see us jumping around our backyard to this tune with our glow sticks.

We had a great family glow party.

I'm certain we will do this again.

--Happy Day--

living a story book adventure

Today Sweetheart and I attended the class field trip to El Rancho de Las Golondrinas near Santa Fe.
What a beautiful day to be out in the warm sun under the big New Mexico blue and turquoise skies.

The El Rancho de Las Golondrinas is a historic living history museum located on 250 acres in a rural farming valley south of Santa Fe.
The museum is dedicated to the history, heritage and culture of 18th and 19th century New Mexico.
While hiking throughout the trails we stopped by many living exhibits who told us the history and life of living on the rancho.

Burros were used mostly for transporting heavy items.

These women were carding, spinning and dying wool

Las Golondrinas is rich in language, culture, art, traditions and history of Spanish Colonial, Mexican, and Territorial New Mexico.

Historical hill top chapel with campo santo on site

Utility wagon parking lot..........

Historical water mill / grain mill in action

Beautiful traditional adobe oratorio

Sweetheart and I hiked all about Los Golondrinas with the class. We visited the placita house, blacksmith shop, candle maker, riverside laundry, wheelwright shop, winery, vineyard, morada, descansos, oratorio. and to the hill top chapel with campo santo.

Stunning NM beauty

Amazing Autumnal view

Various films were shot here at Los Golondrinas including:
Tiger Eyes (2010) featuring Willa Holland, Tatanka Means, Based on the book by Judy Blume.
MacGruber (2009) featuring Will Forte, Powers Boothe, Val Kilmer, Ryan Phillippe, Based on a Saturday Night Live skit.
Doc West (2009) featuring Paul Sorvino, Terence Hill. Premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
Kites (2009) featuring Hrithrik Roshan, Barbara Mori. Asian and South American cinema
Shoot First and Pray You Live (2008) featuring Jo Blackstone, Erik Bockemeier
Comanche Moon (2009) featuring Val Kilmer, West Studi, Rachel Griffiths
Kit Carson (2008) featuring Michael Murphy. documentary, The American Experience
Seraphim Falls (2006) featuring Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Angie Harmon, Anjelica Huston.
Into the West (2005) featuring Gary Busey, Judge Reinhold, Tom Berenger, Rachael Leigh Cook, Keith Carradine. Produced by Stephen Speilberg.
The Conquest of America (2004) Documentary narrated by Bill Curtis.
The Missing (2003) featuring Cate Blanchette, Tommy Lee Jones. Directed by Ron Howard
All the Pretty Horses (2000) featuring Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz, Henry Thomas, Sam Shepard, Bruce Dern.
Vampires (1998) featuring James Wood, Daniel Baldwin, Maximilian Schell, Sheryl Lee.
The Staircase (1998) featuring Barbara Hershey, William Peterson, Diane Ladd
Gunfighters of the West (1998) Documentary narrated by Brian Dennehy
Fools Rush In (1997) featuring Salma Haayek, Matthew Perrry.
Nobody's Girls: Five Women of the West (1995) featuring Cloris Leachman, Ester Rolle.
Wyatt Earp (1994) featuring Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Dennis Quaid, Mare Willingham
The Legend of O.B. Taggart (1994) featuring Ned Beatty, Earnest Borgnine, Larry Gatlin, Mickey Rooney, Ben Johnson, Randy Travis.
Young Guns (1988) featuring Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kiefer Sutherland, Terence Stamp, Jack Palance, Brian Keith.
Wild Times (1980) featuring Sam Elliott, Harry Carey Jr. Bruce Boxleitner, Dennis Hopper.
Butch and the Sundance: The Early Days (1979) featuring Tom Berenger, William Katt, Jill Eikenberry, Brian Dennehy, Christopher Lloyd.

Familiar??

A quick game of lunch time tag.........

Good bye Los Golondrinas........

We had a great time!!

 Sweetheart and I had a memorable day at El Rancho de Las Golondrinas.
Sweetheart said it was like experiencing the life of Josefina Montoya from American Girl.
(http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/thumbnail/id/238/uid/35)
I agree that we did have a great storybook to life adventure today..............