My kind of adventure...

February 20: Day 51

For the President's Day holiday, since Mike actually had a day off, we headed up to California Adventure Park!  It was AWESOME!  There were hardly any crowds and we got to go on every ride we wanted.  Here we are in line for the Toy Story Mania ride.  I love my goofy family.  We have a lot of fun when we are together!

Quick, take a picture...

February 19: Day 50

It's not often that we all are dressed, combed and in the same place long enough to catch a quick picture, so I took advantage of being ready to leave for church a few minutes early.  You may be able to tell that this was probably the fourth picture that I made them pose for, so we are all a little strained, but at least we all have our eyes open. 

Sleeping Mini...

February 18: Day 49

When I put Sarah down for her nap this afternoon, she was NOT wearing this outfit.  At some point, she got cold, got up and put on her favorite Mini-Mouse outfit and pulled up the hood and fell fast asleep. 

Park punishment...

February 17: Day 48

We love our regular Friday park days, but we don't always finish our work before we leave.  So, this is how homeschoolers motivate their kids; no finished work, no play.  Isa unfortunately learned this lesson the hard way, but as soon as she finished, she had plenty of time to run and play. 

Trask Top Shot...

February 16: Day 47

I just love this picture.  The girls were at school and Sarah and I were "cleaning" all the upstairs rooms.  I happened to be working on Macky's room when I looked out her window and saw this.  You first need to know the girls and Mike have been religiously watching Top Shot on television.  So, here Mike has set up his own Top Shot range.  The girls were thrilled to come home and practice shooting the bee bee gun. 

A little couch time...

February 15: Day 46

Macky and Sarah are such good friends.  They cuddle and read and play together all the time.  I love happening upon them in one of these moods.  It is so precious, I hope that they always have this sweet love for each other.  Sisters. 

Happy Valentine's Day

February 14: Day 45

I'm sure I should have been able to come up with a more romantic photo for today, but we had such a nice day that I didn't realize I hadn't snapped a shot until late in the evening.  These are a few treats that we gave to the girls to celebrate the day.  I think it is so important when you have daughters to show them love at home so that they aren't in any rush to go out and find it elsewhere.  As it is, I'm fairly sure that each of the girls is planning her future wedding to her daddy.  I'm not sure where I fit in the plan, but I'm good with it so far.  :)

Sarah reads her first book!

February 13: Day 44

We are so proud of Sarah!  She has finally put together that the sounds of the letters make words and words make sentences and so on.  This night, all the girls cuddled around Daddy while Sarah showed off her new talent!  She read a whole Bob book on her own! 

Visit with Cousin Laura...

February 12: Day 43

Mike's cousin Laura came to visit from Kansas so we headed down for dinner at Mike's folks.  We don't get many photos of the family, so this was a nice opportunity. 

I couldn't resist adding this photo.  While at Grandma's house, the girls got a mouthful of whipping cream.  Yummy!

Dress up days...

February 11:42

Dress up days at the Trasks.  Enough said...

Can I help make dinner?

February 10: Day 41

This is such a regular question in my house.  Even though they have little hands, they really do help.  I'm amazed at how much little ones can do if you just take the time to teach them, then let them try.  It's not always that easy, but it will pay off, right? 

Tea with Tinkerbell...

February 9: Day 40
I couldn't resist two pictures today and I know Sarah continues to make the blog more often than anyone else, but there is something about the spirit of a 4 year old that compels me to pull out my camera (or phone if it's handy) and shoot!  She decided that she was going to be Tinkerbell today, or some sort of fairy, depending on her mood.  She proceeded to get out all the "good" china and have a little tea party/dance party on the stairs while the rest of us were upstairs with our noses in our books.  Of course, I took some time out of my day to sip a bit of tea and watch a wonderful ballet performance. 

Awana Wednesday...

February 8: Day 39

It warms my heart to come downstairs and see my sweet angel on the couch studying her bible.  This is my whole goal as a parent and a homeschooling mom; to see my child, on her own, choose to study the Word of the Lord. 

Cereal before bed...

February 7: Day 38

It finally happened.  The girls were put down, my bedtime was approaching rapidly and I hadn't taken my picture for the day.  But, this actually worked out nicely because my goal is to document our normal, everyday life and this picture portrays something that goes on in our house at least 5 out of 7 nights a week.  It's the before bed bowl of cereal.  It's the equivalent of drinking a warm cup of milk, or taking a hot bath and slipping into a cozy bed.  Sweet dreams.   

Keeping those teeth clean...

February 6: Day 37

Don't you brush your teeth without your shirt on?  It saves on shirts if you happens to be a messy spitter.  In this case, I think Sarah had gotten distracted while getting into her pajamas and went to the next item on the list of "bedtime routine" and simply saw no point in putting on a shirt.  It's actually common in this house to see random articles of clothing missing at any time throughout the day.  What can I say, we are just a naked family. 

Bouncing Belle...

February 5: Day 36

This is what a princess does on a beautiful Sunday afternoon when Mama was too sick to go to church and too tired to play.  I was recovering from a cold and just didn't have it in me to get the girls ready and loaded for church, not to mention sit still and try not to sniffle through the entire service.  Mike was down in Santee running a crazy 10K on Mission Trails, so I would have been on my own.  Even though the girls would have rather gone to church, Sarah was certainly content to draw herself a hop-scotch, get dressed in her fancy Belle dress and heels and bounce around for a hour in the sun.   

Awana games practice...

February 4: Day 35

This is Mackenzie and her friend Gracie practicing for Awana Games.  This is Mackenzie's first year in Awana Club and she tried out to make the Awana Games team.  Awana Games are fun, relay type races on steroids.  They practice in a gym and there is a whole technique to it.  It's so funny, but very serious too.  They are out to win!  So we'll find out on February 25th, which is the Olympics of Awana Games, how the Tri-City Club did!  Wish us luck!

Best friends at the park...

February 3: Day 34

Look at these crazy kids!  It's Friday, so that means it's time to play!  This is Isabelle with her best friend Julia at the park. After running, swinging, and racing around on Heely's we ended the day with our packet 4 conference.  I love ending the week and the packet on a good note.  We get to play and rest this weekend and start fresh on Monday.  Ahhh...

A little reward after shopping...

February 2: Day 33

A little shopping, a little Mommy-Sarah time, and a little spin on the helicopter in front of the grocery market; what a nice Thursday morning.  I really cherish the few moments I get with just one of the kiddos.  They are so much fun when I can sit and listen to exactly what they have to say without any other commentary or interruptions. 

Nail art...

February 1: Day 32

Sisters are the best!  Macky received a nail art kit for Christmas and she has now opened a mini nail salon in the classroom after school hours.  She is fortunate to have customers that aren't super picky and are just thrilled to have "Big Sis" spending time paying close attention to their specific demands.  Getting a lollipop just right on a nail the size of a kernal of popcorn takes good eyes, a steady hand and patience of a saint. 

Did you notice, Macky also received a tatoo kit for her birthday and she and Sarah had a tatoo party while Isabelle and I visited our favorite beautician for a new do? 

Shoes, our favorite past time...

January 31: Day 31

We love shopping for shoes!  Seriously, what girl doesn't?  Although we set out to simply buy the necessary running type shoe for the girls, we certainly took our time trying on every color, style and size the store had to offer.

Smoothies in winter...

January 30: Day 30

Spring and summer usually bring the delight of smoothies with it, but we've had such beautiful weather here this winter, that we mixed up a super yummy berry and yogurt smoothie with coconut milk!  The girls were surprised when I fed them smoothies and edamames for lunch!  They really thought they were getting away with having ice cream for a meal.  Should I tell them that it's healthy?