"Sweet Child of Mine"

Five Fun Facts about Kendall Grace as she celebrates her fifth birthday.

1. She says "chock-o-lick" for chocolate and "fruit-way" for freeway.

2. Her favorite color is pink so she had her new room painted, yes, purple.

3. She has incredible patience and will kick your ass at a stare-down.

4. She LOVES animals. Especially dogs. And she can bark the alphabet quite entertainingly.

5. She's smart, gorgeous, fun, funny, kind and helpful.

I would join forces with the moon to overthrow the sun for this kid. My baby.

And then I'd give her all of my choc-o-lick.

"This is Halloween, This is Halloween..."

Halloween this year was our usual mix of crazy and fun. Throw in three soccer games (the kids), two Saturday work schedules (Keith and me), and a meltdown (no comment), and our day was lucky to escape with only superficial wounds.

Ryleigh was an Angel.

You know. Type-casting.

Zack was a referee.

Keith wanted him to throw out his yellow flag everytime someone gave him bad candy and yell, "FOUL!" He refused. Thankfully.

Kendall was a Fairy.

This, she informed me, is her chosen adult profession. After, of course, "Being famous for being famous." We'll see which ones pans out.

Another fabulous Halloween with my kids.

And I won't even tell you how I ate my weight in chocolate. Sigh.

"You're Everything I Need and More"

She is from California, from orange blossoms and library books.

She is from the Clock Avenue gingerbread house. Pink and purple bedrooms and rainy day fireplaces.

She is from her grandmother's ladybug garden. From backyard pumpkin patches and climbing cosmos.

She is from kissing hello and goodbye. Trusting whole-heartedly. From Zack, Kendall, Gilliam, Higgins and Reedy.

She is from finding humor in everything and the peaceful comfort of good, fair friends. She's from making these friends her family.

From "Hello, Angel Face" and "I love you."

She is from little white Easter gloves and shiny white shoes. Christmas mornings and homemade Halloween costumes.

She's from the land of the Saints. The Beach and the Mountains. The North and the South. A southern sun girlie-girl through and through.

She's from cupcakes for breakfast and hot sauce on everything.

From the adoring parents who still cannot believe their good luck. From Van Gogh's Cherry Blossoms, a starfish and a crazy cactus.

She's from my heart. A gift from me to the world ten years ago.

Lucky world.

"You Wish That Summers Could Always Be Here"

Finally! A proper summer for the Gissel family. We normally go back to school on the 5th of July, but not anymore! We are proper modified traditionalists now. Suck it, C track!

We've had a perfect combination of a lazy and yet still crazy summer.

Pictures? Well, since you asked...

Summer is going too fast.

"In The Sun We're Gonna Have Some Fun"

Ryleigh, Zack and Kendall recently finished their spring sports.

~

Zack was on the T-ball Cardinals. He played pitcher, first base, third base and short stop. And practically hit the cover off of the ball.

Ryleigh was on the GU-10 Pink Starburst and played everything but goalie. My girl has mad foot skillz . She can trick her way out of a one on one play like a good lawyer.

Kendall played soccer for the fiercely named Pink Princesses. Not to be confused with the other girls under 6 teams, The Tinkerbells, The Ladybugs, or The Blue Dolphins.

She loved her first season, holding close to her heart the old adage, "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's what's in the goodie bag at the end of the game."

My favorite part of Kendall's season?

The ring-around-the-goalmaker dance at the beginning of the last game. Completely team-started and with the additional bonus of a group hug at the end. If they gave out awards for the "Cutest Damn Team" they would have won first place. Hands down.

"I Love your Sunny, Funny Face"

This is what happens when you tell a 6 year old to hold onto the camera.

Zack totally cracks himself up.

"On the Isle of Oahu, the Day is Just Begun"

Recipe for a Perfect Family Holiday

Take three fabulous, fun children:

and this view from our hotel room balcony.

Mix in favorite beaches,

gorgeous scenery,

snorkeling,

and a mini luau complete with fireworks.

Temper with a trip to Pearl Harbor.

Shake vigorously with friends, new (Thanks Dean & Karen!) and old (Hi Kevin, Jennie & Ainsley!),

and another look at the cute kids.

Serve with Pina Coladas. And beer. And Mai Tai's.

Serves five. Happily.