Popsicle And Pool PARTAAY!

Today we had a Popsicle and Pool Party to kick off the start of summer. J still has 3 days of school left but the timing was just right to welcome summer TODAY! It was a BEAUTIFUL day here and the pool was FABULOUS! Jordan had a really nice turn out 8 friends from school and church. The kids had a great time splashing and swimming and laughing and screaming their butts off! Here are some pics for your amusement! ENJOY!

These are the invites Jordan and I made

(I would show you the inside but it gives detailed directions to our house and even though i love y'all we don't need the whole blogsphere on our door step! popsicles, cute huh?)

Samantha and Jordan goofy goggle girlies!
popsicle break!
cute girls!
6 goofy girls jumping in!
Megan, Jordan and Samantha
about to get dumped!
Megan, Kaitlyn and Sammy jumping in!

the only BOY who dared to show...Trevor, what a sport!
most of the gang!!
snack time!
Jordan shooting ME with water...punk!

so the party was a success. I love having Jordan's friends over. I love hearing them laugh and scream and have a great time and i REALLY love hearing, "Jordan your mom is totally cool" and hearing Jordan say, "yeah, i know, she really is!" and then look at me with her huge smile. She must have told me thank you a million times today. As we knelt for her bedtime prayers tonight she thanked Heavenly Father for "a super awesome day and for HolleeAnn as one of her moms." My heart is swelling!!

200th Post part four!

The response to our ASK ME!! post to help us celebrate our 200th post was awesome and a little overwhelming...i was shocked that y'all asked 145 questions...CRAAAAAZY! Anyway we have been working on getting them all answered and are going to have to make it a weekly segment for a little while (i know, calm down i can already sense your utter excitement). You can get caught up by reading 200th Post part one , 200th Post part two! and 200th Post part three!

SWC @ I Don't Want a Title asked:

73. if you were to unwind and just to something for HolleeAnn what would it be?
SPA DAY!! Most def a spa day, facial, massage, mani, pedi, great healthy meal, a nap in the sun…ahhhh I feel relaxed just thinking about it.
74. aside from the obvious answers being Paul and Jordan, what or who inspires you?
People who do great things for children. People who create magical places for children to learn and grow in. People who do what is BEST for kids, NOT what is easiest.
75. Jordan, what’s the best thing about HolleeAnn?
“She is funny, she makes fun parties for me and for my friends. She never says no when I ask if I can help her cook and she let’s me have my friends over every time I ask. And she knows good fashion to buy me clothes that are cute and makes my hair always look nice. Most best is that she treats me really nice and takes really awesome care of me and lets me know I am important and she loves me and I love her and we are close and can talk a lot about any stuff.” (THIS my friends made me cry! OH! how i love her)

Danielle @ New Mommy Rant asked:

76. what type of camera does a Mamarazzi use?
Kodak EasyShare C875…it’s ok for a starter camera. We did not know ANYTHING about digital cameras when we bought it.

No cool Story @ More Cowbell asked:

77. who asked the most questions?
Dana 30 questions
78. who asked the best question?
Hmmmm…not sure. but my MOST fave answer was #75, is my kid awesome or what?!?
79. who asked the hardest question?
Crazy Mama of 6 #51 Biggest personal challenge thus far in your life? it was hard to just be flat out honest on that one, i really don't like to complain and i worry people think i am playing the role of victim...i don't feel like a victim.
80. Jordan do you do your own hair or does Mamarazzi help you?
“I can do a “phonytail” to wear a headband and I can put in barrettes, but I like help so it looks cute” (note to readers: phonytail; part and section hair off to side in front, take portion of hair from both sides pull forward. take rest of hair and pull into pony tail. take sectioned hair and slick back onto low pony and secure at nape of neck. let rest of hair fall down. this makes it look like your hair is just neatly tucked behind your ears. J likes to add a head band. "phonytail" stays nice all day, no hair in face...fave hair tip!)
81. Mamarazzi, how many pictures a week do you take?
Like hundreds…but it really depends on what is going on. I know I take lots of pics. I REALLY see the importance of documenting my daughters childhood. I super big time wish I had more pics of myself as a child, so I think that is where that comes from.
82. Paul, how many pictures a week do you take?
“HolleeAnn is called Mamarazzi for a reason. She is the one behind the camera.”
83. This hat?
Love it
84. Or this one?
Most def the first one. (you are hilarious) note to readers...go here to comments to get in on the goodness that is NoCoolStory.

Kristin @ ourlittlelife asked:

85. What song(s) can you not resist the urge to get up and dance to?
ABBA’s Dancing Queen…I know that is totally lame, but it’s true.
86. What book has changed your life and how?
SimpleAbundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach…it really helped me learn to look for the beauty in ALL things, that what i pay attention to grows and the importance of journaling.
87. what is your favorite power tool?
I use my rechargeable screw driver/drill a lot.
88. how cool is your family?
SUPER cool!
89. do you freeze your stinky garbage (i.e. pieces of chicken, other meats, banana peels)?
Ummm no
90. would you start freezing it if you don’t already?
nope...you ARE a silly girlie aren't you?
91. what does a rhinebiporus look like?
Like David…or that is what I hear. That’s why you married him right?!?

ok the last three questions were really super bizarre, like there is a joke somewhere in there that i am not privy too...explain yourself Kristin!

once again if you made it all the way through GOLD STAR for you!

UPDATE ALERT!

just a reminder about our blog address change. you will need to update your readers and blog rolls. google will only redirect them for a few more days, and i don't want ya to miss anything! so either copy the link in the address bar on our home page or use this link : http://www.ourdandelionwishes.com/ thanks!!

Puppy Therapy

Tuesday was a sad day for our family as we lost Great Grandma Georgia (my father in law Jim's mom). We all took the news of losing Georgia pretty hard, since at 81 she was full of life, working in her garden everyday, spending time volunteering and vacationing...it was a shock that she passed so suddenly. Jordan was feeling especially sad and had many questions. Wednesday we decided to spend a little time cheering ourselves up. Our friend Alissa's (J's YW Beehive adviser) dog Sugar had 6 puppies so we went to play and frolick with them. It was a lot of fun and most def lifted our spirits...there is just something about puppy kisses that makes things a little brighter. Enjoy these pics...i hope they make you smile!

Four came over for some loving

"ok settle down kids"
"aww i love you all"
smooooches!
look at that face
awwww
my girl is soooo beautiful
soooo sweet
J and Alissa
big daddy and a few wet pups from playing in the sprinklers
and i leave you with frolicking pups...so cute!!

Wordless Wednesday

what do you use YOUR treadmill for?!

More Wordless Wednesday HERE and HERE

ourdandelionwishes dot com

Did ya notice? we have our own dot come now! TheVasquez3 is history (have you changed us on your blog roll?), we have opened ourselves up to the universe for MORE! in honor of this event i am passing out some super cute awards that my friend Jennifer made for me. you remember Jennifer right? my "non blogging", real life, super funny friend? does this Shout Out!! ring any bells? YES her!! DUDE! she does have a blog, a i cannot believe i just assumed she did not blog, she never mentioned it, ya woulda thought it would come up in conversation. maybe i talk about myself too much...sigh...probably. ANYWAY i stopped in and she is not narcissistic like me, she doesn't have comments on...booooo. i love her and she is not only super fun, she is also super creative...check these babies out! this is SPECIAL, thanks Jennifer...you rock!

The Bloggy Goodness Award goes out to: Memories and Musings of a Mommy,Pea Pod Squad Stuff,On The Upside,Chrissy's Window, And Then There Were 6,Just Talk,More Cowbell and Mom of Three i love when you post so i can come and soak up your bloggy goodness. Now GO, share the love, pass it on!!

The I Big Red Puffy Heart Your Blog Award goes to: Emilie,Dishing With Debbie,L I F E S O N G, If You're Happy And You Know It, Three Girl Circus, Three Weddings, HappilyShovelingWater and Life Unscripted that's right, i big red puffy heart your blogs, accept your award, display it proudly and pass it on to blogs that you big red puffy heart.

SuperCoolMom,Crazy Mama of 6 ,Tidbits of the Tippets , Who Me? ,Three Weddings , Random Thoughts these chicks are sooo good about commenting on EVERY post i make...ALL of them, every time! AND a special shout out to Home Is Where The Mom Is ...even when life gets busy she spends time catching up and commenting as she goes...i love that! Ladies...pass the one on to your super commenters.

so YAY for bloggy awards, YAY for friends who are super smart and creative to make me EXACTLY what i asked for...perfection!! do you just loooove the super frog, she is awesome, thanks again Jennifer...i totally owe you!

Family Time

I know y'all hear me talk about how much i value family time, a lot. But this weekend, that I pretty much spent alone, I really realized how much I VALUE that time we spend as a family. Jordan was gone for the long weekend and Paul worked back to back shifts, so the only time he was home he spent sleeping. It was kinda gloomy and raining off and on for most of the weekend and I filled my time with organizing, cleaning, putting together teacher gifts and invites for Jordan's Summer kick off Popsicle and Pool Party and doing laundry. It was good to get these things accomplished since we have a few busy weeks coming up with the end of school, getting ready for Girls Camp and family coming to see us. But I gotta tell ya, sitting down at the dinner table with my family to enjoy a meal and then following our meal with quality time playing games is something i REALLY miss on weekends like this. The house is WAY too quiet. But it is THAT time of the day when I actually felt lonely and a little sad.

I know J is getting older and it probably won't be long before she has to run off for extra curricular activities and friend time after dinner and game nights will be few and far between (notice i did not say non existent, cuz, like, that will never happen...denial? maybe). So I am going to really treasure this time. Those of you with little ones; this is a great time to establish Family Dinner and Game Time. It is a wonderful tradition and I highly recommend it. Our best conversations and laughs happen around our dinner table and memories that will last a lifetime. I also firmly believe it has brought us closer together as a family and Jordan comes to US when there is junk going on in her life that she wants to talk about, that is special.

200th Post part three!

The response to our ASK ME!! post to help us celebrate our 200th post was awesome and a little overwhelming...i was shocked that y'all asked 145 questions...CRAAAAAZY! Anyway we have been working on getting them all answered and are going to have to make it a weekly segment for a little while (i know, calm down i can already sense your utter excitement). You can get caught up by reading 200th Post part one and 200th Post part two!. Today we field 20 questions from Crazy Mama of 6

Crazy Mama of 6 asked:

51. Biggest personal challenge thus far in your life?
This might sound really odd to most people. But moving here almost 2 years ago has been the most difficult thing I have had to deal with in my life so far. It far surpasses my first marriage to an abusive man and the breakdown of my second, and very short, marriage due to my husband’s mental illness. Moving here to a town only 2 hrs from where I have lived the majority of my life (3 different towns all with in a 50 mile radius) was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. We made the decision to move here in order to be closer to Jordan and change the custody situation in an effort to provide her with a better, healthier, more enriched life. Moving here meant that Paul would need a transfer for work, as soon as we made the decision to move, and all of the arrangements were made, the State of California put a freeze on all transfers. So for over a year Paul was gone during his work weeks (living with my folks) and only home on his days off, that was REALLY hard. Another thing that was hard was sacrificing my little preschool that I loved and ran a few days a week, I still miss that and leaving behind family and my support system. It was hard living in a town soooo different from anywhere I had ever lived before (still is). I may as well have been living on Mars. I knew no one and making friends here was super challenging, for the first time in my life, people were just so different. Plus all of the drama involved with trying to do what is best for Jordan (and going up against people who simply did not care) has taken its toll emotionally. I can honestly say though, things are finally looking up. Paul is home, he loves his new location for work and the changes I see daily in this very deserving and amazing child have far surpassed any sacrifices made. She is worth it, her life is better because of it and I feel that moving here was the best decision we could have ever made in order for her to have a fuller, happier, healthier, more enriched life. And OH how she has blossomed, she is “alive” and living life for the first time…priceless.
52. Biggest fear?
Something devastating happening to someone in my family.
53. fave make up product?
L’OREAL lash out mascara…AWESOME stuff….highly recommend it!
54. fave cleaning product?
Mr. Clean magic eraser…changed my life!
55. fave movie?
Notting Hill…first thing that came to mind. Most recent movies I loved are August Rush, Juno and Enchanted.
56. what is your fave kind of cookie? Nuts or no nuts? Cooked or raw?
Snicker doodles….mmmm, no nuts (deathly allergic to walnuts, really I will DIE) and cooked!
57. fave craft project?
It’s been a while since I have done anything super crafty…but I like home improvement/decorating projects and anything that has to do with party planning.
58. what would you say is your best talent?
Figuring out what children need in order to teach them in a way they can not only understand what they are learning but really enjoy it (this skill has also helped me in parenting).
59. fave beverage?
Diet Pepsi…gotta have it!
60. fave exclamation?
When mad? Eff it…not nice to admit that, but it’s true….I gotta be MAD tho.
When happy? I usually clap my hands and get animated…words are secondary!
When excited? YAY!
61. least fave thing about blogging?
Spending lots of time commenting and not getting comments in return. But I stopped commenting on a lot of blogs and now I just read them in my google reader. I WANT to comment but I needed to cut way down so I only comment on people who comment on my stuff…and I feel good about that. I figure THEY will understand most, since they are too busy too. OH and when someone comments on my blog and I can’t respond due to that stoooopid “no-reply” thingy…yo, I love your comments, fix that so I can tell you!!
62. most fave thing about blogging?
The number one thing is the journal factor, having a fun place to document our lives. I also love the creative outlet, the friendships and learning from others.
63. which is better paper or plastic?
We use canvas bags…most stores give you credit for using them (did you know that?) and they stand up better in the back of my Durango.
64. favorite holiday and why?
Christmas, my mom goes all out decorating their home and there is just a spirit of people coming together and giving to others that is stronger that time of year.
65.which would you rather have…a blissfully happy marriage and yet super poor? Or an incredibly rich a-hole husband?
I like things the way they are now, blissfully happy and super poor, it’s really working for me.
66. any piercings back in the day? Now?
Paul had his eyebrow pierced. I had my nose pierced for like 3 weeks…it was a gross idea, cute but odd.
67. Jordan, fave thing to do with the folks?
“I like to play games after dinner every night. I get to choose and it is fun. I also like daddy daughter dates and girl days with HolleeAnn”
68. Jordan’s fave color?
“Pink and I like purple a little bit too”
69. If money wasn’t an object, your ultimate vacation would be?
We all agree it would either be Maui at an all inclusive fabulous resort for a few weeks or an all inclusive cruise somewhere.
70. Paul, fave thing about wifey?
“She is the smartest person I know, including me”
71. Paul, your biggest fear?
“That I will die too young like my dad did”

thanks for the questions Crazy Mama of 6 they were gooood ones!

once again if you made it all the way through congrats!! i am really trying to keep them short but when we have so many FABULOUS questions to answer it's hard not to want to get to them all in one post! y'all rock!

Cooking with Jordan! episode 6 Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Time for another episode of Cooking with Jordan. You can view earlier episodes by clicking on these links Preview, OneDishMexican, GrilledChicken, Cooking(?) with Daddy, TortelliniSoup , TeriyakiChicken and BuffaloChickenBites . The whole point of the cooking lessons for J is to show her some basic easy meals, plan a menu, learn how to follow a recipe and help her become more comfortable in the kitchen...this is not anything totally gourmet or culinary school worthy.

Parmesan Chicken Pasta w/ Broccoli steam broccoli in microwave
Jordan shares a tip to help preserve yummy nutrients

boil pasta till tender we like wide egg noodles for this dish, especially the no yolk yummy!

Jordan shares a tip on keeping your non stick pans nice!

saute chicken in extra virgin olive oil, we like our EVOO infused with garlic..YUM (pssst we used WAY less than J demonstrated in the video, i wasn't paying attention while filming..oops!) season chicken with garlic powder, pepper and a little salt

once chicken is almost done sprinkle in Parmesan cheese and let it crisp up on the chicken. put pasta in large bowl and toss with evoo parsley and pepper
add chicken and broccoli to pasta toss well
serve and enjoy!! YUMMY, cheesy-garlicky goodness!

A Poem by Jordan

Jordan loves her daddy. In her eyes that man hung the moon, just for her! I mean it, i have never seen a daddy's girl like this one, not ever. She was asked to write a poem about someone in her life that is very important to her, for school. Jordan has MANY people in her life that love her and that she loves back, but the choice for her was simple. She chose her dad. Below is her poem. I am going to type it out as well since for some reason blogger is being poopy and won't allow the clickety to biggify option.





My Dad is a Great dad

My dad has a great
smile. He is a lot of
fun he shines like
the sun in the sky. I
love my dad we do
a lot of things together
he and I are very
close. Every time he
comes home from
work I run to get
him a big hug. My dad
loves to swim, play games and
even play with me I love
to cuddle with him he and I
love to see each other and
love to do things when it's
just me and him. This is
why I wrote about my
dad.

ps. YES that is a perfect 10/10 score...love it!

BFF Sleepover...fun stuff!

i feel like i am a week behind on my blogging, when in reality i am only a few days behind...what is it with bloggy time?! Jordan's BFF Emma spent the night on Friday. The girls got home from school and it ws HOT so they jumped in the pool and i ordered a pizza.

awwww BFF ready to get their swim on!

Emma's mom Debbie (MY friend) would be picking them up in a few hours to go to a play that Emma's brother Joel (J's tutor) was in. So it was a rush to squeeze in as much fun as possible before they had to go!!

Emma catching air!J looking like one of her froggy friends!
Pizza for dinner (i know, mom of the year right?!)
Here the girls are catching up on our blog, they love to go back and see all the adventures they have been on and how much they have grown! back after the play for a night time swim! J tricks Emma...short video!



showered and in pajamas (Emma calling her folks to say goodnight) enjoying a little leftover pizza from their super nutritious dinner! They were asleep by midnight, which never happens with these two. I think it was the combination of all that swimming and an early school day. 9:30am and ready for more pool time!goofy girls!

Emma gets revenge...short video.

picnic lunch...with FRUITS and VEGGIES!

The girls had a great time spending the WHOLE day swimming, making up routines and "saving" each other in the pool. They finally got out of the pool for the day around 2ish, when Emma's dad came to get her. I love watching these two girls together, the make me laugh!

Wordless Wednesday

my two favorite people, who love me back!!!

More Wordless Wednesday HERE and HERE