Baker and Biker

Pizza, Tracy fam style

2014-07-07T20:40:00.004-07:00

Documenting the pizza madness we have around here.

We make three, well, four kinds of pizza.

First: normal pepperoni, with sauce and cheese. And a happy pepperoni smile. This would be for Aaron, and Caroline, and sometimes James and Henry.

Second: half Canadian bacon and pineapple (me)/half extra sauce and pepperoni with no cheese (William)

Third: pepperoni and cheese but no sauce (Laurel, James and Henry)

It's kooky, but it works for us.

June Updates!

2014-06-28T08:15:00.002-07:00

It's been far too long!

I'm a busy girl over on my sewing/quilting blog, and maybe I love the readers I have over there and I'm addicted to the comments.

But we won't overanalyze. We'll just document!

More on the individual boys in a minute, but I just loved this picture too much! These two are partners in crime. It's awesome. Best Brothers.

Okay, the lil' peanut. This girly is a busy one. Stringing big ol' sentences together, asking "Why?" all the time. If you ask her where something/someone is, she says, "Not me." I know she means "I don't know," but it's still too funny. She is a fierce one too - she has a fierce face when she wrestles with anyone, and you'd better watch out. Still a cuddle bug, but sleeping in her own bed (most of the night!).

This beauty of mine may have blue eyes and blonde hair, but we are two peas in a pod. She loves being outside - she takes quilts out in the backyard, lays under a tree with a pile of books and reads. She's expanding her reading library: it was all dragons for a while there, and now we're moving on to owls (Guardians of Ga'Hoole), classics (Mark Twain), and lots and lots of magic (not just Harry Potter!). She writes, she draws, she sews, and she's excited for the fair again this year. She's got big plans!

She's finally got a piano teacher she loves, and who motivates her. They get a punch on their punch card for each week they practice every day, and she's in the lead of all the students right now. $5 is the prize, and she's determined to get it!

Oh, Hank! This little guy is the absolute ham of the family. Every dinner time is the "Henry Show" and he keeps us laughing. He's working on his reading and writing and just loves to play. Mostly in mud, although he'll just settle for climbing trees mostly. In fact, on our short list of things we want in a house, good climbing trees are essential. This boy is a monkey.

He's also my JFK Jr. This boy never has a shirt on!

My sweet James. Happy to play all by himself (sometimes, I think he sneaks away so he can be alone for a bit), but in the thick of it all too. Loves being outside. Loves riding his bike. And he is just like his big sister already: a reader! And he really is teaching himself. I help him out when he asks questions, but he loves to figure out words.

He's still my shy guy at church. Happy to be there and sit with his class and answer questions, but doesn't want a whole lot of attention on him. Doesn't like to come help with games and puzzles and things. He's just content, this little guy.

My Scout! Boy does he love scouting! Just attended day camp and we haven't heard the end of it. He's also a tinkerer, like his Papa, and likes to take things apart. He just disassembled our old toaster and now carries the little circuit board around in his pocket.

He's also liking piano, but Scouts activities are his favorite. And Legos. Lots and lots of Legos.

In official Tracy family news, we're waiting.

Aaron takes the bar on July 29th and 30th (please keep him in your prayers!). Then we wait some more. Results come out in mid-September, and if he passes, he gets sworn in sometime in October. Phew. That's a long time!

But in the meantime, Aaron has found some jobs (and by Aaron I mean me, and then I e-mail them to him) working at Mountain Home AFB. Not as a lawyer, although they do want an advanced degree, so the JD helps nonetheless. He's applying for them, so hopefully he'll have a job regardless of the outcome of the bar. Not that I'm doubting. I know he'll do it.

I'm keeping busy with the kids: zoo, science center, playgroup, piano, Scouts, activity days for Laurel, prepping for the fair. And when there's time, I do family history. I've found so hundreds of records of our ancestors and have been busy attaching them to the right files. All the indexing that members of the LDS church have been doing with government and church records the world over has been an amazing gift to family historians. I even found our great-great-great-grandmother on the Pofahl line. Pretty exciting stuff! And when I'm not doing family history, I sew. A lot. Here's some of my latest creations:

Aaron's sister has been so awesome, letting me use her longarm machine as often as I can. So, come winter, at least we'll be warm!

I solemnly promise to update at least once a week. There's just too much going on that I need to share more often.

Blue and Gold Banquet

2014-02-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

William attended his first Blue and Gold banquet. Aaron has a Thursday night class that he's only allowed to miss once during the semester. We figured he ought to miss it for Pinewood Derby. Still, Nana and Grandpa were able to attend with us, and it was lots of fun.

William got to decorate a cake (all the boys did). Our theme was a Wild West Round-up, but there was no arguing with my Will. He wanted to do a pigeon cake (of Mo Willems fame), and so we made the pigeon a sheriff to keep with the theme. I wanted to title it: Don't let the pigeon have a gun!

Lots of fun for all of us, and we're getting excited for the pinewood derby in March. And guess what? His car will be a pigeon car!

2013 Year in Review: The Tracy Family Christmas Card!

2013-12-30T09:42:00.001-08:00

I haven't done Christmas cards in years. Here's my blogging solution: The Tracy family year in review.

The Reader's Digest version!

What happened this year:

We discovered Goblin Valley in March. We really want to go back.

We moved to Meridian in May. I never want to move again, unless it's into my very own house. In Meridian. Preferably in the Sunnybrook ward because these people are some of the best!

Aaron and I celebrated our anniversary in July. We also had a visit from some Seattle friends (who are now California friends) for the 4th. Good times, all month long!

Henry turned 4 in August.

We renewed a long-lost friendship from our NY days (he was one of "our" missionaries and has since married an awesome lady and made a family!) in August (and fell in love with Montana in the process).

Laurel and Will entered their first, but not last, fair projects. Some big victories for them, and plans for next year are already in place.

At the end of August, Aaron began his third (and final!) year of law school and I ran my first 5k.

Caroline turned 2 in October.

In November, Laurel hit double digits at 10, William got baptized and became a scout at 8, and James is ever happy being 6.

And throughout the year, we've been busy with homeschool, quilts, new callings at church (I'm now in the Primary presidency, so very busy, but very happy with it), Cub Scouts, activity days, piano lessons, etc. Life is busy and beautiful.

Plans for 2014:

One heckuva graduation party for Aaron in May. And then a "passed the bar" party. And a "swearing-in party." He's going to get a lot of parties this year.

A quilt retreat for me at the end of January up in McCall. I'm a bit giddy about this one, to tell the truth.

More homeschool, more quilts, swimming lessons this summer, more piano, more Cub Scouts, more activity days, more fair projects. More life!

Puff

2013-10-07T09:51:00.004-07:00

This is Puff.

Puff and Caroline are besties.

Puff was a gift from Gran and Opa for her birthday. An early birthday present!

If Caroline is, let's say, climbing all over you while you are trying to sew something. Or holding onto your legs while you are cooking, all you have to say is "Where is Puff?" and she's off in search of him. She drags him around by the foot, tail, and neck. Not at the same time.

Sometimes Puff is tired and needs to take a nap.

She even shares her blanket with Puff.

Silly little peanut. Time for night-night.

She's totally faking it, although I wish she wasn't!

Love this silly girly of mine.

And Puff.

What makes life awesome

2013-09-12T11:07:00.003-07:00

A little story of two men in my life.

The Sunday before Labor day, we were leaving church. We have those awesome/annoying automatic sliding doors on our van. Aaron pushed the button to open them, but then accidentally pushed the button to close them. Will, being the very typical impatient almost 8-year-old boy that he is, pushed back on the door while it was closing.

Yep. Disaster. He's a strong boy. He killed the motor.

A new motor is $500. A used motor from a junk yard is a lot less. Still, Aaron spent ALL DAY on Labor day trying to fix it without ordering a new/used motor. Didn't work.

A very unhappy Aaron. And a very sad and repentant Will. (Note: no one EVER berated him or was hurtful about it. We did have a rather serious talk though, and he did accept his responsibility in the matter)

Fast forward to last night. The motor arrived and Aaron installed it. It didn't work. We didn't know why. We thought we might have to suck it up and buy the brand new one instead of a used one. Aaron was frustrated and hot and tired. Facing $500 (especially after our transmission fiasco) was not a pretty thought.

And then the amazing William stepped in. Wednesdays are his days to pray (it simplifies thing a lot around here!). So during family prayer, he prayed that Papa would be able to figure out how to fix the van. And then, after the prayer, he offered to give Aaron his $12 and change to help pay for a new part. Will has been pulling weeds, moving canned goods for Nana and generally working hard to buy a Lego Hero Factory guy. And he didn't even blink an eye, or shed a tear, at the thought of giving it to his dad to help fix his mistake.

Yep. I'm crying right now, because this boy is some kind of awesome.

But the story has a happier ending.

Aaron went out to the garage and Will went to bed. Thirty minutes later, Aaron came in and called William out to the garage. After a few minutes, William came bouncing in to my room. "Papa fixed it! Papa fixed it!" I said to him, "Well, it sure was a good thing you asked Heavenly Father for help. I'm glad he answers your prayers." And my awesome boy til the end said, "Mommy, he answers ALL prayers!"

Love this little man. He sure is a keeper.

p.s. I'm sorry for not posting more often. I intend to remedy that. While I do post on facebook, I like having the option of writing more and sharing much more personal stuff on the blog.

Little Miss C and a Self-Portrait by James

2013-04-21T19:05:00.002-07:00

Caroline is turning out to be quite the helper. She loves setting the table, and here she is helping me mop the floors (I've taken to hand-mopping the floors lately):

And we have another little scrunchy-face girl:

She likes to be big and color with her siblings:

This green bowl has been the alien helmet for quite some time. She likes to wear it around the house.

We had stake conference today. Now normally, I only have a few books for the kids. No coloring, no snacks. But 2 hours is a LONG time, so I bend my rules for stake conference. I let the boys color, and James did a self portrait. Isn't it awesome?

If you can't tell, he's wearing an orange tie (because James wears an orange tie every Sunday). I love it!

Have a great week!

Griffins and hearts

2013-04-10T08:03:00.001-07:00

Or hearts and griffins.

Will wanted to make me a Valentine last night. No amount of telling him February was a long ways off would stop him. Not that I was trying to stop him.

We've long figured out that there is no getting Laurel to go to sleep before she's ready. She craves the quiet in the evenings when her brothers and sister are asleep. Can't disagree with her there. The only rule is that she stays in her room. Sometimes she plays with Legos. Most of the time she reads. A lot! (Don't know where she gets that from!) Last night she made this griffin.

My Favorite Flower . . .

2013-04-08T14:47:00.002-07:00

. . . and my favorite Henry.

Love springtime!

Pigtails for Miss Caroline

2013-04-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

I heard that you can encourage a baby's hair to grow if you put it in pigtails.

Whether it's true or not, I seriously loved these little pigtails on my baby girl. So stinkin' cute!

Spring Break Part 3: Goblin Valley

2013-03-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

You've made it this far, but I warn you that this one will be pretty picture heavy.

Goblin Valley is awesome, y'all. Take your kids. You'll love it. And stay in a yurt.

Our yurt (#2 - if you go, get yurt #1 - it's in it's own little canyon and it's awesome!)

The kids spent hours just playing around in the dirt right outside the yurt. We brought cars and buckets and shovels. Great times.

In one of the canyons just behind our yurt.

The Valley of Goblins

Just one giant playground!

Love this Jamers of mine - love his funny faces!

Aaron and Caroline would hike ahead and find new spots to play and climb.

She was happy to finally get down and explore on her own.

See - I was there too!

Henry found this great little spot and sat and built bear traps. He went on and on about coyote tracks and snakes and scorpions. Heaven for a little boy.

My one attempt at a group kid shot. Henry is missing, Caroline is crying and James wouldn't turn around. Keeping it real!

Hiking back, single file and singing "The Ants Go Marching."

Resting in the shade. It was pretty warm. March was the perfect time to go. We'll be going back again for sure!

We spent the rest of the day playing outside our yurt. It was a fantastic trip. The stars at night were unbelievable too.

That's the end of our epic spring break. The next day we drove straight through to Boise, stayed over with our awesome friends. Aaron did a shoot on Saturday and we pulled in to Moscow late late late. Aaron's mom arranged a drive through birthday party for me just before we left Boise, so it was a lot of fun for everyone!

Spring Break Part 2: Dinsaurs!

2013-03-27T05:35:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay - we had a break for my somewhat disastrous birthday.

We left SLC Wednesday morning and headed to Goblin Valley. But we stopped at Thanksgiving Point to check out their Museum of Ancient Life. Mini-plug for the membership pass to the Palouse Science Center. Got in to the Museum of Ancient Life for free with that one again. Bonus!

This place did not disappoint:

There were spots to dig for dinosaurs:

Laurel, my little raptor.

Caves to crawl through:

Computer games to play (James' favorite!):

Water and sand and mini dinosaurs to play with:

And of course, dinosaurs!

But back to the water and sand tables:

A fun little stop on our way to Goblin Valley. We'll be back to this place for sure!

Spring Break, Part 1: Salt Lake City

2013-03-17T18:23:00.001-07:00

Last week was truly epic!

Monday was spent all day in the car, bombing it down to SLC from Moscow. We stopped for lunch, meeting Nana and Grandpa at Burger King so the kids could run around for a while. We pulled in to Salt Lake, checked in to our hotel and ordered some pizza.

The next day was spent being tourists in downtown SLC. We went to Temple Square, the Conference Center, City Creek, the Discovery center at the Gateway mall, and the Planetarium. We also did some swimming, hit Trader Joes for tangerine juice and chocolate caramels and Bakker's for cupcakes. Let's just see what we did:

Laurel loved this dollhouse model of the temple.

This is inside the conference center. We just wanted to pop in and show the kids the actual conference center, the place where the prophet will speak in a couple of weeks. Nope. We had to do the whole darn tour. It's like an hour long tour. Bless his heart, our tour guide wasn't prepared for my boys. I really think they should have a "families of small children" version of the tour.

We got to go to the top of the Conference Center, which was cool. The kids liked the fountains.

Caroline at the doors of the temple.

After lunch we went to the Discovery Center at the Gateway. Rode the train, which the kids loved. We got in for free with our membership to our local science center, which was awesome. Spent several hours here. Kids had a blast. Aaron played too.

Watching for the train.

And now the Planetarium. We went after dinner so we could go see one of the movies in the dome theater. Movie was okay, but the kids enjoyed it.

TV Free Week: Mid-Week report

2013-03-07T08:21:00.001-08:00

I meant to blog this goal on Sunday but forgot, in all the birthday celebrating that was going on.

We decided our kids were watching too much TV lately. And since we're "nukes first" kind of people, we're going off TV cold turkey.

It's Thursday, and we're still alive, so I think we might make this work.

Instead of watching endless, mindless cartoons, I've found the kids building marble runs, playing Legos, just plain imagining things (although the exchange between James and Henry yesterday was too funny: James told Henry he got to be Jesus, and Henry didn't want to be Jesus!), reading books, coloring pictures.

It's awesome.

And we'll get to continue it through next week, since we're off on the epic spring break trip to Utah. Two whole weeks without TV? I can get behind that!

Socks

2013-02-26T08:22:00.001-08:00

Caroline has discovered socks.

Not for her feet.

Love this baby girl.

Magical Memories

2013-02-25T07:38:00.003-08:00

I don't have pictures of our fun yesterday afternoon, so try to picture this.

The kids think Aaron can do magic. He's pretty good with pulling quarters out of their ears and such. But they hopefully will be forever amazed with his skills yesterday.

They've been playing with two "ropes" lately - just long scraps of Minky fabric leftover from a quilting project. Using them for fishing line, dog leashes, you name it.

Somehow, they've forgotten there are two of them. It all started with the first one being confiscated and put on the freezer in Aaron's office. Henry was asking for it later, and Aaron told him that it was down in Laurel's closet.

It was! Aaron didn't know, and Henry brought it up. Which meant that the second one was still on top of the freezer in his office. Thus the magic show began. Aaron would sneak it into his pocket, have the kids say "A la peanut butter sandwiches" and it would disappear. Then he'd tell them to go find it. We teamed up and hid the extra one somewhere else: the freezer, the dryer, the cookie jar, under a bicycle helmet, under Laurel's hat. It was lots of fun, and they just can't figure out how he did it. Well, Laurel's got it figured out, but she's being a good sport and playing along.

Such a fun memory.

Grateful Sunday: a little late

2013-01-28T10:11:00.002-08:00

I meant to write this last night, but we had a "thing" at the church for Mr. William, so I was pretty exhausted when we got home and finally got kids to bed.

But I have to share this. Since I've been in the nursery (started in December), I've been praying for good, spiritual experiences in sacrament meeting since there aren't many to be had in nursery. Don't get me wrong. I love my calling and I know it's important. Still, I like to have something to think about on Sundays besides "how can I get so-and-so to stop scratching Caroline's face" or "should we change our schedule?"

I'm happy to report that it's worked. A few weeks ago, our high councilman spoke about Shadrach and co. He quoted this scripture from Daniel 3:
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to ^adeliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not ^aserve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

He then went on to "liken" the scripture for us. What if a 15-year-old girl said, "I know that if I wait until I'm 16, Heavenly Father will bless me with lots of dates. But even if he doesn't, I'm still going to wait." Or, "I know that if I pay my tithing, Heavenly Father will bless me with lots of material wealth. But even if he doesn't, I will still pay my tithing."

Awesome talk.

And yesterday. Yesterday was AWESOME. Two really great talks - husband and wife who are friends are both pretty amazing. But his talk just blew me away.

He was talking about Nephi building his ship. And he was comparing it to how we should build our marriages. Mind blowing to me.

He made these points:

The Lord told Nephi how to make the tools to build a good ship
Nephi's brothers murmured when they saw he was going to build a ship, that it couldn't be done
If the Lord can work mighty miracles, why couldn't he instruct Nephi how to construct a ship
The Lord didn't want Nephi to build a ship after the manner of men
Nephi asked the Lord in prayer how he should build the ship
In the end, the ship was "fine workmanship" not just functional or adequate

This might not be mind-blowing revelation to anyone else, but it was, and still is, thought provoking. It can be likened to any number of things the Lord wants us to build. Works for building a strong family too. I need to remember this.

I'm just so grateful for these tender mercies for a nursery leader who wants to get something out of the Sabbath.

Family Vacations, on the cheap

2013-01-14T22:42:00.003-08:00

Yurts are our thing. We outgrew our tent two babies ago. We're still in the market for one, maybe, but in the meantime, we are totally loving the yurt camping we get to do.

Here's where we are going in March:

Goblin Valley State Park, in Utah.

Recognize it? If you remember the movie "Galaxy Quest," well, it's like another planet. They filmed those scenes here. Pretty cool, no?

Even better, the yurts are solar powered. That will be a new experience! Can't wait. We get to stay a couple of nights in SLC on our way down. I'm excited to take the kids to Temple Square and some of my favorite spots. And see awesome friends too!

And today I booked our August vacation.

Yep. We've moved beyond yurts to tipis. Turns out, Montana has a few at some of their state parks. I'm might be more excited about this than the kids! We'll be staying at Missouri Headwaters State Park, which is near Bozeman. We'll be doing a day trip or two to Bozeman to go to their dinosaur museum, among other things. So stinkin' excited about this trip.

I want to book another trip for the fourth of July, but Aaron isn't super keen on camping over that particular holiday. Still, I might convince him. There are cabins to be had in Hyrum, UT. We'll see!

Happy and Home

2013-01-07T11:25:00.005-08:00

We've traveled a few miles in the last two weeks, and I'm happy to be home and sleeping in my bed. It's fun to visit family and friends, but there really is no place like home.

In Tracy family news, here's the latest:

The walkie talkies were a huge hit at Christmas. They mostly just say stuff like, "Can you hear me? Over." Still, it's fun.

Caroline is nodding her head, which cracks me up. She looks so serious about it.

The kids have been bitten with the Hex Bug bug. They are fun to watch, and thankfully Gran and Opa gifted them with 100 batteries. Those ought to last us a week at least!

Aaron has hit the books once again. He is taking four classes this semester, plus a Bankruptcy lab again. He's taking: Workplace Law, Constitutional Law II, Lawyering Process and Professional Responsibility. He's working on getting his internship for the summer lined up.

As for me, well, my sewing machine missed me (and I missed her!). Back to making quilts. The first one needs to be done by the 23rd for a girl in our ward who was recently diagnosed with a type of bone cancer. The young women at church will be tying it, so I've got to get moving!

A Christmas Bell for Anya

2012-12-23T20:05:00.001-08:00

Every year, when I read this book, I remember that it's my favorite.

This one is hard to explain, because, well, Anya, the little girl, dies. And that doesn't sound like it would make for a very good Christmas story.

But this story has the happiest of all endings. Her father realizes that she lives. That we celebrate Christmas so that she can live again. It's beautiful and touching and heart breaking and I love it. It doesn't just remind us that Christmas is about Jesus. It reminds us what Jesus is about: saving us.

Bad things happen. Tragic things happen. But that's why Christmas brings us so much hope. Because it's all going to be alright in the end. And we will live again.

Merry Christmas!

Why I celebrate Christmas

2012-12-15T13:03:00.002-08:00

I learned a lesson yesterday about the atonement, and I'm so grateful I was able to teach it to Laurel.

After reading the news and grieving for the families in Connecticut, I started seeing this picture pop up on Facebook. Most people mentioned how the Savior was probably holding those little ones tight. I'm sure he was.

But then the thought came to me, and I have to believe this: He was holding the shooter just as tight. I cannot understand it all, but I know that the Atonement is real and that our Heavenly Father and our Savior love us. All of us.

That is why I celebrate Christmas. Because I have a Savior, who paid the price for me.

Great Joy!

2012-12-04T10:21:00.001-08:00

The scripture for last night was Luke 2:8-20. It's the angel and shepherd part of the story. I chose this book because the little girl plays the role of the angel who brings the "good tidings of great joy" and learns what that sort of joy feels like.

It's a very sweet story, and allowed us to talk about helping others, and being kind, and sharing the gospel.

Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect

2012-12-01T19:28:00.004-08:00

We began our Christmas reading with this sweet little story. Long ago, evergreens were perfect, especially in a certain kingdom. Small Pine was growing to be the most beautiful of all the evergreens. But Small Pine had a good heart and chose to shelter a rabbit from wild dogs, provide a safe haven from a storm for a mother wren, and feed a starving fawn.

I love this little story. Here are my two favorite quotes:

"For in looking at [Small Pine's] drooping, nibbled branches, they saw the protecting arm of their father or the comforting lap of a mother. And some, like the wise Queen, saw the love of Christ expressed on earth."

"For, as have many of us, the trees have learned that living for the sake of others makes us most beautiful in the eyes of God."

William asked if we could name our tree Small Pine. I have a feeling we will be looking for a tree with a few gaps and drooping branches, just like Small Pine.

Why?

2012-11-29T11:37:00.001-08:00

I've neglected this blog. A lot. I have another one that gets more of my attention and the other day, I wondered why. I blog over there 3-4 times a week. It's a sewing blog.

And I realized that I blog over there because it's a way to interact with people. Being a homeschooling mom of five can be pretty isolating. If we're going to get lessons, piano practice, art, exercise, play, chores, meals, laundry and all that done, we have to be on top of things. So I'm home a lot and don't get to socialize much. (Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I'm horrible in social situations anyway!).

But I like having friends. I like having something in common with people. I like my hobbies. I like sharing them.

Don't get me wrong, I like my family even more than sewing. But when I sew something and blog about it, I get comments. I know it's being read.

I'm not asking for validation. But maybe this is why facebook has taken over. People can just come along and "like" your status update or your photo upload and move on. It's a pretty shallow form of communication, really.

So my early resolution is to be a better blogger. For me. And for anyone who reads this. You don't have to comment. I'm going to do it anyway. These little ones are getting so big, and I've got to chronicle it!

So here's the news for the day:

Yesterday, when Henry was getting himself dressed, Laurel told him he was putting his pants on backwards. He told her, "Laurel, don't worry about it!" Made me laugh.

Caroline can drink through a straw.

James had to get five shots today at the doctor. Will got one, Henry got two. Glad we're done with that for a very long time!

Laurel is still my "I Love Lucy" buddy. Will has joined in too. I love that they like to watch these classics. And boy do they giggle!

Doriane has them hooked on learning French, so we're watching DVDs and listening to CDs and doing some lessons. We'll try to impress her at Christmastime!

We're getting our Christmas tree this weekend.

So that's the news from Lake Wobegon . . . okay, Moscow. But the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are above average.

Dragon Girl

2012-10-18T16:25:00.002-07:00

Laurel has never been a truly typical girl (I'm not allowed to call her "little" anymore). She's always been interested in lots of non-girly things: snakes, dinosaurs, and planets, among other things. She has her own rifle and she's a huge fan of Iron Man and Captain America (no, we haven't let her see the movies!). Her favorite TV show is Top Shot.

So it's really no surprise that she's taken a shine to dragons. In a big way. She draws them. She plays with them. And now she reads stories about them.

The trouble with finding books for a girl like Laurel is finding books that have strong female protagonists who like dragons. Girls are supposed to be rescued. But we've succeeded (and I've found more). Here are two of her current favorites:

There are others in both these series, and she will be reviewing them on her blog. Can't wait!