dancing again

When Avery started preschool Tiny Tigers in March, she had to stop going to her beloved dance class because it was a time conflict. Then, when school let out for the summer, the studio was getting ready for their big show in July (which we would be gone for) and then after the performance, was going to be closed until August. It just didn't make sense to go back just for a couple of weeks. So, we had quite a big break from dance class (much to Avery's dismay). Every time we would drive by the road you turn on to go to her dance studio, she would point it out..."there's my dance class- my dance class momma!"

Now that summer is over, we are settled into our routine with Tiny Tigers again, and the studio added a class with a time that works, Avery is finally back in dance class! I didn't say anything to her about it until it was actually time to go (otherwise I would have been asked- is it time to go to dance class?- every 2 seconds until we went). She was absolutely beside herself with glee when I told her the news. We got her all dressed (and Finley too) and were on our way.

However, there was one thing I didn't take into consideration before that day. She had grown- a lot- since March. It was a little disturbing actually. Fortunately her ballet slippers still fit, but her tap shoes would not even go on- when they were big on her before. On our way to the studio, we had to search all over town for a pair in her size. Every place we went they said that I was the 15th mom that day to be searching for that particular size of tap shoe. We ended up having to go to her first dance class back without tap shoes. I thought Avery was going to have a complete meltdown. She did... in the car, but when she was in class and it was time to switch to tap shoes, she took it in stride. Thank heavens for small favors! It took me the whole next week to locate a pair of tap shoes in her size. But, it was great because the place I finally found her size was a local 2nd hand store where I got a practically brand new pair of Bloch tap shoes (retails for $46) for $10! They are in PERFECT condition! I think I will look there first from now on! What a savings!

Avery is just so happy to be dancing again. Finley is chomping at the bit wanting to be part of the class too. She stands in the waiting area doing spins and putting on whichever pair of dance shoes Avery is not using at the moment. I think she will be following in her big sister's footsteps!

TasteBuds goes live

As I mentioned before, I have been helping my dear friend, Melissa Benson, by taking pictures of her yummy treats (plus a few of her and her beautiful blue eyed children too). I have since designed and ordered her business cards and set up a blog/website for her also. Not all of her offerings are listed yet (she can do just about any dessert you could imagine), but the site it is up and running! She has already had a few orders! I am so excited for her- and for all of us that get to partake of her amazing goods! Check it out HERE.

expanding vocabulary

Avery had been trying out some new descriptive vocabulary lately, which I have been getting a good giggle out of. I am not quite sure where she is picking it up?! It is probably from her recent discovery of Pinky-Dinky-Doo on Noggin and her obsession with reading the Fancy Nancy books every night (which I have to admit, I love). It seriously just cracks me up because she uses these big words and in the correct context.

The other day, she was drinking the milk out of her fruity Cheerios bowl and stopped mid slurp to declare, "mmm... this is scrumptious!"

(please don't mind the unclothed frame- both my girls would most always prefer to run around in just underware/diapers if given the opportunity. It is a constant battle.)

-

Then I was making skillet potatoes for dinner and as I was sauteing the onions, Avery perked up and said, "Whatcha making?! Something smells absolutely delicious."

-

I know there have been other other quips out of her that I have momentarily forgotten (which is why I have to write this stuff down- if not I would forget it all!). These kids, while driving me crazy sometimes, provide endless entertainment and laughs. Hilarious!

african loot

My mom (a.k.a. YaYa) came to visit this last weekend, bringing with her all the goodies she picked up on her 3 week trip to Africa (on official university business). She brought with her bracelets, headbands, necklaces, bags, outfits, hand carved serving sets, and ornaments. The girls were in heaven! Of course they thought it was best to put everything on at the same time- they could barely hold their arms up!

It was so much fun to live vicariously through the (2000+) pictures she took while she was there too- lions, zebras, giraffes, hippos, gazelles, elephants and more- up close and personal- just roaming around. That would be Paul's dream trip. I admit, it would be amazing! My mom has connections there now and promises us a family trip sometime in the future! Until then, I will dream of the trip every time I use my giraffe salad tongs- aren't they great?!

29 today and forever more?!

It may be the most cliche age, so much so that people don't actually believe you when you tell them you are 29 (sure you are- for the 3rd time?!). But, that is what I am today. I think I might prefer to be 30 and just get it over with, but I will gladly wait 365 days before claiming that milestone. Even though I am getting older, I still love birthdays. They are a badge of honor for another year of life lived. To quote my lovely Marie in her email to me this morning:

"so real is the process of birth and growth, as you know, the age that you are
acquiring is the icing on the cake. age and wisdom really walk hand in hand. age
is the best gift god and your body gives you year after year."

Today will be a day of quiet, low-key celebration for another year. It will be wonderful... I can feel it.

• The sun is shining, yet there is a slight crispness in the air- love it! I LOVE fall!
• I have a luncheon scheduled with friends (orchestrated by 2 lovely ladies... thank you Carole and Monique!)
• We are going for a walk on the Bob Jones trail into Avila (ultimate destination... ice cream) this evening as a family, which is one of my most favorite things to do.
• My mom is coming to visit for the weekend. I haven't seen her in what feels like forever as she has been a world traveler of late- she got back from Africa on Monday.
• There will be (and already have been) emails, phone calls, texts, and cards from the people I love most. Thank you!
• Avery promised to be a big helper today! It is still early and Finley is in her high chair, but there have been no sister attacks as of yet! I am keeping my fingers crossed! A day without Avery attacking Finley every 17 seconds would be a truly glorious one!

UPDATE: The whole NO sister attacking on Avery's part was VERY short lived. As soon as Finley was out of the highchair, all bets were off. Avery was smothering her within seconds flat. I was hopeful, but realistic. sigh. They also decided it would be fun to completely TRASH my family room in an attempt to build a "fort" that Avery tried to force her sister into (of course against her will). But, it will STILL be a good day- even without my girls' cooperation! It is all about attitude....mine! DEEP.breath.

Here is to another year of love, laughter, growth, experience...LIFE.

sweet treats

My dear friend, Melissa Benson, is in the beginning stages of starting up a dessert catering business. She really, really does make the most sinfully delicious desserts I have ever tasted. My father-in-law won her key lime pie in a church dessert auction and after one bite it was all he could talk about. He still brings it up occasionally- 3 years later. He and many, many others have urged Melissa to start this business for YEARS now. I am so glad that she has finally given in. She will already have a built in clientele- my father-in-law included.

She asked me to help her make business cards, price lists, packaging, etc... for her new business. I was happy to oblige- especially when I knew she was bringing over platters and platefuls of a few of her scrumptious treats for me to photograph, and, umm.. taste test?! Just take a look and tell me your mouth does not start watering.

1. Lemon Loves- soooo good. 2. Brownie Bites- my personal favorite (her prized brownie recipe with a chocolate ganache filling, topped with fresh whipped cream and raspberries- oh yeah... scrum-didilly-umptious!) 3. English toffee- perfection! 4. Lemon Loves (again- so yummy) 5. Flourless chocolate torte- rich, decedent, and wonderful.

We were the gracious recipients of a few of the "left-overs" after the photo shoot was completed. My girls actually got to eat while we were busy working- their mouths were full of sugary goodness, keeping them busy and quiet. They were loving it!

tiny tigers: take 2

Avery started preschool again today. She was so very excited. She has only been talking about going back to Tiny Tigers since the moment school was out in June. Poor thing has been bored out of her mind.... not really- we have been super busy all summer, but this will be a nice change. I, myself, am looking forward to the structure, routine, and schedule 3 days of the week.

This day has been a LONG time coming in Avery's eyes. Even our evening wind-down routine of pjs, reading scriptures, family prayers, and last night- Avery's first father's blessing, did nothing to calm her down. Avery had a hard time getting to sleep last night- she wanted it to be time to go... NOW. She woke up this morning wanting to shower, get dressed and GO! She tried to tell me she didn't want breakfast- thinking that would speed things up. When she realized she was stuck here no matter what, she gave in and ate a few bites of cereal. She got her backpack on and would not take it off- I wasn't able to get a picture of her without it. Though, I must say, the backpack is awfully darn cute.

I thought that once she got to school, her enthusiasm would diminish and she would go into shy mode. Not even a little bit. She got out of the car without hesitation and didn't look back. It was old hat to her. What a difference a summer makes! With that, she was off!

As soon as Avery got out of the car, Finley got really upset that she wasn't going too. Since we have been home, she has been wandering around and asking me, " reeree? where?" putting her hands up and shaking her head. I would have thought she would have been thrilled to have some time to herself, a minute where she doesn't have to watch her back for her big sister's next attack. For now at least, she is just sad that she doesn't have her built in playmate around for a few hours. I am sure she will get used to it- and maybe even start enjoying it.

the infamous mushroom story

On my recent post about our music listening habits, my dear friend Kelli (who has known me a very long time) left a comment alluding to a certain incident in my younger years. It is a story that needs to be documented for posterity sake- for no other reason than for a few good laughs.

To give a little background...

I was a junior in high school, coming from a very small town in Oregon (total population of 1,200 and a high school class consisting of 67 students). I had just gotten my driver's license a few weeks earlier. Within the first week of getting my license, I got pulled over and got a ticket (by a family friend none the less who was trying to make an example of me- thanks Pat!) in front of the high school, AS SCHOOL WAS LETTING OUT. Yeah, I don't think I EVER lived that one down. Anyway, this piece of embarrassing information is essential to understanding why I was at traffic school... where I met Graham.

Graham was from a much larger school in the "BIG" city of Eugene and it was apparent that he had a little bit of a bad boy streak in him. I was a sucker for bad boys, so we hit it off as we sat next to each other... at traffic school. That really should have been my first red flag.

Graham and I hung out for a few weeks, getting together occasionally and talking on the phone regularly. So, when my mom was in town for the week, I wanted her to meet him. I called him up to see if we could plan something. This is how the fateful conversation went down....

ME: Hey, my mom is in town and I wanted to see if you wanted to get
together so she can meet you.
Graham: I can't
ME: Why not?
Graham: Well, I am kind of grounded.
ME: What did you do?
Graham: I got arrested last night!
ME: FOR WHAT?!
Graham: Well, some friends and I were driving around and we got pulled over
because there was a SUBWAY that had been robbed in the area.
ME: Did you do it? Did you rob the SUBWAY?
Graham: NO!
ME: Then what was the problem?
Graham: When they searched our car, they found
mushrooms.
ME: So you DID rob the SUBWAY?!
Graham: No.
ME: But, what about the mushrooms!?
Graham: SHROOMS!
ME: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! Got it.

Then I laughed, trying to play off that I really knew what he was talking about the whole time. ha ha!

Needless to say, that was the last time a talked to Graham- although I did run into him a few times around the BIG city. Each time he would laugh at my expense. It's ok though, because I have continued to tell the story for the same reason. It really is hysterical. I mean, first of all- I don't think that mushrooms are even an option at Subway- in fact, I have checked and they are not. Secondly, if they HAD robbed the Subway, why on earth would they have stopped to grab the mushrooms? My rational for this thought process initially was that maybe they tracked mushrooms in on their shoes?! Weak, I know. And lastly, I had absolutely NO clue that he was talking about mushrooms as in the drug kind. How was I supposed to know?! Now, if he had just called them 'shrooms from the get go (that is what I learned them to be called in my health drug education class- which is the only way I knew anything about them), I wouldn't have this crazy story to tell, which illustrates my naivety at its finest. Kelli kindly brought this to my attention as she thought that me not realizing what the words of songs are actually SAYING was another example that fine quality. Thanks Kel! I have other stories- a few actually, but those will just have to wait for another time- or maybe never.

I want to clarify that I am not a ditz. I really am intelligent, by most standards. My husband just likes to point out that I may be book smart, but don't have a whole lot of street smarts. Is that really such a bad thing?! I don't think so.

i want curls like you

I am one of 4 children born to a father with very curly hair and mother(s) with stick straight hair. ALL of us got the curls. So, I just assumed that meant it was a dominant trait and would be automatically passed down to my children. Apparently not. Both my girls have straight, straight hair. I am at a complete loss of what to do with it. Despite of all my complaining through my growing up years, I have truly come to love and appreciate the low maintenance style my curly hair affords me. I get out of the shower, put some gel in it, scrunch and go. I have come to terms with my own hair, but I am having fun living vicariously and experimenting with Avery's- ponytails that fall nicely, braids without the frizz, pigtails, and super cute haircuts (the ones in magazines that would look ridiculous with curly hair- trust me, I have tried with HORRIBLE results). So, I was a little saddened yesterday, she came to me and said, "Mommy, I want curls like you." I guess we are never too young to want whatever it is that we don't have. sigh.


So, we tackled a new experiment and I found that getting straight hair curly is just as difficult as getting my curly hair straight. We put sponge rollers in her wet hair and then waited. Waited some more, and painted our toes. Then waited a little longer.


Finally we took the rollers out and NOTHING. Apparently we didn't wait long enough. I obviously have never used rollers before?! So, we dried her hair and resorted to the curling iron- again not a tool I am too familiar with- with better results.


It turned out in big, soft wavy curls.

Avery was thrilled- exuding the same excitement I get when I am able to run my fingers through my hair when I walk out of the salon (the only time my hair is straight- because I refuse to spend more than 2 minutes on my hair).

She flipped her hair around, looking in the mirror, giggling all the while.

She couldn't wait to show daddy. She dressed up in her princess best.

He thought she looked too grown up.... of course he would say that. I am sure he will be saying that A LOT, probably for forever.

I would deem this experiment a partial success- I don't have 2 hours to spend on a regular basis to do it, but it made her happy. Does anyone have a better technique for achieving overall curl- for the next time she wants curls like mommy!? Short of a perm, of course- I am not willing to go that far.

she is a sponge

Avery is a complete sponge right now. I hear her reciting lines from shows and singing songs she has heard. We love to listen to music in the car and at home- we dance and "rock out" as Avery likes to call it. I am personally notorious for listening to and singing along with music without paying attention to exactly what the words are actually SAYING. My brother always catches me and says- "do you have ANY idea what this song is about?" No, not usually, but I know I like the song, the tune, the beat. He will then explain, and it just ruins it for me. I know I should be more aware of what I listen to- especially when I have little impressionable ears listening along with me.

A few weeks ago, we were in the car listening to Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls, which I thought was pretty harmless. My sister and I were belting it out and then all of a sudden, Avery joined it at "suicidal, suicidal." She continued to repeat that part of the song (and ONLY that part) all day long as she was playing quietly by herself or out and about. That was a eye opening moment for me. I quickly banned that song from our rock out sessions. Other moments recently have increased my awareness. We went into a store playing Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape, and Avery was so excited and said loudly, "Hey mom, its our song." Or, my all time favorite Avery quote- after hearing Fergie's Big Girls' Don't Cry in a store she stated, actually it was more like yelled, "Yeah, mom, big girls don't cry when they go poo poo." "Yes, honey, that's right- big girl's don't cry when they go poo poo," I replied as quietly, as possible... I could feel several pairs of judgemental eyes bearing into the back of my head.

Even though we always download the CLEAN version with no swear words, I have come to realize that they can't really do much about cleaning up the message of the song by just taking out the "BAD" words. After much contemplation on this, I recently decided to only play primary songs in the car. Being the sponge that she is, Avery is soaking it all in and learning all the words to all of them. She sings them all day long (albeit a little off tune and with more than just a few wrong words) as she is coloring, or playing by herself. I feel MUCH better about Avery going around the house singing "I am a child of God" as opposed to "suicidal, suicidal." It has also done wonders for the spirit of love and peace in our home. It has been truly amazing! We still turn on a good "rock out" song every once in awhile for a living room dance party, but I make sure those songs are not the songs we are listening to most. A seemingly little thing can make a big difference- for good or bad. The world is incredibly crazy and these little ones are so impressionable... they can use all the help they can get- starting even now.