8 Year Check-Up

Cassidy had her 8 year check-up at with Dr. Pediatrician earlier this week. She looks great and is growing like a weed!

Of course, the girlz brought their American Girls with them to the appointment. Cassidy was thrilled because McKenna also had her health evaluated! Thankfully, McKenna also got a great report - her blood pressure was fine, her eyes and ears look normal for a doll of her age, and there were no concerns with her abdomen or legs.

Whew!

How to Get A Bad Grade in Preschool

How do you get a bad grade on your Preschool homework?

Ask Campbell.

Note: The written words are Mrs. M's.  The pen scribbles and drawings are Campbell's response

The Tooth Fairy Was Here

The Tooth Fairy came to our house last night! Cassidy decided she wanted to sleep with me, which ended up confusing the Tooth Fairy. It looks like the Tooth Fairy came through Cassidy's window, but Cassidy wasn't there. The Tooth Fairy then flew down the hall checking every bedroom before finding Cassidy and her tooth.

How do we know all this happened? Because the Tooth Fairy leaves a trail of glitter wherever she flies, of course!  We found a trail of glitter spanning the length of the house - it stretched from Cassidy's window all the way to the nightstand in our room where she'd placed her Tooth Monster.

She thought this was excellent.

We'll be laying as low as possible this week - we have a HUGE weekend ahead!!

Never Underestimate The Stamina of a 6 Year-Old Cheerleader

I never knew it was possible to cram so much into a weekend. And just when I think I can't possibly do anymore, I always find a way to up the ante.

This weekend is a terrific example...

I added in an extra game for the cheerleaders, just because we could. The game was a late addition to the basketball game roster that happened to be scheduled after Friday night's cheer practice, so I added it onto our schedule about two weeks ago just for fun.
Mistake #1 - Do not deviate from the plan.

Instead of scheduling girls into the game, I opened it up to whoever wanted to cheer. I figured the interest would be low - it was a last minute add-on that would stretch into the evening hours, and half of the team had to be back at the church at 8:30 the next morning to cheer for another game. Not very appealing, right?
Mistake #2 - Never underestimate the stamina and motivation of a 6 year-old cheerleader.

I had so many girlz that wanted to cheer, I accidentally lost count of how many volunteered. I knew the number was getting high, but I figured it couldn't be that hard, right? Well, we ended up with 16 cheerleaders. It was harder than herding cats, and I now know my Maximum Capacity for games is somewhere between 11 and 16.
Mistake #3 - Sometimes more is NOT merrier.

In spite of all my missteps, we got through it.  And the cheerleaders did a great job.

Saturday morning came way too fast, and we were back at church bright and early. The girlz and I cheered for the first game of the day, then we ran back home to get Cassidy ready for Mock Competition.

Mock Competition was held at a beautiful Cultural Arts Center located in a questionable part of town. It was a grueling afternoon, but the effort was so worth it. The girls need that opportunity to work out formation issues or costume malfunctions on a full stage before competing a routine. An added bonus is that the parents are free to sit in the audience and video or photograph to their heart's content.
Mistake #4 - Cell phone cameras are not suitable for every occasion.

I was not prepared and took no pictures. I did get the Trio on video, which was really the most important of the three to capture.

Once Cassidy had completed her routines, we packed the truck and headed for safer territory. We stopped at B-Dubs for dinner and Sweet Frog for dessert, where we ran into one of Campbell's BFFs.  This made her extremely happy.

Today is Betsy's birthday and the girlz wanted to bring some birthday balloons to church. I really wanted to get to the store last night, but was too tired. I chose to stay home and take care of it before church instead.
Mistake #5 - Procrastination rarely pays off.

This morning was a three ring circus in our house. We woke up late, Cassidy lost a tooth, and Lieutenant Sexy was trying to get out the door for work in the midst of mass chaos. I was hoping we'd be in and out of the store quickly, but that's never the case when you're in a hurry. The person in front of us in line paid with cash and the cashier didn't have enough $1 bills to make change. That was when Cassidy remembered that she'd left her Bible and Sunday School activity sheets at home, so we swung back by the house to get them.

Campbell can still wear her Palm Sunday dress from 2 years ago. I can't decide if this is awesome or disturbing.

We got to church on time (it was a miracle), and Betsy got her balloons. The girlz had a great time in Sunday School and I actually remember what the sermon was about.

We spent a few hours outside this afternoon, and now it's time to get ready for another week.

Somehow we got everything done and it turned out fine... which means I didn't learn my lesson and will likely continue to test my limits until I go too far one day and spontaneously self-destruct.

It's a personality flaw, y'all.

There's a little girl watching who wants to be just like you

One of the dance competition circuits we compete with will post inspirational quotes and pictures on Facebook every few days. They posted the one below last month. I love it because it's the absolute truth - the little girls at our studio look up to the older girls with a fierce admiration that's difficult to describe with words.

While we were at dance last night, Cassidy and her friend L were standing in the doorway of Studio B watching one of the older girls practice her tap solo with her choreographer. All the Minis adore this girl. Campbell loves her even more than the Minis do!

The scene reminded me of the picture I'd seen on Facebook, so I grabbed my phone and captured the moment. It's a candid taken with a cell phone, so it's not perfectly positioned and lit like the original.

But the sentiment is exactly the same, and I love that.

Crazy Faces and Taxes

Today was an anomaly that only happens twice each school year - the Evil Empire was closed and school was open. I covet these days and make an effort to use that time doing something I don't usually get to do - lunch with Lieutenant Sexy, reading, shopping, napping...

How did I spend the majority of this day? Doing our taxes. GROSS.

Thankfully, Papa helps me with tax stuff. Not because I can't do it, but because I hate it so much I have to dig deep for motivation. He lets me use his software and pays for the filing. He finds my silly mistakes and reminds me how important it is to key in the numbers on any document that has "1099" printed on it... no matter how stupid I think that document or those numbers may be. He didn't complain when I accidentally printed every page in the workbook when I didn't need to, and he even prepared envelopes with the correct mailing addresses and plenty of stamps.

I really love Papa. I'm thankful for my parents!

The school bus was late this morning, so I embraced the opportunity for tax procrastination and drove the girlz to school. We were a few minutes early, so we took pictures and texted them to family members. I'm sure they were thrilled.  I mean, who wouldn't want to be greeted by these precious faces first thing in the morning???

The girlz had a great day at school and our taxes are done. And while it wasn't exactly the day I was hoping for, there's nothing to complain about - it was still a good day.

I'll take it!

Weekend Update

Another crazy weekend has come and gone, full of Upward cheer, dance, shopping, and church. Thankfully, Lieutenant Sexy finished his night shift rotation last night. It's been a long, exhausting week and we're excited to have him back again!

We had cheer practice Friday night, and the routine the girls will do at the Banquet is coming together very nicely. I'm so proud of them!! I was super-nervous about taking on the Cheer Commissioner role this year, but it's been okay. I've been blessed to have great help, and we have some awesome parents who are willing to help me give new ideas a try.

I won't lie - squeezing one more huge responsibility onto my already-overflowing plate wasn't easy, and it took me months of prayerful consideration to accept the position. But God always works it out when it needs to be worked out. There were no games to cheer for the Saturday of Pop's birthday party or the weekend we have a dance competition... which once again reminds me that things have a way of falling into place when you're doing it for the right reasons. Now season is nearly over! And while it was hard, it really wasn't the ginormous burden I feared it would be.

The girlz have started taking their American Girls wherever we go. They dress them for the occasion and Cassidy carefully buckles them into the front seat together.  So sweet!

Ashland and Makenna, ready for cheer practice!

Campbell's self-portrait on Saturday afternoon at the dance studio

I recently placed an order with Thirty-One, and it came Saturday afternoon.  The girlz thought the box was far cooler than the bags!

Ashland and Makenna, dressed and ready for church on Sunday morning!

After church, I took the girlz to Mama and Papa's house to kill some time while Lieutenant Sexy slept. As we were leaving their house, Cassidy asked to go to Old Navy.. so we went there and used the gift cards they were given for Christmas. Cassidy knows it doesn't take much convincing to get me into Old Navy!

The girlz and their Supermodelquin friends

While we were there, we discovered a Party City in the shopping center that wasn't there before (we don't get out that way very often, so I hesitate to call it "new"... it's probably been there for months!). Campbell is trying to choose a theme for her birthday party, so we took a spin through the store to see what we could find.

She didn't settle on a theme, but she did find a hat that she loved!

We stopped for Starbucks on the way home, and spent the evening getting ready for school. Bring on another crazy week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The girlz left the key hanging on the outside door last night for the Valentine Bird.  They called Mama and Papa before bed to ask if the bird was a he or a she.  Papa told them the Valentine Bird is most definitely a SHE -- he seemed pretty sure about it, so it must be true.

Classroom party decorations look good at home, too!

The girlz carefully placed their empty valentine bags at their spots at the kitchen table.

And this morning, they were excited to find gifts in their bags!  The Valentine Bird really did come!  They each got a set of pajamas, a t-shirt, some jewelry, and some Valentine M&Ms.

Cassidy left a special card for the Valentine Bird that she made at school, and she was thrilled to find a note next to her bag this morning!  The Valentine Bird isn't great with letters or punctuation because she doesn't have a degree in English, like Mommy.  So obviously the Valentine Bird can't be Mommy, because Mommy would never write something like this... right?

That upside-down peace sign thing was supposed to be a bird's footprint, but Cassidy was confused and asked what it was.  FAIL.

The girlz wore matching Valentine dresses to school this morning.  They looked ADORABLE.  I'm going to be so sad when they decide dressing alike isn't cool anymore.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Preschool Valentine Party!

Today was Campbell's classroom Valentine Party.  The whole Preschool celebrated a day early because many kids don't attend on Thursdays, but everyone is there on Wednesdays... so Wednesday became party day.  I was the Room Parent responsible for planning and hosting this one, and I got to work with some really great parents this time around.  Bonus!

To make the party easier, I decided to outsource the craft to a local Paint-Your-Own Pottery place.  They have a program for local Preschools where they bring the pottery and paint supplies to the school.  The pottery folks start by reading a book to the kids and then they help the children paint a piece of pottery to match the story.  Today's theme was Valentine's Day, so the kids listened to the book Love, SPLAT and painted a heart ornament.  All I had to do was show up with some food, write a check, and help with crowd control.

Done, done, and done.

The kids had a GREAT time, and I'm relieved to have both of my parties for the year out of the way!

Waiting for the bus this morning...

Painting her ornament

She REALLY enjoyed her cupcake!!

It's One of Those Weeks

You know the kind I'm talking about. The ones where there are so many things to juggle, you end up having to make lists of the lists you need to make. I have so many random thoughts firing through my head, this morning I had to check and double-check to be sure it was really Tuesday.

That's sad, but the good news is that I definitely had the day right. Today is Tuesday, the extra-long night at the dance studio. I host Campbell's classroom party for Valentine's Day tomorrow and then we're back at the dance studio in the afternoon. The Valentine Bird comes tomorrow night, and Valentine's Day is Thursday. Friday is cheer practice, Saturday is basketball games plus more time at the dance studio, and then on Sunday I teach Sunday School.  And somewhere in all that, I have a demanding career.

I've had to turn down two people who asked me to do things for them this week. Cassidy declined an invitation to a birthday party for one of her favorite friends, and I declined an invitation to a bridal shower. Sometimes I wish time were unlimited so we could attend every party, have actual conversations with friends and family members, participate in all the fun activities we want, and still have time for leisurely afternoons at the park. But that's not reality.  There's just no way to squeeze it all in.

I recently found this article by Devon Corneal on the Huffington Post, titled What Not To Say To A Working Mom.  So much of this article rang true - I've been a Working Mom for 8 years now and have been the recipient of some of these same "helpful" comments (but thankfully not all of them!).  My favorite is #7 - I could have written parts of it myself:

You must be so organized to be able to balance everything.
I have a love/hate relationship to this statement. At first, I bask in the affirmation. I believe I am organized. Then I remember -- I am one set of lost keys away from a meltdown. I have mismatched socks, my kid went to school with jelly on his face and I haven't exercised in a week. I have piles of books and clothes and God knows what else in my bedroom. I forgot a conference call yesterday and lost the planetarium permission slip. I let something slide every day. There is no balance. Only carefully controlled chaos. Pretty much like everyone else's life.

She's so right - it's all just carefully controlled chaos with no balance.  And when people comment on my organizational skillz, I laugh and remind myself that they don't know my office looks like a tornado just ripped through it. Or how I literally tear through the house every morning frantically packing lunchboxes and backpacks minutes before the bus pulls up. How we review spelling words, math facts, and dance routines at the bus stop because we were too tired to do it the night before.

I take comfort in knowing I'm not the only Working Mom feeling like I'm one poorly-timed temper tantrum away from a Mommy Meltdown. I also take comfort in knowing this is temporary, these days will be gone before I know it. And as crazy as our lives are, I know Lieutenant Sexy and I are doing our very best to give the girlz a fun childhood and be as present as possible in everything they do.

I pray my memory is selective - that I'll look back one day and remember all the sweet moments, but only recall a fraction of how hard and tiring this all was!

She's Playing This For You

Mama was scheduled to play the music for their church's services yesterday, so we went to the early service at their church instead of going to our church. Even though it was kind of early, I really wanted to be there to hear her play.

Even though I've been listening to my Mom's music since I was in utero, I haven't woken in the morning to her practicing hymns and anthems since 1998. And now that she's retired from the world of Church Music, I rarely get to hear her play at all. I was worried we'd miss church because we'd been out late Saturday night, but we got there with time to spare.

We were settling into a pew with Papa when Mama sat down on the piano bench and started the Prelude. I recognized the song she was playing before she'd even played 4 beats. She was playing my most favorite hymn EVER -- the hymn I love more than any other hymn. I've mentioned before that I clearly have the southern gospel genome in my DNA, so obviously my favorite hymn is an old southern gospel hymn. You don't hear it much anymore, and I knew right away she was playing that song for me.

My eyes teared up and I was immediately taken back to a Sunday 20+ years ago. It was August of 1992. Dad and I were sitting in a different church listening to Mom play the Offertory. I was 17 and it was my last Sunday at home before I left for my first year of college. I was a ball of excitement and fear and anticipation and more fear. I vaguely recognized the song she was playing because I'd heard her play it a thousand times at home, but I didn't know the title or words. Dad leaned over and whispered "she's playing this for you".  "What is it?" I whispered back. His answer? "You Will Never Walk Alone". Cue the waterworks.

It was one of those moments I suspect I will always remember so vividly, it's as if it happened just 30 minutes ago.

Yesterday morning was just like the Sunday morning so long ago. Three people separated us, but I could hear Papa's voice whispering "she's playing this for you" in my ear as those sweet southern gospel chords floated across the sanctuary.

Mama went on to play more of my favorites yesterday morning - a song I sang in our church just before Lieutenant Sexy's Dad passed away and another one I've sang for countless Stewardship Sundays. It was a wonderful surprise, and such a thoughtful thing for her to do.

After church, we celebrated Izzy's 3rd birthday.  She's getting to be so big, and we were so happy to help her celebrate.  Her party was at the local Children's Museum, so it was impossible to not have a GREAT time.  The girlz had a blast, and it was a great way to wear them out!

Campbell driving the bus

We left our face prints in the wall!

And wrote our names on the portrait center...

So fun! We even saw some friends from church there, which was cool.

And now we're back to the craziness. Stay tuned -- we have lots of fun in store this week!!

Encouraging Bad Habits

With it being dance competition season, we're spending more time than ever at the dance studio. And I'm ashamed to admit, it's the time of year when we encourage bad homework habits.  Granted, we could easily do the homework after dinner, but any little bit they can get done in the afternoon helps keep the evening pressure-free.

I have an adorable pink All In One Organizer bag from Thirty-One that I pack each day we're at the studio. It's the perfect size and easily holds two snack bags, a water bottle on each end, a pencil box box full of crayons, freshly sharpened pencils, a big eraser, Cassidy's agenda and homework, Campbell's folder and homework, my phone, and my Kindle... with plenty of room to spare!  

Packing everything they need in a cute bag is the easy part. Trying to keep the girlz focused on homework in the midst of a busy lobby full of chattering friends? Not so much.

But we make it work, even if it is a bad habit!

Trio Homework Time

Campbell's Homework Time!

Pop's 93rd Birthday Party

Mama and Papa hosted Pop's Birthday Party today at our most favorite restaurant ever.  I was excited to be having his party there - that spot holds lots of special memories for Lieutenant Sexy and I.  We spent our first wedding anniversary there, we almost always choose that restaurant for special occasion dinners, we took Mama and Papa there for lunch to say thank you for buying Cassidy's crib, we hosted Mama and Papa's 35th wedding anniversary party there eight years ago, and we used that place as a selling point when it came time for Mama and Papa to start researching places to downsize into retirement.

And now we have another happy memory to add to the long list of cool things that have happened there  - Pop's 93rd birthday party.

What better way to spend our 11th anniversary than at our favorite restaurant surrounded by family and friends, celebrating one of our most favorite people?!?

It doesn't get much better!

The girlz walking into the restaurant with Pop and Uncle Butthead

Mama's party favors -- a tiny white bucket filled with a scented hand sanitizer and a $2 bill.  Pop wanted to put the $2 bills in the buckets because they're unique and special, just like him!

Balloon bouquet

The view from our window... I will never, ever get tired of looking at this!

Happy Birthday, Pop!