Hair Day

We gave the girlz this week off from camp, so I'm pulling double duty again. The girlz are rarely home on weekdays, so it's a golden opportunity to sneak a few quick appointments in. This morning, it was a hair appointment.

I've been really bad about getting the girl'z hair trimmed. REALLY bad. In fact, the last time they went to the salon was right before school started last year. Ugh... embarrassing!

Campbell before...

Campbell after!

Cassidy before...

Cassidy after!

So pretty! It didn't last long, though - our neighbors showed up on our doorstep this afternoon asking the girlz to come to their house and swim. I'm glad I took pictures when their hair still looked nice, because it was a wet mess by the time Lieutenant Sexy got home.

I have to share this picture from today. I was sitting at my desk working and Campbell was sitting at the desk next to me. The girlz put my old phone and keyboard on the desk several months back and sometimes pretend to "work". While I was watching Campbell carefully play a game on my Netbook, she reached over and picked up the phone.

It was seriously adorable. Any guesses who she's pretending to be???

Hilarious!

Cheer Camp

This girls have been at Cheer Camp this week, and today they had their end of camp show. They both did a GREAT job!

Campbell was a Fly Girl in her group and Cassidy was a Base. I was all excited when they lifted Campbell into an Elevator (Bases hold Flyer at shoulder level). I got a little weary when they moved into a Full Extension (bases raise Flyer above their heads until their arms are fully extended). And then my heart stopped for a second when they dropped my baby into a Basket Toss.

All this week she never once mentioned that she was the Fly Girl, so I was NOT expecting that!

Cassidy did awesome, just as I thought she would. She wasn't thrilled to be a Base, and even told me I didn't need to come to the show because she had been placed on the back line (the downfall of being tall). But I told her I'd missed the Cheer Camp shows the last two years, and there was no way I was going to miss this one!

Great job, girls!!!

Dress Rehearsal #1

We had Dance Recital Dress Rehearsal #1 tonight. As in years past, the studio broke the recital into three shows. This is our first year having a child in all three shows.

Saturday is going to be a very long day. Call me crazy, but something tells me we're not going to make it to church Sunday morning.

I fiddled with my camera settings last night to suppress the flash and try to get a decent picture. It wasn't easy - I was sitting on the last row of a dark auditorium, trying to get a clear shot of girls in constant motion on a brightly lit stage. Certainly not an ideal set-up, and the pictures probably would have been better if I'd walked up to the stage... but the professional photographer was up there and I didn't want to get in his way.

Here's Miss Cassidy, squarely in her element... 

Tomorrow night, we do it all over again!

What a Difference Two Months Makes!

There's a 4-count heel stretch in Cassidy's trio routine which has been the bane of my existence for the last 10 months. And you would not believe the amount of time we've spent training and preparing Cassidy for those 4 measly counts in that one routine. I'm completely serious when I say we've worked on her flexibility and balance every single day since the choreography for that routine was set last summer.

Every. Single. Day.

Even still, she missed the heel stretch in their first competition.

I took the picture below just two months ago. It was taken at the beach house over Spring Break. Check out her flexed right foot, the bent supporting leg, the turned-in left ankle, and the pained look on her face.

Bad form, all the way around. It makes for a stressful situation when two other girls (and their parents) are depending on you to get it right.

I took this picture over the weekend.  Right foot is pointed, supporting leg could be a smidge straighter, left foot is nice and flat, bright smile on the face.

MUCH BETTER!!! Nice work, Cassidy!

She's ready for Nationals, without a minute to spare! Whew!

Father's Day 2013

We had a great Father's Day. It was quiet, and that's what Lieutenant Sexy wanted.

The girlz set out his gifts before he woke up. They both made him a Father's Day crown at camp last week, which they were very proud of.

From Cassidy:

From Campbell:

He made shopping easy - he put what he wanted in my Amazon shopping cart!

This picture says it all, doesn't it? Lieutenant Sexy with his trademark this-is-awesome face, Cassidy smiling sweetly, and Campbell acting like she was just released from the asylum. It just screams "Happy Father's Day".

After church, I took the girlz outside to get a few pictures. Cassidy's hair is starting to darken up. I'm wondering if the summer sun will bring her blonde back.

Campbell put tattoos all over her arms and legs when were weren't looking, and it took an alarming amount of scrubbing to get them off. She also cut her hair at some point during the the day.

Not cool, Campbell. So much for her being old enough to trust for a few minutes.

And now we start preparing for the dance recital. We have one day of dance classes, 2 dress rehearsals, and an entire Saturday of performances ahead of us. It's going to be a FUN week!!

The Fathers In My Life

Today we celebrate fathers, so I want to take a minute to thank the fathers in my life...

First off, the best Dad a girl could ask for - mine! I know I haven't always made the right decisions, but I hope you're proud of the choices I made when it really mattered (I like to think I stepped up and came through on the really important stuff). You showed me what a loving husband and father was supposed to look like, and set my expectations high.

I love you, Dad.

Second, my Grandpa - who will never see this because he doesn't have a computer. Pop is a living example of a southern gentleman. He knows everybody and everybody loves him, for good reason - he is nothing but kindness and love. He never speaks badly of others (except once, but it was completely justified), and he's always been my biggest fan. When I got my ear cartiledge pierced in college, Mom and Dad said "why did you do that?!?". But not Pop - he said "that's real pretty, I like that!".

I love you, Pop.

And finally, the obvious - it wouldn't be a Father's Day post without a nod to the father of my girlz! I thought I loved you as much as I possibly could the day we got married, but I was foolishly mistaken. You're patient with our Drama Queens and you interact with them in a "Daddy" way that I just can't. Parenting takes two, and I'm so grateful to be on this journey with you.

I love you, LT.

And now we're off to see what kind of fun this day will bring.

Happy Father's Day!

60 Month Well Baby Check-Up

I took Campbell to her 5 year-old well baby check-up today while Lieutenant Sexy watched Cassidy get more dance pictures taken. I took a poll at the dance studio before we headed to the doctor's office - can you still call it a "well baby" appointment at 5 years old? The answer was a resounding NO.

So I converted her 5 years to 60 months, and decided counting her age in months justified calling it a well baby appointment.

Ms. Monique checked the eyes...

... and the ears.

She passed with flying colors.

Campbell weighs 35 pounds and 9 ounces (16th percentile) and is 41.5 inches tall (29th percentile) - teeny tiny!! She continues to be an excessively picky eater, has some fluid behind her right ear, and still has a heart murmur. But overall, but Dr. Pediatrician says she looks terrific.

Everything was going fine until Ms. Monique had to stick her finger to check her hemogloben and lead exposure.

That's when Campbell put on her Sad Panda face. Pitiful!

Grow Campbell, grow!

I Spoke Too Soon

So thinking back to what I wrote yesterday, I've decided I probably wouldn't want to continue the dance routine picture marathon next week. It's only been two days, but I'm done. I'm tired of packing far too much dance crap in my trunk, picking up the girlz from camp way too early in the day, rushing to get hair and make-up done, and praying we'll get to the studio in time for their session.

Today the level of suckage reached its peak - 2 dancers with 2 routines each, plus an extra picture of the two of them together. I thought I left my phone at home, so I didn't get any pictures of them having their picture taken. I was in the process of declining a dinner invitation when my text message alert sounded, and I realized the phone had been in my bag the entire time - Space Cadet!!

The good news is that we've passed the halfway mark. We have two more picture days to go, but it will be easier - both days are just one routine, just Cassidy.

I can do this.

Dance Pictures, Round 1

We completed Round 1 of dance pictures today. Luckily, we get to start off slow - today was just one dance routine picture for one princess. The difficulty amps up tomorrow when each princess takes two dance routine pictures, plus we'd like to get one of the girlz together. Then Cassidy goes back twice more for additional pictures later in the week.

The girlz are at camp this week - 20 minutes away from the house... which means a normally simple task is now a tangled web of logistics.

Yes, it's going to be one of those weeks.

But I'd do it all over again next week to be sure we capture these moments!

Weekend Fun!

We had a GREAT weekend. Saturday morning brought swimming lessons for Cassidy and dance recital practice for Campbell. Lieutenant Sexy got a hair cut, we ate lunch, and then we took Campbell to the toy store for her birthday gift. She chose a Doc McStuffins dress up outfit, which she now refuses to take off. Great choice!

We hung out at the neighborhood pool for a while Saturday afternoon and went to bed late.

After church on Sunday, we ate lunch and spent the entire afternoon at our swim club. We love the swim club because the pool is much bigger than our neighborhood pool and there's never a shortage of friends from school, dance, or church.

Big news - Campbell jumped off the diving board for the first time ever!! She got close last summer, but never could make herself take the last step off the board. Her first time off the board was more of a controlled fall, but it did the trick and got her hooked. She went off the board at least 15 times yesterday. Go Campbell!

The first one off the board in this video is Campbell (look for the pink floaties on her arms). Cassidy is the second off the board (no floaties).

We couldn't have asked for a better weekend! We started our 2013 Summer Camp Tour this morning - today is Pirate Day, and the girlz will spend their day hunting for a treasure chest! So fun!!

First Day of Summer Break

Today was the first *real* day of summer break with both girlz home. The Preschool closes a few days prior to the rest of the school, so Campbell has actually been home for three days now.

Campbell wanted a cookie cake for her birthday, so we went hunting for one yesterday morning. They were surprisingly hard to find. I ordered one from Mrs. Fields for Lieutenant Sexy's last birthday, but he mentioned it long before his birthday rolled around. Campbell mentioned wanting a cookie cake on Sunday night, so there wasn't enough time to place a special order. We went to several stores and finally found one lone birthday cookie at the Stuff Mart.

She wanted her name written on the cookie in pink, which clashed with the bright blue, red, and yellow balloons and trim. But it was the only cookie cake they had, so I bit my tongue and had the bakery write "Happy Birthday Campbell" in pink. I was proud of me - that was not easy.

I had the water balloons ready when Cassidy got off the bus yesterday afternoon. I was hoping to have time to chill them in the refrigerator, but I barely had enough time to get them filled before the bus rolled up.

Throwing water balloons with the girlz on the last day of school is one of my favorite traditions!

The girlz spent some time with Mama and Papa yesterday, who very graciously offered to take them so I could focus on work. LOVE THEM.

Lieutenant Sexy and I got to eat dinner by ourselves for the first time in forever, and then went to pick up the girlz from Mama and Papa. After we got home, we sang to our girl and served up her cookie. She made a great choice - it was a delicious cookie cake!

We let the girlz sleep in this morning, and we've spent the entire day like this:

Yes, it's nearly 3 o'clock in the afternoon and they're still in their pajamas -- a great way to start to the summer!

Happy Birthday, Campbell!

5 years ago today, Campbell arrived and changed the dynamics of our family forever. Lieutenant Sexy and I thought long and hard before deciding to try for a second child. It was not an easy decision by any means, but there's no question we made the right choice.

Little did I know that our tiny baby girl was brought into the world to be Papa's BFF. They're two peas in a pod, and it's sweet to watch her check on him and take care of him. They have their own language and live in their own world - the rest of us are just for decoration.

Campbell is very much her Papa's girl. When he sees her, his face lights up in a way I never saw until she was born. She adores him, and he adores her right back.

What a wonderful gift God gave us in Miss Campbell.

Can you hear him?  He's saying, "I shall call her Squishy and she shall be mine. She shall be my Squishy."

  

Happy 5th Birthday, Sweet Campbell! You are so big, and you bring our family BIG JOY! We love you so much!!

Campbell's 5th Birthday Party!

We had Campbell's 5th birthday party celebration on Saturday.  We ended up with 56 people in our house - so rowdy and so FUN!

We decided on a candy theme this year. What could be more perfect than a candy themed party for our candy-loving girl?

I'm 5!

Centerpieces

Goody Bags for the kids!

Candy Buffet

Salad Cups

Skittle Art station (sand art using Skittles)

Campbell and our amazing friend Ashley

Birthday Girl!

4 Generations

Campbell blowing out her #5 candle

Happy Birthday, Miss Campbell!