Natalie's First Haircut

Well past age 2, we finally got Natalie's hair cut for the first time.  I'm sure she's needed it for a while, problem is, I just wasn't sure what to do with it!  Her hair has grown in with all sorts of lengths, thicknesses, and textures, depending on what side of her head you are looking at.  I've been referring to it as the "cloud of curls", and that cloud was getting out of control!  I took Katie for a trim on Sunday, and they cleaned up Natalie's mop a little bit, too.  Here's the lovely Before picture so you can see the mess that her hair was:

Katie went first, then stood close by her sister, keeping her entertained throughout the trim.

I love the picture above -- I had no idea her hair was actually that long!

Afterward, Natalie had little bangs, and also the back trimmed up a little so her curls didn't look quite so crazy.  They didn't take off that much, but it sure made a big difference!

Here are my 2 beauties with their lollipops:

All in all, it was a success.  Natalie has a hard time sitting still, so I was impressed we made it through the haircut with no squirming and minimal movement.  I think she was so enthralled with what was going on that she had a hard time looking away from the mirror!

Haircut Pic

At Elisa's request, I looked through our photos of a recent work event and cropped myself out of this group shot so you can see my new (albeit windblown) do in profile:

I previously had it longer in back with pseudo-"bangs" in the front, but when it grew out, it just looked so shaggy from all the layers.  This is actually more of a transitional cut because I still have some of those layers that are trying to grow out.  In the end, I'd like to move even shorter, closer to the picture of Elisa's friend Jen at the bottom of this post.  It seems awfully bold for me, but I think Jen's hair looks great and so easy to maintain!  And if I can make getting ready in the morning easier for myself, I'll do it.  And again, thank goodness for Bondi Bands to keep my hair out of my eyes while running and lifting weights!

In other haircut related news, Natalie got her first trim over the weekend!  Pictures to follow!

And We Have a Baby!

Wouldn't you know, not 10 minutes after I post that I am still waiting, Becci calls me with the big news! 

Magnus Troy was born at 6:40pm last night, 6/25.  He is 6 lb 8 oz and 18.5" long.  After the loooong induction, Magnus was showing signs of distress during contractions, so they performed a c-section.  Becci said the surgery was textbook, very quick, and I'm so happy.  I'm happy to have him out in this world, and happy that the surgery didn't have any complications for her.  Magnus spent the night in the NICU as a precaution for some fluid in his lung, but other than that, he is bald and beautiful!  And I can't wait to see pictures of my favorite cousin holding her sweet, sweet baby boy.  I won't be able to hold him until Christmas, but I am already very much looking forward to it.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers for Becci, Abe, and baby Magnus!

Still Waiting...

My cousin Becci went to be induced on Wednesday afternoon.  I called her after work yesterday, and we were still waiting for Baby.  I stayed up late, hoping the phone would ring, and I am still waiting.  I'll have my phone with me all day, still waiting.  Praying that she and baby are doing OK. 

Waiting, praying...  this is hard.  Becci is my cousin I'm closest to.  They've wanted to have a baby ever since they got married almost 8 years ago.  The time has finally come, and her pregnancy has had a lot of difficulties.  Mine were so easy in comparison, and it just doesn't seem fair because she has been patiently waiting for this baby for soooo long.  Waiting and praying is all I can do right now, and I know my friends and her friends are doing it with me.

Happy Father's Day!

Sunday was Father's Day, and we tried hard to make sure Colin had a good one.  The girls and I bought him a large cooler on wheels and filled it with a book, cards, and homemade crafts.  It was a big surprise to him!  We'd talked off and on about getting a cooler on wheels before, but I think it surprised him that I went and bought it AND was able to fit it in the trunk of my car.  :)

The rest of the day was spent going to church, getting groceries, and then Colin napping on the couch in front of a Simpsons marathon on TV.  It rained off and on all day, so we couldn't really play outside, but we had fun.  We went to Applebee's for supper, where Colin was given a gift card for a $5 burger on his next visit.  Awesome!  That's his favorite thing to get over there.  :)

We also called both his dad and my dad during the day.  I was glad we were able to do that -- my dad is the best!  Sometimes it is hard to live halfway across the country from my parents, but I hope they know I love and appreciate them no matter how many miles separate us!

Hope all you dads out there had a fabulous day!!!

Recital 2010

Katie had her first-ever dance recital this past week.  Her class danced to "Copacabana", and they were AWESOME!  I had to practice my curling-iron skills, because Katie had to be in full sparkle for class pictures, dress rehearsal, AND recital, so I put in a lot of work on getting her ready 3 separate times.  Here is our superstar in the outfit selected for their class by Ms. Lisa:

Her group was second on the program for recital.  Natalie couldn't wait to see Katie come out from behind the curtain!  The girls came out and performed their routine really well.  One of the girls didn't want to exit the stage at dress rehearsal, but we didn't have that problem on recital night.  Everyone was smiling, and although maybe not perfectly in sync, you could tell they had worked very hard to learn the routine.  We were so proud of them, and they received HUGE applause from the audience!

I'd never been to a dance recital before.  If you know me, you know dance isn't my thing.  At all.  But I really enjoyed the program and thought it made for a good evening.  The dancers ranged in age from the preschool class all the way up through the high school competitive dance team.  We got to watch 4 senior solos performed by dancers on the competitive team, one of them being a very moving solo by our friend Jennifer, who had her dad sit in a chair on the corner of the stage to watch her dance to "Butterfly Kisses".  If that didn't bring a tear to your eye, I don't know what would!  They also had a "Mom's Dance", where I tried not to giggle at women ranging in age from 30-50 reliving their dance glory years in fishnets and stilettos.  The whole evening was wonderful, from start to finish, and I was so proud of all the dancers up there.  Bravo!!!

The rest of the family left early, but I stayed through the Grand Finale to bring Katie home.  She had a lot of fun on stage, and they kept her class well-entertained backstage with crafts, snacks, and videos for the late night.  Each dancer was presented with a red rose from the studio when they left, and Katie was just soooo excited that someone had given her a flower.  She's ready for a little break over the summer, but she's already talking about dancing again when classes start in the fall.

Below is the picture that us parents used for an ad in the recital program.  Back row, left to right, we have Haley, Gabi, Lilliana, Aalyah, Katie, and Kira.  Front row is Riley, Sophia, Michelle, Layla, and Hannah. 

Great job this year, girls!!!

Furlough Day #4

Thank you, budget cuts...  Today is my 4th of 5 unpaid furlough days this fiscal year.  I'm not wearing myself out as much as I have on other days, partially because I'm still pooped from Katie having her dance recital this week!  So Colin went to work on time this morning.  I let the girls sleep in, then I:

• Took the girls to school.  Realized Natalie has water play today (oops!), so ran back to the house quickly to grab her swimsuit, towel, and flip-flops, then delivered them back to the center.
• Did a little run/walk on the trail north of my house (see Note 1).  I was going to do that and then go to the Y to lift weights, but due to the water play confusion, I no longer had time to do both and decided to enjoy the sweltering 85 degrees with tons of humidity at 8:20 AM instead.
• Cleaned up and drove over to the blood center to attempt a platelet donation (see Note 2).  Found out that the person I'm donating for is healthy enough where she doesn't need platelets anymore -- hooray!  Then chickened out and didn't make a general donation since I didn't have the best experience last time.
• Came back home and practiced my music for church on July 4.  Sousa is kicking my butt!
• Had lunch with Colin.
• Watched The Young and the Restless while doing laundry, typing email, and cutting apart all the photos from the girls' recent sitting at JC Penney.
• Went for a 3pm hair appointment.
• Then picked up the girls early so we could shop for a Father's Day present!

Not as busy as some furlough days, but I got a lot done.  Besides the fact that we don't get paid, having these extra days off really hasn't been that bad. 

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Note 1:  Yes, I am slowly getting back to running!  My follow-up appointment with the orthopedic doctor was cancelled as he had to leave the office abruptly for personal reasons and cancelled all appointments in a 2-week period.  When discussing with the office whether I wanted to reschedule or not, I decided I'd at least try running, and if I still had any pain, I'd reschedule my follow-up.  For the past week, I've been alternating walking and jogging on the treadmill and not had any problems, so I was thrilled to take it outside today even though it was oppresive out there.

Note 2:  We have a woman at church who is battling cancer and needed direct type-specific platelet donations to help in her treatments.  Since I am a compatible blood type, I tried to donate for her cause.  Of all things, I actually have enough platelets where my blood clotted around the needle too quickly and I was not able to make a complete donation for her.  I was willing to try again because she's from my church, but otherwise, I don't think platelet donation is for me.  I'll be a blood donor, but not this.  Unless absolutely necessary.

New Layout

Well, I've been tempted for a few days by the new template designs offered by Blogger.  What do you think???  I wanted a background that was calming, relaxing...  what can be better than fluffy clouds drifting by?

In other completely unrelated news, our friends Mark and Michelle had their baby on Friday.  Welcome, baby Megan!  She weighed in at 8 lb 1 oz and is 20" long.  Big sister Madison is thrilled!  Months ago, when they first found out they were having a girl, Mark and Michelle were discussing baby names and spellings before church started one Sunday.  Since I was sitting right behind them and could overhear their conversation, I interjected and said, "You know, I've always preferred, 'M-E-G-A-N' since that's how I spell my name!"  They looked at each other, smiled, and said, "Then that's what it will be!"  Ever since then, we've joked about her being partially my baby as well, and I'm happy to know that she has arrived and that she and Michelle are both doing well.  :)

Busch Gardens

Friday we took Dad to Busch Gardens.  Mom was uncertain, but decided to stay at the house and rest some more.  It was probably better for her since it ended up being 95 and sauna-like outside, and she would've wilted.  Literally.  Colin hadn't been in years, and I never had, but this year we took advantage of free preschool season passes for the girls, offered as a promotion for a new Sesame Street kids' area that opened at the park. 

We got there right when it opened.  Dad and Colin took off right away to hit some of the big rollercoasters before the lines got too long.  The girls and I strolled around to see some of the wildlife.  We discovered that, like some people, chimpanzees pick their nose and eat it, too.  Ew!!!

Dad and Colin found us later at the Safari of Fun.  And fun it was!  We didn't even get to ride all the attractions in that area before we got too hungry and were ready for lunch.

After lunch, we took a train ride around the park where you can see the animals roaming about.  That was pretty cool.  And we found out on the tour that they do weddings at Busch Gardens out on the savanna!  How wild would that be to have zebras witness your nuptials!?

The train ride was about 45 minutes, and Natalie was starting to fade, so we decided to have ice cream and then go on home.  Dad rode one of the coasters again when I took the girls to the restroom right next to its entrance and he saw that it had no line.  Very hot out, but a fun day, and we're so glad we went.  Colin and I are also glad we sprung for season passes for us, so that combined with the girls' free passes, we can go all year and only have to pay for parking.  Sweet!  There's so much more to experience that we didn't quite get to on Friday.

We were glad to see Mom perked up a little when we got home.  She even came out to eat with us Friday evening, though she just nibbled.  And then they left on Saturday to fly back north.  I took them to the airport, and it's been a relatively normal weekend here for us.  Dad said Mom held everything in on their flights, and only blanched once when they had some turbulence before landing in Minneapolis.  I sure do hope she is feeling better.  It's no fun to be sick, especially on vacation!!!  And thankfully, none of the rest of us have experienced it.

Always good to see Mom and Dad!  We were so happy they could make it for Katie's pre-K graduation.  We plan on going up to see them for Christmas.

Mom and Dad and MOSI

My parents came to stay with us for a few days for Katie's graduation.  I picked them up at the airport Wednesday around lunch, and we had a few things we wanted to get out and see and do while they were here.

Unfortunately, VERY unfortunately, my mom got sick Wednesday evening.  Like food poisoning sick.  We weren't sure if it was from lunch because Dad and I also ate at the same restaurant and we were OK.  Or she may have picked up a virus that incubated until they arrived at our house.  At any rate, it pretty much prevented Mom from getting out and doing things with us since she felt so miserable.  Poor Mom.  She rested on the sofa on Thursday while the rest of us hit the Museum of Science and Industry, or MOSI (as in, mosey on down to MOSI).  We hadn't been since Natalie was a very little baby, and I think it is safe to say that we all enjoyed it quite a bit now that the girls are older.

Dad, Natalie, and I went in the hurricane tube, where they blast you with winds equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane.  As you can see by Natalie's face, if that's a Cat 1, I don't want to know what a Cat 5 feels like!!!

The next bit of excitement came when Dad rode the high wire bike!!!

We finished up in the large kids' area, where the girls enjoyed exploring and playing and just having a good time.  After that, we had lunch at Mel's Hot Dogs before heading on home.  Mel's is a favorite lunch spot for Colin and his dad.  I'd never been, so I just HAD to get my picture taken by their custom car!!!

After lunch, we went home and relaxed and hung out with Mom since she was feeling a little better.  We had an early supper because graduation started at 6pm.  Mom mustered up enough strength to make it through the festivities, but by bedtime, she was ill again.  Poor Mom.  I tried to take good care of her while she was here!!!

Next update will be on Friday's fun and exciting activities!!!

Congratulations, Graduate!

Katie is a pre-school graduate!

I love this photo my dad took -- the look says it all!  :)

Between the half and full-day classes, there were 64 pre-school graduates.  Each class had a presentation for the graduation program.  Katie's class did a reading of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, with Jake and Katie doing the reading. 

The evening was a lot of fun and included a slideshow of photos of the kids, the presentations by each class, receiving of the diplomas, a song about moving up to kindergarten, and of course, cake!  We stopped to take a few pictures before heading on home.  Here we are, proud parents!

Katie with the Caterpillar, Brandon -- they've been friends since they were babies!

It's been fun, but Katie really IS ready to move on up to kindergarten.  Look out, here she comes!!!

Graduation Pool Party

We're almost there -- preschool graduation!  Our friend Kacey's family hosted a pool party on Saturday to celebrate the occasion.  They provided hamburgers and hot dogs, and the rest was pot luck, so I made my now-famous 7-layer Mexican dip for the festivities.

There were 9 families invited, kids all first grade and younger, which made for quite an exciting time in the pool.  For most of the time, I was the only adult in the pool, which surprised me.  But I had to be.  Even with swimming lessons, Natalie is still quite the wild card, so one of us needed to have a hand on her at all times.  I'm also glad I was in the water because I had to pull out 3 kids who got overconfident in their swimming skills and got stuck in the middle of the pool.  Yikes!

After about an hour and a half of swimming, dinner was ready!  We got the girls dressed in their regular clothes before eating so it would be easier to leave when the time was right.  We dined outside around the pool.  Afterwards, Katie, Natalie, and most of the girls went inside with Kacey and played dress-up with Kacey's extensive collection of princess dresses.  Most of the boys got back in the pool, but by that time, 2 other moms decided they'd get in, so I was off the hook.  We had dessert, and I loaded up on Karen's AWESOME chocolate peanut butter trifle!  Man, was that delicious!

The girls barely stopped for dessert and were then back to playing.  But it was getting closer to our bath time, and people were getting crabby, so Colin and I decided it was time to head back home.  Katie was bitter that we were the first ones to leave, but we know the girls, and we know when to evacuate when a meltdown is about to occur.  She was out like a light before we even finished our stories.

It was a fun afternoon, and I am just dying to get that trifle recipe from Karen.  When I do, I'll share!

SWELT

SWELT = Solid Waste Employees Losing Tonnage

We are having a weight loss competition at work, and since we work in solid waste where all our revenues are based on tonnage, we've come up with all sorts of catchy phrases that relate to a collective reduction in tonnage.  There are quite a few participants, with a registration fee, weekly weigh-ins, and the cash prize going to the winner (biggest loser).  We are going from the beginning of May through the end of August.

I joined. 

That may or may not surprise you, but more than anything, I joined to keep myself accountable.  Having a weekly weigh-in in front of other people will do that to you.  I joined to help myself kick the Pop-Tart habit.  I joined to keep myself on a good workout schedule, even if I don't have an event I'm training for.  And losing a few pounds along the way will be an added bonus. 

So, I don't want to be the Biggest Loser, but I do want to be a loser!

You may remember way back when I started Invisalign that the dentist's staff told me many women lose weight when they start Invisalign because they don't snack all day.  Ha!!!  That didn't really apply to me.  For 32 years, I'd done just fine with "eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full".  Yes, I ate frequently, but never too much, and with all my exercise, I'd always maintained a healthy weight, even through 2 pregnancies.  But with Invisalign, I felt this sense that every time I took the aligners out of my mouth, I needed to eat, eat, eat, because I didn't want to deal with taking the aligners out too often.  So I overdid it when I did have the opportunity to eat something, and now I'm paying for it.  I put on about 8-10 pounds over the last year or so.  Although I'm technically still in the healthy weight range for my height, I'm getting a little too close to an overweight BMI for my liking.  I'm hoping that weekly weigh-ins and healthier food choices will get me on track to losing some of those pounds. 

So far, I gained one pound, maintained, and then lost it again.  Not too bad, but could be better.  There are people in our competition who aren't even doing that well.  Hopefully through these next months we all support each other's healthy choices and do end up seeing a tonnage reduction among our staff.  I'll keep you posted!

Memorial Day - Remembering What It's All About

This year, our church had a display of crosses to memorialize loved ones lost who had served in the military.  We had crosses made for my grandpa (Army) and Colin's grandpa (Marine Corps).  Even though we didn't really get out on Monday due to Natalie not feeling 100%, I did take the girls over to church so we could find the crosses for our family members and take pictures to send to my grandma. 

It was also a good opportunity to talk about Memorial Day with Katie and use it as a learning experience for her.  Our church does host a Memorial Day service at our cemetary, but I don't think the girls are quite ready for that yet.  Maybe we will try that in a couple of years.

The Long Weekend

Overall, I think my family enjoyed the long weekend.  We went to the Y's waterpark, had the girls' portraits taken at JC Penney, went shopping, played, and spent time with Colin's parents.  But unfortunately, I think the weekend will be best summed up by one simple palindrome:

POOP

If you don't have small children, you probably won't appreciate this, but here I go.

Sunday evening as I was folding clothes, the girls were busy playing upstairs before bath.  After a while, I heard one of them declare "Naked Party!", and the other echo her shriek.  At that age, apparently there is nothing more exciting than running around naked.  My husband raised an eyebrow, and I said, "Oh, it'll be OK.  Natalie's doing well with the potty, she's already pooped once today, and besides, I'm almost done with the folding so I'll get them in bath soon."

Talk about some famous last words!!!

Shortly thereafter, Katie was using the bathroom, and Natalie started screaming that she also had to go to the bathroom.  I headed upstairs to take Natalie in to our master bath to use the facilities, but halfway up the stairs, I could see evidence on her bottom that she had already gone.  But where?  And Katie never pooped on the floor, so what is going on here???

I put Natalie on the changing table to clean her up.  She was crying, upset that this had happened.  Katie was screaming, wanting to know what was going on since she was missing all the excitement by being on the toilet.  Colin ran upstairs with a flashlight to help investigate.  We found that she had gone once in her room and once in Katie's, and got everything properly cleaned up. 

Poor Natalie.  She has been peeing in the potty like a champ, but is having a hard time getting a hang of this poop thing!  So stressful at the time, but funny now to look back on all that chaos!  And I've banned Naked Party.  We can still have Underwear Party, but that's as far as it goes!!!

Monday morning, Colin went in to work, and the girls and I were getting ready to go to the Y.  We were just about ready except for shoes, when Natalie gasps and whispers, "I poopded."

I picked her up and started running to the bathroom.  She's screaming, "Changing table!  Changing table!", and once in the bathroom, I realized why.  Poor girl had the runs and was quite a mess.  I'm so glad I acted quickly before the mess spread any further in the house.  As it was, it was quite an ordeal to clean her and the bathroom.  By that time, I didn't want to go to the Y anymore.  I was exhausted, and I didn't want to have her around other kids if she was contagious with anything. 

So Natalie, Katie, and I stayed home and played.  Lucky for us, Natalie didn't have any other episodes throughout the day.  Maybe it was just something she ate that didn't agree with her?  We'll probably never know, but I am glad she felt fine the rest of the day and was excited to go to school and see her friends this morning!