Swim Lessons

Beau just finished swim lessons.  These were her first set without me being in the water with her.  The first day it wasn't looking so good.   All the other kids in her class were so much more confident in the water and my little munchkins was like a sucker fish, stuck to the wall or the instructor.

She was so tense her shoulders didnt even get wet the first day.  But she still kept that big smile.

Ali was a trooper, she just sat there feeding the birds her snack and waited for the lessons to end.  How cute is this kid?

After the end of the 2 weeks she was a completely different kid in the water.  She went from too afraid to put her face in the water, to diving in to see how long she can hold her breath.  I was so impressed.

Here she is floating, the first day she never relaxed enough to float and here she was putting her head all the way back and floating.

At the end of the first week they let them go down the slide and caught them at the bottom.  Beau was too afraid to even go down.  One week later she was begging to go down the slide and had NO FEAR.  

Of course she still needs to work on some things, like keeping her head above water.

And that is how Beau tried to drown herself.

Beau-ism of the week

Putting the girls to bed is never an easy task.  Some nights it takes a few minutes, others it takes about 20, but it never happens without one of them at least pouting about it.  Tonight was no different.

Beau was having a particularly bad day.  She received her 4 year shots in the morning (4 of them!), didn't take a nap so I could cuddle her while she regaled me with every horrifying detail of the experience (even though I was there the whole time), then her big toe nail lost a battle to the vacuum (resulting in a blood gushing few moments).  Like I said, she was having a particularly bad day.

When bed time came she made sure that everyone knew she was NOT happy about it.  After a few minutes of crying and whining I had had enough and told her simply "you have to go to bed because I am your mommy and I said its bed time.  I don't want to hear another word from you about it."

Well, she is a 4 year old so of course she cant just stop there.

She wiped her tears off her cheek, sat tall and said,

"Mom, you better stop talkin to me like that.  Some day I will gonna be bigger than you and you will cry"

Then she laid down with her back to me.

In case you're curious

In case you're curious what we've been up to the last 30 hours, 38 minutes, and 42 seconds. . . .





Potty Training is another phase I am just trying to survive




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Photo Booth

While I was in Cali without my hubby I went to my fabulous friend Karly's wedding.  It was a fantastic event and one of the best parts was the photo booth.  If this had been around during my wedding I would have moved the earth to have it there.  It is so fun for everyone.

If you haven't seen these at a wedding yet its a fantastic idea.  Its a photo booth like, I'm sure many of us used at a mall or two when we were younger, except it doubles as the guest book.  There are tons of fun hats and costumes to wear and many people make several trips... I may have gone 3 times myself.

Here are some memorable pics from the night.

Heres MOST of the bridesmaids and the bride

No I don't know what that is on my head.

This was my absolute favorite!  Here we are, the Trash of '98

I wont explain, just to say that at our 10 year reunion we may not have been the best representation of the Class of '98.

and yes I know that I'm wearing 2001 glasses, they didn't have 1998 OK!

 This is Me and a picture of Sam on my cell phone since he couldn't be there :(

Yes, that's me in a pink cowboy hat and a mini sombrero on "Sam".

I Sam he should put this up in his office...not sure why but he keeps "accidentally" leaving them at home.

Fabulous wedding Karly!!!  Congrats again!!!

Rootin Tootin Indeed.

A few weeks before her birthday I asked B what kind of a party she wanted.  She thought about it for a while, threw out a few ideas, squashed a few ideas, and got really excited for a Jessie from Toy Story 2 & 3 theme.  Well, I may have been the one who got really excited, but she was totally on board.

Jessie is a cowgirl who wears cow print chaps, the possibilities are endless.  So a country theme it is!  I started scouring the internet for ideas, and thanks to my new obsession, Pinterest, found oodles of them.  

Sorry these pics are in a weird order, I cant be bothered to change it now.

The Star of the Party

I made this cake myself and got so many compliments.  In all honesty it was the easiest cake I have ever made.  In an attempt to make things a little easier I just used a box cake mix with store bought icing, pre-made fondant that I dyed black, Beau already had the Jessie and Bullseye Characters and the "rope" is tootsie rolls that I rolled, twisted and used to cover my sloppy icing job.  But it tasted great and I was really happy with the end result.

 The flatware

The colors were black and white (for the cow hide chaps she wears), red (for her hat) and yellow (for her shirt).  I loved the bandana print napkins I found.

The appetizers 

Veggie tray with ranch, BBQ meatballs, and chips and salsa (because Sam is incapable of having people over with out chip and salsa out.  It didn't go with my theme but I decided Daddy could make one decision).

I neglected to get a picture of the main meal but it was...

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Coleslaw

Cornbread Muffins

Watermelon

Applesauce

 The Dessert Table

Jessie and Bullseye Cake

S'more Pops

Jessie's Hat Cookies

 The Goodie Bag Table

The goody bags were filled with 

Toy story fruit snacks

Water Guns

Parachuting GI Joes (from Toy story)

Plus kid cowboy hats and bandanas

PS, notice my new chalkboard that I made!

 Beau's life in Pictures

I loved this idea, pictures of the birthday girl from birth to 4 years.  It was super hard to pic what pictures made the cut but it may have been my favorite part of the party.  The twine and clothespins added to the theme (thanks for the idea Karly!)

 The Watering Hole

I covered my buffet with craft paper, used bandanas, and the barn door effect was a cheap plastic table cloth.

 Happy Birthday Beau

It was handmade (obviously) but seeing the look on Beau's face when I told her what it said and I that I made it for her was worth the paper cuts.

Ribbon was the perfect addition to the drink labels.

 The Giddy-Up Tea

Sweet Tea flavored Vodka with Lemonade.  It was a crowd pleaser.

 Mason Jars

Whats not to love about Mason Jars???

"The Bawoons" 

I knew we HAD to have cow print balloons.  The kids all loved them!

There it is.  Beau's Rootin Tootin 4th Birthday was a huge success and everyone had a great time.  I had a blast decorating and being crafty and Beau made all the hard work worth it when she gasped, held her face, and said 

"Mommy is this for my birthday?!  Oh, you make me so happy!"

I love you Baby Girl!  Don't grow up any more, ok?

Here it is!

Heres the picture of my gorgeous purse!


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31 is the new 21!

Well, somehow my 20's ended.  And unbeknownst to me, it ended over a year ago.  I'm pretty sure I knew that I was 30 but somehow it never really felt like it.

If someone asked me how old I was, I would pause.........think............do a little light math.....ask what year this is...........pause............silently question the validity of the persons answer of what year it is.....pause.....................realize the person is actually right........wonder how the hell it can actually be 2011...question if possibly my birth certificate has been wrong all these years, why did my parent lie to me my whole life?.......realize I have taken waaaayyyy to long to answer a simple question.....wonder if maybe I am losing my mind.............realize THAT couldnt possibly be the problem, I am sharp as a tac!....and reply "I'm 30" with a smile.

But now I am 31!

I am 31 and married!

I am 31 and married for almost 8 years!

I am 31, married with 2 kids, 2 ROTH IRA's, 4 life insurance policies, 2 college funds, 1 car payment, a college degree, 2 savings accounts, 1 credit card, 1 kid in swim lessons, 1 kid in gymnastics, and a husband who flies planes that get shot at for a living. ?!?!?! (that last one may be a bit dramatic)

What?!

WTH happened?  I swear I was just graduating from Cal State Northridge and moving to Oklahoma to live with my fiancee.  Didn't we just move to England and travel all over Europe?  Didn't I just get pregnant and have my oldest little girl?  Wasn't I just breastfeeding my youngest little girl?  Time really does FLY.

Why didnt my parents ever tell me to enjoy my childhood because being an adult is exhausting? (I know, Mom, you did.  But why didn't you tell me to really pay attention this time.  You know I tune you out sometimes.)



Well enough of that psychotic ranting.  My 31st birthday was fantastic!  Sam was still in Alaska but before he left he made sure I would feel special on my birthday :)

I came home to...
A CLEAN HOUSE!!!
A full tub of Red Vines Licorice, my FAV.
A certificate for a 1 hour Swedish Massage.
A certificate for a chiropractic adjustment.
Roses delivered.
And a GORGEOUS COACH PURSE that I had been drooling over forever!  I will post a pic but its in my phone so its faster to post from there.  I would take a new pic but now its full and I'm a little lazy.

So there it is.  I'm 31, married to an amazing man, have 2 beautiful little girls, a car I love, a purse I cant stop looking at, I live in Hawaii, an amazing family, and amazing in-laws, and a rock solid marriage.  I wouldn't change a thing.

Time to play catch up :/

Ok, Ok.  I know it has been almost a month since my last post but sooo much has happened and I just haven't had the time to post.

Well, maybe not sooo much has happened.  But a lot.

And maybe its not so much that I haven't had time as much as I have just been putting it off.  Of course the longer I avoid updating, the longer my to-do list gets and the more I don't want to sit down and post.  Its a vicious cycle.  It makes me hate this blog.  But then after a few weeks away I miss my blog and I start to love it again...then I realize how much I have to type and I am right back at hating it again.  Like I said, vicious cycle.

Anyway, since June 20th the following has happened...
My 31st Birthday!
Daddy came home from Alaska!
My Beautiful Beau turned 4!?!
My Beautiful Beau had a fabulous Rootin Tootin Birthday Party!
4th of July!
Beau started swim lessons!
Daddy left for a few days again :(
Mommy had a few ladies nights out, woohoo!
Mommy signed up to be a consultant for Thirty-one!!! (and I'm 31!  that's a pretty fabulous coincidence :))

Sooo my posting list is a bit long.  But it will only get longer if I don't get to it, Beau is starting gymnastics next week and we have DR's appointments like crazy.  Lots more happening!