Making it Up As I Go

The floor is covered in tiny toys. That are also Tiny’s toys. heehee. Audrey’s birthday was yesterday, but since B was out of town until the afternoon yesterday, we decided to just pretend her birthday was actually today so that she got a whole day full of family birthday togetherness.

There are 4 huge mylar balloons – a Disney princess balloon that talks (that is left over from Zoe’s birthday, but it’s still good so we’ll count it), a new Disney princess balloon that looks like a 3 tier cake, a Winnie the Pooh balloon, and a Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse balloon. Let it never be said that Tiny’s not indoctrinated in the way of Walt.

The girls are playing with new Littlest Pet Shop and Jungle in My Pocket toys. They completely fit the stereotype of girls liking miniature things. But as the song says, “miniature things are neat!”

WonderPets is on the TV.

A FurReal panda lays abandoned on the couch. Zoe thought so long and hard about what to get for Tiny, and she decided on this because Tiny LOVES pandas, and Z thought it would be so fun for her to have one that moves. Tiny is TERRIFIED of it and refuses to even touch it.  Poor Z just cried and cried because “I didn’t get her the right present after all”.  But isn’t that the way with gifts sometimes? It IS the right present, and Tiny will warm up to it in time. Or she won’t, and it will be her loss.

Tiny keeps running around saying “My birthday!” and then singing Happy Birthday in a manner eerily reminiscent of her Uncle Jeff impersonating Nancy Sinatra singing “These Boots are Made for Walking”.  (For those who have not had the pleasure of witnessing that- imagine someone drunk off their duff.)

I should get people eating breakfast. Then it’s off to pick up a birthday cake (princess, of course), and get ready for a PARTY!!

What’s happening at your house at this moment?

We got back from a whirlwind trip to Utah a couple of days ago, and while it was beyond wonderful to be there, it is so nice to be home and back to some semblance of a normal schedule.

While we were there we got to see so much family, and Z made some new friends:

Aren’t they just completely adorable? I LOVE it. This was as we were ready to leave, and there was sadness about that.

I also got to see my wonderful Aunt Cindy (yay!) who I won’t post a picture of because she doesn’t like it, but she is beautiful – and my SO SO loved Uncle Larry, who I WILL post a picture of, if only for my momma, because apparently I got some of his being-in- pictures genes.

Heehee.

I got to see tons of other family as well, but I’m relying on getting the pictures that my mom took, so I didn’t take too many.

We also got to see our good friends, the Stiers, and that was so lovely. I so wish they lived closer, if only so that I could look at and snuggle their gorgeous kids every day. I mean, look at them.

And seeing Ben and Jess was completely wonderful too.

We also got to see the traitorous Becky Shipley and her adorable kids- it’s only been a month since they moved, but it seems like years, and it was wonderful to see them. I didn’t take any pictures because I was too busy hugging.

On to actually random things:

I have 3 quilts that I want to make REALLY badly right now. REALLY. As in so badly that I have to stop myself from going to the store and buying fabric immediately. I mean, look at these:

Aren’t they gorgeous? The third will be a patchwork made of 5 inch squares from reproduction 1930’s fabric- such gorgeous prints, they just make my heart happy.

The clean clothes from our trip have yet to be put away. Somehow I don’t think that Z or Tiny are going to do it. Dang it.

We went to the library and left with 14 books. Only two of them were for me. I think it might be time for someone to get her own library card…

Now that I’m back, I’m neck deep in sorting out our Fall schedule: 2 different preschools, adventure days and playgroup, which all involve other people and their schedules; everything else I want to fit in- library trips, music and art, reading, farmer’s market, nature trips; and then all the things that need to be done to keep the house up and running.  And at heart I’m really not a schedule person. But with me it’s all or nothing, and so on the side of order we stay.

The girls are up from their naps, (thank GOODNESS we’re back to taking naps – well, at least Tiny) so off I go. More randomness to come, I’m sure.

I’m working on a patchwork picnic blanket.  If I like how it turns out, I’m going to finally make myself a blanket with my favorite fabrics and fuzzy warmness on the back. I’m thinking of using a t-shirt material sheet for the backing. I want something sturdier for the picnic blanket back, so we’ll see.

The puff balls are back! Woo hoo! Swimming lesson got a little hard for Z today- she’s learning how to use her arms while swimming, and it’s the first time she’s really had to work at swimming. It’s good for her to have to put some effort into it. In other swim related news, even though I coat her with sunscreen, she’s getting SO tan. Takes after her Auntie.  (Not that Auntie, the other one.)

Tiny actually started enjoying her swim lesson today. She got to swim off of the step on her own (basically throwing herself forward into the water from standing), and she LOVED it. She’s a little daredevil, that one.

Z has been enjoying trying to follow along with my yoga DVDs, so I decided to get her one of her own.  (Gaiam Kids: Yogakids Fun Collection)  She’s done it for 3 days, and this is what she busted out with today. She completely surprised herself, and me!  I really highly recommend these videos, they’re 40 minutes long, and seem like 5. Kids model the poses, so they’re far from perfect while being completely kid appropriate, and each “pose” (a lot of them are movements) is only about 45 seconds.  Seriously, Z LOVES them. She asks to do them. And Tiny likes them too,  and tries to do the easier poses.I do them with her, though I don’t count them as my workout. 

What’s going on with you today?

It’s that time of the year again! The girls had their first swim lessons of the year today, in their matching swimsuits:

Z’s hair took some finagling to keep it out of her face, especially as I couldn’t find the right pony holders this morning for puffballs:

Hey, it worked. Seriously, her hair is like 15 miles long.

Tiny ended up going first, which wasn’t the original plan, but she was so excited when we got to the pool that we decided to embrace it and have her go. Man, did that excitement end quickly.

But by the end of the lesson (only about 5 minutes in, really) she’d stopped screaming and surrendered to the authority of Miss Brittany.

Z was next, and remembered everything she ever knew about swimming within seconds of being back in the pool. She’s going to make amazing progress this year, she has so much innate talent. It’s really awesome to watch.

I have a video of her swimming too, but I have no idea how to post it, so it will have to wait until B helps me. And probably adds music to it.

Easter dresses

Little miss in her dress

She’s a proper lady even when she’s not all dressed up. Check out that raised pinky!

This was from yesterday when it was raining. Notice how she’s crammed herself in between those flower pots to get as close to the rain as she can. She’s a crackup.

Today the girls found the only puddle left from yesterday to splash in.

How’s your day?

Over at my other blog, I’m documenting my participation in a challenge related to Children and Nature month. The challenge is to get your kids outside every day and post a picture each day from your time outside. I started yesterday.

Here are some pictures from our time outside today in the rain. Tiny discovered the joy of splashing in puddles, Z found a leaf bigger than her head, we met a worm, and Z bonded with a snail.

And yes, my daughter is a tree hugging hippy. She can’t help it.

I love getting out in the rain, and the girls have been loving getting outside. And it makes for some very entertaining pictures.

It was pointed out to me this evening that I haven’t posted in a while. And it always slightly disappoints me when I go to my regularly scheduled blogs and there’s no new post, so…..

B was gone to Ireland for a week and a half, 8 days, somewhere in there. He’s back now, which is lovely. I missed him. The girls missed him. We enjoyed the fact that we live in the future and have the equivalent of video phones, except without the accidentally answering it with your hair in curlers. Wasn’t that always the fear about video phones? And it was before answering machines, so the idea that you could JUST NOT ANSWER THE PHONE wasn’t a possibility? Wow I’m kind of rambly tonight.

While he was gone I:

watched a lot of movies set in the 1920s (including but not limited to: Being Julia, Gosford Park, and The Cat’s Meow),

worked on some projects which I will not detail here as they are intended for a couple readers of this blog,

hosted both an Oscar party and a jewelry party (both great fun),

skipped on over to Santa Cruz where we visited beloved friends, bought wonderful things (including a pair of foxy boots that make me look like a space pirate- seriously, just add a jaunty cap and I could be piloting a dirigible), and went to the beach. The girls LOVED it. We need to do it more often.

did NOT finish Positive Discipline for Preschoolers, which I feel like I’ve been reading for YEARS now,

went to bed early a bunch of nights. It’s tiring doing this mom thing on my own!

But now he’s back- hooray! And just in time for my birthday, an occasion on which I was thoroughly and gorgeously spoiled. I received not only awesome rag doll Alice in Wonderland toys, but also a new Haunted Kindle! which I’ve decided should actually be officially named The Haunted Kindle. The original haunted Kindle (lower case h) still works fine, but is a little “janky” as B puts it, and has it’s personality quirks. It will have a loving new home (not on a lovely farm with lots of room for it to run…) and I will enjoy the razor quickness, longer battery life, and overall slickness of The Magic Haunted Kindle of Doom, complete with swanky pink case.  All the books are moved over, and I will continue trudging through Positive Discipline for Preschoolers.

In other birthday news, this post really rings true for me.

And speaking of posts that ring true, this one is amazing. (The comments are amazing too.)   I’ve been thinking a lot recently (inspired by lessons and things, not life tragedies) about how so many things that happen in life happen because we’re living in an imperfect world and sometimes that just sucks, and that most of the time the horrible things that happen are NOT God’s will, but that if we turn them over to Him, He will sanctify them for our good and make them part of a positive process for us.  And that’s so much better than holding on to bitterness and anger over them, because there is no positive process there.  Anyway.

And speaking of thinking about things, I’ve been thinking lately about how we don’t receive more knowledge until we do something with the knowledge that’s already being offered to us. And how sometimes (many times?) our definitions and assumptions of how things work get in the way of our seeing the way they really do work. I’ll write more about this later, I think.

And with no sneaky segue,  can I just sa that daylight savings time is killing me? I just thought I’d mention it. I will not mention how my children are doing with it for about another week or so. Or maybe never. Don’t want to jinx/mess up anything. Let’s just say there’s a yin/yang element to it.

My cousin just had a baby girl who is currently in the NICU (I think), please extend prayers on her behalf (the baby and the mama. And the daddy. And the grandparents and uncles and aunts for good measure. And the little sister of the baby).

I think that’s it for now. I’m tired and going to bed.

Goodnight.

Oh goodness. I was about to go to bed when all drama erupted. Let’s just say that if you’ve told a little girl that she isn’t supposed to get out of bed, but that if she needs to pee in the night that she can call you and you’ll come get her, you need to have a contingency plan for what happens if you don’t hear her.  And I will pass along the wisdom of said same little girl, “When you have all your crys in you, it feels all frusterating. But when you get all your crys out, it feels happy!”. Do with that what you will. Just keep in mind that getting all said crys out can take upwards of 15 minutes.

Goodnight.

Some bits and pieces from life recently:

My new favorite band is Rock Sugar. A rock band stuck on a desert island in 1989 with only the 80’s pop cd collection of a 13 year old girl…  Absolutely hilarious and awesome.

Men’s moguls was KILLING me last night. Seriously, the Olympics has some kind of spores or something ( as my brother used to say about Harry Potter) – I don’t care in the least about men’s moguls, but I was on the edge of my seat  screaming as those last 3 skiers went down.  And did you see the US guy totally biff it toward the end there? B totally caused that.  He gave it to the universe, and the universe gave it right back.

We’re getting a new couch! B used his day off today and went and picked it out while we were busy with preschool- total surprise. We get it in a couple weeks. Woo hoo!

I have Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance stuck in my head. It will. not. leave. I won’t link to it so as to save you from the same fate.

I’ve been thinking about this post about girls and sports (and the drive to win vs. being “nice”) a lot over the last couple of days, especially in light of the Olympics and an interview I watched with the women’s mogul gold medalist, who talked about how it made her sad to have taken the gold from the Canadian who almost won.  I don’t know that I’m coming to any conclusions, especially since I never participated in competitive sports of any kind.  If anyone has any insights and wants to talk about it, I’d love to.

And now, some pictures!

Valentines girls

Tiny loves Pooh bear. I believe she currently has 6 stuffed Poohs.

She also loves dancing.

and is apparently considering following in her namesake’s shoes, playing the role of an updated Eliza Doolittle in an as yet unscheduled performance of My Fair Baby.

Z loves posing.

I believe that’s all that’s going on at the moment. I have a baby blanket to finish, and a large number of projects to start and finish. I need to write them all down so I can get them going and done.

What are you up to?

Behold, mini sparkle donuts from Starbucks. The newest best thing ever.

How was your day?

So Z was singing today, and I asked her what she was singing, and she said “The song about Jesus and sunshine”.  I assumed she meant the Sunbeam song (“Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, to shine for him each day…”) , but then I heard her sing “When Jesus shows His smiling face, there is sunshine in my soul”. I asked her where she heard that song and she said, with a smile that showed she knew she was being clever,  “In church”.

We sang that song as the opening hymn in Sacrament meeting.

2 weeks ago.

I’ve been feeling really strongly lately that I need to be singing more, and I think this is a definite push in the direction of the songs I need to be singing.  She’s got “Quickly I’ll Obey” down (the words, if not the behavior), and we were working on “Choose the Right” before her little revelation today, so I think we’re heading in the right way.

Does anyone know how to find out what songs they’ll be singing in Primary next year?