the day i gave in...

Today is the day I gave in. Lily has been wanting her hair cut for almost a year now.

I gave in finally, after realizing that it really isn't such a big deal. So what if she has the most beautiful hair ever and it looks amazing when it is long because it is so thick and full of body. It is, after all, her hair. And I should probably stop living vicariously through my daughter (because my hair would never look that good long, and I love long hair).

So the "hair lady" (as Lily calls her - and she is about 20) came today and cut it all off. I was sad, Lily was thrilled. I guess maybe I should just be happy that she is so happy. Now that it is done, I have to admit that she is still the most beautiful six year old I know. And now I don't have to listen to the complaining about her hair.

Who knows, maybe someday she will grow it out again and let me brush it until my heart is content. Probably not...

Look at all that hair on the floor

big news!

No, I haven't had the baby. But I think he is coming soon.

The big news is that Adam is riding his bike without training wheels!!! He is the cutest four-year-old I know! He zooms all over the neighborhood (which, as you can imagine, doesn't help my backyward dilemma - oh well).

it just isn't that hard!

My kids are funny. They will play all day outside if they are in the front yard. They will ride bikes, color with chalk, run around the neighborhood, etc. But the minute I suggest they go play in the backyard, where it is securely fenced, all I get is moaning and a whiny "noooooooo." I don't get it. Our backyard is really nice - it has soft grass and lots of it, a big, shady tree, and a little fort/playhouse. Plus I am always willing to put the sprinkler on. When I was a kid this was all I ever needed. Between this and their imaginations, I think they should be perfectly content back there. Apparently I am wrong - freedom is much more fun. Only it is sort of cutting into my day having to sit out and watch them for fear that they will be kidnapped or hit by one of our crazy neighbors who thinks driving at the speed of sound in a neighborhood filled with children is acceptable (to my neighbors who read this - you know who I am talking about and it isn't you).

I am open for suggestions on how to get my kids to stay in the backyard - keep in mind I am not the sort of entertaining kind of mom. That is what they have siblings for. I am happy to get them started on something though. HELP!

oldies...

I was looking through some old pictures that I took when we first got a digital camera. I thought I would post some of the fun pictures of my kids when they were much littler - they are so cute!

Dec. 2005

Jan. 2006

"Hi, I'm Ralph Wiggim..." Feb. 2006

March 2006

Trying to get a family picture, Oct. 2006 (I was pregnant with Grace)

Jan. 2007 (right before Grace came)

Feb. 3, 2007 - Gracie's birthday!

Thanks for taking that little stroll down memory lane with me. Maybe I will do it again some time....

five little minutes

Scott is amazing! There are a number of reasons why, but the latest is because he is mastering the art of making great bread. Aren't those loaves of bread beautiful? It is five-minute bread. You ought to google it - we have LOVED it!

eight months

All I can really say is wow - I mean seriously, wow. I look like I am going to pop...

family date night

I felt like we all needed to get out last night - I needed a break from real life for a little while and I wanted to spend fun time with the kids. So we decided to go on a family date. We went out to eat and then saw "Up." What a cute movie! I was worried about how Gracie would do in the theater - she nor Adam has ever been to the "big movies" (as my children call it). It was worth every penny we paid just to watch Grace and how enthralled she was with the whole experience. It was like watching a big movie for the first time. It was so fun.

The strangest thing - as we were walking through a plaza to get back to the car it was like we had entered a Twilight Zone. There were a ton of teenagers there and every single one of them looked like they jumped off the pages of my junior high yearbook! I haven't seen that much 80's style since I was like thirteen (you know, when it was still the 80's). It was weird. Is that how all the high school kids look now? If so, then I am glad went to high school in the early/mid 90's - even that style was a little friendlier on the eyes. Anyway, it was strange and Scott and I were a little bewildered.

Thanks Heather for the great picture of the movie that I stole off your blog!

a dreary day

Today marks a very sad event in our family. I went out to check on the chickens and give them some cabbage and I found them all dead in their house! I was devestated - who would think that I would become so attached to four chickens. I called Scott in tears and told him what I found. He was equally as upset and insisted that he come home right then to clean up and investigate (that is really unusual for Scott - I could be dying and he doesn't leave work early). I did some research and we have decided that the culprit was a racoon. Scott is ready to go out and hunt that thing down. On top of it all it has been raining for a week (uh, we left Washington to get away from this), we had a hale storm yesterday threatening the tomato blossoms, the concrete work we are having done in the back yard is on hold (thanks t0 the rain), and I am just now recovering from what the doctor thinks was swine flu (I am fine)! Needless to say, it has been a rough day...

So, how did the kids take the news? Well, I think they were actually really excited about the prospect of getting new chicks. Little stinkers! I guess I should be relieved that there weren't any tears.

On a happier note - today is June 10th. My due date is July 10th! I will be posting an eight month picture some other day - I am not really in the mood to have my picture taken today (what with mascara smeared under my eyes)...

movin' up in the world (or down)

In preparation for the boy to arrive we have been moving things around in the house. Grace had to move out of the baby room and Lily's room was going to be a little crowded with the two of them together. So we have been preparing the room in the basement for them - it is much bigger, plus Adam is already down there in another room.

Well, last night was the maiden voyage of the girls sharing the basement room together. Needless to say it is 11:00 in the morning and Grace is very cranky (she goes down for a nap around 1:30 normally)! She did not get enough sleep. She and Lily just wanted to play last night (well, it was mostly Grace - Lily takes bedtime very seriously). Then this morning I heard all sorts of noise down there VERY early! Grace and Lily both came up to greet me around 7:00 and Grace was wearing a Sunday dress that Lily had helped her into. I can see that this will take some adjustments - like Lily going to bed a little later to hopefully give Grace a chance to fall asleep...

There room is looking so cute - I will have to post pictures once I am done with it.

sleepy sleepy

The other day Grace didn't want to come to dinner (if you knew her, then this would shock you -she is my best eater). She just wanted to lay on my chair in the living room. When I went in a few minutes later to check again on whether or not she wanted dinner, I found her asleep. Apparently being that cute and playing as hard as she does really wiped her out!

I just realized that my last post about Grace is also about her sleeping. I promise, she is awake sometimes...

eight is great!

This is an old picture of Scott. It was taken at a family reunion in San Diego in July 2006 - look how little Adam and Lily look.

He is "holding" the Liberty Bell in Philidelphia

I just love Scott! Today is our eighth anniversary and I have to say I am just so grateful to have married him! I could write an entire book (a long one- you know how wordy I can get) about how great he is. I feel like I really lucked out. I love you Scottith - happy anniversary!

Unrelated sidenote:

I saw a UPS truck driving down the road today. I thought it would be funny to try and wave it down...but then I remembered that I had already gotten rid of the package.

A friend of mine told me to just drop it in a UPS or Fed Ex drop box. Her husband works for Fed Ex and she said she was sure they would make sure it got back to UPS. So I put it in my car and decided whichever box I saw first would get the package - well, Fed Ex won. Hopefully it made it to the right place. I figured it was a nicer solution than throwing it away....

busier

Lily has been even more busy than Gracie lately. Last Friday we attended her Kindergarten program - it was a hoe down and it was super cute. Then that evening Scott (who is just the best) took her to get her ballet pictures taken while I went scrapbooking. She is almost done with kindergarten, which makes me a little sad - it is the happiest time of life. And she is almost done with ballet, which doesn't make me sad at all - she has HATED it and it has been a fight every Wednesday (I think it was a little too structured for her free little spirit).

Despite the fact that she doesn't like ballet, doesn't she look so cute in her little costume (she is on the top row, far right)....

I know it is super wobbly camera work - I am not an expert. Between holding wiggley Gracie and the balding man's head in front of me, I did my best...