Bieliebers

Reese had her friend, Belle, sleep over last night. They both have "Bieber fever" and asked me to tape a message for them so that they can email it to him. Hilar! They were arguing over who was the biggest fan and finally settled it by deciding that they were "twin fans" meaning they both love him the same.

Open House

It's much easier to describe by way of pictures than it would be with words. Enjoy! (with her teacher, Ms. Towle) I love this journal entry. Do you think if I send it in to Taylor Swift, she'll respond?: (with her reading buddy) (with her music teacher)

Awards Bore-emony

Tonight was a big night. We started at the awards ceremony for Reese's district win in the PTA Reflections competition. It was at a school across town and started at 6:30. Her open house was also tonight, and also at 6:30, so we had a busy evening of running around town. We got there early (shocker!) and found seats nearby the front. They had cupcakes out which kept Talan occupied while we waited. It was so exciting to see her name in print. When Talan's cupcake was gone, so was his patience. Off Kevin went to the back of the room where his outbursts were muffled while Reese went up to accept her certificate. When it was all over with Reese's comment was "that was boring". I thought so, too. There was no stage and it was really disorganized. But hey, she got her certificate! We were there for a total of 15 minutes before we had to rush off to the open house at her school.

Missin' Mama

We had such an amazing six days with my Mom. I always love having her here but this time with her was extra special. We had plenty of one-on-one time and most of it was relaxed. Thank you, Mom, for being so fabulous. And thank you, Dad, for letting us borrow her. On Monday evening I noticed that Reese wasn't eating her pasta. She eats like a bird but when it comes to pasta she normally puts it down. Half jokingly, I told her to come over so that I could feel her head. When I did I was shocked to find that she was burning up with fever. She never felt bad, it was just a fever, and by the next morning she was completely fine. I kept her home as a precaution which ended up being a blessing because she got to spend Nana's last day with her. Her favorite movie of the moment is Indespicable Me (if you haven't seen it, go pay the $1 at Red Box and rent it!). As a treat I came home from the gym with the movie for her. She'd already seen it at least 5 times but wanted my Mom to watch it with her. That evening my Mom came up from the basement, laughing, with a piece of paper in hand. She found this on Reese's desk: If you haven't seen the movie you won't understand but if you have you will probably get a laugh out of it as well. Last night at 8:00, while my Mom was tucking Reese in, I got an email. It was to congratulate Reese for making it to yet another level in the PTA competition! She will be awarded tomorrow night for her win at the district level and will now go on to compete at the state level. We were so excited that we had to run upstairs and get her out of bed. I'm more proud than words could possibly express. What a brave, creative little soul she is.

Nothin' But Love

What a weekend. Really. I've had the best four days! On Thursday my Mom and Josh flew into town so that we could spend some time together. That night we were a little rushed because I had to co-host a party with a friend for another one of our friends. We had a late night so on Friday morning we got Reese off to school and had a fairly lazy day. That night Reese was invited to a sleepover so off she went. After putting Talan to bed the four of us whipped up a fantastic feast! Kevin and I are hosting an Asian themed dinner club next month so we wanted to practice our dishes. It was beyond delish. Afterwards we all snuggled up and watched a movie. The following morning we stayed in PJs as long as we could. Josh & Talan are both fans of footie pajamas. Upon hearing the words "take a picture", Talan promptly showed his uncle how we do photos in this house: Just before lunchtime we picked Reese up and wasted no time before heading out to the skating rink. Josh brought his rollerblades in hopes that we would be able to make the trip and Reese was happy to oblige. Talan had to sit on the sidelines. He was irritated at first, wondering why he couldn't get out there with everyone else. Give the kid a hot dog and a bag of chips and it fixes just about anything. I was out there with them (I'm much better on roller skates than I am on ice) but I look somewhere between 5 and 6 months pregnant in every picture so I am not about to post them. The good news? It was enough to motivate me to take an extra trip to the gym this weekend. Last night we once again planned an amazing dinner. This time Mom and Kevin took over the kitchen and did it all. We had spicy chipotle shrimp with a mango/pineapple/avocado salsa as an appetizer. The main course was grilled talapia with two different sauces (a caper salsa and a tomato-bacon butter), haricot verts with bleu cheese and walnuts, and garlic mashed potatoes. I have no words. It was that good. Today came way too quickly. We went out to a quick lunch, watched the Bears get annihilated, and before I knew it we were leaving for the airport. Before he left we snapped a few photos. These pictures were taken before halftime. Otherwise no one would be jumping up and down: I'm going to miss Josh so terribly but it helps that my Mom is staying through Wednesday. What a beautiful few days. I really wish we had the opportunity to do this more often.

Flower Power

Being a stay-at-home mom is a tough job. I feel overwhelmed most days yet there is still a part of me that needs something to do. I often come up with do-it-yourself project ideas and this week it was making fabric flowers to use as accessories. I was inspired by a headband I saw on a girl at the gym and from there went nuts. The beauty of this idea? It cost me next to nothing (insert Kevin's sigh of relief here). The woven headbands are $0.75 at the local craft store. The fabric flowers cost me absolutely nothing. I used scraps that I had stored away (I knew they'd come in handy one day!). Here is the outcome: They are cute on headbands but they also work on knit caps: And yes, that's Talan modeling. He couldn't be left out of the photo opp! I've got the bug now and can't wait to make more....now if only I could figure out how to turn a profit.

So HaPEE!

In all of the excitement of our night last night, I completely forgot to share some other exciting news. Actually, far more exciting than meeting some famous dude! Talan peed in his potty for the first time!!! We've had a mini pooper in our master bathroom for months. Every night our bedtime routine is to strip him down for his bath but before he gets in he sits on the potty and we cheer him on, begging him to pee in it. He usually sits there, grunting and pretending to push, stands up, slams the top down, and demands to be picked up and put into the tub. But last night he sat down, grunted and pushed, and low and behold he peed! I ran downstairs to grab a handful of M&M's and we threw a little party in the bathroom while he bathed. So exciting! I'm sure it was a fluke but who cares? My go-to words when describing Talan are "a mess". And he really is a little mess. I snapped some photos of him after having a snack (yogurt). There have to be two spoonfuls on his mouth and cheeks (not to mention what he left on the table, chair, and floor)! I sure do love my little mess of a man.

Meeting Mouth

We had such an AWESOME night tonight! Down the street from us is a movie theater called Hollywood Palms. It's a theater that serves dinner and drinks (Florida peeps, it's a Suds-n-Cinema with an upgrade). They do a ton of special events and this month we decided to partake. The special guest was Corey Feldman. Throughout the day they screened four of his movies; Licensed to Drive, Stand By Me, The Lost Boys, and The Goonies. When I saw that The Goonies was playing I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Reese loves that movie! It comes on cable TV often so it's been saved in our DVR for over a year and she watches it over and over. So tonight, off we went to the theater. We stood in the first of two long lines waiting to meet "Mouth". When we got to the front of the line I wasn't sure if Reese would play the shy card or if she'd ham it up. She did not disappoint! She walked right up to him, with confidence, and shook his hand (meanwhile Kevin's face turned three shades of red and my bottom lip was quivering so bad that I could barely speak or even smile). He went on and on about how cute she was and picked her up and sat her on his lap. She told him that Goonies was her favorite movie and went on to chat with him about the funniest scenes (all with him in them) in the movie. He was so sweet to her and spent a few minutes with her as opposed to the 20 seconds he'd shared with hordes of people before us. We stopped long enough to snap a photo and then it was time to stand in the second line, the one to get in the movie. We found our seats and waited. Finally it was show time. Corey came in to do the intro. On his way out of the theater he walked by us and of course Reese did her best to get his attention. It worked! He stopped, gave her a high five, and said a quick hello (despite the boys trying to push her arms out of the way!). I've seen the movie at least 287 times. This time, somehow, was the very best. I loved every second. I don't know if it was the big screen, or the sound quality, or the fact that Corey Feldman was there.....no, I think I know exactly what it was. It was the permagrin on my baby girl's face and how she'd turn to us every time something funny happened to make sure we caught it and were laughing with her. Oh what a night.

Slip Slidin' Away

For months Reese has been asking us to take her ice skating. Yesterday was a teacher workday so the kids were out of school. We took advantage and granted Reese her wish. The last time I was out on the ice was 16 years ago, at age 18. I was reminded yesterday of my age. It was crazy tough out there and my feet were aching after two laps. But enough about me! Reese, the only one who mattered, had a ball. She did get off to a rocky start but once we got through the initial 20 minutes of groaning and complaining she got the hang of it and had a blast. I finally get the camera I've been wanting for years and then forgot it. So these measly iPhone photos will have to do: I had to retire after 20 minutes and finally conned Kevin into suiting up and giving it a try. He only got this far before turning back: I'm not kidding. And I'm also not kidding when I say I was laughing harder than I have in a very, very long time. He was physically unable to let go of his death grip on the doorway. Hilar! And while we're on the subject of hilarity, Talan was in a fit of giggles over an app I have on my phone called "Talking Tom". It's a cartoon cat that repeats everything you say in a high pitched voice. He was so cute, belly laughing over and over and over again. Here's a short video clip: AND, I have to wish Joshua & Jeffrey a very happy birthday. Twenty nine years ago today I was crying my eyes out after hearing that I didn't get the sister I was hoping for. I didn't know it then but I know now that instead of a sister I got something much better....TWO brothers that double as my best friends. I am so lucky to have you both. I love you! xoxo