The "third" option

My Princess in Training has it in her head that every situation has a "third" option. The conversation might go something like this..."G, you can do your spelling homework or read for your reading log." Did you catch that? There were just 2 options there. But what My Princess in Training heard was, "G you can do your spelling homework, read for you reading log, or run down the hall to play with Robert." This has become a constant state of thinking for my girlie. Every situation seems to have a third option that has nothing whatsoever to do with what her mama has asked her to do. I am crossing my fingers that this "two week" stage is all that she gets so that when we hit those teen years she is already well past this lovely stage and will happily choose one of the two options offered to her. And yes---I can hear you laughing at me through the computer. A girl can always hope right? 

Dear Missionaries

Thanks for coming to dinner tonight. It meant that my kitchen floors were swept and mopped (yes, mopped!). The living room floor was vacuumed. The laundry was more or less put away. The dishes were done for the first time since??? Dinner consisted of more than something that starts with a "p" and ends with an "asta" and it wasn't from a local drive-through window, either. Thank you also for having no reason to visit any area of the house that my children touch. You might have been permanently damaged by the sight of their bathroom or playroom. Thank goodness for doors that close. Thanks for coming on a night when it was pouring rain so that my kids also had no way to show off the jungle we are currently developing in the backyard. Thanks for not batting an eye when my middle-est entered the living room post spiritual thought in only her top with her bottoms no where to be found (seriously. only you-G.) Thanks also for not noticing when my son followed her lead. Sorry for my son's lack of tact as he questioned you about the spots on your face (someday he will know all too well about "face spots" at which point I will remind him of tonight and he will be appropriately humbled.) And lastly, thanks for needing to have a meeting with my hubs so that I could sneak away for an early night...lights out in 3...2...1...zzzzzzzzzzz 

A girl after my own heart

Presents were wrapped early and often this year. My Princess in Training takes after her momma. She could be found searching the tree for new treasures each morning and delighting in any new present that had been wrapped for her. It made me giggle each time I saw her body engulfed by the tree, bottom in the air sorting through the loot. Silly girl!

A Recital

The girls have been in ballet for a full year now and recently had their second recital. Because the company has grown so much they were in need of a larger hall for the recital which meant the girls had the chance to dance on a real stage! It also meant that they needed stage makeup. Here are some celebratory pictures taken after the show!

Christmas Cards-Done!

After a very hectic week, I am happy to report that I have been one lazy bum today. I did manage to run a load of dishes and a load of laundry. But each time I walk past the kids messy rooms, I just keep going. I also turned a blind eye to the state of the laundry room and have avoided the linen closet at all cost. Today is for being lazy. The best thing about being lazy is that I was able to order our Christmas cards. Better late than never. Most are hand delivered so timing won't make too much difference. Here is a sneak peek of some of the pictures we used -taken by my ever extraordinary sister-in-law, Jennie. Feast your eyes on these adorable kids!

Today I am also gloating over the purchase of home where the playroom is the furthest room from my bedroom. It has been a beautiful day!

Recital- Details and Pictures to Follow

It is lunchtime at work. I don't have anyone's email handy. So...the recital is on Saturday at 7. We have to get the girls there by 6:30. I don't have the address yet, but it is in Green Valley. It is not at the church this time. Ice cream sundaes to follow at our house after the performance. See you then!

It's a Christmas Miracle

It is 20 whole hours before ballet practice and somehow we have managed to located 2 pairs of shoes, 2 leotards, 2 pairs of tights, 2 black skirts, and 1 pair of gymnastic shorts. All of which are safely stored in the front seat of the van. Angels are singing. With this being "tech week" we have to pull of this miracle again for Wed. and Thurs. Here's hoping.

Thanksgiving Fun

These girls just want to make me smile! Hopefully we will be seeing a whole lot more of Miss Ariel when they move to Tucson in a few months!

Yep. That would be my kid...

You know the one...the one hiding under the table crying because she didn't follow directions and decided to cut her book apart. She is also the one that cries every time the teacher asks her to write the lower case r and a in her name. And she is the one that missed all of exploring time because she didn't finish her journal because she spent all her time going to the bathroom and talking to her friends. Yep. That would be my kid. Unfortunately for her I work where she goes to school so I get the daily update. And right now instead of playing in my classroom she is practicing her name and saying "I can do it." She also knows that crawling under the table will never ever happen again. Let's hope this is just a phase and that it goes away quickly for her sake.

Picture Day

According to Princess in Training: "Picture day is the best day ever! We should have one everyday then I could always wear pink." Too cute! I can't wait to see the pictures. Pink plaid dress, pink mini-shrug, pink bows for each pigtail, glitter hairspray, and pink cowgirl boots. Unfortunately the boots won't make it in the picture, but she really was quite adorable! I love my pink girl!

First Day of School

To the inventor of the school uniform

You and I are not friends. I have known for a while now that the day would come when you would rob My Princess in Training of her trademark pink. School shopping is not fun when you are forced to buy such blah colors. Neither is picking which clothes she will wear for her first day of kindergarten and her sister's first day of second grade. Little girls should be allowed to dress like little girls. And really...don't even begin to try and win me over with your "rationale" that dress codes dissuade gang activity. First of all, I am fairly certain that blue is a trademark gang color. And secondly, SERIOUSLY exactly which gang are you expecting my five year old little girl to get mixed up with in the classroom of a top 5 Arizona teacher of the year? Just to show you who's the boss...Princess in Training will be changing shirts at exactly 2:05 tomorrow and every other day in the foreseeable future, and in the meantime, she will be wearing pink underwear, pink shoes, pink socks, pink bows, and she even has some sneaky pink stitching on her shorts. So there Mr. Inventor of the Dress Code.

The aftermath

This is what looking for ballet shoes at 6:45 Monday morning looks like.

That mom...

So it turns out that I am that mom. You know the one. The one that gets "talked to" after Primary on Sunday because My Princess in Training was uncooperative and not listening. The teacher went so far as to say that they were learning about obedience and she used My Princess in Training as her non-example throughout the lesson. I am also the mom that gets a private meeting with the preschool director because my children were apparently kissing each other on the mouth in an inappropriate way and the director wanted to make sure that I knew about it in case they were being exposed to something they shouldn't-presumably in our home of course. And last but not least, for some reason lately My Princess in Training has decided to replace the /s/ with /sh/. I suppose she heard it from one of the students receiving speech services at her school. And while it was annoying and I keep reminding her not to, it didn't bother me until she asked, "Can I [sit] on your lap mommy?" I am sure you can make the necessary adjustment to that sentence and understand why my eyes bulged out of my head. Thank goodness summer is around the corner so I can tame the wild animals that my kiddos have become. Yikes!

Some decisions are just plain hard

I had to make a decision today. Kind of a big one. At least for me. I had to decide which teacher to place My Princess in Training with for kindergarten next year. I can't have the teacher I really wanted. Sadly, she is leaving. My Little Reader had a great kindergarten teacher. She was in the perfect classroom...for her. She flourished and loved school. But, My Princess in Training is a very different person than My Little Reader. She needs a classroom with music and dancing. She needs a classroom that is more hands on and less skill and drill. She needs magic. She needs a class where she won't be kept inside during recess to finish coloring in the lines. She needs a teacher that understands that she is still just 5 and that dress up and tea parties are more important than homework packets. She needs a teacher that will understand that she is not her sister. And so, while I loved My Little Reader's teacher and consider her to be such a good friend, she is not the teacher that I want for My Princess in Training. I know that feelings will be hurt. I fear that a friendship will be strained just a little too much for true repair. I know because My Little Reader's kindergarten teacher does not like, not even one little bit, the teacher that I have chosen for My Princess in Training. It hurts my heart to make this choice. Yet, I feel like it is the right one. But still worry about the repercussions. A good friend has spent the day whispering in my ear that My Princess in Training is mine forever and that my colleagues are temporary. I have no doubt that in either room she would have a wonderful first experience with school. But at the end of the day, I want it to be her experience, not her sister's. Why are the right choices always the hardest to make?

Princess in Training Turns 5

Today My Princess in Training had her Princess and the Frog Tea Party. Last night after she went to bed I set out a new dress and shoes for her. This morning I listened as she squealed when she woke up and saw both waiting for her. Then in true Princess in Training fashion she went into the bathroom, climbed up on the sink, admired herself in the mirror, and said, "5, yes!" Too cute. She was bursting with excitement. Next she snuck around the table that was set for her tea party. Again, more squealing as she delighted in the fancy dishes, tulle on the chairs, and tablecloth set out just for her. The table cloth was my personal favorite as it belonged to her great grandmother. The Tea Party was a hit complete with fancy food, real tea cups, a "Kiss-the-frog" version of pin the lips on the frog, and musical chairs. It was a perfect day!

The inevitable

Because My Princess in Training is...

Curious

Fearless

Trouble

You knew it would happen.

It was never really a question of “ Will it happen?”

It was always a question of “When will it happen?”

And so the answer is Sunday, September 27.

The day that My Princess in Training

Was supposedly taking a nap
But in reality was doing this.

How can you not just love this kid!

You probably can't tell, but to top this colorful outfit off her headband is actually a rainbow plaid!

The boyfriend

From the back of the van on the way home today...

Princess in Training: "Mommy, did you know I have a boyfriend?"
Me: "Hmmm, I think you are a little young for a boyfriend."
Princess in Training: "But mommy, I love him!" ( can't you just hear the pleading in her voice?)
Me: "What is his name."
Princess in Training: "Oh, I don't know, but it doesn't matter because I love him."
Me: "Why do you love him?"
Princess in Training: "Because he is older."

Fast forward to her teenage years... I think she is going to be a handful!

Great things about My Princess in Training

1. I love that in this picture she was completely fed up with her king and queen and decided to plop down in the middle of Disney's California Adventure to read her Disneyland map upside down and tell us in her most exasperated tone,

"See the castle is right here!"

Nevermind that we were at California Adventure, not Disneyland.



2. Even though she basically didn't talk when she was two she was able to wear high heels and work the VCR.



3. She always wakes up happy!



4. She will no doubt work at Disneyland one day. Good news for me because I am sure she will score her queen free tickets every now and then!



5. She is a girly girl and loves all things pink. This will be a great heartache next year when she enters the world of school uniforms that come only in shades of blue and brown. :(



6. She always knows where the ice pack is and how to use it.



7. Even though she broke her nose, it still looks straight! And you can't even see the dent on her forehead anymore. And she knows that gold rocks are for pockets, not for noses.



8. She is fearless.

Willing to try anything...

even things she really shouldn't!



9. She makes up songs in the car.



10. If you forget to bless her when she sneezes she says, "bless me mommy!"



11. She always remembers to say her prayers. If it is dinner time and you are not quick enough she will say them as loud as possible to let you know she is done waiting.



12. She loves to sneak into my bed at night.

13. Her hair is the prettiest color and curls into perfect springy curls.

14. She loves to share.

15. She knows all the right places to look for presents that are supposed to be hidden.

16. She has great rhythm.

17. She gives great Eskimo kisses!