Serious Business

My niece, Carly, is in a cheerleading squad.  I had NO idea how big of a deal this was until we went to her first competition last month.  I teared up just watching how professional her entire group was at performing.  Miss Carly is one of the smaller girls, so she ended up being on top of most of the stunts.  

Hard to tell, but that's my niece in the middle!

I could NOT wait to see her in action again and was so excited to hear she was going to be in Dallas this weekend.  The girls and I braved the Dallas Convention Center and, lucky for us, ran into my mom in the parking lot.  She was a HUGE help keeping the girls contained!

It was worth all the effort (and $27 worth of tickets and parking) to see the girls' amazement with the cheerleaders.  Shelby barely moved except to jive to the music in between performances (and, boy, can that girl jive).  Haley was a little overwhelmed by the sounds and didn't take her hands off her ears for most of the day.  

"Mommy, Woud!"  (loud)

My favorite girls!

I'm so glad we went yesterday, as I heard that today, one of the girls broke her arm during the performance.  Between the time and money commitments, this cheerleading is some SERIOUS business, not to mention the fear of your daughter getting SERIOUSLY hurt....

Like a Cat or Fish?

My sister and I suck at swimming.  We both hate to go underwater or get dunked.  It's embarrassing to admit that I still hold my nose when I jump in, if I jump in at all.  It's a running joke that Molly and I are like cats in water.

If you splash me, I will hiss.

Haley, on the other hand, has taken to the water like a little fish.  She would spend the entire day in the bathtub if I let her.  Our water bill is outrageous thanks to her turning on the water faucets as often as she can get away with it.

Last October, I heard about a swim class for 2-year-olds where the parent didn't have to get in the water with the child.  Bingo!  I couldn't sign up fast enough.  Emler Swim School turned out to be awesome.  Haley was the class pet.  Her teacher, Ms. Vilma, told me she was a "natural".  As a cat mom, I couldn't be more proud!  

Our future Olympian in action:

BooFull Words

The girls just crack me up with the funny things they say.  I always think I will remember these cute expressions forever, but in the back of my mind, I know I will forget in a week.

The annoying things that I hear all day long will probably be what I remember.  Unfortunately, "Own.  Self.  No.  Teeth hurting." is not what Haley wants me to think of her in 30 years.  And, I don't think "Tummy hurting.  Not tired.  Milk NOW" is a true representation of Shelby either.  So, here's what I want to remember:

Haley
~BooFull (Beautiful)

My BooFull girl's teeth are hurting, hence the finger in the mouth.

~Nook (Milk)

~Wuv you, Mama!  (She said this about 2 weeks ago for the first time and melted my heart)

~DeeDee (Lilly, the dog).  She will scream "DeeDee, NOW!" when she wants her to come inside.

~Me:  Don't touch that.
  Haley:  Why 'cause?


~Profey (Privacy, when she is doing her business in the bathroom)

~Guan (Juan), Jonson (Jonathan), Suess (Jesus), and 'Me (Jaime), our nanny's kids that the girls adore

Making cupcakes with Suess and 'Me 

Shelby
~Shelby: Daddy, Haley, Daddy, Haley was, Daddy!
  Bryon:  Stop tattling on your sister.
  Shelby:  I'm not tattling on her, I'm just telling you the truth about what Haley did.

~Me (while dancing around the living room):  Shake your bum!
  Shelby:  But, princesses don't shake their bums.  They just jump and turn.

~Me:  Get in the tub, NOW.
  Shelby:  But, I don't want to get my crown wet.


~Rest-er-hunt (Restaurant)

"I Like Your Craft Posts"

I recently had lunch with a "girl" I used to babysit back in the 80's, Regan.  Funny thing is, she isn't a "girl" anymore, but a grown up, incredibly smart, and very classy woman.  Must have been my great babysitting skills!

The conversation somehow came around to my little ol' blog (probably because I brought it up!), and she mentioned how much she liked the craft posts.  I was totally flattered since she and her sister are beyond talented in the craft department.  Just take a gander at their pieces of art on their blog, Artes Domesticas Miztontli.

So, Regan, this post is for you!  The rest of you looking for adorable pictures of my children will just have to wait...

My sister recently slyly requested I make her a tree skirt she had seen on pinterest.

Source: mycrazylife-lauren.blogspot.com via Molly on Pinterest

And, since we all know how everything on pinterest turns out EXACTLY like it should, I just knew it was going to be an easy, yet incredible, project.  Once again, I was wrong.

I used this post for the general directions, but changed it up a little to save on money and effort.  Maybe I should have stuck to the original plan..

I scored a red felt tree skirt at Target for 90% off ($0.59 to be exact) and some green stretch taffeta at Joann's for $3.50/yard.  It took almost every inch of the 3 yards of taffeta I bought.  Using 3" strips, I used a ruffler foot to make miles and miles of green ruffles.

Great practice for making ruffles

Only the best for my sister ($0.59!)

Against the advice of my friend, Mya, I sewed 9 rows of ruffles onto the cheap red felt.  She wisely thought I should glue the strips on since the felt was so thin.

Only 7 more rows to go!

This project only took me about a week, a record considering I have two eager "helpers" climbing around.  It also doubles as a can-can skirt for a REALLY skinny girl....Enjoy, Ms. Molly!

It's the German in Her

This may be completely normal in all kids, but I'm thinking mine is special.  Shelby has always counted to five on her fingers starting with her thumb and then skipping her ring finger.  Is that cool or what?  I think it has to do with her strong German heritage, as anyone that has seen the movie Inglorious Bastards knows the Germans count differently than the Americans.

So, parents, is our child cool or just normal?

Princess Wishes and Silicone Dreams

I tried really hard to shield my girls from the "I am a princess" idea that Disney has implanted into society.  Alas, it didn't take long before Shelby shocked me by announcing she was, indeed, a princess. I'm still wondering where she heard the term first.  We can no longer go through the check lanes at Target without her begging for these tiny princesses that you can dress up in odd silicone clothing.

Oh, Cinderella, what a lucky girl you turned out to be!

Needless to say, we now own several of Disney's stupid little princess dolls.  I first saw the Cinderella version when my niece, Carly, was about 3.  My sister told me how annoying they were, but I didn't believe her.  Being the official Best Aunt Ever, I humored Carly by dressing and undressing the teeny-tiny-plastic-people until my fingers were cramping.  

Only half of the princess spread in our house.  

By the time Shelby was begging for the same toy, I foolishly assumed that Disney had improved on the clothing and that the dressing and undressing part would now be easy enough for any 3-year-old to accomplish herself.  DUH!  Anytime the girls start playing with them, my heart sinks, as I know I will be changing their outfits non-stop.  And, the pieces are so tiny, I'm constantly finding them in the most random places i.e. under my sheets, in the bottom of my shoe, chewed up in the dog's crate...

Just look at that concentration!

So, for now, we will humor the princess syndrome.  But, I will also be teaching them the idea that they can accomplish anything all by themselves.  No prince or silicone dress necessary!