Isabella Turns 6!!!

I can hardly believe that my firstborn is 6! It seems like just yesterday I was at the hospital being induced and a mere 30 hours later she was born. Isabella Rose...I had wanted her to be an Avery, but I lost the battle with Chris. I must admit though, she is an Isabella...the moment I saw her for the first time she was a Bella. It is a true miracle that you can look at that little face and fall instantly in love.





Now she is a beautiful girl of six...We had two parties for her this weekend. One for friends and one for family. Friends came over on Saturday afternoon to play games (sak races, bean bags, pinata, and unwrap candy with socks on your hands**hee hee**) I love Bella's friends and thankfully I'm just as fond of the parents as well!!!

I have wonderful girlfriends who have seen me at my worst ( and still tolerate me!) and have gotten me through some of the hardest times in my life. So girlies-thank you for everything...words can never adequately express how grateful I am that you're in my life. "Love you!" **Smooches**

You gotta love girlfriends who tell you, "you don't need to mow your grass", " Just close that door", and "I'll make those wings for you" (then brings homemade spring rolls too!)...

Bella had so much fun opening her gifts, smooching a particular boy who has declared they're "an item", blowing out the candle on her cupcake, and playing with her friends. While the kids were playing downstairs the girlies had a chance to catch up and gab a bit! What is our favored topic of conversation these days??? Why, laundry of course!!! But this I'll save for another blog...what can I say !?!

Happy Birthday Bella!

You are a true joy in my life...I shall always admire your zest for life. You're definitely a half full glass girl! You love unconditionally and I'm always amazed by the wisdom you possess for someone so young. So may you be always blessed in life, know how much your mother loves you and how proud she is of you!

Scissors and Milk

"Cricket? What are you doing?"

It was way too quiet upstairs...I had been downstairs swapping out a new load of laundry.
I noticed she is trying to quickly put something back on the little table in the dining room.

"What did you have?"
"Scissors!"
"Where did you get scissors?" I was searching for blood and what she might have been cutting.
"I use scissors-Bella's dress..."

Lord have mercy...there was the victim. Bella's favorite blue princess dress up dress. Once sweet and lovely, now it has a slashed punk rock feel. I must admit her cutting skills were much better than I thought...Thank God she didn't cut herself, the curtains, the dog...Well hopefully Bella won't want to play dress up today.

Fast forward a few hours...
"Mom, where's my dress up dress?"
Murphy's law...

After dinner, Chris usually hangs out with the girls before bed. Tonight he wanted to show them a few new games he downloaded onto his iphone. Bella played first, then Charlotte.

"Mom-Dad, Charlotte did something VERY naughty!"

We ran into the dining room to find Chris' iphone covered in milk...I think my heart stopped for a moment...Charlotte had been playing this game called iNeko. The point or lack there of in this game is to touch different areas of the screen to get the kitty to run around after your finger. The kitty can get smaller or larger, take a nap, meow, scratch, and of course chase its tail. The girls love this crazy kitty!

After Chris cleaned up the mess and made sure his phone worked, he laughed.
"It's funny when you think about it. She was just giving the cat some milk!"

It's really over...

Yes folks, it's truly over...Summer that is. It always goes by way too fast. I never get all my outside projects done and I never get to the lake houses enough.

Today I know for sure it's really over. Why??? Two reasons, well actually three.

1. We woke up to a very chilly house-63 degrees F. No wonder I could hardly get myself going this morning. Although my children were thrilled to find eggs, sausage, and chocolate chip pancakes on the table for breakfast! It just doesn't get much better than that for them =)

My husband on the other hand grumbles and mutters to himself about why he just can't eat his Kashi cereal...any other man would be thrilled to eat such a lavish breakfast, nope not Chris!

2. Today was fall bulb planting day! Yipee-I was so excited to buy my bulbs at Costco. Thank goodness my girlfriend pulled me back into reality and only let me buy 200 bulbs. How long could it possibly take? Lord have mercy-FOREVER! I didn't ever get finished...only 60 more tulip bulbs to go. I must admit that having two small children creates many distractions. Especially when I'm potty training my youngest. Every five minutes I'm running into the house to help her. My hubby finally had the good sense to put the little potty into the garage-why didn't I think of that? Back to the tulips...hopefully this week we'll still have good weather to plant the rest. At the rate I am currently going, I'm guessing it'll take me at least another ten years to get all my bulb planting done!

3. THE CREAMERY!!! This is a summertime tradition-a must do-a sinful addiction...Cricket, my youngest, awoke from her nap around 5. As she peered out her window she noticed that her sister was sitting in my hubby's new car. Tears and an enormous pout formed on her face-she loves daddy's new car. She wanted a ride too! I so wish I had my camera handy to take a shot of such a pathetic face. Well, I buzzed inside to help her with her shoes so daddy could take her for a spin around the block, with her sissy too. I was going to try to figure out what to do about dinner and get cleaned up from planting, when Chris opens the door to tell me we're going to The Creamery. Ice cream for dinner!!! What's not to love about that...So off we go to get our treat. Bella gets a small rainbow cone, which is enormous! A baby vanilla cone for Cricket, a twist with dip for me, and a twist with a dip and a crunch for hubby. Chris suggests we eat outside-may I just comment that it's only 55 degrees outside-he doesn't want ice cream drips and sticky fingers in his car. After a few minutes, Bella is ready to dessert her ice cream for warmer surroundings and at my coaxing Chris finally gives in. Warmth at last! Normally The Creamery is only open til Labor Day, but since the kids are still playing baseball they have stayed open later this year. As we're driving home-Bella's cone is now upside down in a dish-she is marveling at all the different flavors.

"Ooohhh, there's nuts in the green" (Pistachio) "I just found a strawberry...ummmm or is it a cherry??? "I really like the chocolate and orange sherbet!"

"How come you only get a dip Kat? You know the crunch is where's it's at!!! How else can you get more sugar and a good crunch on a cone?" My husband will never understand why I can't just get my cone dipped AND with a crunch...he's so funny about it!

Then of course Cricket pipes in, "Bella- no one hand, no one hand! Ohhh gosh..." Bella isn't holding her ice cream cup with two hands...It's never dull with this bunch!

Well, we all got home without creating a sticky mess! But thank goodness we made our last final run to our favorite ice cream place.

It's going to be 44 degrees tonight, time to turn on the heat...it's really over!

Rubber Bands & Horsey Tails???

My daughter, Isabella, has been blessed with beautiful long curly blonde hair. Her sister, Cricket, is 2 1/2 and has not been so lucky in the hair department-well at least not in the length.

Ever since Cricket could hold the big girl brush she would try to brush her barely there locks. She would make very long sweeping motions as if she were Rapunzel in her tower. In her mind her hair is down to her butt, long and flowing. Unlike her very real cropped short curls.

I was pulling Bella's hair back with colored rubber bands, this morning, when we both noticed a pair of tiny hands grabbing at the rubber band package. The Cricket monster was here! Bella and I were trying to get her out of the bathroom-due to lack of space and my visions of a gazillion tiny rubber bands all over the floor!

"Horsey tails! Horsey tails!"
"What is Cricket talking about?" Bella asked.
"Horsey tails, Bella! Me too!"

Then it dawned on me...Cricket wanted pony tails just like her sissy!

Did we have a good laugh! In the words of Cricket, "I so funny!"