Bella's Birthweek...cuz really? A birthDAY clearly isn't enough!

If you don't already know this about our family, we LOVE birthdays. They last a week long and every day includes some sort of rendition of the birthday song. Mia's 1st birthday was way back in May so you could imagine how excited I was to celebrate Bella's 4th year. When I look at the number 4 as I type it doesn't seem so big but when I think of Bella, the feeling is much different. She's maturing so much-so fast.

Her birthweek celebration began Tuesday morning with my ever popular personalized pancakes.



The celebration proceeded into Wednesday morning at our little library story time



The giddyness continued into Thursday as we put together little takeaways for her classmates. Personally, I think it's pretty ridiculous to give away little gifts to the class, but since the other kids did it for their bdays, Bella wanted to follow suit as well. And come on, a reason to be crafty and creative, I'm all about it! But really? Giveaways? I know!!!!!

Our assembly line consisted of Bella, Aunt Christine, Mia and myself.



Remember that scene in I love Lucy when she got really behind at the chocolate factory and everything starting going crazy. Yeah, um, that was Mia. So, I put her in charge of putting discarded labels (that were 5 cm off-center, how anal am I) on a sheet of paper. She was in heaven!!!



The final product:

a very gender neutral giftbag with a Crayola notepad and two little markers. Cute, right? Thank you dollar aisle at Michael's.



On Friday we made brownies. Cuz that's what she wanted. Cuz she was going to be 4. Cuz she was listening and her tummy was telling her that she needed chocolate. I wanted to tell her that she had me at the word "brownies." I'm 5 months preggers, I don't think I need a reason to justify double fudge brownies but I appreciate your art of persuasion Bella. And btw, thanks for the brownies Castaneda family. They were delicious!



On Saturday we headed to the city for some sight-seeing.



Which of course included a stop at The American Girl Place.



I've got to admit that all these years I've been harboring secret doll envy because American Girl became big just after I was too old for such a craze. But privately, I totally wanted one. In fact, I totally wanted Molly. Preppy, little Bostonian Molly.



So of course, me taking Bella here for her bday was clearly fulfilling something in myself. But this store, oh my holy lord, it's a cult. Here's the salon. FOR DOLLS.



I could go on and on about that store, but I'll save it for another post. I did realize, however, that Bella is too young for these dolls. Maybe in another 3 to 4 years she'll get into to it. With the ridiculously artificial Barbies and dare-I say slutty Bratz dolls that stock the shelves, you better believe I am going to push dolls that represent a time where they fight for civil rights or where these dolls/characters petition for womens' voting. It's crazy, they've now introduced Kaya, a Nez Perce Indian girl growing up in 1764 who has to stand tall to revoke her "Magpie" nickname (untrusty and selfish bird). Hee hee.

It came as no shock that all Bella and Mia wanted to do was sing and dance on the little stage.



We ended our downtown tour with a birthday lunch at Ed Debevics.







Bella woke up Sunday morning, her actual birthday, with a new sense of self. She was SO excited to be four. Which I'm assuming isn't the same feeling when you turn 4-0. But she seemed so different to me today. As I watched her cautiously eat her oatmeal oat by oat (AAGGHH) I couldn't believe how fast this time went. Four years ago to the date, all she did was cry



Three years ago she tasted cake for the first time



Two years ago she jumped on the trampoline laughing so loudly



Last year she blew out the candle that topped her castle cake



This year she gave a smile bigger than I've ever seen before



Mia spent a good portion of the morning helping me stamp out her sister's banner



Rather than have a "friends" party (cuz really, she's in preschool people) we had a party with our immediate family. Back in the days at Bradley we always started the year off with a graffiti party where everyone wore a white shirt and "tagged" eachother. Bella loved the idea. So, we had ourselves a very sober 4 year old graffiti birthday party. It was so much fun!

Here's Bella admiring her Cinderella cake that my mom and sister baked for her.



I mean, come on, how cute is this!



Tag you're it!





Mia, so true, so true.





Fun with balloons



We dined on a menu that consisted of cheese pizza and spaghetti, per the birthday girl.



After opening her gifts, we were ecstatic to show Bella our gift to her. We had the girls sleep in our room the night before while we spent the night rearranging their room to accomodate a "stage." Complete with curtains, and hooks to organize all the tu-tus and costumes. Even more hooks for jewelry and hats that we scoured the second hand stores for. All in all, a perfect little area for her and her sister to put on their shows. She had not been able to see her room all day until we let her in.....







I'm not sure who loved it more, Bella or Mia



Getting ready for her debut!



Here's their entrance......



After several costume changes and a few dance numbers, Bella and Mia were READY for cake. They waited patiently, staring at the cake for almost 10 minutes before we were able to round everyone up. All the while drooling over the frosting.





I can't thank my mom and sister enough for making this cake. It was so thoughtful of you and not to mention super yummy! I mean, really really tasty. Bella spent the rest of the day into the evening trying on every possible costume she could put together. It really was a perfect day.





Happy Birthday my little sweat pea, Happy 4th Birthday!

Here comes the bride....

For the past week, I've been lucky enough to have my sister-in-law, Christine staying with us. It was so awesome having her here, for several reasons. One being that at any given time of the day I could actually excuse myself to the restroom without a little ankle biter following me. Also, the moment the girls went to sleep I had a gal pal to hang out with. It was like the days back in college when we'd gossip till all hours, look at magazines, watch some trash TV. It was great. What was even more fun was getting to talk about her wedding plans. We scoured the pages of every bridal magazine published and watched about 20 episodes of Say Yes to the Dress. One night she asked me if she could try on my wedding dress, which I thought would be such a hoot. So, we had my sister come over and do her make-up and hair and we pulled out the goods. My mother, who had a quick wedding before my dad went off to Vietnam, has secretly always wanted to try it on. Tonight was the perfect night. When she said "I never had a chance for a nice wedding," my heart melted into a million little pieces. Even Bella wanted to dress up too. How adorable is this:




My mom was so happy, it really was a priceless moment.



And then it was Christine's turn. First the makeup. Va-va-va-voom!!!



Next, the hair. My sister tried so many different styles on her. Such as:

the Julia Roberts Oscar look:



Or the Breakfast at Tiffany's look:





Or the fancy schmancy french name my sister has for whatever you call this work of art:





Or the low hanging chignon (I think??)






They all looked great on her and each one gave off a different vibe. I think a disclaimer is in order since I'm pretty sure my sister is twitching as she reads this. *****THESE HAIR STYLES WERE DONE RATHER QUICKLY FOR CONVENIENCE REASONS AND MY SISTER WOULD NORMALLY TAME THOSE PESKY FLY-AWAYS*******

Which, btw Gabe, you did a great job!

On to the dress. Now mind you, Christine is a twig so it took some creative wrapping in order to get the dress to stay up. But we did it.....



I mean, isn't she gorgeous!!!



Not surprising, the perfectionist in me came out and I had to throw in a bouquet for the full effect.



Mia, resembling more of a homeless orphan than a flower girl, wanted to smell the artificial flowers. Hah.



We topped the week off with a wedding dress consult at a local bridal salon. Since pictures were not allowed, I can only rely on my mental snapshots. And omg, she looked beautiful in every dress that she tried on. It was so much fun. She is going to have a hard decision to make when it comes down to chosing one because she just radiated in every possible style.

I can't wait for the wedding Christine, it will be the best day of your life!!!!

Pity Us

Have you ever been part of something so big, so strong that its almost difficult to describe? That pretty much sums up my 5 (gasp) years with the Bradley Speech Team. I mean, sure I could tell you that I was a part of a National Championship speech team....but that seems sorda boring and dorky huh? What I have difficulty describing was the tradition, the laughs, the moments, the parties, the tournaments and the friendships (and definitely the 90's bangs)



...and not to mention an awesome husband along the way.

Yeah, that's pretty difficult to put into words. So I won't. But know this--my years on the Bradley team are moments that I'll CHERISH FOREVER. Which is why, when asked to come back to coach for a weekend, I jumped at the chance.



I drove to Peoria with two things on my mind, Avanti's bread and Fedora's Turkey on Gourmet. Pregnant, much? The funny thing is I got none of those wishes but instead came home with memories more satisfying than food.

For example, the team is just the same as we were, just different names and different faces. They party as much as we did. They work as much as we did. And they want to win as much as we did.



We passed by familiar streets. With my roomate and longtime friend Jill in the car with me, we stopped at the house we called home for several years. We stared in silence as we both recounted in our minds the memories that filled our mostly happy home. Then we looked to our left at the Bourland Zoo, the house directly across the street from ours. Our memories weren't as clear this time, partly because ALL WE EVER DID in their house was party and steal their toilet paper. Hah. Take that Rob and Jeremy. Oh and by the way, sending the Mormons to our house was a low blow Rob. Dude, we would have replaced the toilet paper!

I reconnected with old friends and even made some new ones.



I finally met my little adopt-a-teammate Camille and couldn't be more excited for her and the success she's going to find on the Bradley Team.



At the end of the banquet we all stood up, clapped and chanted our traditional team song, "we are the Bradley team so pity us, we're up at 5 AM look hideous..." and although the verses were different and a whole other stanza was added, the feeling was exactly the same as it was 13 years ago, a feeling of undeniable determination. In about 30 days this team will head off to Nationals and prove to the country what Bradley is all about: truth, talent and heart.

DTFN BUST, DTFN!!!!

That's not my daughter

I'm usually impressed when I hear the ideas and thoughts that come out of Bella's mouth. But nothing prepared me for this.

When I take the girls to the gym I have a system in place. I make sure Mia's diaper is totally fresh before we go in and drop her off in the "safari playground." I then take Bella with me to the locker room so that she can go to the bathroom before I begin my workout. There is nothing more annoying than having to stop in the middle of exercising for a potty break. Which is why I take these extra steps, so that the majority of the time it's an uninterrupted session. After getting everything situated with my locker I took Bella into the bathroom. She likes to talk while she pees. All the time. So it came as no surprise when she started gabbing, "mommy, you know what I like to do at home?" "No, Bella, what do you like to do at home" I responded. "I like to open my vagina when I'm at home." I was stunned. My face showed it. She misread my reaction and assumed I couldn't hear her. "No really, when I'm at home I like to open up my vagina A LOT." The muffled sound of women's conversation beyond the bathroom stall came to a halt. It was silent. Embarassingly silent. As quietly as I could I whispered, "we can talk about this when we get home Bella." She did not approve of my response and LOUDLY retorted "but mmmmooommm, I really like to open up my vvvaaaaaggina!" I stood there praying that she had to go #2 which could at least buy us some time until everyone was gone, but of course not, not with my luck. Avoiding eye contact, we left the stall and began to wash our hands. And of course she chose this time as the time to sing the hand washing song she learned in school and that lasts OVER A MINUTE to ensure proper cleanliness. Do you know how long a minute can be when you're completely mortified and stuck staring at the back of your child's head while they OBSESSIVELY wash their hands after announcing to the world that they diddle at home?

IT'S A LONG TIME!

And then she had to get the paper towels down herself. Except she dropped some in the garbage so she had to get some more. Hurry, for the love of God Bella, hurry. And then she had to make sure her hands were REALLY dry because just hours before, her assuming mother informed her that her red and itchy hands were because she didn't wipe properly. And once again, still mortified, I stood there staring at the back of her head.

We ran out of the bathroom as fast as we could--without even looking back.

I'm sure our pre-bed talk time will be quite a hoot tonight. Vagina monologues, anyone?!

Now spit!

Starting the Valentines week out by taking the girls to the dentist seemed a little bit counterproductive seeing as EVERYWHERE I turned I was surrounded by a light pink M&M, or a hot pink Hershey Kiss, or a cherry red sucker.....I mean the candy was everywhere. And believe me, they weren't purchased for our delight....it was for the SEVERAL Valentine parties that our kids attended last week.

But, the dentist? The dentist was AWESOME. I am so ashamed to admit that this was Bella's first dental visit. Mainly because I didn't want to get vested in a dentist in California since we moved shortly after it was the "right" time for her. No, my guilt is because I have been meaning to find a good pediatric dentist for the past YEAR. Yeah, I'm working on that whole "to-do" thing. Anyway, it is rare that I walk out of a medical establishment thoroughly impressed with the service. No, I usually find something to complain about, like we were rushed, or they didn't listen, or they were rude to their patients over the phone, or the office was outdated or the wait was too long. Yeah, I can be pretty picky when it comes to the medical attention that I demand for my family. But this dentist was AWESOME. For instance, the lobby was kickass. In fact, I'm contemplating sneaking the girls in there tomorrow just to play for an hour or two, think they'd mind? Then the staff, oh the patient and funny and gentle staff. Each employee was nicer than the next and I found it so refreshing.

Their patience and strength was put to the test as Mia proved to be quite the fighter when they made her lay down and open wide. It was the good ol' surgical glove balloon trick that made her smile at least long enough for them to clean and attempt a floss on her grill. They mentioned that Mia has a "slight" overbite and may need orthodontics in the future. Slight? Are you kidding me? Yes, I am well aware that at some point in the future our little Mia will be a braceface. He was able to determine this even though she has baby teeth because apparently the adult teeth grow in the same pattern. Sorry bout' that one Mia. We'll be sure to match your rubber bands with your outfits!



Bella, on the other hand, was a dentist's dream patient. No nonsense.





She had a great report card, except for a teeny, weeny spot that they're not exactly sure what it is but they'll be sure to check on in 6 months. It was enough for the hygeniest to inform me to stay away from candies, sweets, juices and fruit snacks. I didn't even hear the last part before I righteously interrupted and quipped "oh, my kids NEVER have juice." Which is true, we're a water and milk kinda household. But as I listened to myself drone on about the anti-juice it occurred to me what he said. Stopping mid-sentence I muttered "did you say fruit snacks" as in the Welch's REAL fruit snacks made with real juice, from real fruit, that hang from real trees and yeah, okay, you got me, maybe on occasion the delightfully licensed Wonder Pets fruit snacks, and very seldomly the limited edition Princess and the Frog fruit snacks. Those? Really?

Cuz I hand out fruit snacks daily. Oops. I know you're cringing right now Sarah! I'm a stickler about some things, but never in regards to fruit snacks. I'm not exactly sure why. I guess I always figured they're healthier for my kid than candy but taste better than carrots. WRONG. Fruit snacks=candy. So I pulled the really annoying mom trick and kindly asked the hygeniest to repeat it again loud enough so that Bella could hear. He was probably thinking look lady, you can discipline your own child while I was most definitely thinking you have no idea the power of a credible source when it comes to a 4 year old.

The best part? The prizes! They got to pick prizes from a bucket including new toothbrushes, new toothpaste, new toothbrush covers, and new floss. WHICH BY THE WAY I HAVE TO FLOSS BELLA'S TEETH EVERY NIGHT NOW. Fabulous--add another ten minutes to the already painfully long "night-night" routine. They also walked away with a cute little first time certificate with their picture plastered all over it. Oh and I almost forgot--the toothpaste that I was using for the girls wasn't strong enough for Bella but was too strong for Mia. So as I assisted Bella brushing her teeth tonight and saw that she swallowed some of the toothpaste, totally overreacting, I said "noooo Bella, don't swallow the flouride" which scared her and made her want to cough it up which made her dry heave which ultimately made her puke all over my sink. L.O.V.E.L.Y.

On a random sidenote, remember when we were kids and we'd watch a movie like Karate Kid and as soon as the credits rolled we were already standing on one leg ready to crane kick our brother in the face? Well, I got such a chuckle at lunch today when the girls were sitting at the table playing "dentist" that I had to grab the camera.



Yes, it's true, Mia attempted to clean and floss her teeth using a magnifying glass, eraser and orange washable marker. Now that's something worth smiling about.

5 days without Daddy

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the worst blogger of them all? I mean come on Gina, 7 days and no post? That's pretty lame. I can't help it, this pregnancy is putting me in a creative funk.

Shake it off, shake it off.

Let's see what's been going on in the past week over here. Well for one, my husband was in Hawaii for the week (how lucky, huh?) so I tried to keep the girls' schedule as busy as possible so that by 8 at night they're more than ready for bed.

After realizing that our craft drawer was totally pathetic with it's leftover streamers, non-working glue sticks and a couple of cotton balls we decided to replenish our goods. While shopping we stumbled upon window chalk/paint. Hmmm, painting the patio doors sounded like a good winter project right?

Well, it turned out that it was a perfect winter project.



Mia is turning into my little Picasso. She loves to paint, color and draw.



The glass paint was a hit...although it didn't always make it on the glass



Let's see what else.....we made some pretty cool candle holders out of assorted beans and glue (thanks for the idea Tessa and Sienna) for our Aunt Katrina's birthday.

It was a sticky situation, to say the least





We played dress up





We baked some Valentine cookies



Which, btw, do you know how hard it is to convince this little girl that you can't eat the dough! Very hard.



In fact when I had my back turned she even snuck an M&M out of a cooling cookie. Mama Mia!



And to really spice things up a bit, they ate their oatmeal breakfast in their room. It's amazing what a change of location can do to a toddler's morning attitude.



Let's see what else....oh, Bella heaved some precious cargo



And before we knew it, Eugene was home again. Yay! And after bombarding him with about a 3 hour run-down of everything we did this past week, we all slept together, all 4.25 of us.