sewing

some of you know that i've been wanting to learn to sew for quite a while. there are lots of things to be made for little girls and i think, with some practice, i could do it.

what most of you don't know is that years ago (maybe 5 or 6) i went through a knitting phase. i bought the book, bought the stuff. undoubtedly, the book was called "i can't believe i'm knitting." let's just say i never unrolled my yarn. it never caught on, and i'll be honest, i only did it because i read an article where julia roberts was knitting on the set of one of her movies. at least i'm honest.

so, here's where you come in. there are many of you who sew very well. your wisdom exceeds your years and i know you're dying to teach me. :) let me know if you're interested.

twice

it's happened again...well, twice. "are they twins" seems to be a question that no one finds absurd but me ~ and jennifer :). they are looking more and more alike, which is fun, but addison still has so much baby in her face and avery really looks like a big girl.

not sure how it went down tuesday night at cracker barrel, i wasn't there, but it happened. and again today when i got my hair cut. neither time were they dressed alike...which is rare...and today addison was in the stroller and avery was standing up. i'm not sure what my face or smile looked like today but she said "i can tell by your face that you get asked that a lot." and my response was ''surprisingly, yes, yes i do.'' thought you could enjoy a funny story for your day! here's a recent picture of the girls. enjoy!

open wide

avery had her first dentist visit today....and she loved it. the place was really cool, very child friendly and kind of made me want to go there. but i must give credit where credit is due - avery was really big. there was no hesitation about getting on the table, she opened her mouth wide, chose her flavor of toothpaste (strawberry), let them scrape her teeth, brush, floss, suction...in fact, she was so laid back about it, the tech asked me "are you sure this is her first visit to the dentist?" she even did a great job with her xrays! i was very proud of her.

a few things i liked about their office -

- it was decorated in bright colors...as you'll see, avery laid on padded table, no dental chairs here.

- the technician encouraged her and talked her through every step...even let her hold the toothbrush, the suction and the water.

- they get prizes, goody bags and a tshirt. i felt a little like we were at a carnival.

- the dentist was great with kids, and adults. he showed me her xrays and we looked at the positioning of her permanent teeth, he explained how they lined up, when they should come through. we talked about some preventative things AND told me how impressed he was with her first visit, i guess meaning how she handled it. he probably thought i was the crazy mom with the camera. an overall great experience and i would recommend his practice to all my friends.

check out the crossed feet the hands behind her head.

she's watching a movie in this picture...can you see the screen on the ceiling?
again, how cool is that?

addison the great

some of you laugh when i say addison is the complete opposite of her sister. in (almost) every way possible she does everything her "own" way. not better or worse, just different. it has, however, made these last few months a little more challenging.

avery would sit and comply with just about anything asked of her - she aimed to please and still does. addison ends up in, well, some awkward situations...as you'll see below. i don't want it to sound all bad - i love her independence and i love that she tries new things.

she takes initiative. she's a go-getter. her take on life (at 20 months) has been 'anything you can do i can do better.' will she outgrow this? is it a life-long trait? i guess for now i need to stay at arms length of her....or get a kid leash! :)

this is how i found them...i was cooking dinner when avery called me to come see!

notice avery's outfit. i bought it for her as a 'surprise' from kids market...and she finally took it off at bedtime. don't be surprised if you see this in several future pictures.

now she's ready to get down...and she can't. and she's a little bitter that i'm taking pictures instead of helping her.

15 things i'm not afraid to admit

thanks, gina, for the inspiration! here we go...

15. being wrong is hard. and even harder to admit
14. mornings don't start until i've taken at least one drink of coffee
13. i fluffed up avery's hairbow to make her tall enough to ride a ride at disney world

12. i've let my girls eat a cupcake...for lunch
11. i only give the appearance of organization - and sometimes even that is scattered
10. i like yard work because i like the end result, but i would really prefer just to sit and watch

09. i am a little bit lazy. nap time for the girls is down time for me too and i usually spend it doing something wasteful
08. the thought of something happening to one of my kids often keeps me awake at night, which ties into....
07. addisons (almost) three weeks of coughing have been hard for all of us

06. i am more selfish than you will probably ever know
05. i have a strong desire to learn how to be a strategic shopper...and i hope i am not too lazy to learn
04. i am a bad listener but expect people to listen to me

03. i day dream. a lot. (probably when i should be listening to you)
02. i hate dr copays
01. i'll miss my family when we move

Now, what about you? What are some things you aren't afraid to admit??

two girls

my two sweet girls ~ having fun loving on each other!

twinkle toes

last week avery started ballet and, i must say, it took me back about 25 years to teri donna school of dance (where i took). however, a couple of things have changed.

- she had a strict and mandatory dress code. pink leotard, pink tights, pink shoes. i think that is to establish uniformity and distinguish age. still. she's 4. seeing all the pink made me laugh out loud.

- she is required to wear a bun and they give you a booklet of instructions on how to do it. i thought it was just 'encouraged' until i received my first newsletter reminding me to check the handbook on how to correctly make the bun.

and a few things have stayed the same

- the excitement about the first day. the night before her class avery had to try on her tights and tutu (which is not allowed in class, see rule 47b in the parent handbook and reminder in the newsletter). she didn't care so much about the leotard (litatard, as she calls it), just the tights. add cinderella shoes and you've got your star performer. she was made to be on stage. drama runs in her blood.

- first day jitters/so much excitement she didn't sleep. she was so excited she couldn't sleep at nap time. now, i'm no fool. avery will talk you out of a nap as well as i can sell you a story but normally there is no negotiation. i saw the excitement....she played quietly in her room for over an hour.

- how precious and big she looked all dressed and ready and walking into her class. no moms allowed.

addison and i sat outside with the other moms and siblings and talked about the dancing girls. and, i joke about the rules, but we are so excited avery will take ballet from such a great place. they do an amazing job!

note the ponytail. i don't know how to make a bun, even with instructions
(turns out it was optional...though i've never been a huge rule follower! :)

addison showing off her shoes too

i couldn't resist.