We are so lucky to have neighbors that invite the Santa Ship to her home. We are also lucky to be on the party invite list too! The local boy scouts man the ship and organize the kids during this fun night. The weather was just right. Warm enough that running around kept the kids from needing jackets and cold enough to crave that spiked hot chocolate. Since it was all outdoors we got to bring Jessie. And of course she had a wish for Santa. 
Too cool for school and Junior High. At least she let me take her picture before running to the car. She insisted on No lunch box and purple jeans. So far I'm doing good. I only have to drive 1x a week in the carpool I'm in. I guess I only have one chance to embarrass her per week. I think I will play my ABBA cd next time.
My new blond son loved getting ready this morning. His new shirt was ready to go and dad did his hair. He ate his breakfast, got his backpack and was out the door by 7:30. He was excited to see his friends and teacher. We lucked out with getting E's teacher for S this year, so he already knew her name. E was a little more work. She didn't like the idea of getting up at all probably because she didn't fall asleep to after 9:30pm. She insisted on her gold converses and plaid jacket for the first day. She said the jacket makes her look professional.
I should have included a picture of my smiling face in this post. At school I had to meet up with the board members for coffee chat with the principal after the bell rang. It was nice to see everyone and introduce myself to new parents. I was overwhelmed with all the activities coming up in the fall. The back to school BBQ, fundraiser prep, Parent's Night Out, and yearbook. I will be busy!! But now is the time to get pedicures with my friends and then we were off to the movies for some girl time. Yeah School!!!
What a night! E danced her heart out tonight with 100's of other talented girls (and a couple boys). The studio she dances for really has this down. Each set of dancers went out totally prepared and on time. We got to see 3 years olds all the way up to the alumni dancers in over 50 productions. The costumes got better and better with each set of dancers. It was very entertaining to watch. E has been beaming all week and on the way home from the performance she begged to be on a competition team next year. We've got a couple months to relax and prepare for the next season. I hope she still has the "bug".
Look at that proud papa! We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at Auntie L's house and then finished the morning riding our bikes. Nana and Buckey each had their own bikes thanks to their kids. All 11 of us were on bikes!! We rode the new trail with no accidents even though some of us hadn't been on a bike in over 10 years. Amazing how you don't forget. Our little man as of last week can ride his bike training wheel free, although his sudden stops are breath-taking. Our next bike riding adventure will be in Lake Tahoe. So many great trails to try!.jpg)
We had a very busy weekend with two First Communion celebrations in our family. I thought the rain would ruin everything, but things turned out fine. Family and friends helped get the house ready for lunch inside. I was planning on having all the tables outside for this event. The food was great and the cake turned out great too. E loved having all the attention and getting to dress like a little bride. I remember when I was 7 and making my 1st Communion too. My mom had all the tables decorated with pink daisies. Both my girls were able to wear my veil and gloves for the occasion. The gloves were made for me by my Grandma Rose. They still look brand-new. We got her dress from the "My Twinn" company and had to order the dress for her doll too. It was a nice surprise for her. Most of our family and friends were able to attend although some were sorely missed. A big thanks to all the ladies that helped in the kitchen. I couldn't have done it without you. This was a blessed day for all.
I had just a little time left in my crazy week to make these for S and E's class for the Easter festivities. I saw them in a magazine and thought, "how hard could these be?" Well the answer is very! First of all they require 6 different candies/items and frosting. Second of all, who knew how difficult it would be to find Lifesavers candies. I had to go to 3 different stores to find them. And don't look too close because some of the bunnies couldn't sit in their seat for the ride and began to slide sideways. The kids had fun unwrapping the candy, counting the leftovers and eating them. Let's hope the rest of their class does too.
Birthday Girl, Jessie, Turns 2 today. To celebrate we got out her party hat and collar.
And we got a special dog treat from a dog specialty store just for today. Just like one of the kids, she licked all the frosting off first and then devoured the cookie. Now if we can keep her from eating the hat it will have been a great 2nd birthday.
Ew! Now she almost looks like a teenager. Ew! Her father and I laugh because she was so stinkin' giddy about getting them. She could not wait for today to come. We'll see how she's feeling later on when she' begging for an advil. Good news is they will be off in 18 months. Bad news is she is wearing her dad's new car in her mouth. Lucky for us we got the "payment plan" which will also work as our reminder to keep those teeth healthy and away from sticky foods. We're also hoping the braces will work as a boy deterent as well, but that's a stretch. I think we can ask for the head-gear if necessary :)
E really enjoyed her 8th birthday will all her friends. She picked to have a Hello Kitty Cupcake birthday which all started with stationery we found at the Sanrio store. I saw the giant cupcake pan in a magazine and I knew it would be perfect. It really didn't take that long to frost it and add few sprinkles. At the party each of the girls got to decorate their own cupcake with all sorts of frostings and sprinkles. And we lucked out with the great weather as you can see below. Our family party is this Sunday and I'll post a pic of that cupcake later.
