Catching up on birthdays

Since we were moving two weeks before Sierra's birthday we had an early pool party/ mini birthday celebration for Sierra.  In the month before we moved we had a few pool parties.  Part of this moving process has opened my eyes a bit.  We'd wanted to have a lot of gatherings after the pool went in but kept waiting until it was "perfect".  Sadly, we moved before things were perfect.  I wish we would have just bit the bullet and had all of the parties that we wanted despite any "flaws" that we saw.  Sigh.

Anyway, Sierra had quite the group of friends over for her celebration.  They had a blast!  So much fun to watch them be silly together!

 

Love this one!

Sierra's actual birthday at our apartment.  She was too tired to "bust into a new year".  It was more like a stroll.

She had a couple of friends over for a small celebration

 

I'm not going to lie... it's hard to look at the pictures of our old house.  I miss the house, the land, the chickens, the pool.  I miss watching the girls play with abandon in the pool, not worrying about who might see them (Sierra's hang-up).  I miss our open living room. wall full of windows, and the fireplace.  I know that some of this is being cooped up in this apartment while half of our belongings are in town.  I'm sure it will be better when we our own house.  And I know that we made the right choice to move for so many reasons.  I just need to focus on those reasons and this view...

Off our balcony

 

I struggled with what to do for Laurel's birthday.  In the spirit of biting the bullet, I went ahead and had her party here in our tiny apartment.  I realize it's not that small, but when you get 15 excited girls in here... it sure feels like it!  Her obsession with "Teen Beach Movie" gave me an easy theme.

 

The cake

Congo line to the soundtrack

Pin the flower on the surf board

After decorating picture frames they watched the movie

 

I had thought that they would all settle down when they watched the movie.  It was great for about 30 minutes.  Then, half the girls wanted to sing and dance during the musical parts and the others wanted them to be quiet.  So... they all got a little rowdy by the end.  Laurel had fun, though, and I think most of her guests did too.  I'm glad that I bit the bullet and had her party here.  It reminded me why I'll have parties at venues other than our house for the next few years!

Late night fun!

The grandparents came for a birthday celebration too (and Laurel got her precious Saige doll)

 

Laurel asked for cat donations for the animal shelter instead of gifts from her friends at her birthday party (in memory of Rummy).  The parents  kids were so generous!  We took the items to the shelter and were able to watch some of the cats play with the toys.

 

 

 

Laurel turns 8

Laurel was 7 going on 17.  Now she is 8 going on 18.  My sweet, precocious girl celebrated her 8th birthday in November.  I have acutely felt her growing up this year.  She wants to be older.  She wants to grow up.  Despite all of my threats and bribes to try and keep her "my little girl", she forges ahead into "tween-hood" too early. 

Last week she built a fairy house out of papers, put a little bed in it and a sign that read "Fairies welcome".  We then stood outside in the dark in 40 degree winds to set up house complete with a button path.  Due to my extreme dislike of cold, this is something that I might normally balk at and try to talk her into waiting until the next morning.  But here was the "little" in my girl coming out and I was grabbing every second of it, even while freezing my buns off!  (It was so cold that I didn't even get pictures!)  When the paper house was pounded by wind during the night she requested something sturdier to build a new one.  I've offered her at least 3 boxes, but it seems the "big" has moved back in and she has gone back to focusing on perfecting her outfits and singing tween-ish songs.  I know it's all part of the process of growing up.  Give them wings, blah, blah, blah...  Roots is what I want to focus on at the moment! 

While this part has been hard,  Laurel still loves me more than a googol every night at bedtime and she did asked for a doll for her birthday.  She does well in school and loves to hang out with her friends.  Laurel looks up to Sierra and continues to smother Cadence with love (much to Cadence's dismay at times).  While she is growing up a bit too fast for my taste, I feel like such a lucky mom to be the person who gets to watch her do it!

Laurel had begged for a Jasmine outfit when we were in Disney world.  I refused to pay the Disney world price for it but found a great deal online when we got home.  We gave it to Laurel as an early birthday present so that she could wear it for Halloween.  Ever since she got "Lizzy" last year she has wanted another American Girl doll to be friends with Lizzy.  So we now have Emma who keeps Lizzy company while Laurel is at school. 

We didn't do a big party (although Laurel is still planning for one!) but went on a girls' weekend to DC.  A friend of mine has a daughter named Laurel who was born just a few weeks after our Laurel.  Spur of the moment we decided to take them to DC for the weekend.  Sierra and Cadence spent the weekend with grandparents and cousins. It was wonderful to be able to spend so much one on one time with my middle child.  "Laurel squared" enjoyed ice skating, swimming at the hotel, art museums, and climbing on statues.  We even got to check off one of my bucket list items: eating at DC cupcakes in Georgetown!  So glad that I got to do this with my mature, sweet, loving 8 year old whom I love more than a googol!

Seeing her early birthday present

Our "bust into your new year" was more of a sleepwalking amble

She wanted black and hot pink cupcakes for her class

We welcome Emma to our home

Einstein was Laurel's favorite things in DC

Ice skating topped her list though!  I saw more determination in Laurel in 4 hours of skating that I think I have ever seen!

DC Cupcakes!

National Museum of Women in the Arts was a gorgeous place

The "Laurels" decided to sit down and really appraise this slightly disturbing painting

Climbing on statues never gets old

Trick or treat!

 It was a chilly evening this year but we still had fun trick or treating!  The neighborhood close to us has homes on 3-7 acre lots so there can be A LOT of walking... so we decided to go back to our old neighborhood.  We hooked up with some good friends and tried our best to hit the houses that "give out the big candy bars".  The grown-ups nursed our warm beverages and breathed a sigh of relief every time the kids made it back down the long driveways, in the dark, in baggy/bulging costumes without wiping out.  Cadence did a pretty good job of keeping up with the big kids.

Laurel begged and begged for this Jasmine costume when we were at Disney World.  We all know that you do not actually purchase a  princess outfit AT Disney!  I came home and found the exact outfit, on sale, with the shoes, and free shipping - for $20 less.  Boo-yah!  Happy with the price but not completely thrilled with the outfit.  I think one of Laurel's main reasons for liking it is that it "shows her stomach".  Ugh.  Really?  You are SEVEN!!  But, the other things she wanted to dress up as were "zombie with lots of blood" or "vampire with blood".  I decided that I prefer Disney princess vs. horror character.  And she loved it!  She's worn the outfit almost everyday since she got it as an early birthday present.

Sierra pieced her outfit together early this year.  She begged me to let her see "Snow White and the Huntsmen".  Although I still haven't let her watch it she bought a few things based on the movie that she found at Claire's.  Her clothing choices have changed a few times over the past few months.  When she was all dressed and ready I told her that she had to be "something" because people will ask what she dressed as.  She decided that she was a "Modern Snow White".

Cadence was the easiest.  She picked a random dress out of the dress-up bin, put it on and claimed herself as Ariel!  It's actually a dress that Sierra wore when she was 4 or 5 so it was a tad big on Cadence, but it kept her warm.  I'm not sure how the pig mask fit into the picture, but, to each her own!

After freezing our tails off in the neighborhood we went back to our friends' house for hot cider and donuts. Ahh... the comfort of good food and good friends!  Back at our home the kids separated their candy into keep piles and give away piles.  The sugar high wasn't too bad before they crashed into bed!



Jasmine

Ariel the Pig?

Ready to go

Modern Day Snow White (?)

Will traded all of his candy with his friends for KitKats.  I thought it was very entrepreneurial!

Seperating the stash.  Notice how small Cadence's pile is?  Her dad "helped" her with her candy!

First day of school 2012-2013

School has officially started.  Laurel is off to a new school for second grade.  She wasn't thrilled with having to switch but she has an amazing teacher and gets to sit next to her good friend.  She's a social butterfly, so I'm sure that she will make friends fast and have a good year.  The day before the first day was challenging.  She hated her new haircut (which is adorable and just like every other haircut she gets, but she didn't want it that short... ok, I did!) and said she did not want to go to school because of it.  Really?! You're seven, kid!  Our friend Laura came to the rescue.  She took time out of her evening to put a braid in Laurel's hair that she loved!  Thank you Laura, you saved the first day of school!

Sierra is officially in middle school now.  That makes my stomach turn a bit even as I write it.  From what I remember, middle school kind of sucks.  Mean girls surface, cliques are prevalent, and hormones start flooding the brain.  I just remember a lot of angst and heartache when I think of middle school.  Things that I don't want my kids to have to go through.  I guess those are a part of life and made me the person I am today (for better or worse!).  But I just want to keep Sierra in my bubble.  I want to protect her and keep her happy.  I pray that she will have a better experience than I did and that she will grow and thrive in positive ways.  Cross your fingers for us!

Ready to go!

This is the "Act like you love each other" pose

Apparently this is Brad's plan for the school year! ;-)

I got this idea off the web last year and have been finding candy for it for a few weeks.

Needless to say, the girls loved it!

The cutest Wallybird and Nastie that I've ever seen

For the second year in a row Sierra and Laurel participated in the Missoula Children's Theatre at our local Paramount Theatre.  Last year Sierra was a sweet blue bird and Laurel was an evil bat in the Snow White and Seven Dwarfs adaptation.  This year roles reversed.  Sierra was a little too excited to be a Nastie and Laurel was an adorable Wallybird (she was very offended when I kept calling her a wallaby all week!). 

It was an exhausting week where I spent 4-5 hours in town, keeping Cadence from melting down due to no nap and trying hard not to spend too much money in the quaint boutiques on the downtown mall.  On Saturday the girls where at the theatre at 10am and had a 2pm and 5pm show.  They were beat by the end of the day but enjoyed their time on stage. 

As I've mentioned before, I had always wanted to act.  I love seeing their enthusiasm and creativity come out in the characters that they perform.  We can't wait til next year!

Laurel is the 3rd from left

Sierra in full Nastie character

Laurel being a sweet bird this year

Laurel's performance

Laurel had her first on-stage performance!  "Shake your groove thing" couldn't have been more appropriate for her!  She had a wonderful experience for her first year of dance and although she loved it she wants to try gymnastics next.  I was a constant tryer-outer so I know how she feels.  In typical Laurel fashion she didn't have a moment of stage fright or anxiety.  When she slipped a bit during the performance she shook it off pretty well.  We are so proud of the work and effort that put into the whole year!

Laurel's favorite fellow dancer

Sassy!

Hairclips!

You know those moments when you feel that this parenting thing you've got going on is truly the best gig in town?  This was one of those moments.  It made me laugh and remember and feel so stinkin' happy to be a mama to these girls!  We videotaped Laurel in 2009 when she came down from naptime with her hair full of clips.  She was so proud of herself!  I'm pretty sure that Cadence has never seen this video.  The other morning, Cadence was quietly hanging out in her room - which always means something is going on!  She walked out of her room like this...   So funny, so proud, and so completely adorable!

Laurel 2009

Cadence 2012

Laurel turns 7!

My sweet girl turned 7 years old this month!  "Sweet" really sums her up... it always has.  She has a sweet little face and sweet little voice.  Most of all, her heart is sweet.  She will refuse to eat the last piece of candy if she knows that someone hasn't gotten a bite.  She is continuously worried about the homeless and wants to give them all of her money.  If she sees that someone is upset she tries to help them or at least hug them.  She is just a sweetheart!

Laurel has also matured a lot this past year.  She really seems much more grown up.  She loves to read (like her big sis!) and is excelling in school.  She has her own mind and seems to make almost of her choices without indecision or regret.  I pray that she will carry all of these traits with her throughout her life.

Laurel decided to get her ears pierced for her birthday.  She recently watched Sierra gets her ears repierced and it was done one at a time.  Laurel was insistent (and there was no changing her mind!) that she wanted it done the same way.  As I had anticipated, with the pinch of the first ear she cried and cried.  Poor girl.  After a few minutes though, she determinedly said she wanted the second one done!  She looks so cute and is happy that she did it.

She decided to have a gymnastics birthday party and all of the kids had a ball!  I had my first attempt at making fondant decorations.  It took a few batches and many hours, but it turned out cute!  Laurel also decided to make donations to UVA Children's Hospital in lieu of birthday gifts for herself.  The families were so generous and we'll be dropping off 4 big bags of games, toys, and books to the hospital.  Besides asking for a cell phone, TV, DVD player, dog, horse, and car (really?!) for her birthday, the number one item on her list was an American Girl doll.  The grandparents came through for her and she is a happy girl! 

Before getting her ears pierced.  The after was too sad to show.

She loves Elizabeth

Hamming it up at her party

Even Cadence got to take part!

This was called "Rocket Ship"... I REALLY wanted to do it!

Sierra caught some air

Another favorite, the foam pit

And the parachute

Celebration #3 with our good friend Kelli who shares a birthday with Laurel!

Happy Birthday, Laurel