Encore and Applause

It's that time of year again! Brooklyn's dance competition season has begun. This year, they are doing a jazz dance to a mix of the Flintstones. They have the most adorable animal print costumes,complete with a giant pink sparkly bone in their hair. Their first competition was at Encore. They scored a Gold(one of only 5 that day) and placed 2nd overall in their age category. Brooklyn was so excited! Next, we went to Applause. The girls got a little rattled when the announcer introduced them as the "Cavegirl Cooties" instead of the "Cavegirl Cuties!" They weren't in their starting pose when the music began, but still managed to pull together a High Gold ranking. Brooklyn was quite disappointed that they didn't place. Instead of being defeated, she vowed to practice harder. I just love watching her dance!

2010 Sweetheart Dance

Brooklyn attended the annual Girl Scout Sweetheart Dance with her Daddy. I'd love to post the absolutely adorable, cherished, scrapbook quality photo of the two of them together...only I don't have one. So, you get the next best thing...Brooklyn and her friend Jamison looking absolutely beautiful. If you are wondering why I have no photo of my daughter and her dad...ask him. I'm pretty sure, though, if they go next year, there will be one of said photos.

Snowed In!

When we moved into our new house we were certain we had a few months before we had to purchase the necessary lawn equipment that goes with living in the country. Boy, were we wrong. February ended up being the snowiest on record. We never would have survived without our wonderful new neighbors. They took turns plowing/snow throwing/towing us out of our driveway during all of the record snowfalls that occurred this winter. I am so thankful for them! The kids had a great time playing, building, sledding, etc. in the snow. But, by the time March rolled around, Brooklyn said, "I don't want to see even one more snowflake." I agree!

Hitting the Slopes

My mom offered to watch Issac so we could take the older two kids skiing for the first time. We jumped at the opportunity! We enrolled them in the two hour kids' skiing lessons at Mad River Mountain. It was worth every penny! They taught them how to carry their equipment, put their skis on, how to stop, turn, etc. All of this occurred while Andy and I had some alone time to explore the slopes. It was wonderful! When we picked them up from ski school, they were all smiles! They loved going down the bunny hill and begged for us to take them on a real lift. I was the first to give up! After years of not skiing and birthing three children, I think my feet expanded. My boots were too small and my feet were killing me! Andy took each one down the easiest green we could find while I sat with the other in the lodge. The lift and green trail were a little much for them, but they loved every moment! By the time we got home, they were exhausted. Xavier was asleep on the couch within ten minutes and Brooklyn cuddled up with Grandma. What a great day! Now that we live a mere 15 minutes from Mad River, we have grand plans to visit more frequently. I can't wait!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

We celebrated Isaac's 2nd birthday with the family on January 16. He received some great gifts and was able to eat his first cake with icing! I'm not sure if he noticed his piece didn't come from the "Melmo" cake but he enjoyed every bite! Grandma made him some rice milk ice cream but he was so full from supper he could hardly stuff in another bite!

Brooklyn started taking piano lessons in August. Her first recital was in January. She was very excited and nervous. She showed her skills by playing "My Best Friend."

Happy Twenty-Ten! Sort of.

We rang in the new year with our dear friends, the Marshals. We cooked up the traditional fondue and ate until our bellies were full. The kids played fabulously together, which is no small feat when ages range from 2 to 7. The evening was nearly ruined when the sweet, yet quirky hound we brought home from the humane society confirmed that she was, indeed crazy.
As I've posted before, we adopted a dog and cat from the humane society in early December. The kids were under strict instructions: Do not let the cat out of the basement. Because of my allergies, the cat must stay in the basement or outside. My children are able to follow rules, but I, for some reason, had a brain lapse on New Year's Eve. As I descended into the basement to get a deck of cards for Euchre(my favorite game in the whole world!) Violet popped out to say hello. I scooped her up(I rarely even touch the cat!) and marched upstairs to show off our new friend. As I stood in the kitchen introducing the teenage kitty to our friends I heard a strange sound and saw a blur out of the corner of my left eye. The next few moments were a little surreal as the cat dug all of her claws into my arms and hands and lept onto the kitchen floor. Winnie attacked the cat! She tried to get her while Violet was still in my arms. When the cat tried to escape she chased her into a corner in the kitchen and wrapped her jaws around her belly. Andy jumped on the dog at the same time the cat sunk her claws into Winnie's nose. Winnie let go. The cat took off and ended up under our entertainment center. After we got Winnie corralled, we had to unhook the TV and unload it from the entertainment center in order to get the cat out. Thankfully, the cat was fine and was safely returned to its basement haven. Unfortunately, Winnie was a changed dog. She had some pretty deep scratches on her nose, but that wasn't the problem. She circled the entertainment center, baying almost constantly, looking for the cat. We had to crate her to keep her from obsessing over where the cat used to be. We were a bit distracted for the rest of the evening. Fortunately, the Marshals said they are still willing to be our friends!
The next morning Winnie was still obsessed with finding the cat. As Brooklyn stepped out of the basement, she wondered out loud, "Why is Winnie sniffing me so much?" In the next moment, Winnie bit Brooklyn because she smelled like the cat. That was the end of Winnie's stay with our family. She was crated most of her next few days because the humane society was full. Once there was an opening, we surrendered her to the UCHS. She was a sweet dog that can't be in a house with a cat. So sad, but necessary.

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning came too early, as usual. The kids were super excited to head downstairs to check out the stash under the tree. We set up our tree in the dining room because, until the Wednesday before Christmas, we had no carpet in the living room. We had the kids trek all of the presents into the living room so we could open comfortably. They had great fun reading all of the labels, especially when we didn't use their names. For example, a Swedish Chef Jibbit was addressed to Sir-Cooks-A-Lot. They laughed at our silliness(like I said in the last post, it was a late night!) Isaac was really into opening presents this year. He put on the new hat and mittens set and modeled for everyone. He was most excited about the new Elmo Duplo set and a box full of 18 different Elmo toys and books. Xavier laughed really hard at his new bear feet slippers, but was most excited about the electronic drum set. I was most excited about the headphone accessory! He has played with it for hours. Brooklyn was happy to receive yet another American Girl doll. Mia joined the line-up in her room. It took all of about 5 minutes for Brooklyn to dive into the book.

Christmas Eve

Our traditional Christmas Eve includes new, coordinating PJs for the kiddos and a birthday cake. This year we decided to attend the 6:00 service at our church...too bad it started at 6:30! I don't think we've ever been that early to any event! After a wonderful service we headed home to decorate our Happy Birthday Jesus cake. This was the first year Isaac was able to participate. Although he put a few gouges in the cake with his spreader, he did a great job! After some delicious dessert it was off to bed for the young-uns. Andy and I had saved all of the wrapping until Christmas Eve. It was a late night, but we had fun!

Here Comes the Sun

I took this picture out the back door on December 23rd. This is a regular sight. I am amazed at what I was missing in my subdivision living. The sky is absolutely breathtaking.

Christmas Programs

Xavier's preschool Christmas program was held on December 10th. The preschool and pre-k kids each perfomed a variety of songs then had a cupcake reception in the gym. It was so cute! I had tears in my eyes watching my adorable little boy concentrate to hard to sing and do the motions to four different songs. I wish, wish, wish I had it on video.

Brooklyn's Christmas program was held on the following Sunday. The second graders at Trinity are required to memorize 16 verses of the Luke 2 Christmas story...in the King James Version! I am amazed at the poise Brooklyn shows on stage(thanks, dance teachers!) The moment the spotlight hits, she drops her shoulders, lifts her chin, and beams. The actual program was, once again, the fifth and sixth grade show...but it didn't bore me to tears this time. Can you find Brooklyn this year? I put in her mall hair and put a GIANT bow on her head. She was pretty easy to spot!

Stockings and Stuff

We didn't haul out the holly the weekend after Thanksgiving this year. Because of scheduling conflicts our Christmas decorations didn't come out of the boxes until the evening of December 5th...just in time to hang up our stockings! The ornament box was open a total of 30 seconds before the first bulb was broken. I'm not sure which child handed Isaac the breakable ornament, but sadly, it did not survive. Isaac was given the honor of putting the angel atop the tree this year. I am a very bad parent and have no photos of the older two decorating the treee.
The kids enjoyed digging through their stockings. Brooklyn received a pitcher plant and Xavier received a venus fly trap. Most of the morning was spent gathering dead flies from the windowsills to feed the new plants.

We are officially insane...or just plain stupid.

Brooklyn has been begging for a cat for years. The answer has always been no.
1. I have fairly severe cat allergies
2. I do not like cats
When we moved to the country we were told we would need to get a cat. Otherwise, we would have mice. I let the advice roll off my back until, less than two weeks of living in the house, we found a live mouse in our basement. Andy and I had some discussions about living arrangements, got some advice from some cat owners, and decided to get a cat. It would live in the basement during the winter and outside during the summer.
We drove to the humane society and surprised Brooklyn with the go-ahead to pick any female cat out of the cat room. She was shocked and so excited! She eventually decided on Velma, whose name was quickly changed to Violet. She was litter trained and already spayed. So far, so good with the cat. I haven't had any allergy issues. The kids are doing a great job keeping the litter box clean. She comes running when the kids go to the basement to visit.
After Brooklyn chose her new friend, I had a blue eyed little boy looking very forlorn. "Why does Brooklyn get a pet and I don't?" We had recently toyed with the idea of getting another dog. I adore Ellie. Although she is not one of my children, she is definitely a favored member of the family. She is my therapy dog. Truthfully, though, she will be 10 in April. She is getting old for a large dog and has had two seizures in the past year. I get panicky thinking of our family without her, but I know it will come eventually. All of this to say, we looked at the dogs and fell in like with Penny the Treeing Walker Coonhound. She was sweet and gentle, got along well with Ellie, and suckered me in with her super soft, long, Ellie-like ears.
Things aren't going nearly as well with "Winnie." We named her after the Winchester brand gun because we're pretty sure she was a hunting dog. She is 3.5 years old and I don't think she's ever been inside. The housebreaking is in its fourth week and we're still having issues. She climbs on my kitchen counters searching for food. She's so skinny! She likes to chase and tackle Isaace when he's running through the room. Isaac thinks it is funny when he's on the carpet...not funny when he's on the tile kitchen floor. I know these are all behavioral issues that can be fixed with training(I hope!) but with three young kids and a new house with no fenced in yard, IN DECEMBER...I don't know what I was thinking!



Poor Xavier got scratched by one of the kitties.

How Did I Let It Get This Bad?

On November 30th, Isaac had his first hair cut. He is my only child to have anything that resembles a curl. He looked so adorable with the little ringlets sticking out from behind his ears. I wanted to get his 18 month photos done with the curls. I was afraid once we cut his hair, the curls would be gone. Well, days turned into weeks, which turned into months, etc. My sweet little boy was being called a girl on a regular basis. Because we have to put Aquaphor on him twice a day, his hair was a frizzy, greasy mess. When I combed it after a bath, it was past his shoulders. I'm embarrassed that I let it get that bad! Finally, I'd had enough. I made an appointment at Cookie Cutters and prepared myself for the end of my curly-locks. He was excited to get into the driver's seat at the hair salon and picked an Elmo movie to watch. Then, he got a look of terror and started to scream. We tried distractions. We tried suckers. Nothing helped! Then, Andy's mom showed up at his side with a balloon and started whacking me in the head. He cracked up! All was well after that. When the haircut was over, the stylist left it a little longer, and his head was covered with tons of little curls!

The Before Picture. Yikes!



The After Picture. Doesn't he look sweet?

Hot, Hot, Hot. Hot Chocolate!

Brooklyn's dance studio participated in Marysville's Christmas Walk. The downtown businesses stay open late and usually serve treats to the visiting patrons. This is the first time in 5 years that it wasn't raining, sleeting, snowing, or bitter cold. There were a lot of dancers and a lot of parents this year! Each age group performed a Christmas song on the street outside the studio. Brooklyn's group performed Hot Chocolate from The Polar Express. She worked really hard to become one of the kick line members and felt really proud when she succeeded. I love being able to prove to her that hard work pays off. She already had her splits, but had to practice almost every day to get the counts of the kick line correct. Good job, B!

Giving Thanks

We shared Thanksgiving with Andy's family this year. We had delicious food and wonderful family time. After the meal, Andy and I perused the Black Friday ads to plan our annual shopping trip. We decided to head out at 11:30pm on Thanksgiving night. We returned home the next day at 11am. Twelve hours of shopping on no sleep is too much for me. The lines seemed much longer this year and people seemed grumpier. We'll still plan on shopping next year.