Riley's first "haircut"

Last night Bill went to get his haircut, and the girls and I went with him. They've seen him get his hair cut almost every 5 weeks since they were born, so I was a little surprised by their reaction when the stylist started teasing them about cutting their hair.

"I cut your hair?"
"You want haircut too?"

Sam had a mini panic attack and started running and hollaring, "Noooooo. No haircut."

We were so wrapped up trying to calm Sam that we didn't notice Riley quietly walk over to the chair and try to climb up. When I did see, I told her, "No, we're not going to cut your hair today." She became almost as hysterical as Sam, but in the opposite direction. She really wanted a haircut. She totally got the flatfaced cry and everything, and not in a manipulative way either. She was truly devastated that she wasn't going to get her hair cut, so we asked the stylist if she could give Riley a "haircut", and she obliged. I discovered that I am totally not ready for her to get her hair cut. Even though we knew it was pretend, my heart started beating faster and I had a mini panic attack when I saw those scissors near my baby's head. Some year we'll cut her hair, but not now.

Riley however, was thrilled with her new "haircut."

Echos of yourself you may not want to hear.

Overheard today from Sam to Riley, "I'm going to count to 3 and then you're in trouble. 1, 2, 3. I'm getting really mad."

A little later lots of screaming was followed by Sam telling me she threw the bucket over the child safety gate. Her reasoning? It was on time out because her and Riley were fighting over it.

I guess it's better than some things she could repeat, and in all honesty it was pretty cute to hear. She was so serious and intense.

So sorry old friend

Dear Internet,

I'm so sorry to leave you this way, but I have found a new friend that
is needing more of my time right now. Internet meet Lizzie. I foresee
spending many many hours with her. Check out Flickr to see what my new
friend looks like. She is quite a looker afterall.

Thank you dear Internet for always being there in the middle of the
night for me,

Sincerely,
Susan

Hockey shoulder news.

Tonight I played my first hockey game in over a year, and it wasn't too bad. Let me break it down for you.

Good news:
We won 5 -3
My shoulder didn't bother me at all
I didn't wipe out
I had a couple of decent passes
I was on the ice again after a way too long absence (It does make the heart grow fonder)

Bad news:
I was on the ice for 2 of their 3 goals including when Andrea scored on me
Bad foot cramp in 2nd period
I felt like I was just off in general
Fear was driving my playing. I really didn't want to fall and reinjure my shoulder.

My work here is done

When the girls were younger we would tell them things were inappropriate
or unacceptable instead of using the word no. This was to hopefully
avoid the no's of the terrible two era. Also, they would have to learn
a multisyllabic word to express "no." For the most part it worked.
They do know what no means, and they have said it, but not to the extent
of other toddlers/preschoolers.

Why do I tell you, my internet friends, this? Because today all my hard
work paid off. Riley said, "That's inappropriate," foloowed by an echo
of "my work here is done."

I am so proud.

Crazy for Cake

Recently I've found myself immersed in cake baking/decorating. You can check out my adventures on my food blog (link to the right) if you're at all interested

Stretching, jumping, balancing, and running

What do these all have in common? They're what my girls did in gymnastics today. Yep, they attended their first gymnastics class today.

The first class they attended was for 3 1/2 to 5 year olds. I was concerned about it, but the lady told me they'd be fine, and if not we could switch classes. Sure enough we ended up switching. The girls did really well for the first 30 minutes of class, sitting with the other kids, listening, and following directions, but then their 3 year old spirit got the better of them and they were off, so the teacher brought them over and said they should try the lower class which is a Mommy and me class.

The reason I had never signed them up for that is there is only one Mommy (me) and two kids. They assured me the instructor would help out and it would be fine, and you know what? It was. The girls loved it, so we're signed up for the rest of the summer. If they get to the point where they have outgrown this class before the fall sessions, then they will transfer them back up to the older class.

Bottom line is they had fun, and they learned a lesson about following directions.

Your weekly dose of trivia

Did you know that fruit cocktail by Del Monte is only canned once a year
in the middle of summer and each can has a shelf life of 3 years.

Also, the FDA regulates fruit cocktail. You may only call it fruit
cocktail if it has peaches (30 - 50%), pears (25 - 40%), pineapples (6
-18%), grapes (6 - 20%), and cherries (2 - 6%).

Nap time antics

This is what my kids do when they are suppose to be napping.They open their bedroom door and line up the blocks on the floor in front of it. I'm waiting for the day that they actually spell out something like, "Free the prisoners." I'm sure that day is coming, and soon.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the women I know, Happy Mother's Day. I hope your children, your partners, and your 4 legged kids are treating you well today.

Yep, I got my girls a teepee...

and they LOVE it.They have been playing in it non-stop and they even slept in it all night last night and again today for their nap. It's so cute.

When they told Bill about it, they told him it was just like a white tent. I guess tents are supposed to be some other color.

Woo Hoo! One-seventy-two!

That's right folks. My new active range of motion (ROM) is 172 degrees, just 8 degrees shy of normal. Passively she could get me to 178.

My Daemon is a mouse?

Thanks to Jennie, I now have a new daemon. Let me know if you think it's right or not, but answering this questionairre within the next 12 days.



The starting point has my Daemon as Inachus, a mouse. It means I am flexible, assertive, outgoing, spontaneous, and responsible.

And life goes on...

Life has been so busy lately that I've barely had time to sit and eat carbs let alone blog. What's made it so busy you ask? Let me tell you.

Many trips to the park with friends and playgroups. At one of these recent trips Riley learned how to ride a tricycle. It was quite exciting, and she was really proud of herself. Now mind you, she has been on one before, and even pedaled it a bit, but this is the first time she covered any real distance and all by herself.

I also went to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. It was a good production. We laughed. A lot. The acting was pretty good (none of that sub-highschool stuff like last time), and we generally came away feeling pretty good.

Other than the park trips and the play, it's been birthday party planning and preparations. Yep, my girls turned 3 (more on that later.) I can't believe it, and I'm still in denial that it's happened.