"Beauty Salon"

Boy, I'm behind in posting some things. One of the highlights of Mama Faye's birthday is that she got to stay and spend some time with all of her kids and grand kids after the weekend. We got a babysitter on Tuesday and Layla, Mama Faye and I headed to Des Moines for a girl day. It included Starbucks, running some errands, lunch and.........pedi's and mani's. Thanks to a gift certificate from my hubby we were all able to indulge. This was Layla's first time doing such a thing and she is definitely hooked. I'm not sure how I feel about that!?!?!?!

She was so good! They painted her nails first and then she sat in her own chair while Mama Faye and I had 1 hour pedicures. That girl did not move. She watch intently and every time I looked over at her I got this very excited smile. She was wonderful and had a great time. When it was time to leave she wanted to tip the manicurist her only dollar in her purse. It was so sweet. She keeps asking me when we get to go back to the "beauty salon."

So What if My Bat is Pink...

.......I can still knock 'em out of the park.....or at least off the tee. Cooper saw Layla and I playing tee ball and insisted he have a turn. He is now hooked and I think it is so funny to watch this little man bat. I tried to take a video of him on my cell phone and keep the tee loaded. I had to work with what I had! Sorry the video isn't the best, but you get the idea. Cooper is obsessed with balls and reading books.

The Wanderer

Cooper is at an interesting stage right now. He is getting more independent......except when I'm around. I can't really say he's a mama's boy, because he actually prefers daddy. Layla always preferred mommy. I think it's really just about him asserting himself and getting his way. When he wants my attention, he will crawl on, push up to or shove me away from what I'm doing. He will whine and fuss until I pick him up. And I'm not talking a little fussing. I'm talking full-on scream, like someone just cut his arm off. Then, when he doesn't want my attention, he's off on his own little adventures.

I didn't close the front storm door tight after watering my flower pots one morning. When I was in the kitchen I heard the door open and sure enough, off he went. I didn't say anything, I wanted to see what he would do on his own. So here is a 5 min blip of Cooper's life. This is literally all done in 5 minutes. He covers a lot of ground and is very busy! He ended his tour in the dryer. Why? I have no idea, he had never done that before. It is now his favorite hide out.

Wild and Free!

Whew! I'm tired. What a fun and busy weekend we had. We worked on projects, got a few naps and had friends over. Our perfect formula for a great weekend. And, we were blessed with wonderful weather! I love this picture. We went out for dinner Saturday night and on our way home I looked in the rear view mirror and this is what I saw. Layla loves having her window down, music turned up and singing at the top of her lungs. She now carries her own purse, which must have contained her sun glasses, because I was surprised to see them on her. But, she did inform me that you have to have your sun glasses on when your window is rolled down because you look beautiful. So there you have it, your fashion tip for the day!

SURPRISE!

What a fun weekend we had! Mom's 60th birthday is Thursday, but we told her to come to Ames this weekend to celebrate with us kids. When she arrived on Saturday we took her to lunch and surprised her that we were staying at a B&B for the weekend. When we arrived at the B&B, SURPRISE, her sisters were there to take her for a sister afternoon of shopping. We told them to be back at 6:30 and we would all go to dinner together. When they arrived back at the B&B, SURPRISE, we had it decorated, catere in house and ready for a party. Many family members made it and it was a wonderful night of honoring mom. For those of you who know her, I don't have to describe her beauty. For those of you who don't know her, I hope you get to some day. She is consistent, loving, strong, faithful and a joy! She is a true friend, a supportive mom and an adored grandma. She is a blessing. I love this picture of my mom and her sisters. These 4 women have always been influential and supportive in my life. They are 4 beautiful women!

"It is atrocious to laugh at someone..."

As Layla was lingering over her lunch and I was cleaning up, she says, "That's good for Chris and Adam." Another random statement. We know a few Chris's and a few Adam's, but none of them know each other, so I'm racking my brain to make sense of this one.
"Who are Chris and Adam?"
"American Idol, it's a good thing for them that they won.....remember.....on Wednesday night?"
I start laughing out of surprise. I'm shocked she remembered their names and even more shocked that she remembered the night we watched it.
"Mom, don't laugh at me, that's atrocious to laugh at someone. It makes them sad and frustrated," Layla says. (Layla loves big words, it must be a Fancy Nancy thing).
Now, I'm really laughing at her when she says, "Now I know how Danny feels."
I'm still laughing writing this.

Did I just get sassed by a bell?

We were playing outside this morning and I asked Layla to do something and she didn't want to. I gave Layla her one warning, telling her to please do it or she will go to time out. I could tell by the look on her face that I was about to get sassed. She could tell by the look on my face that if she did, her consequences would be worse. There we were.....stale mate. After a few seconds, she resigned herself to follow my direction. But, as she turned to do so, she rang her bike bell at me.....loudly! I thought, "Did I just get sassed by a bell?"

On a side note, Layla and I were just in the bathroom brushing our teeth. I looked over and she's looking at herself in the mirror, bursting with excitement.

She exclaimed, "I can't wait until I'm big!"
"Why?" I asked.
"So that I can drive a car!"
"Really," I said. "Where would you go?"
"TJ MAXX!"

Oh, that's my girl!

She Did it!

Today was the last day of school for Layla. I am so proud of her. As many of you know, the second semester was not easy for Layla. Most days she did not want to go to school and that made the second semester not easy for mom! We had some very hard days. But, we had great family and friends praying for her and had some wonderful suggestions of how to make it a better experience. We wrote a book about Layla going to school and that was key. Thank you Sara Deppe for that suggestion! Here is Layla on her last day of school. She is a brave, kind, sweet, tenderhearted, strong minded, slightly sassy, precious gift from God!

"For freaking out loud!"

First of all, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I hope all of the moms in our lives had a great day. We are blessed with 2 great moms and I feel very blessed to be a mom. Cooper was so excited for Mother's Day that he was up at 5:41am. YIKES! However, Dave took him and I enjoyed a quiet, long shower and was greeted in the kitchen with breakfast already made and beautiful roses. We went off to church, out to lunch and Layla and I spent the day in DSM shopping. Boy, can that girl shop! I was ready to head home by 1:30, but sissy just kept wanting to shop. "One more store mom, please!"

However, by the time we returned home at 4, she was tired. That's when the sassiness starts to fly. I don't know what Dave did or said, but Layla was not pleased. From the kitchen I hear her say, "Dad, for freaking out loud." I think it's a combination of my two favorites saying........"Don't freak out" and "for crying out loud." I was in another room so, needless to say, I laughed out loud...........very hard.

Layla's "Vignettes" and Cooper's "Crippity"

Honestly, I do get tired of picking up after a 3 year old and one year old. But mostly, I have to chuckle when I see their stuff lying around the house. Layla has, what I call, her vignettes. They are little pictures of her imagination. Yesterday our bathroom linen closet was her fridge and was full of her play food. The steps were her babies bunk beds with one doll on each step. Today, the rug in the living room was her swimming pool and she had all of her gear lined up around it. And later, the entry table became her desk. Her cash register was her monitor and she was using my wireless keyboard. These are all things she plays on her own and I find later. It is so interesting to see what her little mind was working on.

Cooper. on the other hand, just has crippity. Crippity is just a lot of *rap laying around. He drags his stuff all over the house and just drops it when something else strikes his fancy. I found my broom from the laundry room all the way back in our bathroom shower. I found my deodorant in the middle of the kitchen floor and his collection of balls by the front door. His wipes were in our closet and several of my shoes were out on the deck. Crippity everywhere!

Happy 40th Dave

The day is finally here, Thursday, May 7th! We've been celebrating Dave's 40th birthday since our April 1st trip to Florida. But, today is the actual day and we thank God for Dave. He is a wonderful husband and father and the best blessing in my life. Happy birthday!

"My bones are tickling!"

Last night, Dave and Layla headed out to the pond to fish. It was a wonderful end to our busy, but fun, weekend.

After kickboxing Saturday morning (no, we don't get Saturday's off), I took the kids to Jeremy and Kelley's for the weekend. Layla was so thrilled! As we approached their house in Ames Layla squealed, "I know we're getting close. I'm so excited my bones are tickling!" Dave and I were able to finish our painting at the rental Saturday afternoon and had plenty of time left for me to pull off a little SURPRISE party for Dave. Yup, another 40th birthday surprise. We then spent Sunday in Nevada with Dave's family celebrating some more. I don't think there are many people who don't know Dave is turning 40. We put his picture in the Milestone section of the Des Moines Register yesterday, he's in the Shooper and Madisonian this week and we put him up on the marquise sign in town. I'm going to be exhausted by the time his actual birthday gets here on Thursday! But, he's worth it!