She's a Big Girl

I finally took Lauren to get her hair cut today.  I'm not sure why I have waited so long, I guess I kept wanting her hair to grow more.  I realized today that instead of her having long hair, she had a semi-mullet with scraggly ends.  Not a super cute look.  So, I took her to a kids hair salon and watched her scraggly ends fall to the ground.  I didn't tear up...well, not really.

PS - they gave her a certificate for her first haircut with a lock of her hair.  Totally worth the money.  I mean, from now on I don't need to go there, but worth it for the first time.

10 Things to Smile About in November

Wow - where is the time going?  Here we are again at the end of a month and ready to list out my 10 Things to Smile About in November.  Let's get started...

A last minute 3-day getaway to Palm Springs for the four of us.  The weather was perfect, the hotel was almost empty and the rate was dirt cheap.  What more could you ask for??

A spa day with my sister two weeks before she gave birth to baby #3.  We had massages, ate lunch and shopped all day.  I'm guessing we won't get a chance to do that for a while.

Enjoying Lauren's last day of "mommy and me" school before the holiday break.  She is crazy about her teacher and just loves her time there.  I'm hoping we get into the next session--the class fills up FAST!  Here she is proudly showing off the bead necklace that she made.

The birth of my brand new niece!!

Giving thanks for my family on Thanksgiving and the day after.  We spent time with my in-laws and my parents and enjoyed the holiday while stuffing ourselves.

My kids enjoying special time with almost all of their cousins.  First it was a sleepover at our house the night my sister had her baby, then it was Thanksgiving dinner with the cousins on my husbands side of the family.

My amazing friend Shannon (known as Aunt Shannon) who comes to my house, helps with the kids and is always the most supportive friend.  Here she is leading "Princess Storytime" for Lauren and my niece.

My husband's Christmas spirit.  Joe is as excited about Christmas as the kids and it makes the whole season so fun.  We are fortunate to have a house in our neighborhood that is AMAZINGLY decorated for Christmas and we walk to it a few nights a week.  This is our first visit of the 2010 season.

The first birthday of my good friend's son.  He was born with many complications, spent time in the NICU, been on a feeding tube and has already undergone several surgeries.  Celebrating his first birthday was an emotional event for all of us.

Visiting with my (almost) 95 year old grandfather.  I'm so thankful my kids are able to get to know their great-grandfather, such a rare gift.  His health has only recently been on the decline and I'm realistic that his time is limited, but he has always been such a special man to me and I'm so happy he now is to my children as well.

What made you smile in November?  Remember, a smile is contagious -- it's hard not to smile when someone is smiling at you.

I'm a Way Better Mom

I'm a way better mom when I'm watching someone else's child.  Take the last two Tuesdays as examples.  After busy mornings of speech therapy #1, playdate, lunch, speech therapy #2 I got home just in time to watch my friend's daughter "A".  Normally 2pm is the time in the afternoon when I get Lauren to nap and Daniel to, well... "rest."  Resting generally means him watching tv for a while and then incessantly interrupting me to play with him. 

However, I just don't feel comfortable telling a friend's child, "go watch more tv."  So, last week I spontaneously created three Thanksgiving crafts, held storytime in my living room and played freeze dance with two 4-year olds (thankfully, Lauren napping at 2pm still held true).  This week I set up our bounce house in the front yard and Daniel and "A" had a blast bouncing out their energy (again, bless Lauren's little heart she napped).  Following bounce time was snack time, then more bouncing.  No wonder Daniel loves having friends over! 

10 Things To Smile About

Another month has come and gone so it's time to look back and remember 

October's 10 Things to Smile About:

Pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins!

A baby shower for my oldest friend (oldest in years of friendship!).  So excited for Tracie and Neil to welcome baby Reese to their family.

A very special visit with our newest nephew (and cousin), Simon.  My kids adored spending time with him and kept kissing and hugging him.

A couple of rainy days so the kids could put on their rain boots and splash in puddles.  

Then back to sunshine!  The weather has been weird, but it's been nice to enjoy all seasons within a month.

A fun evening with the "older" kids and my parents at the Pirates Dinner Adventure Show.

Watching Lauren really think she is part of Daniel's preschool class -- marching in the Halloween parade, posing in their class picture and eating lunch with them.

The knowledge that Daniel and Lauren are still small enough (and Joe is still strong enough) to comfort both kids at once.

Trick-or-treating with friends

Daniel and Lauren playing together and enjoying toys we thought they had outgrown.

Feeling a sense of calm before the storm of the holidays.  Enjoying some crazy, event-filled days, but also some calm, lazy days.  Knowing that things only get more busy during November and in the years to come, so to enjoy the simple things.  Walks around the neighborhood, baking muffins, carving pumpkins, coloring, and snuggling up to watch a movie.

Be sure to check out what made others smile.