Senior Ball

Tim and I spent Saturday evening chaperoning Senior Ball. I thought it would be nice to dust off one of my old bridesmaids dresses and dance the night away with my students (I'm completely lying). It was nice to chat with friends from work and their spouses. All in all, we had a good time and the kids were all really well behaved. I am always excited to see the dresses and styles, but this year was the first year I have realized I must be getting old. Maybe it's a bad fashion year or maybe I am just not "with it" anymore, but most choices were "interesting," to say the least!! If anything, I hope our students realize how lucky they really have it. To live in this area and be able to rent a beautiful 5-story venue in the heart of San Francisco is hard to top. I've had to chaperone Senior Ball for several years and every time I feel like it's out of the movie, "She's All That."

Of course, the highlight of the evening was driving up to our house and noticing Sophie's light is on in her room. Mind you, it's midnight when we get home. After Tim and I took bets on what was going down inside, we finally headed in to witness the damage. Unfortunately, she woke up screaming for us and our babysitter tried to calm her down. Sophie got herself so worked up crying, she did her usual 'vomit on the comforter.' Our poor babysitter had to clean it all up and Sophie was sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for us while Marisol was cleaning up. Thankfully, she went back to bed after a quick story with Mommy! Of course, Sophie and Noah were bright-eyed and bushy tailed first thing in the morning so we couldn't indulge in sleeping in at all (or probably ever again in our entire lives). I've decided what parents really need is a babysitter to wake up with the kids in the morning after a long night out!

More Outside Fun

A couple of more pictures from outside yesterday. As I am writing this, the fog is slowly rolling in and it is getting colder by the second. Apparently, nobody got my memo that summer is supposed to be here now!!

Need a Hand?

Noah is very anxious to grow up and be a big boy so he can help his Daddy around the yard! Don't worry, I was there two seconds later to get him down!!

Fight Cystic Fibrosis!!

Sophie has been preparing for her very first charity walk and today she was able to finally participate in a march against Cystic Fibrosis. During the past couple of weeks, she has collected almost $200 in small donations to fight for her cause. She was extremely proud of her accomplishment, as she should be and I can't help but be so proud of my little girl as well. She's young so she doesn't understand all of it, but she has definitely learned she can help others and have fun at the same time!! Sophie thanks everyone for all of their generous donations! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!!

Just Us Girls

Sophie has just loves it when she and I get to hang out alone. Even if it's a short trip to Starbucks, she beams with excitement and loves our "girl" time. I can only imagine how much fun it's going to be as she grows! This past weekend, we decided to sneak out and catch a movie (Horton Hears a Who) while Noah was napping so Daddy could watch the Masters in peace. She's quite the moviegoer, even though it was only her second movie. We had a blast and look forward to our next movie together!!

Here she is (totally unrelated picture, I know) showing off her hat she got when the fire department came by her school the other day. She loved meeting real firemen and getting to see the inside of a firetruck!

Heatwave!!!

The temperature has reached above 80 the past couple of days. We have been outside nonstop, enjoying the beautiful sun and weather. Windows are open, the kids are sweaty with red cheeks, sandals are on, we grilled out....we're ready for summer!!!

Visit with Lucas

Sophie and I went to visit a friend of mine and her new bundle of joy, Lucas. He is absolutely adorable and Sophie had such a fun time singing him songs. The other day she asked me to go back to the hospital and bring back another baby to play with. I know...I literally almost fell out of my seat when she said this. Once I gathered my composure, I suggested we visit Lucas instead. I think I've averted her recent request, at least for now!!

And This Kid.....

"Yeah, I'm about to climb on the table. What are you going to do about it?"

And then there's my other little "angel," who is like a walking tornado through our house. He experiences such joy in making a complete mess out of anything and everything! And then he will make it all better by saying a simple, "Uh oh!" This picture reminds me so much of Tim....it kinda frightens me!!

What Happened to My Angel?

Oh, this picture is so appropriate. I really thought I was past certain stages with Sophie. Once she turned 3, I high-fived myself thinking I sneaked by without having to deal with major tantrums, meltdowns, and downright defiance. Well, I have come to discover the world of defiance in the means of two very simple phrases: "NO" and "I DON'T WANT TO."

Honestly, my household within one weekend has become a zero-tolerance environment. I am not about to be creative with my parenting when my daughter simply answers everything, regardless of tone, with a defiant "NO." I know I'm a counselor, but she has pretty much thrown every one of my counseling strategies and skills out the window. My patience is nearly invisible these days and my negotiation and bartering skills simply make me look like a fool. So, this week is officially deemed hard ball. Tim and I will be strong. She will not get the best of us. We will not back down. We are a united front and will quickly shift from authoritative to authoritarian within seconds. As you can tell, I'm writing all of this down so I have something to refer to when I experience a moment of weakness. I have a feeling she will be doing a lot of "thinking" this week in time-out. Go team.

Happy Birthday Great Grandma!!!

We wish we could be with you in Ohio to help celebrate your birthday! Hope it is lots of fun! We love you! She calls her Great Grandma "Ice Cream Grandma" because she vividly remembers eating unlimited ice cream at her apartment when we went to visit!! Some names just stick!