More Changes.

Look who thinks he's people! And now, achieving his dreams of having all his trucks watch him sleep.

But even big guys still need naps

(please note, Elizabeth told me she was seven and didn't need a nap, but it's 3:13 and she's still in her room, which means she's definitely asleep.)

I won't lie, it feels strange and nostalgic to get rid of the crib, even though for the past year it's just been three sides of a cage around a mattress on a floor, and we never intend on having a baby of our own sleeping in our house again. And I do feel bad moving the dresser/changing table, because it's one of Lulu's favorite places to nap.

Don't worry, she's still getting a good snooze as well.

Fired Up Party!

With Ellie's pottery painting behind us, we are officially done celebrating our seven year old, but it was another good one. I love Fired Up and Sarah, the wonderful hippie who runs it. Once again, we had the run of the place to ourselves, so we were able to set up snacks and drinks and stuff for coloring on the picnic tables in the back yard, and once everyone had gathered, Ellie and her girlfriends picked what they wanted to paint, and the moms (and Todd, the one specially invited Dad) were able to get to work being creative and having fun.

When the girls finished painting, there was fun stuff to do outside as well. I stole an idea from the Lighthouse Fundraiser and set up a game where the kids had to throw a frisbee into a pyramid of toilet paper rolls. Which then turned into playing toilet paper bride, and just throwing toilet paper EVERYWHERE.

We had mini corn dogs and chips and juice boxes for the kids, and sparkling wine for the moms (because one of the nicest things about doing a small party at Fired Up is that I get to hang out with my favorite mom-friends) and Ellie and I made some lovely red velvet cupcakes with blue frosting, and lots of decorations from Ro's baking line.

Then opened presents and hung out for a little while long. It's such a great space, and Ellie just loves getting to be "a real artist."

So lucky for all the ladies in this picture, and a few that we were sadly missing.

Afterwards, Tim and Adam came and met a couple of us up at Pizza Port for pizza and a little more hanging around.

Who doesn't love these three little Musketeers?

Lucky Number Seven.

Look at this wonderful little lady, our seven year old girl. How has the time gone this fast? I was sort of amazed when she got herself dressed yesterday morning and picked out her school shirt and leggings. So sporty! So unlike her usual MO which is to weep and ask for me to make alternations if she's ever required to wear a school or camp tee shirt (she picked it out HERSELF!)

She did change for her birthday party.

She started the morning by climbing in with us, then going and getting her presents to open in bed. Did not really care about the books or the sequined skirt (which if I could fit into it, I would wear!) but she was THRILLED with her spatulas and sugar sequins from the Nerdy Nummies baking line, and while Adam was napping, she helped me frost her cupcake cake.

In her Nerdy Nummies apron of course. She also said to me "oh mommy, I didn't know we owned an offset spatula!" as she went to work. She's a true pastry artist.

NOT HELPFUL (please note her blue whiskers.)

As you can see, she was pleased with the final product.

Despite sobbing in the morning about it not being his birthday and him not having any presents, Adam was a much better sport about the evening present opening, mostly because he had a confetti fight with himself.

(I did remind Ellie that during his birthday, since she wouldn't let him help, she can't offer to help him. I also told her after she spent Lexi's birthday party crying about not having Lexi's full attention, she needs to remember how to be the best hostess and play with all of her party guests. Kristen also said she'd bring the decorated limbo-stick from Lexi's party, so that I can hit Ellie if she starts caterwalling. Or so the kids can limbo, WHICHEVER.)

For her birthday menu, Ellie originally asked for pigs in a blanket, which I'm fine with because you can still get nice sausage and crescent rolls and fancy them up for those who aren't super into tubed meat. Then she said she wanted corn dogs, which I am less all about (and not prepared to make myself!) So, we did half pigs and half pre-made frozen corn dogs and everyone was happy. Even used her little onions from the field trip in the salad! And cake, pumpkin pie ice cream and whipped cream.

Parenting, you have to lean in.

We are a very nice family, as always.

We ended the evening with a wonderful dance party, as usual. Including an epic dance battle between Ellie and I. And Jake was a wonderful dance partner to all small children, making them levitate!

All in all, a fantastic night for our fantastic girl. And then I snuck in at 10:30 to look at her, at the moment she was born, and cry a little.

Field Trips!

So many adventures for the kids lately! This morning I chaperoned Ellie's field trip to the pumpkin patch at Tanaka Farms. All of the first grade classrooms went, so it was bonkers. Thankfully (for me, not the teachers) they were able to fit everyone on one bus... if the parents drove themselves. DON'T MIND IF I DO!

I met up with them, got my four assigned children (Ellie, one of her best girlfriends, and two boys besties who were mostly well behaved) and off we went. They took us on a hayride around the property, we got to visit the petting zoo area full of friendly but smelly goats and sheep, we wandered through the corn maze, and then they got to pick vegetables. They were limited to a handful of cilantro, four radishes, four onions and four carrots. Ellie managed to pull two carrots that had four or more little legs growing off of them, so she definitely got her carrot's worth! Then the kids went to a little pumpkin patch where they were allowed to pick one pumpkin, provided they could carry it themselves. There were also tractors to climb on and hay bales to jump over. We ended up having an early lunch, having done all of the activities, and then waiting a half hour for another class to finish up. Poor kids - it was over 90 today and the farm didn't have running water, so no way to fill water bottles. I'm sure it was a very sweaty bus ride back to school!

Not to be outdone, Adam and I spent a really nice morning at Pretend City last week with some of the girls from MOPS. We've only been there once before, and it was on a holiday weekend when Ellie was a toddler and Adam was a baby - it's much more fun on a quiet morning with a great four year old guy. His favorite parts were playing with the giant foam blocks - he built us a bed and we took pretend naps - and farming. They had trees painted on the wall and little bins for fruit, and he loved picking them all, planting them in the fake dirt and then helping me put them back again. 

And of course, fought some fires, drove some cars and was a muscle man. 

Totally Rotten.

You'd never know that Ellie wasn't already seven (or seventeen) given the celebrations that went on this past weekend, in anticipation of her birthday.

On Saturday she got to go to DISNEYLAND! Our good friends Adrian and Elisa love Disney, but only have boys, and they wanted to go and do Disney with a girl, especially the bippity-boppity-boo-boutique, which is hair and make up for little girls, inside Cinderella's castle. So Tim took the kids and headed out bright and early (I had volunteer duties for Special Olympics, and also, do not enjoy Disneyland and don't really want to deal with my kids in that mass of humanity until they're a few years older. Meanest mommy forever!) She had a BLAST. Was more difficult about waiting in line than her brother, but overall, they hung in their pretty well. The park was packed, so even though they were there until 6pm, they only went on six or seven rides. Ellie liked the Haunted Mansion, but Adam said it was too scary, and then at the end of the night, I'm proud to say that she told Tim "it's okay that we missed Pirates. Mommy says it's boring and the water smells bad and the line is too long."

They did a really cute job! She's wearing a birthday girl sash, AND got the shirt and the tutu, and then she got to take home a bunch of little hair products (loves the new hair pins), nail polish, and a little make up palate. Elisa had a great time watching her get all done up, and the seven of them all had a good day at the park.

I had a good day volunteering to get people registered for We Run the City with Special Olympics. We got fifty-five racers to sign up at the Long Beach Marathon expo, and the best moment was this very unassuming woman singing up for the race, and then saying "I'd like to make an additional donation." I showed her the sheet we have that outlines the fundraising incentives, and she said "I'll donate $350." Just like that! And when asked about it, she said "I'm not a millionaire, but it seemed like the right thing to do." It was so incredibly heart warming and sweet.

Meanwhile, after their day at the park, Tim went to dinner with Mimi and Poppy, and left Ellie behind so that she could spend the day at the American Girl Doll Store, meeting her new doll. Ellie's been pouring over the Truly Me catalog for months, and so finally, she got to meet her new baby. Bitty came along too, of course.

Such happy little ladies! After some debate, the doll's name is Samantha Rose. Runner up name was Rose Law. No idea where Law came from - perhaps a tribute to her Poppy's profession. Then they all got to go to the cafe and have a wonderful lunch together with Mimi and Poppy. It's a weekend of wonderful memories for sure, though I'm slightly concerned as to how she's going to do on her actual birthday.

The other night though, she asked about presents on her birthday and I did warn her that she's already gotten to do a lot of fun stuff. Plus she already has new pink boots, and she's getting a birthday party at Fired Up, so not to expect a huge mountain of gifts. Then of course we followed up by teasing her that Gigi and Grizz didn't get her any presents, but they took the gift that Lisa left behind last month and took off the tag and wrote their names on it.

Firsts for Small Fry.

This school year really feels like we're in a new phase of parenting. Ellie's in school full time, Adam's happily off to preschool three days a week, and I'm realizing that they're really not little kids anymore. I mean, they're still little and adorable and wonderful, but they're school-aged, they're not babies.

One big thing is, we're officially done with diapers! Almost seven years after we started with all of this nonsense, Adam is now sleeping in his underwear and easily staying dry all night. Up next, we'll have him start sleeping in the queen bed in his room, instead of his crib mattress on the floor, with three sides of the crib still up. He's almost too long for the mattress, so it's just a matter of convincing him that his new big bed will be so awesome (I am willing to bet he'll cry about it at first.)

I tried taking him to his first dentist visit yesterday, and he wanted no part of it. He liked looking at all of the tools and liked watching Ellie get her exam and cleaning, but all he'd let the dentist do was count his teeth, and only while sitting in my lap, reclined onto my chest. The dentist said that from her brief exam there wasn't anything to be concerned about, and that his gray front tooth is fine, and will fall out when it falls out (he smashed his mouth pretty badly on the first night of our trip to Wisconsin, and it's gradually grayed out over time. It's noticeable but not hideous.) Meanwhile, Ellie watched part of Beauty and the Beast, got a good cleaning and a couple of xrays and was pronounced an A+ patient with no cavities. I always breathe a sigh of relief when that happens - the cavities make me feel like a crap parent, even though I brush everyone's teeth the best I can.

His teacher deeply enjoys his commitment to bringing enormous vehicle toys to school for share days on Friday. The other week he brought his crane, today his bulldozer. It took me awhile to get him say it, but he kept calling his bulldozer "Sweetie" while he was carrying it into his classroom. Please to enjoy.

Sassy Style

I deeply enjoy Ellie's sense of style. She's gotten slightly more normal, after her TK year of "skirts over pants" but this was her get up for school pictures

She asked that I paint her fingernails, even though her hands aren't going to be shown.

And here she is with everyone's favorite accessory, the Spikey Doodle

Of course, her signature Ellie style is her cowgirl boots, which she's been wearing since she turned four. Her second pair of Target faithfuls was getting really worn out, so I told her that we could go to Boot Barn and get her some "real" cowgirl boots. She was a little overwhelmed by her choices, but ultimately went with exactly what I figured she'd chose, having looked at the wall o'boots.

Pink!