stayin alive

Audrie's Kindergarten graduation is next week and she has been giving us little previews of some of the songs they will be singing for the event.

Today I caught one on video (and Annie provided some sweet dance moves with her barbie doll)...

You gotta check this out! I think Audrie's knee bops are my favorite...! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_bdEo6eboY&feature=youtu.be

four years, really?!?

Working on Annie's birthday party invitations and looking through photos of her over the past four years.... tears. 

 

Really?

Think I'm going to start a new blog all about "things I never thought I'd say outloud"...

4/23/14 "What did Daddy tell you about being naked in the front yard?".

insider secrets

 I have to share a few things that have made my life a little easier (and more girly... if that was needed??) lately.

Beware, these secrets are not cheap. :)

Ok, so in the Fayetteville mall there is a kiosk by the food court (I can't remember the name!) that is selling curling wands (and straighteners) that are truly amazing! I'm not even kidding.

On the rare occasion that I wake up on time, I will have Audrie and Annie sit on the couch and watch a highly educational video about how to be perfect children... or Spongebob.

Then I take a handful of their hair, wrap it around the hot wand, count to ten, let go (repeat til all strands are done... usually takes me 5-10 minutes). And, I am telling you, their hair looks awesomely curly.

The BEST part is... it lasts for DAYS. The first day, it's springy curls, they sleep on it, wake up the next day to soft curls, and the third day (if they are not too stinky and I have to wash their hair) it will be wavy curls. 

These curls last through recess, PE, trampoline, etc, for days. Good stuff!

(FYI- also the same effect on my hair)

Ok, the catch is. They are not cheap. But I will say that this kiosk will majorly barter the price down. Maybe it's my honed Chinatown shopping skills, but I talked them way down on the price. Let me know if you need me to go with you! :)

 Also, this kiosk sells a Moraccan hair oil that I am in love with. I've started using it on the girls hair after bathtime and it has SERIOUSLY cut down on tangles in the morning.

Which has cut down on tears and my time spent screaming "DO YOU WANT ME TO USE THIS HAIRBRUSH ON YOUR BACKSIDE??!".

Ok, here is another super cool invention that I am LOVING. Have you heard of Jamberry nails? Um, totally awesome. 

Basically they are nail stickers that you heat wrap to your nails. (Reminds me of the shrink wraps you put on your Easter Eggs!!?).

 I friend of mine at school had some of these and I was admiring them. I bought some and they are so awesome. You stick them to your nail, cut them down and file them to your nail shape, blast them with a hairdryer and they are stuck for good!

They work so good for me because I play the piano all day (banging the correct note at off-pitch jr high tenors all day will do a number on your nails!). But these things last for about two weeks on me- which is amazing.

And on my toenails they've lasted so long that I finally just took them off so I could try a new design. 

Of course they are great for Audrie and Annie (Jamberry sells a Junior size in the strips).

Ok, there you have it! My latest discoveries. :)

Enjoy!

books and bikes

 Pretty much every morning when I'm getting Annie dressed for pre-school, she complains that her dress isn't "big enough" or not "spinny enough". Oh my.

So I saw a sale at Old Navy on their spring dresses and I tried to find a few that were big and spinny for this little diva. :)

Annie getting ready to go to a friend's birthday party.

Audrie getting a lesson in determination.

 Last weekend, we decided to let Audrie take the training wheels off her bike and see how it went. At first, she was super frustrated (because somehow she has in her personality that she has to be good at everything and is impatient when things are not going perfect immediately... not sure where she gets that..? ha) But she didn't give up.

The second day of trying- she had that magic moment where you could honestly see the light bulb go off and she "got it". Now there is no stopping her. She has a few serious bruises for her efforts, but her proud smile is pretty awesome.

I did get teary eyed watching her learn this... such a milestone in life.

Audrie's reading has really taken off, too. I am a little sad because before she learned to read she used to sing herself to sleep at night and now she reads. I mean, that's all fine and stuff (ha!), but I miss hearing her made up songs from her bedroom.

Jamie rockin some sweet socks.

Met two of my dearest friends for a night out last weekend. I miss teaching with these amazing ladies, but happy we still get together regularly for girl therapy.

That's all for now. Hope your week is going great!

springtime photo shoot

 A couple of weeks ago, Jamie and I were driving downtown Fayetteville and went down the street behind the Fayetteville library. I saw a really fun graffiti wall back there and knew it would make a fun photo shoot.

So today I took the girls down there to try the spot out and it did not disappoint. Such a colorful bright place to capture some Audrie and Annie energy!

 These two pics just melt my heart. Can't believe Audrie is six years old!

The girls have these pink umbrellas they got in Chinatown last spring and they love them! I really didn't intend on using them, but the girls asked and I'm glad they did. Such a cute prop!

 Look at those sparkly eyes!

 Jamie and I both feel like in the time we were gone from the girls last week- Audrie aged a few years. She's getting so grown up on us!

I am so glad I caught this look on Annie's face. Because this is THE mischievous grin she gives us right before she acts out her evil plans. ;)

I like this next photo of her, too. Looks like Rosie the Riveter to me. :)

And this one might be my favorite (I like the composition of the photo and her smile).

Annie had trouble with this photo shoot because the graffiti wall was close to the road and I had to step in the road a few times to get a pic. Annie DID NOT like that. She is very sensitive and was overly concerned about my safety.  Sweet girl!

Such a fun photo shoot! Maybe Spring is really here and we can all be done with the crazy snow!

Heeeeeey!

Oh my goodness, why are you still checking my blog?! Did you think I was actually going to start blogging again???!

I am sorry for leaving you for so long. I have no good excuses. Just living life and being busy and all that stuff.

So here is a tiny update on the Four of Us...

Still LOVING that we are back in Arkansas. Definitely miss NYC, but appreciating all the things we had taken for granted in our life. 

Like having a fireplace!! :)

Which has been great with all the SNOW we have had this winter.

Audrie turned 6 and had a sweet birthday. Started the day with birthday pancakes..!

Then had a few friends over for a Princess party... and Princess Belle came to her party!!

Little miss Annie is still being her sweet self. Loving preschool- can write her name, say bible verses, and be everyone's best friend. :)

The girls got their ears pierced two weeks ago. Their choice. A big day for them!

Audrie used some of her allowance to buy a basketball and there is a hoop on our street that she can actually sink some shots. Pretty impressive to me.

I played baseball with Annie this afternoon and she can hit it far. Our girls may have some athletic potential beneath all that pink drama. Except every time Annie hit the ball she would yell "YAY BASKETBALL!". um, ok, maybe need to clarify a few sports concepts with her.

Jamie turned 35 this week and says he still doesn't feel old. Despite all his gray hairs... that he says living with three girls has done to him! :)

I bought a HUGE pair of sunglasses in anticipation of our beach spring break trip next week. So excited!!

(This is me attempting to look all fierce in my ridiculous shades..!)

Oh, here is a random pic of the girls watching America's Funniest Videos (they love that show)!

That's as exciting as our life is these days, folks.

Thanks for checking in on us. I will try try try to be better about posting!

new member of the family

 When we took the girls to sit on Santa's knee at the mall, they both told him they wanted another kitty for Christmas...?!
We had been thinking of getting a friend for our first cat that we got in July, so we decided to go for it.
We used the same rescue shelter as before and the wonderful lady helped match us with THE sweetest little white kitten (part Siamese and Snowshoe).
We named him Olaf (from the movie, Frozen, and because he's white like a snowman).
And we love him.

 He is very gentle and patient with the girls.

 At first, Marla, our other cat, wasn't too sure about the new addition. She hissed for a couple days. And honestly, I wasn't sure it was going to work out.

 But then about the third or fourth day, they became the best of buds. Now they play and nap together. Inseparable all day. It's pretty cute.

Welcome to the family, Olaf!