Whattaryagonnado?

Leah got this cute dress-up outfit when she was just a month old (thanks Jenni!) and it's been hanging in her closet untouched ever since. She wandered in there and managed to pull it out and bring it to me. How could I refuse? Add Mommy's shoes to the mix and VOILA: a lovely dancing girl. Even Dillan remarked how beautiful she was and that she looked like a princess.

Later, sans said dress, we were out and not once, but TWICE someone had a comment to make about the little boy in my shopping cart. Way back when, her pigtails used to get rave reviews wherever we went. Now it's just her cuteness, but everyone thinks SHE'S A HE! I don't make a big deal out of it, or at least try not to. I put skirts on her and cute T-shirts with flowers, rainbows, and something pink; but nothing seems to work. Clips don't stay on her head, and even if I tried Super Glue I know she'd find a way to pull it out.

So we may be heading out soon with the dress up tutu, just for a little experiment. Be warned all ye who dare open their mouths when they see us coming!

Really people, TWICE in one day? Come on. I pity the person who happens upon us at the end of a long day and decides to open their mouth...

The Great Elmo T-shirt Quest

Late in the morning I took the kids over to Kohls for a little light shopping. This cute Elmo T-shirt practically jumped off the shelf at me. For $3, I was sold. Then the genius idea hit that I could find both kids Elmo T-shirts to wear to the show. The first had appeared without warning, so I figured it'd be a simple task. This is why I don't do much of the figuring chez nous.

To keep it short, I'll just say our search took us all over to many different stores. Everywhere had Elmo on something for baby girls, but nothing for boys! Dillan tried to talk me into getting him one shirt in particular. I told him Daddy would kill me and I couldn't live with Dillan wearing it in public. I even braved the dreaded WalEMart, where I was sure I would find something! (I know I'm not the first mother to sacrifice whatever it takes for her kid) NOTHING! Not even PJs! Yes, by this point, I was going to let him wear PJs to the show, if it meant that cute red monster was on them! So many character shirts, but no Elmo. We considered settling with Transformers (he's not 100% sure who they are yet) or Lightning McQueen, but he really wanted a shirt like his sister. Both the kids were troopers through this whole fiasco, and Dillan repeated several times to me, "Don't give up!"

All day we had been flying in and out of stores empty handed in the hot sun and were glistening in sweat. Our last stop was the mall. I told Dillan if it wasn't there, we'd get one of his white shirts at home and put Elmo stickers all over it. Finally at JCPenney we found one! There were two styles, but only one in his size. He loved it! $7, SCORE! I was relieved and Dillan was glowing. Then the cashier has the nerve to pull out this little plush Elmo and wave it in front of my kids after Dillan told her we were going to see his show. I ignored her and pretended not to see the thing and we were on our way. Near the car, of course, we run into a friend with her kids. She takes one look at me and says, "Whoa, what are YOU up to?" Yeah, I must have looked lovely. Lucky for her, since she asked, she was the first to hear my rant about the huge conspiracy with none of the stores having anything close to Sesame Street apparal and how I was so bent on NOT buying one for $20 at the show. I was convinced someone would emerge from the spinning around me with a camcorder laughing hysterically on how they'd been following me all day and how could I not know that Elmo shirts were a novelty I was never going to find! Didn't happen.

But it all turned out okay...(cue 2nd post)

Sesame Street LIVE!

"Today we get to watch the Elmo movie!"

We've been keeping "Elmo" on the down-low for a few weeks now. It's hard to bring something up to Dillan that isn't happening for a while because every morning he asks if today is the day. He's not quite skilled in the art of patience. But yes, Thursday was our day to see Elmo in San Diego!

But WOW, what a great show! We had so much fun!


Leah always tries to take a peek at the picture
before I even take it!

Dillan was never without a big smile. As characters appeared on the stage, he'd scream "There's Abby!" or "There's Cookie Monster!" They sang and danced and laughed, it was great!
Leah's eyes were completely fixed with awe on the stage for the whole first half. She danced with the music in between climbing from her seat to my lap every 2 minutes. Just before intermission, she was ready for a break- great timing! We joined the masses by the souvenir stands. Dillan picked a pair of giboculars (binoculars, he practiced saying it right the whole way home) and Daddy picked some cotton candy (yuck!) I was grateful that Dillan was dissuaded from a balloon or stuffed animal (my two most hated souvenir types.)


Not the real Elmo, but good enough!
Deliberately placed next to the souvenirs!

The second half Leah clapped with the music and sat in her seat most of the time, thanks in part to the constant sugary goodness shoved in her mouth. Dillan was beside himself with joy with his new treasure. He's promised to earn them or Mommy gets to take them back. He loves explaining how they work and even took them to bed with him. He says next time we go to the show he wants to get one of the "spinning Elmo's with the lights" (those light chaser things that come out in the evenings at Disneyland.)


Waiting for the show to start!



We had such a great time! Thank you Aunt Julie for sharing your tickets with us! It was great!

Happy Father's Day!

To our wonderful Daddy...



"A Daddy is something that is a boy and so big...



And he does hard work for me, and he plays games with me, and he calls me "ManCub..."



He takes care of me and my family. I love him." -Dillan

"A Papa is like a Daddy. He works hard and he does stuff for you...



He has lots of tools and fixes everything when he breaks it.



Sometimes he paints the wall green and goes swimming with me.
He lives at Grandma's house!" -Dillan



Happy Father's Day to our Daddy and Papas! We love you!

Last Day of School!

Wow, what a year!


Aug 2008-Jun 2009

Dillan had such a wonderful year at preschool. He made lots of new friends. He learned to write his name. He learned letter sounds. He learned lots of new songs. He learned classroom behavior and being courteous. He learned good manners and had a great time! We can't wait till next year!

The last day was just a potluck party. Dillan wanted to make Jello. We made some jigglers using our new cookie cutters. We made 1s, 2s, and 3s in honor of the name of his school: 123 Learn.
We also made a yummy s'more treat using cereals, honey, marshmallows, and choc chips.



He was sent home with a cute keepsake poem complete with handprint.

Now I know my ABC's.
Colors, shapes and days.
I sang some songs,
Learned some poems, rhymes, and fingerplays.
I played outside on sunny days,
and inside when it rained.
My little hands and feet were busy every day.
My teachers were Ms. Carol and Ms. Melissa
I kept them on their toes.
They tied my shoes, combed my hair, & even wiped my nose.
But now it's time to say "good-bye"
to all my preschool friends.
School is over, summer's here.
But learning never ends!

Dillan asked: Mom, what's summer vacation mean?

Oh just you wait kid! I'm ready to educate you!

...and UP!

We saw our first preview for the movie months ago. When the title appeared in the sky, Dillan happily declared, "P U!" There was much laughter. I couldn't get over it. Then we saw another preview later on and Dillan mimicked the dog with "SQUIRREL!" followed by a long stare to the side. I was beside myself. Eventually we got the letters straightened out, and Dillan kept asking when we could see it. I told him it would be awhile, no way was I going to a movie theater. (remember, I've sworn to never set foot in one again) So we'd be waiting until it came out to rent.


We're ready! Let's do it!

Of course, I'm such a sucker for that little guys' charms so I gave in and took BOTH of them to the theater. It would have been nice to just have Dillan, but I thought I'd give Leah a chance to prove herself. We chose a quiet matinee and got the biggest popcorn available. We were there a little early, so the plan was to finish the popcorn and then refill it for when the movie finally started.


No, the popcorn didn't last. No, the movie hadn't started.

Dillan did very well. He sat still and munched on popcorn in between bursts of laughter and repeating lines from the characters. Leah was fine until she messed her diaper. Then she was a wreck. She didn't want to sit anymore and occupied herself on the stairs. I knew the movie was close to being done, so I made her wait before changing her. Mean Mommy. She was bored and uncomfortable, so it wasn't much fun for either one of us. But, we saw the movie, we conquered the theater, and got our fill for another year or so. Daddy (the theater's biggest fan) gets to take Dillan next time. Not sure who's most excited about it!

...a truck book...

Then there's the ongoing saga "Sundays with Leah." She wants absolutely nothing to do with Nursery! Of course, 99% of the time she falls asleep within the first 5 minutes of being there. It's like her defense mechanism. She closes her eyes to escape the horrible reality surrounding her, and enters her dreamland. The little power naps never last too long, but once it's snack time, she's a little better. With food, who wouldn't be? Anyway, I've been banned from entering that room. It's nice to know that the Nursery leader insists upon me not being there so she can adjust and get used to it. He's determined to win her heart. We're trying new tactics in Operation Nursery Intiative. One of which is the Truck Book.



I originally got this book for Dillan from his school's book club. He liked it for a few months and then it went MIA for a while. I found it under the rug about a month ago and set it back on the shelf. It was love at first sight for Leah. I don't know what it is about the book, but she's hooked. We've even tried disguising it among the other books so she'll move on, but she always finds it! You have to read it 682 times a day. Over and over and over. I'll bet she has it memorized, she's just not saying so.

A pool..

Who said you can't swim during a thunderstorm? Okay, we really didn't, but the majority in the house really really wanted to! At Dillan's birthday party I had purchased two spiderman inflatable rings to use at the party. I decided to pull them out when we went to the pool, just so Dillan can be reminded that swimming is SUPPOSED to be fun, when Mommy's not overdoing it on the pressure to be brave and try it on his own. I was afraid they'd be a huge mistake and ruin all the progress we've been making. It's like when I taught in Orem, there was normally always one 6 or 7-year-old who wasn't very comfortable in the water, but their mother would insist that they swam like a fish at their grandparent's pool, decked out with their lifejacket, waterwings, and snorkel. Hmm...go figure!


Are you flexing Daddy?

Anyway, we tried the ring and right away Dillan got the groove of floating on his own. I reminded him to kick his legs and he could move forward. Whoa, that really works! He then declared that he was going to swim to the wall 5 times. We talked about using our arms and he did it. 5 laps across the pool. Then he climbed out and told me he was going to take off the ring and wanted to swim to me! YEAH! The ring actually boosted his confidence and he was thankfully willing to take it off! He was a little swimming machine after that. We were there most of the day, and completely exhausted when we got back! He's excited about swimming like a big kid and loves the pool! Hooray!

Let's Celebrate!

Not to let the anniversary drag on, but we finally had our own little celebration. It was great. A night away from the kids, followed by a day at California Adventures. We had so much fun together! It was nice just the two of us with the whole day. We did everything we wanted! Chris even gave in and went on Tower of Terror with me. The day was ours!



Of course, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think Dillan would LOVE that place. He was on my mind most of the day, especially when we met Lightning McQ and Mater. Most of the Disney movies we own are by Pixar, and that place is Pixar heaven. Cars Land? Seriously! I only hope Dillan isn't over Lightning McQueen when it finally opens in a few years. We're all hooked on the movies. Cars (especially Leah), Monsters Inc, Toy Story, Wall-E, and Meet the Robinsons. I'm considering taking Dillan in the next couple weeks to use the second part of his 2fer from his Bday. Yes, I'm even considering tricking him into riding Tower of Terror with me. Only considering. I love the rush from a free fall ride. He'd probably hate me when it was over, but he'd get over it. There's plenty more fun he'd forgive me for later.



Thanks for a great day! Thanks Grandma, Papa and Chad for taking the kids for us! We owe you big time!