GROWING UP

Well today Lauren came in to the bathroom with me and decided she wanted to go potty! I don't believe in forcing the issue since it can cause regression, but we have been reading books about it, and apparently she chose today as the day to sit longer than 5 seconds, and then it happened. I made a big deal about it and Daddy said, "good!" Then Alex walked by the open doorway and said, "Yea! Lauren! You're a BIG girl!" Now that's the response I was looking for.

SOCCER BEGINS!

Alex had a great first game today. She kept up with the boys and remained focused throughout the game. I was proud of her. We have to work on the "one-girl team" though...she has a tendency to steal the ball from her teammates as well as the opponents!

We went to the land afterward and the girls were excited to spend some time with Grandma and Papa as we watched their building being built. We all went on tractor rides, and had a cookout.

BIG TRUCK NIGHT

We took the girls to Big Truck Night tonight at Vermillion Primary School in Maize. This is always an event that they look forward to and of course I look forward to the photo ops!

Both girls had a blast, as usual, and Lauren made a friend at the Schwan truck (he gave away free popsicles), but Alex was once again enamoured by the fire fighters. She kept gravitating to a certain firefighter, at one point giving him a high five and then later a hug. She told him how she was a fire fighter last Halloween, etc. Later on the car ride home she told me that when she is 18 she is going to marry him. The only thing I could think of to say is, "I think he is already married."

Geez. I'm not ready for this!

ONE ON ONE TIME

Derek and Alex went fishing on Saturday, so it was nice to spend
time with Lauren (and get to take a nap) on Saturday. She is
turning into such a diva. Wearing dresses and skirts and heels...
we went shopping and stopped by Heather's -- she gave her a purse
some black dress shoes and it made her day. She talked about
Heather the rest of the day.

Then later that night we went to my favorite restaurant and
managed to drag dinner out long enough that we could stay for the
belly dancers -- and I am glad we did. It is one of my favorite
family memories. Alex loves to people watch so she has always
liked it, but we haven't been able to go for a couple of years
can't keep them out that late) and she didn't remember, so she was
fascinated.

Lauren, on the other hand, got out on the floor and tried to dance
WITH the belly dancers. It was VERY entertaining for everyone at
the restaurant too. I actually had my camera, but Derek didn't
think I should take photos of a half dressed stranger without asking
first, so I didn't. But it was so cute to see Lauren get into it
and she had on these little brown clogs. They are probably too tight
but she likes them so much and they make a lot of noise so she was
dancing like crazy.

SHOPPING TRIP

We took the girls shopping last night to let Lauren spend some
birthday money and Alex had a gift card. Lauren ended up picking
out a lawn mower that blows bubbles. Alex struggled between a
high chair for her dolls, or a new pair of slip on Sketcher shoes.
In the end, she decided on the shoes, and I am glad because she
really needed a new pair. Since she isn't in school yet, we don't
really go clothes shopping at this time of year, but rather around
her birthday, which is still a month away. So her old shoes were
looking ragged and it's almost time for preschool to begin.

Speaking of her birthday, I am having a hard time deciding what
we are going to do. I'd like to have a party at one of the
theatres, but for some reason, this year all the plays are
beginning in November. I could do a movie matinee, but there
aren't any kids movies out right now. The zoo is expensive and
the last few years it has rained on her birthday. We did the
moonwalk thing last year. She isn't that into craft yet... she can't
skate, although that might be fun -- or dangerous -- for her friends.
She kind of wants to have a spa party with her girlfriends, but most
of her friends are boys... We'll see but I need to decide this soon
so I can get going on the invitations.

SOMETHING'S BITING!

I've been feeling pretty yucky the last few days, trying to get over a
sinus infection. Lauren must look the way I feel. She got a mosquito
bite on her temple on Saturday, by Monday her eye and cheek were all
swollen. I took to the Dr, who assured me that she just had an
allergic reaction to the bug bite. Not sure why, but both my girls
get welts around the bites and they seem to linger for about a week.

Bugs don't like me, but my girls sure must taste good!

GEARING UP FOR SOCCER

We met Alex's new soccer coach yesterday. He seems to know what
he is doing and is enthusiastic about being the coach. We'll
see how well he does. We found out that Alex is the only girl
on her team! I am kind of excited about that. I think it will
help her to keep her focused and not be so distracted.

PARTY TIME

Well, the cake turned out well...after 6 hours of decorating, most of that was washing the utensils between mixing the 10 different colors! But it looked ok considering the picture was backwards. And more importantly, it tasted good! I would steer clear of black and red buttercream icing though!

We survived Lauren's birthday party, and while she had a cranky beginning due to being tired and not having a nap, she got into the party mood in the middle of present opening. She loves all of her presents, especially anything Dora related, or any of the baby accessories.

SUCCESS

So far, so good. At least the cake is done. Now it has to cool for awhile and then I will begin icing it! Better go work on laundry.

WISH ME LUCK

Well, I am home today. I had planned to take tomorrow off to bake and decorate Lauren's birthday cake, clean, do laundry, etc. but I went to bed with an upset stomach and woke up with a migraine. So I decided I might as well stay home today to recup and try to get some of this birthday stuff accomplished.

I took some meds and went back to bed, slept until 9:30, so fortunately the migraine is gone now. But I still have a stomachache, so I am slowly eating a peanut butter & honey sandwich. At least I won't have any temptation to taste test the icing!

Right now I have Lauren's Dora cake baking in the oven. I really hope it turns out better than last year when I had my first cake disastor the day before her first birthday. I managed to have not one, but two cake baking failures. I decided it was the pan and gave up, then went to plan B. I made cupcakes and aranged them in the shape of a tiara. A couple of months ago Jennifer borrowed my butterfly pan and had no problem at all with it. So maybe it was my oven. ; )

6 minutes to go...I'll let you know how it turns out!

TIME TO GET BACK ON TRACK

So today Derek and I went out to lunch. We ran into one of his old
girlfriends. Apparently she used to be quite sleazy and was actually
cheating on her husband when dating Derek. Shortly after he stopped
talking to her, she divorced and cheated on the next guy she was
dating and so on...

Anyway, today she was at lunch with a couple of people and was there
with her infant daughter. I only saw her sitting in her short shorts,
but I began to feel a little pudgy when doing a mental comparison...
then I realized that while I still weigh less than I did when I came back
from maternity leave, I have been slacking the past few months and
really need to get back in the habit. I have been going to the Y, and I
feel so much better afterward, but I probably need to step it up and
start getting on my stationary bike in the mornings and evenings. I do
have a goal of eventually getting up early enough to workout before
my shower. That might take baby steps though.

If I could just become allergic to chocolate and ice cream that would
really help. Or at least get violently ill when I consume them.

Starting tomorrow (going to the Y tonight) I am riding my bike!
I think I will make it a contest for myself and see how many
miles I can go. Nothing like a late summer resolution!

PARTY PLANNING

Well, it is just 3 days until my baby Lauren turns 2. I think God meant
for her to not have so much hair so soon, so that I could keep her my
baby for as long as possible. She's been growing for sure, especially
starting to trim down and growing taller. Not having a lot of hair has
made the transition slow and easy for me, which is probably what I
needed as I embrace that she WILL be my last child. But it is hard not
to admit now, as she is speaking 6-8 word sentences and will hardly
sit long enough for me to cuddle with her.

I know the inevitable is happening soon. She WILL grow up. She IS
growing up. She is becoming more independent (and defiant)
everyday. She likes to wear dress up heels all the time and pretends
to put make-up on in the morning when I am getting ready.

I can already tell she is part diva. I'm not sure where she gets that.

GO WORLD

Is anyone else as freaking excited as I am about the Olympics? I don't
watch much sports these days, but how can you resist watching
the best athletes in the world compete? And it's nice to know we
can put aside our differences for just a while and unite long enough
to cheer on our favorite athletes, no matter where they are from.

I have been watching Michael Phelps as he continues to break world
records (many of them his own) and surpass Mark Spitz as the
greatest Olympian of all time. Beating the French by hundredths of
a second after the French said they were going to "smash the
Americans," was very fulfilling to watch. Last night he became the
greatest swimmer of all time. So much for such a young guy. I can't
believe he is only 23 years old. Hope he doesn't let it affect his ego
too much. I really like watching the swimming competitions since
they are so quick, and most end within a couple of minutes. I can
hold my breath most of that time in anticipation!

We've also been watching the gymnastics competitions. Alex refers
to her favorite sport as "straddling," which I think she means the
pommel horse. Hopefully the young men's team will continue to
improve in the next four years as they mature. The women's team
made some costly mistakes, but should be proud of winning the
silver medal. They are on the heels of China and are still young
enough to beat them out next time.

We have also watched some volleyball....Derek more than the rest
of us. Wonder if the skimpy suits have anything to do with it? : )
One guy I work with admitted he likes to watch volleyball the
most...then he told me, "I'm old, I'm not DEAD." OK then...

One other good thing about the Olympics is that it draws people's
attention away from my favorite online store: eBay. As a result,
right after the men's swimming relay win, I was able to win an
auction as well -- I finally won a home cervical traction unit!!
I am so excited! Now I will be able to do physical therapy at home
and maybe the chronic headaches and migraines I have had off and
on for the last year and a half will be a thing of the past.

PLAYGROUND FUN

Well, we decided to take the girls to Sedgwick County Park tonight to feed the ducks...we've been saving bread for some time now and had about 4 loaves saved up. When we got there, someone else had already provided them with dinner because they were not hungry at all -- talk about spoiled!

We took the opportunity to go over to the new playscape area that my company helped provide. The girls had a blast! Alex loved everything, especially the water play area, where she made some new friends. Her opening line to other kids was "How old are you? I am four -- almost five." It was cute.

Lauren wanted to swing, swing, swing. If she isn't jumping, she is swinging. My little monkey.

OPEN HOUSE

We went to Eaglets open house at Vermillion Primary School in Maize tonight. Michelle is the new Tuesday night preschool teacher, so it was nice for Alex to see a familiar face after Miss Marjie's departure to another school. Alex also ran into some friends from last year, so she is really looking forward to it. I took the opportunity to walk around the school and scope out some of the kindergarten classrooms. There were so many excited children meeting their teachers, I can't wait for Alex to experience that next year!

GIRLS NIGHT OUT

Well, it's been a while since I posted, and I don't want to let my two
occasional readers down, so get ready for a bunch of posts!

Last night I enjoyed a Girls Night out with Danielle and Jennifer. We
drank those wonderful margaritas at On the Border, ate appetizers
and got caught up. It's been a while since we have had a scrapbook
night, and we've all been on vacation and busy with the summer
activities. It was great to hang out with them. We decided to go
see Mama Mia after we ate and I am glad we did! It was just as
entertaining as the Broadway show in my opinion. I had no idea that
Meryl Streep could sing! And so well!! I particularly enjoyed her
singing "Winner Takes it All," and of course the show at the end of
the movie is hilarious! One thing I could have done without: Pierce
Brosnan singing. Such a pretty man. Such an awkward singing voice
(please make him stop). I think lip synching should be allowed in
certain situations. I can't wait to rent it and make my husband sit
through it. Repayment for all those James Bond flicks...

Anyway, the ladies and I all enjoyed the movie. We are all excited to
get together again in about a month for Cropaganza. Can't wait to
see what drama happens this time. I might just bring my camera.