Dad

Here's a quick post for my husband in honor of Father's Day.


Let me share three non-traditional reasons that Carlos is an excellent father.  Make that, dad.


1.  He allows the girls to refer to him as "Mr. Mermaid Washer."


Mr. Mermaid Washer comes to the rescue when Mom needs a little help bathing her children, who often turn into mermaids when they enter a bathtub.

I seem to be short on bath photos.
Here's an oldie, but goodie of chunky little Fi:
Mermaid in training.  

2.  He makes waffles in the shape of butterflies.


Carlos is big on food presentation.  Heck, he can even make macaroni & cheese or a peanut butter & jelly sandwich look gourmet.  (Both are crowd pleasers at our house.)

3.  He uses voices when he reads to the kids.


I have found that he does an especially good Scarlet Monster, Leonardo the Terrible Monster, and Elmo.  Catching a trend?

This is where I would insert a photo of Carlos with the girls, but since he is currently in the middle of a Father's Day nap, this drawing of him made by Ava will have to do.

Carlos, your daughters and I thank you for all the little things you do.  (And the big things too.)  We love you!

No Rest For the Weary

This is what the past several weeks of my existence looked like:

I would be completely lost without my calendars, both the
one on my refrigerator and the one that comes with me everywhere,
sending alerts to remind me when I need to be somewhere.
Thank you, technology!!

It's entirely possible that May 2012 (along with the first week of June) has been the busiest month I have experienced since I became a mother.  See that block of emptiness that follows June 9?  I had been anxiously awaiting it, and it's finally here!  Can I get a hallelujah!?


Here's some of the reasons I was running around like a crazy person:


· T-Ball ·
Ava decided she'd play t-ball again this year.  I was extremely surprised that she didn't complain once throughout the whole season, having quit a previous year because she was too cold.  I, however, can completely understand because, as is the case every year, t-ball game days are ALWAYS cold, wet and/or windy.  (It must be a curse.)  Which is why this year I watched most of her games from the comfort of my car.  I suffered some degree of guilt for doing this, but apparently not so much that I was compelled to sit outside in the cold with her.  Meanwhile, Fiona spent the hour crawling all over me while adjusting the settings on my lights/radio/air conditioning.

Don't let their team name fool you.

Goofballs!

· Violin ·
Ava was also busy with her violin this month.  Along with her recital, she earned a spot in her school's talent show.  On both occasions we attempted to record her performance, and on both occasions we experienced technical difficulties.  Brilliant.  On a side note, she is now practicing her violin daily without any reminders or complaining.  I'm sure bribery had nothing to do with it.  

Notice that this photo was taken at neither a recital nor a
talent show, but it is definitely  Ava playing her violin.
(She's serenading Ellia with the "Happy Birthday" song.)

· Subbing ·
I had a lot of opportunities to sub in May.  Teaching preschoolers and kindergartners is a lot like being a mom.  The lack of listening.  The consistent whining and tattling.  The boogery noses.  And the fact that in spite of all of this, the kids really grow on you.  I feel right at home in the classroom.


· Preschool ·
Ellia finished up her first year at preschool and her class put on an adorable program, "We Love America!"  She is a natural performer.  Not once was she distracted by, say, her star necklace with a penny taped to it.  Not Ellia.

"Dinah, blow your horn!"

Miss Heather & Miss Lori, who haven't seen the
last of us.

· Dance ·
Dance recital time is always hectic, especially now that I have another dancer in the house.  Lots of costume changes.  Lots of practicing.  Lots of hairspray.  And lots of relief when it's all over.  They both did a great job, and what they lack in skill, they make up for in cuteness.  Let's just hope they don't take after their mother, who is possibly the world's worst dancer, next to Elaine from Seinfeld.

The end of the girls' dance recital marked the beginning of my Summer of Freedom, which I have just dubbed it.  And by freedom I only mean lack of schedules.  I realize that I can never escape the constant demands of my three lovely children.


I have set a goal to work on my bajillions of unfinished projects this summer.  So far, so good.  I'll be posting my progress in future blogs.  I'm sure you'll be waiting with anticipation.  (There really does need to be a font for sarcasm.)


I also have a goal of making a tank of gas last longer than a week.  Prospects are looking good.    
  

An"udder" Year Older

(More cheesy puns.)


It has now been 4 years that I've had the joy of being Ellia's mom.  With her, it is truly as if I live on the set of "Kids Say the Darndest Things."  In her birthday post from last year I mentioned that she is a milk-aholic, which is why "milk" was the perfect theme for her latest birthday party.

(The invite was slipped into the chevron striped sleeve.)

Which milk was most popular?
Strawberry.

You would think that with three girls I would be completely sick of the color pink, but I just can't seem to give it up.  You would also think that I should have known better than to expect smooth sailing at a party full of 4-year-olds.  Chaos at its finest.

They started off with a plain ball of cookie dough and got to add their own mix-ins. 

 

Some added so much that their dough wouldn't stick together, while others ate the mix-ins by spoonfuls directly from the bowls.  Sanitary, I know.

But once we baked them up, their giant cookies, which they took home in these goody bags, looked delicious. 

The rest of the party was spent pinning udders on a cow, and loading up on sugar and calcium.

It was so breezy that the candles refused to stay lit.
So Ellia did her best impression of  blowing them out.

This last game ("Milk the Cow") got the axe due to the fact that rounding up and trying to organize the wild bunch seemed like a hopeless task.  But if you ever need a cow rear made, my sister is an expert.  We both agreed that when you are a parent, you find yourself saying things you never thought you would.  Things like, "I'm just cutting out this udder."  Or "I can make a couple of cow butts for you."  Being a parent is awesome.

4 Years Old!

I LOVE waking up to this face informing me that "It's morning time."
She brightens my day with her sweet (loud!) giggle, her extreme imagination,
and her happy-go-lucky charm.
So glad she's mine forever!!