Happy 3rd Birthday Gabriella Rose

3? Really 3, wow! It goes by so fast, too fast. They always say times flies when you're having fun, and boy are we having fun. You could turn a room full of grumpy old men into mush. Your sense of humor is well beyond your years. The things you come out with, are just plain hilarious. You are one of the most loving considerate people I know. If someone is hurt or sad you offer up your blankie, a kiss, or a bandaid. You love that you are still the "baby" and will take advantage of that at all costs. Your hair, oh my God your hair, it's the tightest bunch of curls I have ever scene. The wildness of it when you wake up, the adorableness of it when you have in pigtails, the maturity of it when you have a headband in. Your hair has all the qualities you have... wild, adorable, and mature. You amaze me everyday, and you make being your Mama the best thing in the world. Happy Birthday Bella I love you!

What I learned on my summer vacation

-Turning 30 isn't so bad
-One of my daughters is fearless, the other is very timid.
-giving Sydney $2 at the Dollar Store will get her to face her fear and stick her face in the water.
-Bribery also works when you want her to face an ever bigger fear of swimming by herself.
-when you hear of that someone only has a 30% to live, you usually think the worst. I now will think of my uncle who is that 30% and have hope.
-the morning after a night of few drinks is not as easy after 30 as it is before.
-dinner always taste better when someone else is cooking it.
-The 80's were quite awesome
-Sydney might be ready for all day kindergarten, but I'm not
-I really want another baby
-Blueberries in milk is the best breakfast
-Gabriella will eat anything except peppers and oatmeal
-I am pretty damn awesome at finding deals and Christmas shopping early
-When you have best friends like Kevin and I, you are actually excited when they move in even closer than next door.
-Sometimes a Margarita solves everything.
-You only need a few friends and a few board games to have fun, no alcohol is needed.
-It's not as hard as you think to be done with Christmas shopping early, you just have to be organized.
-Disney World really is just the best place on earth.
-Gabriella will forever curse me because she has my eyebrows.
-Potty training really, really sucks.

Dear Sydney,

You started kindergarten on Tuesday. You were so excited, so excited that you wanted to leave almost an hour ahead of time. You looked beautiful, so grown up yet still so my baby in your green and brown dress. You seemed to have no fear, yet I knew just by the way you clutched my hand you were nervous, but you never let it show. You walked right up to your class line and you were ready. You gave hugs to you father, sister, and I and marched right into school. You are my kindergartner.
I walked you to your first day of kindergarten with Daddy and Gabriella. I was nervous, so nervous that I never wanted to leave. I wore the biggest sunglasses I could find and my hair down to hide my puffy eyes. I had a ton of fear, yet I tried not to show it by clutching your hand. I was not ready for you to walk up to your class line. I wanted to hug you all day. I am the mother of a kindergartner and I couldn't be prouder of her.
Love,
Mama

Kindergarten

My baby is in kindergarten and it petrifies me. Scared because for the first time in my life I do not have control over my child for 6 hours a day 5 days a week. I handed over my baby, my first born to a woman I had met for an hour 3 months ago, hardest thing I have ever done. I am putting my child's life in her hands not an easy thing to do day after day.
It is day three, I still tear up as she goes into the doors each morning. Not the big heavy tears I had the first day, but the tears are still there. I am expecting it to get eaiser each day or maybe I just hoping and praying it will.

Tales from Gabriella Rose

Gabriella says "I'm afraid of the dark." I responded "since when are you afraid of the dark?" Gabriella's response "since Wednesday"

This kid cracks me up everyday. She is quickly developing her father's sense of humor, with her witty comebacks. I have a feeling I'm in for trouble in her teen years.

This just in.....

We have a swimmer in our family.... Miss Sydney Rae for the first time on Monday she swam all by herself. Of course there was the modivation of $2 at the Dollar Tree, but hey now she knows she can do it! I was so proud she conquered her fear and did it all by herself 3 times.

Tales from Sydney Rae

Sydney and I were talking about the first day of school and what she should wear. I suggested her teal and white polka dot dress she looked right at me and said, "Mama that's too cutesy, I want to wear something more fashionable." With that statement I decided she was watching way to much Hannah Montana.

My little fish

Gabriella has no fear of the water. It's good and a bad thing. While Sydney has been very timid in swimming lessons, swimming with floats, hardly going under the water, and basically just being very disagreeable to anything her instructor says, Gabriella has been a very daring fish. Last week Sydney flat out refused to put her face anywhere near the water, never mind under it. Within seconds of getting in the pool Gabriella was jumping off the side telling me not to catch her "I do it Mama, I swim by myself." She would jump in and then move her arms and legs and "swim" to me. I was beyond impressed. Then she would just want me to let her go while swimming around the pool. She loves her surfboard and has already taken in move waves then Syd ever has.
I think Bella has made a little impression on Sydney (or maybe it was the bribe of $2 for the Dollar tree) At her last lesson Sydney would be swimming around on her kick board, noodle, or marshmallow and she would at random times just dump the front of her face in the water, growing prouder and prouder of herself each time. It was quite comical, but very cute to see Sydney giving it her all.
I was a proud Mama on Monday. My timid swimmer, had started to get over one of her fears and my Evil Knievel had once again proven that she is a fish.

Tales from Sydney...

-My father went out to eat with people he worked with with last night, when Kevin asked where was Papa, Sydney replied "he's out dating"
-"All my bathing suits are tokinis" (bikinis)
-My mother came into the room holding a spatula and Sydney asked "what is that?" My mother said "I will give you $5 if you can tell me" Sydney looked at her and said "a spatula" Then when my mother walked out of the room Sydney pumped her fist and said "Yes"
-Kevinb took the girls for a walk to Little Beach, it was starting to get dark and Kevin jokingly said "what if we can't find the way home in the dark?" Sydney's response "dun-dun-dun" (just like in the movies)

Never a dull day around here

The 80's are back... or at least for my Birthday party they were

When Kevin mentioned me having a themed 30'th Birthday party 2 months ago, I was all for the 80's theme, but as the day got closer I grew more and more aprehensive. I had 2 big concerns one was that no one would dress up, or that they would dre4ss up but not be so happy about it. Well apprentely alot of my friend and family still have some afection for teased hair, leg warmers, nylon workout wear,and neon colors. There was alot of blue and green eye shadow, a bottle or 2 of aqua net, fish net gloves, and some hot leggins. Even the kids got in on the action with Star Wars t-shirts, paint splatter, jumpsuits, rainbows, and jelly braclets. I love the comitment that every put foward.

30

Yea 30.... It's been almost a week of me being 30 and that's the most profound thing I can say about it, yea I'm 30

Old beyond her years....

I just got the "I'm going in my room and never coming out again." I thought they only did that when they were teenagers. All because I won't let her pick a movie at the library today because of her behavior.

Tales from Gabriella Rose

Gabriella farted (why do all her stories have to do with bathroom humor) and I said "what do you say" Gabriella responded "My fart smells" I couldn't even tell her that was wrong because I was laughing to hard.

Preschool Graduation!

Sydney is graduating from preschool tonight. With her bright blue graduation gown and her white dress she picked out for the occasion 3 weeks ago. My baby will be in full time kindergarten next year. I know she is ready I'm just not so sure I'm ready.

Preschool has been awesome for you. You have loved every minute of it and hated when you were on vacation. This year you have learned... how to write your name, how to spell out loud your last name, how to make friends, how to hula hoop, how to plant a seedling, all about dinosaurs, countless songs, that recess, snack time, and arts and crafts are the best things to do at school, that you have to get to school early if you want to be the first one in the tree house, all about Earth day, that the best arts and crafts are definitely worth keeping, that even though what you made might be awesome we still don't have an endless supply of room to keep all of the art projects, how to write all your letters by looking at them, and so much more.

What I have learned... that 2 1/2 hours and not really enough time to do anything, that a 5 year old's art projects can me more beautiful than a Picasso, that she learns alot better from someone else then she does for me, also she listens alot better to someone else too, that it's ok to let your baby go sometimes, and it's alot harder than I thought to let go.

Tales from a pre-schooler

Sydney was dressed up in her turquoise and white polka-dot dress with the big sun hat to go with it. (She of course had to wear the hat even though it was raining) Her teacher said when Sydney when up to be the meteorologist for the day she heard one of the boys in class turn to his friend and say "Wow she looks like a supermodel" It's a good thing Sydney didn't hear that or she would have been posing for hours.

Do you ever.....?

Do you ever have those days (or weeks or even months) where hearing the word Mama or Mommy just sounds like a dirty word? Where if you hear it one more time you head will explode? When someone says it you just want to scream in their face? Yea i think I'm having one of those days....

We're home!

We are all done with our vacation. It's always such a depressing time for me, when the thing you've looked so forward to for the past year is all over. You're left wondering what it is to look forward to. What will take me through the screaming, the fighting, the crying, the potty training, the cleaning, the everyday same old same old. Well, I always have my 30th Birthday to look forward to next month... yea that should get me out of bed tomorrow morning

Florida!!!

We're off to Disney World tomorrow for 8 days then Naples for 6. It's a much overdue vacation.

Thank you

Thank you Sydney Rae and Gabriella Rose for making me a mother. For providing me with the hardest, but best job I will ever do. Thank you for your hugs and kisses and knowing when I really need them. Thank you for always being able to put a smile I my face. Thank you for even those times when I want to scream, they make me a better person. I wouldn't change a thing about the 2 of you, my beautiful girls, so funny yet serious, so pretty, yet not perfect (which makes you both natural beauties, the best kind), so smart yet not geeky smart, so independent, yet still needing me. You girls are the best thing that ever happened to me and today on Mother's day I thank you for helping me fulfill my greatest dream of becoming a mother.

Tales from Gabriella Rose

Kevin was getting her off the potty after doing her business.

Kevin: "Wow that alot of poop!" (yes we like the crude humor in our house)
Gabriella: "Why thank you Daddy."

She was so proud she even came to tell me all about it.