Summer Cuts

Ever feel generally overwhelmed by life?  None of it is anything life-changingly major, but more like what feels like hundreds of little things pressing down on you so that you can't decide which thing to take care of or where to start or when?

That's where I've been these last few weeks of summer.  Trying to get to most of the items on the "Summer To Do List" and hoping the kids won't remember the things we didn't get to in the midst of making mostly fun memories.  All the while knowing which kid will remember that we didn't get to her summer scrapbook project.  And being unable to shake that overwhelmed feeling off.

Because school will be starting next week and I'm completely not ready to let three of them go.  But on the flip side, I'm completely looking forward to hanging with #4 and seeing life through his two-year-old lens.  I think I need that.

But most of all, needing to give it all to the Lord and asking for wisdom to know what's really important and what can be set aside without guilt or fear.  And trying my darnedest to not take it all back up again as though I can handle it all myself.

In any case, it is high time I get back to trying to get caught up here on the ol' blog.  And if you've been with me for any amount of time, you know it's really just never gonna happen.  :p

So at the start of summer, the girls asked if they could get their hair cut.  We had let it grow and grow ever since the haircutting fiasco of 2011 and apparently they decided it was time.  The sooner the better, they said.  But, we still had to wait for a day when Phil could stay home with the boys so that we could scoot over to the salon.

Because as God is my witness, I will never cut girls' hair again.

Okay, maybe a tad dramatic, but fool me twice?  No way, Jose.  Also, I no longer have the postpartum hazy delirium to blame things on.  (Btw, these pictures are straight off my cell phone.  Just because overwhelmed, remember?)

So the day finally came in mid-July when I could take the girls for haircuts.  I called Roselle, my favorite hair person EVER, in the morning and asked if she could squeeze us in that day.  Because I just don't have it in me anymore to call a week or even a few days in advance.  Without missing a beat, she said yes and see you in a few hours.  But when we got there for our appointed appointment, lo and behold, the salon was closed and dark!

Did I get the wrong day?  Did I completely misunderstand?  This is unfortunately completely within my realm of possibility these days, so I thought I really had heard wrong.  And I was just about ready to burst my girls' bubble of happiness when Roselle pulled up behind us!

She was closed that day, but opened her shop just for us!

See?  Favorite hair person EVER.

The girls thought it was pretty darn special to have the salon all to ourselves.  Truth be told, I did too.

The obligatory before shot, front.

The obligatory before shot, back.

 My giddy girl.

She actually has a bit of waviness in her hair.

While this one...

has completely stick-straight hair.  I had wanted to donate their hair to Locks of Love, but it turned out that it wasn't long enough to meet the length requirement.  Hopefully we'll be able to do it one day.

The big sis went first.

She kept up a steady stream of chit-chat.  A talent her sometimes-socially-awkward mom does not possess.

Meanwhile, the lil sis made herself comfy while awaiting her turn.

She was loving all the primping.

Ta-da!

Next came her turn.

She was also loving all the primping.

But was decidedly less chatty than her sister.  This is pretty much how I look when I'm getting my haircut, too.  Except only bigger.

And then she was done too!  Roselle went a bit edgier with her and gave her an A-line cut with bangs.  I think she was pleased.

The obligatory after shot, front.

The obligatory after shot, back.


Or, to put it more concisely...

They loved both their haircuts and Roselle and can't wait to go back!  So maybe, we'll make it sooner than two years before their next cut.  ;)

ADDENDUM: Okay, so I just realized after writing this whole thing that I actually did take the girls in for haircuts last year.  But it was only to get a couple inches cut.  Barely a trim, I'd say.  Hm.  Maybe I'm still in the postpartum hazy delirium, come to think of it.  Never you mind that my infant is now two and a half years old.  I think that's what they call semantics.  Maybe.

Princesses on Ice

Also during his vacation, Phil surprised the girls with tickets to Disney on Ice's Dare to Dream show.  That's a mouthful, so we just called it "princesses on ice" around here since that's really what it was.  But shockingly, daddy wasn't so much interested in seeing the show himself, so he declared it a girls' day out.  And designated me to be the driver.

So we (they) got all princessed up.

And found that daddy had hooked us up with some pretty sweet seats right on the ice.

So we settled in to thoroughly enjoy the show.

After Cinderella and Princess on the Frog came Lauren's favorite story.

Loved it.

Then came this part.

We oohed and aahed along with everyone in the audience.

We wished the story would never end.

And then came Rapunzel's finale.

Except.

We didn't get to see it.  Both girls loved the entire show so much that they didn't want to leave their seats during the intermission for a bathroom break.  They assured me they would be fine until the end of the show.  All confident nods and solemn vows.  I hoped against all odds that they would last til the end of the show.  Then I went ahead and dashed those very hopes by buying them grossly overpriced snow cones during the intermission.  You know, the intermission where I should have made them go to the bathroom?

Right.

That moment above, right when they're about to launch into "and at last I see the light", is when Lauren leaned over to me and urgently whispered that she had to go potty.  There were ten minutes left in the show.  I debated.  I teetered.  I lost.  I looked over and saw Allie wiggling in her seat, too.  So we ran-walked to the nearest usher to ask where the bathroom was, found out it was impossibly far away, outright ran to the bathroom, took care of business, ran back to our seats and...

we missed it.

Boo.

Boo to little girls' tiny bladders and impossibly cute souvenir mugs filled with purple sugar ice and mommies who don't listen to their own better judgment.

Just boo I say.

But at least we did catch the tail end of the finale.

So at least there's that, right?

Oh and that the girls both had a marvelous time.

So there's that, too.

solution

i mentioned that i was having a certain little problem with reading homework a couple weeks ago.  namely that i was helpless against falling into a complete comatose state every time my little first grader would do her twenty minutes of read-aloud time to me.  the comfy couch... the warm little body pressed against mine... the sweet, haltingly soothing little voice stumbling over the words...  ZZZ.

out like a light.  a snoring light.

but, my friends!  i believe i have found the answer to my problem.  oh happy day!  and here she is:

 a handy dandy little sister!

who stays alert and engaged during the reading of the story.

awesome.  i am now ready to tiptoe off to start dinner.

but wait!  oh no, what's this?  she appears to be leaning...

cannot. resist. that. sweet. haltingly. soothing. voice...

and... another one bites the dust.

*cough, cough* LAUREN! [that was me with the fake coughing].

ha ha, just kidding!  i'm awake, mommy!

boy.  it's going to be a long year of reading-aloud homework.  sigh.

girly girls

a couple weeks before we moved, our good friends james and jami came to hang out with us.  they are among our kids' favorite people.  you'll see why in a sec.

even jonah, who is sometimes randomly particular about who he likes and who he doesn't, took right to uncle james like a fish to water.  he kept wanting uncle james to hold him and thankfully, james was a good sport with this selectively high maintenance baby of ours.  (mikey was also standing in this picture, but unfortunately didn't make it in since i was already pressed against the wall to fit these three in.  he didn't make the cut.  ha ha.)

so while the boys went out to pick up dinner, my girly girls put auntie jami right to work.

first they asked her to braid their hair.  auntie jami can do such cute things with their hair.  they know this.  they also know their mommy cannot do such cute things with their hair.  which is why a visit from auntie jami is a special treat, indeed.

then they asked her to paint their nails.  not just one color, but five.  one for each fingernail.

auntie jami is also a good sport and not only used all five different colors, but put two coats on each nail.  she says she enjoys doing stuff like this.  who knew?  and see that little sister there in the corner?  she cracks me up.

because while she was patiently waiting for her turn, she narrowed down her nail color choices to just ten.

waiting patiently for one's turn seems to come with the territory of being a little sister.  and i must say she does it well and it is something her daddy and i really appreciate about her.

finally the big sister was done.  and was rather pleased with the results, i'd say. ;)

then came the little sister's turn.

and the little sister was happy.  because auntie jami actually did use all ten colors on her nails.  two coats on each nail.

auntie jami and uncle james?  they're good apples.  especially with our under 4-foot crowd.  can't wait to see you guys again soon!! (because um, the girls are wanting their nails painted again! heh heh...)

project 52, week 9

we recently got to take a little trip up to big bear for a couple nights.  the whole story about that is coming soon.  but for now, i just wanted to share my favorite pic to date of my two favorite little girlies.  i love that they have a built-in best friend for life.  i love that they love each other (most of the time) and hope that only grows as they get older.  and most of all, i love that i get to be their mommy!  :)