Six

Six things about the Little Ballerina on your sixth birthday....

1. Your bumpers are still the most important thing in your world.
2. You are a total free spirit who loves to tool around the hood on your bicycle.
3. You change into your pj's the minute you get home from school. You'd wear them 24/7 if it was socially acceptable.
4. Music is becoming an important part of your being. You sneak my iPod and escape into your own world. You play Daddy's iPod on the docking station and sing along as you do your arts and projects in your "studio." You play your CD's and dance to the music in your room.
5. You love apples, strawberries, cantaloupe, cheese tacos, sushi, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. But you would eat race car wheels for every meal if given the choice.
6. You can play with your Barbies and other dolls for hours, but you also love playing with Meredith and Everett, Will, Baby Mia, Baby Nate, Lindsey, and of course, Miss Jan and Miss Debbie.

Happy Birthday, Little Ballerina. It's hard to believe you're already six years old. Where did my little girl go? There's a big kid staring back at me in these photos. I don't recognize her.

 

For your birthday treat, you wanted cupcakes instead of a cake. So, together we made cupcakes.  

 

For your birthday dinner, you chose...

(who says we're not klassy?)

Pancakes for dinner. 

And cupcakes for dessert.

(our sugar highs quickly crashed into carbohydrate comas)

Happy Birthday, Little Ballerina!  

I love you, 

Mommy

And one to grow on...

I Have Design ADD...

My friend loves this saying. Whenever we're having a conversation and one of us gets sidetracked, she stops and says, "Oh look!  A chicken!"

Well, that's been me this past week. I started off sprucing up my master bedroom. Then, I allowed BSD to get me sidetracked into rearranging the living room. And then, that damn chicken walked by.

So I stopped. Stared down the chicken. And decided to finally complete a project that I started about a year ago.

It's no wonder I have no clue what I'm going to do with my life, is it?

Design ADD. It's an affliction for sure. Anyone else here suffer from it? If not, I bet your head is spinning right now. If you do have it, then this should be just as exciting for you as it is for me.

The master bedroom and the living room have not been completely abandoned. They're just percolating on the back burner. At least until another chicken throw pillow comes along.

Here's a sneak peek at what's on the design chopping block this week...

Gonna Make a Change

There's something about March that makes me want to make a change. When I was teaching this was always the point in the year where I'd start to wonder what else I could do with my life. Luckily, spring break was always right around the corner to provide the energy I needed to go back and enjoy the rest of the school year. 

I'm not teaching now, and I still wonder daily what I'm going to be when I grow up, but the changes I feel like making now are to our house. 

We've lived in our house for over eight years yet we have done NOTHING with our master bedroom. We did get a new slick bed last year. Because our old one broke. A fact BSD is extremely proud of. For some odd reason. But, other than that, our bedroom is just a yucka space with not one picture on the walls. Very depressing. 

My plan was to go to town finally feathering our empty nest. That is, until last night. Last night, I started showing BSD tons of cool ideas for adding architectural interest to our master bedroom and he was nodding in agreement to them all. 

"Yep, I can do that." 

"No problem." 

"Sure! I can use my new router to do that."

And, then he finally turned off his UFC match, realized what he had gotten himself into, and decided he needed an out. Pronto!

"Hey, MAW. I'm willing to give up my leather chair if we can make the living room look more beachy." 

And, that is how we wound up staying up wayyyy past our bedtime, moving furniture around and around and around, drawing up a new floor plan, and finally deciding that all of the seating in there must go.

Anyone interested in a gently used leather club chair? 

New, official ASID, living room floor plan

Stay tuned...

Valentine's Day 2010

I had no idea what I would do. I had no idea how I would react. But I knew it was coming. 

My mother called on Saturday, February 13 and told me he was gone. 

I was quiet. 

I was calm. 

I was numb.

I was alone with the ballerinas. 

BSD was coming home the next day. Valentine's Day was the next day. They were so excited about the next day. 

I couldn't tell them. I didn't tell them. I waited. 

I was determined not to ruin Valentine's Day. We have a family tradition on Valentines' Day. And the ballerinas look forward to it almost as much as Christmas morning. 

On Valentine's Day, we cover the table in newspaper. 

Cook up a big batch of crab legs.

 

And then we feast.

There are gifts. Nothing extravagant. BSD was gone for a month and unsure of his exact return date so he sent roses. A big beautiful bouquet of roses. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of them. :( 

The ballerinas each got a little candy necklace making kit and a hula hoop.

 

And this year, after realizing how important it is to cherish those you love while you can, I stayed up late on Saturday night creating little "Love Tins." I spray painted, cut out hearts, turned them into stickers, and then stuffed the cans with 20 things that I love about each of my Valentines.

 

There were smiles.

" Nuh Uhs!"

 

 A few "Most Defs."

And even some near tears. 

 

It was a Valentine's Day I'll never forget.

  

"Papa" 

Thanksgiving 2008

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 

Not my original idea. I got the idea from another blog, who got it from another blog, who probably got it from another blog. You get the idea.

Dear Dad...

That was me who just tried to call your hospital room. I didn't think you could answer the phone, but I thought maybe, just maybe you'd find the strength.

I am so glad I got to see you this weekend. I am so glad I was able to sit right next to you on the bed and hold your hand. I am so glad I told you that I love you. And that you were able to say it back. I am so glad we shared some fond memories. You remembered them too.

Holding your hand felt good. Like when I was a little girl and I used to reach out for your hand. I'm glad I stayed right there on the bed holding your hand because I realized that even though your eyes were closed you were not asleep. You were listening. You spoke to me through our hands.

I told you I'll be back next week. I told you to hold on. You showed me that you weren't sure you could. I told you it's OK. You do what you have to do. It's OK, Dad.

It's OK, Dad.

I love you.

You are not alone.

I love you.

It's OK, Dad.

Burly Surf Dude, The Snowman

It's yet another snow day down here at the beach. Nothing new from the sky, but the temps keep dropping overnight turning the unplowed roads into an ice skating rink come morning. The sledding conditions were less than stellar today so we've moved on to snowman building. 

Here's our Surfing Snowman. And a little story...

Burly Surf Dude (the real one) was born in Hawaii. In a naval hospital. Because his parents were military stationed in Hawaii at the time. It doesn't matter that his last name is as white as Wonder Bread. And so is was his hair. It doesn't matter that his skin will burn in the moonlight. He was born on O'ahu so he IS Hawaiian. If you ask him he'll tell you, "I'm from the Islands." *gag*

He thinks this makes him cool. I think it makes him a dork. He'll do his best Pidgin imitation when he really wants to prove it to novices. Throwing out words like "Aloha, Mahalo and Br'a." Poser. 

So yesterday we were studying for one of the Big Ballerina's geography tests. We've made it to the states of the west. And, as we all know, Hawaii is a western state. BB was practicing naming the states and their capitals and LB wanted to learn them too.

BB: Hawaii. LB, you should know this one. That's where Daddy was born.

LB: Oh yeah, Hawaii!

BB: So, what's the capital of Hawaii?

LB: ummm.....

BB: Hona. *pause* HA-NAAAA....

LB: Hannakah! That's it! Hannakah! Hannakah, Hawaii! (yep, this Hawaiian blood runs deep)

BB and MAW (after picking ourselves up off the floor): No. Not Hanukkah. 

BB (trying again): HA-NA-LU.....HA-NA-LUUUUUU.......

LB (beaming with pride): Hana-Loser! Hana-loser, Hawaii! 

MAW: That's right, Little Ballerina. Daddy is a Hono-LOSER from Hawaii!

But he can surf, and paint toenails, and he treats us like his queen and princesses so we'll continue to let him live in his little fantasy world where he is our King Kamehameha.

We miss you, BSD!

*side note: I just noticed how WHITE and PALE that snowman picture looks in this post. I don't know what I did, but I think he really wanted to look authentic in his portrait.