My other blog....

So with inspiration from Becky Graske I started a picture a day blog..I know I don't keep up with this one let alone have 2..but I finally posted a bunch of pictures from the last 3 weeks!
One Day at a Time...

Other random September 2010....

One of the last times I was able to braid Sammy's LONG HAIR!  I did 2 into 1...

Sammy started rehearsals for the newest division of Dance Dimensions Company--"KINEDANCO"..they are affectionately referred to as the MINI's.  They even participated in their first parade 9/12/2010. It was hard and fun at the same time to be back with "my" dancers..but I was the Mom too...weird concept in my mind.  I marched and danced along with the girls and handed out pencils.Sammy got to ride on the float. One of the teachers at the studio now was one of my first students back in the early nineties..
Sammy is the first 2nd generation KINEDANCO member!  I started dancing with Kim when she bought the studio in 1992 and she started the company that year with me and 1 other dancer...it has come a long way!


MINI's

I was Emily's first dance teacher when she was 3...
She was good then..but she is amazing now

I was also Cori's first teacher..another beautiful dancer..
she was an OZ munchkin in her first recital with me at age 3...



KINEDANCO
(Kinetic Dance Company)

Mason (8) and Levi's (4) Birthday Party..9/4/2010

Right after the orchard we headed over to "Auntie" Kelly's to celebrate Mason and Levi's birthday!
I still can not believe that 2 of her 4 children share a birthday 4 years apart! Crazy.

The girls even loved the awesome food and playing outside on a beautiful Indian Summer day.  Ali even figured out how to climb on the trampoline by herself.  And Andy got to drive around on the go cart too.

My Mom, baby Trinity, and Mason

Andy being a kid....

  

Ali playing on the awesome magnet board "Uncle" Brandon made.

Garrett enjoying his salad and YUM.

 

The awesome gifts they got from Auntie Shannon..he he

Sammy watching gift opening patiently.

YEAH CAKE!

I keep forgetting to upload video from my flip to the blog as well... I will have to try to go back and fix that...

Apple Orchard September 4, 2010...

We my last post I just finished was actually from August...so I wills tart with September..

We took our annual trip to Johnamac Apple Orchard.  The girls had so much fun.  We all LOVE the Tsugaru apples and I think we ate about 5 while we were picking..SHHH Don't tell.

LOVE this one!

Ali did really well picking!

Look how excited she got.

Daddy using the ladder to get those last few AWESOME Tsugarus!

They are getting so big...

We even tried the apple launcher this year..and of course Sammy was afraid of it

The best attempt out of 50 pictures of the girls on the big chair.

We got apple donuts for the first time too!  YUMMY!!!!!!

Horse Room

THIS IS A VERY OLD POST THAT I NEVER FINISHED TILL TODAY...OOPS..New year..new start?

When we decided to move last November (2009)we did everything in our power to make sure Sammy was excited about moving..no matter how hard it was going to be for all of us! We told her she could have a new room decorated however she wanted...she chose Horses! And she insisted she wanted a blue ceiling. So this became my obsession for a while. I kept trying to convince her that we would do her room in pink and brown (thinking that would be easy) and just buy some Horse pictures or accents to make it a horsey room... she was OK with that. Andy was already planning the half brown half light pink room... well I made the mistake one afternoon of searching on-line for bedding. I thought how hard could it be to find girly bedding that would match pink and brown... This was all before we even moved.. : ) Well I searched and searched all over on-line..every visit to a store I checked the bedding and I couldn't find ANYTHING I liked...so again one afternoon at work I googled horse bedding...it was killing to do it but I thought if I find something I liked that wasn't too cheesy maybe I would cave to Horse bedding...the first few sets that popped up where hideous...then I clicked on a cute picture that took me to The Company Store and I found the cutest quilt..and fell in love with it..remind you this is before we even moved and usually I am NOT a quilt person. But I loved it..it was EXPENSIVE...so then it became do I buy it and not tell Andy how much it was..do I wait...I finally asked him what he thought and he nodded..in the middle of a conversation about work...I briefly mentioned how much the set was including accent pillow covers and a valance etc..he just kept talking about work and again nodded..SO I BOUGHT IT. The bedding came in very shortly after moving. Sammy LOVED IT! Andy was still stuck on the brown and pink and I kept saying I am not sure..well things got crazy trying to get the house put together and the bedding sat in the dining room..and Sammy lived in a room that was dark grey and light grey with her toddler bed and miss matched dresser....

Here is the room before we moved in but it shows the walls the best.

I did not take good before pictures but here the girls are playing in Sam's room back in July...

Early August we decided school was starting and Sammy was nervous so we needed something to cheer her up. We started really talking about paint...I pulled out the bedding and knew brown was not going to work..Andy didn't want green as an accent color but also didn't want an all one color pink room...so I again went on google...girls room ideas...the website where I bought her bedding popped up and I saw it--it was PERFECT dark pink and light pink--with a white stripe in the middle...

The inspiration

The look on Andy's face was priceless. He liked it but that meant covering grey and getting a perfect stripe line... I said we should hire someone to do it but NO Andy was determined. We literally went to Menards to get paint and primer at 8:30 PM one night and the guy behind the paint desk even wished Andy luck on the white stripe...

Sammy helping Daddy with the dark pink at the bottom.

I apologize for the book I am writing just about decorating my daughter's room..well a weekend of hard work and laser lines and frog tape the pink with hot pink and blue ceiling was done!!!! White blinds went up and mattress was purchased...Andy even installed a fan in the room!

SO the furniture is a whole other drama story. The only thing I found that I liked was on-line and I found a company that had good delivery quoted and worked out a price and ordered it.... then we waited and waited and waited but it finally got here a few weeks late...Here was the happy camper the first night in her new "big-girl" bed and horsey room.


I found some great plaques for the wall and we still have to put up the valance but other than that things are so cute! I love how it turned out and Andy did a GREAT job on the stripe!

Sammy now has shelves and stuffed animal bins in pink..she loves her room and especially her view of the pond!
She has grown up so much just since this picture in August....

Swimming....PROGRESS! FROM August 2010...

This summer has definitely been filled with swimming for my girls. We call Ali little brown bear cause she is SO TAN and Sammy likes to show off her "Coppertone butt" ! : )

In the last few weeks our daycare has been telling me that Sam has been MUCH more confident in the water and actually putting her face in the water..not quiet going under but actually putting her face in while she "swims" in the very shallow part of the pool! PROGRESS!

This past Saturday morning I finally got to go to watch Ali's swim lesson. And Alaina is still living up to her FISH status. Her teacher is so impressed with her and recommended her to the last "baby" level already! Sam was a bit jealous of Ali getting so much praise in the water and said she now wants to take lessons..OH BOY last time we tried that she CRIED the whole time so I am a bit leery but yet don't want to shoot down her request...

Saturday afternoon Andy and I were trying desperately to get Samantha's room at least primed so my Dad came over and took my girls to my Aunt Janet's to swim with my Mom. I didn't get to witness it but my Mom claims Sam actually doggie paddled and jumped in from the second step! Ali also decided to do cannon balls..well she would yell it and just step off the edge. She actually gets herself to the surface on her own with no floatation devices which just amazes me for a 2 year old! I tried once or twice putting a floatation device of some sort on Ali and she hates it cause she already understands the water and it slows her down so I want her to be safer but I don't want to deter her learning either...so for now we just have to be right with her 100% of the time when she is in the water.

I have video somewhere of Ali swimming from that class I watched...

And I am so excited to announce that in August we finally went to our pool in our new subdivision! It was so nice. There is a kiddie pool and the girls splashed around and even went in the big pool. Sammy has been awesome in the water now (again thanks to my Aunt Janet). Sammy even finally let go of me in Nana and Papa's pool with floaties on her arms! She did it! I just hope it continues next summer.

Change...personality & emotions...

I have been sort of sentimental lately and it just amazes me how kids grow.

Sammy has been sleeping in the guest bedroom the last 3 days while we finally redo her room to a big girl horsey room. I love that last night I could snuggle with her at a normal "height/level" while she went to sleep. She has been in a toddler bed...
She is so "big" at times and yet so not others.... I have been hearing from more and more people that the oldest can be a little clingy. I thought the oldest was independent and strong..and the baby was clingy..that is how my sister and I were... or still are. : )
Sam insists on having someone with her in every room or at all times. I cracked up watching my 5 year old beg the 2 year to go downstairs with her to watch a movie the other morning. She couldn't just go and do it herself. And Ali didn't want to get out of our bed so she just told Sam no and Sam melted down... the dynamics are funny! Meltdowns.. does anyone else have a child that has meltdowns that embarrass you.... in the last few weeks Sam has been so emotional and anxious and cautious etc. That is her personality and a lot is changing in her world lately but yikes. Andy's mom always said he was very cautious and anxious as a kid and I am VERY emotional so I guess she just got all that bundled into one... As some of you saw on my post on facebook Sam obsesses about the weather. This is partially because we have had to rush down to the basement a few times already since moving to our new house. The storms are crazy by us now and we back a pond and a corn field so the wind is nuts. The back of our house is a lot of windows as well so the sound and the visual scares her so much. (And me too but I try to be strong.) And on top of all that has changed I have had surgery again.... but she claims that doesn't bother her... back to meltdowns..last Friday we got to dance company rehearsal (which Sammy usually loves, and ASKED me to put her in) and Sam realized that Ali, Daddy and I were going to go run to the store and she freaked out and wouldn't dance and screamed and cried and kicked..I had to take her out in the parking lot and have Andy talk to her..she finally went in the room but didn't dance until almost the end.. she claimed she wanted her Mommy... she honestly never wants Mommy..she is a Daddy's girl 80% of the time. Then Saturday in the midst of Ali's swim lesson Sam started causing "trouble" and wanted to get in the pool but I told her no. She was wearing a leotard and tights for dance class...as you can guess..a kicking screaming meltdown induced that caused me to have to physically carry her to the car after rounding up her flip flops that she kicked across the entrance. I had to pull the car over twice before she would calm down and I would let her go to dance class. (She also admitted that night she was jealous of the attention Ali was getting...sibling love)
As I write this I am realizing how much really is changing in her life lately..how to teach a 5 year old coping skills????...and the biggest CHANGE hasn't even happened yet...SCHOOL.
In less than 2 weeks my "big girl" will be starting Kindergarten and a new daycare all at once... I used to think she was so confident and social and would have no problems making friends and would love the change.. she used to run into a class and not look back..and come out talking everyone's ear off....lately I am scared to death! I DO NOT tell her that.. and we have been reading fun back to school books etc but I am worried. I pray we meet a little girl at the daycare open house next week that will be going to school with Sam on the same little bus so I can stop worrying so much.. I am a freak. I really should not wonder where Sammy gets her personality traits. Between Andy Me and our parents wow... we all choose to procreate? he he. So this is obviously my venting of fear and emotions so lets hope Sammy finds some positive way to vent hers too.... We have a few family days planned in the days before school starts and her new bedroom should be done in the next week or so--just waiting for furniture to come in now--so these are fun things..RIGHT?