It's a Jolly Holiday

I had asked the little miss a couple of months back whether she wanted to go to a theme park or if she wanted a birthday party and she chose the later, saying that she wanted to have cake with her friends.

And so the party planning began. She had been watching Mary Poppins any time she got the chance so I knew that a "Jolly Holiday" was in store for us.



Guests were greeted at the door by the mini Mary Poppins and a sign that said, "To Enter: You Think, You Wink, You Do a Double Blink, and Jump!



There were kites on the walls:




I attempted to create a tape measure but it ended up more like a growth chart where all the kids could see how they measured up:



With the help of my husband, we made a bunch of little black hats with daisies for the girls and grosgrain trimmed top hats for the boys:



We ate a carousel inspired cake:



It was a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day filled with fun games and friends!!




Happy 5th Birthday to my "Practically Perfect" little girl!

Loose Tooth=Baby?

I picked up Dylann from school today and she said excitingly, "Mommy, I have a loose tooth!"

Then the rest of the conversation went like this:

Me: Wow, really? That means your going to get a grown up tooth like me.

Dylann: But I don't want to have a baby.

Me: What?

Dylann: If I get grown-up teeth then I have to go to the hostible (hospital) and have the doctor take a baby out of my belly.

Me: No, no, honey. Getting grown-up teeth doesn't mean you're going to have a baby.

Dylann: First I have to find my prince, then have a wedding, and then I get a baby?

Me: Yes, if you want. But not until you're very old!

Dylann at 8 months old showing us her toothy grin

While I'm excited for her, a part of me is incredibly sad. My baby girl, now almost 5, is going to loose her 1st tooth!

Kindergarten

Today was Dylann's first day of "Kindergarten."

If you're wondering why I put the word in quotations, it's because she's in a class called Discovery Kindergarten. It's geared towards children who may be ready for kindergarten academically, but not emotionally or socially. They must also be turning 5 sometime between July and December. It's held at a typical, public elementary school and her class socializes with the other kindergarten classrooms, but instead of the 25:1 ratio, it's 20:1 and the children learn more hands-on with less worksheets to take home. She's also at school for a full day (7:55 - 1:30), 5 days a week. So, it's Kindergarten, but geared towards the younger set.

So here she is, my little 4.75 year old, with her big girl backpack on, heading to her first full day of school.

She kept telling me how excited she was to be going to "high school." I suppose that's how it must seem to her though - being 4 years old, going to the same school as 10 year olds.

hanging her backpack

I tried hard to hold back the tears, but as I gave her that final kiss and told her to have a fantastic day, the floodgates opened.

waving goodbye to me

I can't wait to pick her up later today!! I think Logan misses her too.

Rides and Candy and Toys - Oh Boy!

Don't ask what I'm doing on the first Wednesday in August for at least the next 5 years. It's opening day at the Ventura County Fair! And it's only $1 to enter (for me since kids under 5 are free). Added bonus this year - Ray stayed home with Logan so that Dylann and I could stay as long as we wanted (didn't have to go home to put Logan down for a nap).

This year we met up friends which not only made it more fun for Dylann, but less nauseating for me. I don't know at what age it happened, but just the sight of all the spinning rides makes me queasy. And just about everything spins. Some even float in one direction while spinning in another - ugh, just the thought of it is making me sick.

click image for larger view of spinning rides

Dylann did go on one ride that didn't spin, but as you can see

this ride goes up 20' and drops in 5' increments

it wasn't a hit.

Don't worry, the day ended on a high note - Dylann won a stuffed panda bear and got to have some cotton candy!

what? your kid doesn't hug their cotton candy?

And since we're heading out of town this week and won't be able to hit the fair for the next $1 day, we went again on Sunday - with Logan, Daddy and Grandpa - Yippee!!

Logan looks so excited, doesn't he?

Looking forward to next year when I'll have to buy double the ride tickets because Logan will want to go on the all the glorious spinners too!

Lesson Learned

I've been trimming Logan's hair for a little while now, but his head was starting to resemble the likes of a bowl so I thought it was time to get him to a professional.



Normally, I would have just called up Jack N' Jills and scheduled an appointment. But this week, I decided to find a spot that was a bit more wallet friendly. After a few different referrals, I decided to head over to a place on the west side of town. I called to make sure that they were experienced in cutting a small child's hair (I explained that he was 17 months old and very fidgety) and they ensured me that it would not be a problem.

We arrived at 10am and they propped him up in a chair with a child's smock so I thought, "Okay, they have a booster and a child's smock - they know what they're doing."

Then the stylist asked Logan to keep still as she started taking small sections of hair and cutting as if she were working on an adult's head. Three snips in, Logan moved. The stylist tried to straighten Logan's little head and I looked at her with a look that said, "Really? You think you're going to get this 17 month old to keep his head straight and still?!" I tried my best to keep Logan still, giving him snacks, toys, and even a lollipop (which he's never had) to keep him happy but again, he's only 17 months old! The stylist then looked at me with a smirk and said, "I can't do this if he moves" to which I responded, "I called and someone told me that this would not be an issue." She continued trying to work while huffing and puffing and Logan's little head was looking worse by the minute. Finally, I asked her to use the clippers because the scissors were giving him a butchered look. After 20 more minutes of absolute frustration (both ways I'm sure), his hair was finally even. Really, really short, but even.



I cried all the way home.

Was it worth saving $20 - nope.

Is Logan still adorable - yes.

July 4th Weekend

Friends, BBQs, Jolly Jumper, Parade, Smores, and Fireworks - whew! What a great weekend!

Sorry, I forgot to take my camera out at all the events, but here are some of the moments I was able to capture



Hope you had a great weekend too!

Camping

We recently took a little trip out to Kern County for a little camping fun with our friends, the Weisers.

It only took 2 hours to get there, but Dylann has recently been very impatient on the road. She was constantly yelling, "Are we there yet?" Didn't help that the majority of the ride looked like this



When we arrived at our final destination, Buena Vista Campground on Lake Webb, it was a balmy 98 degrees!!!! So we spent our days doing this



But once the sun would start setting, we would all get back onto dry land to enjoy views like this



It was hot, dirty, and uncomfortable at times, but I swear - I always end up having so much fun camping!!! And I don't think I'd ever seen Dylann have so much fun in her little life!

Preschool Graduate

Hip, Hip, Hooray! You've done great things!

On Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Dylann's graduated from preschool. She's officially moving on and will no longer be a "monkey" in Ms. Stefanie's classroom.



The entire class celebrated by spending the morning at the park, then walking back to class to perform a song for the parents, reading Curious You, and giving hugs to their beloved teacher.



Congratulations to Incredible, Capable, Curious You - Miss Dylann!!!

Produce

We were harvesting our carrots yesterday and look what we found:



You can't find produce like this in your local supermarket!

And by the way - it was delicious!

Pillowcase Dress

A while back, I went down to the Rose Bowl Flea Market. I purchased a stack of vintage pillowcases with the intention to make something with them someday.



Well, someday finally came and this is what became of that pillowcase:



A sweet smocked dress with ruffled straps for my daughter. Perfect for the beginning of Summer!

Memorial Day Weekend

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend as much as we are!

Happy Mother's Day!

In 3's

I was tagged by Becky at Little Wickies to give a little information about me in 3's.

me and my sister, Kelly, in Hawaii

So here it goes...

3 names I go by:
1. Miyo

2. Michelle

3. Mommy

3 jobs I have had:

1. Competitive Research Analyst

2. Junior Broker

3. Nightclub Manager

3 places I have lived:

1. Hawaii

2. New York

3. Japan

3 fave drinks:
1. Grande Vanilla Latte (extra foam please)

2. Water

3. Diet Coke

3 tv shows I watch:
1. Lost

2. Glee

3. Modern Family

3 places I have been:

1. St. Lucia

2. Iowa

3. Massachusetts

3 places I would like to visit:
1. Italy

2. Australia

3. Indonesia

3 fave retro TV shows:
1. Family Ties

2. Cosby Show

3. Facts of Life

3 fave dishes:

1. Chinese Chicken Salad at Fresco in Santa Barbara

2. Baguette with Rondele and thinly sliced roast beef (red onion optional)

3. Shabu-Shabu

3 things I am looking forward to:
1. Going out with the girls on Sunday
2. My hula performance next month

3. Summer

3 people I am tagging:

1. Christie

2. Aubrei

3. Jennifer

The Best Gifts

are those that are homemade!

cake made by Ray and Dylann

This was the first time Ray has EVER made a cake.

Thank you honey - I love you!

one year later

a year ago this month, logan had his first trip to the beach:

april, 2009

and here he is, just yesterday, a year later:

april, 2010

all i've got to say is - WOW, time flies!!!

Happy Easter

click image for larger view

Bruiser

That's been Logan's nickname for the past week.

He took a spill and landed on the crossbar to one of our dining chairs. So this is what I've been looking at for the past week.

Day 1 - I cried every time I looked at him


Day 2 - It looked the worst


Day 3 - At least the swelling has gone down


Day 4 - Tough guy


Day 5 - I guess he's doing fine

fresh

Every time we go to Underwood Family Farms, I think of how lucky we are to live in an area where we can be outdoors most of the year and go to places like this to pick our own fresh produce.

Today it was strawberries.


Doesn't get any fresher than this.

success

today was logan's first swim class!



he loved the water - it was a complete success!!

Go Dylann, Go!

Today was the annual Children's World Jog-A-Thon.



You've got to stretch first.



Then they were supposed to run 3 laps around the courtyard (they were so excited, I think they actually ran 4)



Logan and I cheered



After the running and cheering we needed to replenish those little bodies with some water and oranges




And the big surprise - Gold medals for everyone!



Great job monkey class!!