Hair Pretties

A few of what my mom and I have been working on...

The Joker

We went to Timmerman's for brunch on Sunday, to celebrate my Mom's birthday.  We were seated near the window overlooking the bluff, a beautiful view and the kids were penned in.  Buffets are nice with little kids, there is no waiting to place an order..just instant gratification, which means everyone was happy, behaving, and quiet.  When Rowyn finished, she climbed on the floor under the table and played peek-a-boo with everyone.  Yes she was on the floor...yes, it was probably dirty, but if she's quiet and not running all over the place, I'll get over it.  That's what hand sanitizers are for.

Five adults at the table, distracted in conversation, and one unattended purse equals one beauty school dropout armed with lipstick.  Funny thing is, she wasn't that out of place.  Timmerman's draws a geriatric crowd and she fit right in with some of those biddies.

A Fashion Show

Last night we were invited to a fashion show.

The stage, complete with curtain and lights.

Here come the models...cue the music

Work it, girls!

 

Spinning, shaking, dancing, and OH the fashion!

 

Waving to her fans...

And behind the scenes, who orchestrated the show, ran the music, and developed the set...Riley, girl wonder, who will surely die if she finds out I posted this! Haha!

We went shopping today...

It was a hard decision, but this little boy will be joining our family next weekend.

Nella: A Birth Story

Without a doubt, the most amazing birth story I have ever read.  It is inspirational, it is emotional, and it is a testament to a Mother's love.  

Nella

Halloween 2010

Halloween, Halloween, Trick or Treat, our costumes can't be beat.

That's from Dora's Halloween episode...and if I never have to watch it again, it will be too soon.

We recycled all our costumes this year, the only one upset was Camdyn who was holding out for Velma.  The Velma costume was a rip off and I think Sully suits her much better.

Take 1:

Take 2:

Take 3:

And one very serious skunk...

I scream, you scream...

It's conference time around here, so to celebrate, I made the girls a "No-School Sundae Bar". 

The extra girls are neighborhood friends.

Everyone's conference went really well, we're proud of all three of them.  

That said...Taresa, I'm sorry we left the block center reeking of baby poop.  Thank you Rowyn, for saving that for her room...I'm sure the conference after ours was a smelly one.


I'm sorry to Cooper's teacher that had to witness Camdyn whip her princess shoes off, stand on a desk, and attempt to launch herself on a tower of stacked chairs.  I'm also sorry about the markers you bribed her with after said event.  I realize they no longer have tips thanks to her extra violent polka dotting.


Whew.

Boys and Bats

After my depressing post yesterday, I thought we needed something happier.

The boys playing Mario on the Wii = Happy

Camdyn, Rowyn, and I made bats from a template found here.  We had fun, although Camdyn says they would have been better with glitter.  Duh...everything is better with glitter.

For chaos therapy, I started painting the kitchen yesterday.

What if?

If a person attacks your children, what would you do?

What if they call your children names?

What if they bully other kids?

What if this same person hits you?

What if they put holes in your wall?

What if they have no friends?

What if no one wants to be around them?

What if the person responsible for all this was your child? 

Yesterday was an especially bad day.  I found myself mad one minute, screaming another, pleading another, and crying another.  But it's not all about me.
 
I feel so bad for Rowyn, who often takes the blunt of her aggression.  
I feel bad for Riley who always defends Camdyn, when others are saying how mean and awful she is.  Camdyn attacks Riley, ruins her things, screams at her...yet in the end, Camdyn is her sister and she will defend her till the end.  
I feel bad for all of them, because I don't want to take them places out of fear of how Camdyn will behave.


Most of all, I feel sad and scared. For Camdyn.
She is my child, albeit she drives me crazy most days, but she isn't choosing to be who she is.  Who would?  Who would choose to be a 4-year-old without friends, without playmates?  Who would want to get yelled at all the time?  Who would choose to be so impulsive?  

Camdyn has ADHD and ODD. 

I can't change that.  No sticker chart or behavior modification program is going to change that.  Being more strict or less strict isn't going to make things easier.  Seeing a child psychologist isn't going to make Camdyn wake up one morning and act "normal".  This is who she is.  I realize in the whole scope of things, it could be much, much worse.  She's healthy, she's here with us...but as a parent, we want our kids to have easy lives.  To be happy.  To have friends.  To have fun.  To be loved.  To be accepted.



I feel helpless and
  I feel like I'm failing her 
and it sucks.

 

Pumpkin Carving 2010

Rowyn wanted nothing to do with cleaning out her pumpkin.

Both Camdyn and Rowyn's pumpkins are held together with toothpicks, because of course, 10 seconds after we carved them, they broke them.

Clyde took one look at his "Dora" pumpkin and knew it was going to make my blog today.  You made the effort and Camdyn was happy, that's all that matters.

That said, I think it looks more like Moe from The Three Stooges.

Mario Kart

Rowyn can't believe she came in last.  

Little did she know, she wasn't really playing anyway.

Iowa vs Michigan

A wolverine and a hawkeye.

There's going to be some fighting around here tomorrow. (okay, more fighting than usual) Haha!

Someone, didn't want to be left out. Daddy is a big San Fran fan, so he's managed to warp Cooper and Camdyn into thinking they're THE team. Seeing as the 49ers are 0 and 5, I'm not sure I'd want to be caught dead in that shirt. 

Go Bears!  

Sewing

Now that the kids are back in school, I've had a little more time to sew.  I found some pink tea towels at the dollar tree and am in the process of making them into pillows.

I bought some plain black and orange bags at the end of the season last year and am finally getting around to decorate them. 

I enjoy sewing once the machine is set up and working, but switching thread, filling bobbins, and figuring out stitches and tension is not my forte.  It's almost comical that I have all these patterns bookmarked on my computer, because at this point, I have troubles just sewing in a straight line. And what is with all this ironing crap?  Iron this seam...press down your hem.  Really people, I hardly ever iron my clothes, much less iron something that may or may not even turn out in the end.  I'm sure the whole 'practice makes perfect' holds true here, but I don't have the patience for that. 

Pumpkin Eggs

Rowyn and I made pumpkin-shaped eggs this morning for breakfast.  Unfortunately, Rowyn was more interested in Dora the Explorer than her breakfast.

We buttered both sides of the bread, used a pumpkin cookie cutter, baked the bread and egg in the oven for about 8 minutes.  I added some chocolate chips for the face later, because everyone should have chocolate for breakfast.  Add grapes and yogurt with granola and you're good to go.

Do not ask her to smile while eating...or else.

Parachutes

Today Boots and Dora joined the airborne rangers. We made their parachutes out of plastic grocery bags. You'll need a plastic bag, tape, scissors or rotary cutter, thread, a pen, and a toy that isn't afraid of heights. In this case, Boots volunteered.

Cut a square out of one of the sides of the bag.

Carefully, punch a hole in each corner with your pen.

Cut four equal lengths of thread, thread one in each corner, and tie into a knot.

Gather the thread, tie off a knot, and tape the tails of the thread to the back of your toy. Crumple up the parachute and place the toy on top...now launch it!

It may take a few tries before your toddler grasps the concept...they must go up, to come down.
(Look at those little calves...haha!)


Twirling it back and forth is always fun.


And when everything becomes tangled, call for Mom.

Fall

Rowyn loves the swing set. I love the sunshine. So, we were both happy.