Dear Tooth Fairy,

Dear Tooth Fairy,

You know, for a long time I've had a loose tooth? Today I pulled it out of my mouth! It feels funny to not have a tooth anymore. I hope you will find us in the camper tonight.

But how will you get this letter? Would we have to put it in a bottle? No. Would we have to make it wings? No. Will we have to put a rubber band over it? No. But how will we get it to you, Tooth Fairy? I really hope you will come to Disney World and I will be really surprised if you come and give me some money. A dime? A nickel? A quarter? Some dollars? Some pennies?

I don't know! We'll find out! Safe flying, Tooth Fairy!!

Love,

Lexi

(This letter was dictated by Lexi minutes after she lost her first tooth and made the obligatory calls to Daddy (who is working right now), Nana and Papaw, Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Faron)

And here's the toothlessness at it's best!

Abbyism of the week

My in-laws, Barbara and Dennis/Nana and Papaw, joined me and Abby at Lexi's dance class. Nana offered to hold Abby so I could have my hands free to take pictures. Once Abby realized what was going on, she wanted in the action. Every time the music started, Abby would bounce and tap her toes. I tried to get a video but was unsuccessful, but here she is with Nana anyway.

Lexism of the week

Current mood: embarrassed

When I buy new clothes, Stefan makes me model them. This also includes turning around to show my back side. What woman likes this? So I stick my tush out and shake it just to be a smart aleck. Evidently without my knowledge Lexi witnessed this act one time because when I took her school shopping at Old Navy, every time she would see a mirror she would stick out her tush and shake it saying that it was a fashion show. When we returned with her new wardrobe, she was modeling her outfits and did the same thing when she was showing daddy.

Tonight we went shopping along with my parents at Wal-Mart for the essentials for our Disney trip. While we were all standing in the checkout line, Lexi shook her booty so much that her pants started to fall. I asked her if she wanted to be a plumber when she grew up because she was close to baring her crack for all to see. I then turned my head and when I focused my attention back on her, she had pulled her pants down. I quickly pulled them back up and turned my head so she could not see the embarrassment-caused laughter. Meanwhile, my dad started breaking into the chorus of Moon River.

What did papa tomato say to baby tomato as baby was lagging behind?

Ketchup!!! Get it? Catch up! I kill myself.

Anyway, I'm behind on posting some pictures, so I figured I'd do it all in this one post. First of all, here's is a picture of Abby and me on my bike. She likes to ride, but she hates the helmet. She screams every time I try to put it on her, but she squeals with glee whenever we're actually on the move.





Speaking of bikes, I finally got a picture of Stefan on his. (Translation: He finally stopped long enough for me to take a picture)



One morning, Stefan captured this shot of the sleepyheads one morning watching cartoons together on TV. You can tell that Lexi is still very sleepy.




Last Saturday, we had some of our friends, Sam and Angie, come over to play games. We used to do this quite often, but for one reason or another something always got in the way of any concrete plans. There were no falling outs or anything like that, life just got in the way. Anyway, they have a daughter, Sami, that is about 6 months younger than Lexi. At this age months don't make a difference though. Anyway, while we visited with them and played games, Sami and Lexi had a great time playing the basketball game called HORSE, playing house in Lexi's playhouse and various other games created and understood only be the two of them. They had a blast and it was good to see Lexi playing so well for so long with someone her own age.







Tuesday was parent observation day at Lexi's dance school. She has made drastic improvements over the summer and I think it has a lot to do with the teacher. Her new teacher, Dana, seems to really know how to relate instructions better to kids this age than her teacher that she had last year. Lexi just adores her as seen here as she is looking up to Miss Dana during the tap portion of the class.





Here's a video too!!



Finally, last year in Pre-K, Lexi befriended a sweet little girl named Savannah who Lexi calls her best friend. It is so good to know that she made such a strong connection with someone at school. Anyway, at the end of the year program Savannah's mom, Julie, and I exchanged emails (what a sign of the times, huh?) with the purpose of getting the girls together over the summer. At the time, Julie was pregnant and due in three weeks, so we knew that it would probably be after the dust settled from the baby's birth until we would be able to reunite Lexi and Savannah.

Anyway, we finally got the girls together today and it was great. For the most part they played together nicely. We met up at a park nearby and the girls played for almost two hours. Lexi had a couple of bouts of selfishness when she only wanted to play what she wanted to but I think that stemmed from the fact that she was becoming tired with the constant running the two girls were doing. Julie and I decided to move on from the park to McDonald's because it was about lunch time and the girls were excited about that idea. Here's a picture I took as the girls led the way to our cars.



What pals!!!! We also got some good news while during the playdate. I had assumed that since Savannah lives in the same town as my sister and her family, that Savannah would go to the same school as my niece and nephew. Apparently, there is a part of the town that crosses into Cherokee County and Savannah lives in that part. She will be going to Lexi's school next year. Now the odds of her and Lexi being in the same class just went from 0 chance whatsoever to 1/12. How cool is that? I also found out that the boy that picked on Lexi relentlessly last year will not be going to Lexi's school. Darn!! (<-- sarcasm here)

I shouldn't take it...but I will!!!!

Current mood: ecstatic

Today was my last day of summer classes. If you ask my teacher, she would tell you that this class is hard enough on a regular semester much less at the lightning speed we cover things during the summer. I fought my way through. As much effort as I put in, I could not get a grade higher than an 89 on anything. I finally got the grade for my paper I turned in last week and it was an 86. With a grade like that and given my past performance I knew that my aspirations of an A in the class were through because I would have to get a 94 on the final exam in order to get an 89.5 average for that .5 point bump up to an overall A.

Well, my teacher posted the grades (for the final exam and the class overall) tonight and I actually got a 92 on my final. My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. I was disgusted because I knew that I was so close. That is until I scrolled further down the grade list and saw that my posted final grade was an A!!!! She gave me a full point bump!!!!

Do you think it had anything to do with the baby gift that the class presented her with before the exam? I don't care. I'll take it.

Almost done

Current mood: anxious

I've been working on a project for my class all summer. I turned it in last Thursday (all 35 pages of it) and am now waiting the grade. I know it may be much to ask of my 36.5 week pregnant teacher to grade this assignment before the final tomorrow, but I had my hopes up. Considering this project is 20% of my final average and I am on the cusp of getting an A in the class, I would really like to know what the grade is so I can figure out what I need to do on the final exam to achieve the overall A but I guess I'll just have to keep waiting.

It's not easy, though. I have checked our class's website about 30 times today hoping to see that my grade is posted only to be disappointed each time I log on.

Boys and their toys

Growing up Stefan had many of the same rules that most have. Until you are 18 or living on your own (whichever comes last) no tattoos, no motorcycles, etc. I don't know if it's his rebellious side or the influence of shows like Miami Ink or American Chopper, but since we have been married, he has felt compelled to break those restraints. Once Lexi was born, he had her name tattooed on his right arm and of course Abby took the space on his left arm with her arrival.

As if that wasn't enough to make the hair on his parents' necks stand on end, he has been mentioning a motorcycle for years. I have been highly opposed of this, but back in February I came to the realization that I could not be his mother and tell him that he could not do it. I knew that if I remained steadfast and refused him, he would only decide to do it in retirement when his ability to heal would be much less than that of his current, spry 30 years. For his birthday and Father's Day, I told him that he could take the motorcycle safety course to explore if this really was something that he wanted to pursue. He had a blast and I knew I was in trouble.

Last Tuesday, he purchased his new love which he promptly named Anita Ryde. Get it? I need to ride? haha. He's happy and I'm happy for him with reservations of course. His parents are less than thrilled. That was to be expected.

On the way home from the shop with it, I was following him in the car with the girls in the back seat. Lexi dropped a few little pearls of wisdom that just cracked me up. First, she asked what color Daddy's bike is. I told her it was red. She then said that it must be a Hhhhhhhhonda (because they had looked at Honda's previously and they were in fact red). I told her that it was a Yamaha. She then reprimanded me saying that she knows her colors and red means Honda!

Then she told me that Daddy and I could now ride our new bikes together. I told her that I didn't think I could pedal that fast and had to explain that Daddy's bike has a motor. Then I had to explain what a motor is.

Finally, she asked me if Daddy knew his way home on a bike - as if it would be any different than the way home in a car!

Yesterday, his parents met Anita for the first time. His mom congratulated Stefan through gritted teeth and his dad put on a brave face and expressed a slight curiosity about the machine (more for Stefan's benefit than his own I imagine).

Anyway, Stefan is loving his new toy. I'm happy for him...I just hope that this initial desire to ride all the time wears off a bit or some more rules will have to be put in place for the sake of family time.

Lexism of the week

Tuesday nights the girls have sleepovers with Nana and Papaw while I break away for some adult time to bowl a league (very therapeutic by the way). Last Tuesday Nana got a "real tea set" as Lexi calls it. When Stefan called her to say his usual "goodnights" and "be goods" Lexi told him they were having a tea party, "But," she said, "this tea is horrible!" Nana says next time they'll have apple juice tea instead.

Anyway, apparently after the tea party had gone on for about 25 minutes or so Uncle Faron decided that it was time for the tea party to end to which Lexi said that the tea party was not over and that she didn't know WHEN it would end. Papaw (taking Lexi's side) said that the tea party would end when the fat lady sings. Then Lexi said, "Nana is the only fat lady here and she hasn't sung yet!"

This had them all in hysterics.


**Note: Nana was not offended and this was posted with her permission.

The Countdown Continues....

Our Disney trip is closing in and as it does so, Lexi's anticipation and my own are building. I was cruising on the web for Disney songs to add to my page. I came across the song for the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland that was more for my own nostalgia than Lexi's because she has never been to DisneyLAND. I remember every note to that song and it brings back so many fond memories for me. I hope one day, Lexi and Abby will have the same fond memories of Disney WORLD. I found the song from the SpectroMagic Parade at Disney World and believe it or not, although Lexi was only 3 when we went last, she recognized it right away! ::beam::

9 DAYS TO GO!!!!

Chucklin' Monday

Current mood: giggly

The girls were up to their regular antics today. They had me laughing quite a bit.

After Stefan left for work and Abby was down for a nap, I decided to don my swimsuit and sit out in the backyard with a book to try to get some color on my pasty white legs for about 45 minutes so as to not burn hoping that if I did this enough I wouldn't burn so bad during our trip to Disney. Lexi was playing on the computer on www.pbskids.org so I didn't bother her, I just went out. After about 30 minutes, she opened the sliding glass door and asked what I was doing. I told her I was reading. She asked why I was in my swimsuit and I told her so I could get some sun. The next thing I knew, she came out in nothing but her panties telling me she wanted to do what I was doing but couldn't find her swimsuit. I laughed.

Later, Abby was playing with her hippo - a toy that she is supposed to push in front of her. The head is supposed to gobble up blocks in front of it and spit them into a little platform in front of the handle. She decided that she would derive a new use for it. She sat on the hippo's head, put her feet on the block capturing platform, and hang onto the handle kind of like she was on a cool moped. She then proceeded to bounce like she was wondering why it wasn't going anywhere. Come to think of it, she may have thought she was in her bike seat since, according to her, all she has to do is sit and the bike goes.



Then she got the idea to stand and use one foot to push it like it was a Razor scooter. This really amused her...and me.




Then, the fun continued....

I think we have an interior decorator on our hands because Abby likes to take our kitchen chairs and shoove them around the kitchen never to return to their proper place. This always makes us laugh.

Countdown

Current mood: excited

Our trip to Disney World is drawing near. We are going the very last week of summer vacation before Lexi makes her Kindergarten debut. So, this means that not only must I prepare for her school year to begin by getting the necessary items (supplies, clothes, shoes, etc.) but I must prepare the family for the trip. Two of the dogs are staying with a friend of mine and the other + Abby are going to spend the week at Nana and Papaw's.

Yes you read that right. Abby is staying home. It was torture for me to finally decide on this because I think that a family vacation is exactly that - a family vacation. But she is only 14 months old and I have been unsuccessful at reducing her from two naps a day to one. Having to take two breaks throughout the day to allow for her naps will be too much. It's not like she'll remember the trip anyway.

Anyway, I have 11 days before we must all be packed up to leave. Lexi's ready for school. The only problem with that is that I think that we are going to miss the preview of her teacher and classroom while we are away. That is, IF there is a preview because I still haven't hear anything about it. My semester is winding down. The project I have been working on all summer is almost ready to turn in. I just have to make some changes to the rough draft and organize it into a final draft to turn in. I'll be so thankful when that paper leaves my hands! My final is on the 24th which gives me 3 days to run around getting things done for the trip.

Lexi is excited. She's already decided that she wants to eat dinner with Cinderella again at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. She has determined that she wants to ride the Dumbo ride first, and that she wants to see the Spectromagic parade (the one on Main St. USA) and watch the "Wishes" fireworks show. I love seeing Disney through her eyes. I remember going to Disneyland many times when I was a child living in California, but I must say that as the years creep across my face, the magic becomes a flitting memory. But seeing the parks through Lexi's eyes brings the magic back to the surface and I think that I am more excited about the trip than even she is!

The first time we took Lexi, she was three and we were with Stefan's parents. This time my parents are going with. We are staying at the Disney campground that is right off of Bay Lake and just a boat launch away from the Magic Kingdom. We are renting a cabin for Stefan, Lexi and myself and my parents are driving their RV and camping at a site nearby (hopefully if the Disney folks can do a little magic to make that happen).

This campground is awesome for so many reasons.
1) It is right off of Bay Lake which is so convenient.

2) They have a campfire sing along every night where Chip and Dale lead the kiddos in a sing along, you can roast marshmallows or make Smores, and then when that is all said and done, they show a Disney movie under the stars.

3) There is a boat parade that comes by the Bay Lake beach each night after dark. You cannot see the boats because they are shrouded in darkness, but they are decorated with light grids that light up with sea creatures as music blares from the boats loud enough for all to hear. It sounds cheesy, but it's neat.

4) There is a dinner theater show they have at Pioneer Hall called the Hoop Dee Doo Revue which we have never gone to, but plan to see this time around.

5) Getting to any of Disney's parks from here is incredibly easy which is a huge plus for a family with a young kid in tow.

6) It has a marina where you can rent a two-seater "mouse boat" and cruise around Bay Lake. I think Lexi will like this.

7) The cabins have full kitchens so we can save a little money on eating where we don't have to pay $9 for a cheeseburger and french fries in the park - not the healthiest of meals - per person. Ouch!

8) Lexi and I can take our bikes to get around the campground better. My parents also have bikes. Stefan? Not so much. He's going to try to borrow one.

(Speaking of bikes, the seat that my parents got me for Abby can also hold Lexi. Believe it or not my 5 1/2 year old fits into the "up to 40 lbs" weight criteria. I was riding with her (helmet adorned of course) around the neighborhood and a neighbor stopped me to tell me how extremely unsafe it is (the didn't see the seat). I showed them the seat and they backed down. People! Anyway, if Lexi can't keep up, she can also hop on my bike. How cool is that?)

9) They have a petting zoo where you can also take trail rides on a horse.

10) You feel like you're a million years away from the civilized world but in reality, you're right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. They did a great job of creating an atmosphere like you're in the Frontier years and at a campground in the middle of nowhere. This is cool because you don't feel like you're overstimulated every waking moment with Disney.

There are more reasons, but for brevity's sake I'll keep the list at ten.

I'll miss Abby like crazy. She is a huge part of each day for me, so it's going to be very hard to leave her behind. Especially when I see things and wonder how she would react if she were seeing the same. It's for the best, though, and it's not like she'll remember being there...or not being there for that matter.

Anyway, I guess I've rambled enough.

Abbyism of the week

Current mood: amused

I've been giving the girls separate baths since Abby was born. This raises a few eyebrows but with there being a 4 1/2 year age difference, I didn't want to cramp Lexi's style by making her take baths with her baby sister. A few weeks ago, Lexi requested to bathe with Abby and I didn't disuade it. The two had a blast splashing each other and pouring water over each other's heads. Now, I get complaints when I try to remove either one from the tub. Stefan captured Abby's protest one evening with this photo...



He also captured this smily monster one day while I was at school. Gotta love the little curls!



With that aside, here is the Abbyism this week...

Abby is infatuated with herself. I've posted entries before with pictures of her kissing herself in the mirror and questioned if it was narissism. I don't need to wonder anymore. The child is full of herself. If she sees a mirror on the within reach, she kisses it. She loves to primp her hair by scrunching it with her hands, but now... Now, if she sees a brush on the floor, she brushes her own hair. I'm certain this is not the end of this trend.

Lexism of the week

The girls and I went to the store today. I had decided to get Lexi a new game and it was a good thing. As part of the promo blitz for Ratatouille, Disney decided to (appropriately update an old classic. This used to be one of my favorite games when I was younger, so I convinced Lexi that this was the game for her. When we got home, we set the game up and began to play. One of the pieces is a cleaver with Chef Skinner's picture on each side. Lexi was terrified of that piece. I thought it was funny, so this is the Lexism this week picture and all.

My 29th

Current mood: geeky

So the celebration of my 29th continued today although I was afflicted with a swollen foot ( don't ask because I don't know how it happened) and a migraine. At school it was pretty uneventful as I didn't advertise the fact to anyone. I sent the girls for their Tuesday night sleepover earlier than usual and took the time to do some much needed schoolwork. Later, I went bowling as per the usual and a classmate of mine joined as a sub for the team that we were opposing (also the same team my best friend bowls on). He was the type that admitted he cannot be beat by a girl. I then opened my can of whoop a$$ and bowled a 240 my first game only to be followed by a 200 my second. The third game didn't go as splendidly as I was only able to pull out a 165 for a 605 total series.

Mind you, I have only bowled over a 600 series twice before in my life. In fact, for many years it was the type of score that eluded me. Anyway, the aforementioned guy from my class only bowled a 603 series. It is safe to say that I have some bragging power over him on Thursday. He tried to take some pictures of me "celebrating" with the drinks that fellow league mates were purchasing in my honor ( no, I didn't drive) to use as blackmail, but who can argue the fact that I still beat him? And to boot, I was able to use the lessons learned in class to derive a formula based off of my scores. My teacher would be so proud!!!!

Anyway, the girls are staying the night at Nana and Papaw's house tonight. Stefan is working late and I have to pound out some schoolwork like crazy. In the morning, I have a much-needed hair appointment for a color and trim and then the girls will find their way home.

All in all, I would say that my big 29 went off pretty well. Thanks to all of you that sent your well wishes. Ciao.

A good weekend

With it being the weekend before my birthday, we celebrated a bit early. Stefan took Lexi to her swim lessons Saturday morning and then the two of them went to pick up my gift. On the way to the "gift place" Stefan and Lexi had a conversation that went something like this:

Stefan: Guess what we're going to get Mommy for her birthday?
Lexi: A new oven?
Stefan: No.
Lexi: A new oven mitt?
Stefan: No.
Lexi: Give me a hint.
Stefan: It's something you ride.
Lexi: Is it a horse?
Stefan: No. We don't have room for a horse.
Lexi: We can build it a stable.
Stefan: Where are we going to build a stable?
Lexi: In our backyard.
Stefan: Our backyard isn't big enough.
Lexi: Okay, maybe the front yard.
Stefan: Our front yard isn't big enough.
Lexi: Okay maybe across the street. (We have a huge field across the street from our house)
Stefan: We don't own that property across the street, Lexi.
Lexi: Maybe it's a stick horse.
Stefan: No.

Then they arrived at "the gift place" and Lexi realized that it was a bike! They got me the bike I've been asking for for the last three years. It is a Trek Navigator 2.0 and it is beautimous!!!

Later that day, we took the girls to my parents' house for a sleep over and my mom gave me her gift - a seat for Abby to ride in on the bike that mounts on the bar in front of me. I've never seen anything like it, but it is neat and makes interacting with Abby much easier as I can see what she is doing. I had to adjust the way I pedaled just a litte, but other than that it wasn't as intrusive as you would think. The first time Abby rode in it she held her arms out to the sides with her palms down so she tapped the tops of my legs every time I pedaled. She also let out a cute giggle. She and I will enjoy these gifts especially considering Lexi is now getting fairly good on her bike (with training wheels) and we can go on girl rides while Daddy's at work. Fun times.

That night while the girls played with Grandma and Grandpa, Stefan and I went to the Melting Pot (my favorite restaurant) with Jen and Steve Gagliano. Jen has been a good friend of mine since I was 14 and of course Steve is her husband but he is also my bowling partner on Tuesday nights. After an absolutely sinfully delicious meal we went to The Punchline (a comedy club) to see Billy Gardell. The show was great! The service? Not so much.

Anyway, I think it would be safe to say that I had a great birthday celebration which should make up for the fact that on the actual day I will be in class, at dance lessons with Lexi and off to bowling later that night. In short, the actual day will just be a day filled with the regular day-to-day business where I hardly see Stefan at all and with no room for celebrating. C'est la vie! (Such is life!)

Lexism of the week

When Lexi was little she was very attached to a Strawberry Shortcake doll as well as an Apple Dumplin doll. Everywhere Lexi went her dolls went too. Over time the dolls became very dingy and, when Lexi was about 4 and her focus shifted to My Little Ponies and Barbies, the old beloved dolls fell to the wayside in the deep throws of her playroom.

Today, Uncle Faron came up and went with me and the girls to dinner and to do some early school supply shopping. Lexi insisted on taking a toy, but was overwhelmed with the selection as we were getting ready to leave and grabbed Apple Dumplin just in time because I was counting down for her to decide on a toy to bring before we left with nothing at all.

In the car, Lexi was becoming reacquainted with her long, lost friend and this was very intriguing to Abby. Faron suggested that Lexi let Abby see the doll for a moment. After much discussion Lexi relented and Abby hugged on the doll and played with its nose for a brief moment in time.

While we were at the store doing Lexi's school supply shopping, I decided to check out the toy aisle for a doll for Abby (she still has birthday money left over to spend). I was going to let Lexi pick the doll out but once again the selection proved too much for her. Finally, I picked a cute little doll out for Abby that was wearing a pick jogging suit. Once bought, Faron tried unsuccessfully to free the doll from its confines. Lexi couldn't wait for the doll to be free. She thought that this was a plaything for her!

When we got in the car, she told us that she would kindly allow Abby to play with Apple Dumplin now if Abby would let Lexi play with HER new doll. It seemed to make perfect sense to her!