Locks and Lots of Love

One last picture with her long locks.

Emmerly has been loving her long tresses lately - she has even discussed growing her hair to her ankles (thanks a lot Disney!)! I, for one, would NOT have been ok with that....thankfully, she was averted on her own accord!

Several months ago she proclaimed she wanted a cut - a big one - like to her chin. It seemed to me that her hair just might be long enough, and it seemed sad to waste all that beautiful hair, so I told her about Locks of Love. She was in! We checked online and, while they will accept hair of any length, they can only use 10 inches or longer for the wigs. They sell anything shorter than that to help offset their costs. We got out the measuring tape and she was right around 8 inches, while still giving Em what she felt to be an acceptable amount of hair. So the waiting began!

People started noticing how long her hair was, and Em was always quite proud to tell why. This last month has been especially tough because it has been stinkin' hot! I know Em was counting down the days. Thankfully she finally reached the 10 inch mark, and off to the salon we went.

Although she was excited, she still had that moment of pause...."Am I sure about this?" She was! She hopped in the chair and a few minutes later....cuteness ensued!

With our friend, and stylist extraordinaire, Sara. And the long awaited 10 inches, of course!


Nola occupied herself playing with the salon paraphernalia.

Tada! An A-line bob WITH bangs! And 10 inches of beautiful hair that will hopefully make some little girl smile.




I must admit I was a little apprehensive about the bangs, only because Em's hair usually curls up quite a bit when it is short. But I'm happy to report they have been extremely cooperative. And even after a good night's sleep, her hair is as cute as ever!


It truly was a labor of love, but Em was happy and proud to do it. And I'm so proud of her!

Early Funday Sunday

My eldest and I were up early this morning....I'm talking EARLY! Like, the you-know-what-of-dawn early! I was out of the house at 4:05 am to grab some donuts, then waking this one up for a 4:30 am treat.


My little girl, who is not so little anymore, is off to her first Brownie event - and couldn't possibly be any more excited! They are driving to the Anaheim Stadium (or is it Angel Stadium? Los Angeles Angels that are in Orange County Field? I can't keep up...) to cheer for the crazy people running the Disneyland Half Marathon. Now, don't get me wrong - I dream of running a half marathon, so one day I'll be a little crazy too. But these people that run the Disneyland Half Marathon are their own special crazy - dressing up in Mickey and Goofy costumes and THEN running 13 miles! I think that's kinda crazy. But I digress....

Em and three of her greatest friends are off to sing and dance and yell at the top of their lungs and encourage the runners at the end of the race, when they need it the most. Who wouldn't keep running for these faces?!



They really are too cute. They were all quite chipper this morning too - literally jumping up and down giddy. I guess she needs a Brownie wake up call every morning!

Em was SUPER excited to get this new uniform - she just had to get it all - tights, official Brownie skirt, and my personal favorite, the Brownie beanie. I just love this girl.



My co-Troop Leader Terra thought it best I sit this one out - standing for 5 hours does not sound like my cup of tea right now. So, I'm off to put up these feet that I'm sure are going to start swelling any day now....


Have fun little ladies!

OY VEY!

Well, here I am....AGAIN! At the point of no return. Or so it feels. I have worked my way down the proverbial ladder of the blog roll and am once again a YEAR away from my last post! Oy vey!

My problem is this - ME! I always take FOR-E-VER to get my pictures from my camera to my computer, which seriously impedes getting a blog post together. I also get to a point where it has been a while since my last post, months perhaps, and I over-analyze the next post, wasting more time trying to decide if I should just move on from there, or go back and post on events I missed.....leading me to just do nothing at all! Oy vey!

Facebook and Skype have not been my friends in this journey either...we created this blog solely for the purpose of sharing pictures with out-of-town friends and family. And we generally just Skype now to keep in touch, or post updates and funny events on facebook. And if I'm being completely honest, I don't do that as much as I'd like either! This is quickly turning into a self-deprecating post....oy vey!

But as our family is growing and the kids are getting older and I am getting farther and farther from getting to that scrapbook of our lives, this blog is becoming more and more important to me. I want to have a record of the big and little moments that make up our sweet life. And there have been some pretty big and sweet moments this last year. So, while attempting to stay current and caught-up with what is going on NOW, I will also be going back to cover some of the best moments of our year - moments like our trip to Italy, our trip to the east coast, the first lost tooth (and the second, third and fourth...), some pretty fun birthday parties, and finding out we're pregnant!

So, bear with me folks! Here's to my 342nd attempt at keeping this blog alive! Oy vey!

Let the Melvin Moments begin! No, really....I'm serious! Honest! oy vey...

Science Experience Extravaganza!

Tomorrow, our baby will turn 6, and while I could bemoan the thought that she is growing up and I don't know where time has gone, I will save that for another post! Today will be devoted to Emmerly's 5th birthday party - yes, 5th. Yes, one year late, but this party really does deserve more than just an honorable mention and a few photos in a "catch-up" post, and Emmerly still is, in fact, 5 today! Plus, my friend Greta personally requested more details, and I don't want to disappoint!

As many of you know, Emmerly is a curious creature (curious as in Curious George, not as in strange or odd) and LOVES science of any kind - bugs and experiments especially! She often spends hours creating concoctions in the kitchen, and calls them her "science experiences" - she started calling them 'experiences' before she could pronounce 'experiments', and it just stuck. So, I wasn't surprised when Em wanted a science party, and I was quite excited too!

Science has always been a particular love of mine as well (ie. minor in Bio), so it was great fun planning a whole party of experiments! The phrase "narrow it down" was not in my vocabulary when envisioning this party, so we just did it all!

Our house became Melvin Laboratories, site of the 2009 Science Experience Extravaganza Convention. Decor included a huge periodic table, posters of the body systems (skeletal, muscular, etc.), a brain and a hand in a jar, beakers, test tubes, microscopes, and of course, Albert Einstein.


When our guests arrived, they had to don the proper attire - every scientist needs an apron, safety goggles and a big bow tie, right?


Then it was time for 'experience' fun!! And what fun there was to be had!! Instant snow and photo-sensitive paper; test tubes and beakers and vinegar and baking soda; Oobleck (a non-Newtonian substance made of cornstarch and water) and paper bodies with body part stickers!


All of these were stations set up outside that the kids could explore and experience at their own pace....adults got in on the action too! And I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or adults! Then, we did a few experiments all together....

A do-it-yourself "lava lamp" can be made by adding oil and water to a clean bottle - 20 oz or 2 liter. Add several drops of food coloring and some alka-seltzer tablets, and watch the lava flow!


Do you know what happens when you microwave a bar of Ivory Soap? Does it explode? Melt? Try it and see! The kids had fun finding out - don't they look impressed? I think I'll leave you in suspense and let you run out to buy some Ivory soap....


We even made Oobleck dance by putting it on a big speaker, like this! But be careful if you try it at home - it can be loud!! But oh so fun to watch!


Then, we moved out front for our final, and my favorite, 'experience'. While the Mentos Geyser is fun in and of itself, it was the response from the kids that made this so wonderful and memorable for me!! Just watch their faces in this sequence - PRICELESS!!!


Next up, cupcake time! Periodic table-style. These cupcakes were definitely a labor of love - it took quite a bit longer than I expected to set them up appropriately, make so many different colors of frosting, and label with the proper elements. And while I knew NONE of the kids would know or appreciate what the periodic table was, I knew it would be a hit with the adults. I was quite pleased with the result! They were mini cupcakes which was perfect - it would have been HUGE with regular-sized cupcakes!


Emmerly double-fisted the green cupcakes, of course...


...while Nola chose a blue that matched her outfit, little fashionista that she is!


Guests got to leave with their very own test tube and Mentos, so they could continue experiencing and experimenting at home.


What a fun party it was! A truly great time had by all. The kids loved getting dirty and messy, and maybe even learned a little something too. It honestly wasn't that difficult either - so many household items put to good use! Plus, I had some help from Steve Spangler, the science guru. I ordered quite a few supplies from his website, plus got some ideas for experiments there. So, if you're thinking of doing a science party, do it! You'll be glad you did!