A Fall Tradition

While most people associate fall traditions with costumes, pumpkins, apples and turkeys (don't get me wrong, we do too!), our family has developed another kind of fall tradition that has nothing to do with any of these things, and everything to do with dancing! Every year, the girls eagerly anticipate the Daddy Daughter Dance at Scott's school. Scott first took Emmerly when she was just 2 years old!


Since then, it has become a beloved tradition. (For some reason I can't find 2007 and 2008 right now....oh well...this will have to do!)

2009

2010

The girls love every aspect of the evening. Picking out the perfect dress.



Doing their hair just right.



And of course, the photo shoot.



This year, we even got some shots from the actual event, thanks to our new iPhones, and some lovely moms helping out at the dance. The girls enjoyed the candy bar and ice cream sundaes.




But the best part is dancing the night away with Daddy. Emmerly and Scott even took away 2nd place in the dance competition this year! It sounds exhausting - dancing for a half hour straight! Their prize? A $50 Starbucks gift card! Score one for Mommy! ;)



Apparently Nola fell asleep before the competition even began, but Em and Scott prevailed with flips and twirls and ballet moves and even a little bit of Thriller. They both came home with bright eyes and stories to tell....and very sweaty clothes!

Em is already plotting next year's dance - what she'll wear, and what moves they'll have to employ to take home first prize! And perhaps there will even be another little girl next year to dance with her Daddy!

Round here...

we've been.....

exploring with our home school friends

finding snails... and lizards....



getting lasik (no more glasses! yippeeeee!)

skating with Brownies

enjoying a visit from Mormor

learning to play the piano

going to football games

crafting

conducting the National Anthem at Angel Stadium

learning

playing at the House of Mouse

getting bigger (29 weeks)

and bigger (35 weeks)

anticipating Christmas

and so much more! Including re-decorating our living room, which will have to be it's own post...but did y0u see our new wall color? It's in one of the pictures above, and so fun! We're also counting down the days til our new bundle arrives - just one week to go!!

Musical Chairs Nola-Style

Oh, life with Nola - what a joy! She makes me laugh. A lot. And this weekend was no exception.

On Saturday night we had a Unity Night for all of Scott's choirs at the school. There was dinner, dancing (with the Wii and Just Dance), games (like musical chairs and Catch Phrase) and fun to be had by all.

It took me a while to realize what Nola was doing.....at first I just thought she was dancing to the music. But there was more to it than that - rather than join in the big game of musical chairs with 20 high schoolers and risk life and limb, she was having her own little musical chairs party on the sidelines, and enjoying it immensely! She didn't even have to fight with anyone over sitting down on the bench. When I asked what she was doing, she said she was mocking the big kids. Ha! She played her game, literally, for an hour! Game after game of musical chairs went on with the "big kids" and Nola sat off to the side watching and dancing, and enjoying her game even better. Needless to say, she slept well that night!

This video is 2 1/2 minutes, but I laugh every single time I watch it, so I didn't edit it...deal with it.

Oh, but first...Nola is sporting a new do too. She had to join in the fun when Em got her hair cut, so she had a shampoo, which she clearly enjoyed, and went under the scissors. This is only her second cut ever, so her hair was SO long! We only cut about 6 inches, but it seems like more since it curls up so much. Another super cute Melvin with a cute short do.





Now, go watch the video and enjoy.

PS - Note that at the end she says, "Did I win?" :)

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!