Date Night

Tonight was Night of the Arts at the girls' school.  This is a big deal to these girls.  Big big deal.  So, we got a babysitter for Eden and each took a girl to their 2 classes.  It was followed by ice cream at "That Place Where They Used to Have 30 Flavors but Now have Tons More" (Thank you, Avery).  Ben and I are going to check on Aves tonight before we go to bed to make sure she's not glowing in the dark (Thank you neon ice cream).

Ferris Bueller's Ferrari House is for Sale.

Now, all I need is $2.3 Million and a good reason to move to Illinois.

That Limbo Body

Avery: Lady GaGa is good at playing Limbo.

Me: Huh?

Avery: Yah, because she has a Limbo Body.

Me: What what what??

Avery sings: Can't read my, can't read my, no you can't read on my Poker Face. . .She's got The Limbo Body

Call her, she'll sing it for you.

Oh Yes, The Party

We had 12 six-year-olds over for a Pajama Party on Saturday.  Avery has been counting-down to this Holiday of All Holidays since her 5th birthday.  It was in the evening and began with a Pancake and Bacon dinner.  They decorated pillowcases, played Musical Chairs, danced around with bubble wands and watched Scooby Doo.  

No one cried.  No one got paint on their jammers. 

And no one needed a change of clothes.  

I call that a success. But before bed I asked Aves how her birthday was and she sang, "Awwesooome." And the answer from that little girl is the only one that matters.

  
                                                                                          

                                                                                           Jason West Photography

Avery is 6 Today

My "baby" is six today.  She is our Angel.  I know that is so cliché, but with her it is more true than you know.  From the day she was born there was something special about her.  Everyone felt the same.  She just makes you want to cry. 

I beg her to stop growing up.  It is all going too fast.  

I told her that 6 years ago today she was born.  She said, "I was born on my birthday?!  That is so cool!" 

Our Pig in a Dog Suit

A face only a mother could love.

I can hear him snoring upstairs from here.

All My Bens

I have always said that if you put all of Ben's different "looks" in a room together, they would not get along.  I have never met anyone whose appearance can change so drastically, so quickly.  

For years, I have been wanting to put together an "All My Bens" book, showcasing the different husbands I have had over the years.  I have been working on it, but it is not quite complete. (If you have any photos that might add to the collection, email me!)

For over three years, Ben's hair has been getting longer and longer. One late night last week he came home with all of it gone. Gone!  I was speechless; such a drastic change.  Within a week, Ben went from being a "long haired hippie" in a Subaru to a clean-cut gentleman from the 1950s in a huge truck. There have been jokes that he is in the Witness Protection Program, rightfully.   

I love his new look - I loved the old ones too.  I consider myself lucky that I get to have a "new boyfriend" every few months.  Anyway you cut it (no pun intended), he is still the same cute Ben with the same funny jokes and the same good dad who is the preferred bedtime story-teller around here.  He is honestly a good example to me to not take things so seriously.  I've always regretted that I never tried having super-dark long hair or super-short platinum hair.  I've been too freaked out to try it.  So dumb.

Maybe I will. . .  

  

Josie's impromptu birthday song at a preschool graduation in San Francisco.  Love it.  And no, I was not standing on a chair to film it.

9 Years and Counting

Happy Anniversary.  Love you Benny.

San Fran-Fish-Co

Ah, a weekend with my sister Josie.  She has lived in San Francisco for 5 years and I have not been out to see her and her cute family until now.  My birthday present to myself was to be with Josie for her birthday.  She's thirty, pregnant, and as beautiful as ever.  

Her oldest, Charlie, wouldn't let her birthday slide by without a Scooby Doo pinata from Mexicana Produce.  Josie and Justin pulled out all of the stops and gave me the full San Fran Tour - while morning sick and all.  Jos took most of the photos with her new camera, so I will have to wait for those.  

There was a lot of weeping and wailing happening on the curb as I left to catch my flight.  It was quite a sight.  My girls were total wrecks, and I would be lying if I told you it didn't make me feel good.  It was funny however, so I told Ben to take a picture of the little heat-broken girls.  I got to the terminal and looked at the picture. . .smiles!! Those little fakers!  I never saw the smiles.  Anything to try to talk Ben into a trip to Build-a-Bear (who, by the way was a rockstar and took all three kids cheerfully for the weekend).

So, Happy Bithday to me and Josie!  More photos to come, right Jos?