Masquerade

So for a while now Lexi has been talking about "The Masked Ball." I think she saw one on a Barbie movie. It's her new obsession. Everything is "Well that would be beautiful for The Masked Ball" or "They don't eat cheesy chicken at The Masked Ball" or "You don't have to go to bed if you are a beautiful princess at The Masked Ball"


We were running some errands this morning and one of my errands was Hobby Lobby. While there, I found a plain white child sized mask

At home I had:
paint
glitter
lace
ribbons
crystals
hot glue


And thus, this creation was made for $1.79:

Lexi hasn't stopped twirling. 
Please appreciate that she insisted upon wearing a dress that coordinated. 
Not only that, but appreciate that she HAS a dress that coordinated with her mask.

 Lexi is now ready to attend The Masked Ball.

Ordinarily I would give myself the Mother of The Day Award. 
But, I ignored Emma for the duration of this project. 
She was not pleased that Daddy was in charge of her:

Dear Emma

Dear Emma - 


First, I want you to know that I love you. But at 5:45 a.m., I don't really want to see anyone, or talk to anyone, or do anything but sleep. Having said that, please know that the phrase "Up with the sun" is not something I have ever or will ever be interested in. Finishing 3 cups of coffee before 7:30 a.m. (during the summer) is not a routine goal I set for myself. With this in mind, please consider yourself warned - do NOT continue to wake up pre-dawn.


I know you can't communicate well yet - you are only 14 months old, but I do appreciate that you make it easy for me to guess what you want. For instance, when I came into your room this morning (20 minutes before 6!) and you had thrown your blanket, bear, and pacifier out of your crib and stood there pointing at the na-night items saying 'huh-uh' I knew exactly what you were trying to tell me. I hope that I communicated clearly to you that I found this amusing but unnecessary - as you would most certainly not be allowed out of bed yet.


If you are wondering why there are so few pictures of you and me together, it's because your nocturnal ways have left Momma with permanent dark circles under my eyes - I look like a zombie, kid. You don't want someone mistaking me for the walking dead, so until you start sleeping, you will need to continue to pull off solo photo shoots. Maybe your sister can be in a few pictures with you - except that she learned that sleeping is near and dear to my heart so while you are busy being cute she is IN BED. ASLEEP. Cool, right? 

Again, I love you. But it's a good thing you are so cute. 
And F-Y-to your-I, I am a much better Mom after 8 a.m.

Love, 

Your mother

 High chair sleeping, while adorable, is not an acceptable form of rest, Emma. 

1 minute of high chair sleep = 30 minutes of crib napping.

Nailed It!!!

You may not realize this, but I am addicted to Pinterest and snacking.


As everyone knows, boredom equals hunger. So this afternoon Emma (still teething and not sleeping) took a too short nap, which means I did NOT get a chance to do all of those grown-up chores you can't do with a one-year-old around. Well I could probably do them, but then I end up saying things like, "Emma! No! Do not put your pacifier in the toilet!" or "No! Emma! Do not climb into the open dishwasher!"


Honest truth: that child is going to grow up thinking her name is 'No-Emma'


SO. Pinterest saved our afternoon. I had previously pinned these little confections:

They are actually supposed to be an Easter activity where you explain the Resurrection to your kids by showing how the marshmallow disappears when it is cooked inside the crescent roll (after it is dipped in butter and cinnamon-sugar), just like the tomb was empty on Easter morning.


Honestly, they had me at marshmallow.


I did not read through the Bible scripture or explain any of the Resurrection to my kids. I know - learning opportunity lost, but Lexi already asks too many questions about Heaven and says inappropriate Heaven-related-things to strangers ("you're at the store with just your dad? Is your mom in Heaven?" - true story, btw). And Emma is one - she doesn't understand that I don't really disappear when I put a blanket in front of my face while playing peek-a-boo; not going to be the crazy lady explaining Christianity to my one year old - that can wait until she's 18 months!


So we make these - I am SSSOOOO excited (and hungry/bored). BUT when I pulled them from the oven, I discover THIS little miracle:

Na-Na-Na-Nailed IT!!!!

They were still delicious.

And I gotta tell ya - I am really happy I didn't explain the Jesus part of this to my kids. Because I can just hear Lexi saying, "So on Easter, Jesus EXPLODED just like our marshmallows?"

4th of July

 We spent most of the week of the 4th at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Columbus. The girls had an awesome time playing with all of Grandma's toys and being extremely loud.

 Emma was teething. She drooled on everything, bit her sister 3 times, and would only sleep during the daytime.

 Lexi had a wonderful time eating marshmallows and riding the ranger.

 From Grandma and Grandpa's back porch you can see the fireworks display provided by the citizens of Columbus. Lexi and her cousin, Ethan, watched some but mostly played and spilled things.