Day 4 - Teddy Bears and Goodbyes

After church, where Mom got to watch me wave my arm around (yet again like a crazy person) in Primary, we hurried home to take advantage of every last second Gramma & Papa would be in town.

BBQ with hot dogs, fruit, etc. for lunch. Taco feast for dinner.

Play, play, play.

Gramma worked her tail off on a Ladybug cake topper for Sable's b-day party. It's gonna be SO cute.

The kids and I made a "Teddy Bear" party for Gramma, her birthday is June 2nd. Cupcakes, treasure hunt, and presents. The kid's were so excited to do it for her, even insisting we had to turn out the lights and yell surprise. Even though she'd been in the next room while we decorated, and had stood next to me while I made the "cub cupcakes", and had been told EVERY day since she's come that we're throwing her a Teddy Bear party.




Needless to say, saying goodbye was hard. We waved and waved from the front porch as they drove off. Then stayed outside for a while to feel the cool breeze and stare at the half moon.

It was a good visit, and they'll be missed.

Till next time. . .

Day 3 - Tiny Dancer

Today was Capri's dance recital.

Phew am I glad it's over.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these recitals. . .for the kids.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching my little girl for the few minutes she's on the stage.

I HATE HATE HATE the stress that comes with trying to make everything work. Rehearsals, parking, costumes (losing a costumes piece during rehearsal and then finding it at HOME that night), and worst of all - getting seats.

The Music Hall where the Diane's School of Dance recitals are always held is historic, huge, and beautiful. It's also downtown which makes parking oh such a JOY. The grimy expensive lot across the street is where we always end up. Yuck.

There are no tickets for the recitals, and no assigned seats.

"Who cares?" You say.

"It's just a little kid's dance recital." You continue.

"What can possibly be the big deal about getting seats for a dance recital?" You INSIST.

You've obviously never been to a DSOD recital, with the hundreds of people that show up early to stand in line and then elbow their way into the Music Hall in an effort to not only get seats but to get something like 20 seats for their HUGE group that is coming to watch their kid.

This year I had my Mom with me to help and the presence of mind to go check the line for the balcony.

Good move on my part.

For some reason there were only a few people (with large groups they were holding seats for) in line. We were all able to talk and figure out exactly which area of the balcony we wanted.

I narrowly plunked our bags into a balcony box.

You're not supposed to save seats at a DSOD recital. We did anyway. So did everybody else.
I left Mom to guard the seats while I took Capri up to the 5th floor (ugh, I climbed those steps more times I care to remember) to get dressed and all made up.

Boy did she look gorgeous.
And OLD.

With her best dance friend Grace.

She was in two dances: "Uptown Girls", Billy Joel.

"Imagination Movers Medley", those Imagination Mover guys.


The Finale
This is only the first show, there's another about an hour later with the OTHER half of the DSOD students.

Capri did such a great job, was so enthusiastic, and SO incredibly cute.

I avoided tears, but only because I cried at the dress rehearsal.

It was so amazing that ALL the grandparents were there, she's a LOVED little girl.



Afterwards: Jeff to home (he's such a trooper and an AWESOMELY amazing Dad to come to the recital with only a couple hours sleep), then to Pizza Street, back home for Rock Band and Wii Sports.

More to come. . .

Day 2 - Art Lovers

Headed to Gramma and Papa's hotel - the Crown Center Westin. To the littles this is HEAVEN.

Literally.

They love hotels far more than I can express, and the Crown Center Westin is the best of the best with it's HUGE windows that over look the city. They were on the 15th floor this time, that's where Heaven IS right?
After some good looks and running about it was downstairs to the Lego Exhibit, The Art of the Brick.

AMAZING.

I HATE Legos, so they really must have been pretty cool.

Capri's fav:

Rome's fav:

My favs:

Sable's fav:

Cleaning up. It won't last for long.

Lunch at the Crayola Cafe

Over to the Nelson-Atkins. Art, ahhhhh.

Out the door and onto the amazing lawns.

Capri had a dress-rehearsal for her dance recital so Gramma & Papa took Sable & Rome back to their hotel/heaven while Capri and I were off to the Music Hall.

Well all met back up at the house, for about 10 minutes, and then headed out again to the Cedar Cafe in Parkville. Humus, YUUUUUM.

Still more to come. . .

Day 1 - "They" Arrive

Gramma & Papa (my Mom & Dad) have come to town. They are EQUAL to celebrities in the little's lives, and their arrival has been greatly anticipated and spoken of at least a dozen times a day for months.

Tonight we had a massive bar-b-que with corn, peppers (red, green & yellow) and turkey burgers filling the entire grill. The kids entertained while the food cooked with a GRAND tour of the house covering every square inch (which my parents HAVE been to several times), and a water fight in the backyard.

Golly the weather has been gorgeous these last couple days.

After dinner, and saying goodbye to Jeff as he headed to work (he'll miss pretty much their entire visit), we loaded up and headed to Coldstone for dessert. I'd forgotten about Thursday night concerts at Zona Rosa, so it was an extra treat to listen to "Minnie the Moocher" while we ate our ice cream.
The littles got wet in the fountain, Sable got soaked. Off to The Grove for a quick romp, Papa watched Capri, Rome and a mostly naked baby while Mom and me made a quick dash to Marshalls for a new outfit.

Wish I'd brought my camera, the shot of Rome and Sable holding hands while walking to the fountain would have been gorgeous. Hopefully Gramma got it.

Smiles all around.

More to come. . .

Grad-u-a-ti-on

Capri "graduated" from Headstart last week. All the kiddos sang a few rousing tunes while us adults strained to get a glimpse. There were a few adults who were narrowly saved from a punch in the nose by me because they deemed themselves important enough to block all of us who'd gotten there in time to get an actual seat.
Check out Capri front row center, she does the spot proud.

I had my arm raised as high as it would go to get these videos. When I say "narrowly saved", I'm not joking around.

"Kindergarten, kindergarten, here we come! Here we come! Mumble, mumble, mumble! Mumble, mumble, mumble! Lot's of things, lot's of things!"

She's excited.

I'm in serious trouble.

She even got a diploma, which she was madly in love with and seems to have promptly lost. It was pretty cute - though couldn't they warn a Mom when picture day comes around? I'll post a pic if we ever find the darn thing.

Congrats to our darlin' girl!!

Stories From the Street: Were you in a movie?

Jeff has been told he looks like a LOT of people. If you missed the post with his list of "credits" check it out here.

Last night he arrested 4 Mexican gang members on request of the Gang Unit. He loaded them into the wagon (where most arrested individuals go to get carted off to detention, unless they are particularly clean and not unruly and then they can ride in a regular police car) and then proceeded to check their cuffs. All KCPD officers have their own cuffs, which belong to them, and that they want to get back. Anyway, there was a cuff mix-up and so Jeff was trying to figure out who's were who's.

One of the gang members looked at Jeff and said, "Hey were you in a movie?"

Jeff just smiled and went on checking.

"Because" the gang member went on, "you look like you could be a Hollywood cop. You look like you could be Dan Akroyd's partner".

His gang buddies agreed.

We're not totally sure why Dan Akroyd is the Hollywood cop of choice to Kansas City Mexican gang members. Is Dragnet a popular flick in their circle? Do they threaten rival gangs with the saying, "Just the facts!"?

I suppose we'll never know.

Seeing as we have no immediate intention to join a Mexican gang.

Missouri Green

I'm sitting on my front patio.

It's so green out here. Even our terrible, weed ridden, patchy lawn is green.

I'm thinking about Maryland.

And Virginia.

I miss them, although they are probably very changed since the last time I was there.

7 years ago.

I would love to go back and have a chat with Tommy J.

And sit outside his current house on the most beautiful spot in all of DC.



But I can't RIGHT now.

And that's OK.

Cause it's really green HERE.

Contagious Luck

Maybe having Cathy (the luckiest woman in the world) as a mother-in-law is finally rubbing off.

Last night I won these pom-poms from a craft blog givaway:

In April I won this at the kid's school Spring Fling:



Both were won with just ONE entry.

Cool thing about the pom-poms is that I'd just written on my new blog plaid star WONDERful the other day how I'd like to make those very same ones for the Sable and Capri's upcoming birthday parties.

If I were a betting woman I might be tempted to take my newfound luck to. . .

But I'm not a betting woman. . .anymore.

Dang it.

Making Mama Proud

Girl's got skills.

When the Spirit. . .

. . .tells you to NOT eat a Butterfinger hours after surgery because you WILL become very very sick moments after, please listen. [12 years ago]

. . .tells you to NOT use that super strong contact lens cleaner as solution and then put it right in your eye, please listen. [6 years ago]

. . .tells you to NOT get too angry at your fit throwing daughter because later that day something bad might happen (like falling off a rail and breaking her arm into two pieces), please listen. [8 months ago]

. . .tells you to NOT flush urine soaked paper towels down the toilet after using them to mop up a puddle of pee your son has just left on the toilet LID, please listen. [TODAY]

Because when you DON'T listen to that Spirit, you WILL flush those paper towels down the toilet and then later when that very same son poops in that toilet it will overflow and YOU'LL be stuck with a much much much much bigger mess.

When will I ever start listening?

Click It

A space for some of the many things that clutter my mind.

Slice Of Life #4

Raindance

I'm Just Gonna Miss Her

When she grows.

It's too hard.

I'm really HONESTLY not dealing with this well. I never have.

Tonight at dinner Capri buoyantly said there are only six days left of school (Headstart). I nearly lost it, tear wise.

Not because I don't want Capri and Rome around.

But because it means only six more days of just me and my baby Sable in the morning. Only six more days of lunch together, outings, waiting for the bus and her EXTREME joy when it comes.

I struggle with this kind of change. Kid change, kid growth, it's physically painful for me.

I know it seems stupid. You're saying, all the stages and ages are fun.

Or what Jeff said tonight, "At least you got it for a short while. That's better than not at all."

I know it.

I just miss them so much as they grow. Because the little thing that was before you, is gone. It's changed. It's for the good. It's for THEIR good. But it kills ME. I just can't let go very easily of their "now-hood".

I WANT them to be independent. I try hard to teach them so. I don't want them to NEED me.

The thing is, I need them.





I'm going to miss every minute of this when it's over. Even the fit that erupted just minutes after this last picture was taken. Yep, I'll miss that too.