When photoshoots go wrong

Leila has a bit of a cold this weekend, but the weather has been so gorgeous that I wanted to get the girls outside for some pictures. Of course, she wakes up from her long nap cranky as can be and really not all that interested in heading out to do anything I want. So, I did want any good mother would do and offered her a bribe of jellybeans if she cooperated. She didn't get the jelly beans.

Ava earned her jelly beans, though.

Bump, Set, Spike!

Madison started volleyball this month. This has been a much welcomed change to the soccer she was playing for the last couple years. We would have to drag the whole family out to the soccer field in the middle of a Saturday to sit for hours in the HOT, HOT sun and humidity just to watch a kid who was more excited to have a break from playing to eat Cheese-its and drink Gatorade than actually play the game. Our patience grew very thin with this. Thankfully, we were able to convince her that she does not have to keep playing the same sport and that perhaps she had more talent with a different one.

She chose volleyball, and let me tell you how thrilled we are. We packed the kids up to go sit in an air-conditioned gym at the local Y to watch 40mins of girls hitting a volleyball out of bounds. Ohhhh, so much better. I could have watched paint dry as long as it was air-conditioned.

Well, Madison seems to be much, much more adept at volleyball. She serves well, and she actually got the ball in play at one point. Like I said, it was mostly girls hitting the ball out bounds, so anytime it was actually going back and forth over the net really got the crowd excited. Madison's team actually ended up winning all three rounds of play. That is the first time she has been on any kind of winning team, and she was soooo excited. We couldn't care less about winning or losing, though. All we care about it whether she enjoys the game and tries hard at it. So far, she is really making us proud.

I will post pics after her next game. Daniel was in charge of the camera, and let's just say that sitting in one spot in the bleachers and insisting the 50-200mm lens is the best choice for pictures when the court is directly in front of us did not lead to anything worth posting. When will he listen to me? The same thing happened with Ava's last birthday party.

Working on our future

Over the past couple of months, my playgroup has established a home school co-op group for our pre-k age children to participate in for the summer. Being a part of this group has really opened my eyes to how exciting schooling my children at home could be, and how it can really create children that are interested in learning whatever they can. This has had me in full-on research mode trying to figure out if this is something I like more in theory or if it is something I can really do with our girls.

There are a few obstacles I am having to work through. First and foremost, I have been trying to get Daniel on board with the idea. I think he is really intrigued by the idea of developing our children to be thinkers instead of children that can just regurgitate information for a state exam. We are seeing a lot of the downside to public school with his daughter who is in the fifth grade. She is doing fine for the most part, but we certainly don't think she is learning at her full potential. We have very little control over that, though. His other concern is just the stigma home school education still has and if that will create any issues with college admissions down the road. Thankfully, I am finding all sorts of promising information that supports colleges desiring home school children because they are well-developed thinkers. In fact, ivy league schools are even recruiting them for that reason. I have been trying to put together information for him to read through that will help his concerns.

This does lead to the other concern Daniel has about it. We have always discussed the fact that I stay home will end once the children are all in school. We definitely could use a second income eventually to secure our financial future. So, I am trying to really put together some skills that I can use in a work at home capacity. Photography is something that has me pretty inspired at he moment. The creativity and flexibility are very appealing. I am really working on improving my photography skills in the next few years to put some kind of business together.

Looking into all of this has had me more inspired than I have been in recent years. I am trying to put together a list of goals to meet. I am also spending a great deal of time coming up with lessons for the girls. We are going to San Antonio in a couple weeks for Madison to do a school choir performance at Sea World. I have a two weeks worth of material to work on with them about sea life and the Alamo. I am really excited about it all.

I am just trying to take things one step at a time to see if this idea is right for our family. I am hoping it is the start of something wonderful for all of us. I love the idea of teaching our children in ways that work for them in particular, and that they will be exposed to the things we feel are appropriate for them at such young ages that emphasize our values. It would also be a way to really grow and bond as a family. After all, Daniel works evenings and often weekends. He would be missing out on so much time with our girls. We are very tight knit, and I want that to continue. I suppose time will tell now.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I hope you all find you pot of gold today. We have our leprechaun traps set here. Now, we are just waiting to see what transpires. Have a great day!

Swan Lake

Ava had her first community ballet performance this past Sunday. Her ballet school put on Swan Lake, and she was a castle courtyard fairy complete with wand and wings. She has been preparing for it since September. So, naturally this is all we have heard about from her since then.

Here are a few of the pictures we got of her as a castle courtyard fairy.

Violet at 4 months

Violet is four months old today!!! I can't believe it. She is slowing down her pace with gaining weight, though. She must know it is killing me to see her getting big so quickly.

She is really gaining a personality, and it is a very sweet one. You can just see it in her eyes, too. Unlike her older sister who's eyes have always been mischievous. She loves when we talk to her. I will set her up on the counter in the bumbo while I cook, and she will just talk and talk to me the whole time. She also gets really mad if I walk off from her while she is mid-sentence. This one does not tolerate rudeness.

I think she officially is over being swaddled which is making getting her down for bed a little tougher. She is also rejecting the binky. So, it is just me nursing her down for every nap and bedtime. I will enjoy it, though, since she is our last. It is just some great one on one time for us to be peaceful with one another. At least she is an amazing sleeper at night. She goes anywhere from five to eight hours in one stretch. AMAZING...

Violet is very near sitting well on her own. She can hold herself up for a few moments before going down. She gets herself too excited and loses control. She is also rolling really well. She is pretty near going from her back to her tummy. I have a feeling she will be off once she really figures it out.

Anyway, here a few shots of her I got this afternoon. She is just too precious. And do you notice her "blue steel" in the second pic?

Please explain this to me

How is it I am losing all this hair like every post pregnant woman goes through, but none of it is the white hair that seems to be popping up daily? UGH--I do not have time to dye my hair every other week. They soooo stand out against the blue black color it is supposed to be.

On a good note, this stomach virus helped me shed the last few pounds I needed to fit into my skinny pre-pregnancy jeans comfortably. WooHoo! I won't give all the credit to being sick, though. I have been working my tail off, literally, with the New York City Ballet Workout. It is kicking my butt since I wasn't able to work out my whole pregnancy with the heart issues I was having.

Sick Day

I was hit with Leila's lovely stomach bug from the weekend yesterday. Of course, this hits me just when Daniel is having to work waaaaay more than normal with a new restaurant opening and having to set up their wine list. This means that he has been gone all days for the past week. By all day, I seriously mean that he is gone from the time I get up until well after I am asleep. I have been in single parent mode. Obviously so not the time I want to be getting knocked down with a nasty bug. My mom came to rescue last night for the worst of it, but I was on my own today.

Thankfully, my girls have taken pity on me and been relatively well behaved. I didn't even need the tv to babysit them. I printed off a ton of coloring pages and worksheets to keep them in school heaven all afternoon. The kitchen table is a disaster area at the moment, but that is a small price to pay.

It is times like this, though, when I think about how fortunate I am to have my girls. They are pretty spectacular in my book. Even when I am feeling my worst, they are able to make me smile.

I'm the big winner!

My friend, Paloma, at La Dolce Vita has started a new design forum. She had a great giveaway of a lamp from Circa Lighting, and I won it. I am so thrilled. I have been looking for a great lamp for our bedroom, and this is perfect. Check it out here, and be sure to visit Design Decorum Forum.

Thanks, Paloma!

Now he can, too.

I finally got a picture of Daniel baby wearing. He hasn't been able to wear any of the girls until I bought my wrap just over a month ago. I love how versatile it is, and that everyone can use it. I will have to get a pic of Madison wearing Violet, too.

Here is Daniel and Violet. While it is not a secure hold, it served its propose for him sitting still with her. I need to really show him the ropes with it now.