Since we put this on our stroller a couple of weeks ago, no random stranger has approached us and touched our children (and their faces). I may seem like a control freak or germaphobe, but things had gotten out of control. When the boys went in for a check up at the doctor's office last month, six or seven different people touched their faces and hands. All of these people were sick or waiting with a sick child, and I couldn't find a polite way to ask them to keep their hands to themselves.
I hope I don't seem like a rude person. If I know you and you are healthy, you are always welcome to love on my little boys. I just don't want them to have RSV again, so I am doing my best to prevent any sickness! Thank goodness for this sign (even if it is a little passive aggressive and weird).
**I was reading the title of this post and this suddenly come to mind:
"Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my stop sign, don't touch my baby."
I can't decide if I am extremely lame or incredibly funny. I'm glad I can amuse myself on days when I don't feel well.
I was deleting some pictures from my iPhone and realized that I nearly forgot to document our trip to the local fair. Eliza had such a great time.
She enjoyed the elephant ears and especially the snow cones. She loves Tiger's Blood--just like her mom.
When I told her she would have to share with Nathan and me, this is the face that she made:
Concern, sadness, and a slight look of brain freeze. I was fine with her eating as much shaved ice as possible due to the outrageous heat. That morning, it was slightly windy and the temperature was in the 70's. When we got out to the fairgrounds, it was ridiculously hot and our kids were definitely overdressed. Ezra and Elliott were in warm sleeper pajamas, which we took off immediately. Classy, right?
We also gave them ice cream. Nathan and I are going for parents of the year.
Before we left, Eliza had 10 minutes to play on the inflatable slide. She absolutely loved it. She has no sense of fear, so she went crazy jumping and bouncing. The video below is evidence of her daredevil tendencies.
We also tried to have her face painted, but the line was ridiculously long. The babies were crying, and we knew we couldn't wait 45 minutes (there was one face painter and 15 people in line). Fortunately, Nathan is creative and decided to take Eliza to Walmart and get some face painting supplies. I came outside after putting the babies down for their nap and saw this little face:
She was so happy! Eliza then insisted that we paint Nathan's face. Behold, our creation!
That's one happy customer! The two of them made a cute couple.
It was a good day! Eliza also managed to get some cotton candy (for the first time), which she gladly enjoyed the next couple of days. It was a nice souvenir.
This past Wednesday, the young women in our church organized a Halloween carnival for the kids. There were a number of games and all the children were excited to have an excuse to wear their Halloween costumes early. Eliza was Cinderella last year, but wanted to be Cinderella again this year. Her Cinderella dress had been worn so much that it was literally falling apart. It's nearly impossible to repair rips to the cheap fabric and elastic, so I was hoping she'd change her mind and just want to be something else.
As luck would have it, we found a brand new Cinderella gown with a beautiful crown for $2.50 at the local thrift store. I tucked it away for Halloween so it would be safe, but Eliza did not forget about her dress. She has been overly anxious to try out her new outfit, so she was one happy little girl when she got to wear her Cinderella costume to church and to Disney on Ice.
Eliza's favorite part of the costume were her white "heel shoes." They are too big for her (yard sale find), but she insisted that they were her glass slippers.
Eliza had a great time at the carnival! She was a little disappointed that she didn't win a cupcake her first try at the cake walk. She was utterly disappointed after 10 tries and no cupcake. Finally, the girl in charge of the game purposefully looked for the letter Eliza was standing on and "pulled" it out of the bag. Somehow, Eliza realized that she hadn't legitimately won and wanted to "do it again!" I assured her she was a winner, and she told me, "No, I'm not. I didn't really win." How does she know!?
We finally convinced her to play some other games and the rest of the night went great.
I'm so glad our community does fun activities like this for the kids. The hard work was definitely appreciated by our family.
We went to Disney on Ice's "Dare to Dream" tour this morning. It was a BIG deal.
I heard about the event Thursday night and immediately felt like I should take Eliza. I also knew my adorable niece, Ellie, would have a wonderful time. I had to take them both! 18 years ago, my mother took me to see Beauty and the Beast on Ice, and it is undoubtedly one of my favorite childhood memories. I still remember getting a pink torch that lit up as a souvenir and feeling incredibly happy and grateful that my mom would spend her Saturday taking me to see such a wonderful show. I looked up tickets and saw that several good seats were still available. The time didn't conflict with my work schedule and the tickets were only $15.00. Perfect, right?
I began to order tickets and saw that each purchase had an additional $7.50 added due to processing and handling. I then began to add up gas (an hour to and from Kennewick) and felt like maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Nathan and I have a pretty strict budget these days, and I couldn't justify spending nearly $80.00 for two hours of fun. I talked to Nathan, and he agreed that it would be best not to go.
After making the decision, I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn't sleep. I got out of bed and talked to Nathan. He admitted that he also felt like we should spend the money. Eliza may not love princesses forever, and it would be worth the costs. He even said, "Spend whatever you need to in order to make sure those girls have the best time." I love that man. I bought the tickets, and Nathan also agreed that saying "yes" felt a lot better than saying "no." Cheryl, my wonderful and amazing mother-in-law, talked to me first thing the next morning and told me she wanted to treat the her little princesses to the show. Their tickets would be her gift. Yes, I am lucky to have such a loving second mom. I about burst into tears when she made the offer, and I was reminded that God really does take notice of even the most trivial things. I was also reminded (for the millionth time) how considerate Cheryl is.
Everything went perfectly this morning. We managed to get to the show fifteen minutes early with two perfectly dressed princesses.
Our seats were perfect. I liked how they were high enough so we could see everything, right at the rail so the girls could lean against it, and facing the show (rather than being on the side).
Eliza and Ellie were in a trance as they watched Tiana's story, which was followed by Cinderella.
The real finale, though, was Tangled. Eliza is obsessed with the movie, so she was in heaven as soon as Flynn Ryder came out. He and Rapunzel then did a number of acrobatic tricks while flying in the air on Rapunzel's long hair. I tried to capture the girls' looks of astonishment, but it was just too dark.
The show ended with the floating lights coming down around us and all the Disney princesses saying goodbye. I have never seen so many happy little girls in my life.
For some reason, I was overly emotional during the entire performance. Maybe it was a combination of nostalgia and realizing how much my own mother must have loved me/still loves me and feeling like my child is really growing up. It could have been just the thought that there is so much joy in absolute innocence and girlish dreams. It also may have been related to the feelings of gratitude I have for such loving in-laws and a husband who gladly watched the twins without any complaints. And maybe, I just really like Disney on Ice and seeing two of my favorite girls happy. Whatever the reason, I am glad we went.
Of course, any day would not have been complete without a souvenir. I thought about this beforehand and knew I didn't want to pay $30.00 for a t-shirt or $20.00 for a plush doll (yes, these are actual prices). I went to Walmart looking for some cheap princess items and decided to go to the toy aisle and see if anything was on sale. I go to Walmart several times a week (it's the only store we have in town to get anything whatsoever), and I have found some outrageously good deals on Walmart clearance. For the past two months, I have checked the princess dresses. I managed to get a Rapunzel dress (for Eliza's Christmas) for only $6.00, so I do know a sale is possible. As luck would have it, the Aurora dresses were on sale--the dress Eliza has been wanting for months. There were two left and they were $5.50 rather than $19.99. Success! Additionally, princess cups were 87 cents. You can't beat those prices.
After the show, Eliza and Ellie opened up their gifts.
They were obviously pretty happy.
It was a very good day, and I am just overwhelmed with all of the tiny things God does in order to show his children that He loves them. I know that may sound ridiculous to some, but it is so uplifting to have even the smallest prayers answered.
Taking pictures of three active ones is no easy feat. Eliza was in tears while we attempted to take photos (we aren't sure why, but I think it is because the boys were touching her Foofa pumpkin), and Ezra and Elliott never want to look at the camera at the same time. There are far too many distractions outside for two little boys.
Out of 200 photos taken, these were the only ones that were decent.
I guess we'll try again next week for a group photo that turns out well. I'm really happy with the individual shots of Ezra and Elliott, though. And even if Eliza is pouting, she is still pretty adorable :)
Eliza and I finished our Foofa pumpkin this morning. Eliza helped apply several layers of pink paint, and I completed the mouth, eyes, and nose. While some people may enjoy the process of creating, I do not; I really enjoy the final product, but getting there is stressful!
After carefully examining pictures of Foofa's face (for far too long), I added the finishing touches and sealed the deal. Eliza was SO happy and couldn't stop thanking me, so it was instantly a success in my mind. She wasn't too sure about leaving Foofa outside with "Cinderella's pumpkin," but I think she's warming up to the idea of displaying her creation.
