Showing posts with label Things We Love.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Things We Love.. Show all posts

10.28.2010

All Things Reminder


We all need a reminder on occassion, don't we? A reminder that after storms there are rainbows. I literally stop whenever I see a rainbow and snap a picture. I need that reminder on a rainy day.


Speaking of reminders, I used up some of my fabric stash to make pillowcases for the kids. Who knows when I'll get to quilting again, but in the mean time, they can enjoy a fun pillowcase. 

Sweet dreams of rainbows to you all.

7.03.2010

All Things Eclipse Me.


So as I play catch up on my posts, I know that the Number One question on your mind is...did I go and see Eclipse at the Midnight Show??

Of course, I did. Silly Rabbits. I did. Not only did I see Eclipse. I saw Twilight and New Moon, too. You see my friend, Miss Snarky Blogs, and I went to a triple feature. I know you're in shock but listen, it was hot and stuffy and we didn't want to wait in line for the Midnight Show. This way, we sat in a theater and watch all three movies back to back.

It was definitely the way to see it. We traveled back to Forks. Back to the beginning when Edward was the brooding, mysterious boy in high school and Bella was the new girl.

Then during the weekend, I took my favorite Boy Child to see it. And look what we saw parked in front of our theater?? Yes, Edward's car. I looked around for him but alas, he must've been worried that he would sparkle in the sun and he probably ducked into an air conditioned theater.

Did I love the movie, you ask?? I LURVED it. LURVED it. The best of the three, so far. If you haven't seen it...hop into your "stupid, shiny Volvo"...I mean, car, and go catch it. Trust me, it's good.



6.16.2010

All Things Showtime.

The day of the big recital is here and as usual, I breathe a sigh of relief that this only occurs once a year. This year Maka and Baka were both here and that was quite a treat for all of us.

Backstage reaches a level of organized chaos that I have only seen in well orchestrated military invasions on CNN. Truly, there's a hum and an excitement and by that time everyone knows their roles.

And then it's time to hit the stage. This year, Bella's class tap-danced to "Papa Loves Mambo".




It was hysterical to watch the littlest girls perform. But Bella nailed it. And look at her?? She loved every minute of it. Even the moment she realized that the girl next to her somehow lost her maracas. I love Bella's expression of "no way". We kept telling her that the show must go on and indeed, it did.


Now let me take a second to tell you about the venue. It's at the Grand Theater inside the Grand Sierra Resort. The stage is HUGE. It's even billed as the "World's Largest Indoor Stage". Somehow, Ms. Diane and the other ballet instructors manage to choreograph for the entire stage so to see the final shows is quite wonderful, especially when the older (high school age) dancers perform.


Kata is in Level 1-2, which means she's just a level above Bella. They're still part of the Little Ones. The music was "Music Box Dancer" and I don't have a link to it. But the recital's theme was The Toy Shop, so I know you can now picture it for yourself.


Do you remember your recitals? And that feeling right before the music starts and before the spotlights hit you? I can still recall it; can you?

6.15.2010

All Things Dress Rehearsal.

At Nevada Dance Academy, there are strict rules. For example, there is always but always a Dress Rehearsal the day before the annual recital. Hair and costumes must be in place but no make up is necessary.

It reminds me of all those wonderful skating competitions and shows I participated in and loved. But now, my role has changed. I'm the stressed out mom, gluing and fixing things at the very last minute.

Is everyone thinking the same thing as I -- how things change and how they stay the same, eh? Yup, it's true. Take a moment to think of some thing that you still do but now you're in a different role. I appreciate the change of perspective, how about you?




5.25.2010

All Things Every Dog Has His Day.

As June approached, we were down to Bella's last days at Sunflower Preschool and we thoroughly enjoyed their annual Bring Your Pets to School Day.

As Bella and Becks walked around the circle and chatted with all the other students, I was reminded of the nursery rhyme, "He followed her to school one day which was against the rules..."

There is nothing in life quite like a loyal canine companion. And in Becks, we have found just that. Bella, especially, has bonded with him and he with her. They have an understanding and it's fun to watch.

It's also fun to see how they've both grown up. They are now tolerant of new experiences and spaces and they're no longer fearful. Kindergarten will be starting soon. You can bet that Becks will be following her to school.

Do you remember your first pet? Take a minute and think of them now and all those wonderful times you shared.

3.31.2010

All Things If It's March Then There Is Madness

Our love of All Things Basketball is well documented. Ken played it. Coached it. Watched it. I sat back and enjoyed it all from the bleachers.

So when we found out that the WAC Tourney was going to be hosted here in town, a certain Dad and his Son had to go get tickets.

It's fun when you first go...and you're cheering on the home team, our fabulous UNR Wolf Pack.


But the days are many and the nights are long....



And in the end, only one team can win. Pssst, it wasn't our beloved Wolf Pack. That's when you learn the lesson -- there's always next year.

3.24.2010

All Things Volturi.


I know, I haven't documented All Things Twilight for a while. But yes, I did get New Moon, on Blu-ray, of course. And my favorite Little Helper was there. Seriously, not only is she NOT named after the Main Character but notice how she can take on the Head Volturi (i.e. the Bad Guy) on her left?? Watch out Fictional Bella, the Real Life one is in da house.

3.15.2010

All Things Tea Party.

I admit that I just love Tim Burton so imagine my delight when I saw that he was doing a version of "Alice in Wonderland"??

Kata, as you know, adores everything that's dark fantasy (remember how much she loves Coraline?) and for months, she was begging me to take her to the movie. Well, I did and you know what?? We loved it. Absolutely LOVED it.

It paid perfect homage to the Disney original cartoon version. Johnny Depp was sad, mad and absolutely perfect for the role of Mad Hatter and oh, his relationship with Alice reminded me a little of the Scarecrow's relationship with Dorothy in "Wizard of Oz". And wow, the ending was INCREDIBLE.

If you have a little girl who is not terribly afraid of movies like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or the original "Snow White", take her to see this version of Alice. Here's to strong girl characters everywhere! Thank you, Mr. Burton, for creating yet another masterpiece.

Oh yes, and then we had to stop and take a picture by Mommy's Movie Obsession. No further comments are needed.



2.23.2010

All Things I Declare These Games Open.

Oh, the Olympics. How we love them. Especially the Winter Olympics. There's Snowman Building. Bobsledding. And Hot Chocolate Consuming.

What??!!??

Those categories don't exist in the Winter Olympics?? Really?? They did in ours.






2.15.2010

All Things What The Girls Wrote When They Grow Up.


As we move through Track Break, there are many creative opportunities. We have a gazillion art supplies but I have to admit that some of my favorite moments are when I see them huddled over a notebook with a pen in hand, writing something that's oh-so-very-important.

So here's a sampling of Kata's latest musings in her Writing Journal:
What The Girls Wrote When They Grow Up
When I grow up, I'm going to be a grandma.
When I grow up, I'm going to be a big sister.
When I grow up, I'm going to be a rock star.
When I grow up, I'm going to be a teacher.
When I grow up, I'm going to be a vet.
When I grow up, I'm going to be a ballet dancer.
When I grow up, I'm going to be a store owner.
When I grow up, I'm going to be a wedding dress designer.
I'm not sure where she got the prompt idea. She claims she just sat down and wrote it. And I believe her. She's only seven years old, after all. Do you remember these lists from when you were that age?

I do. I wanted to be a figure skater, a teacher, a businesswoman, a wife, a mother and a writer. I think, at this point, most of those boxes have been checked off. I'm looking forward to Kata's journey. A ballet dancing, wedding dress designing, rock-star-store-owner-vet will have tons of stories to tell when she's a grandma.

How about you? Do you remember your list?

2.13.2010

All Things Boy Scout and Boredom.

We're half way through our Off Track break and I'm here to report that, I think we've hit the Official Stage of Oh, Not Another Day of Park Play Wall.

Trust me, there are still activities abound. Alex has scouts and has actually achieved the first rank, of...that's right...Scout. Yes, they crossover and then achieve the rank. I'm confused, too. Girl Scouts do it differently. And much like the Dark Side, they have cookies, too.

But note the proud expression on Alex's face? Okay, it's not pride. It's the Mom-Not-Another-Picture-Please Tween face. There was an eye roll after the photo was snapped. I just missed it.


And then there's Bella. She just tags along to all of the activities so happy to be part of them. Here's she is at Kata's swim lesson. Kata's on the far left corner (with fashionable pink goggles) in the lane nearest Bella.

Happy to know that we're at the halfway point and hey, didn't we hear the magic words last night?? "I declare open the Games of Vancouver...." Just in time, let the games begin!

1.01.2010

All Things These Are A Few of My Favorite Things.

I wanted to do one post for January, because our December was So Chock Full O' Stuff. And what better post than to focus on the one thing I despise about January. I'm sure you can guess. It's true, I hate the snow, the ice, the tediousness of school starting and then stopping so we can enjoy a plethora of Early Release Days.

But really, the thing that I Hate the Most is taking down all those Christmas decorations. I love when I hear of people leaving up their trees all year long. One day, I will be that person. I will also live alone, at that point, with one too many cats and way too many books. Wait, I'm almost there on the latter count.

But the ornaments I love the most are the ones that show our Christmas card pictures since the birth of Alex. Go on, look. It's the collage up above. Yeah, we've changed just a tad, eh??

Our other favorite ornament is this lovely Beauty and the Beast wooden heart. It's great because it plays the entire theme of "Beauty and the Beast" in a music box, high pitched, tinkly tone that used to make our cat pace and meow around the house. For the record, the dog, just ignores it.

But, the kids love to press it and for around four minutes we are treated to the slow, aggravating melody. There's no mechanism to stop it. And no, no battery. Groans can be heard from me and Ken with threats of "If you hit it again..." bouncing of the walls. Because if you do press the button again, it will, that's right, repeat. Yet, we hang it up each and every year because it was the first ornament I got when Ken and I started dating. I feel the "Awww Moment", don't you?

The Disney theme breaks here and there for kid inspired ornament art. Like my beloved Edward Cullen created by Alex just for his Mama and placed artistically by him next to Disney's Sleeping Princess. Because you see, Edward doesn't sleep. I realize that this only makes us giggle.

Sometimes, you get gifts from friends. When we adopted Becks, we received this lovely Bichon Frise ornament. The kids placed it next to the Prince Caspian ornament, lovingly created by a friend who knows me Entirely Too Well.


A certain friend will be surprised when she sees that I still have these ornaments that her Dad created out of McDonalds Toys. They are amongst our very favorites and represent Epcot's anniversary many years ago. Every year, the kids fight to see who will put them up.



This hand painted ornament arrived from my Writing Buddy. Isn't she talented? And not just in words.

So glad the process of Putting Away All the Stuff is done for another year and you know I'll be the first to squeal with delight when it comes time to put them out again this year. But for now, I am grateful that the picture below is a safely tucked away memory.





Wishing you a moment of perspective, no matter how grumpy.

12.21.2009

All Things Big Sister.

"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. " ~Amy Li


As an Only Child Mom who watches her children interact with each other every day, I find myself assisting in the negotiations of hourly battles and I have to admit that yes, I do grow tired of proposing treaty suggestions. But then there are moments like these, where I get a glimpse of what it would've been like to have a sister or a brother and I have to admit I get a little envious.

Kata's First Grade class was having a Polar Express Slumber Party at school and their super sweet teacher, Mrs. Gipe, suggested I come and help and oh, yes bring Bella along.

I was worried that Bella wouldn't behave. She is only four and a half years old but in her second year of preschool so she knows of at least some School Rules, right? Right.

I shouldn't have been stressed, Bella behaved beautifully, waiting her turn and watching patiently how all the other kids behaved. She fit right in. Kata assisted her whenever possible; showing her how to do things like, oh, make an ice cream cone into a frosting glazed candy tree.

It's these tiny little moments filled with wonder that I really need to pause and freeze in my mind when I'm telling them for the umpteenth time to "please, please, for the love of everything, put away your toys".

12.08.2009

All Things Snowpalooza.

Our first snow of the season. It's always a little magical as it falls softly during the night.

And it's always a little awe inspiring when you look it from the morning glow of a newly christened Snow Day.

But by late afternoon, when you're out shoveling the driveway for the second time, it's not so fun. Fortunately, we employ child labor. They sometimes work hard. Sometimes, they goof off.


Sometimes, they are perfect little angels. Snow angels, of course.

Or hard-at-work-shoveling angels.


The best part of the first Snow Day is the evening glow with hot chocolate and warm sugar cookies in hand. We've also discovered that playing "Christmas Vacation" can cure most Bah, Humbug! inclinations.


Stay safe and warm as this storm comes winging it's way over to you.

11.20.2009

All Things New Moon.

Oh you, expected this post, right? Yes, for all of you who know, I am by all means "one of those" Twilight obsessed people. And well, because I have kids, I take it to a whole other extreme.

For example, on the day of New Moon's Premiere, Bella (no, she's not named after the main character, I solemnly swear!) and I ventured into Burger King for lunch. And well, look who we, literally, ran into. Yes, Edward. To all my Twilight Mom Friends, yes, it's Edward and Bella!

Edward may be a vegetarian vampire, but Bella and I enjoyed his burgers nonetheless. And the fries. Oh, also the commemorative cup of Diet Coke. Why not?

Then, yes, my two wrist bands. There a was a showing of "Twilight" prior to the Midnight Show of "New Moon". So, let me just say, that there are definite advantages to being an adult because you immediately purchase tickets to both shows. That way, you don't have to wait in line. Just sit in the warm theater reciting lines and giggling with your friends.



Okay, see, this is proof that I'm not the only one? Really, I'm not. Our local yogurt shop, U-Swirl, is also "bitten". By the way, if you haven't stopped by U-Swirl on Damonte Ranch, do so. They're yogurt is Beyond Divine and no, not just for the Twilight Tie-In!


The best part of it all was seeing this sign as we walked out. Yes, folks, the saga continues this summer with "Eclipse".



Or the next day, when I received a little package from a Twilight Mom Friend Who Shall Not Be Named in which there was a Prince Caspian ornament (okay, it's the actor, Ben Barnes, but work with me people - it's still funny). It reminded me that next year at this time Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be released. I am suppressing a silent squee.

Oh, and my darling son, made me my own Vampire Edward ornament. Because he loves his Mama. It says, "Be Safe at Xmas, Mama" on the back. For those wondering, he did indeed design, color and complete it himself.



Just as an aside for those friends and family who are reading this and wondering What In Heavens? My love of Twilight has introduced me to some incredible women - creative, fun, funny, challenging. I am very lucky to know you all and you all know who you are.

For those who haven't read the Twilight Series, go on and read the books. Fabulous, romantic, sometimes silly drivel but at it's heart are some important themes - love, family and sticking together in spite of it all. Now, at the very least, go see the movie. This one is actually good.