Just the Ticket

Amazing. Inspiring. Breath-taking. Super Fun. ****. However you want to critique it, Lion King is super-fab! It was the perfect show to introduce the girls to BROADWAY. Because we did group ticket sales, we were surrounded by our very own "circle of life" and enjoyed every minute of it. I've been bit by the theater bug once again and am itching to book our next show.

And where were the boys you may ask? Why at home having "guy time" where Drew proved to be the star by rolling over for the first time. He apparently forgot the "Mom must be at every milestone" rule.

Firsts

This Easter marked a few firsts:

1- Rub ons! I'm talking about vinyl lettering people! Anyone who has been to my nest knows there's a lack of vinyl. I'm not saying I don't like it, I just have never used it before now. Let me just say personalizing the children's sand buckets (make-shift Easter baskets) brought me more joy than I ever anticipated. I now own a whole stack of monogram rub on letters, so, what will be next?

2- MAX! Never before in the history of raising our son, has he out-shined his beautiful older sisters when it came to Sunday finery. This year though, he did. And I mean he really did. His suit was more than I could handle, complete with a straw hat of course. I fell in love with our 'southern gent', he seemed completely confident in his attire and the attention it generated. A favorite Aunt & Uncle proudly predicted that Max will be voted best dressed someday, I mean, is there anything more important than that title in High School? Shoot for the stars Max, and hopefully K-mart will continue to provide stylish yet affordable clothing in the year 2024. Now, where's the kid's Easter candy?

The Same, But Different

Rosie has been waiting a lonnnnngggg time for this moment.......PRESCHOOL! I know we aren't suppose to compare children but, this time I must. When I took Lizzy to the exact same Preschool, she ran for the door and I had to physically pull her back to snap a quick (and I mean quick) picture of her. Rose on the other hand enjoyed every minute of me dotting on her. I loved the feeling of her warm, still chubby hand grabbing mine and wanting me to walk her to the door. They were totally different experiences but, I found myself loving both for different reasons.
Now as I look at pictures of these 2 little girls, both wearing the same dress, both standing in the same spot, I am reminded of how unique they truly are. I am learning to appreciate and love them for their differences. I am learning to enjoy the moment and I am so happy to have a preschooler once again!

On The Road Again!

Emily kept us all entertained on the drive!

Not everything is adult only in Vegas (but close enough)

Some may think I'm crazy, others might say I'm nuts, a few would say I'm lucky for taking our kids to the desert at the peak of summer. My answer is simple: Sacrifices must be made in order to experience Great Rewards. I mean to say, swimming was fun, Vegas isn't a place for kids (or me for that matter) but it has great shopping and yummy food, taking naps every afternoon was wonderful, but the true pay off was singing along with The Von Trapp's in the Sound of Music. Priceless!! To my benefit, my little girls couldn't agree more. Luckily we had Nana and Emily to enjoy (or endure) the trip with us and I am already looking forward to next summer.

Birthday Par-Tea {Day 2}

A sweet friend once told me there is always something special about your oldest (http://storheimstory.blogspot.com/): your first baby, your first 2 YEAR OLD, your first Sunbeam, the first to go to School, etc. Not that they are your "favorite" but that everything with them is new.

I think she's right! Thankfully, our oldest has been such a joy! She's sweet, thoughtful, kind, witty, well mannered, bright & surprisingly obedient. She has made Kelly and I realize how fleeting this time of having young children is. I think we treasure our younger children more as we continually experience how quickly time flies with Elizabeth; yet can't help but be excited to see her grow-up and do new things.

And yet she still remains a fun "little" girl who enjoys being pampered and knows all about the fancier things in life like holding out your pinky when sipping,


Fancy Tea Treats & Fablous Hats!




So, no Snow White Dress this time, but, a tea party none the less! Lizzy wanted her shot at a birthday Tea after observing Rosie's success. I was more than happy to oblige. So happy in fact, that I most certainly am going to repeat what you see above tomorrow! There will be a Class Birthday combined Tea Party with her good friend Eden, who's birthday is May 3rd.

Elizabeth didn't want her other friends who aren't in her class to feel left out. What was a Mom to do? Well, with the help of my wonderful Mother, husband, Mother-in-law and friends, we are having two birthday tea parties. Luckily, the next one is at Eden's house (more pictures to come)!

As for Day 2: I enjoyed decorating my house, dressing up in my favorite "par-tea dress" and spending time with Lizzy on her special day!

My Bright Sides:

Sometimes in life you have to look on the bright side of things right? Here are some bright moments in the past few bleak winter weather weeks:

Max is now saying "MaMa" like he really cares! He will call my name and look for me. Yes, he has been making the "M" sound for awhile but, I never felt like he made that connection until now. It is one of my most favorite things: hearing our baby say our names (especially mine). We love this little guy and all of the funny, sweet, messy things he does in all of his 15 month glory.
Lizzy went on a Daddy daughter ski trip and was thrilled beyond belief. She did amazingly well under the direction of her very patient and loving Daddy. She loved it and can't wait to go with both Mommy and Daddy again soon. I wasn't at all surprised to hear her favorite part was the hot chocolate breaks.....that's my girl!

Having a husband who loves our kids and enjoys spending time with our family is one of the greatest blessings in my life. I realize more and more how lucky I was that he wanted to marry me. When Daddy comes home is the best time of the day. Am I right or what?

And last but certainly not least, little Rose LOVES SUNBEAMS! Rosie is a sunbeam in every sense of the word. She brings such warmth and light hearted fun to our family. Young Rosie didn't care for nursery a whole lot, she always wanted to go with her Sis to Primary. When her chance FINALLY came she rose to the challenge with much enthusiasm. She has already learned some new songs and stories to entertain and "teach" us, and she has been blessed with two of the greatest teachers ever.

So, there you have it! All is well with our family. Now if I could just get the office organized I would really be doing some high kicks!

Firsts

NUMERO UNO:

• When 'best best' extended the invite to join her and her darling crew for a celebratory weekend in Boise, I was excited, but nervous. Could I drive their with the girls and Max alone? Would we be able to handle all of the kids by ourselves....and still have fun? Is there anything fun to do in Boise???? Yes, No Problem, Tons of it, and Surprisingly Yes:

Driving there was easier than I anticipated, thanks to a DVD player, patient girls, a sleepy baby and a tasty caffeinated beverage from the golden arches. Once we hooked up in Boise, we rode around in Phoebe's tricked out Mini and danced the day away to 'Phoebe gets Funky'.
The crew was very well behaved-
then again, we did spend 4 hours at Boondocks one day.

Boondocks wasn't the only thing we discovered in Boise.

We had a very exciting afternoon at Cabella's! Neither one of us had ever been there before and let me tell you it was an experience. The kids had a great time looking at all of the wild life (Rose still thinks they were real). Phoebe and I had a good laugh because her mini-van was the smallest car in the parking lot!

Boise also has a very nice mall that we did drag all six of our flock around. It is amazing how well kids behave when See's Candies are involved. I loved the thrill of this adventure and would do it again in a heartbeat-though it must be said that our husbands did fly in Saturday to help drive us home; a very kind and smart move on their part as we stayed up much to late chatting each night. I simply adore my Phoebs and relished the time we spent together. My road trip to Boise earns ****!

NUMBER TWO:

• Rosie recognizes her cousin's doll as Ila's cousin and insisted on us taking a picture of them together......twinkle sparkle. We have never had a child or met a child who loves their baby as much as our little Rose. She was so excited for Ila to have a play-date with her cousin.