Haircuts

We all got haircuts in July before school started but Reese & Ryan have been itchin' to get their hair cut again.  We usually only cut their hair a few times a year so I was trying to prolong another cut, but they were so insistent that it had to happen now.  Reese went first on Friday afternoon and told her to bring it up to her shoulders.

This is about halfway through the cut.  She finished the back and was moving towards the front.

Then it was time for the blowout.

Ryan was the photographer while Reese was in the chair so we got some pretty crazy angles.

Then Ryan got bored.  She was ready to go next.  Unfortunately, the stylist ran out of time and Ryan had to go back the next day.

Reese with the finished bob, looking oh so cute!

Then it was Ryan's turn on Saturday.  There was hair everywhere!

 I only snapped a few of Ryan because I was so busy chasing a two year old around the salon.  I was so relieved when Mimi came to pick him up so I could take a few photos of Ryan.  Here she is towards the end of her blowout.

And this is the finished product.  She looks SO adorable with her new 'do!

PS<> I still suffer from major hair envy when I see their gorgeous hair perfectly styled!

Decades Dance

Reese & Ryan had their first school dance.  Chaperoned by parents, of course.  It was a fundraiser for school and the girls were looking forward to it all week.  Everyone was supposed to dress up from a certain decade.  Reese chose 1950's with her tutu that resembled a poodle skirt.  Ryan opted for 1980's with bright neon shirt, denim skirt, and bright turquoise leggings.  Everyone looked so great dressed up.      We had a blast hangin' out with Reese, Ryan, and some of their new best friends.

 Best buddies from their Kindergarten class.

 Ryan had fun cuttin' a rug.

 Reese did too.

 They love the song, "Call Me Maybe".  When that song came on they rushed on the stage and started DANCIN' it up!

We are so happy at their school.  The teacher has been awesome so far, the staff is nice and helpful.  I really like the Principal.  Our school year is off to a great start.

Ryder-isms

Ryder is such a handful these days but he's constantly cracking us up with his Ryder-isms.  The other day he was crying about nothing significant and the girls asked why Ryder was a cry baby.  He heard them and yelled out, "I'm not a CRY BABY.  I'm a CRY BOY!!"  We were all on the floor rolling around.

Today I was working on my computer while Ryder was playing in the kitchen and he asked me for a peanut butter sandwich.  I checked a few more emails and he was tired of waiting, so he yelled out "I want a peanut butter sammich wiff jelly! Now! That's what I'm talkin' about!"

Oh. my. goodness!  What a little stinker.

 Please excuse the background disarray of drapes and lamps.  We just had the carpets cleaned and they are taking waaaay too long to dry because of the humidity.

 I'm ready for my sammich.

Want some?

The little things

I feel like the days are flying by but I really want to remember all the little things that have been happening around our house these days, including:

Ryder sleeping everywhere but his own bed each night.  With his sisters, with me & Cory, on the couch.  You name it, anywhere but in his comfy full size bed.

Reese talking like a teenager with her hands on her hips and telling vivid stories using, "like, like, like" way too much.

Ryan taking her sassiness to a whole new level.  She told me tonight that she ignores me when I ask her  to do stuff because she wants to play all the time and do no work.  Seriously?!  She also said that sometimes she just wants to be left alone.  She is such a mix of me and Cory and I have to work hard to make sure I learn how to deal with her so we don't constantly butt heads.

Ryder demanding that everyone in our family be served before we start eating.  He will scream if you even try to pick up your fork before everyone has their food.  It's great manners and we're not sure where he learned it because it's not usually a rule we follow, but I guess we do now.  Crazy kid.

Reese coming into her own being a leader.  Sometimes she can be timid and let other people lead the way but lately we've seen her use more of her voice to lead other people without being a total bossy pants.

Ryder throwing some category 5 tantrums.  Off the charts.  I forgot how crazy two year olds can be.

Both girls loving our 'Happy/Sad' chats at the end of the day, when they tell us their best & worst moments of the day.

Ryder telling me he's hungry after dinner.  Every. Single. Night.  It never fails that the kid wants oatmeal at 8:30pm after my kitchen is all cleaned up.

Ryan is always the first one up and comes straight to our room.  She lays in the bed and asks if she can watch Caillou or Billy The Exterminator.  Hilarious.

Ryder constantly asking, "Why? Why? Why?"  I'm so used to it and I'm constantly answering each Why? but I've had so many people tell me, "He sure does ask why a lot".  I maintain that curiosity is a wonderful trait.

Reese making cards for everyone in our family and getting SO excited to see our faces when we open the cards.  It's so sweet.

First day of Kindergarten

It's hard to believe the day has arrived.  I can't believe our girls are old enough to go to Kindergarten and be gone ALL day long.  Didn't we just bring them home from the hospital and swaddle them up tightly each night at bedtime?  I remember when I thought sleeping through the night was a huge milestone. Going to Kindergarten seems to trump all other milestones thus far.  We woke up early and ate a huge gourmet breakfast.  They were excited to pack their lunch and carry their new backpacks and lunch bags.  I was so excited to get their photos holding their cute little Kindergarten signs.  

Reese opted for the sporty Gap tank, shorts, & her new Skechers.  She is so cute and sweet.  

I could seriously stare at that smile all day long.

Ryan chose the dressier look.  She was excited about her new Gymboree dress and Skechers.  I, on the other hand, was not too excited about the socks w/ loafers look. 

 I know it's so shallow to care, but I couldn't do it.  Those shoes and socks together were killin' me.

 So I made her change her shoes.  This look was SO much better.  I'm crazy, I know.  Please forgive me for being a mom who cares too much.  Ryan always has the best expressions.  I love her sassy smile and laugh.  She is such a sparkplug and I love her to pieces.

 Ryder boy likes to sleep in but he was all up in the action this morning.  He is going to seriously miss his sisters.  I think he's going to be like a little lost puppy without his constant entertainment.

 Our sweet little BFFs.

 I really didn't get any good photos at school because it was a bit chaotic and I was already starting to tear up.  Cory had to push me outta there because he didn't want the girls to see me crying.  I was so sad to leave them but they were doing great, although their faces in this photo below says otherwise.

Dancin' in the rain

We love the rain.  It's so rare that we get a good downpour so the kids were really stoked when it started comin down in buckets.  We partied in the rain for at least 20 minutes.  It was our kind of day.

Back to school shopping & pierced ears

I love this time of year--back to school time.  I have since I was a little kid.  Probably because I am a super nerd and I couldn't wait to get all my new school supplies and outfit for the first day.  Needless to say I was so excited to get to the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and buy new shoes and outfits for the girls. I don't shop at Nordstrom for kids clothes on a regular basis but the Anniversary sale is pretty fantastic and we scored some great deals for the girls.  While we were paying Reese was checking out the earring stand and said that she wanted to get some earrings.  I told her that she had to have her ears pierced to wear those types of earrings.  She then said, "I want to get my ears pierced today".  So that's how it happend.  Just like that.  On a whim, which is not how I envisioned this rite of passage for our little girls.  She was insistent so we headed over to Claire's.  Ryan was on board with it too, but after it was all over she shed some tears and asked me to take them out. Her tears lasted about 20 minutes and then she was fine.  It was a fun day of shopping and accessorizing :)

Disclaimer: all these photos were shot on my phone and are not good but I had to post.

Heading up the escalator to get our ears pierced.  Reese loves her sassy shoes.

Reese goes first.  It was her idea so she has to lead the way.

Waiting so patiently.

Ryan is giving lots of support and encouraging her to hold the bear.  Reese doesn't seem to need much help.  I think Ryan is nervous for her sister.

Here we go!

That was easy.  AND she got a sucker outta the deal. Score!

Ryan's turn.

She's all smiles now, but it goes downhill FAST.

Still smiling, happy to have the crusty black teddy bear.

I wish I would have gotten a photo of the after with the earrings in and the tears flowing but she was a train wreck and I was trying to pay and get outta there as quick as possible.  Glad we have the few grainy photos I took.  It was a fun, memorable day.

Our San Diego trip

Our trip to San Diego this year was very relaxing.  We didn't do too much because Ryder boy got sick on Monday and was down for the count almost the entire week :(  He mad a recovery on Friday just in time for the sun to come out.  We mostly just beached it since Ryder wasn't feeling great.  The girls made friends with 2 kids next door and all they wanted to do was play with their BFFs at the beach.  I always love 4th of July at the beach but we just wished for a bit more sunshine and warmer temps.

 Happy 4th!!

 We were really excited to make a flag cake this year.  Reese was over the moon for this cake.  We found recipes and designs online and spent the morning of the 4th making it.  It was SO yummy with the fresh raspberries and blueberries.

 A vacation is not complete until you roast some S'mores.

 Finger lickin' good.

 When the sun appeared on Friday we decided to rent a paddleboard.  We all took turns riding on it.  It's seriously a great core workout.  The kids loved it too.

 Little Reesie on the paddleboard.

 Our twin surfer girls.

 Ryder was still recovering.  It was hard to get this kid to crack a smile.

 He sure did love Auntie Jess' pregnant belly.

 SUCH a pretty belly.  She makes pregnancy look so good.

I'm so bummed that we didn't even get a photo of the 5 of us.  I seriously spent most of the week on the couch with Ryder.  He just laid in my lap while I read book after book.  (I finished 2 books in less than 4 days).  We are hoping for more sunshine and less sickness when we return to our beloved beach house next year.