Ella Meets the Beach

This picture accurately displays Ella's feelings regarding experiencing beach sand for the first time...

WINNER!

And this picture accurately displays her feelings about that water that keeps chasing her...

Uhhh, Not so much.

It was our family's first visit to the beach this summer and Nate and Lucy reunited with the water and sand as if they were long lost friends. Ella was hilarious and talked the whole time. David got to take pictures and breathe in the salty air.

And I became a cliche when, upon glimpsing a view of the PILES of sand in kids' beds this morning, I trumpeted, "What'd you do? Bring the whole beach home with you?!"

The Answer Is-of Course-Gene Kelly

My sister and I were raised on musicals. We loved watching all the classics from MGM, the more dancing and singing the better. However, over time, favorites emerged for both of us. Kristy preferred the big Busby Berkley numbers with the ballgowns and large production numbers while my style stuck closer to the "gingham and clambake, lets put on a show" type.

Along with these preferred styles, two distinct favorites were decided upon.
Kristy's favorite was Fred Astaire.
Mine was Gene Kelly.



As we grew older and saw that the other was not seeing the error of her ways by not preferring the clearly superior dancer, the war began. It included everything to her under the breath comment as to the grace of Fred to having Gene Kelly sing every time there she called me. Friends and family were asked to choose: Fred or Gene? We know they are both good but you MUST PICK ONE!

So......Pick one!

Underachievers, All of You.

I tried to burn the house down today.



But I was unsuccessful as the smell of melting plastic was more than I could bear.



And while I was scooping melted plastic off my stovetop, I decided to go ahead and poison myself. (Stay with me, folks.)

I started by taking a bite of this which, for me, is bad enough. (No wheat and gluten allowed for me anymore!)



And then I wiped my mouth with a close by paper towel I had just used sitting on my kitchen counter.
But it wasn't a paper towel since it came from this....



What did YOU do today?

The 18 Month Old Learns Physics

In an attempt to thank Aunt Kristy ("Dun dun dun duuuuunnnnn!!!) for her acts of braverism, Ella decided to fling herself in Aunt Kristy's direction with all the force in her little 18 month old body. And there was nothing to slow down that forward motion other than....Aunt Kristy's nose.

We don't THINK its fractured.

Tippy Toes!

First day of Dance Class for Lucy today!
Well, its a "Pre Dance" Dance Class but it went so well that Lucy has decided that she's going to take the "rock and roll" class next door to her studio. (It was an advanced jazz class.)

Last night, while making a list of everything I'd need for the morning my questions included the following:

1. Why does this class start at 8:30am? Who hates the mothers of 4 and 5 year olds so much?
2. Will Lucy actually follow her teacher's instructions or teach her own dance to the other students and hijack the class much like her mother did many many moons ago?

I could insert an anecdote about myself taking a dance class involving me creating my own routine and calling the rest of the class over to where I was rather than follow my teacher but that would just take too long and this post is about Lucy!

Thankfully-for me, but not for you, my readers-the class was without incident. I didn't get a lot of pictures because I didn't think they'd want Ella running around yelling or Nathan running and sliding on his knees on the very polished dance floor. So while the kids played on the playground outside, I'd duck in and peek every once in awhile. And let me tell you: She was cute. Like, next time I get mad at her and I can't calm down by counting her freckles, I'm going to make her put on her leotard and tights and show me her new dance steps.

Let's get to the pictures!













What a beautiful dancer, my sweet Lucy Goose.

The One Where You, the Reader, Wonders if You Should Click on the Words "Dead Rat"

Wow guys, you should be amazed that I am even ALIVE after this holiday weekend!
(What's that? It's Wednesday already? Shhhhh.)


Okay, its the morning. Mommy is in sweats and tank top, kids are in jammies and Mommy needs her tea.
Insert the "Beauty of the Starbucks Drive Thru" Song here. (It's a song. I sing it almost twice a week.)
We climb in the car, as is, and get Mommy her fix.

While on the way, Nathan tells a story about how he saw a dead rat hanging on a neighbors fence.
What?! He must be mistaken.
Mommy tells him-for a good 10 minutes-how that is next to impossible. How she is not saying he's lying, just mistaken. The only time he'd see something like that would be if it was Halloween and it was a fake rat.

Later in the day, Mommy runs to the store and takes Nate the Great with her. A nice time is had by all and on the way home, Nathan reminds Mommy of the rat. Confident he is seeing something like a jacket or robe hanging on the neighbor's fence, she pulls the car around and sees.........A DEAD RAT.

WHAAAT?! He's dead. He's (all rat's are "he's") kind of hanging half over the fence and it's kind of confusing how he's still hanging on so tightly even though he's totally dead. Not mostly dead.

Calls are placed to the hubs who is concerned till he finds out the fence is across the street from his own home. Calls are placed to the city of Poway who calls back and says they'll come get it but they're gonna charge for it. Calls are placed to the Home Owners Association who sound concerned but clearly are already lounging by the pool for the holiday weekend and can't be bothered to clean up a rotting and possibly rabid animal. (All rats are "he's" and all dead ones most assuredly have rabies.)

A day passes. It's still there.
Another day passes, still there.

Mommy picks up Aunt Kristy ("Dun dun dun duuuunnnnn!!" Aunts always need their own superhero theme music) and even though it's nighttime, she drives her over to peek and see if the rat is still there. Mommy regrets not filming the reaction Aunt Kristy had when she finally saw the rat. Mommy and Aunt Kristy ("Dun dun dun duuuunnnnn!!") drive around the block a few times before parking since the neighbors living near the Dead Rat SAW Aunt Kristy looking at the Dead Rat.

Another day passes.
It is now July 4th and Mommy wonders if she should make Viewing the Dead Rat a part of her 4th of July celebration.
But she would not have to because AUNT KRISTY HAD OTHER PLANS (""Dun dun dun duuuunnnnn!!")

Aunt Kristy was appalled at the presence of The Dead Rat. And she had HAD. ENOUGH.
When Mommy picked her up on the Day of Independence, Aunt Kristy announced, "The Dead Rat will be no more."

Mommy was in awe.

And when Mommy and Aunt Kristy got home, Aunt Kristy ("Dun dun dun duuuunnnnn!!") got a plastic bag and marched across the street.

"She's really going to go get the Dead Rat." Mommy told Daddy.
"Good for her." Daddy told Mommy.
"You aren't going out there to do it instead?"
"Nope."

Mommy heard the Aunt Kristy Theme Song playing loudly and boldly as Aunt Kristy crossed the street with the empty grocery bag. She marched right up to the Dead Rat, grabbed it using the bag as a glove and tied the bag up lickety-split.

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!!" Mommy exclaimed as Aunt Kristy ("Dun dun dun duuuunnnnn!!") displayed such an act of bravery and triumphantly returned and deposited the Dead Rat in the community trashcan.

"Okay, you are completely AWESOME!" Mommy proclaimed and she continued to prepare for her 4th of July, Independence Day Celebration that had now also turned into a The Dead Rat is Gone Celebration.



Aunt Kristy ("Dun dun dun duuuunnnnn!!") saved me! Aren't you guys glad?
And THEN, when I was taking her home the next day, there was a bee in my car and she captured and released it all while I watched in awe, eating my frozen yogurt.