Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Tiny Dancer

you saw last week on instafriday that the sunbean started dance.  it's at a dance studio in my hometown, and i'm so happy that my girlie can dance there.  they do ballet and a little tap and a little jazz.

the 'dress code' is comfortable street clothes, but on the first day the little lady noticed that most of the girls were wearing dance clothes.

well we couldn't be left out, now could we?  target to the rescue, and we had a new leotard and some leg warmers + supplies to make more leg warmers.  i also grabbed some plain stretchy tanks for her, too.

then, like it was meant to be, i saw this tutorial a few days later.  i knew it would be perfect for the bean.  and it was!  so easy to make, too.  literally less than 20 minutes.


doesn't it look so cute on my tiny dancer girl, practicing her moves?  you can't tell in this pic, but the knit has a little glitter in it, too.  found it at joann's.

so try one!  they're super easy.  good luck!

Friday, September 21, 2012

instafriday

ok, so i don't have instagram {well, i do!  but i like camera+ better.  maybe i need to revisit.}, but i love the idea of instafriday because most of our life is documented on my phone.


this is how l.d. and i spend sundays.  there were three babes born in about a week, and they just run around like crazies for three hours.  they'll all be in nursery in about 6 weeks, but until then it's chair racks as jungle gyms.

don't tell the sunbean, but when she's in school, sometimes l.d. and i go to the playground.

baby girl and i before date night.  she insists on that red headband every night after bath.

ok, this was last week.  but i love this pic.  only the dad of a little girl would be happy with pink cupcake liners for his birthday.

the sunbeam's first dance class.  terrible pic, but gosh was she cute.

the idea is from life rearranged, but i haven't linked up yet.  laziness.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Brain Dump, Monday-Style


  • We had a great Sunday.  I spent three hours chasing Little Dude around at church {just two more months 'till nursery!!}, and then my parents brought dinner and I attempted to take some pics of them and the kids.  It actually worked out better than I expected, though we do have lots of 'candid' shots.  This one is one of my favorites.
  • We're getting settled into preschool schedule.  It still kind of rocks the Dude's nap schedule, but I don't really feel too bad for him since he is still insisting on two naps at 16 months old.  I mean, seriously.  The nice part is that I drop the Bean off at school, come home and lay the baby down, and he sleeps until it's time to pick her up.  And THEN, after lunch they both nap again.
  • I started taking yoga again.  I'm doing a 40-day challenge where I'm planning to go at least 3 times a week, and then I'll just go once a week.  I'm hoping it helps with my chronic back pain from my scoliosis.
  • Teen Mom.  I'm addicted.  Don't judge.
  • On Friday, I 'transformed' a pair of too-widely-cut boot leg jeans into skinny jeans.  There's a small awkward pucker in the thigh area, but other than that, I'm seriously impressed with myself. It was definitely more enjoyable than shopping for/trying on new jeans.
  • This weekend was great, too.  Friday night was a baby shower, Saturday was yoga, and then a date night with friends.  Lucky me.
  • This week we don't have anything big on the calendar, which is nice.
Happy Monday!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Happy Birthday to the Husband


happy birthday to macgyver.

he's just the best.

i love him.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Goodbye, Kitty {let's hope}

The Sunbean has been on a Hello Kitty kick lately.  As a rule, I'm not a fan of licensed characters.  And I would certainly never endorse a party based on such a thing.  There are a few exceptions, though, and luckily Hello Kitty made the cut.

So when my cute 4-year-old decided a Hello Kitty party was the only kind that would do, I obliged.  I attempted to just bathe everything in pink and then lightly accent with Hello Kitty.

We had a cookout, and I decided to do something different for dessert and favors.  In the past, I've always assembled elaborate treat bags with handmade crafts and goodies.  Those days are gone.  This was so easy and cheap:  I just went to the store, and walked around filling my cart with all things pink.  I bought some cute treat bags on easy, and then as people left they could fill their bag with whatever treats were left.  So easy, and no cleanup since all of the treats were gone!

 I tried my hand at making some Hello Kitty cookies.  I used the 'royal icing' {found a tutorial on Pinterest, duh} and then let it harden overnight.  Then I drew the face and eyes with an edible food pen, and used some different sprinkles for the nose and bow.  Not really my style, but the Sunbean was over the moon.

I wasn't sure if these strawberry wafer cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkles would be a hit, but they were the first things gone!

I also had 'regular' cookies with pink cream cheese frosting, pink animal cookies, and pink M&Ms.  And cupcakes, of course.


The sweet {and shy} birthday girl blowing out the candles.

It was a fun party with lots of family and friends.

We love you, sweet girl!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Second First Day of Preschool

Ya, we've done this before.  But this year was a new school with new teachers and new friends!


At orientation on Tuesday, she was literally scaling my body, so I wasn't sure how she was going to feel about it today.

Much to my delight, her excitement was obvious.  Here are some pics I snapped while we waited in the drop-off line {I don't have to get out of the car!  oh, sweet joy!}:


She had a great first day!

As for me, I enjoyed a stroll through Target with my sweet boy.

Monday, September 3, 2012

What's Cookin'




I've been really into cooking lately.  Like, actually cooking.  Like, something more advanced than spaghetti.  And we all know Pinterest is to thank.  Here are some of the winners we've had lately.


This is seriously good.  Like, P.F. Chang's good.  I really love grilling.

Another good one.  Not as good as 'real' alfredo {duh}, but a satisfactory healthy option.

These are really good, and are pretty spicy.  My kids gobbled these right up.

Enjoy!