June Memory Cards

Here are june's memory cards for the girls. Click on the images to read them better.

Happy 4th

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday of the year (besides Christmas). I just love the celebration of red, white and blue, Fireworks, small town parades, BBQs, and the very reason for the holiday... our independene and freedom.

Oh, and these cute cards are another new favorite. I love circles and the illustrations are just so bold and big and fun. Kinda like the 4th!

More Princesses

Well, if you haven't noticed by now, Hannah loves to dress up. Today, in her dress-up outfit, I asked her "What Princess are you?" and she replied "Snow White". I don't think it gets old taking pictures of her dressed up like this. It is always so darn cute.

Thou Shalt not Covet.

But it is so hard with this one. All the hype has won me over and I am definitely coveting the new iPhone. I really, really want one of these. (but i have to come to terms, that I won't be getting one anytime soon). I am not usually one that is big into having the latest phone. I just need something to use when I am out and about, but this little guy is so much more than a phone and that is why I want one.

The one piece of news I read that is controlling my obsession is that they say not to buy the initial iphone, because Apple will be releasing a second generation within months, so to just hold on until then when it will be better and they will have worked out the kinks. Not, that I have a choice, but then I will wait!

What's For Dinner?

If you are like me, figuring out something to eat for dinner each week is the hardest part of the job. I hate sifting through hundreds of recipes and trying to determine which meal will be best for the fam. Well, Yahoo Everday Meals,, just made this part of cooking easy as pie. Each week, they randomly select a week's worth of meals and wa-la, a menu for the week! The recipes come from all different sources... Martha to Kraft and Epicurious to Rachel Ray. Thanks Yahoo, for making my job that much easier.

Flickr Color

Flickr keeps coming up with the coolest things. I am not sure how to use this one, but however one uses it, it is super cool to play with. Check it out - Flickr Color. You click anywhere on their color palette and they will bring up tons of pictures that match that color. It is quite amazing and well, very colorful. I had so much fun the first time on this site.

The image above is from Stephanie Corder (just have to give credit where credit is due).

ROP

Okay, these aren't that old, but they are just a random collection of photos I had lying around.

Little Minds

Yesterday we were watching TV and the latest Honda Odyssey commercial came on. The one that looks like it is a 70's commercial with all the crazy, spinning colors. (I can't find an image to show you). But she sees the van and says "Mom, it's the DoodleBop Bus". She put 2 and 2 together and that is what she came up with. It makes perfect sense if you see what the DoodleBops look like.

The other crazy thing is that I think she has watched the DoodleBops only once in her life; probably 6 months ago (I think they are a little creepy myself! ....maybe she has been watching them at friend's homes. Either way, their little minds are fascinating!

Everyday Favs

I thought I would share some everyday favorites of mine. These are things I basically use each and every day (or almost everyday). Thought I would spread the joy of these great products.

1) Tissue Tank from Target. I wear them under almost everything. They are cut high and long and are so thin, I barely even know I am wearing them. just in case you didn't know, I Love Target.

2) White House | Black Market. I am not sure how we have one here, but I went into it the other day and fell in love with it. The crazy thing is that is really is only black and white clothes, but black and white clothes are staples for any wardrobe so it works. It is a new store I will visit often.

3) Satin Sugar. Not only does it sound yummy and look yummy, but it is yummy because it does the job. It is a all-purpose balm that helps with any of your daily beauty fixes. I have been looking for something just like this. Basically it is like bag-balm, but prettier. And who doesn't love pretty things?

4) Aveda Smoothing Serum This stuff is so great for smoothing and shining up hair. A little goes a long ways and boy does it work. I love it and really all Aveda products.

Little Diva

Hannah got a lot of cute dress up accessories for her birthday and she has just fallen in love with them. She has been wearing all of them everyday all around the house. The shoes, tiara, wand and sunglasses. It is really quite cute. So, of course I had to get a picture of it.

Be a Part of History

Do you know the seven ancient Wonders of the world? I tried to see if I did and their are many different lists and answers, it is hard to know the official, original seven. But now you have an opportunity to participate and choose the new seven wonders of the world. They are making a pretty big deal about this new selection and want the general public to help choose. So, check it out and pick your 7 wonders. Thanks Julie for telling us about this.

Maybe Next Year

Okay, this is the last of Hannah's recital update and pictures (I promise). Basically, the evening was a bust. So, let me set the stage (ha, no pun intended). We are backstage waiting for the program to begin and Hannah is having so much fun. The lights go down and the musics starts and she get's this amazed and excited look on her face. Then for 15 mins she plays with her friends and does her dance routine 2 times backstage, so I am thinking I can go out in the audience and watch with Chris. So, I leave and wait for her number. Her number is up. It is dark and the some of the little girls are being carried on stage and some are walking and the lights go on and there is little Hannah just crying, bawling. She was so sad and tears were coming down her face (along with the three girls next to her). So, I run backstage and try to get her attention to save the last 30 secs of the dance. But no luck. The music ends and she sees me and runs off the stage before the lights go off and just starts bawling in my arms. It was so sad. So, her big debut as a dancer was her crying for 1 min on stage with lights and a big screen tv showing it all. Luckily, I was able to tape her rehearsal performance, so she will see that as she gets older and not the crying version.

But after the show, we gave her flowers and that made up for everything. She loved her flowers. She had been talking about them all day and now they were hers. She looked so cute carrying them all around. Next year I will have to use them as a bribe :-)

Keep'em Busy

Recently I found this blog Two Straight Lines, where the blogger has come up with what she calls Camp Russel. They are fun projects and activities to do with your child. She breaks them up into themes for each week and each week has daily activities. So, basically she has done all the creative hard work for us. She has come up with and kindly shared fun things to do with your kids. What a woman! Check it out if you are looking for stuff to do with your kids this summer.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Okay, so my family will get a kick out of this picture. When I was Hannah's age, everytime I smiled for the camera it looked something like this. My mouth wide open and eyes closed shut. Although, I don't believe I had this pose down quite the way Hannah can do it. I saw this picture and knew I had to give it it's own entry. This is pretty much me looking in a mirror at 3 years old.

Refreshing Yummies

I drove by our local Krispy Kreme doughnut shop (I am never tempted to go in, I am just not a doughnut person), but I spied out of the corner of my eye this wonderful summer drink - Lemon Splash. I love lemonade and I love slushies, so I turned the minivan around and ordered myself one. Oh, my goodness. It was so good! They say "only for a limited time" I hope that means all summer.

Also, another great deal I came across is Jamba Juice's 2 for 1 coupon. Another great summer refresher. Here is the coupon if you want to take advantage!

The Twirl Factor

I am in love with this skirt. How much fun for a little girl and for a mom to take pictures of her in it. When I was a little girl, i would buy skirts and dresses based on the "twirl-factor" (how much the skirt would twirl when I spun around). This skirt would win hands down. If anyone knows how to make this or has any ideas where I can get one, that would be great. This one goes for $80 and I am just not willing to spend the same amount of money for a little girls skirt as I would my own. But, it is tempting :-)

Candy & Cake

Here is Hannah's Dance recital (dress rehearsal). The girls looks so adorbale all in purple. I hope you enjoy it. hannah is the first little girl. Oh, I wasn't the camera person... there is a bit of camera difficulty at the beginning, sorry about that.

Starting Young

I have to share a conversation my friend and her son had the other day. She was talking to her son and he said "Mommy, I am going to marry you someday." She then said "you can't marry me, I am already married to daddy." He then said, "okay, then I am going to marry Hannah, because she is cute." He then continued to say "and she will have babies in her tummy". We laughed so hard. She could do worse... I have to say this little boy is quite the catch :-)

Everyone On Stage

This is the week, Hannah's dance recital. We had dress rehearsals today and boy what a crazy event. We woke up today and got ready with our bows, make-up and costume. We headed downtown and joined the chaos that had already begun. Hundreds fo girls in costumes and their moms covered the backstage. Hannah wasn't about to go on stage, she started crying and wouldn't let go of me and all I could see was all that money go "bye-bye". But I held her hand and led her class on stage and once she was on, she got caught up in the lights and scene and performed "Candy and Cake" as good as could be. Thank heavens!

We aren't allowed to take photos and video on Friday (the real deal), so I took all of them today. Here are so of the photos of the dance and our little girl so cute and grown-up.