Dance Camp 2012

Kali went to So You Think You Can Dance Camp this week at her dance studio and had a great time! She had 3 of her friends in there with her and was so excited everyday to go. She was always dressed and ready at least 2 hours early. They did jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, cha cha, swing dancing and musical theatre.

 Kai even came with me to watch one day and colored in his coloring books for over 2 hours! He was sooo good. Which was nice because the day before I tried to stay and watch with him he was not happy about it. So apparantly pirate & super hero coloring books & markers need to in my purse at all times.

Baby Update

I'm hot, sweaty, uncomfortable, and about to bust out of my maternity shorts but still chuggin' along.

I took this picture yesterday. Only 10 days now until my scheduled c-section. Hallelujah!!

Getting the crib set up this weekend and putting the finishing touches on Kora's room. 

Weekend happenings

This weekend was spent swimming at Grandma Kathi's, taking Kai to karate, watching movies on the super couch and going to the Children's Museum. We also cleaned out the kids closets & toys and took stuff to Hissyfits, a consignment store we like to go to.

It was a fun, busy, & HOT weekend.

37 weeks

Only 15 days to go until little Kora joins our family. We are all SOOO excited! The kids ask me everyday how many days are left. I am enjoying feeling her move (unless she is kicking my ribs which really hurts) and since we're not planning on anymore kids after this I just want to enjoy each day of pregnancy I have left. I really do love being pregnant but the heat makes it really hard. Also, I am someone that is not very patient and I am usually moving really fast but that does not work with pregnancy. I am just trying to take things slow and give my body a break. Thankfully my Mother-in-law's pool gives me a chance to cool off every weekend and get some exercise since I stopped going to the gym at 8 months. It seems like just living day to day life & cleaning up after Fran and the kids is exercise enough. This week we'll be setting up the crib & then I can share a pic of the most fabulous crib bedding you've ever seen thanks to the bumper my Mom made & the gorgeous blankets & sheets from Fran's Mom, Kathi.

Oh and Kali is sling free now! Hooray for fast healing kid bones :)

Summertime fun

These two kiddos have been busy bees this summer!

Their favorite thing has been staying up late watching movies on the super couch and making a big pillow/blanket mess.

 We spent the afternoon at the mall and had a yummy lunch....

 Kai of course ate all the broccoli out of everyone's meals.

 we went shoe shopping and got the boys new shoes (they rarely get new shoes so they were excited) Kali just had fun trying heels on. (I had to tell her at least 5 times that heels are not appropriate for school)

 and we walked across the street to the libraray to pick up some new books for the summer reading program and the mini summer school we do at home

 Here are the kids painting pictures...they LOVE to paint.

We read one educational book after breakfast and then the kids do some sort of craft or painting to go along with what we've read. Kali also writes sentences in her journal to keep track of the facts she learns and work on spelling and her hand writing. Gotta stay crisp over the summer :)

 Oh and the best thing we've done this week is take Kali's sling off for good!!

She is back to her two arm self & really happy about it.

I am happy that we don't have anymore Dr's appointments for her. I've been in more waiting rooms this past month than I have my entire life!

Next week she is going to dance camp to get that healed arm back in shape :)

And, more exciting news!!!

Only 2 1/2 weeks left until Kora comes!!

Summer Movies

Every Monday the kids go with Mr. Becker to the Summer Movie at Harkins.

I picked Mondays because Fran is home and that way it's their special Daddy/kid activity and plus when you're 9 months pregnant being at a movie theatre does not sound appealing at all.

The kids are always really excited to go and Kali brings her little purse full of juice boxes and fruit snacks. I promise Kai was happy to go, but he was NOT happy about taking a picture.

Dance recitals

 Saturday night was Kali's Jazz dance performance. She was SOO excited & did such a good job dancing with one arm...the sling did NOT hold her back  :)

 Here's Kali and her cousin, Tatum waiting to go onstage

  after her performance she changed and got to come watch the rest of the show and get flowers from Yaya and Granddad. After only three dances she said she was tired and ready to got home.

 Look at this sleepy little girl. She got in the tub, ate some soup and then was wired and running around until 11pm.....crazy girl!

 The next night we went to watch her Tap performance. It was so cute & Kali said she had a lot of fun playing backstage with her friends. 

 I just love The Dance Shoppe and all the nice friends she has met there.

 Now we are going to relax  since we have a dance class free week and it's time for us to finish getting Kora's room ready. And, thanks to Kali we have a house full of pretty roses :)

Father's Day 2012

Happy Father's Day

 to the Daddy that that is always willing to build a fort out of a box or pillows or sheets, go to dance performances, hike mountains, ride on Merry-Go-Rounds, carry the heavy bag pack at the zoo & Disneyland, splash in the waves at the beach, build a sand castle, play Star Wars or Barbie or store or pet shop, watch puppet shows, go to Karate classes, coach Soccer teams, watch Happy Feet or Chipwrecked (the worst movies EVER) get bandaids for imaginary wounds, give the kids baths when I am tired, run in the sprinklers, build mud castles, blow up balloons, go camping, dance to Disney songs, carry Kai all around Washington DC when he got tired, grill the best shrimp and steaks, do cannon balls into the pool, read with the kids, go bowling, climb the climber at the Children's Museum, and SOOO much more!

You're a wonderful father Francis! Happy Father's Day!!

Less than a month

Only 3 1/2 weeks left until Kora comes!! Unless she decided to come early...which would be great because my back hurts SO bad at night and I can't find a comfortable way to sleep.

But in the meantime I will just enjoy being pregnant and feeling this wild girl wiggle around inside of me. The kids love to feel her move.

Oh and I am LOVING this:

It's what I crave almost everyday for lunch or just a snack. Who knew provolone, avocado, salt and pepper could make a plain slice of bread taste SOOO good! Oh and if you try it then dip in Grey Poupon and side with a dill pickle....this is probably grossing people out, ha!

Baby on a Budget

 Since buying our Mini-Van and having our first ever car payment as a married couple we are on a budget. We also have a few credit cards that need to be paid off which means I could not go crazy buying tons of stuff for baby Kora. Luckily I really like shopping at Hissyfits, Bows N Britches and Kid to Kid. It's like a treasure hunt and I get so excited when I find a great deal.

I got this Exersaucer from Hissyfits (where I also consign Kali and Kai's old clothing so I can get credit) for only $20. Brand new from Target it's $60 so I saved $40!!  After I washed the seat in the washer & cleaned the rest it was as good as new.

 Next up is the changing table from Bows N Britches (13439 N. Cave Creek Rd) my Mom actually bought this for me but it was only $40 and brand new from Target is $80. She covered the changing pad cushion with cute, silky zebra fabric and we bought some cute containers from Marshall's & Ross to put on the shelves.

 Next is my AWESOME rocking chair. Which was Kali and Kai's but back then it was covered in a blue denim fabric. This time my Mom covered it for me in this great blue & white print. I love it because it's modern and does not look "baby roomish". So all that was paid for here was the fabric to cover it...which my Mom bought & did the labor :) Thank you Yaya.

Next I got my Bobby pillow and cover at Kid to Kid. I was initially grossed out at the thought of a used Boppy but I just put them both in the washer on HOT and they are as good as new. A brand new Boppy and cover is $40 at Target and I got mine for only $14. Awesome!

The Rocker/vibrating chair is from Hissyfits & that was only $12....new at Target $38.

And now on to my stroller. With Kali and Kai I had a big Jeep 3 wheel stroller which was awesome at the zoo and going for walks but awful to take in any type of store or crowded enviornment. Oh and it was SO HEAVY and did not fold up small. So this time I knew I wanted something light & that would not take up so much room in the back of a vehicle. I spent months looking and finally found this cute pink/black Peg Perego from Bows N Britches. Online I could only find them for $300 and up so I was happy to find this for only $120!! It folds SO small and is not heavy at all. (Not to mention Noodle LOVES riding around in it) ha!

 When I first went to Girly Girlz Boutique with Kali we saw the cutest baby blankets but they were SO expensive. So I started making my own with minky scraps I got from SASS and some fabric I ordered online. My Mom finished the back for me with satin and a cute ruffle trim. They were around $40-$50 at the boutique so this beauty was a deal and a fun project that my Mom I did for Kora :)

We needed a car seat so I looked at Kid to Kid and found a good car seat that was only a year old for $45....brand new at Target it was $100. This fabulous car seat cover is from Hissyfits for only $20!! I looked at the brand of cover online and saw that it was $70 so I called Hissyfits ASAP and purchased it (Hissyfits posts items on Facebook) I LOVE it! It's by far the cutest car seat I've ever seen. I never thought I would find one used and I fully intended to buy one new (this was the one splurge I was planning on) so it was such an awesome find.

I found a Bumbo chair at Hissyfits for only $11...brand new from Target it's $40 and the tray was a baby shower gift.

I want to wear Kora while she is young (Kai loved being worn in his carrier) so I read a lot about Moby wraps and thought that was the best for me and I found one at Hissyfits for $22....new they are $44.

 And here are a few pics from around her room so far. We have not moved the crib in yet since I love having Kai's old bed in there so I can sneak away and take a rest every now and then which magically becomes a nap when Francis is home.

 Kora cute diaper holder was also in Kali and Kai's rooms when they were babies...it's SO handy.

Kai had it covered in pirate stuff so I took them all off and got these cute wooden flowers, bugs & candy from Hobby Lobby and just hot glued them on. The cute hair clip holder is from Hobby Lobby too.

Another shout out to Hobby Lobby on the cute pinboard (with the black frame) but it came with ugly fabric so my Mom covered it in some awesome pink/blue damask she had.


Next up I saw a cute crib bumper on ETSY for a mere $175 YIKES! To which I said, that would be easy to make so my Mom and I went to SASS to pick out some minky and other fabulous fabric. I cut it out....my Mom is sewing it. I will post pics when it's done.

Less than a month left until Kora comes home to this fabulous room!!

Jazz dance recital practice