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the ballerina.

after a few months away, dance class began today.  for real dance class.  dance class that requires a leotard.  and oh yes, C was in her element.  of course when given a choice of a blue or a pink leotard, she chose the blue.  because blue is her favorite color, don't you know.

each week of this session they'll get to put on a costume over their leotard for their "performance" for the parents at the end of class.  then if she likes this class - really, is there a doubt? - i'll sign her up for the next class which has a recital at the end.  this truly makes me a mama of a girl.

and i just adore that photo of a beyond ecstatic C with her adoring little sister in the background.  totally made my morning.   

weekly scrapbook layout : 7.10.11.

it's been quite awhile since i shared my layouts - oops!  so i'll share my layout from last week and then go backwards.

L's first pair of jeans.  roughly about the same time last year.  such a big girl even then.  love that she was wearing the same onesie that C wore with her first pair of jeans.  and yes, i remember such odd things as that.

Elle’s Studio products used : Handmade Layers Large Journaling Circles Tags, Handmade Layers Pennants - Blank and Handmade Layers Journaling Tags.

Other product used : Studio Calico's Back 40 kit.

 

 
C on her first halloween.  a quick photo in the leaves in the front yard.  this is one of my favorite photos of her from her first year.

Elle’s Studio products used : Handmade Layers Date and Place Strips, Vintage Months Flashcards, The Details - Brights Tiny Tags and Fun Striped Tiny Tags.

Other product used : Studio Calico's Paper Moon kit.

C and the little boy who lives next door.  they're three years apart in age, but they adore one another.  we had to laugh last week when he brought out a blanket and put it on the grass and offered her crackers.  an impromptu picnic of sorts.  this was last year during his pirate phase. 

Elle’s Studio products used : Handmade Layer Circle Tags, Handmade Layers Date and Place Strips and Vintage Summer Flash Cards.

Other product used : Studio Calico's Paper Moon kit.

i am a runner.

i am a runner.  at least that's what the lady on my ipod app told me last night.  after i ran for 20 minutes.  who knew that was possible?  i definitely didn't!  i just finished week 5 of the couch to 5k program.  in a few weeks, i should be able to run 30 minutes.  still amazed that i've stuck with this AND that i'm able to do it. 

and now i'm going to put this new found ability to good use...

when getting my haircut this week, i happened to mention to my stylist that i had started running.  she shared with me that there was a new event in september that's helping to grant wishes for children as a fundraiser for the make-a-wish foundation.  her son, who is just a few months younger than C, had a wish granted for a large play structure in their backyard.  he had to have a heart transplant last year.  i can't even imagine.

anyway, the fundraiser includes a 5K run.  and guess who just signed up?  and also conned her husband into running with her?

we set a joint goal of raising $200 to help grant wishes of children in wisconsin.  if you would like to sponsor us, please click here. 

since i'm helping to raise funds for such a worthy cause, that means i can't chicken out.

the kitchen : new appliances.

after a week with new appliances, i'm finally getting to share photos and a few thoughts about them.  as a refresher, this is what the kitchen looked like before.  kudos to the delivery guys who were here, took out the old appliances, installed the new and were gone in 45 minutes.  just in time for the girls to go down for naps.  perfect timing.

i can't begin to tell you how much i love this new ge range.  not only is it gorgeous, but it's made spending time in the kitchen cooking for my family even more enjoyable.  and i love to cook so that's saying a lot.  the first night i put it through it's paces my making a bacon and swiss chard pizza that cooked at 500 degrees.  no problem at all.  a perfect pizza.  my favorite feature is the fifth burner in the middle of the range.  i'm thinking it will be perfect come thanksgiving and making gravy in my large roasting pan but i can also remove the middle grate and replace it with a griddle.  i did just that today when i made the girls grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.  can i tell you how much i despise digging out my large griddle for this chore?  the fact that i just took out the grate and replaced it with the griddle that was stored in the oven's storage drawer made me deliriously happy.  i also loved by just turning a knob, the griddle was preheating while i was assembling sandwiches.  the end result?  perfectly toasted bread.  i have plans for pancakes this weekend...

and then there's this beauty.  the original plan was for andy and his dad to install it this past weekend as we feared it might be difficult to install due to stories we had heard from our neighbor from last summer when he replaced his dishwasher.  ha!  when the delivery guy asked if i wanted him to install it, i told him to feel free to give it a go if he thought it was doable.  no problems whatsoever with install.

i can't believe how unbelievably quiet this ge dishwasher is.  if i'm running water in the kitchen sink, you can't hear it.  it's that quiet.  i love the electronic controls and how nice and roomy the interior is.  i can fit a lot more dishes in it than our old model.  works like a dream.  those hand prints on the front?  yes, the girls had to check out the new appliances as well. 

i'm so glad we were able to replace these appliances now so that we could enjoy them for a couple of years before moving.  unlike at our last house when we repaired/replaced things right before moving.  there are several more projects to be completed in the kitchen.  hoping to get something started this weekend!

late night fireworks.

  

  

 
we're lucky in that we can see one of the city's fireworks displays from our deck.  no headaches with packing up and going somewhere.  no traffic.  no crowds of people.  and last night, it also meant not dealing with some rain showers ahead of the event.

this year, we told C she could stay up for the festivities.  not really sure how it was going to go, i can say she is definitely our daughter as she enjoyed the display and was sure to tell her sister all about it this morning.  (most likely because she got to see it and L didn't.)

as the time drew closer, you could tell she was starting to get nervous.  undertandably so as you can't really explain what fireworks are to a three year old.  she wanted to go inside and wait until they started but we convinced her to stay out with us.  duke also happened to be outside with us at the beginning so that helped too. 

so fun to introduce this part of the holiday to C.  i'm pretty sure that she's not ready to be up close and personal at a fireworks display anytime soon.  but from the safety of our deck and sitting on daddy's shoulder, she was a-okay.