The perfect weekend

A seamless ballet recital and some quality family time. I couldn't have asked for much more from a Mother's Day weekend.

Backcraze. I mean, backstage.

This is her "Glorious day! The end is near!" face.

A precious blur of motion

Love this picture. Raegan is to the left of the only girl that had a clue how to perform that dance (the angel).

A new addiction and potential bank-buster:

My Mom and Erick

My Dad and Raegan

Erick and sticky mint handler

I'm positive it's worth sacrificing a rare dinner out with a lifelong friend in order to secure a new sushi partner. Almost.

Chopsticks 101

A high five over edamame....not so sure that's a Japanese custom.

Avocado rolls not so much. Green tea ice cream - a definite winner.

Thursday's random thoughts....

It's really hard to come up with random thoughts while simultaneously watching America's Next Top Model and eating chocolate ice cream. I'm going to give it a shot.

Seriously, I don't know what McDonald's is thinking with their slogan about ordering one of their specialty coffee drinks and getting a shot of reality. I don't understand. Is the 'shot of reality' the fact that you've been reduced to drinking coffee at McDonald's? Or you don't have the money to afford Starbucks? Or you're watching your kids climb around a germ infested play place where they could potentially contract swine flu, and you would just rather be with your girlfriends at a real coffee shop? Please explain.....

I'm also having a hard time with the whole swine flu thing. I don't understand the hysteria. Raegan's school sent home a letter about potential swine flu symptoms and a possible plan of action should the flu infect the midwest. Or her school.....I'm not sure which. The same day, she came home with this animal. 

She told me it was a pig. I'm hoping her teacher told her to replicate a pig infected with the flu. 'Cause pigs don't have trunks. Regardless, I believe it's time I took her to a zoo followed by a farm. 

Speaking of trunks, hopefully I will have trunks soon. Swim trunks. The bottom half of the swimsuit of my dreams has supposedly been shipped. I don't know what I'm going to do if they don't fit, or are missing the back half of the suit. I'm sure Target and Old Navy are already way picked over. I guess I will be wearing that thing no matter what.

I've been having a hard time balancing teaching and playing, and being a mom. Most days lately, all I want to do is be with my kids, let the house get filthy, go outside and ride four-wheelers and pull weeds, and just spent time together. It's not helping that Raegan's favorite game on PBS is the one about Elmo's mommy going to work, and how sad it makes Elmo. She is always quick to click on the sad face when it asks her to describe her own feelings about her own mommy working. Tear my heart out.....

I guess I might just have to remind her that mommy works in order to pay for fish and hamsters. Maybe then she will click on the happy face that describes how she's feeling.

Sorry to be serious. I love my jobs. I just always feel like this in the spring around the time of my kids' birthdays. They just grow up too fast.

Going outside to get grimy and ride four-wheelers now. No, wait. It's only 5:30 in the morning. Maybe in a couple of hours after I've had several 'shots of reality'. Suddenly, I'm starting to understand the slogan. 

And yes Erick, I know who really bought the hamsters. 

Have a great Thursday.

(Side note - Post partially composed Wednesday night while eating ice cream and watching America's Next Top Model. These are not activities I enjoy at 5:30 in the morning. It's more like Barney and coffee. And coffee.)

If these are the dress rehearsals....

I'm terrified to see the performance.

Mia, Avery, and Emily......you all look glorious. We will come to cheer you on at future ballet endeavors if you promise to pretend the violin is just as graceful and adorable. You know I think it is.

Prayers appreciated for Saturday's first and last ballet recital. I can't take much more of this enthusiasm.

Honey, I don't know what this picture is doing on our i-photo. But you just take whatever strange pictures of yourself you need to lying on our wood floors in the middle of the day. I'm just relieved this one doesn't have a blowdryer aiming at you on low while you nap next to your gun books.

You know I married you because you're so weird. Not to mention the fact that you had good glasses and you shaved crosses into the back of your hair.

Oh yeah, that's right. I waited two years to date you BECAUSE you shaved crosses into the back of your hair. My mistake.

Keep calling the random lady that came to my living room today to give me an hour long personal massage, and you can shave anything you want in the back of your hair. You can even lose the glasses.

I will still date you.

I may even cook you dinner.

Thank you. :)

The Hamster Diaries - Day 3

Things I have learned about hamsters in three days:

1. They run at night. They run ALL NIGHT.

2. The 'non-noisy wheel' is in fact quite noisy.

3. They are hardy creatures and can sustain being dropped onto bamboo floors from 4 feet up.

4. They can smell a two year old's grubby little hand a mile away.

5. They bite two year old's hands and no one else's. This makes me laugh.

6. By day three they have produced 300 pellets in the fluffy purple bedding.

7. Purple bedding now beginning to have an odor and is not quite so fluffy.

8. They have created a vacuum that is my daughter's room. She is sucked in there night and day.

9. I am wishing they came with a central vacuum attached to their cage. Forget that. Attached to their you-know-whats.

10. Despite annoying rodent-like qualities, they make this 5 year old girl one happy kid. That makes me one happy mama.

Critter me this, pellet me that

Critter tales. The best way to entertain a room full of four and five year olds.

This makes me laugh. I wonder if these girls know of our plan to make them friends for life. If it takes sneaking into the gift bag to pencil in "Love, Your BFF" then so be it. 

Thank you Katie R. for the cutest cake we could have asked for. It was perfect tribute to our new furry friends.

Dita, my beautiful pregnant sister-in-law. Here's to hoping she's not reconsidering having children after being thrown into the lion's den. Or hamster's den. Whatever. 

Raegan, meet your new little rodents. I believe at this point she was deciding on the names 'Furry' and 'Running Wheel'. I'm not kidding. I think my watching 'Dances with Wolves' several hundred times in high school may have passed itself on in the gene pool.

Raegan's birthday party was a success. I have never seen so many kids or critters in my house in all my life. There were still kids from church and kids I teach that I wanted to be here, but I'm pretty sure my house is thanking me that that didn't happen. The crick in my neck and the aching muscles in my legs are trying to convince me that next year we will have a family party. Bah. You only turn five once.