dejavu 1982

dalia is addicted to strawberry shortcake.  i was too.  she dreamed about a strawberry shortcake party.  apparently i did too.  she was 4.  i was 3.  hers 2015.  mine 1982.

the night before her party, she was most concerned about having a party hat.  'mom, all the birthday girls always have a special hat.'  this mom has never once bought one of those party hats.  not sure why but it's just never been on my list.  ha.  i ran to the store quickly before her party to make her birthday wishes come true.  

the watermelon popsicle

dolly was born with a crooked 4th toe.  it stood out right after labor but it has always been a cute, little oddity that hardly anyone else ever notices.  the issue of fixing it was mainly cosmetic until the past year or two when her 2nd toe started curling too and the toes on her left foot began piling up.  certain types of shoes began bothering her and the doctor mentioned fixing it would be easier the younger she was.  so we elected to go ahead with it-  but it meant surgery for a very little girl.  (i was so nervous that it took us a year to schedule it.)

i'm proud to report that she did a fantastic job throughout!  (and her mother did too- despite racing thoughts like: i hope the doctor had just enough caffeine this morning! what if she has nightmares about this? etc.)  she was praised for being the perfect patient: she put on a brave and stoic face through much of the morning (yes, some of it may have been because she strongly disapproved of the fish scrubs she had to wear); she had us giggling after surgery when insisting that she has a 'real bear at home' and that her orange popsicle 'tasted just like watermelon'; and she only cried once- when she just couldn't stand looking at her IV line any longer- but who could blame her on that one?

before:

disliking those scrubs:

a goofy Versed-induced smile:

a tiny bout of nervousness:

wakey-wake:

sporting a new accessory:

recovering with the watermelon popsicle:

family fun in middle america

we are so lucky to see and enjoy our family often!  Jack gets to hang with 4 boy cousins, grandma and grandpa have graciously accepted numerous opportunities to babysit, holidays are spent together, and, with jordyn moving here, sunday dinners have been the norm.

small town perks

it is a wonderful perk to have an "in" with small town living.  my brother lives in said town and they host the coolest events!  most recently, it was the easter egg helicopter drop.  yep, it IS exactly as it sounds - easter eggs filled with candy dropped from the sky for adoring children to gather!

...it was truly a 'hoppy' easter!

our eccentricities

- continues to kiss us on the lips and begs us to tuck her in every night.  in fact, her nightly bedtime stalling tactics are professional grade!

- shows caring in a creative, craftsy way.

-has recently endured her 7th pulled tooth- with the help of valium.

- devours his entire daily water intake after 8 pm.  can't seem to be bothered by a drink at any other time but lies in his bed at night sipping multiple bottles full of water.

- recently picked holes through 4 shirts in a matter of 1 week.  worried he'd get in trouble when bored at school, he picked at his shirts to stay out of trouble.  remember shaun white? (http://stoverstreetfam.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-shaun-white-collection.html)  i pulled out the big guns to eradicate this behavior- all beloved shaun white articles were taken away until he stopped.

- came to me devastated and in tears one day.  without precipitation, he broke down and expressed his frustrations about getting married. "mom, i don't want to have to buy a wedding ring.  it's no fair that boys have to use all their money to pay for stupid sparkly things."

- is obsessed with strawberry shortcake.  she knows every single character and their animal!  hardly able to be convinced to watch anything else, she has also memorized the theme song.

- has cleverly learned the art of getting what she wants.  with a very gracious approach, she says, 'i need to ask you something.  you can say yes or no but...'

welcome to the tween scene

kindin's 9th birthday officially welcomed her to the tween scene with an Amazing Race through the mall for her birthday party. 

ah...the most loved challenge- 'find the brightest red lipstick tester and put it on each team member.'

it was an 'amazing' time with an 'amazing' group of friends and family: