Weekend Fun

Everything went as planned yesterday, with the exception of the tumbling class. Apparently the class was canceled, but only the coach knew about it! So instead of tumbling, Ashlyn & Deja went to the daycare so I could still get my workout in. I haven't been able to go to the gym all week! It was so hard to get in the zone. I don't know what it is, but I was dreading it....just counting the minutes til I was done. I pushed through it, and after an hour, I was finally finished. The girls wanted to hurry home to play before having to get ready for their dance recital....but I had another plan. Well, I had to buy a new pair of pants for the recital. Most of my clothes are too big for me to wear. Happy about that :), but just don't want to spend the money buying "in-between" clothes! The girls were a little sad it might take a half hour out of play time, but after I explained to them that I'd have to go the recital with my pants around my ankles, they quickly went along with my shopping trip! They found lots of shirts in the juniors section that they thought would make cute dresses so it kept them distracted and kept their minds of playing bratz.

We made it to the recital rehearsal right on time, which was surprising! Since I work for the studio, I should be there early.....but hey, I had an extra child to get ready. It was easier than I thought so it worked out well. I usually end up doing make up for lots of girls at performances, but this time I only had 4. The whole rehearsal and recital ran smoothly this year.

After the recital we had our annual Stars Christmas party at the Sand Hollow swimming pool. We had a potluck and a toy drive. It was fun, especially for the kids. I didn't see Ashlyn & Deja all night....they just swam away. Nate was able to come too and I think he had just as much fun. The party ended at 8 and after we cleaned up, we headed for the car. Holy Moly! It was snowing! Being in St. George, this is a very, very odd occurrence. I had no coat on, and Deja & Ashlyn were in their robes. The weather changed so drastically! The girls wore shorts earlier in the day and by night it was snowing! Wow!

After we got home, the girls quickly changed into their warm PJ's. Deja wore her footed jammies and Ashlyn wore two layers of jammies. They were freezing! They begged me for hot chocolate, so I agreed to make it for them. I told them to go ahead downstairs and get under the covers and start watching their movie while I changed into my jammies. By the time I got downstairs, 20 minutes later, they were already fast asleep. (They talked all day about how they were staying up til 2 am!) Guess the day completely wore them out! It was nice to have some peace and quiet for some "me time."

This morning I got up around 9:30 and could hear the girls giggling. This wasn't too much of a surprise considering how early they fell asleep. What was so surprising is the fact that when I got downstairs, I found piles and piles of candy wrappers! The had been up for a couple of hours and managed to eat almost all of the treats they bought. I'm not saying they ate a few pieces of candy. I'm saying they each ate about 8 candy bars, gummy bears, gummy worms, a cookie and some crackers and cheese! How in the world? They were both pretty wound up. We cleaned up their mess, and then I headed upstairs to fold laundry (but really writing on the blog). They finally calmed down and now they are in the playroom having a good time. Still no fighting. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of day.

All in all, this was a fun weekend for all of us. It was very eventful, yet so not stressful! I planned on taking pictures throughout the weekend of all these events...I packed my camera for the recital but never found it! Still can't find it....hoping it didn't fall out of the dance bag somewhere.

Doritos & Butterfingers

This weekend we get to have Deja all to ourselves! Deja is one of Ashlyn's best friends, but act mostly like sisters. Deja and Ashlyn go to school together, Deja and Ashlyn spend after school together til into the evening, they dance together, spend time with each other pretty much every day....so you can see how this friendship turned into being siblings! They have a love/hate relationship. Some days they absolutely love each other and well, other days, they bicker non stop. While they have their moments (like any other sibling group), tonight they are especially good. Deja's mom Holly and I were both a little nervous, wondering how spending the entire weekend together at my house would turn out. So far so good. Actually, this is the best I've seen them!

Right now they are downstairs, in the bed they made (on the floor) watching Barbie and the 12 dancing princesses with their treats. Yes, It's almost 11 pm and they just started watching a movie. I took them to Walmart and gave them each their own cart. They thought they were going to buy the whole store, but I quickly set them straight. They ended up with Doritos, Lays BBQ chips, Butterfingers, Hershey's Chocolate Bars, Kit Kats, Sour Worms, Gummy Bears, Mike & Ikes, and two Kid Cuisines! So it was almost the whole store....... I think they will have after school treats for months! Since I'm on this crazy diet, I'm staying upstairs, away from all junk food. I will just have to resist while I'm cleaning up!

Tomorrow will be a busy day for us, so I figure the girls can have some fun time to relax. We have to go print recital programs first thing in the morning, girls have tumbling from 10-noon (I'll be on the elliptical!), then we have the dance recital (which I have to be there at 3:30 even tho it starts at 5:00), then we have the Stars Dance Studio Christmas party at the Sand Hollow Pool til 8. I'm sure I will write again tomorrow, but for now, I'm off to pack dance bags!

Whoever Throws Up, Cleans It Up!!

So we have this rule in our house.....whoever throws up, cleans it up! Ashlyn knows this rule so well, that if she is on the verge of throwing up, she will run as fast as she can to the toilet or else she swallows it...I know totally disgusting! Well, I guess she forgot the rule at 1 am this morning. I finally had just gotten in my bed about 12:45 and right around 1 I thought I heard a noise. After a couple of minutes in bed, I decided to get up to check on Ashlyn. Well, there she was, throw up everywhere including in her hair. On her comforter, on her sheets, the side of her nightstand, the garbage can, the carpet....a trail in the hall........it was everywhere!! So everyone who knows me, knows how bad my gag reflex is. I can't even change a dirty diaper without gagging. Niece spits up while I'm holding her, I quickly pass her back. I definately can't deal with throw up!! So as I'm gagging and heading for my own bathroom, Ashlyn's in her bathroom continuing what she had started. What an awful night! I managed to get her bedding off the bed and part of the carpet cleaned up. After getting Ash cleaned up enough to get into my bed, it was 3 am. My alarm went off at 5 and well, I'm exhausted. I got up and shampooed the carpets upstairs twice, washed the bedding twice with the exception of the comforter. That is in a giant garbage bag waiting to be taken to the laundromat. Ashlyn is finally asleep and I should be taking a nap while she is sleeping, but I figured I'd take advantage of the situation and get some housework done. My house might actually get cleaned before Saturday! I guess there really is a positive to every negative!

First Performance of the Season

Saturday, Ashlyn had her first dance performance this season. She danced at the Dicken's Festival and Tuachan with her smalls team and a some of our other teams from our studio. She performed a nutcracker ballet dance and their jazz dance for competition. She did such a good job! I was able to snap this picture before she went on stage. While she wasn't too thrilled about wearing the hat, she loved her ballet dance. She loves performing!

Ashlyn's cousin Hannah also performed on Saturday. This is her first year dancing and she did such a good job. I could tell she was a little nervous once she got on stage, but by the second performance at Tuachan, she was comfortable up there! I was able to snap this picture of Hannah and Ashlyn before going back stage.

Simply Amazing!

Tonight was the first time in 6 years that I allowed someone to take a picture of me....a scheduled picture. Well, there was a studio staff picture once, but I was forced! Anyone who knows me, knows that I hate having my picture taken. If I see anyone around me with a camera, I run for cover! If someone does happen to catch me, I make some crazy facial expression so they can't use the picture. I'm just not photogenic. I think I got this phobia from my mom...she is the same way!

Ashlyn's dance studio participated in a photography fundraiser, and well, was talked into doing a photo session with Ashlyn. Basically, I had a weak moment. Lisa (one of our dance teachers & friend) convinced me it would be a good idea to get some pictures taken so I can document my weight loss (whole other blog!) I was nervous....The photographer is awesome and he kept assuring me that he does a great job with photoshop! ha After a few shots, I became more comfortable and even talked into an individual shot. My good friend and studio director, Julie, was there to watch me and make me have a "real" smile. She did a great job. All in all, I was pretty happy with the results. Ashlyn and I have never had such a fun time together....even got her to laugh too! Now that's amazing!!

(yes, I will post pictures once I get the CD!)

I'm no Superhero!

So today ended up more like a Monday for us. I usually get up at about 5:00 am to get my day started. I guess today, my body wanted more rest....I woke up at 7:45! That's not slacking a little....that's a lot considering I'm supposed to be at work at 7:30. So I rushed around the house like the world was ending, throwing clothes around in my closet and asking myself ....when was the last time I did laundry? I had to quickly text my life saving friend who usually gets Ashlyn off to school for me to let her know I was going to try to play superhero and get her to school on time myself. Well, we made it to the school....only 45 minutes late! Ashlyn was so embarrassed that I had to walk her to class. She was very worried she would be in trouble. I felt so bad, but I do have to admit, sleeping in is the best! As I pulled away from the school, I realized what a horrible superhero (mom) I am..... reasons being #1) got Ashlyn to school 45 minutes late even though I was flying in my car as fast I it would go #2) Ashlyn had to wear floods because I didn't get the laundry done #3) I forgot to pay on Ashlyn's school lunch card (she has an overdue balance) so she won't be getting her chocolate milk today #4) Um, forgot to feed Ashlyn breakfast!! Okay, so #4 is seriously horrible but I'll explain how this happened. Besides being so late, I'm on a diet where I don't eat breakfast, so I often forget about that part of the day. Ashlyn usually eats breakfast with the Jensen's during the week so I don't have much breakfast food in the house. Our mornings usually are rushed without the sleeping in, but usually I drop Ashlyn off with the Jensen's and she is magically fed and at school on time. Wow, imagine that! I guess today I realized that I'm definitely no superhero!