Easter 2014

Easter Eve

EARLY Easter Morning!  This year, despite explicit instructions to not leave the bedroom area before her alarm clock turned green, I found Kendall up at 3:15AM.  Dressed, with shoes on and carrying a purse.  She was ready for Easter.  I asked her what she thought would happen if the Easter Bunny tried to come and she was up and she informed me that he "already came and left her a HUGE van and she had no idea where she was going to put it."  I had put out the EB gift (an American Girl doll jeep) but not her basket for two furry reasons.  I asked if the basket was there and she said no.  Then she said yes.  Which was lying.  After an argument, she went back to bed screaming that she hates me and calling me a various assortment of ugly and grammatically incorrect names.  I seriously contemplated canceling Easter morning.  But I didn't.  And it appears that I went shopping for candy hungry and in a hurry.

Canine photo bomb.  And wishful thinking.

6:00 AM.  Kendall was awake dressed in her 3rd outfit of the day.  4th if you count the one she put on at 3:15AM.  The purse is still perplexing.  Her dolls were dressed.  Kendall was NOT happy about having to wait in the bedroom area with the hall door closed until Chris got here.  We passed the time by taking pictures.  

He finally got here and we set her free.

Here is her loot from EB, including a note as to why plastic eggs with "treasures" were hidden instead of her smelly beautifully dyed hard boiled eggs.  Easter Bunny got hungry and ate them.  

Truth be told, I wasn't entirely sure I'd beat her out of bed in the morning (I did not) to hide the real eggs and sure couldn't hide them the night before.  Turns out finding quarters in the eggs was the best. thing. ever.  It's hard to see in the picture, but she is actually airborne with excitement over 2 quarters.

Pink football from Daddy.  

My Little Ponies from Mommy.

American Girl Doll "Julie" from Mommy and Daddy.  It's confusing having a doll named "Julie" in the house.  I keep hearing my name and answering.  She keeps yelling that she's not talking to me and if she wants to call me "Julie," she will clarify that she means "Mommy Julie."  It's an improvement over what she was calling me at 3:30AM.

 Mermaid Mooshka doll from Nana and Saza.

Hello Kitty guitar from Nana and Saza.   

 Kendall and her girls!  They all look alike!  

Kendall did very well this year at Easter.  It was like a warm up for Christmas 2014.  Or an aftershock from Christmas 2013.  Not sure which.

Egg Decorating

Easter egg dyeing is ALWAYS better with a good friend ... who has a cool mom.  Because when cool moms get together and drink wine in the middle of the afternoon, it's totally ok to dye easter eggs while wearing white dresses.  And to stand on chairs with a foot on the table for a picture.  

"10 Things You Should Never Say to Your Kids"

I received a free Parenting Magazine in the mail the other day.  This is from the first (and only) article I read before trashing the thing.  I didn't even recycle the magazine in case it remained in tact and some other poor soul actually wound up reading it.  I'm going to insert my comments to each "suggestion" in italics.  Who reads, better yet, pays for this crap???

1. "Let me Help" - Instead say: Stop asking me for help.  Can't you see I'm busy on Facebook?
2. "Great Job" - Instead say:  That pretty much sucked.  You can do better.  Or maybe you can't?
3. "Be Careful" - Instead say:  Feel free to play on the roof.  We're overdue for a trip to the ER anyway.
4. "You're ok" - Instead say: I think that scrape that's not even bleeding may actually kill you.  Let's go to the ER.

5. "Practice makes perfect" - Instead say:  Keep practicing, but you're probably still going to suck.
6. "Hurry Up" - Instead say:  Hurry the [expletive] up!
7. "No dessert unless you finish your dinner" - Instead say: Nevermind those green beans.  Let's just have ice cream for dinner.
8. "We can't afford that" - Instead say: I'll buy that for you, but we'll have to live on the streets and beg for money at busy intersections.
9. "Don't talk to strangers" - Instead say: Why don't you go play with that man over there wearing nothing but a trench coat, talking to the air and smoking crack?
10. "I'm on a diet" - Instead say: You're getting a bit fat.  Want to diet with me?

I did get a good tip on a nice cheap lip gloss I like from this magazine.  

Worms!

aka "callepitars" back in the house!  Never did I think my child would be so excited to receive worms in the mail!

Yes, she's kissing them.  

She's going to hate me for posting this

...but THIS is precisely the reason I do not want her sleeping in my bed!

Disney on Ice ... ON the ice!

A classmate of Kendall's invited us to go see Disney on Ice with them this weekend.  The seats were amazing and the girls (and moms) were in Heaven!  I'd always said it doesn't really matter where you sit for a show like this.  So wrong.  On the ice is definitely the way to go!  Kendall had a ridiculous amount of popcorn and a rainbow slushie that came in an Ariel mug with a Mickey hand straw.  Then she had a tummy ache but powered through.  She scored a "spinny minnie" light up wand/weapon, a princess pillow, a balloon and a t-shirt.  

Love this picture of absolute unbridled joy when the "snow" fell right on us at the end of the show!

Post show car craziness.

Here are some random pictures from the show in no particular order:

Newsworthy Trip to the Vet!

Last weekend, I piled two large and unruly fur kids and one not-so-small and unruly skin kid into my car for the fur kids' annual checkup.  I knew this was not going to be a pleasant morning for me.  I also knew I needed to save up my energy so I didn't even bother to argue with Kendall when she emerged from her room wearing a white leotard, a red tutu and black ballet shoes.   

Neither dog can jump into the car anymore and since one is 85 pounds and the other is 75, I decided to save my back and use the dog ramp.  Turns out it weighs about as much as the lighter dog.  Hindsight.  I backed the car into the garage and set up the dog ramp so it went directly from the kitchen door to the back of my car.  This did not go as well as planned. They were both initially terrified by it but I was finally able to shove Ralphie onto it and into the car and Ginger followed him.  Then Kendall followed her.  Then Ginger got in the front and wouldn't move.  Then Ralphie was 1/2 in Kendall's seat and wouldn't move.  Then, when Kendall was finally buckled into her seat, Ginger jumped on her and mortally wounded her scratched her leg.  Kendall's screaming lasted for a while and then she spent an equal amount of time yelling at poor Ginger.  If the dogs weren't upset already, this did it.  Thirty minutes after we began the attempt to get in the car, we pulled out of the garage.   

Following a near multi dog brawl in the lobby, we finally got into an exam room.  Kendall spent as much time on the scale/table as the dogs did and at one point I started to envision myself having to purchase the vet a new one.  At some point, the tutu wound up on Ralphie so Kendall was left in a (see through) white leotard and black ballet shoes.  

As my family circus emerged from the exam room, the receptionist who has known us for a good 6 years now snapped a picture.

6 mornings later, it was in the White Rock Weekly paper.  Not only was my kid at the vet's office looking like something the cat dragged in with a dog in a tutu, the picture was in the paper.  Thankfully, my face was not captured.  Kendall fully believes that she is now famous.