Dots and Stripes

Lily's room has taken on many changes in the last 6 years. We have recently moved her bed against the window allowing for a bit more room. She has lots of furniture in her room and very little wall space. The other day one of her letters that were on the wall spelling out her name fell and broke. So, we decided to take down her name and replace it with something new and different. But, that new and different item turned out to be a favorite old friend...her Mudd jeans. These were the first pair of jeans that she wore (at about 5 years old) and thought were trendy. She would comment on the way they fit and how much she loved them and she wore them until the knees had holes in them. When I came across the jeans in a box of clothes saved for Shelly, I decided they would make the perfect addition to the blank wall previously held by the letters. We also hung the canopy up over her bean bag chair and created a little reading nook for her. So, I snapped a few photos of her room this morning. It is raining and dark here so the pics aren't the best. As I admired her room today, I thought it seemed like a warm and happy place to be. I think she feels the same way!

Bookcase could use some rearranging and reorganizing, but she has all of her treasures in there...right where she wants them.
Bella lives to the left of her dresser...as a side note: this guinea pig is the cleaniest little animal and has absolutely no odor, really!

(Bedding by Little Miss Matched)

It was "AWESOME"

That is what Lily told us when I asked, "So, how was 3rd grade?" Such a relief to hear those words. She talked nonstop about it all when she got home and I love that about her. She tells me everything. So happy for that.

The day started off well. She got right out of bed with the alarm and was changing into her dress when I appeared in her room. Breakfast went smoothly and she was ready to leave the house about 20 minutes after she woke up. The bus arrived and off she went. Shelly and I teared up and we felt the pangs of sadness as she rolled off toward school. Shelly and I spent the remainder of our day together shopping at Target, the grocery store, and eating bagels at Bruegger's. When we got home we started a puzzle and awaited Lily's arrival home.

Lily decided she wanted to walk home from the bus stop. So, we stood in the backyard and watched her walk home. This little girl was beyond happy to see her big sister.

And this is when she told me her day was "AWESOME!".

Daddy's Girls

John helped the girls wrap up their summer fun with an afternoon of swimming. They even caught a toad and played with the little guy in the pool. The girls loved it. Then he gathered us all up and we were off to dinner here:

We got our favorite Bang Bang Shrimp and Lily got her large plate of calamari while Shelly nibbled on the bread and dipping oil. We were all happy and full when the dinner was done. But, the fun continued as we headed for ice cream here:

We live about 40 minutes from this spot. So we only hit it about twice a year. This made for a special ending to a great day.

Tomorrow morning I'll make Lily her favorite cinnamon rolls for breakfast as we celebrate our last day of summer together. I know it all sounds dramatic, but really for me it is dramatic. Hard to see them leave my feathered little nest and brave the big world. The best news of all though is how much Lily loves school. That makes it all so much easier. I'm a lucky mom.

Summer's Closing Activities

Well, some random items for the end of summer.

Yesterday, the girls and I went to see Space Chimps. Ok, it's not going to win any awards, but it was just about the only movie out there to go see for children. What's the deal? Where are all of the good kids movies???

We searched high and low for some shoes for Lily and finally found some at Kohl's. She needed some black and brown shoes to wear to school. These were both pretty cute and they will go with most items.We had our last lunch out together before the school year begins. It was a bit melancholy for me.

Over the past few days, I was feeling a rush to get my photos in my album. I have been doing digital scrapbooking for awhile, but hadn't quite figured out how to incorporate the layouts into my album. I finally came up with this plan...print out 8x8 layouts and then put them onto 12x12 paper. On some of the layouts I added more embellishments and some I kept the way they were. So, I am officially doing some hybrid scrapping. I think I am probably going to continue the printing of layouts and cut back on the actual paper scrapping. Oh, and I am taking some of the blog entries I have saved and am creating layouts from them. I used the journaling from Shelly's Toothless post to create a 6x6 layout for my mixed size album from America Crafts. This is kind of exciting for me. I like the idea of a new scrapping plan.

This is a sign that the seasons are changing in our house...pool towels are being taken over by backpacks:

Yippy...She Got Mrs. Lee!!!

Lily is very excited about her new teacher for 3rd grade. The fun twist??? It is the same teacher she had for 2nd grade. We love Mrs. Lee and are eager to spend another year in her class. This was big and exciting news for Lily this afternoon. And, she is in a class with some new people and a chance to make new friends. It should be another fun year in elementary school for Lily!

Mrs. Lee and Lily...last day of 2nd grade

"Catch Me I'm Fallin'..."

Today we took Lily to the pediatrician for her 8 year-old check up. Everything went fine and we got some advice about her frequent ear issues/allergies. She was due for her second round of shots for Hepatitis A and we didn't know that she would be getting a shot during this visit. When the nurse arrived with the needle and prepared her arm for the shot, she was a bit dazed and had me hold her hand during the procedure. When it was all over I could see a look on her face that didn't seem quite right. I asked if she was okay and she nodded yes. We left the examining room and headed for the Exit sign. As we turned the corner she fell flat on her face...not really fell, but fainted. The nurses were all there at the nurses' station and they quickly scooped her up and took her to a room. They brought her an ice pack, water, and cookies and set her up with her legs in the air. Soon she came to and finally spoke. All the time, Shelly was in tears watching her sister fall. It was quite a dramatic exit, but I am happy to report she is doing fine now. Poor little girl.

Here she is later in the day wearing her Justice shorts from grandpa and grandma

Shelly holding her dog carrier and worrying about Lily...still
On another less exciting note, I attempted to create a pillow from a photo that had been printed on fabric. It isn't the most beautiful, but it is full of heart and soul. And, of course, two of my favorite photographic subjects.

Abracadabra...

Lily has gone head first into so many different little projects this summer. If she is exposed to something for more than about 15 minutes, she has a burning desire for it to be her latest passion. One of the examples of this is her obsession with magic. She has a couple of really good tricks that she performs. One in particular where she turns water into an ice cube and I have NO idea how she does it. And I like that fact. So, here she is with her little assistant whipping up some magic for us.

Back-to-School Pool Party

We hosted the Back-to-School Pool Party last night. It was a nice evening and the kids seemed to have a good time. The girls and I prepared the pool area for company. Our new tables and umbrellas for around the pool. The girls enjoying the pool together. Watching the movie with friends.