Ok. It's been almost an ENTIRE year since I last posted.

That.

Is.

Insane.

(And a very long story.)

But what a fun day to return!!

How is it even possible that Piper turned 3 today? THREE!!! It seems like just yesterday (and I believe I say this every year) she was in my belly.

We celebrated our little princess in style. First, we had a small party at my brother's house on Saturday. I made her a special Oreo cookie cake with a princess theme because, just like birthdays 1 and 2, we made plans to celebrate at Disneyland.

On Monday, we had a BLAST at both Disneyland and California Adventure. I think it has been one of the best visits to the park, yet. My friend, Jenn Aedo, is a performer in the show Aladdin (a large-scale musical theatre production in C.A.) and was able to get us VIP seating (front and center) as well as a private meet-and-greet with the cast afterwards. The girls were in Heaven. This experience is one they will never forget - the pictures speak a 1,000 words.

Happy Birthday, Smiley. We cherish every day with you. You are spunky, funny, smart and full of smiles. Your obsession for puzzles and your ability to complete even the most difficult in no time at all is amazing. You still look just like your older sister, Dillen, but you have your own unique personality and interests. I look forward to watching you grow this coming year. I know it will be one of our most difficult because you will try me at every turn… but it will also be one of the most exciting because your personality blossoms every day. You are amazing. Incredible. And it is an joy to watch you become who you are.

 

(Was supposed to be uploaded yesterday...) A WHOLE hand!! What an awesome milestone. :D As I think back on the last five years, I know that parenting Roxy has never been easy. Fun, but certainly never easy. She is still our spirited one - the one who needs to push the boundaries just to see how far she can go before she gets into trouble (is this a repeat of last year's birthday post?). She has several moments during the day where it seems someone has loaded her full of sugar - she can't stop moving and walking is out of the question. She sprints, bounces, leaps, jumps, stomps, skips, rolls, etc. - all while shouting as if everyone in the house has terrible hearing. She needs to make herself known. Sometimes, just to get more attention, she will purposefully make a bad choice - and then laugh maniacally. All of this has given Sean and I more gray hairs then we have ever had before. But, that being said, there isn't anything we would change about her. Roxy is truly a star -- burning so hot that the flame cannot be put out... and shouldn't be. She is meant for something great. It is a joy to watch her energy explode and to watch her enjoy the silliness of life - pure and simple. Tomorrow, for her birthday, I am taking her (and Dillen) to see a live production of Annie at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center (Sean will stay home with Piper). Andrea McCardle (the original Annie on Broadway) will be playing the role of Miss Hannigan. Roxy is so looking forward to it. She has been watching the movie version quite a bit these days to brush up on all of the lyrics and characters. I have a feeling that she will be mesmerized by all of the children on stage. Roxy will be making her own stage debut in December when she plays both a mouse and an angel in Ballet Arte's production of Nutcracker. Currently, she is in weekly rehearsals after her ballet class and she just loves it. Her natural balletic abilities still completely blow me away and her waif-like features make her look so fragile. But don't be fooled... Roxy is as strong as they come. Outside of the home, Roxy can do no wrong in the eyes of her authority. She listens, follows the rules and exemplifies good behavior for all her peers. She is the youngest in her kindergarden class, yet shows unbelievable focus and determination to learn, grown and make her teacher proud. In ballet, she refuses to act out even in the slightest and frowns down upon her classmates who are not listening or who are goofing around. Part of me thinks she is holding it all together so well because she knows she can explode when she gets home. Roxy is extremely passionate. She loves with all her heart and expects it in return. Her hugs are powerful and she rarely lets go when expected. She does not like to come in second and needs to know she is the center of attention when at home. Although she seems to struggle to find her place for attention between Dillen and Roxy, she is extremely gracious with her friends. She allows them to have their turn without hesitation and fairness is number #1 in her book. She will tell me lengthy stories at the end of a school day or ballet class about how someone was not following the rules and how she had to step in to help a friend. She is loyal. If you are one of Roxy's friends, you know she is there for you for both laughter and support. She is eager to take a friend to the nurse or to help a friend when they need it. It has been a joy to observe her in Kindergarden. Roxy is a beautiful creature - a fiery creature. She is still a princess to the core and, rightfully so, insists on wearing a crown to the Annie performance tomorrow. She is our little Diva. We love and nurture her spirit with a dash (!!) of discipline thrown in. Each year her energy burns hotter -- keeping me wondering WHO she will become... someone to be reckoned with, for sure. Happy Birthday to our Princess, our beautiful, awesome, spicy princess. We love you more then you will ever know.

Today was awesome. Since celebrating Piper's 1st birthday at Disneyland was such a hit with her, we decided to do it again to celebrate her 2nd. I mean, really, what better place to celebrate our Smiley girl?!? My mom joined us for the entire day - it was so great having her there to celebrate with us. Even though the day brought major downpours of rain, our girls were troopers. We woke them up at 6AM, got on the road at 7AM and were sitting having breakfast with Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White and Belle by 9:40. We stayed at California Adventure for a little bit - enjoying VIP seats for the Playhouse Disney show (thanks again, Grady!) and then headed over to Disneyland. Since it was such a rainy day, we pretty much walked right onto any ride we wanted to. The longest wait at any line was 10 minutes. Most 0-2. W00T! Piper's favorites were the carousel at DCA, Dumbo, Small World (!!!) and Goofy's house. (In her own words, "Please, Goofy's house?" She is so slow and deliberate when she speaks, as though she is putting a period after every word.) She also loved going through Mickey's house and, when we met up with him at the end, gave him a kiss on his nose!! This was huge since she gave nothing but stink-eye to all princesses who even came close to her at breakfast. Heh. And her choice for take home birthday present from the park was a stuffed Mickey Mouse.



We also celebrated Roxy's birthday this morning at Ariel's Grotto since she turns 5 next month and wanted to celebrate at Disneyland. Since we won't be able to make it back up to the park on her birthday (our passes expired today), she was satisfied having everyone sing to her today and then doing something special for her on HER birthday. ;) She still got to choose a take home birthday gift and chose a really cool Sally doll from Nightmare Before Christmas.



Dillen is such a big girl. She went on Splash Mountain with me (we were already soaked... why not?) and on Thunder Mountain with Sean and I. It was fun to go on Thunder Mountain with her because she got to sit right in the middle of Sean and I. I think she felt the special moment, too. It was quick, but those moments are rare.



All in all, the day was a huge success.



Happy 2nd Birthday, Piper!! You are such an incredibly funny, smart and beautiful little girl. You entertain us daily and keep us all smiling.

Dillen was a Daisy when we lived in Solana Beach last. Upon our return, she was graciously invited back into the same Troop and is now a Brownie. Her Troop is amazing... led by one very dedicated individual. Well, I wanted Roxy to have the Girl Scout experience as well and, fortunately, a Troop began to form that we were invited into. Not only were we invited, I am now the Troop Co-Leader. My fearless partner in crime and I led our first meeting today and it went fantastically well. We have 13 girls and they are all gems. Our meeting lasted 45 minutes and went as smooth as silk. Roxy couldn't have been prouder to have me as a Leader and wanted to sit next to me during closing circle. Her hugs and "I love you so much"s were unreal when it was over. She and I had some special bonding time after our meeting - it was so heartwarming to feel her appreciation and happiness. Our love for each other is indescribably intense. I truly look forward to the Girl Scout year ahead.

Both Roxy and Dillen were stars at their school recently. Roxy was first. She was recognized for her "Hard Work" in the classroom at the Friday assembly, in front of the entire school!!! She was chosen by her teacher - and the Principal handed her a certificate. I was so overwhelmingly proud of her... that's my ROXY!!! She was tickled beyond belief. What a wonderful achievement for her. I loved that she was recognized first... giving her confidence to be a leader (not that she needs it!). The pictures below show her energy and excitement that day. :D The following week, Dillen was recognized for her "Enthusiasm." Same deal - in front of the entire school. Needless to say, Dillen was SUPER enthusiastic to receive this award. She was asked by her teacher to create the poster for "Enthusiasm" that would be used as a kick off, so to speak. Little did she know that SHE was being awarded. It was a great surprise. Lucky for all of us, Sean was able to take off from work to be there for both. Go Slavin Girls!!

Sean has a new truck. A big blue truck with big tires. He likes to go off roading in it. Today, he decided to take us with him. Turns out, I do NOT like off roading... not one little bit. Neither did the girls. It was heinous, really. Lesson learned.

That being said, when we stopped to have some lunch we enjoyed the serene atmosphere, the quiet (it was SO flippin' quiet!) and some lunch... before we headed back down the heinous mountainside.

We love taking the girls to our local beach park. Lots to do: big grassy area to run, have dinner and play games on; a playground to get our wiggles out on; a stage to perform on; and a beach to get sandy on. Tonight we brought the camera with us:

... and Dillen is in SECOND GRADE!!

It truly seems like time is flying by...

This year is going to be an awesome year. I was incredibly relieved to find out that Roxy has Mrs. Emert for Kindergarten (the same teacher Dillen had for Kindergarten). And Dillen is in a great class with her best friend, Meg.

On the first day of school for Roxy, last Tuesday (Dillen's first day was Monday), Roxy surprised me (slightly). Not only did she take off like a lightning bolt to her classroom door, she easily took her backpack off and found a place for it on a peg and then started to head into the classroom without even saying "goodbye." I had to stop her for a hug - even then, she was sort of mentally half-way into the classroom. She was READY! The day is a full day for Kindergarteners, as well, but this seemed to have no effect on her. When I picked her up at 2:43, she seemed to own the school. Dillen had a great day, too. She loves her teacher and fell right back into place on her old stomping grounds. The whole week went great... and fast. I can't believe it is already the second week of school.

Dillen's First Day:

Roxy's First Day:

I'm hanging onto this one a while longer:

Dillen's Brownie troop hosted a sleepover at Sea World a couple of weeks ago and it was AMAZING!! We arrived around 5:30PM and we were greeted by some very cheerful Sea World staff who took our bags, gave us bright green t-shirts and then began our own private, VIP tour of the park. Fortunately, Roxy was invited to join in the fun, as well. Dillen's Brownie troop is full of awesome little girls and moms which made the sleepover even more enjoyable. We were fed dinner; taken on a few behind-the-scene tours; given educational lectures; given VIP seating for the Shamu and fireworks show; and then taken to the Shark Encounter where we were to unroll our sleeping bags and sleep on the top levels of the tunnel. Sleeping under sharks was truly incredible. I don't think I slept more then 20 minutes. All of us were probably asleep by around 1AM (I still can't believe Dillen and Roxy lasted that lon g) and we were awoken by the Sea World staff by 6:30AM then next morning so we could pack up, tour another exhibit and then be given breakfast before the park re-opened to the public.

I have to say, even with no sleep, I would redo this experience at least once per month. It was incredible.

Sean and Piper met us at the front entrance at the park opening and we spent about 4 hours playing at the park as a family. This also was awesome because it was Piper's first time enjoying Sea World. Needless to say, she loved it. :)

HOLY COW! Piper is almost TWO!! Where did the last two years go?!?



Piper reminds me of Dillen, still. She has so many of the same physical features and personality traits. That being said, Piper is definitely her own person and is showing us more and more of her personality on a weekly basis. She has so many words now it is impossible to count and she is beginning to understand the importance of putting 2 and 3 words together. She loves to say, "Mommy, I love you" (sounding more like "Mommy, I lah you") and slowly puts her own sentences together like, "Roxy, no mine!" Heh. She is just as determined now as the day she was conceived and her smile is just as huge and contagious.



She tantrums like Dillen used to, as well. The other day we were in Starbucks and she wanted cookies. I told her no. She wiggled out of my arms, gave me a dirty little look, walked two feet away, lied down on the ground on her tummy and quietly put her face in her arms. I gave her little attention for this and just stepped over her to get to the waiting line. Those who came into Starbucks had no idea what this little girl was doing but those who were fortunate enough to watch it from the beginning were in awe over how quiet her tantrum was. Once in a while, she would peek up to see if I was looking at her. My tea was ready in about 5 minutes and I quietly walked over to her and said, "Piper, I am leaving now. Do you want to come with me or do you want to continue laying here on the ground?" She slowly got up and said "All done," then took my hand as we walked out the door.



:)



She loves to run, play at the park, hang like a monkey, make all animal sounds, dance a funky low-squat dance and play with her sisters. She is in no way interested in using the big girl potty no matter how much I encourage her. But she knows what she wants and how to get it. She has us all wrapped around her little finger.