Just Dance!

The Spring Dance rolled around and Sissy and her friends were making all sorts of plans to go to the big event - including plans to hold a wedding with a tiny bear. Sissy was incredibly excited about it and painstakingly made the bear a tuxedo for the big event.

Ahh, to be young and silly again. 

We made a trip to Kohl's so Sissy and her bestie could choose coordinating dresses for the dance. Have you ever taken a couple of 12-year-olds dress shopping? It was frenzied and wild. The pile of dresses in my arms for them to try on rapidly mounted, and soon they were so heavy, it would have sunk the Titanic. 

We had a marvelous time.

And so did the girls at the dance. Sissy made sure to have money to spend on soda and candy, and their wedding was a success. It was a fun evening for all.

A sleepover at her friend's house followed, where they stayed up all night and watched Wicked on repeat.

It was a great weekend to be a 6th grader!

UNCLE!

After a week of helping Michael with the ceilings at the new house, I knew we were in over our heads. We could only work one at a time since we have a baby, and that severely limited our productivity. Maybe you already know this, but painting ceilings is THE WORST. Paint splatters all over your face, arms in the air in unnatural positions, and your head feels like it will snap off at the neck and roll down your back. 

Terrible.

So...I did what every logical person does: I called my mommy.

"Maaama!" I wailed. "Please come help me!"

If you know my mama, you know that she jumped right on an airplane to come help me. And my dear brother joined her.

Together, they were the unstoppable A.D.D. dynamic duo. They were fueled by Cadbury Mini Eggs, Peanut M&M's, and their amazing willingness to help a sister out when she was in need. They quickly jumped into work by fixing my pantry doors at the condo before church.

And then they went headfirst into the chaos: tearing up dog-pee soaked carpet, painting, and the mighty unplanned project of refinishing the hardwood floors. I was beyond grateful.

My brother and Mykey spent all day long and into the wee hours of morning working on the floors. It was a hard job. They were filled with regret multiple times.

But look at how amazing!

My brother had to leave after a few days. In the moments before it was time to head to the airport, he and my mommy decided they could quickly chop the cupboards above the microwave and make them level with the rest. Sure, seems like the perfect moment to tackle that project.

It was a mad-dash and we had to speed a little to the airport, but they did it.

A.D.D. at its finest.

My mommy stayed for 2 weeks painting her heart out. I never would have been able to do it without her. And she's 76! I know that her body was aching, she was tired and worn out, but she never complained or acted put out. She is truly amazing. 

I am incredibly thankful to know that I have family that I can call on in times of need. And now we're a little closer to being able to move in. 

I am blessed!

Valentine's Day

With all of the work surrounding the new house, we kept Valentine's Day low key. Well, I still bought Sissy the most amazing surprise of all time. After scouring the interweb and eBay like a frenzied buffalo for a couple of weeks, I was able to find her a set of Lego horror posters. They were on the edge of too expensive, but they are rare and fun so I just had to do it. Eventually, she will have a dedicated Lego building space in the new house. The posters will be perfect for that area.

Anyway, other than the dedication to finding the posters, I didn't do much else. Oh! I did also handcraft a Zelda-themed pop up card for Sissy. 

But that is where the frenzy stopped. Baby received a mere dollar store card - which she gave zero attention to - and I wrote a love note to Mykey. Quit asking to see it, you perv.

As I was trying to set up the table with the surprises, Baby just couldn't wait to get her mitts on the Tic-Tacs.

Don't you love my wrapping job on Sissy's gift? Nothing says, "Happy Valentine's Day" like a plain cardboard box.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Movin' on Up

So this happened:

Yes, that's a For Sale sign in front of our condo. It's because this happened: 

Yes, that's a house that we purchased. After 3 years of condo life, we finally have a house again. And now we own 2 properties. Some people aspire to this and think it makes them rich.

I have the exact opposite feeling.

I'm not worried though. I have God on my side. 

The day after we closed on the new house, this happened:

Yes, that's Michael scraping popcorn ceilings and performing other miscellaneous repairs. He's going to put recessed lighting throughout the first floor at some point. And the entire place needs to be painted, it needs new flooring, and we want to eventually remodel the kitchen and finish the basement. Oy vey.

But I'm not worried. I have God on my side.

He's good at construction, right? (Cue lightning strike)

Accolades

Sissy was invited to attend a school board meeting to receive an award for the district spelling bee. I was excited to go but then started to worry once we arrived. The room was packed and Baby don't like being corralled. I ended up having to bribe Baby with candy to keep her quiet - that's called good parenting.

After a few presentations and official business nonsense, it was finally Sissy's turn. When her name was called and she went up to receive her award, a few proud tears tumbled down my cheeks. 

As soon as she was done, we dashed out of there like George Costanza escaping a fire. It was the responsible decision.

I'm incredibly proud of my oldest baby. She is delightful and I love her. Congratulations to Sissy!