All's well that ends well, right?

Today was a day of extreme highs and extreme lows. We all woke up early to take Steve to the airport. While it was nice for all of the Soden ladies to be able to say goodbye, it also meant that Lucy lost about 45 minutes of sleep and Caroline lost about an hour. The morning was not pretty - lots of tears and fighting amongst the sisters.

We continue to LOVE the Toy Story guys:

 We even love to play with them in the check box that they were sent in:

Unfortunately, that means that we fight over them:

Note the tear streaks on the cheeks.

Clearly we had reached the end of our collective rope in this picture.  If you notice, Caroline is losing her mind because Woody will not stand up on his own:

Come on, Woody!

Everyone took a nap this afternoon, and we finished the day off with dinner at the diner - always a winner. By the time we headed up for bath time, everyone was all smiles:

Tantrums? What tantrums? I had a great day.

Thanks, Nana and Yoinkie!

Caroline is a little young to really understand her birthday, but Lucy surely understands that it is Caroline's birthday and that there will be presents arriving at the house. 

Both of the girls love Toy Story, and so it was not surprising that the Toy Story "guys" that Nana and Yoinkie sent were a hit.

They are both VERY focused.

I tried to get some pictures of the girls' faces, but they were so entertained by Buzz and Woody that they wouldn't even look up when I tried to get their attention.

So thank you, Nana and Yoinkie. You clearly picked a winner!

Not Sure

I am not sure why I think that this series of pictures is so hilarious, but here it is:

Lucy playing happily with a baby doll

Enter Boog, who firmly plants his butt on Lucy's lap

Lucy is not impressed

Mullet No More!

We finally got off of our dead butts and got Caroline a haircut. Here she is before:

During and after:

Zoned out and watching Nick Jr.

She loved the blow dryer

A couple of thoughts on this process.  First of all, it was super easy and took hardly any time.  I now publicly vow to never again let my child have a mullet. Also, Caroline was more pampered today than I have been in years. She had product put in her hair and had it blow dried while she played with toys and watched the Backyardigans on a flat screen TV. If they had given her a fruity drink with an umbrella in it then I would have signed up to have my hair cut next. 

My final thought is this: I should quit teaching and own one of these places because they are making a mint! We were in and out in 15 minutes, and I paid $28 plus tip (mental note: do not display prices on your website or in the store so that you can lure in suckers like me). While there was bit of sticker shock with the price, they were very sweet to Caroline, took before and after pictures which they put on a certificate with her first lock of hair, and sent her away with stickers and a balloon for her and her sister. 

All in all it was a success.  Regardless of all of the other nonsense, the child no longer has a mullet.  And according to her uncle, she no longer bears a striking resemblance to this guy:

"Life's a garden. Dig it?" - Joe Dirt

Back home I go

I leave to go back home early tomorrow morning.  While I have certainly enjoyed myself here in San Francisco, I am really looking forward to seeing the girls (and Steve).

Some highlights of the trip:

1.  Eating and drinking way more than I should, including this large bowl of coffee

2.  Our trip to wine country, complete with wine tasting and a tour of Chalk Hill Winery

 3. A hike along the coast

4. A tour of Alcatraz
 

It was a great trip, and I had a great host (shout out to "Auntie Cake" for showing us around the city).

I haven't watched an episode of Scooby Doo or Yo Gabba Gabba in days, nor have I eaten chicken nuggets and mac and cheese once during this trip. This is weird.

Off to San Fran

I will be taking a bit of a hiatus from the blog.  Early tomorrow I fly to San Fransisco to reunite with two friends who are former Berkshire colleagues.  While I am incredibly excited to see my friends, eat good food, go shopping, and sleep in(!), I am really going to miss Steve and the girls. I am feeling some big time guilt but I am also feeling sad about being away from my girls (and Steve).

Off to pack and get some sleep before the early morning wake up call.   

New camera!

We just bought a new camera, so now there will be more pictures and fewer nonsensical ramblings by me. We had a fairly cheap point and shoot camera and we have now upgraded to a DSLR. It is awesome! I am by no means a professional photographer (in fact, saying I am a beginner is an understatement) but I am excited to learn more about all of the bells and whistles.  And let's be honest, even if I don't know about any of the cool features the "auto" mode is still pretty sweet.

Here are some pics of the girls in my impromptu photo shoot this afternoon.

Lucy loves the card that her Aunt Cate sent to Caroline for her birthday.

Bedhead at 5 pm and a chapped face - she's a mess :-)

Reading her new favorite: Apples Up On Top

A nighttime favorite - Goodnight Moon

Boogie protecting the house