Kindergarten BFF's

This week I took Isabelle and her friend Audrey to the park to take photos of them. They have been attached at the hip ever since they met on the first day of Kindergarten last August. I thought it might be fun to take photos of them together to capture their friendship. I hope they are friends forever and they can look back on these photos and treasure them along with their friendship. One of my very best friends to date is my friend Julie, we met in Kindergarten. I treasure our friendship and wish we had just one photo of us back in Kindergarten.

Isabelle and Audrey had a blast during our photo session. The best part is I gave them very little instruction or posing. They are always goofy together and it was easy to capture them laughing and giggling, it's what they do best!

Calista's New Do!

Calista got a haircut today! I didn't want to do it, but it was time. I love her sweet little baby hair with it's adorable little curls, but new hair had started growing in thicker underneath and was an entirely different length. The baby hair was starting to lay funky over the new hair. I didn't want to be that Mom who wouldn't cut her child's hair because of the curls and let the poor child have a horrible hair do all for the sake of the curls. So I cut off a curl to save and took her in to get a haircut. She loved getting her hair done. She sat patiently and never complained. The stylist cut the long hair to match the new hair and now she has an adorable bob cut just in time for warmer weather. She looks so grown up. She still has lots of curls on the sides and underneath. I love it, but after Isabelle losing her first baby tooth and cutting off Calista's baby curls, makes me a bit sad. Somebody pass the tissues my babies are growing up to fast!

One Less Tooth To Brush For Issy!

Last night Issy lost her first tooth! She has been wiggling her tooth for about a week and it finally came out. She was so excited. It happened right before bed, so we let her stay up a little so she could write a letter to the Tooth Fairy and then off to bed she went to make sure the Tooth Fairy would come. She was worried she might not come since her tooth came out so late. I asked her what she thought the Tooth Fairy was going to do and she was hoping that she would bring her a dollar bill.

This morning, I woke up before her and eagerly waited for her to get up to see what the Tooth Fairy brought. She came giggling down stairs excited to report that the Tooth Fairy did come, there was glitter all over her bed and she got not one but TWO dollar bills. She said, "I knew she would bring me a dollar!" The Tooth Fairy also wrote her a note and left her a Tooth Chart for her to mark off the dates when she looses future teeth. The date was already filled in for the tooth she lost last night. She lost one of her bottom central incisors.

Here are some photos of our happy little girl and her beautiful new smile that is changing quickly! The tooth right next to the one she lost is wiggling....

A close up, look closely and you can see the new tooth already growing in!

Here is what the note from the Tooth Fairy said,

May 19, 2011

Dear Isabelle,

Thank you for leaving me such a beautiful tooth! I think it was the whitest and brightest tooth I picked up all week. I loved the letter you left me, thank you very much.

Keep brushing and take good care of all your teeth, especially your two front teeth because I'm not quite ready for them yet, they need to be strong and healthy first. Make sure to drink your milk so that will make them strong!

Love,
The Tooth Fairy

Mother's Day Part 2

On Mother's Day I took Isabelle to paint pottery. We went with my friend Rose. Isabelle had a great time, there are 10 layers of paint on her plate, she would paint it and then paint over it. The red and green smily face was what she had when Rose and I finished painting so there was no painting over it at that point. I realized I need to paint with her more often, she loves painting. I love to paint too.

Grandmama

My Grandma from Oregon came for a visit with my Mom yesterday. The girls call her Grandmama. It was a short visit, but we loved every minute of it!

Grandmama gave Isabelle these earrings, they were her earrings when she first got her ears pierced. Isabelle loves them and wanted to put them in right away!

Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend

You may remember a couple of years ago I took a photo of Isabelle as Holly Golightly from the movie Breakfast At Tiffany's. I thought it would be fun to do a fun photo of Calista. I decided to go with a scene from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the song, Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend, sung by Marilyn Monroe. Calista enjoyed dressing up for the part.

Here is Isabelle as Holly Golightly in 2009

Loose Teeth

Isabelle has wanted to lose a tooth for a LONG time, it seams that almost all her friends have lost at least one tooth. Daily she will tell us that her teeth are loose. On Thursday this week she told me her tooth was loose and I inspected it as I have a hundred times before and sure enough, her tooth was loose and not just one, two teeth are loose. Both bottom teeth and you can actually see the new teeth popping through! So exciting! Soon she will have a new smile!!

Mother's Day

Isabelle came home with a special envelope for me from school. She said I couldn't open it until Sunday. It wasn't even 2 minutes before she asked me if I could wait. I told her I could. Another 2 minutes and she asked again. This went on for a while and I finally cracked. Okay, I'll open it!

I am glad I did. I had a rough day and as soon as I read it, I was laughing and it changed my entire mood. On the front of the card was a photo of me drawn by Issy. Inside was a poem about Mom's and a flower bouquet painted with watercolors and another note about me by Isabelle.

My Mom is 31 years old.

Her job is to take pictures.

Her favorite food is burritos from Chevy's, but she doesn't like salads. (I love salad by the way)

She likes to spend time with me and my sister and we like to go shopping at Tiffany's.

But she doesn't like to go to the dentist.

She is really good at taking pictures, but she is not good at ice skating. (When I asked her about the ice skating, she informed me that she is a much better skater than me, I reminded her that I was the one that taught her how to ice skate this past winter and she said, "I know and I am better than you!")

She likes to go to Hawaii, but she doesn't like to go on long trips.

My mom is the best mom in the world because she is fun to be with and she takes good care of me.

I loved hearing her perspective. I am so blessed to be Isabelle and Calista's Mommy, it can be challenging at times, but more often than not it is rewarding and they are two of the greatest gifts I have ever received.

Happy Mother's Day Weekend to Our Mom's Patty and Vicky and our Grandma's Irene, Doreen, Jenny and Nadine and to all of our friends and family, whether you grew them in your belly, your heart or play the role of a Mom, Happy Mother's Day!