Papa-Papa-Paparazzi

If you mix creativity and imagination with a pink yoga mat, a Sunday night awards show, and 3 girls who love to get fancy...what do you have?

A home made Golden Globes red {pink} carpet event!
It was all B's idea, of course. And her 2 sidekicks didn't complain too very much about being dressed up and thrown in the middle of it all!
Once they were all dressed, B made them line up outside on the front porch in the freezing cold and come walk the carpet one by one. All this while yours truly yelled out their names and begged for their best poses in true paparazzi fashion {orders given strictly from B}.
This was the scene as they were getting lined up and ready to go...


First up, we have Towns. Towns is wearing a gorgeous form fitting, glittery ballet outfit with black patent tap shoes tied with Valentine's ribbon. Simply stunning!

And here's a close up of her new eye make-up method...

Can you tell that she's going for the rainbow look with how she layers the colors?
Next we have Cate. She's sporting a fluffy white slip, chocolate brown leggings, and orange platform heels with hot pink faux flowers. Breathtaking!

And here's the big celebrity herself. Bethany is wearing a White House/Black Market number, fabulous heels, and she's carrying a matching black handbag that's just for effect because there's nothing in it. Gorgeous!

She might be famous, but she still makes time for the little people in her life...


One of my favorites from the big night...

Another one? Sure. Why not!

The girl does love the camera! :)

If you think I escaped having to strut my stuff, you're sadly mistaken. But you won't be seeing those pictures!! B begged me to walk the red carpet and there was no way I was getting involved. However, if you know her, you know she has a way of going after what she wants and doesn't stop until she gets it. You've got to love that about her. I told her I had no idea what she expected me to do. But then the campus wear portion of Miss Fall Rush '98 came back to me in a flash and that was all she wrote. Let's just say that there are two givens in this situation. I embarrass myself on a daily basis to make these children happy and I'm the proud owner of the most horrible pictures ever taken in the history of the world...

Since the girls were out of school today, I got them up and at 'em early {by their standards these days} to take them to Panera for breakfast. Afterwards, it warmed up and the clouds disappeared so it was a perfect Bridge Street kind of day! B's got a small fortune in Bridge Street gift cards from Christmas, so she's always up for a Huntsville trip. Towns, Cate and I let her do her shopping while we strolled around in one of those fabulously ugly double strollers that look like a big bus. They have steering wheels and the girls think they're just great. And if it will keep them entertained and in their seats, it's worth the rental fee! It worked like a charm until the last store we went in. I saw Cate throw her leg over the edge and look at me out of the corner of her eye. I knew exactly what was about to happen. Then there goes the other leg. She's out. And I'm immediately down on her level whispering 'I have a switch in my purse that I'm about to get out if you don't get back in that car.' Right about now you're thinking that I'm inhumane. Time out doesn't work. Spank her and she laughs. So far, a little switch off the bush by the front porch has been the only thing that gets her attention. Usually I only have to threaten her with it and she's straightens up. Which is why when I told her I had one in my purse that I'd get if she didn't get herself back in the stroller she looked at me and said 'that is so not funny'. And she hopped right in like such a sweet little thing...

While we waited on B to make her rounds, we ate lots of cookies and danced to 'Don't Stop Til You Get Enough' that was playing through the outdoor speakers by our bench...




And then Towns spotted something...

The biggest bird on Earth in the window at Anthropologie!

What's that about??
It made for lots of laughs...

And really fun pictures!

Sickies, A Pep Rally & The Park

Just like my friend Darby said, it's hard to re-cap a week of craziness when there are bigger things to spend time and energy thinking about. My 2nd cousin, Barbara, was in Haiti when the earthquake hit. She's spent most of her life's work doing missions there. One of her 3 sons, Matt, was a preacher and followed in her footsteps. He took his wife and 5 small children to Haiti several years ago to start new churches there. Not long after they arrived, he was on his way to meet a native preacher about starting a church and was killed when he was hit head on by a truck that was trying to dodge a pot hole. Devastating. But not nearly as devastating as what the people of Haiti are dealing with now. Barbara has continued to go back - I believe it's her way of staying connected to Matt. And she was just finishing up her 3 week stay, only to be held there because of the earthquake. Barbara is a go getter and feels like it's her mission in life to help the people in Haiti. That's why I know without a doubt that she was exactly where she would have wanted to be when it all happened. That night she slept outside on the ground because there was no where else to go. She says it's an unbelievable sight. When asked what we could all do to help she said it was really simple - just pray.

We've been quarantined all week. Wednesday morning when the crew was still not feeling any better I knew it was time to head to the doctor. Isn't it funny how two children can be as different as night and day? Towns did this as we were (somewhat) patiently waiting to hear the results of the 400 tests they ran on the girls...

While Cate did a lot of this...

And this...

What can I say? She was born with that personality. There's not a laid back bone in her body. She never sits still. And I have to constantly remind myself that I can't compare her to her calm and very obedient sister.
When I told her that if she could stay out of the doctor's cabinets she could pick out a sticker on the way out of the office, she finally decided that she would flatter me and do what I asked her to do...

But she wasn't too thrilled about it! I've found myself talking about obeying with a happy heart a lot lately!!
The test results showed that Towns had the flu and Cate had bronchitis and a double ear infection. No school, dancing, etc. for us for the rest of the week! We couldn't go anywhere, but I'll secretly admit that I enjoyed the down time.

We've made our nests on the couch and watched plenty of TV. And we're all pretty excited that American Idol is back on! Our favorite part of the whole season is the auditions. We don't really watch it after all that fun is over. Perhaps the best part of the show is the commercial breaks...

Seriously.

While we finished watching the show, I noticed Cate went missing. That's never a good sign! She usually tells on herself though. When I called out to ask her where she was she said 'I'm in Bebby's room getting into whooo {you} make-up"!
Caught!

She's been into getting dolled up lately. This is what happens when you let her do it herself...

Gorg!! HA! And that's not my shade of lipstick in case you're wondering. I don't do hot pink!

Thursday afternoon was Bethany's last pep rally as an Oak Park Cheerleader! She was feeling a little under the weather, but she was as fabulous as ever!


My favorite cheer - they spell out R-A-I-D-E-R-S super fast! And they nailed it!


April, I hope you've recovered from the two wild women crawling all over you, giving you a make over, etc.! Never a dull moment!!

By Friday everyone was feeling much better, and since it was sunny and almost 60 degrees we had to hit the road. We played hard at the park for a couple of hours...


Catherine, Elizabeth, and the two double strollers made the trip. Naturally!







Buggy would be hard pressed to talk if you tied her hands behind her back. In these next few she's really worried that the dog that just passed us on the sidewalk was going to turn around and come get her sunglasses and baby Elizabeth.
'Whoo {you} see that doggy back there?'

'She's about to come get my shades and Lizbeth.'

'Whoo see my sunglasses right there? She's coming to get them. Hurry. Run!'

'Wait, wait. Whoo {you} wait for me, Mommy. First I get my lipskik on."

And that's how the conversation went. It was pretty one-sided because I was laughing and taking pictures!
We escaped the dog drama and opted for a little snack...

And after a short break, they played a little while longer...


Next stop? Where else - Target! Where the nice Starbucks man gave them each straight whipped cream! YUM!!!

Starbie's and Target just wasn't the same without you, B! Can't wait to see you this afternoon!! Red carpet, baby! Ohhh yeahhh!

Another One Bites the Dust...

Just when I thought the plague was gone for good...

Towns was supposed to go meet her friend Gracie at a cute little pottery class for kids this afternoon (left you a message, Mary - and I called Memi's and they said they'd let you know we wouldn't be there). I let her lay down for a few minutes to rest before she went (per her request - very unusual), and when I went to tell her it was time to go she told me that she was freezing and didn't feel good. I picked her up and she was on fire. And Cate's starting to feel bad again, too. Will it ever end??
Have you ever played high/low?
I never really have, but yesterday was a good day for it.
My high?
Doing P90 last night from start to finish with J without stopping. And it felt good!!
My low?

I take credit for the cracked screen. It's been that way for a couple of months and still worked just fine. But when Towns dropped it last night before we headed out for B's very last basketball game ever at Oak Park (can you tell it's a little sentimental?), it didn't survive. Its replacement has been purchased, and I dare anyone under the age of 4 to touch it! :)

Heat Wave

The 3 ft. icicles hanging from our fountain in the back have finally disappeared for the first time in over a week, and it's supposed to clear 40 degrees today. Can you say HEAT WAVE?! It's been in the 20's for as long as I care to remember (ok, a week or so). And I couldn't be more ready for spring! I detest being cold. I'm trying to think of a good reason to be thankful for this weather, but I'm having a hard time!

Today is going to be a good day...

Show and Tell!
Catherine got to go to school with Towns today (since she didn't get to go on Friday because it was a snow day), and you couldn't force the smile off of the child's face! She got Catherine dressed and ready for school last night, and once Bethany and I saw her attire we convinced her to change her into something more school appropriate! Call me crazy, but we love buying preemie outfits for their baby dolls - which is what Catherine is wearing. It sounds ridiculous. I know. But I vividly remember going to Walmart in Andalusia as a little girl and my mom buying me real bottles and baby clothes for my big ol' Real Baby. The girls get a kick out of it and it's a little nostalgic for me. So why not? And please notice the ribbon in Towns' hair. Not a bow. I'm one sad mama. She's been ready to go to Kindergarten for a while now, and recently she's decided that ribbons are much more the Kindergarten look rather than bows. And she's learned how to tie her shoes. Just one more thing that makes her more grown up and less dependent on me!! Broken heart is all I have to say.

I can happily report that the patient has made a speedy recovery and is at school this morning. She was a pretty sick baby, but I also know Cate and know that she knows how to milk it. As you might be able to tell from the smile on this face...

That's after I got her all snuggled up in our bed and let her watch TV before she went to sleep Friday night. She's a mess! I haven't a clue where she could possibly get that from...