A Few Weeks Ago...

...it was Isabelle's fifth birthday! On June 15th Isabelle finally (according to her) turned five. If you ask me, it came way too fast. While I really love throwing parties at home, since we'd only been in our new house for a few days, I was glad I'd reserved a spot at Color Me Mine, a paint-your-own-pottery shop. It was nice and quiet and the best part was that there was no clean-up! We just showed up with our treat bags and food and they did the rest!

Before we get to the real birthday pics., here's one of the cupcakes Isabelle brought to school for her pretend birthday. I got the idea from one of my magazines and was so excited to find lollipops in the shape of actual flowers! Thank you Michael's Crafts!

The invite.

Isabelle posing with the gift bundles we made.

Treats!

Maddy was ready to par-tay!

Isabelle with her best friend Laney and Laney's big sister Emersyn. If you're wondering why all the girls are wearing make-up it's because they came straight from ballet pictures. We really don't put lipstick and mascara on our children everyday. :)

Pottery selection begins.

Time for a break to play Ring Around the Rosie.

Maddy loved getting in on this action!

Isabelle got to take home a commemorative plate with her hand print in the middle. Each of her friends stamped their thumbprint which were later turned into butterflies with their names. Too cute!

There was even time for painting on bracelets.

Yay for jewelry! - Even the smeary kind.

We're heading out tomorrow for our big road trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. Stay tuned for Isabelle's ballet recital and vacation pictures. And, if you're so inclined, send some good thoughts our way. We are taking on a 14-hour road trip with a very opinionated, needs her own way right now, 19-month-old. Yikes!

We're In!

Last Monday night we finally moved into our new house. Yeah! We'll probably be unpacking for the next three months or so but we're here and loving it!

In the last week we've:

• installed our phone, internet and cable service (did you know the time frame the phone company gives you is "anytime between 8 A.M. and 5 P.M."? Sure, I've got a day in the middle of the week to sit around doing nothing - doesn't everyone?)
• had new appliances delivered
• had the carpets cleaned
• shuttled Isabelle in full costume, make-up and hair to two photo shoots for dance
• had Isabelle's birthday party (I'll post pictures soon!)
• completed all my report cards just in the nick of time - whew!
• started a list of all the items that are damaged and missing from the move. So far the list consists of: one broken dresser (both back legs broken off), two missing computer speakers, one webcam, one well-loved and frequently used baking stone.

Even with all the work and hassle it has been to get into our new home it is so worth it for my girls to be able to run and play in a backyard and have their own space to play in the house. We are so lucky!

Grooming, not Moving

The good news is that we closed on our old house yesterday as planned! The bad news is that because someone made a big mistake and didn't push the button at the right time we didn't close on our new house, beginning a series of catastrophic events. Hmmmm, I guess "Lost" is rooted in fact. We are now temporarily homeless, relying on the kindness of strangers, and stuck with no toys and no clean clothes in a hotel until at least Monday at noon when we will once again be trusting that someone else pushes a button at the correct time. Because of the big mistake our moving bill has doubled and we're having to eat out at every meal. Believe me people, as fun as it sounds, it gets old fast.

Since staying within the confines of a tiny box of a hotel suite for 48 hours straight is not an option we're keeping busy this weekend by getting pedicures (Isabelle and Aubrey), having our hair cut (Isabelle) and shopping for new hair products (Madeleine).

I sure wish I had some pictures to share but sadly the camera is packed away. Everybody keep your fingers crossed that Desmond does his job Monday morning and the button is pushed!