Ladies and Gentlemen...We Have A Ponytail!

I always dreamed of having a little girl.  When I volunteered at a daycare in my teens I would sit and braid the hair of all the little girls.  Long flowing locks and the moms LOVED it...until the little girls didn't want to wash their hair that night.  I worked so hard to learn braiding from my best friend's mom because we will just say my mom was a bit hair "doing" challenged.  She could do the basics but never a french braid.  That was what I wanted so bad and my friend always had the prettiest braids.  So, when I learned I was having my own doll little girl I was so excited to have my very own head of hair to braid.  Out came Olivia and she had a head of hair.  WOOHOO!  

Although braiding was a ways off I could just imagine it!  I have thick long hair and I just knew she would too.  Well, that is until she turned up with this cute little round face that was screaming for a "bob".

Oh how we were committed to this "do".  We re-wet it each morning and would blow dry it and curl it under...until she was fully aware of princesses.  Yes, there is not a princess that Disney has created that has short hair.  So, we she decides that her hair just must be like a princess.  I give her the talk about how we will have to take care of her hair etc.....basically I was talking to the wall, of course.  She was 4....

Pretty good start uh?  This is was the look when she decided and low and behold just two short months later she decided to giver herself a one-sided trim and off came hair from the left side her head.  No, I did not leave the scissors in plain view.  She found them, held out the left side with her left hand and CUT!  Where was I?  How did I let this happen?  It was just two weeks before Christmas.  Um, well I was cooking dinner, tending to my three month old baby...who knows...but I was clearly nowhere around when she forgot that a princess has long hair.  Well, what do I do when I notice that she is missing a chunk of hair at bath time?  I freak out...of course.  Not one of my prouder moments...and I actually think I asked her how she could do this to me?  Oops.  She had this blank stare on her face as I kept asking begging her to tell me why and where was the hair.  Because even in my most crazed moment this was a first, and definitely a last, and I was saving that hair!  It took forever for her to finally tell me it was hidden behind the tv.  Yes, there it is was....inches of gorgeous brown hair and a pair of scissors tucked behind the tv.  How was I going to hide this.  Well, out comes the curling iron and it worked pretty well.  All curled up you could barely notice...not me though..I stared at it ALL the time.  I was mortified.

Pretty good, right?  Except now we were back to "doing" hair every morning.

Could it really get any worse?  Yes.  Shortly after returning from our holiday trip home to North Carolina our family photographer needed a child to "shoot" for the cover of a local magazine, "could she use Olivia"?  Um, yes.  Imagine the panic...I now HAD to have this fixed.  Off we go and that hair dresser fixed it the best she could without cutting it back into a "bob".  It had to do, we made it work and the picture was taken.

As her hair grew we definitely had to get creative with how to fix it because we had this entire section of short hair on the left side.  Ponytails were our answer for a long time.  Then cute little buns on the sides of her head.  LOVED those!  Not her favorite...but see how cute they were?

Well, my friends, although her hair would technically go into a ponytail a couple of months ago I would not let her wear it that way "out" until it would stay back completely without the left side still slipping out.  Yes, I am anal that way.  So, last week it happened.  I realized that it had been staying back while around the house, so I surprised her one morning while doing hair for school that she could finally have a ponytail for school!  You would have thought I told her we were going to Disney to show the princesses herself.  So one full year after the big cut....

Agh!  I love it...love the smile and so glad she loves it!  

Now..on to perfecting those french braids....

In the Name of LOVE

Happy HEART Day!

 The Bouchards had a wonderful Valentine holiday that was made superb by the flood of treats for the girls at our doorstep.  If you have never lived apart from family then listen up.  Treats, surprises, mail...all the things that come the old fashioned way make you feel so loved!  I can't explain it really.  It makes you feel like someone really remembered.  The computer always makes me wonder, did they just remember?  did they set it up a month ago so they wouldn't forget me? etc... (please know that I love the computer for those very same reasons..I do have two kids...remember?)  No, no  getting it hand delivered just makes you feel special!  And, of all days to feel loved and special this is the one.  Moral of the story...send your family hand delivered treats to show the love!

So, there is a special box that is always full of little goodies that comes in the mail on holidays.  The girls know the handwriting and when it arrives they go nuts because they know the fun that awaits.  This holiday was no exception.  Grandmommy and Granddaddy...ok Grandmommy really (sorry Granddaddy)...wraps each little treat in tissue paper, which I highly recommend.  Cute colors, easy unwrap for all ages!  The girls go nuts for this.  Who knew it could be so easy?  So this package came with some art projects that we got straight to because there is no waiting until later...of course.  

Before....

AFTER!!!

Before...

AFTER!!!

 

 

 

 

Then there was nap time because Mommy had no nerves left after those two projects...a five year old with paint and a two year old who wanted the paint.  What was I thinking?  I know, I was thinking there was no getting out of doing it right then.  We survived and while little bit napped, Olivia and I just did all the art we could stand. Check it out!

Valentine Mailboxes for Daily Surprises!

Before...

Heart Snowflakes!  This was fun!

Our Snowflake/Heart Decor!

What a great holiday to reflect on the ones you love and the ones who love you!  Thank you to everyone who "remembered" us on this special day, although I am starting to notice that Olivia and Addison get "remembered" more then Nate and I ;) 

There are three things that remain - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these things is love.

Corinthians 13:13

Because You Are Dying to Know ;)

Ok, ok...so I have gotten several questions about the arrival of the triplets and YES they are here!  If you have a child then you very clearly remember bringing that child home.  Now, while they have had one child, there was a little (very little) comfort in bringing three infants home at one time.  Because, YES, they went full term and that meant she stayed pregnant and working until 36 weeks, so they had every chance of being very healthy.  The nerves kicked in a little the morning of the delivery but out they came, 1...2...3 on January 27, 2011.  Three boys... ALL of them healthy.  Maybe there was this thought along the way that just maybe there would be a transition if one or two couldn't make it home on arrival day but NO!  They all went home together to an army waiting to take care of them.  I am heading for a visit in a couple of weeks.  I am ready for any shift...why?  how? because I only have to do it for three days!  I really cannot imagine doing this with three, day and night....so Melissa and Jason...my hat is off to you and I will be there shortly to help.  I am hoping it is like riding a bike; however I have never held a 4 pound baby or three!  

All 4 boys!

A little Valentine's gift for the triplets and BIG brother Chase!

 

 Hey, I figured I better get in the cute stuff while they are little.  Time runs out faster on this stuff with boys...so I have heard!

If you want the "skinny" about how this is all working, visit their blog!

Liner Family Blog

In the Name of Love

What could be more fitting then another excerpt of my love story with my Valentine on this special day?  We left off with me deciding that I would never ever sit on a runway, in an airplane, in a cute outfit, with torrential rains, ever again. 

So we had a great weekend and began making preliminary plans for my big move.  There were a few BIGGER things to plan for besides an apartment, job, etc…  Like, how was I going to tell my mother…yes I said tell, not ask.  You see, when I went to college and then wanted to quit after the first semester, she threatened to quit her job and go with me to class everyday….um, I quickly decided that I REALLY wanted to be in college and I was quite happy, so she could just never mind that whole quitting thing.  Part of those discussions included her telling me that I was going to complete college, in four consecutive years; they started in the fall of 1997 and would end in the spring of 2001.  P.E.R.I.O.D.  The other part was that after completion I would be able to do whatever I wanted (except I don’t think she meant this…exactly).  I don’t forget anything people!  This was my ticket! 

Sitting on her front porch, in a rocking chair, I calmly told her how in lust love I was and that I was moving to Vegas.  I also took this opportunity to remind her about what she told me in the fall of 1997….that whole part about finishing college and being able to do what I wanted.  I was cashing that in, NOW.  Well, I don’t remember exactly what she said, I was in love bliss people, and nothing she said was going to change my mind.  However, I do remember exactly what my stepfather said as he washed my car for the last time.  Let’s just say that none of his scenarios included marrying this wonderful man.  I think he would definitely tell you today he is glad that he was wrong.  He is one of Nate’s biggest fans for sure!

So moving day came and my knight in shining armor had arrived in NC to drive me in my Toyota Camry, with my U-Haul, across the country to Vegas.  My apartment was all cleared out and we spent our last night at my Mom’s house.  The following morning we loaded up and went to the Cracker Barrel to have breakfast with my grandmother.  There she sat, my mom, waiting to eat one last breakfast with me…I was surprised to say the least. 

Breakfast complete, pictures taken, we slid into our seats and put the car in drive.   I opened an envelope that had been placed in my car seat earlier that morning.  It had a suitcase on the front and it read, “Memories…the lightest things to carry with you.  I love you, Mom.”    

 Go ahead, I did too, all the way to Tennessee. 

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That's Princess Olivia to You!

After being cooped up all week waiting for "the sun to come out", Olivia and I had a much anticipated date night.  Many months ago I sent her with Nate for a daddy/daughter date night to see the play Pinocchio.  She had a fabulous time but I got the "standard" male feedback (love ya hon) of, "Yeah, it was good."  Ok, here I am anxiously awaiting every detail of what she said when they did such and such and did she laugh and smile and love it?  Ladies, you know, I was looking for the 30 minute play-by-play (that's for you male folks).  So, right then and there I inserted myself into the rotation for date nights to the plays.  Here was my big chance!  My princess was going to burst to pieces when I told her we were going to see Cinderella!  My fantastic plan for daily talk about our date was quickly swept away when our snow storm hit last week.  Let's face it, I am thinking a 5 minute daily chat about what we will wear, etc...not 24/7, "Is it today?"  So Saturday finally arrived, roads cleared finally that morning, and I broke the news to her.  She was so excited she said, "You mean we are going to Disney World?"  Looooong pause by me...um, "No princess, a play like you and daddy went to here in town."  Can you hear my brain trying to recover here?  "BUT, you get to dress up as Cinderella and we can go out to eat (her new found love)!"  Aha!  She was hooked.  Then I wondered why I didn't wait until 5:00pm, right before we walked out the door, to tell her this.  Yes, I bet she asked if it was time to go 50 times that day.  Well, 5 o'clock came and we got her all gussied up in her Cinderella dress and jewels.

We hopped in our carriage and away we went, glass slippers and all!  After convincing her that this was her one chance to pick a great place, not Taco Bell, she chose Chinese food.  The best part was seeing how people treated her like royalty and oohing and aahing over her.  Here big blue eyes had sparkles coming out of them with every stare and comment.  Her swagger got more and more exaggerated and it was AWESOME!

As soon as we sat down and got cozy for the show, Olivia found a friend...of course.  There was the cutest little boy and girl behind us, but this boy was quite the match for Olivia.  We chatted along with him, he was turning 4 in 4 days and he was having an Iron Man party, and Olivia was invited.  His mother better watch out.  He moves fast!  He was SUPER cute!  He gave great commentary throughout the show and more entertainment during the break.  It was after the break, when the play began again, he says loud enough for two rows front and back of us to hear, "Hey girl, I love you, will you hold my hand?"  I am d-e-a-d serious!  I was trying so hard to not laugh out loud while his grandparents (um, that of course is the only relative that would attempt to take a 3 year boy to Cinderella...love ya g-parents) were crawling under the seats!  She barely noticed his advances because she loved the play!  Afterward we had to have a picture or two or twenty with every living sole that was in the production.  Here are a few!

So, my dearest Olivia, when I dreamed of having a girl it was these experiences that I so looked forward to and you have lived up to everything I dreamed of for us.  You come with your smile, vibrant personality, eyes full of gleam and anticipation, cheerfulness, and excitement to everything we do together.  That is what makes answering, "Is it today?" 50 times all WORTH it!  I love you!

 

So Cooped Up You Don't Know What To Do???

Well, here I sit after my first glimpse of the road today.  No, no, I haven't been driving on it.  I simply saw it from my daughter's window this afternoon.  After three days of singing, ok humming, ok mentally singing and humming Annie's "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow," it finally did!  Thank goodness I didn't bet my bottom dollar on it two days ago!  Ok, ok, we can move on to what a hard knock life we have had all cozied up "together" for the past week.  Food?  Check.  Supplies?  Check.  Entertainment?  Check.  Well, maybe a half check on entertainment because if you have a kid (it doesn't even have to be more than one) you will "hear" me when I say that we parents never EVER have enough entertainment.  Can I get an Amen?  Here I was so excited that we were snowed in.  I had it all figured out.  Two parents, two kids, and snow.  Why would we need anything else?  Hello...two kids!  Two girls to be exact.  For more then a moment I forgot why it was she goes to preschool.  It took me a couple of days hours to remember it was because with all of the creativity that pours out of me at times, there is NEVER enough for her.  She is 5.  She is bored.  She has the attention span of a 2 year old.  She is too smart and her favorite question is, "What are we doing next?" She is OLIVIA!  If you know her, well, you know.  So, here is what we did next, and next, and next for 4 days...

 I was so glad Nate was here to see the work that went into doing this project and we weren't even done when Olivia said, "What are doing next?"  Now he gets it!

Worth the effort, right?  I have three of these cute yarn hearts hanging in my house.  No, they are not red...but they are LOVE!  P.S. My camera was not on AUTO here!  WOOHOO!

There was impromptu dress-up.  This is what happens when you let Daddy get up first.  Yes, that is a swimsuit, on backwards, with a swim diaper and her Ariel bow.  She wore it ALL day long.  Yes, I have scheduled her doctor's appointment for 5 days from now.  :)

CLEARLY THERE NEEDED TO BE AN INTERVENTION

 So, I found another project in Family Fun magazine.  Hey, the yarn hearts definitely came through, so why not.  Well, 10 minutes in and I wanted to write the editor and explain that apparently this craft should have gone in DIY While Your Kids are Away magazine.  Not one thing they could do to help really....

except get in the way....

and then model the finished project....of course!

Cat and Dog scarves!  I am in LOVE!

After the scarf day I decided I needed to de-stress with a little cooking.  SO, I thought I would make some brownies.  Then, there it was on the bottom of the box.  One of those suck you in, to die for, use this product to make this recipe cards, which will make you feel even worse when you eat it.  A brownie pizza!  WHOA!  I quickly skimmed the ingredients.  Brownie mix?  Duh. Check.  Crunchy peanut butter?  Um.  Plain.  Check.  One container of plain chocolate icing. Um. Triple fudge with chocolate chips.  Check!  So away I went into baking bliss.

One final day of play as the snow began to melt away.

These are the memories I have longed for.  

This is my slice of Heaven on Earth.  

I can't believe it is mine.  

 

or as Annie put it, 

"I know I'm gonna like it here
...
Get me now, holy cow
Could someone pinch me please."

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We Had A Snow Day!

Thank goodness we finally got some snow in these parts!  Albeit not so great timing for our family...or should I say Nate.  He was supposed to take his BIG test today and it is now delayed until further notice...oh wait, they emailed him the new date but it is waiting in his work email that he can't get to well, because we are snowed in.  He would never tell you he is snowed in because he is MAN and he is from VERMONT!  They go out in shorts in this weather... So we will wait until he returns to work for a new date, but until then I am living with a human garbage disposal that can't sleep!  Thank goodness I am a good cook and hard sleeper.

The girls anxiously awaited their trek into the snow.  It amazes me that I still cannot convince them that it is so cold (felt like -7 out) that it is not worth all of the effort.  Nate of course looks at me like I have forgotten that they are 5 and 2.  Well, every girl needs a challenge right?  Then he looks at me and then back at Olivia and I just head for the clothes.  They had a blast...for 10 minutes, and then snuggled up in the house with some hot chocolate.  Enjoy our pics!

Addison's First Steps Into the Snow

What a Showoff...  :)  The Girls Loved His "Gear"

She Did Not Want to Come In

Proof I was Here!