Dancing with Baby Jesus

Selah and Rinnah had their Chrismas dance recital a few weeks ago and it was precious.  They had matching tutus and matching tights, so I had to coordinate Millah too!
My little ballerinas did great.  Selah had a tap and ballet dance to do, and I think she did well on both.  At one point she was the only dancer that remembered a certain part and kept looking at her teacher with a very confused look.  They had made a circle and were supposed to do some steps far a part, then come in close together.  All the other girls just had way too much fun going in and out to remember there were steps involved too!  Poor Selah.  She was lost.  Later she told me that the other dancers in her class forgot that part, but she remembered because she really liked it.
Rinnah is such a different story.  Her class came on stage lost!  There were almost 2 dozen 2 and 3 year olds roaming around on stage while two adults tried to put them in their places.  They would place a girl, turn to another one and the first little girl would wander off.  That in itself was entertaining! Rinnah found a good spot to just twirl in circles, so much that she fell down from being dizzy. 
They finally decided it was pointless, just play the music and get on with it.... Oh, Rinnah.
She moved her way to front and center, and for some reason looked behind her... oh, no, she spotted the manger scene fully equipped with hay and a baby Jesus.
She initiated the romping in the hay and had a whole posse of ballerinas back there with her.  I was mortified, but couldn't help smiling... that's my Rinn.
I love watching my girls be... my girls.  Each of them is so different and special in their own way.
They make me happy to be their mommy.

The fun part

Our girls don't dress up for Halloween.  Not because we don't believe in it, or think it's bad, they really just don't like it.  They dress up here at the house on a regular basis and are fine with that.  The part they don't like is seeing everyone else in their costumes.  Why do people have to dress in such horrible outfits?  I will never understand why that is fun.
It's way more fun to find some really neat person in history, from a book, or a character from a show or movie and do your best to dress the part.  We have an event we look forward to dressing up for each year.  It's not necessarily Halloween, but our sunday school class (the Fun Married class) has a costume chili cook-off at the end of October.  It's a fun, adult only party where we eat too much junk and play silly minute to win it type games, and some people come in costume if they choose to.  We have dressed up all but one year, and always have as much fun putting the costumes together as we do at the party.

This year we chose Rosie the Riveter and Captain America.  We looked great!  So many people commented on our costumes the next day at church, and they weren't even at the party!  We won the best costume prize, which is our main goal each year.  It's a very coveted prize.
I can't wait to come up with an even better idea for next year.
Do you dress up for parties and such?  What were you this year?

Not a retro housewife...

A few days ago, I had the most eventful day... probably ever.  It started with some frustration over getting prescription filled.  Why can't it just get done when they say it's going to get done?
That started my day off, well, just wrong.  This was after 10 days of sick kids, being in the house day after day after day... you know how it goes.  Trying not to spread our germs around.
I was ready to be out of the house, back to our routine, but Millah still had this cough that made her face turn red.  So, we were waiting for the prescription.  I ended up being gone all day, working at MDO, waiting for the pharmacy to call and say I could come get the meds.  By the time we got home and got homework started and dinner going and Millah took a breathing treatment, I was done, just done.
While I was doing some picking up around in the living room I realized there was no noise from the 2 little girls.  I looked in their room but they weren't there, but the bathroom door.... was.... shut!  Knock, knock... Rinn, are you in there?
Mommy, I tan't open door, help me.
Then I hear Millah... shuffle, wimper.
Are. You. Kidding. Me.
Lights off, door locked, baby crying, toddler consoling (but I'm sure stepping all over baby), MOM FREAKING OUT!
I started rummaging through all the drawers, tool boxes and bags.  None of the screw drivers I found fit the little hole to unlock the stinkin' door!  The bobby pin just bent up and wasn't strong enough.  I think I called the daddy 3 times with no answer.  Finally I texted him 9-1-1. 
Selah came to the rescue, sweet big sister.  She bent down and started talking and singing to the littles.  Millah calmed down, Rinnah finally got the light on, but still couldn't figure out how to unlock the door.  I just stopped.  Prayed. Then took the screw driver closest to me and go the door knob off in record time.
My babies were out!
Finally I could rest and relax, and be done with this day.
No, maybe not.

After dinner, the daddy had a great idea to clean our baking stone in the oven on self cleaner.  Sure, that should work great, I thought.
After getting that started we began our bed time routine.  Pjs, potty, stories... what's that smell.
When I came around the corner I could see the smoke billowing out of the top of the stove.  Then I saw the flames... in the oven!  I started yelling.... FIRE, FIRE, HURRY!!!!

I reached over and quickly turned the oven off, but funny thing about the self cleaner.  It locks the door until it is cooled off.  Thankfully the fire burned itself out very quickly.
But by that time the house was full of smoke!  It was horrible.
We spent the next hour or so outside.  All the windows and doors were open, the fans on, and oust was sprayed.
Still today, it smelt a little like smoke when we got home from church.

I was so ready for bed that night, and even more ready for a new day.
It's funny how days like that happen and you are reminded just how you don't have any control over what happens.  I am so humbled, and rely so much on God to keep my babies safe and protected, and to make sure we are provided for with a home and anything we need.  Just humbled.




*Update:  James switched the bathroom and closet doorknobs, so now the closet locks from the outside!  Yes, we can lock our kids in the closet instead of them locking themselves in the bathroom. 
We threw the baking stone away.