Murder at the Juice Joint

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Is anyone else shocked that we have now landed in February? We have been moving this 2010 and it has yet to cease. No complaints here because we are having bunches of fun!

Last weekend we celebrated my friend, Lauren's 28th birthday! Can I please tell you how cool it is that I also celebrated her 8th birthday with her? I have to say this might have been one of my favorite birthday celebrations ever! Her party was a murder mystery where we all were various characters and the whole evening was spent unveiling the plot to who killed Notorious Nick. As Kelly would say, this party was the bees knees.

It really had a little bit of college feel to it. I think it was a combination of the lack of children, ample amounts of wine, costumes and a night with amazing friends...

So thankful that my friend, Allison, captured super fun pics! I just love them!

These two... they were hilarious.

My favorite preggers living the high life with her mobster man...

Fancy, no?

Such a fun night with the gang! This picture is still lacking people but a good representation of our book club girls! Birthday celebration was last night for book club and it was a TOTAL blast too!

I would recommend this type of party to ANYONE. I am told that it is really easy to do and the parties can accommodate large groups (like 80+) or you can tailor it to fit your crowd! Check out this website if you are interested!

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I think I am going to feel a little confused when life does finally slow down--- and lonely. For now, I a sure am enjoying fun days with friends in this rapidly moving land of 2010.

Mini-Mom

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This week has felt like complete upheaval and finally (although I hate to jinx it)… finally it feels like the world is almost as it should be… minus one very lovely, very non-functioning Isuzu rodeo named Stella.

I know that a car is a material object that doesn’t have feelings or memories. Believe me I know this. I do name my cars because I pretty much name everything--- it makes it home for me. What I have been struggling with is rather the feelings and memories I have associated with my car, Stella.

I don’t know if there has ever been a moment in your life where you suddenly felt grown up. I have actually had two moments like this (one for another post). And while it isn’t the object that makes me a grown up the memory will always stand as a trigger for me. The week after I bought Stella I was walking out of my apartment and made it to the sidewalk before I took pause. Looking out I saw my car. It was the nicest thing I had ever owned. I guess to fully understand you would have to have seen my older cars (which I loved too!!!) but the love was shown in dents and mismatched panels. To own something so nice just felt grown up. I remember walking to the car and just feeling like I could take on the world --- if even for an instant. I hope to never lose that memory or the boundless possibilities I had in that moment.

As the years went on life definitely took a beating on Stella. The hood was dinted star gazing in Driftwood, Texas with my awesome boyfriend, the windshield was cracked on a random trip to Austin and an abundance of goldfish lived for a healthy three years in the crevices of the seat. But oh--- we loved that car to the core! Stella was a hot mess arriving at The Mansion on our wedding night covered in graffiti and if I recall correctly a diet coke on the antennae (it was rather classy). She came through at clutch times and gracefully held together when we brought each of our precious new babies home for the first time. Looking back at the memories of this car’s lifetime it is quite clear to see that frankly, life has been good.

So now--- I enter the next phase. That’s right, world. You are looking at one bonafide, slightly apprehensive, Mini-Van-Mommy. I don’t quite know if I have what it takes and this definitely isn’t where I would have put myself five years back but I am here and plunging in to this whole new realm of extracurriculars, carpooling and mini road trips. Here’s the biggest secret of all --- this car is pretty stinkin’ amazing. I am finding all sorts of treasures as I drive it. I like to think of it as my very own go-go gadget car. So as I make lofty promises of less goldfish and subscribe to great plans of weekly car washes I drive on… ready for the next set of adventures with my little family

and of course,

Olive too.

A story.

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So, there are no pictures tonight. I know. Sorry grandparents.

Instead, I am going to tell you a little story from today. Perhaps it could be considered a bedtime story because it is in fact nearing bedtime for some people and well, it is about royalty. Everyone knows a good bedtime story involves some sort of royal drama.

Molly woke up this morning and informed me that she was, "going to wear a dress". I have grown quite accustomed to this request wait, demand because it is a DAILY occurrence. I was going to pick my battle and start us off with a nice pleasant morning negotiation. Molly was informed that she could wear her designated short sleeved dress as long as she wore a jacket and tights/pants when outside. It was a deal.

Fade to Walmart.

Molly is walking into Walmart with her dress, different color tall socks, sunglasses, jacket, GIANT bow headband, purse and yellow belle dress shoes. Nothing matched... not one item on her person matched. How is that even possible with as much pink as she owns? She literally stopped traffic ...all the while Gabe and I whispered secrets to each other in the wings about our silly girl named Molly--- or Princess Belle these days. I couldn't really argue her wardrobe though because she was within the negotiated limits. She was FANCY and you could tell by the way that she was walking that she felt it too. Oh, to be three.

Back to home

Molly has just come in from outside (still in full DIVA attire) to go to the bathroom. All the sudden I hear this scream. One of those--- my child is hurt-perhaps-bleeding uncontrollable cries which translates to GET THERE IMMEDIATELY. I leave Gabe and Rosie George outside to run in the house. Molly rounds the corner in full tears wailing that it "is ALL ruined..." For about the first 15 seconds this was all I could make out mainly because she was a wailing at a level that I am sure only dogs could fully hear. As it turns out, she was trying to wash her hands sans stool and somehow slipped and reaching to grab the facet to steady herself inadvertently sprayed the water all over her face and her precious apparel. END.OF.THE.WORLD.

That's right, folks. No pain. No blood. Just a wet dress.

It is at this point I inform Molly that because she is all wet she will have to change clothes. Unfortunately for Princess Belle, all of her dresses ---yes ALL of them --- were in the washer meaning she was now forced to wear the dreaded-boring-totally-not-fancy blue jeans. Sigh. Well, Molly is now beside herself with agony. True peril here, people.

Enter Life Lesson.

I make sure I have Molly's attention and I informed her that I had a really important secret to tell her. I asked her if she knew what made a true princess.

All you history people out there turn that part of your brain off and focus only on the Disney streamline playing in the back of your head. It's there---just dig deep.

I asked her if she remembered Cinderella. Poor Cinderella. She was forced to wear rags and even had dirt smeared all over face. Sweet Snow White wore a dress with holes and patches. Wet Molly starts in with her sad little empathetic nod. She feels their pain. She is really starting to get it! I use this moment to explain to her that despite their wardrobe they were true princesses because they were kind and had the most important thing---a loving heart.

It is at this point that the birds outside burst into song--- okay, just kidding... but Molly was VERY in to this explanation and I could see this tiny smile creep on her face. As I dressed her in her boring clothes I too started to feel a little giddy because maybe I had done it! Maybe now, Molly was finally tricked into being nicer to Gabriel and me by behaving like a true princess.

The wrap up...

I had to make sure she got the message---really drive the point home. I asked her, "Now Molly, what is it that makes you a true princess..." to which she delightfully responded, "A good heart..." and she grabs her shoes, runs out the door and yells, "and high heels".

Well, at least she got half the message.

Need a plumber?

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Last week our sink officially broke. Well, that is the story that I am going to stick with. It was clogged---one certain person of the family went to go clean it out and then noticed it was broken. Not going to lie--- a little hard to handle daily hygiene without a functional sink in our ONLY bathroom.

So I whipped out the phonebook and called the closest father/son plumbing business around. They sure were mighty cute and I sort of have a crunch of the taller one... which is funny because the younger one kept trying to kiss me.

Now, I could kiss them because my sink is back! Whoo hoo.

Hooray handwashing! Need a plumber?

Ballet Bliss

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Molly started ballet last fall and we were so excited! But, much to our dismay Molly quickly became the very opposite of excited in regards to her love of ballet. In fact, it might have been a weekly battle to just get out the door. Heartbreaking. My little ballerina girl, who LOVES to dance and thought that buying ballet clothes/shoes was about the best thing since Jasmine discovered her whole new world suddenly wants out. SAD.

My purpose of this blog is really to just focus on day-to-day life with the Mays and as much as possible avoid loooong rants--- much for your sanity and my blood pressure. So I will just leave it at this: If you are going to teach to children then I believe it is essential to maintain a child friendly environment that promotes developmental growth, learning opportunities for play and a good deal of laughter. A least a smile or two? Molly's previous teacher is young (like me!) and has previous experiences with adults (where I really believe she was great).

Unfortunately, Nonnie and I didn't realize how the class was run until open class which happened to be the last day of the semester. Oops. I was so proud of my little lady for sticking it out even if she didn't know how to perfectly point her toes and totally cheated at the stretches (which was totally WAY cute, btw). She did learn how to spit in her ballet class from a classmate... so there's that I guess. All in all, not the best experience. BOO.

So rather than scrap dancing in 2010 we instead decided to start fresh. And by fresh I mean new class, new teacher, new program and of course new leotards... according to Molly her old pink leotard is totally passé. Thanks to Purplicious of course! Everyone knows that "the new color is black!".

So, here she is after her first new ballet class chic, sassy and most of all HAPPY.


I can not speak enough great things about this incredible find! If you happen to live in the Richardson/North Dallas area I would totally check into the Richardson Parks and Recs at Heights for their Ballet with Mrs. Horn! (In Dallas--- the P & R with Miss Patty is great too---just didn't work so great with our schedule!)

I wasn't quite ready to throw Molly into the world of rigid rules---I still don't like rigid rules as an adult (GULP)--- In this experience I just want her to have opportunities to dance it up with her little friends, hang around in fun ballet clothes and live it up on the stage at her fun recital... I imagine it will be VERY Fancy Nancy indeed. This program is such a perfect fit and we couldn't be happier.

Day one and already making new friends...
Total ballet bliss indeed.

Haiti

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My heart has had so much to say yet it seems recently my brain hasn’t been able to find the words. Lost perhaps in the oblivion of my internal spinning wheel I have emerged an introvert. Perhaps it is the rut so many of us stumble upon coming off the high of holidays, or maybe it could have something to do with the fact that the temperature has been changing around 40-60 degrees on what seems like a daily basis… and today’s forecast was cloudy.

My husband referred to me today as a sunflower and I think that might be the perfect assessment… it seems when the sun is away I tend to become lost in the clouds.

My need to write has quietly wisped away leaving me plenty of time to be in my head… processing. Wrapped up in the warmth of pajama pants and the safety of the Disney channel in the background I can watch the images of Haiti. I can combat this intense heartache with small doses of joy. If only we could all escape to joy when reality became just a little too scary… and for that I am intensely grateful and beyond humbled. Daily my heart has been touched by these heroic individuals called to service in such turmoil and feel awe and envy of their giving spirit----all the while sitting down to tea with my favorite dynamic duo. How is that I am playing tea party while another at this exact moment is helping to calm a broken tiny child that has just lost her entire family in destruction?

So I am processing---processing a world that is much greater than my tiny life. Taking a moment to hone in on the key emotions that connect us all and praying with my whole heart that these people, in a world so different than my own, are feeling at least a moments love during their hard and scary day---even if it is love from one overly-dramatic often times ungrateful housewife a million miles away---- cause Lord knows I am sending it in abundance…


Yet, somehow it just doesn’t seem like enough.

So if you too want to feel inspired beyond words and greatly humbled too send prayers this way… every little bit helps, right?

*http://www.benandkatieinhaiti.com/

*http://bleshblog.wordpress.com/

*http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/

Musical May Day

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It seems that in the spirit of starting fresh this 2010, the May Children are sharing a nice little GI bug. Nothing like cleaning out your system, eh? As a result of said germs, we have not left the house in two days--- (well, technically I was able to escape to book club last night but other than that...) The first day was a really fun play around the house day. Today we were STIR CRAZY.

Today was a giant lump of sibling friction, frustration, boredom with MAJOR spurts of insane energy. Molly totally could have made it at school today. But alas, she was home and we were all a bit intense. Only one thing to do to change our circumstance- DANCE PARTY 2010.

Thank you, Pandora - you really saved the day!
After the DANCE PARTY started to die down, Molly serenaded us with her beautiful music. Such a talent, no?

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Molly and her music = love.

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Nice to end a LOOOONG day with a very pleasant afternoon...