Oh, the Places She'll Go

First day of school poses

Well, summer officially came to an end today when I took Ava to her first day of Kindergarten. If you live in Wake County, you probably know that the public schools do something called "staggered entry." Basically, they just bring about a quarter of the students in each day for assessment. Ava's staggered day is today, and then her first "real" day with her teacher and classroom is on Thursday. But, today is a full day, so it felt pretty real.

I spent my summer feeling ready for her to go off to school. After all, she's six years old, and did a half day kindergarten last year. I was like, "Yeah, we've got this. No big deal at all." In my mind, I scoffed at parents who were so sad to be sending their babies off to school.

So, off we went this morning. I was organized. Lunch was packed last night. The backpack was ready. Requested paperwork was filled out. Ava was asleep at a decent hour. I even did a cycle class at 6am, took a shower, dried my hair, and put on makeup. And a new dress. (Back to school clothes aren't just for kids, you know). Ava had picked out her outfits for the whole week back in July, so we were good.

We arrived on time, and just for today, we were asked to walk the kids in. Ava had expressed a teensy (ok, lots) of anxiety before we left, but as soon as we walked into her school, she was giddy. She was skipping down the hall, thrilled to see her new home away from home. The problem came when we got to the classroom, and there was about a 7 minute wait to get her checked in. That's when the big anxiety set in. I expected that, though. She's always been a high-stress kid, and I didn't think today would be the day she would deviate from her own ways. She was clingy, but after a gentle nudge, she went into the classroom.There were some tears, but I know that's how she is, I urged her on.

I was fine.

Until I turned around and started to leave.

That's when I felt the tightness in my throat. The tears in my eyes. What? This was not what I had expected from myself. I managed to keep it together, but to be honest, I think if I had allowed it, I could have bawled my eyes out.

Luckily for me, a good friend had invited Davis and me to come over, and she had a celebratory mimosa waiting for me when I got there. Best surprise of my day.

I have about another hour until I go pick Ava up. I won't lie - Davis is napping and I'm enjoying a very quiet house. I can't wait to hear about Ava's day, though.

To all of you whose emotional states I may have mocked when your kids went off to school, my sincere apologies. It turns out you were right.

xoxo,
Carter

Britney

Friends, it's time I confessed something to you. I need to be honest, and I hope that you won't judge me. I have a secret, and I need to get it off my chest.

Okay, here goes.

I am a Britney Spears fan.

*Whew*

Glad that's over.

Are you judging me? Really? You? With the Justin Beiber CD that you say is for your kids? No, I didn't think so.

Last night I went to see Britney in concert for the second time in two years. There was a time when I may have tried to hide my love for her, but I've come to terms with the fact that I need a good pop princess in my life. And besides, there is probably no better people watching anywhere. Seriously, Britney's fan base puts "People of Wal-Mart" to shame.

I saw everything last night. And when I say everything, believe me, it was everything. Like, all of people's body parts. Which reminds me, here's a little PSA for you: if you are going to a concert, and you're thinking of wearing a very short dress or skirt, you may want to do a little trial run of walking up a flight of stairs, just to make sure the dress isn't showing all of your bits. The people who are seated at the end of the row, next to the arena stairs, will be grateful. Really. I saw this from experience.

I was also introduced to a term I was previously unaware of: Kentucky Waterfall. Most of you probably already know what this is, but if not, let me show you:

Let me tell you something: even if Britney had never gotten on stage, my favorite friends and I would have been fully entertained by our own snarky comments about all those around us.

Onto the show, though.

DJ Pauly D, of Jersey Shore fame, was the opening act.

via

I'm pretty sure he had done about an eight ball of cocaine before taking stage because he had an unnatural amount of energy. I like the whole DJ thing at a pop concert, though. Otherwise, you get some terrible opening act that you never wanted to see in the first place. Pauly D did a good job of getting the crowd excited, and he played all the cheesy dance/pop songs you had to admit you like.

Forty minutes later, Britney took the stage. The crowd was frighteningly screamy, and Britney emerged looking good for someone who has had two kids and a total meltdown. In other words, she didn't look bad in any of her 2-piece ensembles, but her one-piece numbers were much more flattering.

I give you photographic evidence:

One piece (you know, like what the rest of us wear all the time):

Two piece:

Obviously, I would not cry if my abs looked like that. She's definitely doing better than me. But I do see a little normalish-ness in her. And I like that.

The biggest thing I noticed, though, is that Brit seemed to be having a really good time on stage. (Notice I didn't say "singing." The entire show was lip-synched. No surprise there). 

I just think Britney is kind of adorable, in a trailer park sort of way. I root for her. I've liked her since way back in the "....Baby, One More Time" days. I want things to go well for her. And I was glad to see her having a good time on stage, doing what she does best. 

That's all for me. 6am workout comes early, so must go to bed now.

xoxo,

Carter

Shoe wars.

My daughter has officially become tacky. When we go shopping for clothes for her, she is no longer drawn to simple, easy frocks. She doesn't gravitate toward anything smocked. We butted heads in a store last week when she didn't want to try on an adorable dress.

When we're out, no matter what lovliness surrounds us, she goes for anything with tulle, hearts, peace signs. Lace is good for her, too. Sparkles, even better. The more going on, the better. When we went to a Kelly's Kids show last week, I walked out having purchased this:

It wasn't my first choice. Not by a long shot. But Ava loved it, and it was better than some of the other things she's pointed out lately. I'm trying to give her a little leeway on her clothing, but I have to do it in baby steps. There's just too much tacky out there. And while I know it doesn't really matter what she's wearing, I do like for her to look age-appropriate. And let's face it, dressing my kids is a little bit of a hobby for me. 

One place I think I'm going to have to stand firm, however, is on shoes. Last year, in a moment of weakness, I got talked into these:

Are they horrible? Well, no. But they are just BUSY. Really busy. And they don't go with everything. And I just don't like them. That's the bottom line. I. Don't. Like. Them. Period.

So, I wasn't at all disappointed when they started getting too small last spring, and Ava picked out a cute pair of New Balance kicks to replace them. 

Now, though, it's back to school time, and guess who wants Twinkle Toes again? I just don't think I can bring myself to purchase another pair. I'm trying to talk her into these Converse Jack Purcells from J.Crew:

I think they're a great compromise. Still sparkly, but not so busy. Miss Inflexible is being pretty insistent on the Twinkle Toes, but I think this is one battle that Mommy is actually going to win. 

I'll let you know how it all turns out.

xoxo,
Carter

I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet. Or not.

A little while ago, the kids and I walked in the door from a morning at the pool. Within seconds, my cell phone started ringing. I ignored it because I was getting ready to put Davis down for a much-needed nap. A couple of minutes later, my doorbell rang. Worried that something had happened to a neighbor (see what a good person I am?), I actually went to the door. Sure enough, there was my neighbor. She asked me if my house had just shook. It had not. At least not that I had noticed. I assumed she was probably just being dramatic and went about my day.

Davis went down for a nap, and I immediately got on Facebook. Imagine my surprise when EVERYONE IN RALEIGH was updating their status to reflect the EARTHQUAKE that they all felt.

I feel totally let down. I mean, how many times am I, a Southern girl, going to feel an earthquake when I'm not visiting California?

So, just to make sure this earthquake was legit, I went to CNN.com. And the Huffington Post. And I found this map, showing just where this alleged quake hit:

Hmmm. Being a Southern girl and also an East Coast girl, I don't know much about earthquakes. Just that I don't really want one coming my way. It's crazy that a quake in VA, close to DC, can be felt all these miles away. Supposedly. Remember, I didn't feel it. And I'm kind of bitter about that. Hmph. Honestly, I don't know how I didn't feel it. All I can figure is that it happened while we were walking up our brick steps into the house, and maybe the bricks are just sturdy enough for us not to feel it.

It's probably a good thing. I live with the world's most dramatic 6-year-old, who already fears all major weather events. The fact that we're fully into hurricane season is a major source of stress for her. 

Speaking of hurricanes, Irene is bearing down on the Carolinas. If you see Ava, please don't tell her. Seriously. Her OCD will send both of us over the edge. 

Earthquakes, hurricanes......obviously,  the end of the world is upon us. What's next? Locusts? Pestilence? 

Everyone batten down the hatches!

xoxo,

Carter

Why so hot, Mila?

You all know my heart belongs to Gwyneth. But I kind of have a new #2 girl crush.Mila Kunis is just pure gorgeous. I'm pretty sure my husband adores her. And what breathing man wouldn't? She's that perfect combination of cute AND sexy. And I'm sure that crazy scene in Black Swan won her quite a few new fans.

Anyway, I especially think her makeup is always great for red carpet events. And since my life so often calls for red carpet makeup, I'm often looking for styles to emulate. Or not. But once in a while, I go out, so maybe I need to try new makeup applications. 

Her Golden Globes dress was perfection this year:

And, of course, she's pretty darn cute in casual attire with Justin Timberlake in Friends With Benefits (which I am dying to see). 

Her co-star is pretty fun to look at, too. 

Oh, and she rocks aviators like nobody's business:

So, yes, while I remain true to GP, I do like Mila's downtown chic. 

PS: When looking for images of Mila, I came across some of Leighton Meester, because apparently some people think they favor each other. I don't think they do, but that did remind me that Gossip Girl is bound to be starting back soon, and that brings me nothing but pure elation.

Madeline Party

Ava's official birthday was last Sunday, but the celebration started Friday and didn't end until bedtime Sunday. That's the nice thing about a Sunday birthday, especially if you're turning six.

On Friday night, my father-in-law and his wife kicked off the celebration with a visit and dinner, and, of course, gifts for the birthday girl.

The celebration continued on Saturday when my parents came up. I think they topped everyone, gift-wise, when they surprised Ava with Molly, another American Girl doll. Note the expression of pure elation:

They also gave her the cutest bunk bed for Molly and Ava's other doll, Emily. They got it from a man at the farmer's market, and it was a fraction of what they would have paid at American Girl, and it is so nice! My mom painted it.

I won't bore you with all the gift-opening pictures, but let's just say it was kind of like Christmas in our house on Sunday. Ava came to the breakfast table to find this pile waiting for her. Ridiculous.

It was basically an American Girl-fest. She got a couple of outfits (which were actually the cheapies from Michael's), the AG wheelchair, and the Get Better Set, which includes crutches and casts. I'm not sure where Ava's obsession with orthopedics is coming from, but you better believe I plan to encourage it. 

And, yes, of course she got something from the Lilly store. Duh.

She also got a couple of books, including one I am just crazy about, called Just Being Audrey. It's about Audrey Hepburn, and the illustrations are just fantastic. 

 

Tres bien! 

Now, naturally, Ava doesn't love the book quite as much as I do, but I think one viewing of Breakfast at Tiffany's will take care of that. 

So, the rest of the day was spend preparing for Ava's party. She had requested a Madeline theme, which was a little challenging. We decided to do a couple of crafts and watch the Madeline movie.

The inspiration:

Since I had scheduled the party for 4:30pm, I knew I had all the time in the world to prepare. And I really thought I had it together. I had done all my craft supply shopping during the week, had ordered the cake, and the house was mostly clean. So really, all I had to do was a couple of teensy little things, and we'd be set.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

My first problem was with the Eiffel Tower cookies I had decided to make for the girls to decorate. I got a great cookie cutter from Amazon, but it was HUGE. I didn't think it would be a problem. However, thanks to Pillsbury sugar cookie dough (yes, the refrigerated kind) not being all that user-friendly, it took me 2 freaking hours to make 24 cookies. 

In between cookie batches, I used my glue gun to attach satin ribbon to straw hats. This was my attempt to make hats like Madeline and her friends wear. No real glitches there, but I think my lack of craft skills was really evident. 

Next, I needed to attach tags to the favor bags. My hole punch was not cooperating at all. Have you ever tried to hole-punch a plastic bag? It doesn't work so well. This was the best I could do:

I managed to throw a few streamers up, as well as a banner, but honestly, they aren't blog-photo-worthy.

Before the girls arrived, I grabbed a quick shower, and tried hard to look cute, knowing that I would be assisting in cookie-decorating as well as painting. 

As soon as the girls arrived, Davis woke up from his nap. He was so excited to see a flock of hat-wearing girls come into his room.  

The girls got to work decorating their cookies. Davis got in on the action, too, and also insisted on having a hat. (This picture will be saved and shown during his rehearsal dinner).

Next, it was time to paint the masterpieces. I had gotten 5x7 canvases at an art-supply store, and just let the girls use Crayola kids paint (washable) to paint anything they wanted. 

Of course, the little brother couldn't be left out.

Six-year-old LOVE present time. Then again, so do 35-year olds. 

To get some energy out before the movie, we decided it was time to go outside. 

Ava and Frazier have been friends since they were in 2-year old preschool together:

My birthday girl and me:

Sweet friends:

Hugs with Daddy:

Next up was cake;

Then it was movie time. Ahh....a few minutes of quiet;

After the guests left, I had a large glass of wine and about passed out from exhaustion. In the meantime, Ava and Davis kept their own little party going:

The party was a success, but it's clear that my crafting skills need some help. Like, professional help. It's okay, though. If it wasn't for people like me, all you crafty types wouldn't be able to shine so bright. 

I'm off now to enjoy a few more days at the beach. The kids and I have been here since Tuesday, and have to go back home for the last week of summer on Sunday. I'm sad that it's all coming to an end, but I think I'll be happy to get back into a normal routine.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

xoxo,

Carter

Happy Birthday, Ava

My firstborn turned 6 today. Six! It’s so cliché, but really, it doesn’t seem like more than a year or two ago that I was bringing my little girl home from the hospital. Six years ago, she looked like this:

Sometimes, when I look at her sleeping, I can still see that newborn baby. The one that looked nothing like me, and everything like her daddy. She’s grown up a lot, but she’s still Ava. Still spunky, still full of personality. Still snuggly. We have our moments of conflict (often), but I still think she is absolutely the best girl in the world. I love watching her learn, seeing how her little mind works, and watching her grow up more and more every day.

While I certainly don’t want her growing up too fast, I do look forward to her adult years, and hope that she will see me not just as her mother, but as a confidante, and a friend. I think that’s the thing about daughters – another girl will come along and take your boys’ hearts, but there isn’t much that can come between a girl and her mother.

So, to my daughter, I say this:

Ava, if you ever remember anything about your childhood, remember this: your Daddy and I are so in love with you, we could never put our feelings into actual words. You brighten our days, you make us laugh, and you make us proud (even though you hate it when we tell you that). You have amazed us with your love for your brother, and your kindness to him (most of the time). You are such a loving, sensitive soul, and our lives are better because of you.

Happy birthday, sweet girl.