Still catching up...

Still catching up on some cute photos from a while back.

We have a set of face paints at home and when Helaina needs a face painting fix, we're ready to go.  I duplicated (sort of) the butterfly she had done on her face at the circus.

One of Helaina's favorite summer dresses has Rapunzel on it and a twirly lacey bottom.  She'll wear it until it's ready to crawl off of her and begs to be washed.

A recent trip to the zoo with her pal T.  Two cutie pies on an elephant.

Helaina has lost 2 teeth now - both front teeth on the bottom.  This one she yanked out herself and got it on the 2nd pull - she was so proud of herself.  We'll have to post video some time.  It's very funny.

This was what the tooth fairy left under Helaina's pillow for the 2nd tooth.  She was absolutely thrilled to wake up the next morning and find a note from the mysterious fairy.

No toothless gaps in the front for Helaina (boo hoo).  Her permanent teeth were already almost all the way up behind the baby teeth, shark style.

Joshua at the same age as Helaina - 6 years old, after losing his 2 bottom teeth.  He had the toothless grin while waiting for his permanent teeth to come in.

Lucky Bob the Prop Comic

We were at a private party at the zoo Saturday night and Helaina had a blast.  It was a beautiful evening weather wise, Helaina was happy to be wearing her new "halter top" dress and have french braids in her hair.  She was ready to party.  There was face painting, cotton candy, animal  demos, a trio of band members performing children's songs and the highlight of the evening - Lucky Bob the Prop Comic.  We were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and Helaina wriggled her way through the kids to get a spot right in front of Lucky Bob.  The guy was funny, no - he was hysterical.  Helaina thought so too.  She laughed loudly at everything he did, which is probably why he picked her as one of his assistants.  When he said "Now I need another volunteer, a girl this time", her hand shot up like a rocket (so did everyone else's hands), and then I saw him point in her direction and say "You, in the pink, come on up here."  I nearly had a heart attack.  This is how it went.

He asked her what her name was then handed her a plate.  He told her not to let go of the plate no matter what and always hold it with both hands.  Then he started asking her questions.  "What's your name?"  Helaina.  "How old are you?"  6.  "What's your favorite color?"  Pink and purple.  "High 5" and he put his hand out.  Helaina let go of the plate with one hand and gave him a high 5.  "I told you to hold the plate with both hands and not let go.  Now let's try again."

He asked the same questions again ending with "high 5" and Helaina again took one hand off the plate and gave him a high 5.  He put his hand on his hip and looked at her saying "I told you not to take your hands off the plate."  She was laughing so hard, almost uncontrollably, I don't know who was having more fun - Helaina or Jim, Josh and myself watching.  This went on a few more times then finally he asked the questions, said "high 5" and Helaina screamed out "No way!" laughing even more than before.  Oh my gosh, it was the best.

He sent her back to sit down with the plate.  She held on to it like it was gold, waiting to see what she had to do next.

He called a little girl up to give him his juggling baton then Helaina was called up for the plate.

Oh my gosh, Lucky Bob the Prop Comic is ok in my book.  So funny and such a hit with the kids.  Part magician, part comedian, part stunt man and 100% hysterical.  He made our night.

It had been such a long time since Helaina had seen Siri up close.  She was thrilled to be able to pet her trunk.  Every time I'm that close to Siri I'm just in awe of this amazing animal and how beautiful and gentle she is - and absolutely huge!

We were fortunate enough to catch a peacock with his feathers displayed strutting his stuff.

There was a 3-piece band playing kids songs and doing some Laurie Birkner songs (which Helaina loves).  On our way to get cotton candy she heard the music, saw the instruments on the ground to play and ran in that direction screaming "I want to be in the band!"  Helaina always seems to have a great time and be happy no matter what she's doing.  I hope she keeps that beautiful smile and is filled with that fun-loving spirit through her whole life.

56 degrees of hypothermia

We opened the pool today one week earlier than planned.  Jim took the day off to get it done so we wouldn't have to listen to Helaina keep asking "When are we going to open the pool?"  Saturday and Sunday have temperatures in the 80's predicted and Helaina had no school Friday so it was a good day to do it.  Things were going smoothly until late in the afternoon when everything was connected and the pump was turned on.  "What's that screeching noise?  Is that the pump?"  Not good, nope, not a good outcome.  Kaching goes the credit card, ready to do battle with the pump manufacturer ... but here are a few pics of Helaina practicing to become a card carrying member of the Polar Bear Club - really, she's insane.  I think she has no nerve endings in her skin, seriously.

Jim HAD to get in the pool to anchor the ladder with a sandbag that rests on a platform underneath it.  The water temperature was 56 degrees - that's FRIGID - and he's not a fan of cold water.  He screamed like a little girl and lingered on the ladder until I finally told him to get in quickly and get it over with instead of torturing himself.  Helaina and I were hysterically laughing while all the time she was trying to push him in.  I was laughing so hard at the noises he was making that I couldn't catch my breath.  Helaina, on the other hand, was all too willing to take the plunge.

She inched her way in with a few shrill shreaks then submerged her body.

We couldn't believe that she went in up to her neck.  When it hit her armpits it must have been unbearable.

She got used to it very quickly and swam around and played with her mermaid dolls (another obsession since the Little Mermaid play).  Jim and I kept looking at her saying she was crazy.  We let her stay in too long though and after about 45 minutes Jim told her to get out.  Then I realized "Geez, what are we thinking.  Hypothermia?"  We got her out and her skin was freezing.  Got her in the house, dried off her hair, put dry clothes on her and then she began to shiver - and then I got panicky thinking her core body temp had dropped.  I sat her on the couch and wrapped her up in a blanket and watched her for a while.  I kept putting my hands under the blanket and feeling her skin, which finally began to warm up.  While she was sitting under the blanket shivering she asked for a snack.  Guess what she asked for?  A popsicle.  Earlier we bought the kind that you freeze in their plastic tube and she's was asking all afternoon if they were frozen yet.  No, you can't have a popsicle, you popsicle.

I'm so behind in posting cute pictures.

Helaina and I visited her cousins a few weeks ago and had a blast.  Sophia's getting so big.  10 months old now.  How time flies.

Storytime, but all Sophia wanted to do was eat the book.

We took our annual trip to Chuck E Cheese's recently.  Helaina mustered up the courage to stand next to the critter for a picture.  Given her aversion to people dressed up as characters, this was an accomplishment.


Swimming lessons are going well.  Helaina loves them.  There are 2 instructors and one of them is a young gal who kids around with the group.  Helaina looks forward to Tuesday evenings.

Practicing swimming with a noodle under her belly.

 

"We live down deep under the sea ...

... where there are many wonders to see."  That's the first line in the opening song in The Little Mermaid.  Helaina was in her second play today with our local children's theater and it was an amazing success.  Great singing, teriffic costumes, adorable dance routines and some funny moments all witnessed by her aunts, uncles, big brother and of course proud Daddy and tearful Mommy.  She was so excited before the play, happier than ever on stage and pumped up after the show.  Just a quick pick then I'm finally off to bed.  Here's our little clown fish right after they got on stage.  Just like in Snow White, it took her a few moments to get used to it all and then she hammed it up and had the time of her little life.

We're all exhausted.  It's been a hectic week.  In the last 7 days Helaina had a busy schedule:  her first swimming lesson, gymnastics, soccer practice, dress rehearsal, first soccer game and the play.  I'm so behind in everything but it's been a fun, fast-paced week.