Hi

Blue Bees team pictures

A couple weeks ago, the Blue Bees had their team pictures taken. We finally got them back today. I think they turned out pretty cute!

Asher is on the bottom row, the 3rd one from the right.

He's making kind of a goofy face, but he's still so cute!

What a fun t-ball season! :)

Socks -- not just for feet!

Did you know you can use a sock to make a bun? I saw a YouTube video yesterday that showed how to do it, and I thought it was so cool! When Kyrie was in ballet, I had a heck of a time getting her hair into the mandatory bun, so I'm really bummed that I didn't know this trick before!

So here's how to do it. First, you'll need an old sock, 2 elastics, and bobby pins. The size of the sock depends on how thick the hair is and how big you want the bun to be. Kyrie has super thick hair, so I used one of her socks. I realized when doing this that she has enough hair to where I can even use one of my socks to make the bun even bigger. If the hair is thin, use a toddler sock.

Now, here's the process.

Step 1
Cut the toe off the sock

Step 2
Roll the sock up, starting from the bottom

Step 3
Pull the hair up into a ponytail, put in the elastic, then put the sock around the hair

Step 4
Divide the hair in half

Step 5
Now spread the hair around so it covers the sock

Step 6
Secure with the second elastic

This is what it will look like at this point:

Step 7
Move all the excess hair down underneath the bun and twist it

Step 8
Wrap the hair around the bun

Step 9
Secure the ends with bobby pins
(criss-cross the bobby pins in an "x" shape so they stay put)

Voila!

How cute is that?! It's so easy, and it works awesome! There are a lot of variations that are forming in my head, too. Instead of twisting the hair in step 7, you could braid it. Or use a bigger sock, then stop at step 6. Instead of gathering the hair at the bottom in step 7, leave it all spread out, and then curl the ends to make a cute messy bun style. And of course, adding a cute flower clip or bow would be adorable.

I love having girls! Well, let me rephrase. I love that I can play with Kyrie's hair. And I can't wait until Bri's butchered hair grows out again so that I can go back to playing with hers!

Real life romance

Men in the movies really bug me. They paint such an unrealistic portrayal of romance -- saying the perfect "sweet nothings" at every opportunity, showering their lady with expensive gifts and jewelry, etc. Most men aren't like that. It's just not real life.

I love romance as much as the next girl, and I admit that sometimes I find myself wishing there was a bit more of it in my marriage. But then I realize that Derk is romantic in his own way. I decided to start looking for all the little things he does every day and to focus on how those things are real life romance, because those little things are how he shows me he loves me every day.

Over the weekend, we repainted our master bedroom (I'll post pictures as soon as it's done!). The fact that Derk helped me do it was romantic in and of itself. To say he LOATHES painting is an understatement. I didn't ask him to help me, he just jumped right in and did it. As if that wasn't enough, I noticed this on the back of my dresser:

I didn't notice it until Kyrie came in and asked who wrote on my dresser with paint. I started to freak out and went over there to see what she was talking about. Then I started "awwwwing" and gave Derk a kiss. Kyrie got all confused and said, "Why are you kissing him for writing on your dresser?" lol.

I love him. I'll take my painted dresser over skywriting and fancy jewelry any day. Because what I have with Derk is real, and it's forever.

Poor little Bri

The kids recently got pink eye. Can I just tell you how bad that sucked?! Ugh. Well, Kyrie and Asher both got over it quickly, but Bri got a second round earlier this week (again with the suckage!). She's been pretty great about taking the eye drops and actually reminds me when it's time for another round. Today Kyrie and Asher went out to play, and Bri wanted to go out with them. I reminded her that she couldn't go until her eye was all better, and she got really sad. She opened the front door and just sat there watching them. :( I went to check on her a few minutes ago and found this:

I can't ever resist a close-up of them when they're sleeping. So precious.

Taking pictures of the chaos

Sometimes when my house gets really messy, I like to take pictures of it. Yes, you heard me correctly. I take pictures of it in all its messy glory. Then I clean it and take pictures after it's all done. I mainly do this because it helps me see that I really have done something that day, even though the kids turn around and erase it all 2 seconds later. But it shows me that the work I put in really does make a difference, and it helps motivate me to keep it up. I also want to have proof that my kids tortured me. ;-)

So up for your viewing pleasure tonight is my kitchen! Derk left town again for a few days, and I was fighting with a headache for the first part of the day. So the kids tried to help by making their own food and just wreaked havoc on the poor kitchen. I finally had enough after I put them to bed tonight and went to town. I'm really glad I took the pictures because it sure makes me feel good to see the difference!

The befores. What you cannot see in the pictures is the abundance of sticky stuff that covered pretty much every surface. The kids made themselves cinnamon and sugar toast for breakfast, and it only went downhill from there. :)

And the afters! I didn't have the energy to mop, but everything else is done.

You should try it!!
It does wonders for your motivation!

Asher's doctor appointment and t-ball games

Asher had his 5 year check up today. I took my time finding a pediatrician, and I'm very happy with her! She did a fabulous job and was extremely nice and thorough. He is totally perfect! His eyesight is 20/20, he passed his hearing test with flying colors, and everything else looked good, too. He weighed 42 pounds and is 41 inches tall.

After his doctor appointment, Asher had his second t-ball game. His first was this past Tuesday. He's made it very clear that he HATES his team name -- Blue Bees. I laughed and asked him what he'd rather his team was called, and he said he wanted to wear a red shirt and be called the Red Runners. Silly boy. :)

The games are at 6pm every Tuesday and Thursday. I think 2 games per week is a bit much for Asher, and the game time is pretty crappy, too. Right in the middle of dinner. Plus he's tired by that point. The first game was a bit rough, and he had a hard time staying on his feet the last few minutes. So I decided to pack our dinner and eat it at the park before the game today (instead of after the game at home), and he did much better.

Go, Blue Bees! And go #10!

And some videos! The first video is of Asher's first time up to bat. And the second video is of their team cheer after the game. They cheer, "Flames!" first (the name of the team they played), then they cheer, "Blue Bees!"