Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I love this dress, and I hope I win this giveaway! Some day I'm bound to win one!

Kitchen

I plan to do an individual post about each room but I just posted the pics of the kitchen

Letters

With the new house and being able to paint the walls and decorate the way we want I really wanted to have the girls' names on the wall. I had scoped out a few letters at the craft store and various other places but nothing seemed right and all were ridiculously priced. Then it dawned on me that I have two very talented men in my family who could work together easily to create the perfect letters. My brother, also known as Uncle Eyes, is an amazing graphic designer who works in advertising. He is regularly creating fonts and he usually knows exactly what I want with very little direction. And my father, as many readers and friends know, is a very talented wood worker. Combining those talents yielded one of a kind letters for the girls' room and all of us are pleased. Uncle Eyes had a few requirements for their installation and what color they should be, and we followed them because he is the expert. He felt due to their size they should be the same color as the wall and after a visit from him in July we'll see if we're sticking with that or going a few shades lighter for a small amount of contrast with the wall. The girls helped me paint them and they were the first things hung in the new house!

Last Day Of School

Before school Luli and Fiona posed for graduation pictures. Luli got "special" braids for the big day and picked out several clips to adorn them with. I can hardly believe this school year is over. Luli had a great year with Miss Cindy #1 and Miss Cindy #2. There were a few ups and downs but I think Luli is the greater for all of it. Let's just say I didn't expect girl cattiness and bullying to start so early. My hope is that the experience gives Luli a bit thicker skin and the ability to deal with these happenings in a healthy manner as she grows. On a much more positive note Luli learned so much this year and has blossomed. From the beginning she insisted on being called her full name, Lourdes, so all the kids know her as Lourdes and I had to constantly remind myself to call her Lourdes when speaking with the moms.

The final day was a graduation ceremony (even though she'll be attending pre-k) most of the kids are headed off to kindergarten next year. The kids had graduate caps and marched in to Pomp and Circumstance. It was really adorable. Every child was called up to receive their diploma and a handshake from Miss Cindy.

After the graduation we went inside to watch the presentations the children had prepared. They sang three songs, You Are My Sunshine, The Rainbow Song (referenced in the mother's day post) and one other one...hmmm can't remember right now. Then Miss Cindy presented each child with their binder of work for the year and announced what each child wanted to be when they grow up. Apparently Luli wants to be a gardener, perhaps she can work on that now my yard needs it! It was a really special morning and we were all sad to say good bye to the school year.

Mother's Day

I know we are fast approaching Father's Day but I realized I still haven't posted about my amazing Mother's Day. All the mother's at preschool were invited to a "Mother's Day Tea" at school with our children. I made sure to have Oscar clear his schedule so I could drop Fiona at his work and go to the tea as a special thing for just Luli and I. I'm really glad I did, it was really sweet and quite possibly my favorite Mother's Day moment so far. At the tea, the children performed three songs- I love you (the Barney song), You Are My Sunshine (not a dry eye in the house), and a song the kids wrote about a rainbow in the sky and all the colors shining through them. After the songs Miss Cindy presented each child's mother with a gift the children made, on each it said something they love about their mother and when they think their mother looks most beautiful. Luli's was almost the last one and it was hysterical. Luli does have a tendency to say the most random hilarious things and she sure didn't disappoint! First she said "I love that my Mommy bakes yummy things and her hugs" and then she says "my mommy looks most beautiful when she wears clothes." Seriously everyone started laughing, Miss Cindy said she tried to get Luli to say something different but she was adamant about saying this! HA! I wouldn't have changed it for the world.

Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I'm working on getting some pics from other moms.

New Pictures

I know it's taken FOREVER! But we do finally have internet, cable and the phone line set up at the house. So now I'm able to upload photos and update the blog. I have uploaded a lot of new pics of the house and what we're up to with it. I found out I never took the after pics of the kitchen so you'll see it primed but not painted...woopsy! So I'll take those pictures tomorrow and of the master bedroom almost finished. That's the only room with curtains up so far, though we're still not ready for wall decor in any room...so definitely not finished in the decor department.

Herndon Festival

This past weekend was the Herndon Festival. We went three of the four days and had a great time. What a difference a year makes when it comes to fairs and these girls. Last year we went to FunLand in Rehoboth Beach and Luli totally freaked out about getting on rides, and when it came to fireworks at the fourth of July, Fiona clutched me for dear life and wouldn't even look at them. This year both girls wanted to get on the rides (without an adult) and Fiona loved the fireworks that went up on Thursday and Saturday nights. The fair was a great time with lots of rides, vendors and food. It was a real coming together of the town and a lovely show of cultures. We really enjoyed ourselves and felt much more comfortable here than we ever did in South Riding. We just feel at home here and we're so happy to have made the right decision after many months of looking. We are developing a great routine here and meeting lots of friends. I feel a lot happier here and Oscar and I are loving creating our own home. The girls are thrilled with the new house and new neighborhood. I'm amazed with the ease it takes Luli to make new friends. I have so many more posts about our new life but it's late, so they'll wait.