Happy Birthday Tom!

Happy birthday to my hubby and Will and Hallie's daddy!

Call Me, Maybe

I'm sure you've heard the song and seen the "dancing" videos, just as we have.

When Tom and I traveled to Wisconsin for the wedding of our dear friend, Beth, a couple of weekends ago, we heard "Call Me, Maybe" at least 10 times on the radio. It was stuck in my head to the point that when we arrived home I pulled up one of the videos on YouTube and started playing it for the kids. When they started rocking out we started filming, and after all was said and done we ended up with 15 videos. Here are just six of the 15, edited down so that you can get the gist of their performances without having to spend your entire afternoon watching videos.

Will starts things off on his own.
(This was Will's very first foray into lip-syncing, in case you can't tell.)


Then the girls join in.


Then Lily loses interest.


Then Lily does her best to keep Will from continuing his performance.


Then Lily gives the feet dance a try.


And finally, Will and Hallie bring it on home, sans Lily.


I love how "in to" the dance Will got, but even more than that, I love how - throughout all 15 videos - Hallie keeps her hands in tightly balled fists, never smiles, and looks like she's slowly beating the crap out of someone. I'd hate to run into that little pipsqueak in a dark alley...

Watering the Lawn

This one's all boy. Creative and resourceful, but all boy.

(Our hose has a hole in it, so he wrapped the hose around his
waist so that the hole was facing directly out in front of him.
He then turned on the hose and watered the lawn, laughing
the entire time because it looked like he was peeing.)

Polka Dot Polka

Sara and I have been playing this duet since we were 11 and nine years old, and we still play it at least once every time we're together and in the presence of a piano. It's called the Polka Dot Polka, and clearly it invites dancing.



Well, Hallie danced. Lily danced, grocery shopped, and cried for someone to give her access to the guitar.

Oh, and Will actually filmed this video - he's obviously going to be the next Steven Spielberg. Or Dawson Leary.

Boops!

Hallie Claire loves her red cowboy boots ("boops"). They go with everything.

Grandpa Mike and Grandma Susie bought the little red boots for Hallie right after we moved to Texas. The boots were purposely too big when they came home with Hallie so that she'd be able to wear them for a while, and thankfully they still fit her now. Someday, however, the little red boots will find another home, and when that day comes Hallie has another pair of boots waiting in the wings.

Hallie adores Ms. Andrea's little girl, Makenna. A few weeks ago, Andrea was cleaning out Makenna's closet and came across a pair of PINK cowboy boots that Makenna had never worn but that were now too small for her. Andrea offered them to Hallie, who after seeing a picture of the boots and learning that they once lived in Makenna's closet, said she absolutely, positively wanted to put her little feet in them.

They're still about three sizes too big, but when the time comes these pink boots are going to help Hallie light up the world around her.

Happy Birthday, USA!

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism."

~Erma Bombeck

Her Life is So Hard

Though Hallie'd like you believe that I forced her spend the afternoon working her fingers to the bone, she chose to "mop" the patio in the first place and then insisted on continuing to do so - despite my warnings that a thunderstorm was rolling in - for more than 45 minutes. My patio is really clean and the water in the swimming pool is completely and totally disgusting.

In case you can't understand what she's singing (it was a little windy outside that day), here are the lyrics to her song:

We can do it, we can do it
We can help our Cinderellie
Make a dress so pretty
...

Her life is so hard.