A Hint at Dressing Difficulties

Fortunately, Cadence is often quite pleasant and happy in the mornings (she got that from her dad, in case you weren't sure!).
Unfortunately, her 'antics' can lead to some frustrations when attempting to dress our little drama queen.

Although she was dressed in this clip, that is not always the case!
She sure can drive me crazy but ... oh how she makes me laugh ...

A Total Ham Bone!

There are times, quite a few actually, that Cadence can be a complete 'ham bone'.

There are times I try to be angry with her and instead ... I end up cracking up inside.

This does not bode well for my attempts at discipline I can tell you!

Tonight at dinner I informed her, "One more carrot and one more cucumber and you are done!"

Her response, "How about I'm done right now!"

She exhausts me!

First Day of School

This is Cadence's first 'move' whenever she is asked to pose:

I really don't know what that's about!
But just look at this scholarly shot!:

She is just too dang cute for words!:


Heading out the door, on her way to school:

Could this backpack be any bigger?:

A before school family photo ... a first:

On the outside, looking in:

Stuck on the inside:

I absolutely LOVE watching her skip!:

That's the bell ...:

And there she goes :(

An afterschool snack in mom's room:


Cadence had a FANTASTIC first day of school! She had lots of stories to tell and every time I peeked in, she was doing just what she was supposed to ... at least it looked that way! She even received a good news phone call from her teacher! My baby girl is definitely growing up ... I have mixed emotions about that ....

First Haircut!

I was considering getting Cadence's hair cut last spring ... just to clean it up a bit. I decided to wait it out and mark the event with Cadence starting school. This was the weekend to get 'er done!

The stylist removes the ponies and gets Cadence ready:

A professional hair wash:

The first cut .... awwww!

A gentle blow dry:

How cute am I?

I look MAR-VE-LOUS!

Wow, I get a free ride with my new, expensive haircut ... lucky me!

At home with my certificate and first 'lock' of hair:


Well ... that's it ... I am officially ready for school! Now if only my mom would make me a lunch!

Back to the Gym!

Cadence started back at gymnastics this weekend. She was enrolled in a new program and a new gym and thus, needed a new 'suit' ... okay, she's pretty much outgrown the old one!


Just to be clear ... I had absolutely NOTHING to do with her choice! She picked out the suit with the flip flops on it, of her own free will.

The matching scrunchie was just a bonus.

I didn't think I'd be able to get her into 'gear'. She's wearing it, but she's not overjoyed by any means!


Although Cadence stated she didn't want to do gymnastics three minutes before the class was to start AND that she turned to me with welled up eyes as she was lined up to go in with her class, she had a great time! We are hoping for better success than soccer ...

Almost Outgrown ...

We bought these size 4 pyjamas at a silk factory in China:

They are ALMOST too small for my little diva:

But she still rocks them:

She is one little spit fire I tell ya:

She is loved beyond words:

We Struck a Deal

So ... I haven't shared much of our continued sleeping saga with Cadence that arose over the last weeks of summer. To make a long story short ... she developed some anxieties around going to bed in her own room. There were a number of excuses she attempted and everyday she insisted it "was the last night" she'd sleep in our bed. We gave in for a few of reasons ... she was absolutely without doubt 'stressed' about it which was heightening her excema, she would actually fall asleep very quickly so I could then transfer her and ... it was just plain easier! Of course the longer this went on ... the harder it was going to be to put an end to it.
For some odd reason she just crawled up on her own bed last night and went right to sleep ... while I "kept her company" of course.
Tonight she announced that she would only sleep in our bed on weekends and holidays. Now that is something I can live with.
Cadence ... we have a deal!

Ready, Set ...

Cadence is one step closer to the big day!

She's all dressed and ready to meet her teacher:

Arriving at the classroom door ... looking mighty excited, I might add:

The teacher put her right to work ... atta girl!

Mrs. M gives Cadence the low down on this year's curriculum:


This mother has to confess that the previous three pictures were 'staged'! I completely forgot about the camera until I opened my purse at McD's. In retrospect, I would have to say we probably got better shots this way!
As was expected, Cadence barely said a word during her actual interview ... no worries ... she WILL make up for it! Bottom line, she seems excited and ready ... we'll see in a week's time! Hope I remember to make her lunch!

And here is something else that has been in the works this week:

Cadence has a 'chore chart' that tracks all the great stuff she does: brushing teeth, hair, getting dressed, tidying her toys and even putting out the placemats. She had a successful week ... and we had a lot more peace in the house ... so Cadence earned the Camp Rock 2 DVD (which daddy had bought on day one!). Here's to another good week ....

She Makes Me Smile

I could probably write down something smart or witty or astounding that Cadence says on a daily basis, but my 40+ year old brain has trouble remembering things lately.

As I sit and reflect, while she tries to fall asleep, I can recall of few of them from this week:

We were revisiting the $5 from washing the car and Sean suggested to Cadence that perhaps she could earn another $5 by helping him rake leaves. Her response, "No dad, I want ten dollars!"

I was asking about daycare and if any of her teachers ever yell ... "No, they use a STRONG voice."

Today she informed me that she "watched Wizards of Waverly and Treehouse shows when she was young."

She is growing up WAY too fast!

Tomorrow she has an official meeting with her kindergarten teacher. I'm curious to see if this 'big girl' will a) detach herself physically from me and/or b) actually talk to her teacher at all.

you'll get a full report following the big day ...

Camp Rock 2 Party

For weeks Daddy and Cadence were planning their Camp Rock 2 Party ... myself ... I was totally in the dark about this show.
As luck would have it we had the priviledge of an overnight guest to 'party' with.

We started off with a spaghetti dinner complete with root beer:

The girls chilled together figuratively:

and literally ... pretty cool evening for swimming but they braved it:

After a quick hot tub interview (to be added later), popcorn and licorice and the girls (and Sean) gathered in front of the tv:

There was lots of singing, dancing and giggling (the video quality was way too poor unfortunately) during the show and even more so after! 'Mom' had to intervene and snuggle in between the girls so they could settle and get to sleep.
In the morning we had butterfly pancakes and then baked and decorated some cupcakes.

We had a great time and look forward to the release of the DVD tomorrow!!!
"We can't, we can't, we can't back down!"

OUR Family Day

Celebrating three years as a family did not go as expected ... that's life!
We had intended to go out for a celebratory chinese dinner, but after a construction detour and a LONG waiting list we opted for something else ... nachos (and a hot dog for Cadence)! I don't think she minded one bit! The fancy root beer didn't hurt either ...

First Earnings

Cadence was quite impressed that her little friend next door was helping his dad wash the car. I offered her 'five bucks' to wash mine ... she accepted!





Cadence and daddy did a great job and mommy paid up. 'Course the little munchkin tried to get 20 out of me ... she even offered to clean the house ... she's a hoot!