Beads!

Last week Aliyah and I met with my friend Vanessa and her daughter Cami so that Vanessa could show this clueless momma had to put beads in Aliyah's hair. In the picture above, Aliyah's hair was in practice mode and Cami has yarn braids which is something I hope to attempt with Aliyah one day. But for our African Haircare 101 we just started with braids and beads.

Then when we got home I gave it a try. This hairstyle took me about an hour. People often ask me how I get her to sit still that long and this is how, lollipop bribes and T.V! You can see the boys absorbed in Olivia in the background.

Aliyah was so excited to have "beads like Cami!" She kept shaking her head back and forth and asking me to hold her up to the mirror to see.

Then we were done it was Aliyah's turn to fix Nick's hair :)

Deglass

Last week as I picked up Aliyah from school and we got into the car she asked for "deglass". Her language skills are pretty good and I can usually understand her but that one was unclear. I asked if she meant sunglasses or maybe a necklace and finally figured out that she was saying Dance Class. Her school works with a dance school that comes on site to offer dance classes once a week. They hold the classes in the indoor play area which is right outside of Aliyah's classroom. So every week as the dance class is being held outside her window, Aliyah has been anxiously asking her teachers if she could go to "Deglass". Clever marketing!

Aliyah is very heavily influenced by her brothers (shocking, I know) and often wants to do the same things as them. She kicks the soccer ball with them, puts on her glove and tries to catch the ball, takes swings off the tee with the bat and will play with the big buckets of dinosaur and car toys. This is one of the first things that she has expressed an interest in all her own. So, while it wouldn't have been my number one choice of activity to sign her up for, I was happy to oblige when my little girl asked to go to dance class.

Nick and I went to watch the first class and Aliyah was so happy! She did a great job following instructions and was beaming from ear to ear with excitement the whole time. The class focuses on movement and coordination and mostly just having fun.


This was Aliyah's expression when she realized the class was over.

But then she brightened up when I suggested we take a picture with her teacher, Ms. Jana :)

Coach Pete

Pete is starting his third year of coaching soccer and this year he is coaching both Nick and Noah's teams. He has also coached two years of baseball and he is thinking of being an assistant coach for flag football in the fall. All in all, he's coached a lot of kids and it seems that it's starting to happen quite frequently when we go out that we run into one his current or past players. I usually hear a little boy's excited cry of "Hey, look! it's Coach Pete!" It feels like I am out with a minor celebrity the way these little kids look up to him.

So now in addition to being know as Nick's Mom, Noah's Mom and Aliyah's Mom, I am also Coach Pete's wife :)

Vacation

Last week we went to Lake Almanor for a week. This was our second year as a family visiting the lake where I spent my summers as a child. Of course this year was extra special since Aliyah was with us. We spent the week fishing, swimming, hiking and enjoying the beautiful lake. The kids were filthy and exhausted at the end of each day and we all agreed that we want to go back again next year.

A tired boater...

and two happy boaters.

Beautiful Mt. Lassen (yes, that is snow on the ground in August!)

Enjoying ice cream after a hike around Manzanita Lake.

The boys teaching Aliyah how to fish. Unfortunately we didn't catch anything but we are hoping Grandpa Jeff can join us next year and teach us the secrets of fishing Almanor.

Portland

Last weekend my friend Kate and I flew up to Portland to visit our good friend Megan who is expecting a baby next month. The weekend consisted of lots of talking, eating good food, getting pedicures, hiking, talking and laughter. Yes, I mentioned talking twice, because we talked... A LOT! These are friends who I unfortunately don't see as often as I used to, but once we are together again it's like we were never apart. Such a fun trip. My only complaint is that like all good things, it went by way too fast.