Tooth Fairy Extraordinaire

The Tooth Fairy had a busy summer in the Ellis home. Well.... not as busy as she should have had. I think in the course of two months, Natalie lost so many teeth that she caught up to the same amount of lost teeth as Lauren, who is two and a half years older. Unfortunately, the Tooth Fairy couldn't keep up with Natalie. On the first night, the Tooth Fairy totally forgot. Okay... let's just call the Tooth Fairy "me." I think we blamed it on a busy night - which Natalie kindly accepted. The second night resulted in a sad Sunday morning with her discovery that the Tooth Fairy once again did a "no-show." So we explained to Natalie that the Tooth Fairy must not work on Sundays. It's worked once before when Lauren was younger, (that's right - we forgot once with Lauren as well) so why not try again? Of course, Natalie agreed as well. The Tooth Fairy wouldn't work on Sunday! If only the story ended there. But it gets worse...On Monday morning I forgot again and I awoke to find Lauren putting her own dollar and hand-written note under a still-sleeping Natalie. In the course of a nano-second I felt a few things: First, Guilt. Seriously, three nights in a row I forget? Mother of year, right here. Second, Surprise. What the heck is Lauren doing? I think at first she was worried about my reaction as well, because she seemed pretty nervous to explain what she was doing. Third, Adoration. How fabulous is it that my 9 year old will put a dollar and note under her little sisters pillow before she wakes up. (Oh - if only their relationship were always this pleasant!) So Lauren, my little "dear in headlights" daughter says: "Mom, the Tooth Fairy forgot again, so I wrote a note, and put a dollar under her pillow." I told her how impressed I was that she took care of her sister but said that I would foot the bill for the Tooth Fairy, and she could keep her own dollar - to which she sheepishly asked, "Mom, is there really such a thing as Tooth Fairies?" (Dangit! ) All I could say is "Nope, Lauren, there's not." What else could I do? Lauren took it well, but her wheels have been spinning ever since. The very next day: "So mom, is there really an Easter Bunny? Because if there's not can I help with Natalie's easter basket? I promise to never tell!" Oh BLURG! This should be an interesting Christmas...

Celebrate Good Times, C'Mon!

Today would be my mom's birthday. I'm not sure how to word it properly...Today is my mom's birthday? Anyway - it's a special day that I think we in our family will always remember. I don't want this entry to seem sad, but rather an annual celebration of my mom. This year will mark the first that I journal about it. (But I can't promise that I won't blog about her on other occasions.) She was pretty awesome, and is sorely missed! She was more fun than most moms even know how to be; Not just with her own family - but with everyone she enteracted with. This year, I will post a couple of pictures from our trip to Hawaii in 1989. My little sister Sarah finished photo albums that my mom started so long ago and gave them to us as Christmas presents last year. Best presents ever! She kept all of mom's original documentation such as our meal on the airplane, the movie that they showed (Chances Are, with Cybil Shepard - FYI) and our itinerary for each day.

Like I said, "Awesome," right?

I think this picture below is how I remember my mom the most. Okay...she wasn't always draped in a flower lei, but she did wear a MooMoo more often than you might think. (She often wore it after church on Sunday afternoons while making taquitos, or Belgian waffles.) She's so pretty, and when I dream of her, this is always the age she seems to be. (Except she's usually in a pink and navy sweater - not the MooMoo.)

I love this picture below of my mom, Shelley & Sarah. Shelley was always so tall, slender and pretty! And Sarah was just the cutest little nugget. Actually, she still is really cute, and she's still a little nugget. This was such a great summer!

I don't know why, but this picture makes me laugh. Hard. I mean, what else can I say? It's me and mom.... Apparently modeling snorkeling gear?

(Incidentally, this is the navy & pink sweater that I always dream of her wearing...)

Tonight Jen suggested that we get together to celebrate mom's birthday.

What's the best way to honor mom? I have three thoughts on what she'd prefer: 1) Get together and quote movie lines and see who can guess them. Or... 2) Dance to the jukebox as long as we listen to three of her favorites: B52's Loveshack, Long Cool Woman in a Black dress by the Hollies, and Mony Mony by Billy Idol.
Or... 3) Bake.

We chose to bake.

Jen shared that one of her favorite memories of mom was when she would randomly sign our notes, weekly envelopes, and papers for school as "Elizabeth Taylor." Seriously... she really did. I wonder how our teachers felt about that.

Paulina said that one of the best things mom ever said to her was "You can tell me you wanna go to Krispy Kreme anytime, and I'll take you. And we'll eat donuts!"

Love you mom. Thanks for being the best mom ever! Happy Birthday!

Just A Teaser...

Ryan and I have been married for 13 years. Up until last month, we have NEVER had our pictures taken professionally, since our wedding day. I love pictures. I love to look at pictures in magazines, books, people's websites, photo albums - you name it. So why avoid an annual photo shoot ourselves? I can think of a few reasons...First, I'm not an Olan Mills kind of girl. I think I took Lauren once when she was a baby, and they just weren't my style. But I didn't know how to explain what I wanted. I wanted something more than a simple picture taken outdoors... Second, I've never considered myself photogenic. I'm embarrassed to admit that some of my most fervent prayers in my life occured within the month before my wedding day asking for decent pictures. I'm not kidding. That's how much I dread a picture of me. I've learned as an adult that I regretfully have to appear in some. My girls have to know that I was indeed at Disneyland with them, and pictures can prove this when they're old and gray and want to remember their cool mother. And sometimes even a great get-together with girlfriends just has to be documented, so I will oblige and smile for the camera. But chances are good that I won't like the photo. It's like household chores. You just have to do it but won't ever love it. Third - I just had a baby and want to lose the weight first. Oh wait...she turns seven next month.

I have to admit that I was extremely excited when I heard that Ally Randle was coming back to town and would do a few photo shoots. She claims that she started photography exactly a year ago - but I think she's lying. This girl is good. She had to have been some "Top-Secret" mystery photographer for a fashion magazine that she can't discuss...because this girl takes pictures like a long-time pro. So I couldn't resist booking her. Honestly, it's a treat to plan this event for me. I stressed for over a month on a daily (okay, maybe even hourly) basis to plan our outfits. Lame? Maybe. But this was serious business. Remember - 13 years, and no photos to show for it.

Last night she graced me with a teaser...One solitary photo for my dehydrated home desperately thirsty for more. So here it is. Just me and Ryan. I love it! It's exactly the type of photo that makes me know I will book with Ally forever. If you ever go on http://www.allysonrandlephotography.com/ you will see that I am not alone in loving her pictures. I can't wait to see the rest! Just another week or so until I get to see them, and then I can finally move on to more important things in my life that need attention. Like planning out a winter photo shoot....

Lauren, the "Would-Be" Mermaid

It's not often that you get to capture your kids right in the moment of playing make-believe without them realizing that you're recording them. Usually, my camera isn't handy and the moment is gone by the time I get it out, OR they see me with the camera and suddenly pose and perform in the cheesy way that they will surely regret when they see it as teenagers. (Trust me, I have proof of that anytime I see any recording of me from long ago...it's lame.) So I was super excited that my little digital camera (which has the ability to act as a video camera) was able to capture the girls while they were swimming. Now, I don't know how to post that. I'm too new at this to do video...but I will post a picture and share the dialog that tickled me pink. (And keep in mind that I am a huge Harry Potter nerd and have passed the love of HP down to my girls, which makes this even more funny if know about HP yourself...) :

Lauren: "Natalie, let's pretend that we're each an animagus."

Natalie: "Okay." (shocker, that Natalie will go along with anything that Lauren says)

Lauren: "What animal do you want to turn into? I want to turn into a mermaid."

Natalie: "Ummmm. I think I want to be..."

Lauren: "Wait! I don't think a mermaid can be an animagus, because it's not an animal."

Natalie: "Hmmm. Maybe I'll be a..."

Lauren: "Oh! If only a mermaid could be an animagus! Because that's what I really want to be!...Well, maybe we could just pretend to be mermaids then."

Natalie: "Okay."

(end scene)

Darn those strict rules of make-believe!

Seriously? A Month?

I'm embarrassed that almost a month has passed since my first official blog posting. I've had plenty of "blog worthy" experiences to share, so what's my problem? Probably the fact that I've bragged to several people that, "I'm totally on board with this!" or "This isn't daunting at all!" or "What a great way to journal my life experiences on a bi-weekly basis!"... So as I metaphorically eat humble pie (which, incidentally, is the only pie I eat...) I will spend the next couple of days posting a few great things that I feel belong on the Ellis blog even though they've already happened over the summer. And to start, I will post a picture that Lauren took with her own camera, that she bought with her own money. (So glad she bought this instead of the iPod...) Ryan & I celebrated our 13th Anniversary last week! I love that boy....

I'm Ready To Do This!

Believe it or not, I'm way behind on the blogging craze. Not only do I spend very little time on others' blogs - I have yet to accomplish my own. But not anymore! My rockstar sister-in-law Kendra has just helped me set everything up. This is no small task. (Well, okay - it was a small task for her, but greatly appreciated by me.) Thanks for being my "assisticant" for the evening, Kendra! This is a great way to end what would normally be a night of depression since I lost my first-ever game of Cranium to Ryan and Tyler. (Next time, Kendra. We will conquer!)

So I'm excited to post pictures and finally consider myself part of the "in-crowd" with blogging. Hope it's worth it!