Prom Dress Shopping

Last weekend Heidi and I did a little Prom dress shopping...in my closet.

 

I was happy to pull out my old prom dresses from high school and show them to Heidi, after all, I have fond memories of my mom, pulling out her old dresses from the back of her closet.  I also distinctly remember making fun of her gingham taffetta bride's maid dress from her sister's wedding...which she promptly defended as being quite in style at the time.

 

Funny thing was, I still wasn't expecting Heidi's reaction to my old dresses....she thought they were hilarious and couldn't believe I wore them!  And I, of course, promptly defended them, saying there was nothing silly about them and they were quite in style at the time.

 

Have you heard the expression:

"I keep opening my mouth and my mother comes out!"

???



Heidi's critique: "It's soooooo shiny...and what's with these sleeves?"
To which I said, "Oh, you think these sleeves are big..."



Christmas Formal 1992

 

Heidi: "Holy Sleeves!!!"

 

Sweetheart Dance 1993



Heidi: "This looks like a costume from a theatre group. Why does it have a doily on the front?"
Me: "It's called lace, and it's on the front of my wedding dress too, and it's gorgeous!"



Senior Priom 1993

  Heidi was impressed that they were all homemade: my mom made the shiny blue dress and the peach prom dress, while I made the simple teal dress for a Personal Progress project.  Personally, I thought they were all gorgeous and Heidi looked amazing in these "old-fashioned" gowns.  To be fair, Ethan thought they were pretty hilarious too, but I still don't see it.

 

Wow, I must really be getting old.

War Horse

In February, we took Mom and Dad and the two older kids to see the Broadway production of War Horse at the Paramount Theater.  It was the kids' first time going to a Broadway show and they were pretty excited.

 

 

 

 

The show was amazing!  You almost forgot that these horses were puppets.  They seemed so real, with distinct personalities and realistic movements.

 

 

Grandpa and Ethan had fun working together on an engine which had been a Christmas present.

 



Three generation shot.  Funny how we are all nearly the same height.

 



We had so much fun with Mom and Dad here!  The kids always love spending time with Grandma and Grandpa and wish they could come more often.

 

What a great weekend!

 

My Little Leprechaun Catcher

Last night Erica and I worked together to make her very own Leprechaun Catcher for her St. Patrick's Day party at Preschool today.  She had so much fun cutting out the papers, taping them in place, and securing the shiny decorations which no leprechaun could possibly resist.  She kept giggling and telling me how much the Leprechauns were going to LOVE this little house!

 



 

I'd say it looks pretty tempting!!  She didn't catch a little man at her party, but maybe she will at our house on Sunday night, you never know....

 

It's the luck of the Irish.

Happy Seventeen!

 

Seventeen years ago today I gave birth to the cutest little button of a baby girl.  She was so tiny, only 6 pounds, 4 ounces.  Eric and I were both smitten immediately, and were in constant competition over who got to snuggle and love her.  Now I have had the joy of watching her grow to be a beautiful, smart, generous, kind, talented, strong young woman.  I am so proud of who she is and how she upholds her standards.  She brings so much light and joy into our home.  We have been so blessed to have her in our family!

 

We signed Heidi up with a local gym membership for her birthday. She got a bunch of cute workout clothes to show off!

 

Heidi's Black & White Cake



Yes, I was terrified that the paper flower in the center would catch fire! I started singing my own version of Alicia Keys: "This cake is on fi-ya!!"

Surprise inside: ZEBRA STRIPES!!!
Turned out AWESOME!

I think the cake was a hit....

 

HaPpY BiRthDaY HeiDi!!

New Smile

Before.....

 



 

After!!!!

 

A beautiful smile, well worth the wait!!!

Tolo Mission Impossible

 

Heidi's Tolo Date turned out to be a lot of fun!  The kids started out at our house for appetizers.

 

Then they opened the Top Secret Box to reveal what their mission for the night would be....

The first assignment was to purchase the craziest outfits they could find at a thrift store with only $15 per couple.  They came up with some pretty flashy stuff!

 

Everyone changed back into their regular clothes to enjoy the beautiful dinner our friends the Lebarons had prepared for the kids.

 

 The table setting was beautiful!

And the food was delicious!!

 

After dinner, they played more games, then made their way to Red Robin for dessert.  How much food can these kids eat...?  A LOT!

 

Thank you to the Lebarons who organized most of this fun night!  The kids had a really great time!



Surprise Fortune

Heidi and a few of her girlfriends decided to ask some boys to the girls' choice dance "Tolo."  Heidi wanted to ask her date in a creative way, so she came up with this idea on her own.

 

Heidi researched recipes for homemade fortune cookies online.  She found one that looked good and we tried it out.  It took a lot of trial and error to get them looking like fortune cookies, and we had four red-burned thumbs between the two of us, but we got them done!

 

Heidi put a "fortune" inside each cookie which had a letter from her name, "HEIDI WHITE."  He was then meant to unscramble the letters to discover who delivered the surprise treat.

 

 



Ethan did the honors of the Ding Dong Ditch, leaving the package on Jared's doorstep.  He was so nervous about where to run, and where to hide, and what if someone came looking for him????  It was hilarious!  But he did great and didn't get caught!

 

Who couldn't say "YES" to a treat like this???

 

Will hopefully post pictures of the date itself in a few weeks....

Funny Me

Every year, Everett School District sponsors an art competition for students to submit their original pieces of art and presentation called the Reflections Celebration.  First place winners in each division then move on to state level competition.  For the first time, this year they have a Special Artist Division for those with qualifying disabilities.  The students must create their own artwork, but can have non-artistic accomodation and assistance from an adult. 

 

This year's theme is "Magic of the Moment."

 

Elise's teacher really wanted to submit something from Elise.  She works daily at school on an iPad, and loves to look at pictures of herself and her friends on it.  One day her teacher set the iPad on video record and let Elise do her thing.  The result is her submission titled, "Funny Me."

 

On Wednesday night, the School District had an open house with all the artwork and submissions on display, along with their awards.  Elise's video took first place in her division, which means it will be moving on to the state competition!

 

It was a really special night.  As I was wandering around looking at all the student submissions, I had several people come introduce themselves to me, wanting to get to meet Elise's mom.  Two women from the PTSA committee sought me out specifically so they could meet me and tell me how much they adore Elise.  They both started to tear up as they exclaimed how excited they were to see her video, and also tell me how much of an impact she makes on all the kids around her.

 

They didn't have to tell me how special she is, though.  I already knew that, but it is so touching to see what a positive role she plays.  She is here on earth, and in our home, for a very special purpose.

 

When Eric gave Elise her first Priesthood blessing at church, it was before we even realized that she was going to be different and have special needs.  He was inspired by our Heavenly Father to tell her that she is a very special spirit, reserved to come to earth at this time, and that others would feel the Savior's love through her.

 

Everyday, Elise brings the Spirit into our home, and I see how others immediately feel something special when they are near her.  They are filled with love.  I know this is a gift from our Father in Heaven to each of us, and is Elise's special purpose here on the earth.  Even if they do not know how to expain what they are feeling, they are experiencing first-hand the Savior's love for each of us, as shown through the smile of one of His most precious children.