Locks of Love

Pooh Bear has been growing her hair for a couple of years now hoping to grow it long enough to donate it to locks of love. Yesterday we decided it was time to do it. It was really long and starting to bother her. And I secretly wanted her to cut it short in the cute bob she had when she was younger. I think the short bob fits her personality perfectly!

So yesterday I made an appointment at Cookie Cutters….

Before

During

After

Pooh Bear is awesome. She really wanted to donate her hair and was patient enough to let it grow long enough. 

And another from this morning before she surprised all her friends at school...

Notice Anything Different About This Girl?

December 18, 2013 

Wednesday afternoon, I checked her out of school early and we paid a visit to the eye doctor and got contacts! She is so excited and for once cannot stop thanking me. It took her a really long time to get those buggers in the first time but every time after has gone a little faster. {I feel her pain. I have had to learn to put in 3 different types of contacts all of which took me an obscene amount of time to get the hang of!}

She played a futsal {one type of indoor soccer} game last night and said that they really helped. She did okay scoring 1 of the 2 goals their team made to propel them to victory. {of course the other team only had 3 members show up and we lent them a couple of girls, so it was really more like a scrimmage}

She went back to the eye doc this morning so he could check the fit. Everything looked great so we ordered a year supply. He recommends the dailies for kids her age so I shelled out the dollars and told her that we were taking back her Christmas presents. I was kidding, a little bit.

I think she looks fantastic with or without glasses but she seems to be thrilled to pieces about the contacts. And it is nice to get some Mom currency I might be able to use later. ;)

Snow Day!

Winter may not be officially here yet, but don't tell that to these 3! It snowed all day yesterday and this morning before church the girls were planning all the fun they could accomplish in the snow this afternoon.

  Miss Bea only lasted about 20 minutes (and went through 3 pairs of mittens) before she wanted to come in and have hot chocolate.

 Pooh Bear and the Boss had plans to build a snow house but unfortunately the snow is not the building kind. As the Boss said, "We tried to build a house and then a snowman but the snow wouldn't work. But it was perfect for making snow angels!"

It is supposed to warm up this week and melt it all away. While it was so beautiful outside this morning on the way to church, honestly, if it melts it won't make me sad at all.

Flash Back

I am making baby books for all the girls for Christmas {finally} and have been going through all the old photos. Here are a few I found tonight...

Sara and Ella back when it was just Sara and Ella...

Baby Anna

And then there were 3...

Ella and Sara...

Baby Sara {feels like forever ago}...

School Photos 2013

Here are the annual school photos. Beware, serious cuteness ahead.

Drama - 7th Grade

Pooh Bear - 5th Grade

The Boss - Kindergarten

Halloween 2012

"Tender lumplings everywhere
Life's no fun without a good scare."

This morning The Boss, Bea, and I went to the school for the annual Halloween Parade through the school halls and classrooms. It takes a while for the parade to get started, so there is some waiting that can be pretty boring. Good thing Princesses and Super Heroes can make their own fun (or watch Garfield on mom's iphone) while they wait.

Then once the kids start by in their costumes it's supper awesome. 

Pooh Bear {aka Kyle Beckerman #5, Captain of RSL} and her/his class paraded by first.

Then Drama, the Hippie Chick, peace marched past. She's in 6th grade this year and it's her last parade. Sigh.

After the parade the babies and I came home and watched the Nightmare Before Christmas, because it is one of my favorite movies and oh so appropriate. Then I threatened to ban anyone who did not take a nap from trick-or-treating this evening. {so mean, I know}

Finally dad came home from work AND we ate dinner. Then it was time to hit the streets. but not before mom made them all pose for a picture.

And dad dressed up in all the left over pieces of each costume: PB's Beckerman wig that was "too heavy and itchy," The Boss's Spider Girl mask that wouldn't stay on her face to her satisfaction so we just drew on some spiderwebs, a princess tiara from the dress up bucket, and a peace button from Drama's costume {that she didn't even want to wear in the first place because she didn't believe that hippies wore buttons!}. And Buddy, who it has been determined, has dressed up as Mark or an Old Man depending on who you ask!

"This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright"

School Photos ~ 2012

School has started, the weather has actually turned cool, and the mornings are becoming (way too) dark. We've also participated in the school photo right of passage. You never really know what you are going to get with a school photo, but I should have learned by now that if someone is taking a picture of my girls, it's gonna be pretty dang cute. {Not over exaggerating here, just stating a truth.}

Pooh Bear - 4th Grade

Drama - 6th {gasp} Grade

Oh Nuts!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Well, it was inevitable - bound to happen sometime - a ticking time bomb, if you will...

Tree Nut Consumption

If you don't know Pooh Bear is allergic to tree nuts, specifically, walnuts and pecans, but we have been instructed to avoid ALL tree nuts. {side note: she is not allergic to peanuts - which are not even a nut, they're a legume} We visit the allergist every ear to have her school paperwork signed and to have a new epi-pen prescription written and filled. I carry 2 epi-pens with me all the time, we have 2 epi-pens in the cupboard at home and the school has an epi-pen in the office with her name on it. We had successfully avoided the need to use one for 5 plus years.

Until Saturday.

Saturday afternoon she called me from her friend, L's, house...

P.B.: "Mom, get my epi-pen ready. I ate some tree nuts."

Me: "What!?" "How!?" "When!?"

P.B: "They were in a cookie. My tongue is itchy and kinda getting big. L's mom is bringing me home right now."

When she arrives home, L's mom is so worried and apologetic. I'm sure I seem totally rude telling her it was okay, we'll take care of everything and pretty much blowing her off because I needed to follow P.B. into the house to give her the epi-pen.

Mark and I have a brief argument discussion about whether or not to give her the epi-pen, wherein I convince him we have to give it to her and then take her to the ER. I then hand him the epi-pen and tell him he gets to give it to her. {I'm such a pansy.} I did volunteer to hug her tight, which was a huge help I'm sure.

Epi-pen given, Pooh Bear and I head to the ER. En-route I ask her 8 to 23 times if she was still okay. 

We check into the ER and I realize that it's going to be traumatic not because of our situation but because of all the other interesting people there! The guy shaking in the corner of the tiny triage area, the crazy vocal lady without insurance on the other side of the curtain in the bed next to Pooh Bear {she may have hurt her knee but now it's totally better?}, and finally the little girl who had split her finger open falling off her bike, screaming while they performed a block on the finger. We both covered our ears for that part.

Anyway, they gave her some benedryl and a steroid that would help her body deal with the allergic reaction. she was really shaky with all the adrenalin and epinephrine coursing through her body. Then we waited to see if she had any other adverse reactions. We were there for about 2.5 - 3 hours under observation and then she was cleared to go home.

Thankfully before the doctors had to start more work on the little girl's finger next to us.

An exciting and, at the same time, utterly boring Saturday afternoon.

It was a favorable outcome {P.B. alive} and we learned a lot that afternoon. First, never assume that your friend's mom knows you have a food allergy. Always ask if the homemade cookies have walnuts in them! {I'm not sure what happened here. P.B. is so good at asking about the food she is given. She even asks me if I have put tree nuts in her food! Maybe she doesn't trust me!} But she did everything right after and was so great through the whole ordeal.

Statistically, it will happen again, but we'll be ready and we know how to handle it. Maybe this incident bought us another 5 careful years.

As an added bonus, she now has a great "What Happened This Summer" story when she goes back to school in the fall!

Dance Festival 2012

Today was the annual Dance Festival at Drama and Pooh Bear's school.

It was pouring down rain at 7:45 when I drove the girls to school.

But I have been through the refiner's fire when it comes to sitting in the rain/snow/wind/cold as a REAL Salt Lake season ticket holder so, we prepared for the worst.

But by the time we got to the school around 9:30 it had stopped raining and by the time the festival was over the sun was out and it was hot. Welcome to spring in Utah!

This year they went in order from youngest to oldest so Pooh Bear's grade (third) was up first {well, not first, I guess they were actually 4th, but you get my drift}. It was a new dance with awesome choreography and fun to watch. Pooh Bear did a few round off back handsprings at the very beginning and then rocked out with the rest of her class. Sadly, I didn't bring my good camera because of the rain so I have sad iPhone pictures to share and my phone was doing something weird so I didn't even get very many of those. Mark took video with his phone so you can watch all the dancing excitement! 

Drama's grade went 6th or next or whatever. She's in fifth grade. They had a cowboy/girl theme. They also tried to spice it up this year. Of course Drama is so tall she's waaayyyy in the back. I couldn't even find her until Mark pointed her out. Another awesome jig.

Between dance numbers Mr. Melville, the principal, {I totally just said to myself the principal is your pal to remember how to spell principal. Thank you 4th grade spelling tricks.} Would announce which kids had won the prizes from the Road to Success Reading program they have been doing all year. The kids would receive raffle tickets each week according the number of days they read and now the 5th and 6th graders were all in the running to win a Kindle. And guess which lucky 5th grader's name was called to win the Kindle....Drama's! She said she wasn't even paying attention but I screamed out loud like a crazy person. 

Ironically, she was going to get a Kindle for her birthday on Sunday. Now I have to come up with something else! Great.

Pooh Bear's the one in the hot pink shirt, BTW. {ha} She tumbles first in the back and  then she's on the front row, the 6th girl if you start counting from the left @ the girl with super long blonde hair.

Drama is on row 7 so you can't see her for most of the dance but towards the end when they dance in groups of 2 rows at a time -  she dances with the fourth group and she's front and center with the aqua tee shirt, denim shorts & cowboy hat.

80s Day

It is 80s Day at school today.

Oh the 80s. I had great hair in the 80s. 

And I looked awesome in neon. But really, who didn't?

When I was informed at 8:00 pm last night that it was, in fact, 80s day we had to get pretty creative. So, we found some old tee shirts and cut the neck off and then added some flair to Drama's and cut Pooh Bear's short. To "top" it off we ratted a pony on top of their heads. Oh! And the glove, how could I almost forget the glove?

80s day = Success!

{please don't look at Pooh Bear's shoes. don't buy shoes from shoe carnival, they are the worst. but of course these shoes are the only ones that she can find. her good trainers? Lost. cute boots. lost.}

Critical Thinking Wins Again

It is my job, as mother and resident math nerd, to check math homework nightly. Whilst checking Pooh Bear's homework for awesomeness I discovered this gem. At first glance the answer appears wrong but upon further reflection she is absolutely right! And I am going to let her turn it in this way.

Math question #8. Would you rather have your recess last from 10:30 am to 10:45 am or from 10:45 am to 11:10 am? Explain.

Pooh Bear's answer {translated}: 10:30 am to 10:45 am because it is freezing. But if it was nice, I would pick 10:45 am to 11:10 am.

Hey, I'm teaching my kids critical thinking around here. We like to look at the big picture and factor in all the variables {spelling optional}!

I haven't seen an answer this astute since Drama gave this answer on her homework.

Typical Tuesday

It's a typical Tuesday here at the Van Horn house. Are you excited to witness it? Yea, I thought so...

First things first, I'm up nice and early to make it to the gym.

When I get home it's a crazy zoo trying to get Drama and Pooh Bear off to school and Mark to work {his hair is the hardest to do}. I try to get a shower in, bathe the Boss and Bea, and get the Boss to preschool by 9:30. Sorry no photographic evidence of this part of the day.

Bea and I drop the Boss off at Ms. Cathie's Preschool and spend some quality time together running errands. We hit Walgreens, the gas station, the Library and then helped in Pooh Bears class tutoring math. Bea's awesome at fractions.

Home for a quick snack. Peanut butter and the biggest apple I have ever seen {seriously it was as big as Bea's head}.

Then back to pick up the Boss from Ms. Cathie's. Buddy likes to come with us.

Today she came home with a plastic Easter egg. Last week she came home with a real live goldfish named "Belle".

Back home to eat lunch and practice counting to 20. We had to take off our shoes and Buddy helped with the counting.

After nap/quiet time, Pooh Bear arrives home from school and it's snack and homework time (Drama has service club and is still at school).

Newest requested snack = green smoothies. Seriously, they watch me put the spinach, carrots and special "greens" powder in the blender with the fruit and oj but they still love it and slurp it down. We made extra for Drama and stashed it in the freezer until she got home.

Dinner is always a fun affair.

{yes, she did poke herself 3.56 seconds after I took this photo}

The after dinner entertainment is always exciting... someone usually ends up injured. That's one fat lip sister.

Jammies, check. Brushed teeth, check. Reading books, check.

Finding a hole in your jammies and laughing because it's super silly, check and check.

The Boss insisted in having her jammies altered to fix the hole problem and then she channeled my Grandma with the "waste not, want not" mentality. New slippers, check!

It's all in a day's work...