More Sunny California

When I woke up on Sunday morning, I decided to go for a run along the beach. Not on the beach, just on the sidewalks parallel to the beach. ;) About six weeks ago I hurt my ankle and had to put my C25K (Couch to 5K) training on hold. With the beautiful weather and gorgeous views, I decided to see how well I could do not having exercised for 6 weeks. Eeek!

The run went well (yay!) and when I got home Chris was ready to go for a walk, too. Madelyn insisted on going with him, so off they went.

Per Madelyn's usual exercise regimen, she didn't last very long, and Chris brought her home so he could finish his walk.

Once home, Madelyn wanted to spend some more time up in the top bunk. She was excited to have this super cool bed all to herself before our friends arrive on Wednesday.

Our 4th of July decorations ended up being the hit of the complex! Everyone has commented on how "festive" the twinkle lights and decorations are! Thanks, Daddy!

Carlsbad, CA 2013

Yes, we headed back to Carlsbad for our annual 4th of July trip! We absolutely love it here!

As soon as we arrived, we unpacked the truck and headed straight down to the beach. We didn't even get our suits on; we were just anxious to get our feet in the sand. Ahhh...

Once we watched the sun set, we headed back to the condo, and Daddy put up the Fourth of July decorations, and we settled in for a week in paradise.

Sleepover Time!

So... Madelyn has had many sleepovers with family, but until yesterday, she hasn't had a friend over or gone to a friend's house over night. After many, many hours of persuasion, we decided to let Madelyn have a friend sleepover. And I have to say, it went soo well! Both Madelyn and Isabelle had a great time!

I have some great pictures of the start to the night... tatoo markers galore, and pizza for dinner!
Unfortunately, these pictures live somewhere in cyber picture land. I completely forgot to check to be sure there was a memory card in the camera before I started snapping. Oops.

After dinner, the girls decided to put on a pajama fashion show:

Then they spent some time playing with their stuffed animals and getting them all ready for bed:

They also played Disney Headbandz! Such fun! They insisted since it was their sleepover, "big people" were not invited to play. But, my oh my, we could hear the giggles from the other room. It was sweet as could be!

Auntie Kristin and Livvy stopped by so I could braid Livvy's hair, and we all enjoyed root beer floats.

Then the girls gave Livvy some "tattoos" for good luck at the volleyball nationals!

Finally, it was time to brush teeth and get to bed...

The next morning, they were up bright and early and at it again! What a success!

Recital Time!

Madelyn has been gearing up for her big recital this weekend! She has been dancing at The Dance Shoppe for nearly a year, and she LOVES it! Chris and I love it, too. They are so organized, and seem to have all ducks in a row.

Last Thursday they held a "practice" dress rehearsal at the studio so that the parents could take pictures and videos. I loved this idea because we can't take pictures during the "real" dress rehearsal or recital, and it will be a while before we get the professional DVD.

We were especially excited that Auntie Kim, Mac, and Ethan were in town for the family reuion and got to come watch! Auntie Kim said Madelyn woke up this particular morning and said, "It's my lucky day." Kim asked her why, and she said, "Because my mommy is going to do my makeup!" Yes. I have given in to the idea that she's a girly girl and LOVES dressing up and wearing make-up. We have agreed that this is acceptable for recitals and Halloween. And she couldn't have been more excited with the finished product. She looked so much older, which made me sad, but I'm tickled she knows what she likes.

Click an image to make it larger. Then scroll down to watch the video. :)

 

Her dance (yes, that's singular, not 4 different dances like last year) is to the song "Fly" from the Tinkebell movie. It's so cute! Madelyn is especually excited because she and her friend Isabelle get to dance next to each other. They are adorable together! :)

Here's the video from rehearsal...