Second Hair Cut

It's been almost 2 years since the girls received their first haircut at the Barbershop in the Magic Kingdom in Disney World.  (Maybe someday I'll make the time to go back and blog that momentous event in Dec. 2009.)  And although I have kept up with trimming their bangs since then, the back of their hair has not been cut.  Well, lately it has gotten pretty frizzy and tangly, and I decided it's time to get it cut again.  I called around to several local hairdressers for prices and was surprised at how expensive children's haircuts can be.  So, I found some bravery and decided to attempt it myself.

The Preparation: Cut head and arm holes in a trash bag to use as a cape.  Make sure favorite movie is downloaded on iPad and set up on kitchen counter in front of stool.  Lollipops handy to help keep body, hands, and head still.

Ella was first:

 

Followed by Emma:

The girls really did a great job staying still.  Luckily for me, they have naturally curly hair, so you can't tell if I got it perfectly straight or not.   Overall, I'd call these haircuts a success.

Family Time at the Park

It was another beautiful fall day, and what better way to spend it than at the park.  This time both girls had earned the privilege of going.  This was a great sized playground for our family.  We had it all to ourselves for the first part of the time, then another family with twin girls a little younger than ours joined us.  What a fun time we had!

Daddy and Ella

Emma

Ella

Emma

Our Girls

Sliding Together

Ella

Strong Girls

All tuckered out.

New Sewer Line

Unfortunately, our plumbing lines have not drained well since we moved into this house.  When we called this last time to have the lines snaked, again, this company ran a camera down the pipes as part of their normal service, no extra charge.  (Wasn't that nice of them?) And the verdict was... we needed a new sewer line.  The line had multiple bumps and dips and was collapsed about 5 feet from the fence line.  So, we scheduled it with the company, I closed down school for a week, and here they are:

The Culprit: Bad Pipes!

The Trench

Piles of dirt where our best grass used to be.

Pit in the alley for tap into main sewer line:
about 18 feet deep! 

Yeah!  New Pipes!

Fortunately, they were able to repair it in only 2 days.  Now everything drains better than ever!

Emma's Day at the Park

We have started a reward chart with the girls.  At the end of each day, they can receive a stamp for good behavior that day.  If they have 5 of 7 stamps at the end of the week, they get a surprise.  The surprises have ranged from going somewhere special to an extra dessert.  

Well this week, Emma was the only one to earn her surprise.  So, she and I headed to the park on this beautiful autumn morning.  She had such a good time, but we really missed Ella.  I missed Ella because Emma expected me to play and climb and do everything with her like Ella would (Whew!).  Emma missed her sister and playmate and asked for her often.  

I was amazed at how much Emma has grown in her climbing skills since the last time we had been to a park.  She climbed every ladder, rock wall, and anything else she was able to reach.  I did not know she would be able to climb some of the rope ladders so capably.  

Starting

Making Progress

Almost to the Top

Look, Mommy! I did it!

We really enjoyed our time together!  A fun reward for a well deserving little girl.

Level 1 Gymnastics Class

Since Ella and Emma had so much fun in the Mommy and Me Gymnastics class, we decided to enroll them in a Level 1 class this fall.  This is a class where we drop them off for an hour and come back to pick them up.  We are allowed to stay and watch the last class of each month.  These pictures are from the first of those watch days.  We were really impressed at how much better they were able to do some of the tricks compared to the summer class.

(Disclaimer: the pics aren't the best because they were taken from the bleachers on the other side of the room.)

FYI: Ella is wearing the pink and purple tie-dye leotard, and Emma's wearing the black with pink sleeves leotard.

Waiting with Ms. Bre' for class to start

Emma doing a Bridge

Ella's "Flip"

Ella's Cartwheel

Emma's Cartwheel

Strong Arms

Just flipped over the bar

Emma Strong Arms

Flipping

Seat Drop

Doggie Drop

They love going to gymnastics, and I'm glad they have found something they like to do, for now at least.