Center Stage

Today was the dress rehearsal for the girls' big ballet recital. No photos are allowed the night of the performance so today I made sure I had my camera. It was pretty much a nightmarish morning for me sitting on the theatre floor with Lily who had missed her nap and is teething, Gwen who constantly was complaining about her itchy leotard only to take it completely off (tights and all) just as they were calling her dance to get on stage and I must not forget the spilled family-size bag of pretzel sticks in the dark compliments of a McGee girl who shall remain unnamed. To sum it up, we were a mess. With all of the craziness however, once the girls had their turns on the stage they were in heaven. Both of them beamed. Sadly I did not get a photo of Elle onstage because of the circumstances described above but she was adorable and so sweet. I will have to sneak one of her on Wednesday night. I did happen to get this photo of Gwenners. Now you can see why I put up with all of the "crazy". It is totally worth it.

The Whole City

This past year, I signed up Elle for the "late-bird" Kindergarten class. She didn't start until 11:05 (best decision ever). With her home in the mornings, on Tuesdays she would go with me to drop off Gwen at preschool. I know this sounds funny but it was something she really looked forward to. Gwen's preschool sits on the top of a hill and has an amazing view. There is a long outdoor hallway and each time we were there she would say "mom, can I go see the whole city"? The whole city. That made me smile every time. So each Tuesday we would first drop Gwen off in her class and then we would head up the stairs to her favorite view spot. She always wanted me to hold her and then we would look out at "our city". The day I took this picture it was cloudy but all that gray in the background just past the palm trees is the ocean. One of the cutest things she would do is when I was holding her she would make her hands look like she was holding a camera and she would pretend to take a picture. I would give her a big kiss and that was our ritual every Tuesday morning. It seems so silly but it really was so sweet and will always be a favorite memory for both of us.

Gwen's Last Day of School

This year Gwen has been going to a one-day-a-week preschool. It was just what she needed to feel grown-up like her big sister but still get lots of time home with me. Every Monday night as she would drift off to sleep I would tell her, "you have a very fun day tomorrow..." She would always give me a huge smile and say, "my school!!!". She loves "her school". Today they did a performance for their parents complete with face paint. Super low-key and super cute. I love this little girl so much. My Gwen-gwen. She's growing up and I love it but want it to slow down all at the same time. I can't imagine life without this little one and her huge kisses and hugs. I am one lucky mama.

Father's Day

We had a really fun Father's Day. The girls woke up early and were so excited to make Jon breakfast. The first thing they did was open up our cupboard to get out the cutting board. In our house the cutting board = a breakfast in bed tray. The girls were practically tripping over each other as they hurried up the stairs to deliver everything to their dad in bed. I really need to video more often because their voices and pure excitement melt me. Our gift to him was a remote control helicopter. Jon loves stuff like that and when the girls and I saw it at a kiosk in the mall we all knew it was the perfect gift for him. He loved it. The girls hurried jon through breakfast because they were soo excited about the helicopter. All 3 of the girls had so much fun with it this morning. We all went to church together and then when we came home, Elle and I started cooking. Jon got to choose anything he wanted for the Father's Day lunch.

The menu ended up being:

Baked Swedish Spaghetti, Salad, French Bread, and homemade Chocolate Cake for dessert.

The dinner picture isn't so great but I still love it (gwen's eyes are half shut but in all the other pictures I took she had her hands covering her face because she kept waving them and yelling, "happy father's day!!" while I was trying to take the picture. elle is holding up 6 fingers because it is almost her 6th birthday...can you tell she's excited?)

We each went around the table and said our favorite things we love about Jon/Dad.

Elle said, "I love daddy because he rides bikes with me and plays with me." The cutest thing was at the end she added, "I am so glad that I was sent from heaven to him." I loved that.

Gwen said, "Daddy gives good snuggles and scratches my back and is funny and makes princess beds for me." (Princess beds are these amazing pillow/blanket/cushion beds that jon makes on the couch for the girls when we watch movies together.)

And last but not least, I must add...

I love Jon because he is an amazing dad to our girls. He makes me want to be better in all areas of my life. He is the kindest, most sincere and loving person I know. He always hugs me in front of the girls and tells them that I am his girlfriend which I love (and they do too). Most importantly, I love that he is setting an example for our girls as to what a husband and father should be.

I love you Jonnie...Happy Father's Day

My Lily-pie

Here's my Lily-pie. 10 1/2 months old. How cute are the two bottom teeth she has popping through her little smile? I have neglected her baby book so this blog is going to have to be my record of her first year. She is still the happiest baby of all time. She has to have visual contact with me still at all times but I don't mind that a bit. Lily is my first baby to be a picky eater. After trying almost every variety of food and different combinations I have finally found something she will eat...rice cereal mixed with squash. She loves it. She giggles when tickled and also when Elle and Gwen act silly in front of her. Whenever Lily hears music she wiggles back and forth and smiles from ear to ear.

I adore this baby.

Dads and Donuts

In honor of Father's Day, Elle's Kindergarten class put on a "Dads and Donuts" performance today. Elle was sooo excited she could hardly stand it. I was in charge of bringing some of the donuts and as we were in the donut shop this morning she told every person in there what we were ordering the donuts for. As we were driving to school she said, "mom, my cheeks are hurting from smiling so much. I am so excited." They wore western attire because they performed to the songs, "Boot Scootin' Boogie" and Reba McIntyre's, "Why Haven't I heard from You" complete with cell phone props in their pockets (Elle's favorite part). It was 100% adorable. My favorite part was watching Elle and Jon. Elle didn't take her eyes off of her daddy the entire performance. She was so proud that he was there for her. She presented him with an art project she made for him that had the words, "My dad likes______".

Here is how she filled it out in her own spelling:

My dad likes: me

My dad likes: gofing

My dad likes: bing a gud dad

My dad likes: spending time with me

My dad doesn't like: bing a bad dad

Secret Spoon

Gwen and I made cookies today. I had no intentions of taking any pictures but she looked so darn cute sitting up on the kitchen island with her face covered in chocolate...I couldn't resist. Whenever I make cookies the girls love to have some of the cookie dough. They always try to secretly sneak spoonfuls so we just started calling it "secret spoon". Now they just ask for a "secret spoon" and I know just what they want. Gwenners comes across so serious in pictures but she is quite the opposite in "real life". She is really funny. Very talkative and really animated. Whenever I ask her to do something she says, "suuure, of curse." It kills me every time. That's exactly what she said when I asked her if I could take a few photos of her before she jumped off the counter. So cute! I love you Gwenners. I had so much fun with you this afternoon.

Kindergarten Open House

I can't believe this school year is coming to an end. We got a babysitter for Lily and Gwen and went to Open House Night at Elle's school. She was so proud to show Jon and me around her Kindergarten classroom. It has been such a great year for her. Her teacher is Miss B. She is an amazing teacher and I feel so fortunate that Elle was able to be in her class this year. She has given Elle such a positive start to her school career. I told Miss B that she has celebrity status in our home with how much Elle speaks of her and adores her. Elle has grown-up so much this year. We had so much fun watching her give us the official tour around her room. She ended the night with her greatest accomplishment...forget about learning to read...Elle was most proud of what was out the back door of her classroom. Elle ran straight to the swing set and showed us how she can get a running jump on to the swings and can pump all by herself. Before the year started I remember her being so nervous about the fact that she had not mastered this yet. She was beyond proud of herself on this accomplishment. So cute. The night ended with her getting to choose anyplace she wanted to go for dessert. She chose, Juice it Up and ordered her usual, The Mango Tango. My baby is off to first grade!

My Jon

I really love this guy. A lot.

(photo of us taken by my brother on our vacation to mexico a few weeks ago)

Memorial Day

We had a really fun memorial day. Grandma and Grandpa McGee came down with Jon's sister Erieka and her family. Lots of good food and lots of cousins = a lot of fun. It was Lily's first time in a pool. She loved every minute of it. We put so much spf 50 sunblock on the girls that their skin looked purple. Gwen and Elle played non-stop with their daddy in the water. The girls kept yelling, "cannon ball" and then would jump to Jon. I loved watching him with all 3 girls in the water. He is a good daddy. I am excited for school to let out so we can have a lot more days just like this.