Life Lately

Life is as expected quite busy this Fall. In addition to a crazy extra curricular schedule for Ally we have been trying to purchase a house. We finally have an accepted offer in on a larger home just around the corner from where we live now - literally its 150 yards away! We are all very excited. Now Becky and I are in the throws of financing decisions and trying to sell our current condo.
It will all work out and hopefully we will be moved in by Christmas.

Ally had a 101 degree fever one night last week so she missed a day of school. I stayed home with her and she binge watched a new tween Netflix series "Greenhouse Academy" it was pretty good.  She loved snuggling with Cloey.

She missed 2 days of practice (only 1 day of school) so you know she wasn't feeling well.
And she had to rest up for another weekend of birthday parties - in the past 2 weeks she has attended 4 parties!

Saturday I drove Ally and 6 friends to the bowling alley for Daniela & Maya's party.
Pictured above right to left:
Willow, Colette, Cata, Juli, Lexie, Bleuet & Ally

Ally of the guests at the party are above- one of the other parents took this picture. Ally is quite vocal about not wanting us to hang around. We try to respect her wishes.

Sunday was Sophocles' party. It was a talent show theme - and Ally performed gymnastics skills for her talent. Other friends played piano, did baton twirling etc.

Yesterday was school picture day - and it was only 34 degrees in the morning! our first hat day of the year. Ally indulged me with a couple pictures before school.

And one more picture after school. She is hiding a meringue cookie behind her back. These are her absolute favorite right now. We just laugh - even the nutritionist we met with recently chuckled. 3 meringue cookies are 7 fat and only 35 calories. Its crazy!
The nutritionist said Ally needs to eat more protein (which we knew but is hard when she doesn't like cheese or much meat and only drinks chocolate milk) and she needs more fat in her diet. Ice Cream every day if she wants - and maybe even brownie sundaes! Ally needs to eat more fat. We have some strategies and are working on it.
In talking with the nutritionist we realized that while Ally does eat a limited diet and is quite picky she does eat really healthy and a variety of foods - its just not as much variety as we'd all like.

Ally agreed to work on it.

Guatemala Girls - Happy Birthday Rosa

Last weekend we celebrated Rosa turning 12!

They went to a local farm and picked out pumpkins. 

Rosa, Roxie, Ally & Gabi..

We all missed Alice.

Rosa got right to work.

Roxie and Ally did too



And Gabi too

Rosa made herself an eyeball cupcake cake!


And Roxie ate the pupil! 

Roxie’s jack o’ lantern was not very scary.

But she even carved a butt on the back!

We were all impressed with her creativity.

Ally! 

Rosa and her mom Julie 


4 grown up Guat Girls with their pumpkins.

Puppies!

No we did not get a puppy. We were not  even tempted when we saw how big the puppies would grown up to be. 

When my dad was visiting we took a day trip to NH to visit one of my coworkers who breeds French Mastiffs (aka Dog de Bordeaux). 

And back at him we were happy to see our Cloey who stays small. She humored us and wore a Halloween costume for a while. 

Happy Birthday Alice!!!

Last month Ally and I were some of the honored guests at Alice’s 12th birthday celebration.

It was a rainbow unicorn theme!

Alice, her Grandma Mae Mae and Ally.

Beautiful fruit tart and there was a rainbow cake too! 

Friends! 

That is Alice’s bunny Marshmallow.

Cheryl made each guest a metal stamped charm. 

Ally trying to break the pinata.

It was a fun party. 

Life lately

Ally is settling in to middle school nicely. She is enjoying changing classes and likes most of her teachers. Interestingly gym class is no longer her favorite class. It’s a new teacher this year and I think she’s kind of over PE with all her dance and ballet. 

So far we are managing her schedule and she’s getting homework completed. Hopefully she can keep that up. 

Ally has been doing private lessons with one of her gymnastics coaches on Sundays. To make up for the times she misses on Friday at pointe class. She loves these one on one lessons. They spend 45 minutes on bars and Ally gets horrible rips on her hands but she loves it. This week she told me “my hands hurt so badly while I was practicing Giants. But I kept telling myself, you can do it, this is gymnastics and sometimes there is pain. Pain is part of gymnastics. And I did it. But it really hurt mommy”.

Here is what a rip looks like

It is a blister that has popped

So for it to heal I cut off the loose skin


So she has a hole in the skin on the palm of her hand. Yes it hurts. So we neosporin and bandage it up until it heals. Usually takes about 5-6 days and then she has another private lesson and gets a new rip.

But she loves it.

Ally has been taking landscape photos of the different views on the way to practice. This week the Saturday morning sunrise:

In new school clothes from Great Aunt Martha 

After Saturday morning practice. Very tween pose here.

Riding in the car with Cloey

Loving her new haircut!

My dad aka Grandpa Frank is visiting us for a week,

In sad news Ally’s hamster Cupcake died last night. Ally was sad of course but mostly sad because it was another loss in such a short period of time.  But she had Willow over and the girls made some awesome slime, Ally has ballet and seemed to get thru this well.