Happy Birthday Mommy!

We just returned home following our big family date~The Tooth Fairy (really cute movie, by the way) and dinner at Cherry Creek. We had a fabulous time (Ella said this was the best day ever) but were glad to make it home in time to wish my mommy, Mrs. Vickie Lynn Hopp Carter a happy birthday! The world became a much better place 50 something years ago. You are a wonderful mom, an awesome grandma, a so-so Sequence player, a slightly confused word pronouncer, an interesting dancer and one of my most favorite people in the whole world. We love you very much!

Dear Mom, I have searched and searched for the perfect quote to end this posting and was unable to find a single one that seemed even the least bit suitable. I wish I had the words to express my gratitude to you and my love for you but I'm not sure it is possible. Without your guidance, love and support, my life would be indescribably different. As a baby girl, a little girl and a teenage girl, I did not appreciate and frequently raged against the very characteristics that I now try to model with my own daughters. As each day goes by and as my girls progress through their babyhood, little girlhood and soon into their teenagehood, I understand more and more the sacrifice, joy, grief, pride, fear, strength and love that truly goes into being a mom. Never could I have understood the depth of emotion that comes with being a mother. Thank you for always loving me, never giving up on me, for keeping your sense of humor and for instilling in me the knowledge that no matter how grown up and independent I am, I will always need and can always count on my mom

Glitz and Glamour....

As I was looking back through some of my photos, I realized I had neglected to post about the girls' big night out at the Glitz and Glamour Gala. Obviously I didn't want you all to miss out on the excitement and so although this wonderfully chaotic and disorganized but oh so thrilling and glamorous event took place almost two weeks ago, please enjoy the stroll down the red carpet and the peek behind the velvet rope...

Our first stop (after an extremely long wait to get in, receive an autograph from Mrs. South Dakota and get our name tags) was nails. As usual, Grace took the opportunity to multitask, get pampered while people watching....

Ella was slightly more willing to show her excitement with the whole fabulousness of it all....

Another wait was in store for our incredibly patient glamazons.... And then it was time for hair. Again, it wasn't hard to tell if Ella was enjoying herself or not...
But by this point, even Grace was getting into the groove of things...
Once hair and make-up has been taken care of, the only reasonable place to head next was the photo booth. Ella channeled her inner diva and made thoughtful use of the accessories wall....

Well, all the girls did for that matter and with some coaxing, they had some fun...
After facing the paparazzi, the moment Ella had been waiting for since receiving her "Glitz and Glamour" invitation had arrived~time to walk the red carpet. She posed....
She paused, took a deep breath and with the pomp and circumstance of an actress stepping out of her limo at the Academy Awards, she walked...
You could see the amazement and wonder on her face as she entered the big dance party. What I wouldn't give to be able to put myself so fully into the moment.

The girls joined the throngs of tweens and pre-tweens on the dance floor....
It didn't take Ella long before she realized that just standing around looking awkward and staring at all the other girls rocking out was not what she came to do... She went out in search of her own corner of the dance floor...

And brought the noise and the funk with her....
Finally, after seeing all the fun Ella was having, the other girls decided to join in the fun and let their hair down...

Before we knew it, the disco ball had stopped spinning, the decibel level had come back down somewhere near the normal range (not that I would know because my hearing had been severely compromised) and the time had come to wish Mrs. South Dakota farewell.

The girls departed feeling both glitzy and glamorous. Mission accomplished.

Dreams...

Just like Martin Luther King Jr., I also had a dream. Albeit, my dream was more of the home improvement, materialistic variety vs. the inspirational, humanitarian, world improvement variety but I had a dream nonetheless. Since Lily graduated from her crib, I have longed for a lovely, matching bedroom set to grace her room. Obviously she didn't express this as a dream of her own but as her mother, I know for sure she wanted this as well. Jason, of course, didn't know how badly he wanted this dream to come true either but come true it did, this Saturday. Kolb Construction was temporarily turned into Kolb Furniture Delivery and Assembly. Upon seeing the trailer loaded with furniture in our driveway, our wonderful neighbor hollered over an offer of help which we declined and started the hard work. Bed, dressers, bookshelf and nightstands~the things my dreams are made of. Lily was thrilled and immediately offered her assistance with the assembly....

See, clearly she wanted this...Her most exciting discovery came when the bed was in place and she realized it was much higher than her previous bed and she could easily crawl under it and utilize it as another hiding spot... After hours of carrying, assembling, arranging and rearranging, Lily was feeling right at home and told us over and over, "Thank you for my new room. I love it." which made my aching back completely worth it.

Grace and Ella also benefited from the furniture fairy as Grace became the proud new owner of the nightstand she has been desiring and a mirror. Ella inherited the dresser that had been in Lily's room. These new items necessitated rearranging their rooms as well. I recall as a little girl, loving to rearrange my room and how excited and novel it all seemed and hoped for positive reactions. And, my girls didn't disappoint. They were so stoked and are in love with their new environments. However, they would not sign the waiver to allow me to publish photos because they want real life reveals rather than technological reveals and so you will all just have to come over if you want to see the finished products.

Following our oh so successful Saturday, it seemed impossible to top the happiness level at our humble abode but we are a home filled with overachievers and knew we could do it. Following church and a thrilling Vikings win, it was time for the eagerly anticipated annual Kolb Aquatic Extravaganza. We arrived, the girls hopped in the pool and that was that. Ella and Lily swam like fishes and enjoyed themselves immensely but threw in the towel long before Grace. Good old Stoneface got out of the pool for about 15 minutes for a quick pizza break and didn't resurface until we were forced to drag her out of the depths, fingers shriveled and palms blistered from the rope that spans the pool. Such a terrific event that the girls (and all the Kolb kids and grandkids alike, for that matter) look forward to all year long. Thank you to John and Connie for your thoughtfulness and generosity. You are responsible for the following smiles and memories....

Today the girls and I tossed around the idea of going to a movie but opted to wait until our head honcho could join us and decided on a couple of activities he is less inclined to enjoy~shopping and a visit to the pet store. Our first stop was lunch at the food court in the mall and the wishing well....Although I didn't inquire, my best guess is their wishes had something to do with the final stop of the day, the pet store.

Sadly, the "Buy Me A Puppy At The Pet Store" dream didn't come to fruition, but we did bring home our very own brand new mini-critter, a lovely beta fish who has been dubbed Lloyd (because what else would you name a fish?).

And so, after another fantastic weekend, it's back to the real world tomorrow. School, volleyball, cleaning and sweet dreams....

Bits and Pieces...

It's been a while so I thought I would update you all on what we have been up to lately....

We spent our two snow days cozily inside our house growing rock crystals... Modeling some sweet goggles (all in the name of science, of course)....
Cooperatively painting Lily's princess/castle set... Playing house???....

Excitedly anticipating our very fun upcoming events~the Glamour and Glitz gala for Grace and Ella on Friday night and the annual Kolb Family swimming party on Sunday...
And playing Sequence like it's our jobs....
***All this Sequence playing has made me brutally aware that: a. It's no longer a given that unless I consciously try to lose, I will win. and b. Ella throws her entire self into board games like she does everything else. Some of the quotes I have heard from her while in the thick of the game are: "Ooohh, it makes me so angry when things like this happen and I don't have the card I need." and "Well, at least she's giving us enough time." (when Grace had four in a row causing Ella and I to panic but taking forever to get her Sequence) and "Ooohhh, I wish I could give you a hint right now, Grace." and my personal favorite, "I hope you win this time, Mom."

I personally have spent some time on the following activities:

Researching the best new pair of eyeglasses for myself and in turn, the best place to purchase said eyeglasses.
Mentally arranging Lily's new bedroom furniture in anticipation of it's arrival.
Contemplating Lily's seriousness in accomplishing her career goal of cowboy girl. As we drove by a "farm" today, Lily was looking at the fenced area where the horses usually are and wistfully said, "That is where I will practice to be a cowboy girl." This may not be such a joke after all.
Looking back over old pictures and marvelling over how little my babies used to be and how heartwarmingly adorable they were/are...

realizing how lucky I am to be the possessor of these memories and the participant in the many more to come...

feeling grateful for how life-affirming they are to me....

And vowing to not let these moments get away from me.

"Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life."~Sophacles