randomness from the willis house

so i've had it with myself and not blogging.  somehow life went from super busy to flying at mega speed.  i laugh at myself for thinking we were busy 4 months ago, because the last 4 months have defined busy in a whole new way. sheesh.  still waiting for someone to invent a machine to slow time. somebody get on that, would ya?

i've had enough of the self-imposed guilt trips with myself for failing to document everyday life in the way that my brain thinks i should, so here i am making an attempt to drown out the voices in my head.

just so you know, this is going to be as random as random gets.  and in order to make sure that this was something i could mark off my mental 'to-do' list, i've decided that editing and resizing photos was a waste of precious time. so let's just pretend there are no flaws, shall we?

spidergirl has an on again off again relationship with her smile lately, but when she flashes those pearly whites at you, it's the cutest smile you've ever seen. seriously lights up the room. she's been off the charts emotional about anything and everything lately and i thought to myself "tania, if you think this is bad, just wait a few more years 'til those teenage hormones kick in." anywho. she was super proud to be wearing a towel on her wet hair after her shower just like mommy does. not sure what it is about a twisted towel---ashlyn went through the same fascination.

ashlyn has been spending her free-time drawing, creating, crafting, etc.  her hands are almost always covered with paint or sharpie marker. her latest creations are these 'made-to-order' phone pouches made from folded notebook paper that's been reinforced with duct tape.  she's ready to go into business folks!

just spidergirl looking so very little and quite adorable.  there's so many times i look at her and marvel at how grown up she looks, but so many other times where i realize how very little she still is.  it's time playing a cruel little game of tug-o-war with my heart.

if you've been reading for some time, you're aware that this sight is nothing new to behold.  my studio is in a constant state of disarray.  i'm so not complaining because that means there's been a flurry of activity keeping things hopping.  this summer has been one deadline on the heels of another and i've loved every moment of it.  but, really. it's time to clean! this i know.

we've been spending lots of time with sore hind ends from sitting on the bleachers in the observation deck at gymnastics for two reasons....

1. because spidergirl begged and begged and begged and begged some more to take gymnastics just like her big sister from just about the time ashlyn started her first lesson.  but that pesky asthma flaring up non-stop the first 4 months of this year kept my answer at a firm NO. but over the last several months her doctors seemed to have found the right combination of medicines to keep her well-controlled and well, i didn't have a reason to say no anymore.   she's over the moon thrilled, can't you tell! :)

2. because ashlyn was moved from 1 hour a week training to 3 hours a week training in the pre-team class.  but she was in pre-team for a whole week before they asked her to join competitive team!  she's super stoked.  so now she trains 5 hours a week and loves every second of it. my wallet is crying in pain though.  competitive gymnastics is off the charts EXPENSIVE.

this is how we roll when the pain is out of control.  heating pad and puzzles. oh joy.

shark week was celebrated with baths in the dark with glowsticks and.....

floating sharks.  eeeeeps!

my house is littered with little trinkets that are near and dear to spidergirls heart.  finding them laying around everywhere is almost as annoying as stepping on a stray lego on the floor.  she's completely smitten with this nerdy chipmunk brought back from Disney.

peace.  did you know that Friday was World Peace Day?  it was.  the girls' school did activities all day long to celebrate peace.  ashlyn had written an essay on peace and was chosen along with 9 other kids from the school to read her essay during an assembly that day. of course, i know that has nothing to do with a photo of spidergirl's backpack. lol.

this is HUGE news around here.........doug.ate.a.salad.  whoa. never thought i'd see the day where my meat and potatos man would start eating all kinds of vegetables and actually LIKE them.

awwww. i'll never get tired of looking at pictures of her missing her two front teeth.  anywho. we're still making the 100 mile roundtrip adventure every friday morning to the allergist for spidergirls' allergy shot. not my favorite outing of the week, but we try to make it fun. she always takes along some sort of stuffie to keep her company.  this is her Duffy bear--a souvenir she brought back from Disney.

it's always extra stressful for me when ashlyn joins us because the two of them together in a waiting room with nowhere to burn off excess energy is a recipe for obnoxiousness. 

this pretty little batch of fabric kept me busy the last few weeks for a deadline. it was fun to play with fabric again, but i think i've decided that i'll stick to my paper. i'm so much more of an instant gratification project person these days. maybe some day when life isn't so busy i'll enjoy fabric more than paper again.

that's all i've got folks.  pretty lame. i know.