Teya's 6th Birthday celebrations!

Teya is 6 years old!!

On her actual birthday we celebrated as a family by taking her to Chuck E Cheese

The kids had a blast as always. It's so fun to see them go crazy in there.

 We bought a little cake and sang happy birthday

Cutie BFF sisters

Teya was super duper excited about her new stamping kit we got her. This girl is the queen of crafts.

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On Saturday after play practice she had her friend party.

With the craziness of our schedule lately I didn't have as much time to plan or work on it as I would've liked, but I still think it came out pretty good.

The theme was Rainbows and Unicorns, with a little fashion thrown in because that's what the girly girl wanted.

We started with makeovers by my cute neighbor who is a beautician.

 She put feather extensions in their hair and cute makeup on their eyes.

 Once the girls were dolled up they were feelin' sassy and wanted to do a photo shoot.

Little fashionistas

 Rockin' the sunglasses from their goodie bags. 

We also dipped "unicorn horns" aka ice cream cones, in white chocolate and decorated them with frosting and sprinkles.

 Then we opened presents while we waited for the pizza to come. Teya got lots of great gifts including a stuffed unicorn which she was immediately smitten with.

Then it was time for cake

 My friend Darby made this scrumptious rainbow unicorn cake with the most delish buttercream frosting.

 The best part though were the rainbow layers inside. The girls were just giddy when we cut it open.

 We finished off with a rainbow pinata (because it's not a Rigg b-day party without a pinata!) 

Brinley was excited about the candy. (btw, if you're wondering why I filled it with such gross candy, I had to buy stuff that wouldn't tempt me, otherwise I would've eaten it all before the party ; )

It was a great weekend of celebrating our little Teya. Happy Birthday to my sweet girl! We are so blessed to have her in our family : )

Diva Playdate

The girls have been begging me to let them wear some of my make up.

 I always say no because I don't want them to trash my make up 

and I don't like them looking too grown up. (they grow up fast enough already.)

But they begged and begged, relentlessly. 

So when their little friend came over to play, 

I finally gave in and let them have a makeover diva playdate.

  

Once they were all dolled up, man alive were they happy. 

They squealed with excitement and ran off to find dresses to complete their diva look.

 Something about make up and dresses just unleashes all their sassy poses

 Working it for the camera

 Teya thinks a cheerleader-esque fist pump and pointed toe is the ultimate fashion pose. I think Brinley was trying to copy her but it didn't quite turn out ; )

Fancy faces

Diva life is not all posing for the camera. They like to make cookies too.

And of course everyone must taste test the cookie dough.

Then they requested a dance party.  All of Teya's playdates seem to end with dance parties these days. 

 Kelsey had an umbrella and thought it would make the perfect interpretive dancing prop.

They requested "sad music" (because I guess umbrellas = sadness) and came up with some of their finest choreography yet.

 Kelsey told everyone they had to have sad faces when they danced.

 Teya's sad face

 Brinley's sad face. 

Really. I told her to do sad and this is what she gave me!

So now you know, all it takes is a little makeup, some cookie dough and umbrella music to turn a normal playdate into a Diva playdate ; )

Teya lost her 1st tooth!!

A couple weeks ago I noticed a permanent tooth coming in behind Teya's baby teeth.

It kind of freaked me out for 2 reasons.

1)  Two sets of teeth just look shark-like and kind of scary

2) Baby teeth are the last babyish thing Teya is holding on to. Once she loses those I feel like she's going to grow up on me and I'm not ready for that!

Once I got over my freak-out I told her she needed to start wiggling her baby teeth so they'd come out and we could make room for the permanent ones.

She wiggled and wiggled until that baby tooth got so lose it was ridiculous.

Finally last Sunday she let me have a go at it. She was definitely scared but once she let me really grip it it popped right out. Taber caught it on video and her reaction is priceless. She literally says, "I'm so happy I'm crying!" You have to watch it.

That night she put her tooth safely under her pillow for the tooth fairy.

Meanwhile the tooth fairies were in a quandary over how much a 5 year old's first baby tooth is worth. Tooth Fairy B thought $1 was good but Tooth Fairy T thought such a significant milestone deserved more. Luckily Teya's tooth fairies have a Facebook account and were able to consult with other fairies across the country. After several fairies weighed in it was decided that the first tooth was indeed significant enough for a $5 prize, but all the other's would go for $1. 

The next morning Teya woke up to find that her tooth was gone and in it's place was a crisp 5 dollar bill and a note written on flowery paper in handwriting so tiny it could only have been written by a fairy. 

She was on cloud nine and said she didn't even feel a thing when the tooth fairy took her tooth. Those fairies have skills, no doubt.

Later I took her to the dollar store so she could spend her money. Since there's no sales tax where we live she was able to pick out 5 things. True to character, she skipped right past all the candy and went straight for the puzzles and coloring books. She bought a princess puzzle, a my little pony coloring book, some glow in the dark stars, a Tangled notebook, and then without any prompting from me, told Brinley she could pick one thing out too. Brinley chose a stuffed caterpillar and both girls were happy as could be. 

The whole thing was pretty exciting and fun to mark off another big milestone for Teya. 

(and her fairies. : )

Teya's First Day of Kindergarten

The day after our scary experience with Cam was Teya's first day of kindergarten.  I felt pretty torn that morning between staying with Camden in the hospital and seeing Teya off to school on such an important milestone day.  I didn't know how it could all work out. Finally I called Taber and suggested he bring Teya to the hospital so I could fix her hair there and take some pictures and then have Taber take her to school. 

The nurses heard me talking and when they figured out it was my daughter's first day of kindergarten they insisted I leave to see her off. Cam was the only patient in the pediatric unit that day so he had two nurses all to himself and they assured me he would be in capable hands while I was gone. I knew they were right, and I knew Teya would be very disappointed if I wasn't there, so I called Taber and told him to come and get me.

When I got home I went straight to work getting Teya all ready. She had picked out a pretty pink and white outfit complete with a brand new bow my friend Laura had made to match. I curled her hair and when she looked in the mirror I could tell she felt like a million bucks.

 I could not get over how darling and grown up she looked.

When we took her to school she was still beaming. We sent her off with her class and even though I felt a big lump in my throat watching her march through the doors I managed to hold it together with only a few tears escaping before we walked away.

Brinley on the other hand has cried her fair share over Teya's departure to school. She did okay on that first day, maybe because both Taber and I were there and she got to go on a playdate right after. But the next week when we took Teya to school Brinley burst into tears when she realized she couldn't go in with her big sissy. She has really missed her best buddy in the afternoons but luckily Teya's school only lasts 2 1/2 hours so at least they're not separated for long.

Taber took some super cute footage of Teya's first day which was nice since I wasn't there to pick her up after school. I made a little video of us dropping her off and Taber's post kindergarten interview which is pretty adorable. It's fun to hear her little voice explaining all the stuff they did and I love how the first thing she mentions is the rule about holding onto the rail. (This girl loves rules like no other.) 

At the end of the video I think it's pretty clear that miss Teya is going to love kindergarten. : )

Teya's first cavity

Today I took Teya in to have her cavity filled. I'll admit, I was nervous. I didn't let her know it, but my stomach was in knots imagining how she would react to the whole experience. I spent the week before talking excitedly about how "FUN" it would be to get her "silver star!" (aka cavity filling.) I talked it up like it was the best thing that was ever gonna happen to her.

She bought the whole thing and was jumping up and down for joy to be at the dentists this morning. I on the other hand was not. I was feeling sick for telling her that it was going to be so great. I just knew something was going to go wrong, she'd see the needle and flip out, the drill would scare her, the laughing gas would make her sick, something was going to happen and she would never forgive me for telling her it was fun.

I kept my cool when they took us back and Teya was still all smiles and happiness when they put the laughing gas on her.

Then they pulled out the giant needle. The Dr. Suess cartoon does not exaggerate! THAT IS SERIOULSY HOW BIG IT IS!! My whole body tensed and I braced myself for her reaction. I was sure she would start screaming and thrashing around in the chair. My heartbeat accelarted and I watched in slow motion as they stuck that monster in her mouth.

Her little legs went stiff but the nurse quickly grabbed her hand and the dentist starting telling her a joke. The next sound that came out of her mouth wasn't a scream, it was a laugh! She was laughing with a giant needle in her mouth. The nurse talked about how silly it was that they were putting sleepy juice on her tooth. The dentist said, "boy I hope your teeth don't snore when they sleep!" Everyone was laughing, Teya loudest of all. I started to relax and realized I had been nervous for no reason. These people are professionals, they do this all the time, of course they know how to make it as easy and painless as possible.

The rest of the process went as smooth as could be. Mr bumpy came in and cleaned out her tooth. Mr thirsty straw helped suck out the water and tooth crumbs and then the dentist filled her tooth with her beautiful "silver star" that was as sparkly as Teya had hoped it would be.

Teya left the dentist office with some bling in her mouth, a prize in her hand, and a smile on her face. Hopefully we won't have anymore cavities, but at least if we do, I can honestly tell her that getting them filled will be "Fun!"

Friday Foto (and video!)

Today's Friday Foto is from earlier this week when Teya had her very first visit to the Dentist. Doesn't she look so grown up in that chair? I can hardly stand it! She was so brave and did a great job.

Sadly she does have a cavity that we're going to have to get filled. I think it has to do with the fact that she hated brushing her teeth when she was little. We'd have to pin her down and she'd scream, kick, writhe and cry. It was so horrible that being a light weight 1st time mom I might've just skipped it a couple times. Luckily now she's a great brusher and the good news is she's taught Brinley to love brushing her teeth as well. So even though Brinley is pretty much guaranteed to need braces (the poor dear has her mother's crooked teeth) I don't think she'll have any cavities, at least not when she's three.

Here is a great video of the girls brushing their teeth together. Brinley spits and everything, all thanks to the good example of her big sissy. Gotta love the persuasive power of older siblings!

Big Achievements

Today's post brings you the latest in big achievements for the girls. Teya has been in swim lessons for almost 6 weeks now. She started at the most basic level, just learning not to be afraid of the water and to put her eyes in voluntarily. She moved up to kicking across the water holding onto a noodle, and then with a power pack floatie. Today she finally did it all by herself without any floating device or help from her teacher. The video probably doesn't look that impressive but if you saw her 6 weeks ago you would be amazed!

And Brinley has had her shining moments too. Since the last video of her first official steps she has slowly but surely ventured into the world of walking. The first part is of her standing up on her own without any help, and then there's a clip of her walking back and forth between the couches. She was trying to "run around" and scream like her big sister. Pretty cute.

Also: Note the awesome moment in the beginning where she stands up, discovers a cheerio that had been lost in the ample rolls of her legs, and eats it! So classic!

Teya's lullaby

You know that song that's like, "hush little baby don't say a word, Papa's gonna buy you a mocking bird..." Well the other day Teya came over to sing it to me and this is what she sang:

"Hey little Mommy don't say a word, Teya's gonna buy you a noxious bird, and if that bird don't sing, Teya's gonna by you a remote control, and if that remote control breaks down, Teya's gonna buy you a PINK DIAMOND!! (her eyes get real big when she sings "pink diamond" and a huge smile lights up her face. The volume then increases as she sings/shouts,) and that pink diamond's NOT EVER GONNA BREAK! (decrescendo with a loving pat on my leg) so you better keep it safe in your pocket."

I couldn't stop laughing and had to write that down. She certainly is a clever little girl : )

Sisterly Love

My sisters are my best friends. Looks like the same will be true for Teya and Brinley. Now that Brinley is getting a little older they are becoming more and more inseparable.

Brinley wants to be wherever Teya is. Whatever Teya's doing, Brinley wants to do it too.

When Teya gets her hair done she asks me to do Brinley's the same way. Then she goes over to Brinley and says things like, "Look Dee Dee (that's her nickname for Brinn) don't I look gorgeous? Someday you'll have long hair like me and you can be gorgeous too."

In the moments where they express their love for each other my heart is full. And no matter what is going on outside our home, inside it there's love, and love = happiness : )

Tired Teya

The other night I sent Teya to her room to watch some TV before she went to bed so I could get Brinley down. When I went in to check on her, this is what I found:

Tired Teya from Taber Rigg on Vimeo.

A Binky Story

Once upon a time a mommy had a baby. And sometimes the baby would cry and cry. but then one day Mommy found a magical cure to all her tears, a tiny harmless little thing called a binky. Insert binky, no more crying! Baby and Mommy were very happy and they both grew to love the magical binky.

Then baby started getting bigger. And baby wanted binky even when she wasn't crying. Mommy thought, well that's okay, she's still just a baby, whatever makes her happy.

Baby continued to grow and binky kept getting more and more mouth time. Mommy thought, well, she hasn't even started to talk, when she starts talking I'll take it away.

Baby, now toddler, started to talk but binky still didn't go away. Infact, now that baby could talk she let mommy know in no in no uncertain terms how much she loved binky and how sad she would be if mommy took it away.

As baby started becoming a little girl Mommy finally cracked down and banished binky to bedtime only. Somehow the little girl still managed to negotiate plenty of "one special times" to suck her binky outside of bed.

Then the little girl became a big sister. The transition was difficult and Mommy found herself giving in more and more to the binky.

The little girl turned 3 and what did she ask for for her birthday? Why a binky of course! Such a simple request, how could mommy say no?

Then one day Mommy looked at her little girl and thought, "What in the world is my 3 year old doing sucking a binky!"
Mommy realized she had put this off long enough. She always thought, "I'll take it away after the baby comes, after we move, after we go out of town, after this trip, etc...." But she knew there would always be something to rationalize holding on. It was time for the little girl (and mommy) to let it go.

So Mommy told the little girl about a new baby that was born that needed some toys and a binky and asked the little girl if she could give him hers. The little girl (with a BIG heart) saw the picture of the little baby and agreed to part with her most beloved possession. Together with Daddy they put together a care package with the binky, sealed it up, and "sent it off" to the baby. The little girl was very brave during the day but that night she cried and cried for her binky. She cried so long and so hard that she finally ended up crashing on the floor in mommy's room. Mommy slept on the floor next to her to help her through that difficult first night.

It has now been a week and a half since the little girl said goodbye to her binky. She has done amazingly well, and despite one or two minor meltdowns at night, hasn't cried over binky and has gone to sleep just fine without it. Mommy is so very proud of her little girl (and herself) For finally learning to let go.

THE END (p.s. Here is a little video of Teya saying goodbye to binky)

Shorter version of Teya saying goodbye to binky from Taber Rigg on Vimeo.