MahaneyBabies

Ella and the balloon

2009-09-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Judy!

2009-09-06T16:57:00.000-05:00

Pre-Labor Day

2009-09-06T16:00:00.001-05:00

The girls show off their new skirts from Auntie Colleen

Miss Lauren is the Uno Queen, she plays non-stop all day long.

This is the look the Queen gives you when you make her +2 Draw!

This is how the Queen celebrates a victory!

Lauren's first soccer game

2009-09-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

Game time = 3:45, temp 95F!

Oops - both girls teams in pink ... get out the pinnies

Twins ready to see their big sister play

Pep talk

A break in the offensive action

Roller girl!

2009-09-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

One day after school there was a class event at the skating rink. We learned there were lessons at 9am every Saturday so Lauren tried it out.

Trip to Walmart

2009-08-30T16:00:00.000-05:00

Ella was a trooper going to the store with her dad.

God Bless Walmart, and God Bless Texas!

Bike Ride!

2009-08-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

When Miss Alana came over to spend the night Mike decided it would be a good idea to take her back by bike. So >100 lbs of girls got into the cart behind Mike and off they went. It was a cool day for August, only 92F, but still got pretty hot in the back because the top was down to keep the sun out. A half-way stop at Sonic was planned to get some lunch and some ice cream to cool down!

Girls point out their favorites

Shakes are portable!

The girls slept the last 30 min or so. Their house is at the top of a hill, the girls didn't even notice when I got off and walked them up the summit. And the cart nearly fell over backward when I got off the seat!

Brought the iPhone to keep Lauren company on the way back!

First day of school!

2009-08-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

Plaid jumpers again!

Lauren w/ Mrs. Baldocci

Our babies

2009-08-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

Julia at the park

Girls in their pink leopard-print PJs

Ella showing some 'tude

Minnesota picture

2009-08-13T21:00:00.000-05:00

Miss Lauren rode with her cousins thousands of miles up I35 to Minnesota. Daddy flew up there to get her, and in thanks Miss Lauren drew this picture. Just about the whole family is represented!

Lauren was a trooper the next day, getting up for the 6am flight.

Trip to the Park

2009-08-08T19:00:00.001-05:00

Heading out!

Motley crew!

Center of attention

Where is that sister of mine?!

There she is!

Girls go for first bike ride

2009-07-18T20:00:00.000-05:00

And as you can see it was pretty exciting!

Ella walks!

2009-07-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

Miss Ella started walking last night, so for the official scoreboard we'll go with July 15th. (Miss Julia walked on May 22nd). Of course we weren't here when she did it, her first walks were for the babysitter!

Lauren takes Dad to the Zoo

2009-06-28T11:56:00.000-05:00

For a sweet Father's Day gift Lauren took Dad to the Dallas Zoo "Lights Out" overnight program. We got there at 7pm on Saturday night after getting some dinner at the McZoo restaurant out front. Then we went into the zoo and first got to pet some wild animals that a handler brought out for us. Then we walked around the zoo.

After closing down the zoo we went back to the education trailers where we slept in sleeping bags with the other campers. We had a spot right under the A/C units so we nearly froze!

The next morning they brought breakfast in for us and then we headed out back into the Zoo. We watched a 4-D movie based on the Planet Earth series and walked around a little bit more.

Thanks Lauren!

Dad

Our hatchling

2009-06-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here is our sweet chick coming out of her shell.

Kids + Flashlights = Fun

2009-06-20T21:00:00.000-05:00

Lauren pets a Hedgehog

2009-06-20T20:00:00.000-05:00

Lauren pets Sidney the Bearded Dragon

2009-06-20T19:30:00.000-05:00

Don't go!

2009-06-18T12:30:00.000-05:00

Lauren tries to keep her cousins from leaving ...

Identical Cousins?

2009-06-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

We think so!

3 2 1 .... go!

2009-06-14T14:30:00.000-05:00

Drive cars in the morning ...

2009-06-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning the men headed over to Speedzone to get it settled on the track. After doing all the slick tire racin' we could stand Ian and Jacob tried Drag Racing.

You caught me!

2009-05-31T18:00:00.000-05:00

Julia getting caught being cute while walking in the back yard.

Stowaway!

2009-05-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

Left to her own devices in the closet, Miss Ella opens a drawer and gets right on in!

Ella works the hoodie coverup

2009-05-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

Miss Ella relaxes apres-swim with Mom.

Miss Julia ponders a swim

2009-05-24T18:30:00.000-05:00

Julia wanted to swim to the bottom of the pool and do some laps except Dad wanted to move to the hot tub. Julia decided that wasn't such a bad idea since it was about 10 degrees warmer!

Pool day

2009-05-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

The girls had their first chance to go swimming when we went over to visit Ashton & family the day after their splash party. The pool was still warm! Miss Ella was a little trepid at first but warmed up to it.

Bike Ride

2009-05-24T11:00:00.001-05:00

Lolo and Lala were reunited Saturday and Sunday. Miss Alana met Lauren Saturday night at the movies where they took in a workmanlike "Night at the Museum 2". The next morning we had pancakes, scrambled eggs and BACON, and then headed out on a bike ride. It was quite eventful:

Put the Skinned Knees Club in the bike wagon
Rescued a mad snapping turtle on Eisenhauer drive. (See above) He tried to bite my finger and scratch me but I managed to get him on the grass to safety. He could bend his head back pretty far over his shell but he couldn't quite get me.
Rescued a sweet turtle near downtown Carrollton. I thought we got a picture of it with the girls but I guess not.
Girls ask to get Ice Cream.
Repeat #4 a million times
After getting to downtown Carrollton we figured out that there are no ice cream shops. Oops. Placate girls with Strawberry Quik and Oreos.
Ride back home. Repeat #4 a million more times.
Get to Shakes Frozen Custard. Get their at 11:35 but they are kind enough to serve us before they open.
Alana eats 3 scoops of ice cream, Lauren eats 5 scoops. They leave the rest
Return home

Julia's First Steps

2009-05-22T17:00:00.002-05:00

Happiness is a Sippy Cup

2009-04-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

Miss Julia takes her new sippy cup for a spin and likes it. (That's full-octane regular milk in there, too!)

NICU Reunion

2009-04-26T16:00:00.001-05:00

this is a pretty cute outfit, isn't it?

Ella and Julia visit Miss Tara, who took such good care of Mommy when she was pregnant and expecting her twins!

Day 2 at Great Wolf

2009-04-26T11:00:00.001-05:00

The big bucket tips over on the screaming masses.

Worn out kids!

2009-04-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

Ashton and Lauren were too worn out to eat. Both of them ordered spaghetti and meatballs before they fell asleep. The pasta sat and cooled for half an hour. However both kids came to life when the chocolate fondue dessert showed up at the table!

What lame parents ...

2009-04-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

Probably would have been nice if someone took pictures during the day at Great Wolf Lodge. Water slides. Wave pools. Giant buckets of water turning over and dousing dozens of kids. Nope. How about a nap and a book instead?

Day at Great Wolf

2009-04-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

Whoo hoo, going to Great Wolf Lodge! Going to meet Mr. Ashton and his parents. (Parked right next to them, too.) Can't wait to play in the water all day!

The twins decided to sit this one out and stay home with Amelia ...

Lauren's first Tee-Ball Game

2009-04-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

The T-ball player gets her game face on. Oh, you can also see the nice chin-bruise she got slipping at school the day before. Did I mention that the team photo was taken this morning, of course?

The girls blow off a little steam before the game.

Lauren in the field. She made a nice snag of a grounder moments later. In an unorthodox but effective play she ran the ball over to first base, probably to make sure there wasn't an error.

Lauren after scoring her first run!

Finally, the reason why anyone plays T-Ball in the first place. ICE CREAM!

Main Street Art Festival

2009-04-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

A busy Sunday at the Fort Worth street arts festival ...

at the head of the street

The accordian player

Lauren and Ashton milk art

Daddy and J-Bug

The girls in their wheels

A Ft Worth Cat

Lauren and Ashton (with the last of the Kettle Corn)

Miss Lauren

Wiped out

Cowgirl on the Loose!

2009-04-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Nana Pat gave the girls a shower and was getting Miss Ella dressed when there was a big commotion. Miss Julia had mounted her fine steed and was off riding the trail! No one knows what this unclothed rider was out riding for, perhaps she was looking for a diaper!

Birthday Cupcakes!

2009-04-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some before and after shots of the girls as they had their birthday cupcakes. Yes, Julia prefers to eat topless if possible. And yes, Suzanne did do a costume change before the food came out to protect the "good clothes". As you can see she was right to do so!

Tale of the Tape

2009-04-10T16:00:00.007-05:00

Julia Ella Lauren (at 1 yr)

Weight 22.4 lbs 18.4 lbs 19.2 lbs

Length 30 1/2" 29 1/4" 28 1/2"

Ella Online

2009-03-01T16:00:00.001-06:00

Miss Ella now has her own giggling video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOn5bUkz6hE

Double Date

2009-02-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

Jack, Julia, Brett, and Ella enjoy some time with the toys during their second date

(Mom Brenda is the chaperone)

Princess Diploma

2009-02-07T19:00:00.002-06:00

New Princesses!

2009-02-07T15:00:00.001-06:00

Fairy Godmother presents the newest Princesses in the land!

Princess Lessons

2009-02-07T14:00:00.000-06:00

Princess Training

2009-02-07T13:00:00.000-06:00

The princesses-in-training start their ordeal with some arts and crafts. A princess has to know how to color coordinate their accessories!

The future princesses break for lunch, but their training doesn't stop. Even meal time is evaluated - you could end up a pauper if that pinky finger isn't pointed just so!

Lolo and Lala bond during rigorous Princess workouts

You are invited

2009-02-05T17:00:00.000-06:00

Look Mom, one hand!

2009-01-30T20:00:00.000-06:00

Miss Julia demonstrates her new talent.

Oh great. As soon as I stand up, all the cool things are on the floor!

The Tale of the Tape

2009-01-29T11:00:00.001-06:00

Both girls just saw Dr. Miller for their 9 month checkup. The results are in:

Julia Ella

Weight 19.6lbs 16.4lbs

Percentile 65% 10%

Length 29.5" 27.25"

Percentile 95% 45%

Dr. Miller says that with both of them being longer than their weight would indication we'll probably be looking at some tall girls!

Some previous weigh-ins:

3 month

4 Month

5 Month

Off to the Races!

2009-01-28T17:00:00.001-06:00

Miss Lauren takes her sisters out for a ride. She was also giving stroller rides to them in her baby doll stroller.

Game time

2009-01-27T15:00:00.000-06:00

The girls enjoy their new music table from Kathleen and Neal.

A night on the town

2009-01-23T20:00:00.001-06:00

Miss Lauren in her pretty dress at the new fountain at the Shops at Legacy in Plano. This is right across the street from the new Benihana where we had a great dinner to thank Nana Pat for coming out to visit.

Pimp my stroller

2009-01-22T15:00:00.000-06:00

The girls get out about in their new stroller. The old one was getting too small, especially for Julia, as her feet stuck so far she had to be in the front. The new ride lets them sit up instead of laying back like the old one.

Product Placement!

2009-01-19T13:00:00.000-06:00

Miss Ella says the only thing that gets her going in the morning is a Mohave Rattler Venom energy drink.

(Not recommended for children, pregnant women or people sensitive to caffeine!)

I can do it too!

2009-01-18T08:00:00.006-06:00

Miss Ella crawled today for the first time, just 20 days after her sister Julia did it.

Her silly Russian hat is actually the smallest in a set of fabric nesting baskets!

Big Pirate Cheer!

2009-01-01T18:00:00.001-06:00

Miss Lauren tries out the fine Pirate cheerleader outfit she was given by Uncle Tony, Aunt Jamie and her cousins Ian, Jacob, and Sarah.

Happy New Year from the Texas Islands

2009-01-01T18:00:00.000-06:00

Big Sister the Hula Girl wants to wish everyone the best in 2009 as well!

Welcome to the New Year, pardner!

2009-01-01T17:00:00.000-06:00

These fine little fillies wish you and yours a big 'ole 2009!

Look what I can do!

2008-12-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas Greetings

2008-12-25T21:00:00.000-06:00

The fabulous light display behind Larry & Alice's house

Ella Bean

2008-11-22T17:30:00.000-06:00

Miss Ella in the late afternoon light.

Big Wolfpack Victory

2008-11-22T14:00:00.000-06:00

Larry and cheerleader Lauren celebrate another NC State touchdown at the local sports bar. Larry was a little concerned that we wouldn't be able to find the game but luckily it was covered by ESPN pay per view. I found a place that would have it on and told Alice and Larry I had good news and bad news. The good news was that a sports bar at the mall would be showing the game. The bad news was that it was the same mall where Alice had her accident!

We were the first ones in the door to see the 11:00 kickoff. And everyone made it home safely!

Julia at the Apple Store

2008-11-22T13:00:00.001-06:00

Miss Julia handed out plenty of smiles to all the customers!

Exhausted

2008-11-18T21:00:00.000-06:00

Lauren was wiped out after her long day. Going on a fancy trip downtown can really take it out of you.

It also appears that sleeping 15 hours during the day took a lot out of White Kitty.

Lauren Goes to a Play

2008-11-18T07:30:00.000-06:00

Lauren's kindergarten class went to the Majestic Theater in Dallas to see a play. To celebrate the occasion Lauren dressed up for the occasion as any young lady would do. She had wanted to wear her Stars and Stripes dress but a cold snap had come through so she had to settle for her brown dress.

The class went to see a Flat Stanley play. They learned that Stanley was flattened by his falling bulletin board. And there was some joke about Stanley's brother and a lightsaber. That's about all we could understand about the experience!

Giggle Again!

2008-11-16T18:30:00.000-06:00

If the above doesn't work try this link.

Giggle 1

2008-11-16T18:00:00.000-06:00

If the embedded video above doesn't work try this link

Miss Wood visits

2008-11-15T22:31:00.000-06:00

Miss Holly Wood graced us with her presence today. Lot's of sunglasses at night, lot's of 'tude.

Bike Ride

2008-11-02T13:00:00.001-06:00

On Sunday we went for a nice long bike ride. Suzanne had recently been to Highland Village on Lake Lewisville for the first time checking out homes with Chimene and Dave, so we decided to check the area out up close. Miss Carole watched the babies for us.

During part of our trip we left the common suburb neighborhoods and headed out into some less developed towns. One of the roads we headed down had a nice long driveway and plenty of share, and had these two folks just sitting out enjoying the sunshine.

Much of the ride was driving down some nice bike and walking paths built along a high-power line access way. On the way back we saw a roadrunner right off the path. We pointed it out to Lauren, but I don't think she was all that impressed to see a road runner because she hasn't really ever seen the Roadrunner & Wile E. Coyote. Kids these days! We watched those cartoons so much as kids that our elementary school voted the Roadrunner as our mascot! And we were in Vermont!

The first week we came to Texas we saw a couple roadrunners during our first drive out in the country. Now 8 years later we see another one!

Passed this elementary school. After Wikipedia'ing it we learned that there are many schools across the US named for Christa McAuliffe. She was not from this area.

After the ride was done we drove over to Life's a Beach for lunch. Our first time there, it has a sandy beach out back and lots of seating inside and out. Not too much to do in the sand other than get sandy. But the food and drinks were good!

The King with his Lisa Maries

2008-10-31T20:30:00.000-05:00

After working a long day at the office, Elvis came home to spend Halloween with his girls. Lisa Marie (in daddy's arms) was all dressed up for her first Halloween. The older Lisa Marie was relaxing after being SuperGirl all day at school and was about to re-cape for the night.

(photo by Priscilla)

Visit from SuperGirl

2008-10-31T20:00:00.000-05:00

We had a pleasant visit from SuperGirl on Halloween. We were setting up to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids when she dropped by. She wasn't interested in filling up on candy (at that time). Turns out that SuperGirl fuels up on pizza before going out to save the world ... or collect candy. We saw the power of a pizza diet later, after the trick-or-treating was done, when SuperGirl ran the whole neighborhood with her pals the Tingue fairies, Mike the Pirate, and Divya the Devil.

First Halloween

2008-10-31T19:30:00.001-05:00

The girls were split up for most of Halloween. We brought them out to carouse with the neighbors and have their meal, the rest of the night they were apart. Miss Ella went trick or treating with Mommy and Lauren, and Miss Julia stayed handing out candy with Elvis, Miss Judy and the rest of the neighbors.

Giggling Girls

2008-10-25T21:00:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the dark video!

if the player above doesn't work try going straight to YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ-KZEcz5cQ

Julia sitting up ...

2008-10-25T20:30:00.000-05:00

Lauren samples the wares

2008-10-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Lauren enjoyed the pumpkin house

Cutie Pie

2008-10-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

Miss Ella enjoys a fall day

Visit to the pumpkin patch

2008-10-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

Each year the Mahaney gets bigger, and each year the Pumpkin Patch gets bigger. More rides, more kids games, bigger mazes, bigger crowds. And this year there was barbeque. Miss Lauren got a big 'ole turkey leg, and Mom & Dad had barbeque sandwiches.

White Kitty watching the girls now

2008-10-24T20:00:00.000-05:00

We put White Kitty in charge of Ella and Julia and went out to the movies. White Kitty sure does keep a close eye on them!

Tricks and Treats

2008-10-24T19:00:00.003-05:00

Miss Lauren went to her school for tricks and treats on Friday night. A good way to see all of her class mates and other kids from the neighborhood, and to get candy as well!

Lauren with her teacher.

Lauren with her friend Divya.

Back to see the babies

2008-10-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

Nana Pat and Grandpa Bill had a busy week watching the angels. We got back a little late but otherwise in great shape, and the girls welcomed us with big smiles.

A couple days later the girls went in for their 6 month checkups. Miss Julia is now 17 lbs and off the charts for a preemie! Miss Ella is keeping up and is now 14 lbs herself!

Leaving Disney

2008-10-18T22:00:00.000-05:00

A great week came to a close with a visit to Epcot. Got some great pizza sandwiches in France!

Fun in the Sun

2008-10-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

The first order of business was getting in the "Gagoon". After about 45 minutes it was time to get some lunch.

A cheeseburger did the trick, and we were lucky enough to witness a truly shocking, funny, and gross event happen to a family at the table over. Let's just say it involved two sisters, some melting ice cream, and bird poop. You'll have to ask to hear the rest.

Next it was off to the slides. Lauren (showing her "Ariel" style hair above) rode the kiddie slide for about an hour. Then we graduated to the big kid rides.

Hitting the beach

2008-10-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

Lauren and Pops hit "Typhoon Gagoon" on our last day for some water fun. Lauren looked fabulous from the get-go.

Magic

2008-10-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

You gotta hand it to Disney, they know how to put on a show. Not just movies, but nearly every part of the experience at the parks just works. The canned parades are just that, canned music with choreographed moves and lip-synching, but it still works because the themes come through and the actors sell it. (One of the sly foxes really surprised Lauren during a parade by running up to her pretty aggressively - but wouldn't that be something a sly fox does?) The background scenery is perfectly arranged and manicured, which is kind of amazing considering that so many people trample through the park each day without trampling the flowers. And surprisingly even though the park is packed to the gills with people the waits for the rides really isn't that bad. I think Disney manages to bring an entire extended family of 15 people in a lot of cases where only half the people go on the rides. The grandparents, infants, and parents watching the infants either can't or do not want to ride!

The only real negative thing I would say about the parks is finding a place to sit down and eat. Now if you can plan your dinner 4 months ahead of time it isn't an issue. But if you can't make your reservations that far in advance or would like some flexibility in where you go to eat then you might not be able to find anywhere to eat.

Musbeard? Beardstache?

2008-10-17T20:00:00.000-05:00

The other highlight of dinner was seeing the longest and most-pressed mustache we've ever seen. Though if you look close you can see there is definitely beard brought in to provide volume.

A dinner with Characters

2008-10-17T19:30:00.000-05:00

There was a very nice dinner where Lauren got to meet the 4 horsemen of the Hundred Acre Woods: Winnie, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. Miss Lauren was psyched to get autographs from all of them.

Future Blogger

2008-10-17T16:00:00.000-05:00

Suzanne bought Miss Lauren a nice Mickey Mouse notebook and Lauren hasn't put it down since. She has really turned into a note taker. A lot of the time whe was making lists of things she wanted to do next, like go on safari or on Small World.

A special relationship

2008-10-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

From before Miss Lauren was born Neal has always called her Rainbow, a name her cousin Kahea proposed for her. Neal and Rainbow always have a good time when they are together, and this time was no exception. Miss Lauren really thought a lot of Neal after his stay. The next day Suzanne explained that Neal liked calling her Rainbow. To which Lauren replied that Neal "was her pot of gold!"

Kathleen & Neal Visit

2008-10-17T12:00:00.001-05:00

Kathleen and Neal stopped by Disney World on their annual trip down to Palmetto. Miss Lauren certain loved being the center of attention! Here are they are exploring a couple different parks - first riding the safari at Animal Kingdom, then watching Nemo the musical, then on the monorail to Magic Kingdom.

No Questions, Please!

2008-10-17T10:30:00.001-05:00

These spoonbills at Animal Kingdom have had enough of tourists.

Lauren hits the tower!

2008-10-16T19:00:00.001-05:00

Miss Lauren isn't afraid of a little tower. (Don't ask about the expedition to Everest!) This ride bounces you right up to the windows right above Lauren's shoulder. From there we think we picked out Suzanne on the Sunset Strip!

Hoop-Dee-Doo

2008-10-13T21:00:00.000-05:00

Did you say we get to spoon a washboard, sing real loud, get free drinks (including sangrias!), a big bucket of fried chicken and another bucket of ribs, and then finish it off with strawberry shortcake?! Count me in!

Rubbing elbows with greatness

2008-10-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Everywhere Lauren went someone wanted to get their picture taken with her.

All ears!

2008-10-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

Miss Lauren picked up a sweet set of ears at the resort. This pink hat was the envy of the park the rest of the week.

Princesses at the Palace

2008-10-11T20:30:00.001-05:00

After watching the electric parade Miss Lauren decided she had had enough and couldn't wait around for fireworks. Straight to the hotel!

Good Karma

2008-10-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

While waiting in line for Goofy's rollercoaster we notice a gray rag hanging on the side of the queue. Didn't think much of it at the time. A little while later Lauren was playing in one of the play areas when we struck up a conversation with a couple whose boys were also playing. They were from Northern Virginia and were splitting their vacation the next day to go on a Disney Cruise. Of course we told them they were in for a great trip.

As they started to head out one of the boys started crying for his blanket. Mom and Dad looked all over until we remember the dirty rag. We asked them what color it was and they said white - originally - but probably a gray or brown now. I headed off and excused myself as I cut through the line and found the smelly B right where we had saw it before. With the B restored to it's rightful owner we knew we karma was on our side! What could possibly go wrong after doing something as redeeming as that?

Out and about at Magic Kingdom

2008-10-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

We're at Disney World!

2008-10-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

Dad forgot the memory card for the camera, so the first picture of Lauren at the Magic Kingdom entrance is still stored on the camera. Daddy bought another memory card so we were able to get pictures of the parade.

Lauren's late-nite friend

2008-10-11T12:15:00.000-05:00

Lauren made a friend at the hotel even though it was midnight. For some reason something was getting all the kids excited! But Lauren still just thought that it was a regular hotel ...

Magic Kingdom!

2008-10-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

We gave Miss Lauren a BIG SURPRISE this morning by taking her to Magic Kingdom. We thought she might guess where she was when we took the Magic Express with all kinds of Disney advertisements. Fortunately she was distracted by a friend she made on the bus. Then when we got right here to the park she didn't believe it at first, but now she is convinced!