It'll grow back, right?

A couple of days ago, our weekly angel Tante Gabi graciously brought me a copy of Haircutting For Dummies. I wish I could say that I read it before impulsively deciding to cut Jude's overgrown hair this morning, but alas—I'm afraid the results tell another story:

Sorry, buddy!

The poor kid was a model client, but his hair is just so much thinner (and, therefore, much less forgiving) than Isaac's. At least the back looks okay:

I'm thinking clippers would help a lot. Anyone know where I can find some super-quiet ones that won't freak out my boys?

Just a trim

Well, I did it. The boys' last haircut was a full eight weeks ago, but we can't afford to keep paying a professional to cut the kids' hair—so I did it!

My guinea pig was Isaac. While everyone was coloring at the feeding table this morning, I gave him a sucker and got to work. I expected him to fight me, but he was actually surprisingly tolerant of my fumbling attempts to trim his hair:

"Dad, are you really gonna let her do this to me?"

Sadly, I did not work fast enough, and he got fed up with me before I felt like I was done (does a perfectionist ever feel like her work is done?). Still, it's not the worst hack job I ever saw:

Jude is up next, but I think I might try finding some online tutorials before I pick up the scissors again. Some days I wish I'd gotten a degree in early childhood education; today I wish I'd gone to beauty school!

New looks

The girls got a makeover of sorts this morning when I decided that their hair is finally long enough to put in pigtails. I need to work on my technique (perfectionist mom + squirmy girls = way too much time spent fixing hair), but I thought their hair still turned out pretty cute. Check out how adorable they looked sharing their snacks this afternoon:



I am happy to report that we also made progress on Isaac's new look today: This morning one of my mom's brothers—the one who just happens to be in the eye business—stopped by to help us pick out some frames from the comfort of our own home. What a lifesaver! Here's a sneak peek at what our blue-eyed boy will look like once his lenses are ready:

Thanks for hooking us up, Uncle P!

Chop, chop!

On Monday morning, we had a very special visitor: my wonderful hair designer Dawn. Because it's hard for me to get away long enough to go to the salon, Dawn's been coming to me periodically ever since the babies came home.

The last time she was here, I mentioned that I was wanting to cut the kids' hair soon. She told me that she'd be happy to perform the honors here at the house, and I jumped at the chance. After all, not only do the kids already know her, but they also have seen her actually cutting my hair! I figured that this familiarity (as well as the familiar surroundings) might lessen the chances of any first-haircut hysteria.

Thankfully, I was right: The kids acted like getting a haircut was no big deal, and the only (brief) tears came when Dawn tried to use the hairdryer on Dahlia. Whew!

Having a ball with spray bottle, clips, and hair clippings(clockwise from top left: Lucy, Jude, Isaac, and Dahlia)

Lucy's haircut was the simplest. Her curls already looked so cute that all Dawn had to do was snip off some fine ends, and voila:

Lucy, before and after

Jude had adorable curls in the back at one point, but as his hair grew longer, the curls had morphed into an unfortunate mullet. Dawn trimmed up the back and made Jude look like a little man:

Jude, before and after

Dahlia was also a victim of the baby mullet. Dawn cut a couple of inches off the back to give her a super-cute swing bob:

Dahlia, before and after

Isaac's transformation was the most dramatic. His mass of gorgeous blond curls had gotten out of control. I asked Dawn to tame them without obliterating them. He looks like such a big boy now:

Isaac, before and after

Later that day, the kiddos debuted their new dos in the backyard:

Strutting their stuff in their Beatles duds
(clockwise from top left: Lucy, Jude, Isaac, and Dahlia)

So my Fab Four are moptops no more—and we love it! Thanks, Dawn!

Just a little bit longer

Today I caught Jude messing with Dahlia's hair:


And it reminded me of one morning last summer, when I took this video of Jude discovering Dahlia's hair for the first time:

Something tells me he's just waiting for her hair to get long enough for him to give it a really good YANK!