Happy Camper

This past weekend we went camping for the first time since the Girl was born although we weren't exactly roughing it. We were in a campground that was right on a lake and there was a little store, flush toilets and even showers. We went with some friends that we've known since college and they brought along their boat and jet skis. It was a weekend of firsts for the Girl - first camping trip, first boat ride and first time on a jet ski - and she loved all of it, especially the jet skiing. She thought that it was super cool to have her own sleeping bag and to be in a tent and she was thrilled to spend the entire day outside, whether it was playing in the water or rolling around in the dirt. Surprisingly, the only thing she didn't like about the entire experience was roasting marshmallows and making smores. Apparently they were just too sticky for her and she preferred eating her marshmallows untoasted by the campfire and snatching the rectangles of Hershey's chocolate off of waiting graham crackers while the rest of us were roasting our marshmallows. She is already looking forward to our next camping trip (although if it isn't by a lake and we've no jet skis I'm sure she'll be fairly disappointed) and is convinced that we "really, really, really need one of those little motor-boats!"

Anything Better?

Is there anything better than this...

A joyous smile on the face of a happy child?

A warm, sunny, summer day filled with play and splashing?

The refreshing cold goodness of a popsicle on a hot afternoon?

Wii...!

Friday evening we had some friends over and they brought a Wii. I've never been one to play video games but I have to say that the Wii was some pretty serious fun! We (the adults) played and played - everything from bowling to golf to boxing to baseball. I'm fairly certain that the most entertaining portion of the night occurred when I got into the ring. Devoid of any boxing form whatsoever, I crazily thrashed my fists about in a display that was both sadly pathetic and completely hilarious. I do believe that I had the upper hand going into the 3rd round...until I was knocked out by my friend! Meanwhile, the kids played together nicely and kept themselves entertained until sometime after 11:00 when we finally let them play a game.

'Tolka Bot'

This evening, try as she might, the Girl could not say "polka dot." She was referring to the sheets on her bed which have a polka dot pattern. She must've tried at least a dozen times but to no avail, each time it came out as "tolka bot." Finally, after so many attempts, the three of us were reduced to a fit of giggles.

And how is this for riding in comfort and style? This morning at Costco the Girl decided to make the most of our package of Charmin and discovered an unconventional yet very comfortable way to ride in the cart. I was thankful for the 5 short minutes of amusement it provided before she was bored and wanted to get out and help push.

After Much Deliberation...

the Girl finally got her ears pierced!!! She has been wanting earrings for the better part of a year but whenever we asked if she wanted to go ahead and get her ears pierced she'd back out and say, "No." Yesterday afternoon we were in Claire's looking at the hair accessories and again I asked her if she wanted to get her ears pierced, she replied with her typical response, "No, I don't want to get them pierced today." However, as soon as we arrived home she said, "Momma, I changed my mind I really do want to get my ears pierced today." She continued to tell us throughout the evening and up until bedtime that she wanted to go back to the store and get her ears pierced.

Today we had planned on meeting some friends at the park but they needed to reschedule. I asked the Girl if she'd like to go to the park anyway and of course she did. While we were in the car en route to the park she asked if instead of going to the park we could go get her ears pierced. Twenty minutes later and we were at the mall with the Girl sitting so still in the chair and waiting patiently for me to fill out the paperwork. Within seconds of getting her right ear pierced it seemed as though the process would be fairly easy as the woman at the store pulled the trigger and my Girl didn't even so much as flinch. Then after about 10 seconds and while the woman was preparing to do the left side, the Girl reached out her arms to me and as soon as I scooped her up out of the chair she burried her head in my neck and started crying. She kept saying over and over that she wanted to go home. Thirty minutes later, after much pacing around the store, crying, a pink lollipop, several attempts at bribery and some tricky distraction by myself and the woman doing the piercing we managed to get the left ear pierced. After that the Girl was eager to get out of the store - she didn't even want to look in the mirror or pick any earrings out.

Of course once we were out of the store the Girl quickly remembered about the treat I had promised earlier so we headed to the food court for a smoothie. While standing in line, the woman behind us asked if she'd finally gotten her other ear pierced - she must've be in the store at some point during that 30 minutes. Ha! As soon as we left the mall she asked to stop by J's work so that she could show him her earrings. Before he even walked out of the building she was screaming, "Daddy, Daddy, look at my earrings." Then when we got home the first thing she did was to run upstairs to the bathroom, pull her hair back and marvel at the tiny pink gemstones sparkling from her little lobes. I quietly watched from the doorway as she turned her head this way and that admiring her new earrings.

The Big 3-0!

Yesterday was J's birthday...the big 3-0! He has been dreading it for weeks and as I've 'been there done that' recently I tried to reassure him that the worst part was the days and weeks of anticipation leading up to that milestone of numbers but that actually turning 30 wasn't that bad. He didn't/wouldn't believe me, but then again he has never been a fan of birthdays no matter the age. He is my Peter Pan and refuses to grow-up, but then again why should he? You're only as old as you feel, right?! Besides, isn't 30 the new 20?

Whatever J may have lacked in birthday enthusiasm was more than made up for by our girl. She loves celebrating birthdays and has been looking forward to hers for the past 6 months. She wanted to help frost the cake, although after 2 passes she was done and ready to lick frosting from the knife. So she reluctantly agreed to let me finish spreading the frosting but was constantly saying, "That looks good, can I lick the knife now?" If she'd had her way the cake would've been only partially frosted. After the knife was good and clean her focus turned to decorating and sprinkles. She used a variety of sprinkles that I found in the cupboard and had her own systematic way of decorating which consisted of grouping the sprinkles into random patches here and there. The biggest and of course, her favorite, sprinkles were grouped in the same way...and that particular piece of cake just managed to find it's way to her plate after all of the candles had been blown out and the cake cut!

As for the presents, she quickly opened each and every one of those while J and I watched in amusement.

Strawberry Pickin'

We are very fortunate to live near a couple of fantastic farms, one of which grows tons of strawberries. Strawberries are a summer favorite in this household and so, earlier in the week the girl and I went strawberry picking. It was a perfect day, sunny and not a cloud in the sky, warm but not unbearably hot and with the slightest of breezes gently blowing. The girl loved it so much that she didn't want to quit picking and two hours later we left the farm with 20+ pounds of lusciously red (well most of them anyway, the girl did not discriminate - she picked red ones, orange ones, green ones and a few white ones too), juicy, sweet strawberries.

Introduction

After much encouragement from a friend and several weeks of thinking about it, I've finally started a blog. I personally enjoy reading blogs and figured that others, especially family and friends, may enjoy reading mine. It will be a means of keeping you all in the loop about what has been going on in our everyday lives through bits and pieces, here and there. And anyone who knows me, aka: Paparazzi (as lovingly dubbed by my husband) knows with utmost certainty that there will be plenty of pictures posted as well. So...enjoy!