Fair Fun

True friends
First stop, the equine barn to check out the horses

We did a little of this...
...and a lot of this - smiling and waving from the rides!
Riding the swings all by themselves and loving every minute of it!
And always the carousel - Miss 'A' on her pretty pony...
...and the girl on hers.

Today we went to the fair with our friends. As soon as we entered the gates the Girls were all about going on the rides, none of which were even up and running yet. So they settled for checking out the animals - horses, dogs, pigs, sheep and goats. Next it was on to some corn-on-the-cob. After that it was finally time for some carnival rides. The Girls rode several rides but their absolute favorite was the swings, which they rode all by themselves...us Moms were a little nervous but they had a great time and nothing but huge grins pasted wide across their faces. They even went on a mini-roller coaster which my Girl loved, she was accompanied by a friend seeing as how pregnant ladies don't get to ride anything (not even the carousel!) and she was screaming "Woohoo" the entire time and waving her arms in the air -- she is definitely her Daddy's girl, a thrill-seeker by nature. But, the ride that they spotted from the parking lot and wanted to ride most of all was the ferris wheel, sadly they weren't tall enough even with an adult and were turned away at the front of the line.

Spin, twirl, dance!

Ask her Daddy which of 'his girls' is more of a princess and he might tell you that it is a toss-up on any given day...I do make my demands you know!

I believe there is an inner princess in every girl, no matter how tough she may appear on the outside. There is no hiding it with my Girl though, she definitely wears her inner princess on her sleeve for all to see!

Tonight it was a brief whirlwind of dress-up clothes, spinning, twirling and dancing to her favorite cd - Disney Princess, The Ultimate Song Collection - before her Fairy Godmother whisked her upstairs to a waiting bubble bath. Along the way she managed to loose a glass slipper on the stairs!

Kisses for Baby Sis

Kisses for Baby Sis







the Girl grabbed the camera,
pointed it at my belly and
exclaimed, "Say 'Cheese'
Baby Sister!"

These photos were taken yesterday - 7 weeks left to go! When I was pregnant with the Girl we took a progress photo every single week, but it is already true about the 2nd child and how you take fewer pictures of them. This time around we didn't even start taking the infamous side shot until sometime after 20 weeks and we've missed weeks here and there since then. But whenever we do remember, the Girl wants to be a part of it and always insists on giving kisses. She is so excited to meet her Baby Sister and is always telling us how she is going to help change her diapers, dress her, feed her, rock her and her favorite - "I'm going to carry her downstairs." Yeah, not so sure about that one! I just hope and pray that her enthusiasm doesn't wane or altogether disappear when her Baby Sister actually arrives.

As for the Girl's sudden interest in Shawn Johnson, it was the first thing she was talking about when she woke up this morning. She pointed to a pair of underwear on her bathroom floor and told me that I needed to wash them so that she could wear them when we "go on the airplane." I asked her when we were going on an airplane and where to. Her reply, "You know, that girl's house, Shawn Johnson." Duh!

Lasting impression

Sadly the summer Olympics have come to a close. Oh how I did enjoy staying up entirely too late to watch most of the action. I have always loved the Olympics, even as a young child when I dreamed of one day becoming the next Janet Evans or Summer Sanders. I was on my local YMCA's swim team for a couple of years and enjoyed swimming immensely, although the Olympics would never have been a reality for me as I hated swimming competitively and only participated in the two big local meets every year as I hated the anxiety and butterflies that came with the public events. Just as the Olympic swimmers never fail to mesmerize me, the gymnasts this year apparently held the same presence in the Girl's mind. One in particular...

As we were standing in line this morning at Wal-Mart patiently waiting to unload and pay for our groceries, the Girl pointed to 'People' magazine, which prominently displayed a photo of Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson on the cover, and excitedly exclaimed, "Look Momma, Shawn Johnson!" What?! I know that she loved watching the gymnastics but I certainly never expected her to remember anyone's name! She then proceeded to take the magazine down from the rack and started turning the pages looking for more pictures. I helped her to find the article and while I unloaded the groceries from the cart she poured over the pictures. Once our full cart was unloaded I told her that it was time to put the magazine back to which she quickly replied, "I'm not done reading the story yet." Then, a few minutes later as I was buckling her into her carseat she asked, "Can we go to Shawn Johnson's house?" I just had to laugh.

This seemingly new adoration (or maybe infatuation?) did not end there. As soon as we got home she put her Little People in their car, hooked up their tent trailer and started pretending that they were all headed to Shawn Johnson's house. This evening as I was making dinner the conversation began again.

the Girl: "Mom can we go to Shawn Johnson's house tomorrow?"
Me: "Shawn doesn't live in Marysville, she doesn't even live in the same state."
the Girl: "Where does she live?"
Me: "In Iowa. We'd have to take a plane to get to her house or drive for a really long time."
the Girl: "What color is her house?"
Me: "I don't know."
the Girl: "I think it's green like us or pink."

And with that the conversation ended as quickly as it began. I wonder, will she remember Shawn Johnson tomorrow?

Who cares...

...if there are dishes piled high in the sink?

...if the dishwasher is full of clean dishes that need to be put away?

...if there is a load of clean clothes in the dryer that has been there for 2 days?

...if there is an ever-increasing pile of unopened mail on the counter?

...if the floor hasn't been vacuumed for two weeks?

...if there is a highly visible layer of dust on various horizontal surfaces?

I won't worry about the inconsequential things, instead I will focus on what really matters - the moments of joy to be found every day...especially the grins and laughter from the Girl when she is being goofy.

City kids...

...for a day. Here they are checking out a live crawfish. (Sorry, I couldn't get the photo to rotate.)















The weather was perfect for spending the day outside playing with friends which included dancing with scarves in the park.















All that dancing made them thirsty and hungry.















Checking out the boats and the water.




















And a perfect ending to a fun-filled, hot summer afternoon...ice cream. Yum!

"Mom, what are we doing here?"

Were the first apprehensive words out of the Girl's mouth as we pulled into the parking lot at her pediatrician's office yesterday morning. I told her that we we were there for her three-year check-up and also mentioned that the doctor was going to take her stitches out. Bad move on my part as it became quite obvious that she was ready to keep those stitches in for the rest of her life. While we were in the waiting room I tried to reassure her that she wasn't going to get any shots and that getting her stitches removed would not hurt. Unfortunately, she didn't believe me and an hour later we left the doctor's office without stitches but only after a half hour ordeal which involved a lot of very loud screaming, one legitimate trip to the bathroom, another trip to the bathroom which was only a stalling tactic and the use of a papoose board to restrain the Girl in addition to myself and three nurses holding her down and as still as possible so that the doctor could remove the sutures. Oh, and I unintentionally lied as she ended up having to get the 2nd dose of her Hepatitis A vaccine, a fact which she immediately pointed out as soon as we were in the car, "You said I didn't have to get a shot!"

Birthday or Bust?

Some birthday fun - vaccuuming.

The girls dancing at Baskin Robbins.

The Girl and all of her favorite little buddies.

Birthday cake time!

Ice cream, yum!

Now that the weekend birthday festivities are over I actually have time to write about them. Friday was the Girl's birthday and we had big plans. First on the agenda, heading to the portrait studio for 3-year pictures. When the Girl was first born I was adamant about getting pictures done fairly often - 8 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months - you get the picture. However, we hadn't taken her in since last year on her birthday and for the past 6 months every single time that we would walk by a portrait studio, whether in the mall or at Target or Wal-Mart she would beg me to get her picture taken and I kept telling her that we would go when she turned three. So all of last week she was so excited about the prospect of getting her picture taken and had even picked out an outfit that she wanted to wear. We got to the portrait studio, changed into her outfit and waited (despite having a scheduled appointment time we've always had to wait at least a half hour past our designated time...so annoying!). Finally it was her turn and as soon as we walked into the room her entire demeanor changed, gone was the smile from her face and no more happy chatter emanated from her mouth. Instead there was an expressionless, tight-lipped face and silence. Sigh. Nothing could be done, despite goofy faces, tickles and exciting props none of us (myself, J, and the photographer) could coax a smile from the Girl. After about 15 minutes and a mere 8 snapshots taken I told the photographer that I didn't want to take up anymore of her time, especially with so many others waiting.

Next stop, the Reptile Zoo. This was something that the Girl came up with all on her own. A few days before her birthday J asked her what she wanted to do and she said, "Go to the Reptile Zoo." No sooner had we stepped through the door than she wrinkled up her nose and exclaimed, "Ewww, it stinks in here!" Then she saw a snake in a nearby cage and immediately stated "Let's get out of here." So we spent about five minutes out front peering in through the windows at the turtles and lizards on display and then got back in the car and drove home.

Upon arriving home I retrieved the vaccuum cleaner out of the closet and started vaccuuming the carpet. To my surprise the Girl came racing over and wanted to help. She spent the next 20 minutes going back and forth, back and forth with the vaccuum in our front room until I had to put an end to her fun because it was starting to smell as if a vaccuum belt was melting.

So the planned activities for the day were a bust but my Birthday Girl sure did enjoy vaccuuming and the evening was progressively better as my parents and sister showed up as well as some friends and we ordered pizza and then went out for some birthday ice cream.

Saturday we woke up to pouring rain...not good for a beach-themed birthday party at a nearby park. I said a quick prayer requesting dryer weather and boy did the Lord provide! Three hours later and within minutes of arriving at the park the rain stopped and it stayed dry for the entire duration of the party, there were even bouts of blue sky and sunshine. The Girl had a wonderful time playing with her friends, all of which ended up splashing in the water despite less than balmy temperatures and after several hours of playing and enjoying the company of many good friends we packed up and headed out. Within five minutes of being in the car it started to rain. How is that for an answer to prayer?!

Three!

Here she is, our sweet baby Girl just moments after being born at 12:36am on August 8th.













The day we took her home from the hospital.















Enjoying her first real dose of sugar on her 1st birthday.










No sugar shock on her 2nd birthday.











How can it be that we are already celebrating her 3rd birthday?! Time seems to have passed so quickly since the day that she entered our lives and gave them new meaning. I'm not sure that I truly knew what unconditional love was until I became her Momma and although she has grown, developed and learned so much in the past three years I feel as though she has taught me abundantly more than what I've taught her.

This is what happens...

...when we tell the Girl that she has to sleep in her own bed. She waits until J falls asleep and then she sneaks in, either by herself (as in this picture) or usually with an entourage of little friends. Last night it was band-aid bear, two puppies, build-a-bear and her pink teddy.

The other night I'd just put the Girl to bed and J and I were laying on our bed just talking about the events of the day. Five minutes into our conversation the Girl came padding down the hall and climbed right up onto our bed. When I told her that she needed to go back to her room and her bed, her reply was, "But I love it in here!" It was almost too irresistible but trying to stand my ground I got up and escorted her back to her room where she cried for the next ten minutes and then was out cold. However, more often than not, by the time I come to bed this is what I find and I then either go and sleep in the Girl's bed or carry her back to her room.

A trip to the park...

in the car with bandaid bear
















love from her friends




















a much-needed nap





...that ended abruptly, within 5 minutes of arriving, when the Girl was pushed from behind on the platform before the slide and fell splitting her chin open. I was standing right there on the ground below and witnessed the fall although there were so many kids on the platform it was hard to tell if and who had pushed her. My main concern was getting up to the platform and my crying Girl. It wasn't until I got her back to our picnic blanket that I realized she was bleeding but it was hard to tell how bad it was as she didn't want me looking at it. Luckily, we were at the park with friends and when we were finally able to see the wound, I was glad to have another opinion from my friend who thought that it was definitely big enough to warrant a trip to the doctor. So we loaded back up into the car and headed to the walk-in clinic, which fortunately, was very close to the park. After checking in at the clinic I called J who didn't even wait for me to tell him what had happened, as soon as he heard that we were at the walk-in clinic he said that he was on his way and hung up the phone. Soon after a nurse came out to look at the wound and apply a topical anestetic by way of a cotton ball taped to the Girl's chin. Half an hour later we were seen by the doctor who verified that she would indeed need stitches and then the worst of the ordeal began. Up until that point the Girl had been very calm, only crying for a few minutes after the fall had initially happened and while in the waiting room she was happily playing with her sweet friend, 'A.' The first step in the process was lying the Girl on the exam table and wrapping her up tightly in a blanket like a burrito so that her arms were completely pinned to her sides and immobile. Then the doctor asked if either J or I had a problem with blood or needles and needed to leave the room. Yeah, about that...I get extremely queasy and have even fainted at the sight of my own blood and 'J' has a serious needle-phobia. However, neither of us was about to leave our Girl in that situation and couldn't imagine a parent who would. So things proceeded and the next few moments were truly awful, the doctor had to numb her chin by way of needle and it was horrible. The Girl, who was being pinned down by J and her head held still by a nurse was screaming in pain and all I could do was rub her cheek and sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I just wanted to scoop her up off of that table and hold her close, poor thing. Five minutes later we walked out of the exam room, the Girl with two stitches in her chin and a new teddy, 'Bandaid Bear' who got a matching bandaid on his chin and J and I with a huge feeling of relief that the ordeal was over.

J headed back to work after promising the Girl that he'd take her out for ice cream after dinner for being so brave and the Girl and I went with our friends (who had waited so patiently with us) to McDonalds to treat the girls to a Happy Meal and meet up with other friends that had arrived at the park shortly after we'd left and had been looking for us. The Happy Meals and play area at McDonalds were a big hit and just what was needed after a rough start to the day.

Despite how the day unexpectedly unfolded, I feel truly blessed that we made it nearly 3 years before the Girl had her first real injury, to have an amazing husband that drops everything at an instant's notice in order to be there for us and to have a terrific friend who was insistent upon accompanying us to the walk-in clinic.

Time to Party!

My yoga instructor, who also happens to be a good friend, has a son, 'O,' who is just 3 days older than the Girl. Yesterday was his birthday party and we had a wonderful time
celebrating with him. The Girl, 'O' and another friend, 'A' are all pretty cute together and despite the sharing difficulties no doubt experienced by all kids in their age group, they get along really well. Yesterday was no exception and they had so much fun doing all kinds of things together, especially riding and driving 'O's' lawn mower (The kid is a serious lawn mower fanatic and although he has his own lawn mower, he'd much rather be cruising on the big lawn mower. I'd love to know how many miles he has ridden on that thing...no really, that is his favorite activity and there is a big yard at his house!). Other activities included a visit to the goats and birds, feeding ginormous-sized trout in the pond, searching for frogs around the pond, frosting and decorating cupcakes, playing some Wii and of course watching 'O' open his presents. His facial expressions were priceless and as quickly as he could open one, he was moving on to the next. But, by far, the most favorite memory I will take away from that party is of 'O' and the Girl picking the greenest, smallest apples off of the apple tree and eating them! Those tiny apples had to be so sour, but each of them ate three apples. The Girl seemed unphased, but she's always had a taste for sour things and used to love to eat lemon slices, poor 'O' though, his eyes were watering and it was all he could do to choke those apples down...he had a smile on his face though! Happy Birthday 'O'!

Tired?

This is what tired looks like!