Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

My little sweet pea is 3 years old. She is getting tall and leggy and I'm not exactly sure where that's coming from. Maybe some recessive gene that I get to carry, but no benefit from.

She really had fun on her birthday. She took treats into day care and had to carry them in herself. She was very proud! Rocky took her by the pet store on their way home and bought her a fish, which she promptly named "Fish the cat" and then changed to "Orange the fish." She was very disappointed that Orange is not allowed out of his bowl and onto her bed. She got to carry his bag into the house and just loves to watch him "simming!" She would feed him constantly if allowed. We had a bit of a fish theme with a fish shaped cake and a fish balloon as well. Maggie had to blow out her candles several times and was very meticulous, blowing out one at a time. She also received "Lyle the Kindly Viking" DVD and a board game based on "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?" She likes to "play" it, or pick up the cards and name the animals. We have also watched "Lyle" many many many times. She was familiar with the songs from a CD we have, but now seems to know the entire thing.


She received two birthday "crowns": one from day care and one from preschool. She really enjoys preschool. She remembers what crafts she did when and will tell you "I made that in Pwe-school!" They have 2 field trips coming up: to a fire station and the pumpkin patch. I'm hoping to chaperon the pumpkin patch, but the fire station would be fun as well -- especially if they put the kids in the helmets! I'm just excited that she's getting the chance to do these kind of things. I'm not sure how much she'll remember, but at least we'll have the stories to tell her.

Adding pictures

I think the first few weeks here will be spent playing around with features! So here are some pictures:

Maggie loves to play with the garden hose.

You've heard of the Naked Chef and the Pampered Chef?

Well, here's the Pull-up Chef!

Maggie decided to wear her pink dress one afternoon we were home together. Then, of course, she wanted to go outside. It was a gorgeous day and she had fun blowing bubbles and chasing after Otis. She wanted to tickle him when he rolled around in the grass.

Something new

In a money saving effort, I'm going to try this out for a few days to see if it will work for us, as opposed to our other website. I may even see if I can copy the other site here, as far as the log and photos. In 2007, I updated our website and removed all of the blogs from Maggie's first year. I had printed them first, but in the move, they got lost. I still have her baby book and her calendar, but I miss not being able to read back on her first year and all those firsts.

So I'll be busy the next few days, but it will be nice to stay busy as I need to avoid the let down that comes after a show ends (or so I'm told). Saturday night was the last show of "The Producers" and it was quite the run!

Where did my baby go?

This morning, we had orientation for preschool. My baby will be three years old the end of this month. We could have put off preschool for another year as she is 2 weeks behind the cut off date for Kindergarten and will now attend preschool for 3 years. Not that this is a bad thing. She already goes to daycare every day and has a very structured environment there. She will get to play a lot and she will get to work on her fine motor skills. I’m hoping this will push her to become potty trained as well. She already knows 2 kids as they are coming from her daycare. But even as we seem to push her to be a “big girl,” I try to remember the little baby she used to be.

It is sometimes hard to remember that this little tow-haired girl who loves to laugh and jump and sing used to be a bald little thing that captivated her father and I long before she could even smile at us. Her tiny hands that used to wrap around my finger are now holding paint brushes and books. Her little feet that used to seem to be there just for decoration are now being shoved into boots and little mary janes and are running everywhere! Her blue eyes that used to stare at me blankly now look at me in anticipation of what we may do or where we may go next.

I know this is not the last time I will look at her and wonder where my baby went. When she starts Kindergarten. When she rides her first bike. When she stops wanted to cuddle with me. When she turns into that surly teenager.

For now, I will try to savor the snuggles, the kisses, the “I lovechyou, Mommy“s. I will try remember that reading “Green Eggs & Ham” for the 5th time in a row is a good thing. I will try to pay attention when she starts singing and will sing a long (if she’ll let me). She is my big girl and growing up much too quickly. But she will always be my baby as well.

September 2008

Life has been busy the past few months, with rehearsals and work. Friday August 29was opening night and we've had 2 shows so far. As a cast, we were definitely ready for an audience. Hearing the instant response is amazing. We have three more weekends of shows -- 4-5 shows a weekend. It's hard to be away from home so much, but a lot of fun. I will keep an eye open to do other shows, but will be picky about what shows to do. "The Producers" has been worth it! You can see a short video and review on the Gazette Web site.

We took a long weekend and drove to Aberdeen for my cousin Nicole's wedding. We had a lot of fun at the hotel. Maggie learned to "swim" and had a lot of fun dancing at the wedding dance. She was very well behaved during the wedding and only asked to "go home" once. Maggie got to spend a lot of time with Grandma Alana and even spent Friday night after the wedding with her so Rocky and I could have a few more drinks at the dance. We visited Great Grandma Alberta for a while and Maggie did her Clifford puzzle. Then it was off to spend some time in Watertown. Maggie had a lot of fun playing with her cousins, especially Amy and Delaney. She told Daddy "I play with my friends!"

We've also driven out to Deer Lodge for a quick visit. My cousin Angela and Aunt Karen were in town for another cousin's wedding. It was nice to see both again as I couldn't quite remember the last time I saw either of them.

The yard is really coming in nicely and it fun to play in. Maggie loves to go outside and blow bubbles, play with water balloons or write on the sidewalk with her chalk. We will also have some tiny tomatoes as the seeds Maggie and I planted this spring have already produced 3 bright red tomatoes. I haven't picked any yet to see if they are any good.

Tomorrow is preschool orientation. Maggie still isn't potty trained, but is ready in every other way, so we will chat with the teachers to see if they will let her attend. She will also be moving up to the 3 year old room where many more kids are trained. I'm sure she'll just decide one of these days and that will be the end of diapers.

Rocky starts classes again this week. He's taking 2 this fall, but doesn't think it will be much more work than the 1 class was that he took this summer. His folks are going to come out later this month to "baby-sit" -- he has class one night that I also have a show. It's a nice excuse for them to come visit.