Preschool Homework

Yes, there is even homework in preschool. Maggie needed to make a "habitat" for preschool. We threw away the original instructions, so we winged it. Maggie decided she wanted to make a bird habitat, so we went to Hobby Lobby last weekend and Maggie picked out some birds, feathers and some brown streamers to make her nest. We put down some newspaper and got out the glue. She was very conservative with the glue (I was a bit surprised), so we'll see if her nest survives preschool. She carried it into daycare very carefully, and reluctantly handed it over to the janitor who offered to put it into the preschool room for her. She had wanted to keep it in daycare for all to see, but I have a feeling the little birds wouldn't have made it to preschool.

Maggie did a great job! She was very very proud.

Kicked out of Yellowstone, Again

So, it's been between 40-50 degrees most of the week and the forecast is not looking much like it will improve. We have heard teens/twenties as overnight lows in Yellowstone this weekend, so we have postponed the camping trip. Camping in Yellowstone is going to be cold regardless of when you go, so it's just a matter of how cold you are willing to bear. Sub-zero is more than we WANT to bear, even with a camping heater, 20 degree sleeping bags and our personal heater, who we lovingly call Maggie -- seriously, snuggle with that girl for a few minutes and you may break a sweat.

But, when I called to cancel our reservation, I was informed that the snow is beautiful. Rocky and I had already decided to get a room and so I booked a room a Mammoth Hot Springs for 2 nights (instead of the 3 we originally planned on). We can still bring our own food and picnic in the park, so Maggie can have her hot dogs and marshmallows. We can still bring her princess sleeping bag (and maybe she'll even sleep in it!). But we will have real beds, solid walls and doors, a toilet and shower and still enjoy all the park has to offer. It will be a nice mini-vacation.

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Rocky told Maggie that we are going to Yellowstone Park and we are going to a cabin. She asked if we can go to a pink park. She told me that we are going to see a "baby buffalo, a mommy buffalo and a daddy buffalo."

Bad Day.

So, I'm having a bad day. And this song came over my MP3 player and it made me feel better.

"Bad Day" Barenaked Ladies
I'm having a bad day
There's nothing you can do or say
To help me through this bad day
I think I'll just stay in my room
They didn't need to say
That they didn't want to play
I could have guessed it anyway
And that's why I'm here in my room
Seems like I'm the only one
Who's not outside and having fun
I wish this day had never begun
I think I'll just stay in my room
Sometimes I wanna run and hide
Today I wanna stay inside
Tell my bike to take itself for a ride
I'm staying in today
See the toys lying on the floor
I don't want them anymore
I think I'll sell them back to the store
Or give them all away
It feels like I'm the only one
Who's not outside and having fun
I wish this day had never begun
I think I'll just stay in my room
I don't need hugs and I don't want food
I wanna stay here in this lonely mood
I don't care if people think I'm rude
I wish they would all go away
Dad comes in and tells me with a kiss
Everyone has days like this
Brought my dinner said that I was missed
I think I'll be okay
I know I'm not the only one
To stay inside and watch the fun
Thanks a lot that helped a ton
Tomorrow's gonna be a better day

Easter Pictures

2 posts in one day is seems like a lot for me, but I wanted to finally post pictures from Easter:

The fruits of our labor:

Easter Sunday:

Just another Saturday

Today, we ran some errands. Included were a trip to the "hair cut store" and the "shoe shopping store" for Maggie. She was really good during the hair cut. We went to Payless for the BOGO sale as Maggie really needed/s new tennis shoes and summer sandles. We left, only $17.00 later, with a pair of tennis shoes and Dora flip flops. Maggie fell instantly in love with the flip flops and how can you say no to such a small request? At 3 1/2 she can get away with wearing flip flops to church.

After shopping we had lunch at Old Chicago's. I missed Old Chicago's when I moved out of Colorado. Back in the day, I completed the World Beer Tour and participated in several group tours. Today, however, there was no beer tour. We had lunch and Maggie ate really well. Then she decided she needed to "exercise" so she started doing push-ups in the booth. She can even do one-handed push-ups. Who knew?!?

She got a blue balloon when we left. She "needed" to bring it in with us to Hobby Lobby. We attached it to her mitten clip and as we walked in she said "Watch out Blue Balloon, don't forget to duck!"

She threw a little fit asking for Starburst when we checked out, so we went home instead of grocery shopping. Rocky distracted her while I went back out. I'm rather glad I got to go alone. It was screaming child day. It's amazing how your thought process changes after you have a child of your own. I felt sorry for those parents and happy I had left my child at home -- because I know she would have fit right in with the other screaming children.

After successfully using the potty to go poopy, Maggie declared: "I'm a big girl! No, I'm a big Spider-Man!"

Currently, she is trying to get Otis to chase her and Rocky is mowing the lawn. It's much nicer than it was the past few days, though not yet as nice as it was Wednesday. Wednesday it hit 80 and we sat outside on the front porch after dinner. I think I have convinced Rocky that we should get some outdoor furniture. Maggie enjoyed talking in her loudest voice so she could hear her voice echo.

But it is just another Saturday. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest heights. Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring. Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear. Oh let's go, fly a kite! Mary Poppins

Blog Farts

Blog Farts – noun. Def: Crappy ideas that are too short to make a real blog post, but when combined, join forces to make one unified, albeit half assed, post. Definition coined by Jaci.

I'm "borrowing" this idea from my friend Jen.

I need to download the photos from Easter to get all Maggie's Easter pictures in one place. She was in tomboy mode on Easter, so the pretty Easter dress (same one from last year) didn't last long. And I did enjoy her antics in church: though fairly well behaved through the service, she did take one opportunity to show off her Lightning McQueen panties.

We are going camping in Yellowstone in 2 weeks and most people, upon hearing this, either warn us of bears and/or snow and cold. I'm not all that worried about either. We went camping once in March in Virginia and it got pretty frickin' cold -- like below 30. Nala loved it. Rocky got us some 20 degree sleeping bags, so bring it on!

I really like going to the drive-in and I think this weekend we'll make our first trip of the summer. "Monsters Vs. Aliens" is playing and Maggie has already asked for this movie (darn commercials). It's always a double feature, but we've never stayed for the 2nd movie. I can't think of a time that I've even wanted to, but if I did, I can't imagine I could stay up that late (typically the first show doesn't start until around 9:45/10 p.m. as it stays light quite late here in the middle of summer).

It is looking like we are going to get a Weight Watchers at Work here and I'm exicted. While I've been doing pretty good on the Wii Fit, I think I weigh myself too often on it -- it actually recommends doing the Body Test daily, which at first seems great, until you're doing it and all you do is watch your weigh hover around the same numbers for about 2 weeks. And if you do the test at a different time of day, your weight can really jump. I'm excited about WW at Work because I know a lot of people who have successfully lost weight with WW (my mom did really well on it) and I know it will help me relearn some bad eating habits. Plus, there's the accountability of doing it at work with people you work closely with. I know my co-workers will keep me honest.

Ghosts of Easter Past

A few years ago, I purchased the book "An Easter Carol" based on the Veggie Tales DVD of the same name. A few weeks ago, Maggie pulled it off the book shelf and we have read it a couple of times. It's not too long that she loses interest part way through, but not too short that we read it over and over and over in one sitting. The book is based on "A Christmas Carol," but with a focus on Easter. As I've been working on creating some Easter traditions this weekend (taking Good Friday off, coloring eggs, stuffing plastic eggs with candy), I thought I would revisit MY Easters past.

As a child, Easter was mostly about the candy. We had Easter baskets to find Easter morning and then off to church. If Easter didn't fall too early in the year, we might go to the sunrise service out at Hartford Beach. Sometimes we went to Redfield or Hitchcock for the weekend. I kind of liked going to church on Easter Sunday because the hymns were always joyful and fun to sing. Hymns are still the reason I like going to church and one of the reasons why I don't like attending the mega-church just down the road from us.

When I was out on my own and joined a big church choir, I began to understand the other parts of Holy Week and, well, not really enjoy, but understand and get something out of the other services. Easter Sunday was several large services held in an auditorium, to hold all the extra people who showed up on Easter Sunday.

Now, with a little girl, it seems Easter has come full circle and is now, once again, all about the candy. And that's okay. I know as she grows, we will teach her the true meaning of Easter and why we celebrate.

Easter 2006

Easter 2007

Easter 2008

Maggie embraces her feminine side

Maggie loves being a girl. She loves to play with make-up and decorate whatever faces (which includes eyes, lips, cheeks and noses), feet and hands. She loves to have me paint her fingernails -- which unfortunately does nothing to curb her biting her nails.

I found a cheerleader costume that Aunt Tammy had sent (which Rocky had sent to 2 nieces when he attended the University of Memphis). She found some pon-poms and went to town. I'm not sure where she has seen cheerleaders before, but she seemed to know exactly what to do.

Then, last week, she received an invitation to a Princess themed birthday party. She carried the card around all week and talked about going to Madison's party at Chuck E Cheese where she would dress up like Snow White. She was sick Thursday and Friday, so rather than taking her out to pick out a costume, Rocky stopped by Wal-Mart and found something better than a Snow White outfit: he found a box with lots of different princess outfits. Maggie was thrilled! She pulled everything out and tried on the purple outfit first. She really loves the shoes.

She had a lot of fun at the party. She climbed through the tunnel with Madison and played lots of games. She didn't really seem to care when Chuck E Cheese showed up, but enjoyed playing with the friends who were there from day care.