Green Thumbs

The mini and I got the urge to plant some flowers on Friday afternoon. She did really well. She held the plants with both hands, and after only a couple of "misfires" she very gently placed them in the ground, right side up! They are looking lovely, aren't they? We planted pink and organe Gerber daisys and purple clover. We also planted tulip bulbs back in December and the shoot are out of the ground, but no blooms yet. Hopefully soon!

A Day At The Park

The mini and I decided last Thursday that we should take a picnic lunch to the park and just have a day outside. Now that the weather is turning, we're trying to get out of the house and away from the t.v. more often. We both seem to be in much better moods at the end of the day if we watch less television. Anyway, here are the pictures from our little outing.


These first three pictures are of the mini on the big slide. Today was the first time she tried it all by herself! Before I've always had to hold her hand when she was sliding down, but today she was feeling adventurous. And she had a marvelous time - she kept sliding for at least 40 minutes once she realized how exciting it was.

Probably her favorite activity at the park is being on the swing. She still tries to convince me that she should be in the bucket swings, but when I tell her she's too big, she quickly agrees to be in the regular swings. Of course, then I have to push her really high - and she's starting to understand the concept of "pumping" her legs, so I don't think it'll be long before she's swinging all by herself.


Like many others her age, and as I'm sure many of you know/remember of your own toddlers and pre-schoolers, the mini loves to climb things. So I let her. Maybe I shouldn't let her, but I'm trying to encourage her to try almost everything at least once. I don't want to be the fear-enabling mom who wraps her child in cotton and never lets them do anything. Of course, I usually stand within 1 or 2 feet of her so that I can be there quickly, just in case!

On the seesaw. This is a spring-action seesaw, so there's not the same uncomfortable, wedgie-inducing, crash your butt on the ground sensation that we all remember from our own childhoods, but on this one, you can fit 2 or 3 children per seat and get it going really fast - which the mini adores. I definitely have a little speed demon on my hands. She loves anything that goes fast, especially if she's riding in or on it!

She can't resist another few turns on the slide!



This is a dinosaur/dragon shaped "horsie" thing on a spring. She spent approximately 90 seconds on this one before deciding that it wasn't for her. I think she got bored - maybe it was too close to the ground, so there just wasn't that thrill factor she was hoping for?


Who can resist the tire swing? The way it makes you so dizzy that you walk in circles and fall on your butt, giggling the whole time of course, right after you get off of it? And it's so much better when there's someone who's willing to ride it with you!

And of course, no trip to the park would be complete without the requisite post-play cookies in the car!

Let's Go Fly A Kite

When I was sick a week and a half ago, DH kindly offered to take the mini to the local kite festival so that I could get some rest. I thought that was a great idea, so I gave my blessing and sent them off to adventure. From what I was told later, it wasn't exactly what you'd call a "festival," more of a bunch of kite-flying enthusiasts and a few food vendors in an open field on a windy day. No matter, though. Apparently the mini had a really great time and even got her very own kite!

Amoxicillan to the Rescue!

So sickness had invaded our household last week. Not the mini, but DH, then me. He had what we think was the flu. He was out of commission for 2.5 days. By Saturday, I was starting to feel something, but we thought it was just a touch of what DH had. So we took the mini to the birthday party she had been invited to (pictures to come). The kids all had fun. That evening, the birthday mom called to tell me that she had the flu - not a surprise since her oldest had actually left the party a bit early because he wasn't feeling well. And even though DH was on the mend, I was starting to feel really crummy. As we all know, this sort of behavior is a definite no-no for a mommy. So on Sunday morning, when my throat was so sore and swollen that I could barely swallow, and after a night of tossing and turning, I finally decided to go to the local "doc-in-a-box" clinic. When the doctor checked my throat, his exact quote was "Yuck." No kidding. Turns out I had Strep throat. I don't think I've had that since I was a kid. I know I never want it again. However, they were able to give me a prescription for amoxicillan and within 24 hours I was feeling tons better. By 36 hours, I felt almost normal again. God bless antibiotics!

Making Pizza!

Today was a glorious day in the our kitchen. The mini made her own pizza! I found a ready-made crust at Kroger that didn't have any dairy or egg products in it, then I found shredded rice cheese at another grocery store in town. A little Boboli pizza sauce and we were set! She had a lot of fun putting it together, and then eating it. I think she'll have pizza dreams tonight!

The mini was beyond thrilled that she got to "cut" some ham. She got two kiddie cutlery sets for Christmas and she loves to try to cut her food with the knife.

Spreading the olive oil - it's like painting on the food!

Then came the sauce - yummy!

Adding the toppings - we had pepperoni, canadian bacon, green peppers, and of course, lots of cheese!

Reaching for the cheese to add it to the pizza...

...or to eat it before they get to the pizza! This happened with the peppers, too. She actually said, "these are yummy, Mommy. I like peppers!"

Proud of her culinary skills!




After baking...

...and fresh from the oven!

What a masterpiece!



Sometimes the best part is the aroma!

Nah! The best part is the taste! A drink to start the meal.

Here, she's planning her attack, which part of the pizza will get the first bite?

And the big finish!

Isn't pizza great? And homemade pizza is the best!

The Past Few Days

DH was on the phone with his mom the other day when he came home from work. Of course, as soon as the mini realized who was on the phone, she absolutely had to have her turn talking to Grandma. She actually tries to have complete conversations on the phone these days, with running commentary on what has been happening in her life. For example, she had to show Grandma her new toys - through the phone. She hasn't quite gotten it yet, that even though you can talk to Grandma, she can't see what you're doing. It was too cute!



On Sunday after church, because the mini has been behaving really well lately, we went to the toystore and bought her two new puzzles. The first one she wanted to work on was the Strawberry Shortcake puzzle. She opened it, dumped it on the floor and proceded to figure it out all by herself! She put that whole puzzle together in less than 15 minutes - MENSA here we come!

Today, one of the mini's friends came over for a playdate. She's about 6 months younger than the mini, so she doesn't have quite the same attention span, even though they are in the same class in pre-school. There was definitely a lot of screaming and a lack of willingness to share, but one thing they did agree on was that painting and watching Pinnochio were fun. They were really cute!