Spring Break Adventures

Last week was Spring Break. Yay. I'm sure that those of you who have a small child or three know what I mean. Spring Break is great in theory, but in practice, unless you have a planned vacation/activity, what are you going to do with that kid for the whole darn week!? Monday, we were at loose ends, but I tried to do a few things later in the week. On Tuesday, we hung out at the Playroom, then had lunch and went home for some outdoor fun. I didn't take any pictures. Wednesday, we did our regular weekly moms meeting, then spent a pleasant hour or so on the playground at church with some other girls we know. Again, I refrained from snapping those photos. I actually found it rather relaxing not pulling out the camera to try to get those once-in-a-lifetime shots - especially since we play on that playground with such frequency that I'm sure I'll get tons of them in the future. However, later that afternoon, I had the brilliant idea to go to the mall. I know what you're thinking - but the only money we spent that day were on drinks at Starbucks! Woo-Hoo! I went to the mall and stayed for 2+ hours and didn't spend tons of cash! As long as you have an open mind and aren't too picky about how to entertain a pre-schooler, the mall can be full of adventures! It was such a wonderful day. And I DID take tons of pictures there - of course, I'm going to restrain myself and TRY to only put a few here. (notice how I emphasized the "try" portion of that sentence?) Hope you enjoy!

Here are pictures of us on the train. We shared our car with a father and son who were also out enjoying the wonderful weather and he graciously took our picture for us. It's not often that I get pictures of the two of us together since I'm usually the one behind the camera.



Here, the mini is having lots of fun playing with the doll house at PBK.












Enjoying a fruit smoothie in the courtyard in front of Starbucks.









Who needs a swimming pool when you have a great splashing fountain to play in?











Does anyone else get the idea that she should be a supermodel from this shot?













And here we are trying on hats in a local department store. This is almost as much fun as dressing up for Halloween - just without the sugar rush!




Before leaving for the afternoon, the mini had to stop and smell the flowers.

Apology From A Photo Addict

They say that the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem....and after my most recent posts, it has come to my attention that (insert drumroll here) I have a problem. Hi. My name is DJ and I'm addicted to posting way, way, way too many pix of little MBA up on my blog. Oh, and then I go on ad nauseum explaining them. I'll try to be less enthusiastic in future posts. The facts, y'all, and only the facts. And maybe a couple of mildly entertaining observations. And the occasional question. Promise. Double promise. Triple pinky swear. Really. I mean it.

Easter Cheer

Happy Easter! I know this is a few days late, but here it is anyway. We woke up Easter morning and the mini was very excited to hunt for the basket that the Easter Bunny left. He was very generous this year and she was totally excited. We had left out a plate of carrots and apples the night before so that he would know we appreciated him dropping by, and he had actually eaten some by the next morning!


Her basket had candy-filled eggs, a new 4-in-1 puzzle, a new spring outfit, a lady bug, and a hanging mesh container for all of her stuffed animals. B.A. & L.A. sent her a pair of polka-dot rain boots that she immediately insisted upon putting on. She wanted to wear them to church with her new Easter dress, too, but was persuaded that her church shoes would look better with her new dressy socks.

Here she's hugging the stuffed lady bug that was in her basket. She's been insisting on taking the lady bug with her whenever we go somewhere and has been talking about it non-stop. It was definitely a big hit. It's name is "Lady Bug." Totally original, I know, but what can you do?

MMMMMM! Blueberry muffins are the perfect breakfast for Easter. With a side of jelly beans, of course!









This is the beautiful dress that B.A. & L.A. gave her for Christmas this year. We decided to save it for Easter. It was a perfect fit! And it was a heavy enough fabric that it helped keep her warm during the somewhat chilly day.

At church, I've taken a picture of her on the velvet sofa in the parlor for the last two years. I'm hoping to do this every year for an "age-progression" shot. If she's always sitting on the same piece of furniture, we'll get to see how she changes over her lifetime. I hope that sofa stays forever!



Later in the afternoon, we went to the "parade" down in one of the historic districts of town. It's a little street festival that is held every year to celebrate Easter. They have food vendors, live bands, arts and crafts, and lots of people wear fun Easter bonnets. There are always tons of dog-lovers out with their 4-legged children on leashes, in carry-alls or being pushed around in doggie strollers. Many of them are dressed up for Easter, too. It's a fun little festival that we try to go to every year.

The mini and almost every other child there absolutely loved the petting zoo. The opportunity to get up close and personal with animals that they don't get to see every day. Of course, it was pretty crowded, so the kids all had to stand in line. We were very proud of the way the mini calmly took turns with the other children. In fact, all of the kids in the petting zoo area were amazingly well-behaved. I guess they were more interested in the animals than they were in the other people around them. And there were enough different animals that if one was surrounded by too many other children, there were always several more that were available.



We took the stroller with us since we weren't sure if she'd be able to keep up with us for the whole day. At one point she decided to crawl in for a rest. She loves to pull the umbrella shade over her head and lay down for a while if she gets the chance. We haven't used this stroller since last summer, but it was definitely a good idea today. We were glad we took it with us!




The mini loves to ride on Daddy's shoulders whenever he'll let her. And she loves to bend over to give him kisses and talk to him while she's up there.







One fun thing they had at the festival was a hair-coloring "booth." We were surprised when the mini actually sat there calmly and let the guy spray her. She chose pink and purple stripes with sparkles. She looked too cute! And the color was almost completely gone by bedtime that night, so there was really no mess to deal with.



Here she got her very own purple blow-up Easter bunny. Every girl should have one!








One of the best parts of this festival is that you're very likely to run into people that you know but don't necessarily see all the time. As we were making our final pass down the street before heading home, we found one of the mini's friends from school (with her family, of course) and the two of them had a grand time. It was great watching them holding hands, skipping, jumping, giggling and just generally having a grand time together. I think that topped off the afternoon very nicely.











And last, but not least, we came home late in the afternoon and had a fabulous egg hunt in the back yard. I tell you what, that Easter Bunny can be pretty devious when it comes to hiding eggs, but the mini eventually found them all - all 45 of them! And she had a wonderful time doing it, too! We definitely had a fun-filled day.

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!