Today was my princess' 5th birthday. Just before bed, she declared that it was the best day ever. :)
Last night, we celebrated a little early with a family friend that was in town. The girls and I met him and Grandma&Grandpa at our favorite Mexican restaurant. We wiggled and ate our way through dinner and then a waiter brought out the best tres leche cake in the world for us to celebrate with. Our friend, actually a business associate of Grandpa and Daddy but someone who has an extra fondness for my little girls, brought her a birthday present--a giant stuffed animal orca whale. So big in fact, that it's as tall as her. She hugged and twirled and danced until we went home, where she continued to hug and twirl and dance. Except now it was accompanied by Grandpa on the guitar. Husband had left on a business trip so I sent him pictures of our impromptu "hoe-down". The whale has since been named Mulan. I'm not sure why. And then tonight I was informed it's now two names, "Coco-Mulan".
This morning I awoke with a little girl snuggled onto each shoulder, having been woken up by coughing, bad dreams or possibly the sixth sense of knowing that Daddy's pillow was available and I would be less likely to send them back to their own room. We hurried to dress and drop Ladybug off at school before continuing onto Butterfly's school. Since it was her birthday, she got to be the Special Leader (leading the pledge of allegiance, being the teacher's helper, etc.). In addition to this, I was invited for the first portion of class to do a spotlight on her. So I told them about the day she born and some of her favorite things. Then I gave her another birthday gift, a book (The Princess and the Pea) and a large box of "Matilda chocolates" explaining that her favorite movie is Matilda because she also loves to read and loves the chocolate truffles. So I read them the story as she shared her chocolates with them.
Later, I picked up both the girls from school and took them out to lunch. At her request, we went to Wendy's for chicken nuggets and vanilla frostys.
This evening, I left Ladybug and Lovely with Grandpa while Butterfly, Grandma and I had a girls night out. We went to the mall and found a store for that very special, long anticipated moment and Butterfly got her ears pierced. She was happy and excited and she mused over her choice of earrings, unsurprisingly picking out a set of pink stones. The technician carefully marked the placement for the earrings and we mulled over it, adjusting and checking. Then the big moment came. Despite having warned her that it would hurt for a moment, her excitement was quickly replaced by tears. The first one wasn't too bad but the second piercing made her cry. Fortunately, she let me scoop her up for a hug, we dabbed on some solution and within a few minutes, she was fine. In fact, once presented with a hand mirror, her tears were forgotten and she admired her reflection. Then we browsed the store, picking out several more sets of earrings and debating over her favorites. She loved trying on the tiaras and headbands and she enthusiastically endorsed some jewelry I was admiring as well. Eventually we made our selections and headed to our next destination.
She picked Chili's for her birthday dinner. We feasted, cuddled, giggled and at the end of our meal, our waitress and the manager presented her with dessert, including five candles with a bright, dancing flame. We sang, she blew and then we ate as much as we could before declaring ourselves too full for any more. Throughout the meal she cuddled into my side, frequently wiggling off the bench and occasionally kicking under the table, unable to sit still, especially on such a special occasional.
And eventually we began the drive home. Butterfly quickly grew quiet and soon was asleep in her seat, worn out from a wonderful day.
I love you, my princess butterfly.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Butterfly's Birthday party
She's 5! And so incredible in every way!
Her birthday party was last Saturday, held at a favorite aunt's house. She had chosen a Barbie theme and invited mostly family to celebrate with us. We kicked off with pizza and then passed around giant coloring pages (that matched the Barbie theme while everyone finished. It was an adorable sight, all the kids sprawled out on the bellies on the floor to color and share crayons.
Our first "official" activity was the Barbie photobooth, construct by my AMAZING husband. He fashioned a pink box with the Barbie logo, big enough for our girls to enter and pose for photos, as if they were a Barbie doll housed in the classic Mattel packaging. They donned pink feather boas, sunglasses and sparkling rings as accessories. Butterfly was first and dived right in with her usual flair and sass, beaming and posing and showing off for the camera. The kids were so cute and loved it! I had stolen the idea from Pinterest but my husband gets all the credit for this little creation.
While we were doing this, the table was cleared of dinner and readied for the next activity: decorating sugar cookies. Shaped like dresses, the kids set to work adding color and embellishments to add life and color to Barbie's "dresses". Butterfly decorated her slowly and beautifully, with careful attention to detail. Ladybug's cookie was a smear of frosting with piles of sprinkles mixing into a nonsensical sugary mess. And Lovely was content to lick frosting off the spoon, no frosting needed.
We played a version of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey by trying to appropriately attach sunglasses to a poster of Barbie (a kit I bought from a party store). Butterfly loved the idea and happily helped count out the spins for each kid as they took their turn. But then she was rather upset when she didn't win (she's very competitive).
And lastly, we made candy necklaces. Butterfly had picked out chocolate covered pretzels, peachie rings, striped shortbread cookies, fruit loop cereal and more to string onto the pink crochet thread and soon they all had another sugary, tasty treat to take home with them.
And finally, we brought out the cake. It was a pink Barbie cake with butterfly wings and a full skirt of frosting ripples and flowers. We sang, she blew out the candles and then began opening presents while cake and ice cream were served. She was so excited about all the cute clothes, barbie toys, books and princess kite that she received. Soon the guests began to say good byes and the remaining kids watched her new Barbie ballerina movie downstairs with Uncle Booga while we cleaned up. Except for the absence of a few favorite people who couldn't make it, the whole night had been perfect. She loved it and I loved watching her excitement.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
quote of the day
There's an old legend that when a baby laughs for the first time, a fairy is born. And with three little girls, we've seen the TinkerBell movies countless times, including the fourth in which TinkerBell discovers she has a twin, born of the same laugh, but separated and eventually reunited to become best friends and save the world once again. ok, hold that thought.
My little Butterfly is named after our aunt, an indescribably amazing woman. We gave our baby her name out of deep love and appreciation for our aunt and the hope that our baby would grow to become such a woman of the same confidence, strength, conviction, generosity, intelligence, grace and pure wonderfulness. The unexpected surprise was that she would end up looking so much like her too! and our daughter has a particular affection for this aunt. She frequently and proudly explains to friends and family, "She's Big L and I'm Little L and we match!"
Last weekend, we were at her house but unfortunately our Aunt was called away and couldn't be there for our visit. Our little one, so upset at her absence cried, "But mom, I need her! We were born of the same laugh!"
Make. Me. Melt.
My little Butterfly is named after our aunt, an indescribably amazing woman. We gave our baby her name out of deep love and appreciation for our aunt and the hope that our baby would grow to become such a woman of the same confidence, strength, conviction, generosity, intelligence, grace and pure wonderfulness. The unexpected surprise was that she would end up looking so much like her too! and our daughter has a particular affection for this aunt. She frequently and proudly explains to friends and family, "She's Big L and I'm Little L and we match!"
Last weekend, we were at her house but unfortunately our Aunt was called away and couldn't be there for our visit. Our little one, so upset at her absence cried, "But mom, I need her! We were born of the same laugh!"
Make. Me. Melt.
boom
Little Lovely is super friendly, smiling and grinning widely to everyone she sees. She sings out a happy,"hi!" as she waves her perfect princess wave, side to side. But her favorite is to give knuckles or "boom" as she calls it. She holds out her knuckles for a fist bump, grinning and giggles as we tap together and then I explode away. She will go around an entire room, giving knuckles to everyone in it, usually on both hands (but one at a time). During our trip, she even insisted on "boom" to her pizza! Such a cutie. And so ridiculously charming with that infectious smile and beautiful eyes that no one can resist.
girls night
My mom began scrapbooking years ago. Soon I began to share in that hobby, thoroughly loving it as a chance to be creative and better enjoy my memories preserved through photos. Long story short, she eventually converted to digital scrapbooking and more recently, I did too. Or at least I wanted too. but with three kids and the chaos of life, I have done any scrapbooking in quite some time. But for Christmas, I had bought us tickets to the Scrapbook Expo and booked our hotel so we could stay for the whole two day adventure. Such a blast! I arrived before she did and spent some time wandering around the numerous booths before settling into the "digi-lounge" (the area set aside for digital scrapbooking). I recognized a friend from college and found out that she owned one of the companies hosting a booth of digital scrapbooking resources. So she generously spent some time with me helping me get set up and reintroducing me to Adobe Photoshop. It didn't take long, once upon a time I knew the program well but it's been awhile since I used it. Soon my mom arrived and we set to work, happily scrapping away amist the people, music, positive energy and fun that surrounded us. The deejay announced games, prizes and giveaways. Booths tempted us with their crafts and tasty treats. We worked until after 11 pm, packed up and found our hotel. I had booked a room using the expo's discount code and found our room to be a very nice suite. We stayed up talking until 2 am and then slept til morning when we returned to the expo for more fun. We even entered one of the layout contests and mom took first place! We had a great time and will definitely be there next year, hopefully taking my sister in laws, maybe even my aunt and a few other friends if we can talk them into it. It was a perfect girls night out and so fun.
CA or bust
Husband had a work trip to CA and since he was driving, we tagged along to keep him company in his free time.
We left Saturday late afternoon, giving ourselves a few days to play before Husband would have to work. We stopped halfway to for some dinner and found a park for our kids to run off some energy. The park was a great find and we played for over an hour, trying to wear the kids out before piling them back into the car. We stopped in Vegas for the night and carried our sleeping babies into the hotel where they promptly woke up and hit a second wind of energy as they explored and bounced around the room. (bytheway, highly recommend the Tropicana Hampton Inn). The huge bed was flanked by the "cot" (I would have just called it a portable twin bed) and a couch which the girls quickly claimed and laid out their new sleeping bags. We settled Lovely into the crib they had provided and then listened to her play for two hours! Even with the room dark and quiet, she stood standing in her crib, cheerfully calling "hi!", encouraging us to come play with her. I assume she fell asleep at some point but can't say for sure because I beat her to it.
The next morning, the girls happily flipped on the tv for some Disney Junior. This might be their favorite part of staying in a hotel. They beg for Mickey, Jake the Pirate and Doc McStuffins. But soon we herded them downstairs to help ourselves to the breakfast buffet and eventually made our way to the Strip. We had decided that playing tourist on the Strip would be a little safer and less full of naked drunkenness in the morning, rather than at night. So made our way over to Excalibur and wandered around the castle, posing with knights in shining armor and marveling over the turrets. We walked to the M&M store and were dismayed to learn that the highly recommended 3D movie wouldn't start showing for another two hours. (Apparently Vegas likes to sleep in. But they forgot to tell my children.) But we wandered around the merchandise, picked out some M&Ms and got to meet Yellow before wandered back to Excalibur (Lovely has a serious sweet tooth and is particularly fond of M&Ms. She didn't seem overly impressed by the store itself but happily devoured her share of chocolate candies.) At Excalibur, we entered the Dungeon (which had been closed until 10 am). It was a huge arcade and our girls were thrilled with all the lights and sounds and activities. $5 of token bought us an hour of fun (plus two plastic rings that they each earned with their tickets) before we headed upstairs for lunch.
We hurried back to our hotel before check out time but managed to get an hour extension so we could go swimming before we left. Butterfly showed off her "under water" bravery, Ladybug fearlessly jumped in from the side over and over and Lovely played on the steps, climbing in and out of the water. But soon we were back on the road and headed for California. I was especially happy we had taken the time to go swimming as it turned out to be too cold for the beach or for our hotel's unheated pool.
We arrived at our hotel in Anaheim one of the three Ramadas lining the road, blocks away from Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center. But we had decided to skip Disneyland in favor of saving for a trip to DisneyWorld this fall instead (to see my kid sister!) But it was fun to be close to so much excitement and chat with other families coming and going from their adventures. Sunday night was simple: we arrived, checked into the hotel, unpacked, got some dinner at Captain Kidd's buffet (it was good for the kids but not particularly impressive) and hung out in our hotel until bedtime.
Monday morning started off with more Disney Junior and the best hotel waffles ever (the batter might have been half waffle/half cake batter, it was so light and soft and sweet). Then we set out for Knott's Berry Farm. This was a favorite place of my childhood memories and the day did not disappoint. Not as large as Disneyland, it's much more manageable in one day, feeling less rushed and pressured to "do it all". When we first entered the main gate, we were greeted by Snoopy himself and the girls ran for hugs and pictures. I had started showing the Snoopy and Charlie Brown cartoons on YouTube a few weeks prior so they would know him and they were ecstatic. Then we quickly headed onto the rides. Our first ride was a rollar coaster. Daddy took the two big girls while Lovely and I waited for them. Butterfly loved it, but Ladybug was immediately sick and thus began the pattern for the day. She would be excited, happily echoing her sister's pleas for a ride. She would bounce around through the short line (the longest we we ever waited was 15 minutes) but as soon as the motion began, her face would pale and she would immediately cry that her tummy hurt. Maybe it was just a bad day but perhaps her body disagrees with the movement. We will try again in the future. For now, we filled our day with adventures. We rode the train and found many attractions that were specifically geared towards children as young as ours. We watched the fantastic (and hilarious cowboy stunt show, wandered the ghost town, met the blacksmith and the schoolteacher, watched the Lucy and Friends character show and more. Lovely took it all in with big eyes. She was mostly content to sit in the stroller and watch but begged to escape and run occasionally. The girls favorite was the carousel. The least favorite was the mine ride (probably because the dark caves and jerking movement). We skipped over all the big roller coasters and water rides, planning to do those when we return several years from now when the girls are older. We managed two more run-ins with Snoopy and did a little souvenir shopping on our way out. The girls picked giant suckers and Daddy and I picked out a magnet for our growing collection.
We left Knott's around 5 and drove further into LA, to El Segundo, where Husband had a business dinner to attend. But since that's also where I went to high school, I had invited a friend to meet us for dinner. We met at a restaurant next door to Husband's dinner, called Island's. It was a favorite hangout in high school and we often went their after dances, concert, football games or whatever other events. (But having my three kids there was certainly new!) The girls were actually rather well behaved and eager to charm our guest. It was SO good to see her and we had a great time talking. Eventually the kids grew too noisy and restless and we had to leave to meet Husband but I'm so glad I got to see her again. We picked up Daddy and drove to the airport where Grandma was flying in for a few days to play with us. (more accurately, to help me with the kids while Husband would be at work all day.) The girls crashed rather quickly that night and I have to admit I did too. In fact, I fell asleep on the floor cuddling Lovely on her makeshift bed.
Tuesday morning (after more cartoons and waffles) was spent in Long Beach. Originally Husband was planning to attend a conference at the Anaheim Convention center but ended up finding the Long Beach one to be a better use of his time. So we drove in, dropped him off and then spent the morning at the Long Beach Aquarium I was especially grateful Grandma could come because the girls were excited, running in every direction and could have easily gotten lost in the sea of field trip attending children. We saw animals of all kinds, managed to catch a few of the shows and the kids particularly loved the Storyteller's Theater, where they could to help act out the stories with their fish puppets. I think the favorite sights of the day were the penguins and jellyfish. The only real disappointment was the 4D Turtle Vision movie that we saw at the end of our excursion. I thought it was rather stupid and unimpressive but I think the girls liked it.
So next we headed across the street to Bubba Gump's Shrimp for lunch. Butterfly is especially fond of shrimp so she was particularly excited about our little feast. From there, we drove back to El Segundo to do some shopping at the Mattel Factory Store (I had hoped we could go in for toy testing as I did as a child but they were only doing boys toys that week). We wandered around the great toy store for some shopping and then continued on for a few general errands, things for an upcoming birthday party and a stop at Ross (always a favorite). Soon we were hurrying back to pick up Husband and plan our evening. Hungry and getting tired, we ended up going to the Long Beach Pier (which I actually hadn't previously known existed). We had dinner at a little pizza shop and then stopped in at the ice cream parlor for dessert. Our last stop was the arcade. It was a little run down but again, $5 bought the girls an hour of fun and we got to ride a carousel once again (always a favorite).
Wednesday was an unexpected surprise. Husband had been invited to meet with a company in San Diego. So we packed up for the day, drove down there and Husband dropped us off at the San Diego Zoo. It's HUGE. The vast area is filled with animals of every kind, housed in beautifully design habitats and full of fun adventures and experiences for kinds. We had a blast! but quickly got worn out. In fact, we had seen less than half the zoo when we stopped for lunch. This revived us (we get cranky when we're hungry) and we continued onto the pandas (always a favorite) and more. But soon, the girls had lost all interest in the exhibits and were deeply involved in a pretend tea party instead. Rather than continuing to drag on, we headed for the playground at the front of the park and let them run. I was grateful for this children's area because as large and impressive as the San Diego Zoo is, I ended up concluded it is better suited for teenagers and adults, simply because of it's large size. The kids played and soon Daddy arrived to join us. We wandered through the petting zoo (Lovely befriended a little black goat) and then continued onto the reptiles (Butterfly wanted to see alligators). The girls also particularly loved the flamingos and elephants, my favorite was the Big Cats Trail with the panthers and tigers. We wandered through the rest of the part, catching the main sights and moving on with our tired brood. Soon we piled into the car, drove home, stopping at a Chili's Restaurant for dinner.
Husband dropped Grandma off at the airport for an early flight home and then headed back to Long Beach for another meeting (after getting a flat tire repaired). So it was just me and the girls for a few hours Thursday morning. We slept in, ate doughnuts in our hotel room and watched cartoons while I packed our things. Having had our fill of cartoons, we left the hotel and walked a few blocks to McDonalds where we ate lunch in the newly arrived sunshine (we had gray skies since Vegas). We were hoping for a playplace but instead found a small grass lawn that was completely fenced in. So the girls ran and played and danced. It felt so good to be outside so we simply stayed there, playing until Daddy arrived to pick us up.
We checked out of our hotel and began the long trek home. Again we stopped halfway to play briefly. The girls ran to get their wiggled out but other than that, we drove, pacifying them with books and toys and movies. We arrived home around 2:30 am, tucked our sleeping girls into their beds, happy and content to be home again.
We left Saturday late afternoon, giving ourselves a few days to play before Husband would have to work. We stopped halfway to for some dinner and found a park for our kids to run off some energy. The park was a great find and we played for over an hour, trying to wear the kids out before piling them back into the car. We stopped in Vegas for the night and carried our sleeping babies into the hotel where they promptly woke up and hit a second wind of energy as they explored and bounced around the room. (bytheway, highly recommend the Tropicana Hampton Inn). The huge bed was flanked by the "cot" (I would have just called it a portable twin bed) and a couch which the girls quickly claimed and laid out their new sleeping bags. We settled Lovely into the crib they had provided and then listened to her play for two hours! Even with the room dark and quiet, she stood standing in her crib, cheerfully calling "hi!", encouraging us to come play with her. I assume she fell asleep at some point but can't say for sure because I beat her to it.
The next morning, the girls happily flipped on the tv for some Disney Junior. This might be their favorite part of staying in a hotel. They beg for Mickey, Jake the Pirate and Doc McStuffins. But soon we herded them downstairs to help ourselves to the breakfast buffet and eventually made our way to the Strip. We had decided that playing tourist on the Strip would be a little safer and less full of naked drunkenness in the morning, rather than at night. So made our way over to Excalibur and wandered around the castle, posing with knights in shining armor and marveling over the turrets. We walked to the M&M store and were dismayed to learn that the highly recommended 3D movie wouldn't start showing for another two hours. (Apparently Vegas likes to sleep in. But they forgot to tell my children.) But we wandered around the merchandise, picked out some M&Ms and got to meet Yellow before wandered back to Excalibur (Lovely has a serious sweet tooth and is particularly fond of M&Ms. She didn't seem overly impressed by the store itself but happily devoured her share of chocolate candies.) At Excalibur, we entered the Dungeon (which had been closed until 10 am). It was a huge arcade and our girls were thrilled with all the lights and sounds and activities. $5 of token bought us an hour of fun (plus two plastic rings that they each earned with their tickets) before we headed upstairs for lunch.
We hurried back to our hotel before check out time but managed to get an hour extension so we could go swimming before we left. Butterfly showed off her "under water" bravery, Ladybug fearlessly jumped in from the side over and over and Lovely played on the steps, climbing in and out of the water. But soon we were back on the road and headed for California. I was especially happy we had taken the time to go swimming as it turned out to be too cold for the beach or for our hotel's unheated pool.
We arrived at our hotel in Anaheim one of the three Ramadas lining the road, blocks away from Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center. But we had decided to skip Disneyland in favor of saving for a trip to DisneyWorld this fall instead (to see my kid sister!) But it was fun to be close to so much excitement and chat with other families coming and going from their adventures. Sunday night was simple: we arrived, checked into the hotel, unpacked, got some dinner at Captain Kidd's buffet (it was good for the kids but not particularly impressive) and hung out in our hotel until bedtime.
Monday morning started off with more Disney Junior and the best hotel waffles ever (the batter might have been half waffle/half cake batter, it was so light and soft and sweet). Then we set out for Knott's Berry Farm. This was a favorite place of my childhood memories and the day did not disappoint. Not as large as Disneyland, it's much more manageable in one day, feeling less rushed and pressured to "do it all". When we first entered the main gate, we were greeted by Snoopy himself and the girls ran for hugs and pictures. I had started showing the Snoopy and Charlie Brown cartoons on YouTube a few weeks prior so they would know him and they were ecstatic. Then we quickly headed onto the rides. Our first ride was a rollar coaster. Daddy took the two big girls while Lovely and I waited for them. Butterfly loved it, but Ladybug was immediately sick and thus began the pattern for the day. She would be excited, happily echoing her sister's pleas for a ride. She would bounce around through the short line (the longest we we ever waited was 15 minutes) but as soon as the motion began, her face would pale and she would immediately cry that her tummy hurt. Maybe it was just a bad day but perhaps her body disagrees with the movement. We will try again in the future. For now, we filled our day with adventures. We rode the train and found many attractions that were specifically geared towards children as young as ours. We watched the fantastic (and hilarious cowboy stunt show, wandered the ghost town, met the blacksmith and the schoolteacher, watched the Lucy and Friends character show and more. Lovely took it all in with big eyes. She was mostly content to sit in the stroller and watch but begged to escape and run occasionally. The girls favorite was the carousel. The least favorite was the mine ride (probably because the dark caves and jerking movement). We skipped over all the big roller coasters and water rides, planning to do those when we return several years from now when the girls are older. We managed two more run-ins with Snoopy and did a little souvenir shopping on our way out. The girls picked giant suckers and Daddy and I picked out a magnet for our growing collection.
We left Knott's around 5 and drove further into LA, to El Segundo, where Husband had a business dinner to attend. But since that's also where I went to high school, I had invited a friend to meet us for dinner. We met at a restaurant next door to Husband's dinner, called Island's. It was a favorite hangout in high school and we often went their after dances, concert, football games or whatever other events. (But having my three kids there was certainly new!) The girls were actually rather well behaved and eager to charm our guest. It was SO good to see her and we had a great time talking. Eventually the kids grew too noisy and restless and we had to leave to meet Husband but I'm so glad I got to see her again. We picked up Daddy and drove to the airport where Grandma was flying in for a few days to play with us. (more accurately, to help me with the kids while Husband would be at work all day.) The girls crashed rather quickly that night and I have to admit I did too. In fact, I fell asleep on the floor cuddling Lovely on her makeshift bed.
Tuesday morning (after more cartoons and waffles) was spent in Long Beach. Originally Husband was planning to attend a conference at the Anaheim Convention center but ended up finding the Long Beach one to be a better use of his time. So we drove in, dropped him off and then spent the morning at the Long Beach Aquarium I was especially grateful Grandma could come because the girls were excited, running in every direction and could have easily gotten lost in the sea of field trip attending children. We saw animals of all kinds, managed to catch a few of the shows and the kids particularly loved the Storyteller's Theater, where they could to help act out the stories with their fish puppets. I think the favorite sights of the day were the penguins and jellyfish. The only real disappointment was the 4D Turtle Vision movie that we saw at the end of our excursion. I thought it was rather stupid and unimpressive but I think the girls liked it.
So next we headed across the street to Bubba Gump's Shrimp for lunch. Butterfly is especially fond of shrimp so she was particularly excited about our little feast. From there, we drove back to El Segundo to do some shopping at the Mattel Factory Store (I had hoped we could go in for toy testing as I did as a child but they were only doing boys toys that week). We wandered around the great toy store for some shopping and then continued on for a few general errands, things for an upcoming birthday party and a stop at Ross (always a favorite). Soon we were hurrying back to pick up Husband and plan our evening. Hungry and getting tired, we ended up going to the Long Beach Pier (which I actually hadn't previously known existed). We had dinner at a little pizza shop and then stopped in at the ice cream parlor for dessert. Our last stop was the arcade. It was a little run down but again, $5 bought the girls an hour of fun and we got to ride a carousel once again (always a favorite).
Wednesday was an unexpected surprise. Husband had been invited to meet with a company in San Diego. So we packed up for the day, drove down there and Husband dropped us off at the San Diego Zoo. It's HUGE. The vast area is filled with animals of every kind, housed in beautifully design habitats and full of fun adventures and experiences for kinds. We had a blast! but quickly got worn out. In fact, we had seen less than half the zoo when we stopped for lunch. This revived us (we get cranky when we're hungry) and we continued onto the pandas (always a favorite) and more. But soon, the girls had lost all interest in the exhibits and were deeply involved in a pretend tea party instead. Rather than continuing to drag on, we headed for the playground at the front of the park and let them run. I was grateful for this children's area because as large and impressive as the San Diego Zoo is, I ended up concluded it is better suited for teenagers and adults, simply because of it's large size. The kids played and soon Daddy arrived to join us. We wandered through the petting zoo (Lovely befriended a little black goat) and then continued onto the reptiles (Butterfly wanted to see alligators). The girls also particularly loved the flamingos and elephants, my favorite was the Big Cats Trail with the panthers and tigers. We wandered through the rest of the part, catching the main sights and moving on with our tired brood. Soon we piled into the car, drove home, stopping at a Chili's Restaurant for dinner.
Husband dropped Grandma off at the airport for an early flight home and then headed back to Long Beach for another meeting (after getting a flat tire repaired). So it was just me and the girls for a few hours Thursday morning. We slept in, ate doughnuts in our hotel room and watched cartoons while I packed our things. Having had our fill of cartoons, we left the hotel and walked a few blocks to McDonalds where we ate lunch in the newly arrived sunshine (we had gray skies since Vegas). We were hoping for a playplace but instead found a small grass lawn that was completely fenced in. So the girls ran and played and danced. It felt so good to be outside so we simply stayed there, playing until Daddy arrived to pick us up.
We checked out of our hotel and began the long trek home. Again we stopped halfway to play briefly. The girls ran to get their wiggled out but other than that, we drove, pacifying them with books and toys and movies. We arrived home around 2:30 am, tucked our sleeping girls into their beds, happy and content to be home again.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Flashbacks
Little Lovely is so adorable and mischievous and sweet that she makes me crazy. I cannot get enough of her. I particularly love this age, with all the wonder and new discoveries and hero worship and expanding communication.
She "blurbles" now. All the time. Sometimes with one hand, sometimes with both, she sticks her bottom lip out and flutters her fingers on it to listen to the funny sound she can make. Butterfly used to do a version of this but used the back of her hand, rolling it across her mouth over and over.
Lovely loves to stick out her toes for me to hold when I'm driving. The first time she did it, I immediately remembered how Ladybug used to do this. She would insist, begging, daddy to hold her foot while he drove. Not easily done but it seemed to be such a comfort to her.
But the nonstop chatter has been a new adventures for us. The two older girls didn't chatter, not until after they got ear tubes at 18 months and began to hear themselves better. But Lovely has been a jabbering monster for months now. Some of her words are becoming much more clear and she delights in being able to communicate. She also astounds us with being able to match pitches and intervals. Her sisters had an early inclinations for rhythms but not tones, as sweet and cute as they are.
Every kid, a wonderful new adventure.
Quote of the day
Ladybug has an obsession with boys that already has us concerned. At the park, pool, etc., she will hover around or over whatever boys she can find, trying to play with them and flirting shamelessly. She especially favors the 10-14 year olds who usually humor her with a little sister-like regard.
Last time we were swimming, it was my third or fourth attempt to redirect her and she stubbornly replied, "no mom! I want the boys! I love the boys! I want to talk to the damn boys!"
Monday, March 11, 2013
squish
Lovely and I have this little game. I sit on the couch, sitting towards the front edge. She climbs onto the couch and scrambles into the space behind me. With crazed excitement, she pats on my back with both hands begging, "Squish!" I comply by leaning back, squishing her between me and the couch and wiggling to give her a little jostle. She squeals and giggles, I release her and within seconds, she begs again.
The best is when she ends up sitting right behind me, with her arms wrapped tight around my middle, giggling so hard. It's the closest I get to a hug from her. She saves her hugs for Daddy, wrapping her chubby little arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, sometimes even patting him on the back. But she won't hug me. We cuddle and she loves to sit on my lap, she will even kiss me when she's feeling particularly affectionate, but only Daddy gets her hugs.
So instead, we squish.
The best is when she ends up sitting right behind me, with her arms wrapped tight around my middle, giggling so hard. It's the closest I get to a hug from her. She saves her hugs for Daddy, wrapping her chubby little arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, sometimes even patting him on the back. But she won't hug me. We cuddle and she loves to sit on my lap, she will even kiss me when she's feeling particularly affectionate, but only Daddy gets her hugs.
So instead, we squish.
Monday, March 4, 2013
quote of the day
I was watching an episode of The West Wing, when Butterfly wandered into the room. She watched for a few minutes and asked, "Where's President Monson?" I laughed, explained that this was just a tv show about the president in the government, not the president of our church. She continued, "No, I like President Monson better. He's a better president."
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Quote of the day
Me: "what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Ladybug: " nothing."
Me: "do you want to be a doctor or a teacher or-"
Ladybug: "no I said nothing! I'm a sweetheart! I have to be a sweetheart!"
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