Fall Fun!

I love Fall! It's always been my favorite time of year and this weekend's weather was PERFECT! Sunny and warm enough for light sweatshirt in the afternoon, but chilly in the evenings, which is perfect for a big campfire. We had a weekend camping trip planned back to Versailles State Park with some friends and their families, so it was just right. The fall colors were just beginning to pop through too, which made even better.

Greg picked Meg up from Mamaw and Papaw's on Friday in the afternoon, so they were anxiously waiting on me when I got home from school. I rushed out with the students, so we could leave in time to pick up the boys from school when they were dismissed. We stopped for dinner on the way down and arrived at our not-so-level campsite around 6:30. Greg, of course, made it work for us and even convinced the people next to us to trade sites with the Cage's so they could get their RV level. ATTA BOY Greggie!

Saturday morning we all chipped in a fixed a huge breakfast feast (pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, etc...) then headed down to the lake to listen to the bluegrass festival music and let play in the kayak on the water. The kids had a blast (so did the big kids, I love our kayak!) Meg even spent some time in the afternoon practicing riding her bike without training wheels. GO GIRL! The Sutton's joined us a little later in the afternoon and they have a daughter who is just a couple months younger than Meg. They were like two peas in a pod the rest of the weekend, even had matching pj's, which was a huge coincidence. So cute! We spent the rest of the day playing Corn Hole (yes, we did win) and sitting around the fire visiting and chasing kids. We made another feast for dinner (see pic below) then settled down for the evening.

The next morning the Sutton's fixed some delicious sausage gravy over the fire (Can you say YUM!) we also had biscuits, more eggs, and some other yummy breakfast stuff. I think I gained 5 pounds from all the eating we did. All in all it was a great time. The Cage's bring a motorcycle with them (They have extra money for toys, since they don't have kids!) so of course after the boys all had a ride, so did Princess Meg. Her trip was cut quite short by Overprotective Mother Hen Kim, but she still had fun. She's still telling me today that it was one of the best parts of the trip. The other part was the kayaking. The sad thing about coming home was that it's time to winterize the camper. :( Camping season is about over for this year. We'll be itching for next spring before you know it!

My Not-so-Perfect Angel

Well...it happened. I knew it would. Meg had a time out today at Beth's. Unlike many of the parents I've been dealing with, I can admit that she deserved it. I know that she's no angel, but I want to believe (and I'm often told) that she's "so well behaved and so sweeeeeeet" especially so when I'm not around.

She woke up in a mood today. Her mouth was sassy. She was insistent upon wearing a short sleeve shirt (the high was supposed to be in the 50's or 60's today) so I vetoed that one pretty quickly. That really ticked her off and it was just the beginning. I guess it continued from there. The final straw for Beth, the sitter, was when she and another girl were laughing at and making fun of another boy. She ended up in time-out. I asked if she cried and she didn't. I guess she just bowed her head and moped for a bit afterwards, in her true drama queen style.

I made her tell me all about it when we got home. At first, Ms. I-forget-no-little-detail-ever forgot ALL about it, but it quickly came back when I threatened to cancel the camping trip for the weekend unless she remembered. She admitted it and told me she apologized to him. Good enough for me! :)

Field Trip!

Meg had her first field trip for school today! She got to go to the zoo. It was a perfect opportunity for me to take the day off and join her, so that I did. Now that Mamaw is retired, she even joined us. Meg was most excited about getting to ride the school bus though. HA! I got to meet her new BFF Maddy that I always hear about. The teacher even told me how inseparable they are at school. It was so cute to see them walking hand-in-hand everywhere. As soon as we'd walk up to an animal, they turn right back around and say, "What's next?" I guess that's why a couple of hours at the zoo was plenty of time for a preschool class. :) After we left the zoo, they stopped by McDonald's and had lunch. She snarfed her nuggets, apples and drink right up, then we headed home. I was hoping for a nice long nap, but Meg wanted nothing to do with that. She was wound up and couldn't sleep. :( No rest for Mommy today, but that'll make for an early bedtime!

A little of this and a little of that...

Hmmm...seems like there's lots I could share, just not sure where to begin. Maybe a numbered list is the way to go this time.

1. I've been teaching Meg to read. I promise I'm not being that pushy teacher-mom person, it's just that she's interested and eager, so I feel guilty ignoring her urge. We have letters on the fridge and I make consonant-vowel-consonant words for her to sound out. She know most all of the letter sounds pretty well and we keep practicing those tricky vowels. So far words like bat, sat, sit, pig, gum, pin, etc...are a piece of cake. She even recognized a couple of them in a Dora book I read before bed the other night. With the craziness in my own classroom at school this year, it's nice to know I really can teach someone, something important.

2. Right this very second she keeps repeating...."Who farted? Who farted?" She's obsessed with farting right now. **That's even a word she spells on the fridge on her own and sounds out!** Let's keep our fingers crossed she doesn't show that one off in preschool someday. She asked me a little bit ago why her farts smelled bad. I'm ready for this gross phase to pass.

3. The new babysitter is still as amazing as ever. Meg takes a great nap there. She even tells me how comfy Miss Beth's nap bed is for her. They have an awesome play set and they do at least one craft everyday. Most days it's two. And....Meg loves her food. Yesterday she ate 9, yes 9, fish sticks and two bowls of macaroni! OINK OINK!

4. She has figured out how to tilt her head to the side and bat her eyes to try and get what she wants. She even realizes what this is supposed to do for her. She even said the other day, "Mommy! Didn't you seeeeeeeeeeee my eyesssss!!!"

5. Finally...her memory. We were driving by Lilly's the other day and she said to Greg and I, "It's too bad that won't be Lilly's anymore, what's it gonna be?" Neither one of us could figure it out after a few attempts, so she let it go. On the way home when we passed she yelled out, "I remember! Covance!" We both just stared at each other dumbfounded and told her she was right. Amazing.

Circus Fun!

We took our own little monkeys to the circus today. It was a great show, the kids had a blast and so did we! :) We got to go to the Animal Encounter before hand and see the elephants, tigers, horses and even goats, up close. After that we went down to the floor and got to watch some clowns and other acts performing up close. The show lasted a good two hours and for those two hours, the kids were silent and still! AMAZING! When I asked Meg what her favorite part was, she told me all of it, but the one thing she keeps talking about is the dog act. There were several cute little yappy-type dogs that they had dressed up and they did various tricks with. The hat you see Meg wearing below came from a $12 bag of cotton candy. Uh huh! If you take sugar, spin it around, put it in a plastic bag and stick it inside a cheapo hat at a circus, you can charge $12 for it! Talk about sticker shock! HA HA! After we got home, it was time for some jumping on the trampoline and four-wheeler riding time. What a short weekend! Back to the grind tomorrow...

Bunny Tales

Big news on the Bodell/Carter compound......we have bunnies! Yep, that's right, we now have 2 pet bunnies. We've got no idea what kind they are, but one is primarily white (Belle) and the other is black and white (Oreo). They were free (WOHOO!) and came with a huge rabbit hutch w/ bunny bathroom on the side, feeder, a large container of food, waterer, small carrying cage and two leashes. Uh huh....leashes, so we can take them on walks. They are not exactly leash trained, but so far Meg's pulled Belle around a little bit, so I'm sure they'll catch on that they better walk next to the kid pulling them or they're gonna have a sore bunny neck. HA! While they are residing behind the princess playhouse, they are bunnies for all. They did belong to a family who had a 23 year old that didn't give them much attention, so they are glad to have them in a family now where they'll get plenty. Pics as promised....

The first one is of Meg in front of her playhouse. **Yes, it really is that bright purple and pink** Good thing we've got an "in" w/ the neighbor or he might've made us move it!

What princess doesn't love a good wedding?

Meg got to attend a wedding. She was so excited for the big event and had to make sure she had on her "dancing dress." The best part of the whole night for her and the boys was the dancing at the reception and the candy bar that was a kids' paradise. At least they were able to burn off some of that sugar buzz with dancing. :)

Our version of "boxing"

Grammy (Greg's mom) got new cabinets. The kids have hi-jacked the boxes. We spent a great deal of time, and paint too, decorating Meg's. I think it took just as long to wash the paint off of us....but it was tons of fun getting messy!

Sneak Preview

One word....Halloween. It's over two months away, but I had a coupon for free shipping and Meg made the decision for her costume, so I ordered it. She's in heaven and cute as can be. She may drive me nutty before then asking every morning when she wakes up, "Is it Halloween yet?" but I"m sure we'll get lots of good out of it. Here's a sneak peek...just follow the yellow brick road....

I said I would...

Better late than never. I said I'd put some pics of our most recent camping trip to Versailles on here. I'm a few weeks late, but here are a couple. We found a creek bed that was full of rocks that had fossils in them. It was one of the coolest places I've seen camping. :) The kids loved it too and Greg and I had fun pretending like we really knew something about them. Of course, the environmental dude and the science teacher should know something about fossils anyways, shouldn't we?!?! HA! It was a pretty good hike to get there. Meg made it just fine, with the exception of one minor fall at the beginning that resulted in ***hold your breath*** a little scrape and blood. Accck! Thank goodness I stocked the camper up with special medicine and bandaids earlier this summer. I was proud of her for walking the whole time, not whining and not making us carry her.

We spent a good amount of our time at the pool. They had a huge 100 ft. waterslide that Miss Thing **by herself** and the boys went down about 100 times. Greg and I were on it about half that much. It was fun! There was a high dive too. Brave Mommy decided that after Greg went off of it, she could too! Man...that sucker is high! They don't call it a high dive for nothing. I got up there, walked out the end, and turned around and went back down the ladder. Some kid on the ground walked up and said, "Don't worry, there's always next year." I was mortified, so a little while later, I went back up and jumped. The boys made fun of me b/c I held my nose and was flailing my arms, but I DID IT! I must say though that the amount of respect I had for those Olympic high divers is now much greater. :) *Swimming pics are on Greg's camera, and I haven't uploaded them yet*

The rest of our time was spent riding bikes, playing on the playground and relaxing by the fire. One final story...the raccoons there was wicked. They ripped open our Mt. Dew can and drank them all, opened our cooler and drank the kids Caprisuns too. Wow! All in all, it was a very fun trip!

Who's up for a Grocery Donation?

My child is starving! Today, she managed to eat 4 (yes, 4!) bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal and a cup of peaches. Lunch was a half of a huge hamburger, vegetables, cottage cheese and even french fries (which of course are made out of potatoes that she doesn't like) Dinner, which she could hardly wait on without a snack, was an entire cup of Easy Mac, half a grilled cheese, plus another half she stole off of my plate, chips, applesauce and some chocolate ice cream for dessert. Wowzers! How in the world can I afford to feed her and pay for my $200/month increase in health insurance!?!?! HA! Good thing the new sitter is feeding breakfast and lunch. She has no idea what she got herself into. **shhhhhhhh**

This weekend was great. Friday night, I think Greg realized that I was done for the week. School is stressful and tiring, my Master's program is consuming any extra time I have, and all in all I've been exhausted. I got a call after school on Friday and he said the magic words...."I thought I'd take everyone out for dinner tonight." Wooooohooooo! So Mozzi's it was. Kids were happy, Kim was happy, so all was great. Saturday morning, I even received a cup of coffee and a Diet Mt. Dew after waking up. :) We ate doughnuts and headed to Beech Grove for a day of football. Talk about hot! I 'bout melted, but held back my complaints b/c I know in a few weeks we'll be freezing our tushies off and wishing for hot chocolate. After we finally got home, we packed the gang up and headed to Mamaw and Papaw's for a swim. How refreshing! Today entailed work in the morning and then we went back out for a swim. It was a pretty relaxing weekend, but going back to school tomorrow is not really something I want to do. Is it May yet? I need a vacation.....ugh!

One little Meg funny...she was telling me tonight about some show she saw and was quoting something one of the characters had said. When I questioned who it was becuase I had no idea what she was talking about, she said, "You know, the chocolate girl!" I had no idea and asked if it was a show about candy people or something and she gave me a really dumb look and replied, "No mom, you know....like dark people....she's a chocolate girl!" Guess it's obvious there's not much diversity in Greenfield. I decided to save that lesson for another day.

Big Day!

Today was Meg's first day of preschool and her first day at her new sitter's house. She met me at the door with a great big grin and a big loud "Mommy!" when I got there to pick her up after school tonight.

When asked how her day was and if she like preschool, she told me yes and that they got to play outside. Anyplace that lets Meg play outside and swing is tops in her book. She said she was a little shy at first, but then starting talking to her teacher. I BET SHE DID! HA! She also told me that she learned what the little things in the back of your throat is called....a titty. Aaaack! I asked who taught her that and she said one of the little boys at school. Uh oh!

Beth's was fun too. She had a cheese croissant for breakfast which was YUMMY before school. After school they played while Beth made lunch. Meg gobbled up mac 'n cheese, applesauce and her ever-favorite, bread 'n butter. She then took a 2 hour nap, which Beth eventually ended by waking her up. She figured I needed her to go to sleep at some point tonight. :) They then did a craft. She made a lovely visor with feathers all over it. I think Beth's is gonna work out just great!

Meghan Poppins

Queenie was at her best tonight and took advantage of me at CVS. I caved in and bought her a child-sized Princess umbrella. She's in love with it and thinks it's the most amazing thing ever. We went out for a walk and she insisted that she needed it. (It's bright and sunny outside, as the rain that was here this morning and afternoon has obviously moved out of the area) Anyways, we headed off down the street, yes a very busy, main thoroughfare, with her holding her umbrella as proudly as ever. I noticed many passer-by's staring at us. Hope no one writes a Hoot or Holler about us! HA HA!

We'd walked a little ways and she kept flipping around with it and talking about it, and then asking me at least 28 questions about it....all of a sudden "Gracie" tripped and fell down. Scraped her elbow up but fortunately, according to her, the umbrella saved her and we avoided tears. Whew...thank goodness for a magical umbrella. :)

Introduction to Miss Allison

Miss Thing got to meet her preschool teacher last night and see her classroom. I have a feeling she made quite an impression. She told Miss Allison that her Mamaw and Papaw and Grandpa lived on a farm. When Miss Allison asked if there were any animals, here was Meg's response:

"Yep, my grandpa has goats and they smell like pee. The billy goat smells bad because he pees all over himself!"

***covering face from embarrassment** I told her teacher that it was nice to meet her and that Meg has quite an imagination. We then slinked out of the room. What a year this will be! Maybe I don't want her going to Kindergarten in my school next year. HA!

Still planning on posting camping pics soon, so keep checking back, just too busy for now. Now I've gotta get back to writing a paper on reading comprehension. Bah!

Freedom is over for now

Well...tomorrow's the day. The dreaded words back-to-school. I think most teachers hate the phrase more than students although we keep it a secret (until now). Meg doesn't care. She's fortunate enough not to start preschool until next Monday. Lucky duck. Tonight after I put her down to bed I heard her yell out "Cock-a-doodle dooooooo!" about three times. I finally asked what she was doing and she told me she was a rooster and that it was morning time, time to get up! She's anxiously awaiting a day of fun at Mamaw and Papaw's tomorrow, so she could care less that I"m dreading the morning. HA!

We've had a busy weekend camping and state fairing, so I'll be posting pics and stories as soon as I find the time.

??????????????????

What are you doing Mommy?
Why Mommy?
Where are you at Mommy?
Why do they call it a crescent moon?
Why do kids have to sign up for school?
How do you sign up for school?
Why do they call it a trampoline?
How many days until we go camping?
How long does 2 days take?
Will you push me on the swing?
How long does 5 minutes last?
Why are they called earrings?
Why don't you wear them on your fingers?
Why is it called a computer?
What does **any unfamiliar word** mean?
Why do I have to take a nap?
Can I do it myself?
Are you mad Mommy?
Can we please stay five more minutes Mommy?
Why not?


Hmmmmmmm.....just a few of the 3 GAZILLION questions I've answered in the last two days. They are endless. I swear Meghan is the most inquisitive child on the planet. Lots of kids ask questions, I know, but seriously....when I find myself answering questions about why certain objects have certain names, I'm at a loss for an answer. If I do come up with a creative response, it just leads right into another question. It's a vicious, never-ending cycle. Don't get me wrong here....I've truly enjoyed my time off work and all the extra time with Meg. We've had a blast, but my brain is fried from all these questions. The time has come for me to return to the working world (only to answer the many questions of even more children!). Good luck to the new sitter. Maybe I should give her a heads up, but I think I'll just let her fend for herself! :)

Gotta get busy now...I have a paper that has to be posted online before midnight and the clock is ticking. We've got a busy weekend planned of camping and State-Fairing, so I'll be sure to post an update w/ pics on Monday or so.

Fancy Schmancy Nancy

Miss Thing didn't wake up today until 9:42. Yep...that's right....the Ever Early Riser is now sleeping later....just in time for school to start back up. Oh joy! At about 10 AM we received a call that my glasses were ready, so we decided to make that our big outing for the day, since we had little else planned. I hopped in the shower and laid out clothes for Meg to put on in the mean time. Midway through my shower, I hear "Taaaaa Daaaa!" She had gotten dressed, put her new Crocs on, and even snuck into the bathroom quietly to apply about 5 layers of lipstick and lip gloss. What a beauty she is! :) She also informed me that she didn't want a ponytail, but was choosing to wear those "bar-things" in her hair. Barrettes, I guessed, although I was corrected in the way that I said the word. (Of course, she's always got to point out all my flaws!) We finished getting all ready, which also included the ever-popular stick on earrings. I felt like I just had to share pics of my Fancy Schmancy Nancy girl...

***Please make note of her new pink camo Crocs***

These are in honor of Greg. She insisted she get them, but refused to wear them until she got to show him first. We even had to make a phone call as we were leaving the store to tell him that she has camo Crocs now too.

On a quite sad note....only three days of summer vacation left. BOO HOO HOO! Anyone out there feel sorry for me?

Perspective of a 4 year old drama queen

Meghan, the queen of all preschool drama queens, fell down tonight and scraped her hand. Of course this was traumatic, especially since there were traces of blood on her hand AND ***gasp*** her knee. I made all over her, washing them off with a wash cloth, putting on my special medicine that makes all pain go away, and getting out bandaids. As I was walking back to my room to put the bandaid box away, here's the comment she made to Kyle:

"Well.....at least I didn't mess up my fingernail polish!"

I about lost it. In a matter of less than 5 minutes, we went from me thinking that there was a broken/missing appendage due to the loudness of her scream, to being quite happy and thankful that her not so fresh and new Ice Blue Sparkly fingernail polish wasn't scratched up. Love this child and the way she makes me laugh! All in the day of a preschool drama queen......

Celebrating good times

Greg's home finally! Yeah! He never got anywhere to buy the kiddos any souveniers on this trip, so had a special celebration last night and today. He took us all to That Fun Place last night. The kids were as excited as ever. It definitely is a fun place for them. We ordered pizza and while we waited on it, the kids blew through 100 tokens on games. Meg loved the one where you put the tokens in and rode in a car and drove it. They all got plenty of tickets which they turned in for real "treasures" like plastic rings, tattoos, dice and fake vampire teeth. Woo-hoo ~insert sarcasm here~ :) They loved it so that's what counts! After we ate, then we played a very non-serious round of black-light golf. Meg was so excited that she could actually get the ball in the hole. I laughed though, because I don' t know how she'd really miss since she placed the ball right next to the hole, then just kind of scooted it in. HA HA!

Today we went swimming at the public pool so the boys could jump off the high dive. Meg showed off all of her swimming and underwater skills to everyone. They were quite impressed to say the least and she's just so proud of herself. And I'm a pretty proud momma for having a four year old that can swim that well.

I did get a pic of her all decked out in one of the boy's football gear tonight and will try to get it on my comp to share soon. It's pretty funny!

Playhouse update...

So the playhouse is nearly finished. It only took 9 months or so to get it actually moved on to my property, another 3 months or so to get it fixed up! Greg had successfully redone the floor and siding right after we moved it here. Dad and Ryan finished up putting in the windows, making the door and loft/ladder this weekend. We still need to touch up painting on the outside, paint the inside and put some flooring down. Mom will help to make curtains, a covered cushion for the loft and some pillows. Hopefully this can all be finished up in the next couple of weeks. Meg sure is excited about it! She told me that she wants to put a sign outside that says, "No boys allowed except for The Boys." HA HA! I'm sure that they'll just be dying to play inside of her purple/pink palace. :) Pics to follow soon as the progress continues and it looks more like a finished project.....off to bed for now. School work is all done for now and I'm pretty sleepy.

On another note...Greg finally gets home tomorrow from his fire trip! Yeah! We sure will be glad to see him. Meg's been asking everyday if this is the day he'll be home. He's more fun than me and gives in to her sometimes bizarre requests, although his doll playing skills are lacking at times.

TGIF

Thank goodness it's Friday! It's not like we've had a long hard work week to recover from, but we sure had lots of fun tonight! Our evening started off after Miss Thing woke up from her nap. We had to feed Greg's dogs, which included a 4-wheeler ride and checking our garden for more cherry tomatoes. **yummy** Meg was patient while I mowed Grammy's grass, so I told her she could pick what she wanted for dinner. I was secretly hoping she'd pic mac 'n cheese or something simple, but, as usual, she wanted Pizza Place cheese pizza. I spend enough time there working and didn't really want to, but Princess was in charge. She even insisted we walk and take her baby and her pretend cell phone. So....off we went. We had a great dinner, she loves the attention everyone gives her when she comes in. She made sure that everyone realized she and her baby had on matching dresses tonight and blue painted toenails and fingernails. (No clue where all this girly-girlyness comes from!) After dinner, we headed to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard. Not needed, but since Greg's been gone for two weeks, we've been suffering from Ice Cream Withdrawl. Mommy NEEDED some tonight to help soothe my summertime cold and sore throat. ~ugh~

Anyways, after relaxing on the back porch and finishing up ice cream, we checked on all of her Webkinz, played with the princess dollies...then things got a little wild. We were playing ball with a big green balloon and it turned kinda silly, somehow into a rodeo/cowgirl show. We had fun snapping these silly pictures. You can practically hear her laughing in some of them. I just adore that giggle that she has when she's having some much fun. I wish I could somehow can that laughter and have it to listen to when she's 16 and has no time for fun with mom.

Anyways, that's what weekends are all about.....fun times just being silly and laughing. We made the most of tonight and that makes me a very happy mama!

Sweet Summer Time

Summer sure has been lots of fun. It's bittersweet writing about what we spent time doing, but the reality is.....school's just around the corner. I guess I'm ready to go back. I usually always get that way, but am not having any feelings of wanting to go back yet this year. :/ Maybe it will come in the next couple of weeks, but for now I'll enjoy looking back at the fun things we've been up to.

We kicked off the summer by heading to Missouri to fire school with Greg. While he learned all about fighting wildfires during the day, Meg and I spent the days finding things to do. We visited the capital building (gorgeous inside!), went swimming in a few different pools, did some shopping, rode the elevator in the hotel, visited a nature center, and saw a veterinary museum. Good time! In the evenings we had dinners with Greg and usually found some ice cream for dessert.

A couple of weeks after that we took off and headed to Spring Mill State Park int the camper with our whole gang. We spent lots of time swimming, biking (the boys loved the dirt bike hills), playing on the playground, and exploring caves (not my favorite thing!) After a couple days there, we headed to Holiday World to meet up with the rest of my family. Holiday World was a blast...I think between all of us we rode every ride at least twice! :) Pics from the fun:

After Holiday World, we spent time at home hanging out together. We've enjoyed many visits to the library, lots of time swimming at Mamaw and Papaw's and then the county fair. Read below for details of that fun. Greg's been gone for the past two weeks fighting wildfires in California, and we're both anxiously awaiting his return sometime this next weekend!

There is one last of big summer news. Meg is swimming by herself now! Yesterday, she just took off in the deep end by herself. She didn't realize it really and it scared her at first. Once she realized what she did though, she just kept doing it. She can swim about halfway across the pool. In typical Meg fashion, she just decided she'd do this and that was that. I'm so proud of her! :)

Well...we're headed off today to have a playdate with some new friends/new babysitter. She's excited about going so I'd better get moving.

Busy, busy times!

OK, so time has been too busy to update everything, so I post the most recent. Meg showed her sheep today at the fair and she won her class! I was so proud of her. Last year, we had a big plan to show and she'd practiced, then she wimped out at the last minute. This year I hadn't even mentioned it, nor had she. Claire had been talking about it and Meg just kept quiet. I figured she didn't want to, so I wouldn't push it. Yesterday, she announced a couple of things.

1.) She wants to be a pig show-er when she gets older. She's completely obsessed with pigs.

2.) She wants to wash cows.

3.) She was going to show a sheep tomorrow. (Which was today)

Only 1 of those three things is a reality, so I went along with it. We packed up her show shirt, jeans and tennis shoes (time to buy new boots!) this morning and headed to the fair. I really had little expectations that she would do this, so I didn't have my hopes up. She hasn't led a lamb for quite some time. One of the older girls at the fair offered her lamb for Meg and Kate to share. It was a very nice, calm lamb, so it made it pretty easy for her. She got her coaching on exactly what to do, and in typical Meghan fashion, she did exactly what she was supposed to and it was perfect! My biggest fear was that she'd make a mistake of some kind or that the lamb would end up acting dumb and she stand out in the show ring and cry, so I told her ahead of time that if she didn't cry, I'd buy her a new Webkinz. HA!

She got a neat plaque that I can put a 5 x 7 photo in and a blue ribbon. Kate did a great job too and got fourth (a pink ribbon) but she was very upset that she didn't get a blue ribbon like "May-May", so Meghan told her that she liked pink better anyways and would trade her! That cracked me up...I guess she doesn't understand placing and colors just yet! I would've bitten someone's fingers off if they tried to take my blue ribbon from me! HA HA!

OH...and we've already got the Webkinz....she picked a cocker spaniel puppy this time! :)

Rising in the East

Meg has loved the moon for quite some time now. She's amazed many people when she looks up and says, "Look! A crescent moon!" She must have a science teacher for a mommy!

Lately, our focus has shifted on the sun. We saw some beautiful sunrises earlier this spring and she'd always comment about the beautiful colors. Many mornings she'd even say as we walked into daycare, "Goodbye beautiful sunrise!" :) Now the sun is past the sunrise state, so she's been a bit disappointed. She hasn't mentioned anything about it for a few days until this morning. My little inquirer asked...."Mommy, why is the sun always on that side of the woad (road)?" And then I did my best to explain about the sun being a star and the Earth orbiting around it and how Earth rotates on it's axis to make day and night..... I think I lost her somewhere along the orbiting part (you think?!?!) but she listened intently to every word. Maybe it's time to ask for a Solar System model for Christmas next year!

Time is Flying!

Yahooooo! Only 4.5 days of school left! I'm so excited for the summer to get here and have that extra special time with my girl! Here's a few funnies from lately:

Tonight~She tells me that she really needs to talk to me. She has something verwwwy important to tell me. I actually was a bit worried when she then asked me to sit on the couch so we could have this important conversation. HA! So she sits me down, and proceeds to tell me that she is REEEEEEEAAALLLLLY gonna need to take her new purse (which she had just gotten a neighborhood garage sale for free) and her baby doll to her soccer game tomorrow to show Mamaw and Papaw. Whew! I usually try to convince her that taking her toys places is risky, but since that was her "big conversation" it caught me off guard and she won. I guess her new tactic worked for tonight!

Earlier this week in the car~She has a package of Bubble Tape. She was in the back seat chomping on the way home and I asked for a piece. She willingly agreed, so I put my hand back and received a piece. A VERY TEENY TINY SCRAP OF A PIECE! I laughed and told her that it was so small I wouldn't even be able to chew it and that I'd like to have a little more. Here's here comment back:

"Mommy, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!!!!!"

Hmmmmm...can you guess where she's heard that phrase before!?!?!?! Ah...the child who forgets nothing!!!! Love her!

That's all I can manage for now. I think I've got a sinus infection and feel pretty rotten, so I'm headed off to bed. I was able to complain enough and get my Wonderful Neighbor to feel sorry for me and mow my lawn tonight. What a super guy I've found......he's a keeper for sure!!!! :)

Good Buddies

This made my heart melt! I walked out in my living room this week and saw this sweet, sweet sight. Greg had brought over a new catalog (Cabela's, of course!) to look at. He sat down in the chair and I was back in Meg's room trying to coax her into getting jammies on for bed. She told me she was busy. When I walked back out, I saw her dragging her rocking chair over next to him and she picked up her new American Girl magazine. She plopped down right next to him and started flipping pages just like him. I honestly don't think anything could have made me happier at that moment. I love the fact that they have this connection. Life couldn't be any better at the moment. (Ok...well maybe it'd be just a little better if it was May 24th or so) HA! You get my drift though, right?

Bedtime and more...

As a lot of people know, bedtime has been an issue for Meghan and me. Even though she had her own room and her own bed, she slept with me while we lived at Grandpa's. When I bought the new house, she got to pick out some stuff for her room because she definitely was going to sleep in her own bed. She did pretty good and it wasn't too much of a transition, but the thing was I had to lie down in her bed for a half-hour to an hour. Not fun and a waste of the little time I had in the evenings to do stuff when she was sleeping. Laundry? Picking up toys? Get my drift? For a while now, she's been going to sleep all on her own, but with a definite routine. Here it is:

1. Get jammies on.

2. Brush teeth/use potty (sometimes she refuses this just to use it as a stall tactic later!) HA!

3. Read books. She tells me that she wants me to pick them, but then I never pick the right ones. Lately, she flips through the pages, and I swear she looking for the longer ones! Hallway light must be turned on as we head to her room and left on until she's asleep.

4. Tuck into bed with "critters." These in order on her bed: Cinderella (Build-a-Bear from Claire's bday party), Baxter (Bear brought back from a fire trip of Greg's), Tulip (Webkinz #1), Horse (another Greg gift), mini-horse (from horse bday party), Doggie (from the school carnival) and finally the most important of all....Kitty (who is looked pretty yucky b/c she goes pretty much everywhere!) Lately, Quack Quack (Webkinz #3) and a bunny get put up on a pillow next to her too. She also has her princess pillow and her High School Musical Troy pillow. Oh...lastly, Brown Blankie gets laid on top of her and she snuggles up.

5. I give her hug and kiss #1 and we say our special little good night sayings. I love that part. It's special between just me and her. I say a part and she fills in the blank. :)

6. I leave.

7. She calls me back for a drink. (even though I may have asked her earlier if she wanted one)

8. I give her a drink and leave again.

9. Called back for just one more hug and kiss.

10. Give hug and kiss and leave.

11. Called back to remind me to tuck Becca (baby doll) to bed.

12. I tuck Becca in and she's yelling out just a few more times "Love you mommy. See you in the morning!"

13. I repeated it back until finally all is quiet...ahhhh.

I know someday I miss these times when she just doesn't want to leave me to go to bed, so I try to cherish every moment.

Now for the more part.....
A few thoughts on how lucky I really am. I have an amazingly beautiful daughter, who's hilarious and bright. I've got a great home, with the most amazing "neighbor" ever! :) He treats me with the utmost respect and makes me feel special. Meg adores him and he is amazingly patient with her, answering all of her questions about what he's doing and why. He's taught her and given her many experiences that I'm grateful for. I've got the most supportive family ever that I can count on for just about anything. We spend lots of time together and have lots of fun. I have a job that I enjoy (much more in just 4 weeks) and a super building and faculty to work with. When I think about some of the painful, sad things that I have friends going through right now it makes me sad for them, but at the same time, I realize I need to count my blessings more and more each day. I'm doing just that right now.

Hmmm...a future bargainer???

OK...so Meg has officially learned the technique of bargaining. Tonight, we were back jumping on the new trampoline (YEAH!!!) and it was time to go up to the house. She first asked to swing before heading home. Here's the conversationg that ensued:

Me: No, we don't have time.

Meg: Please Mama, just a little bit.

Me: No.

Meg: How about 10 swings?

Me: How about 1 swing?

Meg: No, 6 swings?

Me: No, 2 swings?

Meg: Ok Mama, you gotta deal! (You can just picture the big cheesy grin on her face!) HA!

Seriously, how does she pick up on this stuff? I can see it now, "Mom, I need a car for my 16th birthday. No Meghan. Please mom, how about a Corvette........"

Blowing out the candles

Birthday Time!

Yep....yesterday was 04/14/08....Meg's 4th birthday. Wow! What a day it was. I took the afternoon off so we could spend it together. We went to lunch at El Rodeo (her choice) where she enjoyed her cheese dip and cheese quesadilla. She also remembered from Uncle Ryan's birthday in September that he got to wear a hat and had ice cream put on his nose. She requested that, so they brought her out a huge dessert. She was cracking up and loved every minute of it (I didn't have my camera....grrrrr!)

After lunch, we came home and had a little siesta. She, as usual, wasn't tired but slept for two hours. She was totally energized when she woke up. She was probably the most hyped up that I've ever seen her. We noticed Greg outside working on her playhouse shortly after we woke up (yes, I napped too!) so we went out to join him. We took the bright purple paint and went to work painting. She helped and actually did a marvelous job. I was shocked that she had less paint on her than what I had on me! HA! I left shortly after that to go pick up her My Little Pony cake and some chocolate ice cream. She suckered Greg into swinging her the entire time I was gone.

After dinner, everyone came over for opening presents and cake and ice cream. She was so funny to watch open her gifts. At one point, she stood and wiggled her butt as fast as she could...looked like a little duck. All in all, it was a super day. She just loves her new Leapster from Mamaw and Papaw and her High School Musical sleeping bag from Greg. I'm sure she'll get lots of use out of both of them this weekend while we camp. I'll be sure to post pics after we get back.

I'm headed off now to enter in my (**ahem** I mean HER) new Webkinz duck. She hasn't quite decided on a name, but I can still enter in the code so I can have all that extra cash to "buy" stuff with.

Zoo Pics!

St. Louis Pics

Children's Museum Visit

Easter Fun!

March Fun!

Faces of Meghan

Tons of stuff to share...

As usual, it's been a while since I've posted. Life's been busy. I just finished taking a class today to become a certified mentor to new teacher. Woo-hoo..it's over. It really ended up being quite a bit of work, so I'm glad it's done. I have decided in the mean time to go back and finish up my master's degree. I dread the course work (and paying for it) but I really need to get it done for salary reasons. I found an 18 month online program which will be fairly intense, but really the best thing. I can do it at night after Miss Thing goest to bed, so I won't have to spend even more time away from her at class. I think Greg may try to stay as far away as possible (which isn't far since he lives so close!) since I tend to get somewhat (he'd probably say a lot) crabby when I'm stressed.

Let me try to fill in the blanks of the past few weeks. Spring time is slowly, but surely, trying to arrive. We are absolutely thrilled to be able to get back outside and start swinging again. Meg's playhouse finally arrived (after a little griping at my dad and brother) so we've begun working on it. Since it does need quite a bit of work, I'll wait to post pics of it. Meg has requested to paint it purple, so I'm sure that's what it'll be as long as she doesn't change her mind. Last weeks was spring break from school. We had a busy three days home. Monday was a visit to the Children's Museum here in Indy. Her favorite part was by far the water table and sand area. Tuesday was pics with Claire and Kate. They all had their American Girl dresses on from Grandpa and had their dolls with matching dresses. Sooooo cute! Wednesday was lunch with Michelle, Bryce and Kynsey. On Thursday, we left for St. Louis. We had a blast (see pics for a brief trip summary). Meg loved going up in the "Awch" as she called it. Me...I wasn't thrilled about riding up in the tiny capsule and then being stuck up in the air so high, but I pretended like I was calm about it. We stayed up just long enough for a couple of pics, then headed right back down in the teeny tiny capsule.

As for new phrases...here's a few of my favs from recently:

When being asked a yes or no question.....she responds:
"Well....I'm gonna have to say N-O, no" or "Well....I'm gonna have to say Y-E-S, yes!" Cracks me up!

Tonight when I asked her to get in the shower, she told me "I'm not too sure about that!"

She told her dad about our trip to the zoo and said "It was lots of walking, but luckily I had my stroller!"

And the funniest...she announced as we walked by the donkeys at the zoo in St. Louis..."Look Mom...there's an ass! Did you know ass means donkey?" I just about fell over. That was also one of the first things she told Greg about her trip..."Guess what Gweg? I saw an ass at the zoo!" HA HA HA!

It's hard to believe that just four short years ago, I was impatiently waiting to meet her. My how time flies! She asked me the other day what I would do if she would have stayed a baby. Part of me longs to cuddle with the tiny baby she was, and hold her and rock her to sleep again and the other part loves how we can actually have conversations together and enjoy so much together. Such a mix of emotions I always feel when it's birthday time. I never realized how bittersweet growing up is for a parent.

Bubbles!

Spring???

OK...so today we "sprung" forward on our clocks! Now, if the stupid weather would just cooperate. We are definitely ready to be outdoors enjoying some fresh air. This weekend was a busy one..here's recap:

Friday night-A rushed taco dinner at our house, then we headed off to see the boys' science fair projects at their school. We left in a few snow flurries, but by the time we hit the interstate, it was really coming down and the wind was horrendous. We made it safely, took a look at their work and all the other parents **ahem** I mean kids' work and headed home. Afraid of the idiots on the highway, we took the back way, which just so happened led us past Frosty Boy in New Pal...and, of course, what does everyone (or at least all of us) want while in the midst of mini-blizzard???? ICE CREAM!! Yep, Greg even walked up to the window and stood out in the weather waiting on it. Delicious!

Saturday- Sort of slept in (7:30AM) got up had a nice breakfast, then decided I had cabin fever. Greg came over to take us out to run a couple of errands. We ended up at my parents as Greg was going to plow drives if necessary. After a while, we ended up having a bite of lunch there, then came home to play out in the snow. We bundled up and headed out to the yards to play. Then we decided we needed to check out the woods and creek. We've been watching erosion in action back at the creek and it was amazing to see the progress on Saturday! Saturday night was dinner at Ponderosa w/ my whole family and our gang. (It seems like all we ever do is eat!) After dinner we headed back to Greg's. Everyone ended up totally enthralled with the Wii. Lisa actually took off Sunday morning and bought herself one, she was so excited about it.

Sunday- Claire and Kate spent the night, so the girls were all up around 6AM (7AM since we sprung forward though) We had breakfast, played around our house, then Greg's for little bit and went out for Sunday dinner. Chicken and noodles today...MY FAV! (Here we go, eating AGAIN, no wonder my pants fit like they do!) The boys did some sheep stuff and Papaw kept everyone entertained outside buidling snowmen in the horse lot. (Penny and Peggy are too sure about the snow people staring at them.) Of course, I had to get outside and join the snowball fight. Lots of fun, but I"m ready for that spring weather! Sunday night was "clean out the fridge to fill up the kids night." (Yes, the kids were hungry AGAIN!) Meg was pooped, so bedtime was easy tonight. We had some nice snuggle time in the rocking chair before she drifted off.

Tomorrow is a big day. I'm observing in a preschool to see if it seems to be a good fit for her next year and she has a speech evaluation after I observe. It's a neat program. She would be a "typical peer" in a special needs preschool, so that's why they have her speech evaluated. They asked if I had speech concerns...ummmm...not really, except that sometimes she talks so much she can't take the time to breathe or eat! HA HA HA! I guess they only accept "social" kids to encourage the postive interaction. I think she will pass that test. :) It's getting really scary at the thought of her being school aged. Sigh...that's another reflection post for another day. I need to head to bed....I doubt I could be so lucky to get a delay in the morning.

Sunday

Skinny Milk Anyone?

It's official.....Meg has been brainwashed by Greg! HA! She will no longer drink "my" skim milk. :( Here's what happened:
We were having dinner one night and everyone agreed to drink milk. At the end of dinner, Greg told me that dinner was great, but that I could keep my milk. The next week, he ended up coming over with a half gallon of 2% milk. She tried it and decided that she just loved it.


Now, I'm stuck buying two different kinds of milk. The other night she announced to us that she did not like drinking Mommy's "skinny" milk and only likes Greg's. HA! If only drinking that stuff would make me skinny!

Messy Room Pic

Funnies from the weekend

For those of you that know Meghan personally, you know that she's quite observant. I turned on the tv last night and there was ice skating on. We started watching, then she looked up at me and said, "Gee Mama, I bet she's cold!" Yep, you're right Meg! Ice skating would probably be cold, so it doesn't make a whole lotta sense that those little girls are out there skating around in practically nothing! HA!

Then another funny from tonight. She and Greg's boys were quite busy...ok, maybe wild is more the correct term, but anyhow, they were playing. I was making dinner (tacos) and Greg was hanging w/ me in the kitchen. It's amazing how we can just ignore the total chaos around, we tend to not get worried, until they become silent. That's usually when some damage is being done. When they got ready to leave after dinner, I asked Meg if there was a mess in her room. She very sweetly said, "Noooooo Mama." I knew something was wrong. As we walked around the corner I saw her sitting in there and she said, "Welllllllllll." It was the cutest expression on her face in the midst of a DESTROYED room! I told her to sit still and got the camera. Didn't quite capture the expression, but you get the idea!

Zippety Doo Dah

Story and pic for the day!

I was in the kitchen getting ready to bake cupcakes for the gang, when Meg walked in. She'd been helping some and watching some tv. As she walks in she says, "Maaaama am I pretty? I immediately thought, "Of course you're pretty!" but then realized something was up. When I looked up at her I saw this gorgeous face:



She'd been in the bathroom making herself prettier. Super idea Santa to bring makeup for a 3 year old! HA! Her face was stained pink the rest of the day, but it didn't really matter since the only public place we went was Home Depot. Who really care what ya look like there when surrounded by a bunch of tools (in more way than one!) This is yet another way this child brightens every one of my days.

Okay week....

here we come! This should be an easy one to handle. Today was a holiday, tomorrow I'm out at my interesting training, Wednesday is a half day, and Friday is a UA day, so I'm finished teaching at 10:45AM. I think I can handle it (as long as I can manage that whole day with kids on Thursday!) He...he...he....

It sounds like Meg had a topsy-turvy kinda weekend with her dad, bouncing from here and there, which I hate. I hate that she isn't provided with stability and nuturing, but there's nothing I can do to change it. As I'm told often by Greg, it's not worth it to waste my energy on being upset about it. I know he's right and I really try to let it go. She was kinda sulky this morning. She was very clingy and wanted lots of hugs. She told me about a nightmare she had that I wasn't coming back to pick her up. It nearly makes me want to cry, but I just try to reassure her that I will always be there for her to give her what she needs. She definitely perked up and became herself again when the boys came over and picked us up for a trip to Home Depot. We had a very fun afternoon. She was worn out when it came time for bed. I figured it would be a difficult process tonight, but with her being so tired, it wasn't all that bad. She did beg to sleep in my bed and for me to lay with her, but I was able to use tomorrow night's ball game as a bargaining tool. So, we're headed off to do some cheering tomorrow night. What fun!?!? Hopefully the morning clothing fiasco will even be tolerable. We've got clothes all laid and they are even next to the vent so they aren't "cold clothes" in the morning.

Morning Review

Well...the clothes thing worked...for the most part. Just a minor problem, with the temperature of them. Apparently they were "cold" clothes. Don't really understand what that means, but it definitely created tears. Not horrible screaming ones, but tears indeed. The other issue today was that fact that I didn't have chocolate cereal. Again....no idea what that is, b/c I rarely even buy cereal.

Good news though...she did agree to wear her new tennis shoes. She wore them all day and even admitted that they felt good! Yeah!

It's a weekend without Meg. While I feel like I've been stressed all week in the mornings, I hate when she's not around it's just not the same. It'll be a busy weekend though. I'm sure Greg and I will spend "our" time together, which is nice. We need that alone time for "us." I also HAVE to go to school and try to get caught up and then, as always, there's work at Chicago's. Hope it's busy....Mama's got bills to pay. If only I had another wedding ring set to sell! HA HA HA! Happy Friday to everyone!

I say black....she says white!

Oh my gosh! Where has this child come from????? This week has been a total flip of last week. Last week the issue was going to bed. I endured screaming, crying, and utter madness just trying to get her to go to bed. Not this week....she's been an angel every night. After I tuck her in and accommodate a couple of her requests (just ONE more hug and kiss and a drink usually) she's been off to sleepy-land. It's been great, very peaceful! Stress free evenings!!! :)

Mizz Thing has decided she can't make life that easy for Mama, so mornings has been the terror time. She now wants a say in her clothes, not just simple, I wanna wear these pink pants with this orange shirt kinda thing, but refusing to wear only sweatpants. I'm totally thinking back to my cousin Andrew and his now infamous black sweats in July that he insisted upon wearing EVERYDAY. Paybacks are he**, huh? HA! I'd be totally fine if she just wanted to wear mismatched clothes, but the problem is much larger. She hates anything I pick out. Today the pants were too long and the sleeves on the shirts were also too long. Do you know what a total dork she looked like going in to daycare today. Picture it:

**Pink sweat pants, rolled up to over her brown boots and striped shirt with sleeves rolled up too

Don't forget, it's about 15 degrees here right now, so it's cold...like should be all bundled up cold, but NOOOOO not my sweet Meggie, she's strolling in like it's sweet summertime!!

So, after a lunch room discussion today at school we've tried something new. She helped me pick out two outfits, with accompanying socks, undies and everything else tonight. In the morning, she gets to pick one. If it works and makes for a tear-free Thursday morning, I'm gonna run into school, find Robin (the teacher who suggested it) and give her a huge hug! :) I'll keep ya posted! {{{{{fingers crossed}}}}}}}

Some stuff to share...

I just love Meg's comments...some are funny, some are sweet and some are mean. I thought I'd share of few of her latest comments with anyone who cares to read.

*One night as she was getting ready to go to bed and was trying to butter me up so I'd lay with her...."I just can't believe you're my mommy, I'm so lucky."

*"I didn't have a good day today (at daycare) because I just missed you."

*After Greg brought her ice cream when she was not feeling well....."Thanks, you know, ice cream makes everything better."

*Going through the Chicago's drive through to pick up my paycheck only...we weren't there to get food as it was not a meal time..."Mommy, I suuuuure am hungry!" She, of course, ended up getting breadsticks b/c I knew exactly what she was getting at. Such a sneaky little thing.

*After picking up her medicine this week at CVS...."Do you smell that Mommy? I smell pink medicine!" It ended up being white and she was SOOOOO not happy about that and thought I should tasted it first to make sure it was ok.

*And of course...all the times she tells me....."MEAN MOMMY!" We had this discussion today at lunch when I was once again mean b/c I asked her to drink her milk (I know...terrribly mean and awful of me, isn't it?) I asked her if mean mommies let their kids go to the movies, pick out their own candy, and even drink some Coke. And if mean mommies take their kids to the park to play? And if mean mommies let their kids choose the spot they want to nap in. All of these things we'd done TODAY. She kinda slumped down in her chair and said, "Well, you're not that mean." HA!

Oh to be a three year old........