Peter Cottontail (from afar)

Katy loves to color with markers!

This is as close to "sitting with the Easter Bunny" as we got.

Daddy rocking the Easter Bunny ears. ;-P

Today, we went to Bass Pro Shop in order to take part of their Easter festivities. We were supposed to go to the Harrisburg Egg Hunt but we got rained out (muddy fields and screaming children just didn't seem like fun to me).

Anywho, the Bass Pro Shop had a set-up with the Easter Bunny and they were doing free pictures. While I didn't fully expect Katy to actually like sitting with the rabbit, I did think that she'd be okay if I sat with her and the rabbit. Nope- no dice. Katy did not like the Easter Bunny.

NOT. AT. ALL!! (and that's an understatement!)

There was wailing. There was crying. There was a distraught little girl throwing herself on the floor away from the Easter Bunny. Suffice it to say that we didn't get a picture with Peter Cottontail.

Switching gears, we were able to get Katy to participate in the other Easter-y activities. We colored an Easter Egg scene with markers and we made an Easter picture frame. Katy liked watching the other kids sit with the rabbit but every time we asked her if SHE wanted to take a turn she would respond with a resounding, "NO!"

Oh well, better luck next year!

Lofty Aspirations

In order to predict your child's future height, I once read that you could take their height at two year's old and double it. For Katy, that means that she could grow to be 5'-10" high when she is an adult. Those are some lofty aspirations for a girl who doesn't seem to have many very tall relatives! I guess we'll just have to wait and see... :-)

Sweet Frog

"Have you ever gone to Sweet Frog's Frozen Yogurt? I love Sweet Frog's. Mommy and Daddy like that  it's a Christian-based company (F-Forever R-Rely O-On G-God) and has some flavors that are egg/nut/soy free for me."

"I like to get either chocolate or strawberry yogurt with gummy bears and cherries. When we went yesterday, though, they had Peeps out as a special Easter treat- Yummy "

"Oh no! My 'cream is all gone! :-("

Lazy 5 Ranch

Lazy 5 Ranch with Grandma and Pop-Pop Tinkey!

Helping Grandma feed the sheep.

Swings with Pop-Pop!

Mommy and Katy in front of the lemurs, Katy's favorite exhibit.

Down on the Farm with Katy!

Today, we went to the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville. My 'rents are visiting during my mother's spring break so we decided that it'd be a fun and different thing to do with Katy. We had never visited before today- all I knew was that all of my friends with kids said that it's lots of fun for animal lovers. In essence, I would describe the Lazy 5 Ranch as a zoo, safari, petting zoo and park all rolled into one.

The main attraction is a three and a half mile drive through wide open spaces where animals from six different continents roam freely and come up to your car to be fed from the buckets of feed that you purchase. These aren't your ordinary farm animals, either! We had ostrich and zebra and llamas and water buffalo and pot-bellied pigs come right up to our car windows. We saw camels and giraffes and a rhino from afar. There were all sorts of deer and birds that roamed around the terrain. At first, Katy was a little frightened (I was too!) when the animals came right up to our car windows. However, she was content to view the animals from the enclosed safety of her car seat with the windows securely rolled up. Toward the end of the trek she was asking for more and really getting into it.

Aside from the three and a half mile drive through the animals, there is also a petting zoo/observatory area where you can walk past lemurs, sheep of all sorts, goats and other more tame animals and birds. Katy finally worked up enough courage to help Grandma feed the sheep and goats.

We lucked out with some great weather- sunny, breezy and cool. We got to the Ranch first thing in the morning  and just missed the crowds. After we saw the animals, we washed up and enjoyed our picnic lunch. After lunch, Katy enjoyed the playground with Pop-Pop.

All in all, it was a very unique experience. Even for city girl like me, it was nice to enjoy the animals as much (or as little!) as you wanted. When I asked Katy what her favorite animal was, she emphatically told me that it was the baby monkey (lemur) that we saw swinging and riding "piggy back" on his mommy and daddy's back. That's my little monkey!

Neighbor Bella

Our next door neighbor has a dog named Bella. Every time I see our neighbor walking the dog I say, "NeighborBella" as if it is one word.

"I REALLY like puppy dogs!"

"Nice puppy."

"Oh boy! Bella just gave me a 'kiss'!"

"Look, Ma! I'm in the Newspaper!!"

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/03/23/3121018/library-offers-ready-to-read-class.html

Our little Katy is famous! Her picture was in the paper today for our participation in our library's Ready to Read class a couple of months ago. Granted, the picture is only the back of her head, but like any proud Mama, I was excited to see her pictured! :-)

Momma No 'Treat!- Guest Post by Daddy

On Friday Heather left to go on the Kinetic Women's Retreat; a much deserved and needed respite.  Katy, who came down with a 103-degree fever Thursday night, did not like this idea very much.  Despite how many times you called "Momma Are You?" the phrase for the weekend was "Momma No Treat" (Mommy no retreat).   The shocking reality that Mommy needed a little away time and you were "stuck" with me was not well received; particularly at night time where Heather is usually at your beck and call.  In your mind, your own personal bellhop.

On Saturday morning, your first full day away from Mommy since... well EVER, we made Minnie Pancakes. I suggested the pancakes, but you wanted them in Minnie shape.  Not really sure how you came up with that one, but three circles are easy enough to do as pancakes.

First Batch of Katy Approved Minnie Shaped Pancakes

You had a lot of fun "helping" me make them and thought it was incredibly funny how the were shaped.  You took great pride in declaring each one to be "Minnie Shape".  To eat such a special breakfast you insisted that we dine at your little table.

Table Set & All Ready for Daddy & Daughter Breakfast

At this point a moral dilemma ensued as you would not eat the Minnie shaped pancakes.  It wasn't the pancake that you did like; as you ate some circle ones later.   The fact that they were looked like Minnie is what made it impossible for you to eat.   You were almost in tears when one of the ears fell off tell me "Bapa Fix It".   I'll admit that my father is good at fixing things, but I think even this precariously patterned pancake would have eluded him.

Still, despite the fever and the general not feeling good demeanor, we did have fun.  We played Barbies, cars, even went for a walk in the short break in the rainy weather.   It may to come as a shock to one and all, but we did not watch The Muppets (or any other Muppet related videos) at all this weekend.  Instead you kept requesting VeggieTales.  To be more exact you kept asking for more "Larry", referring to Larry the Cucumber.  You were particularly fond of the Hairbrush, Cebu and Bubble-wrap videos. Since you weren't feeling well, and have my wrapped around your little finger, I let you watch it to your hearts content.   You even fell asleep watching it Saturday night in mom & dad's bed (aka..."The Big Bed").

On Sunday you woke up EARLY saying you were hungry and wanted cereal.  For someone who doesn't really eat breakfast this was odd, but was more than happy to comply as this meant you were getting your hunger back from being sick.   You ate most of your cereal and all the milk I had pored myself.  C'est la vie.

Today at Kinetic it was Pajama Day.  Which the kids loved and so did all the dads who's wives were on the retreat.   You wore your Muppet pajamas that, for the record, YOU picked out.  We even had to take it off the little Kermit doll that was wearing it.   You thought this was funny, but were happy enough to tell anyone who asked "who's on your pajamas Katy?"   "Kermit.  Hi Ho."    I'm one proud papa!

When Heather returned from the retreat and you finally saw her you looked like you were about to cry.  A bubbling of emotions for the Momma you missed.

The lesson for this weekend is that Daddy is fun.... but he's no Momma!

Sentence of the Day- Boo-Boo Kisses

This afternoon, Katy was bouncing on her bed and being her usual active self. Of course, she ended up bumping her head on the wall and came to me (fake) crying. I told her to lean forward and that I'd kiss it to make it feel better. After I sweetly kissed her head, Katy looked up at me, pointed to her head and declared, "Mine head still hurts, Mommy."

Muppet Mania!!

Kermie and the Gang are ready to watch "The Muppets!"
(Yes, that is not one but TWO dressed up Kermits- in Muppet-wear, of course- and a Fozzie Bear you see in the picture!)

"Hi-ho there! Kermit and Katy, here!"

There are Muppet fans and then there is Ted. He is in a league all his own. What he calls a "passionate interest," others (aka psychologists, doctors, experts, etc.) would label as an obsession, mania, fixation (you get the picture ;-P). That being said, when the new movie, The Muppets were released on DVD, yesterday, guess who was bouncing off the walls with excitement?!?

After a wild goose chase to track down the special Wocka, Wocka Value Pack (using a coupon and getting a good deal, of course!), we made a special family movie night of it, last night. This was the first time Katy had seen any Muppet movie from start to finish and Walter- er, I mean Ted- was excited to share it with her. She's seen Fraggles and Muppet shows and movie clips, but never a full-length feature film. Katy, like her father, was enthralled with the new movie! She sat through most of the movie without a fuss and she was singing and dancing her way through the film. 

She may not look like Ted, but she is most certainly, without a doubt, her Daddy's daughter with her "passionate interest" in all things Muppet!! 

Wordless Wednesday- First Day of Spring at Rita's Italian Ice!

Luck 'O the Irish!

Lucky Shamrock Lunch

"Kiss me- I'm Irish!" 

Katy loved this little glittery hat that the O'Donnells had as a decoration.

Katy and Mr. Dan 

(aka, Mr. Jungle Gym :-)

If you can't be Irish by blood, might as well join them!! Tonight, we joined our friends, Dan and Johanna O'DONNELL for a St. Patrick's Day party at their new home. Potato soup! Corned Beef! Guinness! Irish Soda Bread! We couldn't have been more Irish if we tried! ;-P I've known Dan since high school, so it's nice to get together with old friends. We are excited that they recently moved to Charlotte and we can't wait to meet their new little one come April!

Thumb Out

While starting the day yesterday morning, Katy went up to Ted and demanded that he, "Thumb out, Daddy!" Confused as to what exactly she meant, he asked her to show him what she meant. She proceeded to put her thumb UP and give him the thumbs up sign with both hands. Thumbs out and thumbs up- almost like doing the Fonz... :-)

MOMs Club- Busy Bag Swap

Busy Bag Swap Lineup!

Today, we hosted a Busy Bag Swap with the MOMs club. While the concept is not a new one, it was the first time that this group of friends got together in this capacity. For those who are unfamiliar with the idea, a busy bag is essentially an inexpensive, educational, transportable, quiet activity that can be thrown into Mom's purse and brought out at strategic moments (i.e. think long wait at the doctor's office, church, car ride, etc.) to keep a child occupied and busy.

Each of the seven moms came to the event with seven of the same activity- we signed up ahead of time to make sure there were no duplicates. Then, we traded with the other mothers to end up with seven unique activities. We all ended up with one of each of the following bags:

Color Matching- This is the bag that we made for the swap. This bag includes a mat with six colors printed on it and a handful of pom-poms. The child then matches the colored pom-poms to the coordinating circles on the mat. For older children, you can instruct the child to put a certain number of orange pom-poms on the orange circle, a certain number on the yellow circle, etc. Download the mat template here.

Cupcake Busy Bag- This bag includes felt pieces that can be put together to create "cupcakes." Download the patterns here.

Lacing Busy Bag- This bag includes cut out foam shapes with different colored yarn and shoelaces to lace through the shapes.

Are You My Mother? Busy Bag- Based on the childhood favorite book, this bag includes a pictures of mommy animals and the child must match them with the correct pictures of the baby animals.

Butterfly Counting Busy Bag- This bag includes a mat with pictures of butterflies in varying numbers and number discs. Then, the child must match up the correct number disc to the correct number of butterflies shown on the mat.

 Pipe Cleaner Canister- This fun, self-contained canister with colored holes in the lid includes colored pipe cleaners. The child threads the pipe cleaners through the matching colored holes. This seems to be Katy's favorite one, so far!

Shapes Felt Board Bag- This bag includes felt shapes that the child can use their imagination to create all sorts of patterns, objects and pictures.

It was so much fun to see all of the different bags- lots of creative mamas in our group! The Busy Bags were a big hit with the kids (and the moms!) and we had so much fun!!

Wordless Wednesday- Flower Power Lunch

Just an Ordinary Day....

Just an ordinary mess on an ordinary day... 

Such is the life Lil' Miss (and her friend, "Yaya" :-)

Katy for Congress!

Currently, there is a certain Congressional candidate whose last name begins with the letter "K." He's a local boy and his yellow "Vote for me!" signs can be found in the yards of many of our neighbors. While on our walk the other day, Katy walked up to one of these signs, pointed to the "K" and said, "Katy Grace Jones!" I tried to correct her but she was adamant that the sign spelled out her name. Plus, I was just impressed that she is starting to recognize words and specific letters, so I just let it go. So, now whenever she sees the sign, she yells out, "Katy Grace Jones!"

Katy Grace Jones, if you grow up to one day run for Congress, I'd vote for you any day of the week! I'd proudly display your sign (or two, or three, of four hundred!) in my front yard! :-)

Going Shopping!

For Lil' Miss Katy, socks and shoes are synonymous with going out- going to the park, going shopping and going outside. If we're not doing any of these activities, in Katy's mind, there is no need to put on shoes or socks.

This morning, while attempting to wrestle some socks onto Katy's chilly tootsies, our verbal exchange went as follows;

Katy, "Shopping, Mommy?"

Me, "No, baby, I'm just trying to keep your feet warm."

Katy, "Target?"

Me, "No, Katy, you need to get dressed for the day and wear your socks."

Katy, "Park?"

Me (slightly annoyed), "No, Katy, please just put your socks on."

Katy then proceeds to point to my "naked" left wrist- the one that usually sports a watch- and say, "Watch?"

Me (slightly confused as to why we are changing topics but relieved that Katy is no longer fighting me to put on her socks), "No, Mommy's watch is broken and I haven't gotten a new one, yet."

Katy then happily replies, "Then shopping for watch!" and quickly jumps off her seat in search of shoes.

Ahhh... what logic going on in that little brain of hers!! :-)

Sentence of the Day- Name Game

Mommy to Katy, "What is your name?"
Katy, "Katy Grace Jones!"

Mommy to Katy, "What is my name?"
Katy, "Mommy Grace Jones!"

Mommy to Katy, "What is his name?" (pointing to Daddy)
Katy, "Daddy Grace Jones!"

Apparently, we not only share the same last name but the same middle name, too! Hee, hee!

Park Playdate!

"Yesterday, it was 72 degrees in Charlotte! It's still March, right?!? SOOOoo... we met Joey and Ms. Lauren at the park."

 "Boy, do I love to 'drive' and sit behind the wheel! Vroom, Vroom!"

 "Seriously, Mother- ANOTHER picture?!?!?"

"All of this playing and swinging and sliding sure makes a girl feel peckish!"

"Lunchtime with Joey!" 

(Notice how Katy is leaning in- she actually gave him a kiss, later- and she was the instigator!")

Sentence of the Day- Clean Up!

In order to get Katy to clean up her toys, we sing the "Clean Up Song." My mother sang this to us as children and I guess I'm just passing on the tradition. In any case, Katy's version of the song goes something like this:

"Clean up everybody ELSE" instead of "Clean up everybody EVERYWHERE."

Now there's passing the buck...!

http://www.lyricstime.com/barney-clean-up-lyrics.html

Wordless Wednesday- Contemplative

Sentence of the Day- Song and Dance

Currently, one of Katy's favorite song's is "Father Abraham." You know the one- the one that you learned in Sunday School where you sing and progressively start swinging your arms and legs and twirling (and generally making a fool of yourself). Anywho, after singing and dancing for a good several rounds, Katy stopped me mid-song  and informed me, "Abraham big car." Confused, I asked her, "How do you know that Abraham had a big car?" Katy replied, "Lots of sons!" Well, I guess I can't fault her for logic like that!!