Happy Easter!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends!

Water Bottles, Cereal and Static

This week found me back at work and found Chris at evening trainings Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

So I had some quality time with my girl.

You know, to do things like go on a jammy walk with our new peace sign water bottle.

And, after one big puke session the night before, eat cereal for dinner.

And play in the plastic park tunnels so much that our hair seemed to be permanently crazy.

It was a chill week, and while I missed my husband, getting that one-on-one time with my crazy toddler was just what I needed to ease back into the craziness that is the last two months of a school year.

Weekend Wrap-Up: Spring Break Part 2

This weekend wrap-up needs to start back a few days.

Thursday
We went to the zoo with Kylie and Calvin.  The 2-year-olds had fun running around in cute hats.

I thought for SURE she'd take a long nap after running for 2.5 hours at the zoo.  Nope.  Hour ten minutes.

Friday
I managed to throw my back out, but decided to tough out a trip to the Children's Museum so we didn't go crazy at home.

After running around the museum for a couple of hours?  Nap time hissy fit and then hour fifteen minute nap.

Saturday
I don't even know what to say about Saturday.

It was a Big-Ridiculous-Temper-Tantrum-Hissy-Fit Day.  About everything and anything that could be hissy-fitted about WAS hissy-fitted about. 

One of those days where you look at your child and go, "Who is THIS kid and what did she do with my daughter?"

And since the nap situation had been not so good all week, we went to the condo to see if a change of location would work for nap time.  It didn't really.  She slept a little longer than at home (almost 2 hours), but not by much.  Maybe she was just too excited to wake up and play iPad with Bops.

Sunday
MUCH better.  We went to church with Boom, Bops and Mari.  She napped about 2 hours.  We played outside.

Hanging like a monkey

Sitting in a tree

We went to the park with Uncle Dan and Anna.

We went to dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Cat, Uncle Dan and Anna.  Callie enjoyed getting "squished" by G-ma and G-pa.

It was a good day.

Now spring break is coming to a close, and a busy two months of spring lay ahead.  Bring it on!

Two Little Blackbirds

We started a new music class session this week, which means new songs...new CDs...yes!

Callie always picks her favorites from each session (so when listening in the car, we have to skip through all songs except the 2 she has picked as favorites) and this one she got hooked on a couple of songs really quickly.   

So, without further ado, here is our toddler singing one of her new favs, "Two Little Blackbirds."

Spring Break Part 1

Well, somehow it is already Wednesday night and spring break is half over.  That went way too fast!

So here are some pics from spring break so far:

Hanging out w/ Casey, Ciri and Gianni

Cheesy smile!

3 cuties

Hanging out with Auntie Cat

45 degrees + no coat = Cat's Cal sweatshirt (not a stellar Mommy moment)

Big Chips!

Playing in the backyard

New hat

T-ball with Daddy

The girls with Baby Jaguar

Dinner with Bops

So, really, the only goal I made for spring break that I haven't met yet is #4- Scrapbook.  I blame my child for this one, as her naps for me have not been much more than an hour.  I am barely up from MY nap by the time she thinks she is done with hers.  So hopefully I'll get a 3-hour one some day soon...

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Sand Aversion Edition

We park hopped this weekend.  Unfortunately, the number of parks we went to didn't lessen (at ALL) the dislike our little toddler has toward sand.  Read on to see what we're dealing with here.

Friday
My first official day on spring break!  We went downtown and hung out with Boom in the morning, heading to park #1.

Hanging

Balancing with Boom

I HATE SAND #1

Then later in the afternoon, we went to our park and ran into our neighbors.  Notice how Ben and Hannah are joyfully playing in the sand, and Callie won't even enter the sandy area.

I HATE SAND #2

 Saturday
Chris had a training all day, so Callie and I just relaxed, did some errands, and hung out outside.

We Love Spring Break!

She also became interested in tools and fixing things.  No idea where that came from, but we went with it.


That evening we went out to eat with Jenna and Charlie (I know, you may be thinking "AGAIN!  THOSE LADIES ARE CRAZY!") but dinner was actually relatively calm.  Then we headed to another park, where the hatred for sand culminated in some freak-out sessions.

I HATE SAND #3

With a bonus I HATE SAND video, in which she refuses to walk in sand!


She also had the tendency to cling to me like a little monkey and not let me put her down on the sand.

But, despite the sand issues, she did manage to have some fun with Charlie.

Letting Charlie do the sand digging

Swings!

Little airplanes running around the field

Sunday
This morning I ran an awesome 5.7 miles, despite it being WAY chillier than I thought it was going to be.  And then we dropped Callie of with G-pa so Chris and I could have a movie date to see The Hunger Games.  This weekend has been a good weekend for crossing off some things from my Spring Break List (specifically #2, #3, #6, #7). 

Other people's shoes are way more fun

Then we headed to the condo to see Boom and Bops.  Callie showed what a big girl she continues to be (the no passies thing is still going strong!) by eating at the counter instead of the high chair.

Taking Big Girl bites

After supper she had fun being buried by Beanie Babies.

I'm thinking this whole sand issue is just a general dislike for being dirty/messy (which is totally ironic considering who her parents are).  Let's hope it is just another one of her crazy phases!

Mission: Ditch the Passy

So...M: DtP has commenced.

Step 1: Create a good story for why the passies have to go away.
My story?  That the Passy Fairy needs Big Girls to put their passies into her Passy Fairy Bag.  And then the Passy Fairy takes the Passy Fairy Bag and gives it to babies who still use passies when they sleep.

Step 2: Talk about the story ALL. MORNING. LONG.

Step 3: Follow through.  Right before sleepies, find the Passy Fairy Bag and put passies into it.

Bye bye passies!

Step 4: Put Passy Fairy Bag outside of bedroom, congratulate Big Girl on being such a big girl, and give Big Girl new Ducky book.

Where my passies at?

Step 4: Realize the Passy Fairy Bag is too distracting if it can still be seen by Big Girl, so take it down to the laundry shoot, where (obviously) the Passy Fairy will pick it up.

Bye bye passies- Take 2

 Step 5: Read new Ducky book and learn that this ducky can go to sleepies without a passy, JUST LIKE BIG GIRLS CAN!

Cooo-oool!

Step 6: Stop delaying the inevitable battle, do the nap time routine, and wait.

Step 7: Patiently calm and soothe as necessary, maybe rock Big Girl a little bit, listen to some "BYE BYE PASSY SEEYAYATER!"s and some "SEEYAYATER DUCKY!"s and some "BYE BYE MOMMY SEEYAYATER! LOVE YOU MOMMY!"s in between the crying, and then...40 minutes later...sneak downstairs after 5+ minutes of silence.

Step 8: Text Daddy the progress and appreciate his last text the most: "Cool. Guess we'll see how I do tonight."