5 years

The Daddy and I have been married for 5 years today. We didn't do anything special, just the normal things. However, he did have two great things for me when he got home from work. Roses and a Cold Stone Creamery Strawberry Passion cake. The roses were beautiful but the cake...oh my word! Amazing. You should try it sometime!

AC was so sweet when Daddy got home. She wanted to help him give me the flowers and cake.

She's all wet because she was playing in water before Daddy got home!

Happy 5 Years to us! We love and miss you all!

Dino Dan

A few weeks ago, we discovered that we do indeed have the Nick Jr. channel in our cable lineup. On Nick Jr. we found a new show that has captivated our girl. Dino Dan. She loves it. It runs for 22 minutes which is entirely too short in AC's opinion. She usually starts crying when the credits begin running at the end. All we have to say to her is, "Do you want to watch 'Dino Dan'?" and she bolts to the TV. I have to admit that it is a refreshing change from Barney.

Here is a quick video that captures her love for Dan and his dinosaurs.

Maybe someday she will develop a taste for slightly girlier things!

Catch-Up

We didn't leave the house today except to check the mail. It was a lazy Monday for us and I only picked up my camera once (you'll see later). So, here are a few random pictures I found from the last few weeks.

AC says 'goes' instead of 'toes'. On morning last week, she walked up to me holding a pair of Daddy's socks and said, "Goes! Goes!" She wanted to wear Daddy socks. And she did...for a few hours.

Our only puzzle is this wooden farm puzzle. She affectionately refers to this guy as "Papa" and she came to this conclusion all on her own.

One of her new favorite words is 'nap'. 'Nap' means lying down, covering up with a blanket, getting a kiss, and closing your eyes. AC decided Mr. Bear needed a nap.

She has recently fallen in love with cheese quesadillas. I can't bring myself to taste her quesadillas because I have to use that veggie cheese. It must not be too bad because she loves them!

Finally, the only time I picked up my camera today. As soon as Daddy gets up in the morning or comes home from work, she starts screaming, "Shishies! Shishies!!" She and her daddy go fishing at least once a day. Today they caught a big one and she was so excited. Please excuse the messy head. Bad hair day.

Easter

Easter started out with a visit from the Easter Bunny. He left just a little candy and a small Magna Doodle. AC loved all of it. Church followed. We actually got there early. Shocking, I know. Then the Easter festivities continued at home with an egg hunt and a nap.

Here are lots (and I mean lots) of pictures from our day.

I heard her say, "Hat." When I turned to look at her, this what I saw.

She loves to tease Gracie by taking her bones and toys.

Feeding the ducks while Daddy hides the eggs.

Miss Bossy-Pants. She actually smacked the duck right after this picture.

Pretending to take pictures like Mama with Daddy's small tool case.

Singing! "Jesus loves me this I know!"

Eating the goodies inside her first egg.

Finding more eggs.

Her loot.

Yummy!

So sad the egg hunt is over.

It was a good day, but Easter just isn't the same when we don't get to share it with you. We love and miss you all!

How Great Thou Art

This takes my breath away. Happy Easter, everyone. We are spending the day finding ways to show our girl the magnitude His love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk

Afternoon Excitement

At the about the same time every afternoon, my girls get very, very excited. The furry girl usually tips us off that the time has come. She has the best ears, after all. Daddy's home!!! Finally, after a long day away, Daddy is home. This video says it all.

Just a few things about the video: AC is pretending to talk on the phone, except it's not a phone. It's a stud finder she dug out of Daddy's tool case early in the day. Also, at 0:21, we think she is saying, "Open, please." I've listened to it at least 20 times and each time I hear it more clearly. What do you think?

iPad

It's true what they say...that it's crazy how quick toddlers/kids learn to use technology.

She's so close to being able to pull up Barney on Netflix all by herself. If she could only grasp that it's a "touch" screen and not a "jab, slap, and punch" screen, she'd be good to go!

At the Pool (& A Birthday)!

The most exciting part of this Monday, the 18th of April....Happy Birthday to our new cousin, Caroline!!! We already love her so much and haven't even seen her! Congratulations, Tyler and Ashley! And guess what the cool part is...she was born on her grandma's birthday. Happy Birthday, La! What a wonderful present for you!

The rest of the day consisted of some time at the pool. This was AC second time in the pool. Her first time was last fall at our friend Melissa's house.

She wasn't so sure of it a first. Before she would get in the water, she threw all her things in.

Testing it out.
A little more exploring.

"Ok. I'm outta here."

She did eventually play in the water. However, she slipped and went under no long after she got comfortable. This scared her and she was officially finished after that. We had fun anyway!

Sunday

This morning before church.

Just One Thing

I hate diaper rash.

I feel like I'm on constant poop patrol. At this point, I'm seriously considering just going without diapers. I'd rather clean up poop off the floor than use any more rash creams. Something's gotta give. She's had this rash on and off for about 2 months now. I've done everything. Switched diapers. Switched creams. Changed her diet. It's gotten to the point that our days revolve around when AC is going to go #2. It's making me bonkers. Come on, Potty Training Fairy. Cast your spell on my girl already!

Randoms

Just a few randoms from the last 2 weeks.

This girl got a new coat at a consignment sale last week. She loved it so much that she wore it around (with the hood up) for quite awhile before I made her take it off. It was about 90 out, after all.

Look closely. This is my garbage can. Somebody's been in her mama's wallet and she wasn't of the canine variety.
I dug out $14, which she threw away bill by bill. Maybe I should pay more attention when she starts making multiple trips to the garbage can.

Point B

I love this. Because I do have a daughter.

Point B by Sarah Kay

If I should have a daughter…Instead of 'Mom', she’s gonna call me “Point B." Because that way, she knows that no matter what happens, at least she can always find her way to me. And I’m going to paint the solar system on the back of her hands so that she has to learn the entire universe before she can say, “Oh, I know that like the back of my hand."

She’s gonna learn that this life will hit you, hard, in the face, wait for you to get back up so it can kick you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air. There is hurt, here, that cannot be fixed by band-aids or poetry, so the first time she realizes that Wonder-Woman isn’t coming, I’ll make sure she knows she doesn’t have to wear the cape all by herself. Because no matter how wide you stretch your fingers, your hands will always be too small to catch all the pain you want to heal. Believe me, I’ve tried.

And “Baby,” I’ll tell her, “don’t keep your nose up in the air like that. I know that trick. You’re just smelling for smoke so you can follow the trail back to a burning house so you can find the boy who lost everything in the fire to see if you can save him. Or else, find the boy who lit the fire in the first place to see if you can change him.”

But I know that she will anyway, so instead I’ll always keep an extra supply of chocolate and rain boats nearby, ‘cause there is no heartbreak that chocolate can’t fix. Okay, there’s a few heartbreaks chocolate can’t fix. But that’s what the rain boots are for, because rain will wash away everything if you let it.

I want her to see the world through the underside of a glass bottom boat, to look through a magnifying glass at the galaxies that exist on the pin point of a human mind. Because that’s how my mom taught me. That there’ll be days like this, “There’ll be days like this my momma said” when you open your hands to catch and wind up with only blisters and bruises. When you step out of the phone booth and try to fly and the very people you wanna save are the ones standing on your cape. When your boots will fill with rain and you’ll be up to your knees in disappointment and those are the very days you have all the more reason to say “thank you,” ‘cause there is nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline no matter how many times it’s sent away.

You will put the “wind” in win some lose some, you will put the “star” in starting over and over, and no matter how many land mines erupt in a minute be sure your mind lands on the beauty of this funny place called life.

And yes, on a scale of one to over-trusting I am pretty [] naive but I want her to know that this world is made out of sugar. It can crumble so easily but don’t be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it.

“Baby,” I’ll tell her “remember your mama is a worrier but your papa is a warrior and you are the girl with small hands and big eyes who never stops asking for more.”

Remember that good things come in threes and so do bad things and always apologize when you’ve done something wrong but don’t you ever apologize for the way your eyes refuse to stop shining.

Your voice is small but don’t ever stop singing and when they finally hand you heartbreak, slip hatred and war under your doorstep, and hand you hand-outs on street corners of cynicism and defeat, you tell them that they really ought to meet your mother.

Here's a link to the author reciting it. She's good.

Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter ... | Video on TED.com

Just watch the first 4 minutes. Unless you're an English teacher nerd like me and want to hear a lecture on writing and poetry for an additional 16 minutes.

Mama's Lil' Helper

A few days ago, she washed a car. Today it's dishes.

However, she had more fun pouring the water from container to container...

and practicing her fork skills.