Pre-Mother's Day

Today I was surprised by Daddy with an early Mother's Day gift.  It is just perfect.  AC says it's the "key to her heart."  She is the reason I get to celebrate this day, so I guess she is right!

And no blog post would be complete without a few pictures of AC.

She is growing.  I have a hard time holding her, which makes me really sad.  As moms, we know that this is going to happen, the growing, but it doesn't make it any easier on us.

She wanted to have a concert this afternoon on the front steps.  So she brought some of her animals out to join the audience.

We love and miss you all.

Doggie and Baby Sunshine

Posing with her doggie.  

Her baby, which she has named Baby Sunshine, is also tucked inside.  She told me, "They are snugglin', Mommy."  Doggie also has a bowl of Cheerios.

She also spent a little time working on cards for her teachers.  It's Teacher Appreciation Week and boy, do we appreciate them!

Always Watching

It's true what they say...that your kid is always watching you.  I, personally, think this fact is a little scary.  I mean, can you imagine all the ridiculous things I do or say in a day?  There are times when we don't even know she listening and we will hear her repeating words we just used.  Like yesterday.  I was explaining to Daddy how a person's home has concave areas.  She looked at me and said, "Concabe?"  And then today she got her hands on my camera, something that is strictly forbidden.  But I wasn't paying attention and she snatched it off the couch.  And look what she did.  

She knew exactly what to do.  I guess this is proof that she's been watching as I have snapped almost 3,000 pictures of her.  Yes, 3,000.  I'm not kidding.  

Here is some of her work.  Completely unedited.

She did pretty well, I think.

In other news:  I don't think she is feeling 100%.  She has woken up rather fussy the last few mornings and from her naps.  This isn't the norm for her.  She had a full-fledged meltdown at school today.  When I arrived to pick her up, she wanted to give me her classmate's Mother's Day craft.  Her teacher wouldn't let her, so she lost it.  Her fuse is really short this week.

But we've had more moments of fun than not.

Lately, I've noticed that she has grown so much over the last few weeks.  She is getting so big.  Here is a picture of her from exactly one year ago.  I can't even believe how much she has grown.

A Little Rain Shower

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Drive-Thru Zoo

We took a little drive to the zoo this morning.  Well, it isn't actually a zoo.  It calls itself a drive-thru safari.  But it is all the same, right?  It was a very cool place because none of the animals were fenced in (except the lions).  They just roam freely around.  Visitors drive along a path in their cars and watch the animals just doing what they do.  I found it to be much more interesting than the zoo.  At times it seemed that we were watching the animals in the wild.  Very, very cool.  You will notice how close we got to most of them.  

AC just watching the animals.  She didn't enjoy it as much as Daddy and I.  She must have said 1,000 times, "Me get out? Me get out? PLEASE!"  

A lion (and some buzzards).  There was some sort of carcass hanging from a long chain and the lions were walking around with big bones they had ripped off.  The buzzards waited patiently for the leftovers.  

I don't remember the name of this one.  AC liked their horns.

Zebras and rhinos were eating together.  

The giraffes.  Mommy and baby, AC said.  

After you finish the driving tour, there is a regular zoo with lots of kiddie rides, a splash park, and animal shows.  She loved this much more than the driving part.

AC loved the giant tortoises.

Petting zoo fun.

Walking with Daddy.  

We will definitely go back this summer!

Today

Today was my furry girl's 8th birthday.  She got a special bag of treats and some peace and quiet while AC and I were away.  She is a sweet, sweet girl.  I love her more than words can say.  So much so that I even let her sleep in AC's castle.  She is the birthday girl, after all. 

This afternoon, AC and I went to Matilda's house.  They played for hours.  Swimming, running, dancing, dress up, stickers, swinging, and a rest in the hammock.  For those of you that don't know, Matilda is bilingual.  She speaks Spanish and English.  I noticed a few days ago that AC is trying to use a few Spanish words.  It seems Matilda has been talking to her in Spanish!  I can just imagine AC pretending to understand exactly what Matilda is saying when she is really totally confused.  Hilarious.

Happy Friday, everyone!  And Happy Derby!  I think we might be the only people here than even knows it's happening.

Our Week

I can't believe that has been almost a week since I updated the blog.  Oops!  Here is what's been happening since we talked last.  

Friday: AC went to school.  I went to MOPS.  That evening was the Spring Fling at AC's school.  She had a blast, as usual.  Here she is on the hayride with her new 4 year old bff, JoElle.  JoElle is the daughter of my friend, JoAnne, and she is probably the sweetest 4 year old you could possibly meet.  I'm thankful my girl has friends like her.   Her teacher says they play together everyday on the playground!

Saturday:  AC had pancakes with sprinkles for breakfast.  We dropped Daddy off at the Allergist and went to a party/picnic at the local splash park.  It rained the entire time so AC didn't get to play but for a few minutes.  We did get a nice catered lunch though, so it wasn't a total loss.  That night we went to church.

Sunday:  AC, me, and Daddy were all officially sick.  We didn't leave the house.  This was perfectly fine because at this point it had been raining for 3 straight days.  I'm not exaggerating.  It literally rained for 36 consecutive hours.  I'm sure we got at least 12 inches of rainfall.  I guess it's not surprising to say that after all this rain, we have a huge wet spot on the wall in our dining room.  The roofer is coming in the morning.  Please pray that it isn't a major problem.

Monday: AC stayed home from school with a cold.

Tuesday: Grocery shopping.

Wednesday: AC back to school.  I got the car serviced.  We went to Matilda's house to play for a while.    I won a silent auction at the Spring Fling.  My prize was a gardening kit.  AC had a lot of fun this afternoon with her tiny wheelbarrow and seeds.

Today I'm thankful that we are all feeling a lot better.  I'm thankful that the rain has stopped and that the leak on our wall isn't bigger.  Mostly, I'm thankful for my sister and the guardian angel she had with her yesterday.