Sometimes I Wonder About Darwin

Monkey See
September 2008, Hogle Zoo

Monkey Do
March 2011, Struthers Zoo

{this moment}

Seeing Green

Those silly leprechauns came and caused a green explosion in our house.

After donning their green attire ("Hurry, hurry we can't let the leprechauns pinch us!") the kids came down to find Lucky Charms for breakfast. Hurray for the leprechauns! Mommy doesn't buy sugar cereal so this was an extra special treat.

Even Anne had some green applesauce and oatmeal for breakfast. Delish!

After an impromptu photo shoot (I cannot get over how adorable my kids are. Are these really mine? Wow!) it was time to get ready for Joy School. 

The leprechauns left a little treasure hunt for the Joy School kids. Those little green guys are so thoughtful, aren't they?

 I loved how proud they were to find each shamrock.

 Somehow Keira wiggled her way between those big boys and found the purple shamrock. That was quite the accomplishment.

 The loot.

These girls were so funny with this picture. This was the best I could get after 4 or 5 tries and there was no way I was going to get them to stand still for a second longer. I was using up their free play time!

The joy of the week was "individual confidence and uniqueness." Before the treasure hunt we had a discussion about their names. They learned that it is something special, something that is all theirs. I gave them each a name tag to wear for the day. Just thought I would clarify that after teaching these wee ones for several months, I do know their names.

After sending the cuties home we had a quick lunch (Which was going to be shamrock sandwiches and I couldn't find a shamrock cookie cutter. Darn it.) we made our way to the city park. Rumor had it that the leprechauns had a made a special visit there.

 And what do you know. A green waterfall greeted us as we approached the park. Leprechauns sure are busy, aren't they?

We finished out the day with some more green deliciousness. Green omelets, green jello with pineapple, green coffee cake, and green (ish) smoothies. 

I can't remember what Anne had, but it looks like it was green. 

I was proud of successfully making it through the holiday but by this point I was exhausted. Who knew adding a little green into your day could take so much out of you. 

Marie-esque

Our address has been a hot topic lately because we want to teach it to William as we get him ready for kindergarten. Every time the subject comes up Marie excitedly exclaims, “Address?! I have address! It’s pink!”

“The Buds” at the Jazz Game

While William would have enjoyed “Disney on Ice”, we knew he would love a guy’s night out at the Jazz game even more. And let’s be honest, I don’t think Brandon minded the set-up either. William loved to watch the game and to see the Jazz bear. The time-out/half-time acts were some of his favorite parts to tell me about.

The Jazz have not been exactly stellar, to say the least, in the past little while, so we were glad they managed to pull a win just for William.

The popcorn bucket hat was 100% William’s idea and he wore it all the way out to the car while banging his noise sticks.

When William got home that night he asked me, “Guess how much I liked the Jazz game? This much (while holding up all 10 fingers).” That, my friends, is the sign of a successful night indeed.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama

Let's Celebrate

Thanks to the generosity of grandparents and great-grandparents we had a reserve of Christmas money that needed to be spent. While eager to spend the money we were not eager to add any more toys to our tiny house. We wanted to do something fun and memorable. Enter "Disney on Ice". Marie and I went down last Saturday morning to see the show. I dolled her hair up and put on her Cinderella gown so she would fit right in to the festivities.

Waiting for the show to begin. I was just as excited as Marie. I seriously almost cried when I walked into the arena I was so happy. The satisfaction of giving a toy doesn't even hold a candle to the satisfaction of giving time to my kids. 

 When we got to our seats she looked around and then asked, "When do they bring us our popcorn?" Needless to say, we took a little trip to the concession stand to appease the little princess.

She pretty much ate this entire bucket of popcorn. I snuck a few handfuls, but that was about it.

 The show was as magical and fun as we expected and Marie loved seeing all of her favorite Disney characters. While she enjoyed the princesses, her favorite parts were with Mickey and Minnie. The absolute highlight of the entire day was when Minnie waved at her. I'm pretty sure Minnie was just waving in our general direction, but that was enough for Marie. She was in heaven after that. "Minnie waved at me! Minnie waved at me!"

 After the show was over she jumped out of her seat and immediately started "skating" up and down the row of chairs, while singing. She proceeded to sing and dance all the way out to the car. She had everybody smiling at her.

Thank you to all of our family that allowed for this wonderful memory making moment to take place. I couldn't ask for a better way to spend a Saturday then with my pretty, pretty princess.