interview with a four and a half year old.

(click to expand a bit)

The actual video interview lasted nearly 10 minutes. I won't be posting that as I don't have the editing skills to get it up (too much personal info-- name, address, phone number).

The last answer... melts me. My goodness is she good for the soul.

~

For other interviews, click on these links: 
Four
Three and a half
Three
Two and a half

warning: grab your toothbrush and floss for this sickening sweet sap.

June 25, 2014. Did you know we're six months out from Christmas Day. DID YOU KNOW?! You're welcome. : )

If we're six months from Christmas, we're almost six months from this gorgeous girl turning FIVE.

How on earth is it possible that time really goes by this fast when I spent the better part of my life wishing for the days to end?!?

I can barely keep up.

Neither can these two apparently:

Dad and Lovie fell asleep after Father's Day brunch, and before some mini golf. It was Lovie's suggestion--the mini golf. She said, "On Father's Day you're supposta take your father to mini golf." I thought it was a brilliant idea, so we went and, of course, I got two holes in one while my two playmates sulked.

Seriously though, I know it gets old--reading all the mom sap and all the Look-at-How-Bloody-Wonderful-My-Life-is posts on blogs and Facebook, etc--but really... I'M SO IMMENSELY BLESSED. I can't come here and pretend that I'm not.

Of course I have bad days.

Of course there are times when I want to remove myself from the picture and live life in solitude.

But then I look at my sweet girl or she tells me something funny and it all makes sense again. And life is beautiful and a blessing. Such a freaking blessing!


The other night when it was time for her bath, Lovie was getting in the tub and she looked up at me whilst holding onto my shirt and stepping into the tub (because she's so damn tall now that she insists she gets in and out of the tub by herself) and said, "Mama, did you know that you're my best friend?"

I mean... seriously. This was really said to me. By that little girl right up there just moments before I snapped that picture.

How on earth could I not feel anything but blessed?
And lucky?
And fortunate?
And enamored with life and all things Lovie?

Yeah I'm her mama and all that jazz, but honestly, this kid?

She's just pure amazing.

She's just such a gift.

Not a day goes by when I don't thank the universe for her.

So yeah... six months till Christmas and nearly six months till she turns 5.

Hold me?

the only thing better: a father's day gift for gramps!

for my daddy, i picked up a frame yesterday with two 4x6 openings. light wood frame. the top opening will have a print of the blue and white top shown above. the bottom opening will have a print of the image below shown above. this example will be sort of what it'll look like with a light wood frame.

i found the quote on pinterest somewhere but changed some of the wording (hint: "sweet angel"). i created an image on picmonkey and added the words. super easy. and free.

as for Lovie's daddy, he'll be getting another one like last year's big hit.

just trying to hang on

It's been a while, eh?

Things were a bit hectic there for a while.

Between work, stuff at home, sickness, vacation, and preschool graduation...

...we've been keeping quite busy.

I can't believe this sweet little doll is quickly approaching 4 and a half. Shortly after this milestone, she'll be starting a new school. A real school. No more daycare/preschool stuff.

We've done a ton of research the past several years and we're so very excited to see what her new adventure at Montessori school will bring. Absolutely cannot wait to see how she thrives. Girlfriend is so super close to reading, it's crazy to me. So far she can spell her first and last names, Mama, Dad, Stop, Pink, No, and she has truly mastered telling me letters that are in just about any word!! Particularly what they start with. Last night, for example, she asked me how to spell Soccer Ball and before I could oblige she told me there was an S and a B in it. She amazes me. On a daily basis, she amazes me. And I have a feeling that once she gets into a groove at her new school, there just won't be much stopping her.

be a rainbow

easy DIY flowers the kid can do

Even though I was extremely disappointed Friday when I picked Lovie up from school and found no Mother's Day "gift"-- not even a "Happy Mother's Day!" from anyone-- I still managed to have her create something for her grandmothers.

We didn't have a lot of time and I'm not really the crafitiest of people out there but we still did something... and I was super pleased with the results:

It's a card made from a thick piece of construction paper folded in half. On the outside I wrote HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY and then I wrote a note that Lovie dictated. On the inside, Lovie hand wrote her name (and mine) opposite the craft: a vase holding flowers. All made with construction paper.

• I took three pieces of different colored paper and drew a bunch of different sized circles on them. 
• Then I gave the paper to Lovie and had her cut out the circles. 
• Then she took a big circle and dabbed some glue on it and covered the glue with a smaller, different colored cirlce; dabbed some glue on that circle and covered it with an even smaller, different colored circle. 
• Once our flower heads were made, we glued them on to green pieces of construction paper folded and made to look like stems.
• The vase is another piece of paper cut out to look like a vase and glued on the sides and bottom. So the flowers are actually removable! : )

HOW FREAKING CUTE, RIGHT? 

#MothersDay

So Sunday is Mother's Day.

I wasn't always a big fan of the day, but since having Lovie, I've grown to enjoy it. Not to get away from her or have alone time, but to actually celebrate her-- she's the reason I'm a mother after all. And it's the most awesomest thing in the world.

taken at her dress rehearsal for her big recital on... Mother's Day!

Being her mama.

Happy Mother's Day to you!

This little girl

still prefers *riding* the big wheel over the super pink Barbie big girl bike i got her

She lights my whole world up so brightly I'm amazed I can see straight most days. 

She drives me so crazy at times I'm amazed I'm not fully white haired.

She's so smart, so inquisitive, so emotional, so sensitive (SO VERY SENSITIVE), so kind, so nutty, so funny, so sweet, so pretty, so amazing.

She still loves ballet and pink and princesses and dresses and skirts. 

She still loves Team Umizoomi and television and saucy pizza (no cheese or toppings) and spaghetti and fruit and veggies.

She spends most of her days at school in the Kindergarten room, where she loves to learn and thrive and continue to amaze us all with her knowledge and comprehension and memory.

She loves playing at the park with bigger kids, but she's also still very smitten with babies and toddlers.

She's just such a kick-ass kid, this little girl. 

about last weekend

I came down with a horrible stomach thing early Saturday that put me in bed the entire day. Oh, but first we went to an egg hunt that I will never attend again. Why? Well it was free and open to everyone, all ages. And when they blew the whistle everyone was allowed to try to get some eggs. Everyone. Including moms, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc etc etc. Lovie got two eggs. She cried till some mom made her son with a basket full of eggs give some to her. It was really crazy. And my puking and fever didn't help, I'm sure.

 

Nevertheless, the Easter Bunny did come Sunday.

 

 

notice how dark it is in the background?? that's what 6AM Sunday looks like!

We keep things super simple for Easter... even so, she's happy.

 

 

After Lovie indulged in some chocolate bunnies and eggs (and milk and a peanut butter jelly sandwich), and after I collapsed back in bed for a bit (puking stopped, fever was gone, but oh my word my stomach wasn't well), we actually did something none of us have done before: we went to Medieval Times.

They were having a buy one get one free special plus a free Spring egg hunt. It was a really neat experience. Not cheap, but a really neat experience that I would love to do again when I don't have to worry about my gut exploding (and only with another special).



Lovie with a REAL Princess. :)

 

They have tons of stuff set up to buy (of course) or look at or drink (of course) in the concession area before you get into the arena where you eat and watch hot men with long hair straddling horses putting on a medieval show of sorts. One of the things they have is this green screen that they can take your picture in front of and then transpose it onto another image. When we saw a sample of a girl dressed as a princes standing next to a unicorn... well, use your imagination. It makes for a super damn cute and cool keepsake, at least.

 

here she is before getting in front of the green screen

It's been several days now since I puked my guts out... I'm better, but my gut is still so damn explosive feeling. Fortunately, Lovie hasn't gotten sick so yahoo for that.

the park at 4

Lovie and I stopped off at a park yesterday after I picked her up from school and conned her into leaving by way of Slurpee's from 7-11 prior to the park stop. The park we stopped at was one closer to home to avoid horrendous traffic. I just have zero patience for the traffic: the waiting, the foot on the brake pedal oh but wait, here we go let's clutch it and gas it ... nope, brake.

Spring has finally sprung around here and it was quite lovely so why not?

As soon as we got out of the car, Lovie ran off to find some friends to play with and quickly darted toward an adorable puppy. She started petting it, after asking its owners if she could, and started following the two older girls who were near the dog as well.

"I'm four!" she proclaimed to them in such a way as if to say "I'm badass and you WANT to play with me, yo."

They both kind of looked at her like, "Give me a freaking break, twerp," but then their eyes found mine. I smiled trying not to be too intimidating but truth is, the whole time I pretended to be on my phone, I watched and thought to myself, "Break her heart, I'll break your face."

Yeah, I hover a bit, I know. But guess what? She's 4 and she's my baby. Actually, I generally don't get too close unless she comes to me or calls for me--or unless I feel like something fishy may be going on. I know she's got to figure it all out on our own-- that some kids suck (let's be honest) and can be mean.

The girls played together for about two minutes before the older one went off to join some other kids. Fortunately "A", the 6-year-old, kept letting Lovie hang with her even though I could tell she wasn't too thrilled about it. Lovie and A hung around for nearly an hour (it seemed) by the swings before they made their way over to the slides. That's when they spotted... BUBBLES.

A mom was blowing bubbles to her 3 year-old boy, "N". Lovie gravitated toward them and started blowing bubbles and chasing them with N. She spent the next hour playing with him and it was super cute watching them interact because they were both having fun and not caring how old the other one was, etc. The mom and I talked the whole time, too-- something that never happens. I usually hover from a distance and avoid much contact with anyone.

I need Lovie to learn to fend for herself, yes, but she's 4 not 14 (oh Christ that scares me even more). She does so good on her own--asks kids if they want to play or if she can play with them, tells them her name and age, communicates about whatever--but she's my baby... and not for much longer!

We were there for over two hours and it was pretty fascinating watching her the whole time. She's growing so fast. And she's become this really really awesome person. I'm just glad others are seeing it too.