A Hot Game of Zingo ~ Wordless Wednesday

Bingo with a Zingo

Okay, I just can’t let this one go Wordless.

I mean look at Puppy Dog Alarm Clock’s sad and forlorn eyes. He wants to just smack that smug smile off of Care Bear’s face. Dumb bear, all uppity and gloating because it is winning.

Like this photo, from a few months ago, this pic just makes me laugh out loud. It also reminds me that the girls are at such an amazing stage. They spend hours together and come up with the most involved and creative play, it is really something special to watch.

This game – Zingo – is their favorite board game to play right now. Addie got it from my friend Kimmer and she just adores it! It is a great game for 3-4 year olds. And truth be told, it is one of my favorites to play with them, too. It is a refreshing change from Candyland, and I like that Addie has just as good a chance to win as anyone. So it is fair and fun!

My favorite thing they play though is “Mommy/Honey.” (Yes, that is what they call it.) Usually Addie is the “mommy” and Em is the “honey (little girl)” and they just play “house” for hours. I really need to video/tape some of the conversations they have, because they are wet-your-pants funny. And the funniest part is that Ad sounds EXACTLY like me in some of the things she says.

Well, most of the time it is funny.

Constant Coaxing ~ Best Shot Monday

Trying to get food into a headstrong little girl…

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I know many parents have similar eating…oh, lets call them…”challenges,” shall we?

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But ours seems to have reached epic proportions, here.

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We had breakfast for dinner last night…pancakes, served IHOP-style with whipped cream and chocolate chips, even. What kind of kid can’t choke that down for dinner?

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We’ve tried no snacks between meals, no snacks after meals, going to bed hungry, sitting at the table until something has been consumed…it is incredibly frustrating.

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It is a good thing that she is so darn cute!

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Visit Tracey’s for some other joys and challenges today.

An Addie report

So I don’t want to leave my last post up all weekend – that is kinda a bit of a downer trip. And J. and I decided that we need a little diversion and are heading out of town for the weekend.

Plus, I have to brag a little about Addison since it feels like I do an awful lot of complaining about her and her astoundingly stubborn, excuse me, her independent streak. We had her parent-teacher conferences yesterday, and apparently Addie is quite the little angel at school. Her teachers had nothing but great stuff to say, we are talking – gushing here. Granted it is only preschool and I don’t think her teachers have a bad thing to say about anyone, ever. But still, she got almost all “fully mastered”s in her development skills and her teachers wrote this about her:

“Addison is a happy, self-confident girl who truly enjoys all aspects of her day at school. She is open, curious and interested in all activities and experiences offered to her. She is a fun and creative friend, making her a very sought after friend. She is kind and inclusive, but never gives herself away. She is bright an aware of all that is happening around her. We appreciate all she brings to class and are so happy she is here.”

Awwww…thatta girl!

So funny...

It is amazing to see her emerging as her own little self. She surprises me daily with something she knows or says. And even if what she says isn’t always correct, she manages to keep us laughing.

This morning at breakfast Em was being silly and eating her hard-boiled eggs like a puppy (at least I think that is what she was trying to do) and she bit into an egg and kind of did a “grrrr” sound, like she was ripping the flesh right off of the egg. Addie shrieked with laughter and said -

A: “Emma, you’re a cannibal!”
(J. and I both looked at each other in shock. How did she know that word? And she was using it almost in the right context, too!)
M: “Ad where did you hear that word? How do you know it?”
A: (grinning from ear to ear) “I don’t know.”
E: “Oh, I think I know! From our pirate book. They talk about cannonballs in it.”

Ahhhhh! Cannonball. Of course. J. always calls Addie “cannonball” when she is barreling through the house and acting all rough and tumbly, too. That makes sense, although “cannibal” certainly could have worked as well.

Special Friend Day ~ Theme Thursday

They announced at Addie’s school last week that they were having a Special Friend Day today. Everyone got to bring a special person to spend the day with them at school.

So I asked her who she wanted to bring.

At first she said:
A: “Mommy!
M: “Ok! I would love to come.” (And I would! How fun to get to see what goes on there and to get play at her sweet school all morning!)

And then she said:
A: Mommy and Daddy!
M: “Well,  I think it says you can only bring one. But we can ask Daddy and maybe if he doesn’t have any meetings he can go.”

So we did. And he didn’t. And it was decided that he would be her special friend today. She has been looking forward to it all week and was telling Em’s friends and the Moms yesterday that “my Daddy is coming to school with me today!”

I’m so excited that they get to spend some special time together just the two of them. And I made him promise to take pictures of everything and I just sent them on their way…

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So I’m off to go enjoy some special yoga class time by myself.

Make sure to stop over to Stacy’s today to see more special moments!

Addie-tude ~ Best Shot Monday

I know someday her iron will, independent spirit and stubborn streak is going to serve her well. And, yes, I do want her to grow into a strong and liberated young woman…

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But, whew boy!

If I hear “I wanted to do it, Mama!” one more time before she dissolves into yet another fit of tears…I may just throw myself off of the top of that jungle gym!  (AND, she is now big enough to open the car door from the outside by herself. How on earth did that happen?)

I mean, just look at this Addie-tude! I think this photo pretty much says it all. She is a 3-year old girl on a mission!

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And I wouldn’t change one tiny piece of her for anything.
Find more photos that say it all over at Tracey’s new spot today.