She Could Go All the Way!

Today Elle went across the monkey bars all by herself! She was extremely excited, and so was I. Elle has previously been a little afraid of holding on to the monkey bars with one hand; but once she got over that fear, there was nothing holding her back. Now, all she wants to do is cross the monkey bars again and again and again.

San Francisco Zoo!

 

San Francisco Zoo!

On Saturday, Johnny and I decided to take Elle to the San Francisco Zoo. We usually go to the Oakland, but the San Francisco one is bigger and contains more animals. We thought it would be a fun outing, and something Elle would enjoy. And luckily, we were right. As parents, sometimes we get these great hair brained ideas that sound wonderful, but then we stop and realize how crazy we are to put ourselves through so much work and stress when the kids don’t really enjoy it or appreciate it. However, this was not one of those times, thankfully. It really ended up being a fun day, with little stress, and lots of appreciation. We also ended up watching our neighbor’s son, Jack, which meant Elle got to take a friend to the zoo. Elle was really excited about doing this. She liked having someone to spend the day with. All in all, it was a fun day at the zoo.

Squeezes!

I have no idea what they are, but to Elle they are very real. The other day Elle awoke for the morning, and told me that there were squeezes in her closet. At first I thought I heard her wrong, but after questioning her a little further I found that my ears were not deceiving me; she really said squeezes. I then tired to figure out what a squeeze was. Elle would never fully tell me what one was, but she did tell me that they sounded like a mouse, and that they looked like sand. I tried really hard to use my imagination, but try as I may, I still could not figure out what was a squeeze. I would have brushed it off as no big deal, but Elle was really scared of them. She refused to go in her room by herself. So, I had to take her to her closet and show her that there were no squeezes. I told her that they were all gone. To this Elle replied, “Santa Clause came and took them all out of my closet.” To which I replied, “Yes.” What else does a mother say when she has no idea what her child is talking about? What is a squeeze? If I knew what one was, then maybe I would know whether or not Santa could come and take it away. And since both are make-believe, then there is a good possibility that Santa really did come and get all of the squeezes. It could happen.

Needless to say, we have still never found any squeezes in Elle’s closet. However, Elle is still talking about them. She now tells me that I don’t need to be afraid of the squeezes. She says, “Mommy, you don’t need to be afraid of the squeezes. I’ll protect you.”

Tagged!

Here are the rules:
Link the Person who Tagged you.
Mention rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.

Tagged by Hailey

1. I am stringent when it comes to bedtime and naptime. Elle has to get her nap everyday, and by a certain time of day. She also has to get to bed early every night. Sometimes I make exceptions—like a baseball game, or the circus—but even then it is rare and very uncommon. I need my alone time. I need my child asleep. It keeps me sane.

2. I have a hard time if people do not look at me when I am talking to them, or if they do not acknowledge what I am saying. This is especially true with Johnny. He will sometimes be completely silent when I am talking to him. It drives me crazy. I will then ask him, “Are you listening to me?” To which he replies, “Yes.” And then I say, “Then acknowledge what I am saying.” We have this conversation often, and still he sometimes will not look at me or acknowledge what I am saying. How hard is a simple head nod or an uh-huh now and then? Not that hard. In fact, it is quite simple. I am noticing that this non recognition bothers Elle, too, because today when she was talking to Johnny, and he didn’t say anything to her to acknowledge that he was listening, she got completely exasperated and said, “Daddy look at me.”

3. I hate cleaning bathrooms. I think they are absolutely disgusting. And boys—husbands in my case—make them even more disgusting. I wear gloves and close my eyes whenever I clean the bathroom.

4. I love teeny bopper shows. I am extremely excited for High School Musical 3 to come out.

5. I love to read children’s literature. Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Ella Enchanted, The Phantom Tollbooth, are just some of my favorites.

6. One of my most favorite things right now is time to myself. I love it when Johnny gets home from work, and he takes Elle outside to go for a walk or play, and I have time to do anything I want. I just cannot get enough of my quiet time. I thrive upon it. It is my lifeline.

I tag: Kati, Heidi, Amy, Makamae, Tiffani, Brittany

Queen of the Monkey Bars!

Elle has become the queen of the monkey bars. If there is anything she can climb and hang from, then she’ll do it. She absolutely loves it. Sometimes it can be a little scary for me to watch her climb up the high parts of the play structures at the park, but it doesn’t even faze her. It is her new favorite thing, and nothing—especially mom—is going to stop her.

Bread and Butter!

Lately, Elle has been saying some of her prayers by herself. For the most part they are very basic and simple. More often than not, they are a carbon copy of what I have told her to say in the past. However, the other night when she was blessing our dinner, she got a little creative. She said, and I quote, “Heavenly Father, please bless this bread and butter. Amen.” I am not at all sure where she got this, but nevertheless, I found it very humorous.