Play Date!

After buying this house I knew I wanted to have lots of play dates, this house is perfect for kids to run around and have fun while parents get to talk. The other day my friend Angie was in town with her kids Riley and Brenden. Another friend of mine needed me to watch her little one Chase. So with two adults and 4 kids, this house was filled with imagination and laughter.

The toy room had lots of things going on. Some cooking in the kitchen, grocery shopping, balloon volleyball and drumming with a baton.

It took Megan a while to warm up to everybody in her house. She was excited for everyone to come over, but they all arrived at once and Megan was a little overwhelmed.

But as you can see it didn't take long before Megan was playing with friends and the toy room was a mess!

Then Riley, Brenden and Megan played a game of floor hockey. Megan had to use a putter because we were didn't have enough hockey sticks. It was very cute seeing all of them play together. It was a fun day had by all. Just wish we could have more days like this with the Ringman Family.

We love our Zoo (2 trips in 5 days!)

The first Zoo trip of the year was on Good Friday...not such a good day for a "relaxing" Zoo trip. Since it was mid 70's and early April, everyone was at the Zoo...EVERYONE! We waited 40 minutes just to get into the parking lot. But since Megan and I were with a group of people (my bowling buddies and their kids) we had no option, we had to brave the crowds. First stop, the carousel and yet another line for the kids to wait in.

Megan picked the zebra to ride and she loved him and the ride.

Next stop, a train ride to see some of the African animals, most were not on exhibit, but we did see some fun animals and the Zoo's new baby giraffe following his mom wherever she went.

Somewhere in there is a goat that all of the kids wanted to pet/brush. This was our last stop, it got hot quick and all of the kids were sick of lines and just wanted to go home. So grand total of animals we saw during this trip (including the goats) 6! And 4 were the African animals we saw on the train!
But lucky for us, we already knew we were coming back a few days later with Tiffany and Rosemary Olsaver. But like the last trip our first stop was the carousel. And Megan picked the zebra again. But look at that grin, she loves him.
Hello again Mr. Goat.

This time we actually made it into Nature's Neighborhood, the Zoo's new children's area. It opened last summer but this was our first visit, I couldn't bring myself to face the mobs of kids their last summer. But oddly enough, the only busy spot was the face painting section. Not really busy in the actual learning areas. But here are Megan and Rosemary acting like bees in the honey combs.

I can't wait to go back when it isn't spring break to spend some more time here. Everything was fascinating to me and Megan loved taking it all in. I could have spent all day watching the ants in the clear tubes carrying leaves and food from point A to point B. Note to self: go to Nature's Neighborhood first on the next Zoo trip.

Just staying hydrated with some yummy water in a fancy Zoo cup.

And after buying a t-shirt (I promised her she could get one) a place mat (to protect our new dining table) a froggy ring toss game (we need outside toys) and a stuffed zebra (did you see her face on the carousel?) We ended our trip with a horse/giraffe shaped cookie for the ride home. We love our Zoo!

Dyeing Easter Eggs

The other day Megan and I spent some time dyeing Easter Eggs. Megan has just discovered hard boiled eggs and I knew she would love dyeing them. So with Easter just around the corner we set thing up to turn white eggs in to rainbows. After all surfaces that could be harmed were covered, Megan couldn't wait to get things started.

Just getting a closer look at the fizzy egg dyes dissolving. (yes I was a little nervous she was going to accidentally bump a full glass of dye all over the new counter tops)

Attempting to make pretty designs on the eggs with a crayon before dyeing them. They didn't turn out but it wasn't that big of a deal because Megan was just impressed that the eggs changed colors.

She was very careful to make sure she didn't drop them in the dye. She placed all of the eggs in the dye without splashing (I was impressed)

Look at all of the pretty eggs!

After a nap, Megan couldn't resist putting stickers on the eggs. Notice the ton and a half of stickers that came with the kit...Megan put 1 on each egg and refused to add more. Weird! I figured the eggs would be covered with stickers they way she got so excited to put the stickers on.

Putting an Easter basket together for Grandma and Grandpa before they left for their cruise. Hard boiled eggs for Grandpa and pink Peeps for Grandma! She had fun and helped with everything from start to finish. Megan is becoming such a great helper with projects like these. She is just so much fun to watch. I love my little learning sponge (I say that because she remembers everything and will ask questions to figure out why. Then does a little recap to make sure she has the information/direction correct.)

So it goes without saying that Megan had a great Easter looking for her own Easter basket. The Easter bunny was very good to her, she got lots of puzzles and games for outside but just a few pieces of candy (I sent Mr. Bunny a thank you for not loading her up with sugar)

Random pictures and funny Megan quotes!

Lately Megan has been all about PlayDoh. She know she has to be at her desk and she can only use certain tools with the PlayDoh, but she could play for hours. One day she came running into the kitchen and tells me to go she what she made. She was so proud of her creation complete with a spoon, knife, Popsicle stick and a toothpick (poky thing)

The other day Mark and Megan we driving in the car. There was a man walking a

dog and the conversation went like this.

Megan: "Look Daddy, he is walking a weimaraner like Buddy Bear"

Mark: "No sweetie, that dog is a boxer."

Megan: "Oh, like your shorts!"

Megan painting while I painted the wall in the toy room.

After yet another trip to Lowe's we bought some Girl Scout Cookies from the troop selling them at the exits. Megan asked what they were doing so I told her the Girl Scouts sell the cookies to raise money so they can learn how to do all sorts of fun things. Megan thought for a second and said, with a glimmer in her eye "Someday when I'm bigger, I come her and sell MY cookies."

Washing her hands with "little tiny Megan soap" aka the orange water color paint tablet. Maybe painting while she painted wasn't the best idea, but that is why I put her in paint clothes!

Here is just a little sense on how fun Megan's imagination is. She always has something fun, creative to say.

I'm still here...

" Hi everyone, I am supposed to tell you that my mom promises to start posting more often. But we have been so busy playing in the sunshine and with friends that she hasn't taken any pictures of me! Can you believe it!?! Then Mommy and Daddy wanted to work on the house so 'life' just kind of took over. But I will make Mommy take pictures of me so you guys can enjoy all of the fun things we do."

Gymnastics, Tu-tus and cousins

Megan saw the tu-tu in the pile of clothes handed down from her cousins, so of course she wanted to wear it. Homework was done so Caila, Kelsey and Crystal had some time to show Megan their gymnastic skills. But first Megan had to show them her somersault.

First lesson: Splits! Megan mastered this one.

The girls were trying to teach her how to go some kick thing and Megan didn't quite get the hang of it. But she did love jumping up and down with her cousins.

Pretty ballerina or gymnast, take your pick. Shortly after this Kelsey was standing on her head and Megan tried her hardest to do the same. It was very cute to watch.

Hello! Sorry this picture was just cute so I had to put it on here, no real story, just cuteness. Can't wait for the summer when all the cousins can be together again and Megan can have her second lesson, but this time outside in the sun!

Snowman Time!!!

Well we had to wait until February to have enough snow to build snowmen, but it came and we had to build. Megan's very first snowman was very labor intensive. We had lots of snow but it was not "packing" snow. So I (the loving Mommy) piled snow, sprayed it with a water bottle and then packed on more snow. It took forever to build a snowman as tall as Megan. But since he was coated in ice, he lasted a long time and Megan liked to say "hi" to the snowman every time we saw him i.e. through the windows, leaving our house, coming home etc. She really liked him.

Or she liked that we have started a tradition, that when you play in the snow, once you go inside you get to have hot chocolate!

Our second snowman...woman...hula dancer. We got a ton of wet snow, perfect for building a snowman. Megan was excited to build another snowman. I went out early to start building the base of the snowman, Mark bundled Megan up and she came out to help me. She lasted about 10 mins then decided she played enough in the snow to drink hot chocolate. She left me, so I had fun and made a fancy snowman. This is what happens when you haven't had a pig roast in a few years (our goal is to get it started again this summer) Bad news for this snowman though, he was taller then me, but he only lasted 2 days until his head fell off. But I guess I won't complain too much, because he sacrificed himself so we could enjoy some sunshine and warm weather. The weather has been great, I just hope Spring is on it's way.