Hopping to a Puppet Show

Easter is upon us and so is the opportunity to learn about the famous bunny who brings us baskets full of goodies. I’ve been attempting to teach Tatum about who is this famous bunny along with how it plays into the resurrection. I don’t want to take out the ‘fun’ of it all, but I do want her to understand WHY the whole darn thing exists! Just like Santa, we keep it all in perspective. So, I took her to the Easter bunny puppet show at our favorite Puppet Theater in downtown Phoenix. She couldn’t wait!
More importantly, it was a day after her big flu, so she was definitely ready to  be well and wear her new purple flip-flops to boot. (hey, she’s a girl, and it’s all about the shoes, right!?)

So we arrived to the theater right on time..

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Got our seats…

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And we proceeded to watch the show. The premise was that Sally, a little girl in Lost Canyon, AZ, was writing a letter to the Easter Bunny saying that she had NEVER gotten an Easter basket before. She did live in the boonies of AZ, so he must have forgotten her. The turtle mailman went to deliver the letter to the Easter Bunny, and he enlisted the help of Jack Rabbit, the cousin. Through the delivering of the basket, the bad guy, the Bobcat, stole the basket and then Jack was to recreate this nice basket from scratch. He enlisted his prairie dog and roadrunner friends, and they made lemonade out of lemons, making a whole new BETTER homemade basket for Sally. Jack went to deliver it to Sally, and the bobcat showed up again to steal it! Jack outran the little devilly bobcat as he was stuck by a cactus. Sally got her basket and all was happy on the Lost Canyon front.

Tot got to meet the puppets, but more importantly she waited her turn patiently while the other children stormed the puppets with gusto. Her patience paid off as she got a personal picture with Jack and the prairie dog. Kindness always wins..

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We always have so much fun there! With no nap today, and our fun lasting all day, we ended with a swim and some fro yo.

More to come on our lessons about Easter… Stay tuned!

She may be small but she knows things

She knows enough to tell me that she felt terrible today. Even her “Artie Dootie Doo” shirt didn’t seem to help. Blah, mommy!
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The prior evening, she woke me up countless times for various requests. “Mommy, the machine is too loud; mommy, my diffuser turned off; mommy, where is my baby; mommy, you forgot to do my nose; mommy”….NO!!!!!! (I would think). So after realizing she felt like a hot pocket, we spent the morning at the doctor. The waiting room was packed with coughing and sniffly kiddos. She told the nurse, “I’m drinking my water.” (cute!)

The nurse swabbed her nose, and when the doctor entered, he share that she tested positive for the flu. With a 102 degree temperature, I knew something was wrong. So….the gym was out of the question; the puppet show was  a no; play dates…nope. Plan B? MOVIES!

put on Veggie Tales Easter Carol for her, and it seemed to work for a bit. Her mood was not the same today, and all she wanted was to cuddle and read (which was wonderful) But….Poor Tot. 

 

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She tried to crank out a smile, but no go.

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There were many moments in the day, when she would cheerfully look at me and say, “I love you, mommy.” MELT. 

My child does know things, and she knows how to comfort herself when she feels awful. Baby!
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Get well soon, sweetheart.

 

Coti, where are you?

Tatum and I searched all over for the little guy? Where did he go?
Then, I see this two eyes peering from under her bed. He would not come out!?

Sometimes, the ringtone on my phone text scares him, and I thought the new one was safe (it’s a choo-choo train), but apparently not!

Tatum crawled under her bed to comfort him.
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Then she figured she’d stay under there with him and her baby.

 

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Now, I have two rug rats under there. HELP!IMG_2795

 

Spring Training with Tot and Doug!

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OOH, how is the view from up there, Tot? For me, it’s awesome because I’m not carrying her or holding her hand as she dawdles! We are on our way to the Diamondbacks Spring Training game at Talking Stick! Now, driving only 3 miles to get there is one bonus. The other bonus was having Doug with us to keep her engaged.

When we first arrived, we found our seats and realized they were directly in the sun. Wooh!  It may only about 85 degrees now, but with the sun beating down upon us, it felt more like 100! Plus, man that sun is wickedly terrible for Tot’s and my skin even with layers of SPF!20160304_132853_resizedSo we made the best of it…IMG_2608 11.34.33 AM IMG_2611 IMG_2612and then waited for the new pitcher, Greinke to pitch. IMG_2618And also for Goldschmidt to hit a homer!!

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After a good 6 minutes of baking, Tot was hungry! Luckily I packed 5 different snacks and figured I’d stagger them. BUT, after each little baggie, I’m still hungry, mommy.

Ok, first, let’s find a seat up higher out of the sun. IMG_2615 Much better. Now where were we…oh yes, I’m still hungry, mommy.

Well, she had her freeze dried corn, apples, cheese stick, and freeze dried peas. Drink your water, Tatum. Hmm…not going for that.

So, kindly, Doug bought her a Gatorade. Now the Gatorades are about the size of her whole body, so how was I going to teach her about portion sizes. Well, taking it away from her after she drank half. Well, that was like stealing meat from a dog. Viciously difficult.

Back to the game, DB’s had hit 3 homers and the game was ON! We had found some shady seats up higher and were out of the sun, so our bodies were nice and happy. I stuck a Xylitol lolli in Tot’s mouth hoping to have that last a while.
Thankfully, Doug swept her away and took her to the mini-field where she could hit some t-balls and run bases. Meanwhile, I chatted with the elderly usher who kindly let us sit in the seats above.

When Doug and Tot returned, she was nice and pooped.
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We headed out about the 8th inning, and called it an afternoon. As Doug said, “I call this 100% success!”

Tatum’s FIRST conference

I cannot believe I am attending my first parent conference at Tatum’s school. It’s weird to be on the other side of the table since I’m used to being the teacher!

When we arrived, her teachers, Miss Kristin (and asst. Miss Hailey) were beaming with smiles. First, they showed me her tracing had improved since January (she’s been there two months now)
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Then, they got into the meat of the conference: How they see Tatum! I was proud to hear that she is one of the kindest in the class. They said she plays with EVERYONE, not just Robert. In fact, she shares and often will go up to different groups of kids and play. She’s not afraid, and she’s also filled with compassion if one has a problem. IMG_2632

They also said she has a HUGE vocabulary and will tell very creative stories that make them all laugh. She also is one of the first to come to the circle and sit in the front criss-cross applesauce and listens without interrupting. (HOORAY! All the hard work is paying off!!!)IMG_2628

I often have wondered if there will be fruit after all the “practicing” we do at home with her behavior….being kind, attentive, and QUICK to listen!
Also with her letters, numbers, shapes, and colors! She is way ahead supposedly. IMG_2631 IMG_2630 IMG_2629

They had ZERO issues to share with me, only to tell me she’s extremely bright, kind, and very funny.

I continue to pray for guidance and wisdom in raising her. The key for me is keeping it fun too! I want to challenge her, but ultimately, I want her to shine the light of Jesus in all she does. The school is doing such a great job in reinforcing what I value at home. Thank you Paradise for Tots, Miss Kristin (right), and Miss Hailey (left)IMG_2603

Inspiring Me: The Walls show it

And so…since the last drawing I did for Tatum was a giraffe, I asked her what she would want next. I’ve done words of wisdom , Tatum flowers, and  She picked the babies and Coti (fail!), and so now she wanted Minnie and the gang. I found a cute picture of them in a baseball book with all the characters. However, it was really small, and they were wearing baseball gear. The colors were all off, and I did not want it that tiny. So I proportioned it up, changed their outfits and VOILA! (Well, not really voila..more like “voi”laaaaaaaaaaaa (days later)) Getting the lines just right and the expressions perfect was the trick. I found it was all in their eyes!

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I enlarged it at the copier and framed it today! Here you go my darling! (I am using the same frame and matte from IKEA. Makes it easier and they all match!)

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