I Survived "3"

Wow, I can't believe we've reached 4 already? Has it really been a year? Pulse... check. Breathing... check. Sanity... questionable. Looks like I actually survived "3." I think what I need most is a reality check. It's true, my baby girl is now "4." Yes, it is so.

I've spent the last year writing about all of the fun little things moms go through as we try to grow our 3-year-olds into respectable little people. I feel a great sense of accomplishment. I set out to blog for an entire year and I did just that. There are 90 blog entries total from June 2008 - August 2009. These blogs document all of the experiences over the year that I never want to forget. As we grow older, memories fade and new memories take their place. I blogged to capture these special moments forever, so we could look back and remember the innocence and beauty of childhood. This blog will be converted to a blog book (http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook). I hope that my daughter will cherish it always. Someday, when Alyssa has children of her own, I hope that she can embrace similar moments with a smile. To survive "3," you need lots of patience, compassion, a great sense of humor, consistency, and an abundance of love. If all those fail, a little Captain Morgan and Coca-Cola will do the trick.

It's been fun going back an reading all of my blogs. We've come a long way in a year, but we still have a long way to go. Everyone always told me that the 3's are worse than the 2's, so I named my blog "Surviving 3." Yes, I did it, I survived. I survived the "What's that?" and "Cuz why?" phase. I survived the potty training. I survived the tantrums. I wish I could say that I survived not listening (a/k/a selective hearing), but we're still working on that. People with teenagers have warned me that it only gets worse. I'm starting to wonder how many times I have to repeat myself to get through. Right now, my biggest frustration is slamming doors and flipping light switches. Somebody please make it stop!!!

My greatest joy is when Alyssa comes up to me and tells me she has a secret, then whispers in my ear, "I love you!" She is an amazing little girl. She's very affectionate and loves to give hugs. She is genuinely concerned when you get hurt and offers kisses to make it all better. She says "please" and "thank you" without being asked. She will even apologize on her own when she's misbehaved. If this is any insight of what's to come, I'll take the 4's over the 3's any day.

Alyssa is an amazing little girl! I'm so blessed to have her in my life. She is very bright and has an impeccable memory just like her Daddy. She's inherited our sense of humor and likes to kid around. We have lots of fun together! She loves drawing, coloring, and playing with Play-Doh. I'm hopeful that she has her Daddy's artistic talents. She loves to help out in the kitchen, so I hope she enjoys cooking and baking as much as I do. She is analytical and enjoys working on puzzles that are for 5-6 year olds. She loves playing games and doing activities on the computer. She enjoys the outdoors and is willing to try all kinds of sports. She loves swimming, riding her bike, kicking a soccer ball, playing tennis, and hitting softballs. She likes to play dress-up, sing, and dance. She's our little princess. She is and will always be my baby girl. I love her so much!

It is bittersweet that this is my final blog. I've been neglecting my handwritten journal over the past year and I'm looking forward to focusing more on my other writing. Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed reading about our experiences over the past year. Thank you to all of you who have commented on my blogs. Your comments will be included in the blog book. This is the end of one chapter, but the beginning of so much more to come. I'm proud to say it... I survived "3."

Happy 4th Birthday!

Today is Alyssa's 4th birthday!!! I can hardly believe my baby girl is "4" now. She was so excited to go to bed last night. She asked Daddy, "When I wake up, will I be 4?" I'll have to say that over and over until it finally registers... she's 4!

Alyssa wore her beautiful birthday dress to school today. Her friend from class, Erin, gave her a dress at her birthday party. Her mom bought the girls matching dresses and they agreed to wear them on Alyssa's birthday. They looked adorable together! Alyssa was so excited to take cupcakes for her class. They had the Little Mermaid cupcake toppers and were purple and blue. During snack time, all the kids will sing "Happy Birthday" to Alyssa and have cupcakes. I wish I could be there to see it!

Tonight, we're taking Alyssa to Peter Piper Pizza for dinner and games. She's really excited! She's looking forward to playing games with Daddy. After dinner, we're going to take her to Cold Stone Creamery for her favorite ice cream, pink (a/k/a strawberry) with sprinkles.

Happy Birthday, my darling little girl!

Alyssa's 4th Birthday

Princes and princesses from across the land joined us on Saturday to celebrate Princess Alyssa's 4th birthday. The royal festivities began with the crowning of our little princes and princesses with crowns and tiaras, royal jewels, and some sparkles from their Fairy Godmother.

We started off with Aladdin's Magic Carpets (a/k/a musical chairs) where each prince and princess had to hop on a magic carpet when the music stopped. Then, it was off to Royal Bingo where they had to mark their cards with Skittles while resisting the temptation to eat their game pieces. We finished up the games with "Pin the Fin on Ariel," a Princess version of Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey.

A royal feast was provided for the guests. Then, it was time to open gifts. The princes and princesses were so well-behaved. They all sat around as Alyssa opened her gifts, each one anxiously awaiting for her to pick theirs. She was thrilled to see that someone got her the Ariel head that she really, really wanted. She loves this toy! She even took a nap with it after her party. She was also excited to get her Ariel bath set. It's a play set for in the tub that is lots of fun. She was so happy to get her favorite movie "Enchanted." She watched it after her birthday nap. She was walking around the house singing, "That's how you know... you love her..." It's so sweet listening to her sing!



The big birthday surprise was a new bike from Mommy & Daddy. She was so excited! She's been playing outside a lot with the neighborhood kids and wanted her own "big girl" bike with a basket and bell. All of the princes and princesses wanted to try out the new bell. It was adorable!

We all sang "Happy Birthday" and then it was Princess cupcakes and ice cream for all. It was a royal celebration to remember.

Our little Princess is turning 4!

Disney Pin Trading

We're newbies to Disney pin trading. Alyssa picked the Disney Princess starter set and I picked the Fantasyland starter set because it came with a purple lanyard. We had lots of fun looking at pins and trading pins with Disney Cast Members. You can trade up to two pins with any Disney Cast Member wearing a lanyard and they have to trade you. Sometimes, they are even wearing limited edition pins, so you have to know what you're looking for. We had a lot of fun looking for pins together and trading for pins we liked better. It's something we can wear every time we return to Disneyland and a memento that Alyssa will have of all her Disney vacations.

Alyssa wasn't willing to trade away any of her original Princesses, but ended up with a few more anyway. Daddy bought her a Snow White pin because she's her favorite Princess right now. Mommy gave her a Tinkerbell pin and a Jessie pin from Toy Story. Alyssa met a lady from Montana named Yoly. We ran into Yoly at Disneyland and Alyssa liked her Sleeping Beauty/Cinderella pin. Yoly offered to trade Alyssa for her Jessie pin and they made the trade. Then, Alyssa wanted Jessie back. Yoly was so nice and told her to go ahead and keep the Princess pin. Then, we saw a Disney Cast Member wearing the little critter from Toy Story that's Alyssa's travel buddy. She named the critter "Annie" and we take pictures of her everywhere we travel. So, we were surprised when we saw a pin with Annie. Alyssa was more than willing to trade Jessie away to get Annie. I think as she gets older we'll need two lanyards, one she can trade from and one that has the special ones.



I traded away all of my starter pins. I was on a search for the Little Green Men from Toy Story and ended up with one pin. They came in a box that was a Toy Story grab bag. You get two pins, but you don't know which two. I gambled and bought two boxes and ended up with only one pin that I wanted to keep. I traded away the others. All in all, I ended up with some of my favorite Disney and Pixar characters like Dopey, Thumper, LGM, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Lightning McQueen. I also got a special "love" pin from my hubby with Mickey's hands forming a heart since we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary during our trip.

Alyssa and I both got the 2009 commemorative pins to remember the year of Alyssa's first trip to Disneyland and the year we started pin trading. I am hopeful that this is something Alyssa will enjoy for years to come. It sure was fun!

Disneyland!!!

Alyssa has spent much of the past year getting to know the various Disney and Pixar characters. The first movie she really liked was Finding Nemo. Then, she started watching Cars and Monsters, Inc. After that, she fell in love with the Disney Princesses... all of them! In fact, she likes them so much that her "favorite" one changes almost daily. So, what better way to celebrate the end of her 3rd year than a trip to Disneyland!!!

The anticipation and excitement leading up to the trip was almost as exciting as the trip itself. She knew she was going to Disneyland. She knew she was going to see the castle. Most of all, she knew that she was going to meet the Princesses. She would tell me that she had a secret and whisper in my ear, "We're going to Disneyland..."

It was all that we anticipated and more. We enjoyed three full days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Our first morning, we ran straight to the Matterhorn Bobsleds to introduce Alyssa to roller coasters only to find that the ride was down. So, her first ride was the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. The expressions on her face as she saw Nemo, Dory, and the other characters was priceless! We hit the teacups and the Dumbo ride immediately following. Then, headed off to Toon Town where we met Minnie and Mickey Mouse. The Gadget's Go Coaster in Toon Town was Alyssa's first real roller coaster experience. It was fast! I thought she would be scared to death, but she had a blast and wanted to ride again. We wanted to take her to meet the Princesses, but the line was two hours long (and we knew we'd see them later on). In the evening, we introduced her to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. With eyes wide open and face expressionless, she held on tight. When we finished the ride, she said, "That was fun!" While the rest of the park was watching fireworks, we zipped onto the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. She found both of them to be a bit scary, the pirates more so than the ghosts.

The next day, we were up bright and early for our Magic Morning admission. At 7:00 a.m., we were off and running. First, it was the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Alyssa didn't really care much for the snow monster, but the ride was an absolute blast! Then, we headed over to the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. What an amazing interactive experience!!! We all did it twice, then Alyssa and Daddy did it about four more times while I was looking around the store. Then, we decided to go straight to Space Mountain. It's always been my favorite ride, but it's very fast and in the dark. I was hesitant about taking Alyssa on the ride, but she said she wanted to go. So, off we went! She was asking to get off about half way through the ride, then asked if we could do it again when it was over. We rushed over to Splash Mountain and got right on. Alyssa almost flew out of her seat on the five story plunge, Daddy had to hold her in. We only got a little wet, so we rushed around and rode again. This time, we weren't so lucky. The big plunge drenched us all and Alyssa was completely soaked! She was not happy. Off to buy new clothes...

We made reservations for a Princess luncheon at Ariel's Grotto at California Adventure. As you walk down the spiral staircase, you see Ariel sitting there. She spent a moment with Alyssa while we took video and pictures. We were seated and served a three course meal. As we were eating, each Princess was announced one-by-one... Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. Filled with emotion, we watched as she met each Princess. The Princesses came to our table and talked to her, then posed for a picture. It was a magical experience, one that I will never forget.

In the evening, it was back to Disneyland for fireworks. We waited and waited for Tinker Bell to fly from the top of Matterhorn to the castle, but we were distracted by the fireworks and missed her. Alyssa was so disappointed. We promised that we'd take her to meet Tinker Bell the next day (fingers crossed).


On our last day, we went to Disneyland in the morning and California Adventure for the rest of the afternoon. We went on a few rides again in the morning. Alyssa's expectations for rides have gone up since we first arrived. She now expects them all to go really fast and is quite disappointed when they don't. We visited Pixie Land to meet Tinker Bell and got very lucky that she was there! She was so sweet to Alyssa. We met one of the other fairies first, then saw Tinker Bell. Alyssa asked her, "Why did you fly so fast?" remembering that we missed her the night before. She said, "You just have to watch for me, I'm there."

We headed over to California Adventure because Friday is the only day they were doing the Pixar Play Parade. We went on the Monsters, Inc. ride and it was amazing. Then, we waited in line to meet Sully. Alyssa ran up to him earlier in the day and he almost stepped on her, so she was scared to give him a hug. One of the attendants said, "Never step in front of a walking Sully!" LOL! We also met Goofy, Woody, and Sorcerer Mickey Mouse. We were disappointed that the Toy Story interactive ride had a 2-hour wait time, so we had to skip it. We decided to see Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular instead. It was a wonderful production of the animated feature and a nice way to stay cool for an hour while we were waiting for the parade. The Pixar Play Parade was magical. All of the characters we love so much dancing, singing, and riding in the most colorful floats you've ever seen. What a great way to end our trip to the happiest place on Earth!

I Didn't Do It!

Who did this? I didn't do it! Oh really? You didn't do it? Then, who did? Monkey did it! Oh, I see, Monkey did it. Well, why did Monkey do it? I don't know, but he did it. You don't know? Okay, did you see Monkey do it? Uh huh. Well, I don't think Monkey did it. Yes he did do it! In fact, I know Monkey didn't do it. I think you did it. No, I didn't do it! You didn't do it? You can tell Mommy, it's okay. Did YOU do it? (head nod)

Poor Monkey! He's so innocent and gets blamed for everything. It's so easy to play detective when you have only one child. There's no need to wonder who did it. If a drink is spilled or something is broken or missing, we know who did it... it was Miss Alyssa. It just cracks me up that she thinks if we didn't see it happen, then she can (1) blame Monkey, (2) just say "I didn't do it!", or (3) simply act like it's a mystery how it happened. I certainly enjoy the creativity and struggle to keep a straight face when listening to Alyssa describe what happened. I do not hesitate to put Monkey in Time Out for something he did not do, just to see the look on her face.

I recently got an e-mail from Parent Center about preschoolers and lying. It's pretty common for preschoolers to start lying because they don't understand that it's wrong yet. Sometimes, they might really forget that something happened. Or, they are really sorry that they did something so they try to believe that they didn't have anything to do with it. Children have really vast imaginations. It's hard for them to distinguish between what's real and what's fantasy at this age. They don't fully understand what it means to be untruthful until age 5-6. I guess that's the more appropriate time to start teaching truth and consequences.

Meanwhile, I will continue to work on explaining the difference between truth and lying. I know it's important for her to know that I'm happy when she does nod her head in admission. I really want her to feel comfortable telling the truth and knowing that she's not going to get into trouble for accidentally spilling her drink or knocking something over as long as she tells me about it. Since Monkey is just an innocent bystander, there are certain things that are immediately dealt with and certain things that I'd just like to hear from her what happened. I don't know why Monkey keeps doing all these things he's doing, but the stories sure make me smile.

The Tooth Fairy

We didn't anticipate a visit from the Tooth Fairy for at least a year or two. Alyssa had been complaining over the weekend that her tooth hurt and we found out on Tuesday that she had an abscessed tooth which had to be removed. She is such a little trooper. The abscess caused an infection which swelled up the left side of her face. She started feeling better last night and is on the road to recovery. We're lucky we caught it when we did.

The dentist sent home her tooth in a tiny green treasure box. We explained that the Tooth Fairy comes at night while you are sleeping, takes the tooth, and leaves money under your pillow. She was quite intrigued! So, we placed the little green box on her dresser so it wouldn't get lost in her bed. I finished reading her nightly book and she said to me, "Mommy, please go now. I don't want the Tooth Fairy to see you!" That was the quickest I've ever gotten her to bed. She was overwhelmed with excitement and wanted to be sure she went to sleep right away.

She woke up at 4:00 a.m. to use the restroom. She called for me from her room. I asked what was the matter and she told me she had to go potty. She was afraid to get up, fearful she'd miss the Tooth Fairy. She returned to her room and asked about the Tooth Fairy. I told her to check the little green box. Since she saw the box still sitting on her dresser, she assumed that the Tooth Fairy didn't come. She got a sad look on her face. I suggested that she check under her pillow. She flipped over the small pillow in her bed and looked and me with the saddest face you've ever seen and said, "Look! She didn't come!" So, I suggested that she look under her big pillow. To her surprise, the Tooth Fairy had left a $5.00 bill under her pillow. She got the biggest smile on her face and took off out of the room to shouting to Daddy, "Daddy look! The Tooth Fairy came! She took my tooth and left me money!" Keeping in mind it was 4 o'clock in the morning, Daddy shared her excitement. There were even traces of fairy dust (glitter) on the $5.00 bill as proof that it was from the Tooth Fairy.

This all happened so quickly that I didn't have time to make the Tooth Fairy a special pillow. Hopefully, we won't be seeing the Tooth Fairy for two more years or so.

4-Year Portraits

I'm so pleased with Alyssa's 4-year portraits. We went to Portrait Innovations for the third year in a row and they continue to amaze me. This year, we asked for just a few pictures on black and white backgrounds and took her Little Mermaid costume for some fun pictures on the beach background. I had no idea that I'd end up liking the mermaid pictures the best. They are absolutely beautiful!!! Alyssa is growing up into such a darling little girl.

First Tennis Lesson

Every morning for the past two years we have driven past the Deer Valley High School tennis courts. As we pass, we yell out "Moon shapes!" Those are the moon-shaped cut-outs in the tarps covering the fencing around the courts. Just recently, Alyssa started asking, "What is that?" Of course, I responded, "Moon shapes!" To which she replied, "No, what is it?" So, every day we've been talking about the tennis courts. I told her Daddy would teach her to play and every day as we pass she says, "Can we play tennis?" Yesterday, I told her we would play after dinner.

She was so excited to get out her racquet and hit balls. Daddy showed her how to hold the racquet and swing even with her waste. I still remember when I was 19 and he taught me how to play tennis with the same methods. First step, learning how to swing the racquet properly and connect with the ball. It's just like spanking a baby, but you're spanking the tennis balls. Alyssa got a kick out of that! "Spank the baby!" she said as she hit the balls. She never ceases to amaze me! She was making great contact and hitting a majority of the balls that Daddy bounced to her. There's nothing greater than the look she has on her face when she does something she's proud of. It makes me smile!

As we were practicing hitting, Alyssa would run around picking up the balls for us. It was really nice to have a ball girl. We're looking forward to getting back into tennis. We haven't played since before she was born. We fell in love playing tennis together and it's so wonderful to finally share that with our daughter. My husband is an amazing tennis player and great teacher. I love watching her learn something new from her Daddy. It's something she will cherish for the rest of her life.

My Little Fish

Alyssa has been in swimming lessons at Aqua-Tots since last August. We go every week for 30 minutes. In that time, I've seen improvements during her lessons, but I had no idea how well she was swimming until last weekend. We spent the 4th of July weekend at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. They have a wonderful family pool with a large section for kids that goes up to 3 ft. deep. She was swimming like a fish! I am filled with amazement and absolutely speechless over her swimming.

She can swim from the middle of the pool to the side without taking any breaths, then climb out of the pool on her own. She loves to dive for her Disney Princess toys and rings. When she misses one, she pops up for a breath and quickly dives back down. She watched another little girl do a summersault under water and quickly did the same. She loves to jump in the deep end and quickly swims to the surface. She can even jump in the deep end, surface, float on her back, and then swim back to the side of the pool. Her favorite thing to do in the pool is to have Daddy toss her high in the air. She pops back up and asks for more. She is amazing!

I simply cannot find the words to express how impressed I am and how pleased I am with the instructors at Aqua-Tots. I am very confident that if my daughter fell into a swimming pool that she would be able to swim to the edge and get out. She is learning the fundamentals of swimming that will be with her a lifetime. I'm so very thankful that she's developed confidence in the water and is not fearful to try new things. She has quickly advanced through her classes and I'm very proud of her! Way to go, my little fish!

Good Job, Daddy!

Last night, Alyssa asked if she could put stickers on the papers that she brought home from school. As she was putting on the stickers, she was telling herself, "Good job!" Her coloring is just amazing! She doesn't just pick one color and stay in the lines, she selects multiple colors and blends them. Naturally, all of her pictures are well-deserving of a sticker.

Someone else received a "Good job!" sticker last night too. Alyssa awarded one to Daddy for the good job he did on his painting. He's had weeks of artist block and finally started painting again. She placed the sticker right in the middle of his painting and said, "Good job, Daddy!" Of all the thoughts going through his head, he smiled and said, "Thank you, honey!"

Luckily, the sticker came off without damaging the painting. It's hard to explain that we don't put stickers on Daddy's paintings. When Alyssa does a good job painting or coloring at school, she gets a sticker. She was just rewarding Daddy for the good job he did. He earned that sticker and he should be proud!

The Bad Words

It all started with Shrek telling the donkey to "Shut up!" Then, it was the beast in Beauty & the Beast saying, "Stupid!" I remember the day Alyssa put all of her dolls and stuffed animals in time out for saying "Shut up!" She'd tell each one that they were in time-out for saying "Shut up!" Essentially, she was repeating it over and over without getting in trouble because, after all, they were the ones that said it, not her.

We try to be mindful of the things that we say and the word choices that we make. We try not to use words that we don't want to hear repeated. However, in case we forget, we now have a little person to remind us exactly what was said.

"Is 'weirdo' a bad word?" Alyssa asks. I tell her that it's not exactly a bad word, but it's not really nice either. It's a silly word that people say when they see someone who is different or acting goofy. She tells me she heard the word from a friend at school. Her friend said, "You're a weirdo!" She seems a bit sad and says, "But I'm not a weirdo!" We have a talk.

"Is 'crazy old buzzard' a bad word?" Alyssa asks. I couldn't help but laugh. It's not a bad word, but it's also not nice to call someone that. I gave an example and told her if she said that to her Grandma it wouldn't be very nice. Sure enough, the next time we see Grandma she looks at her and says, "You crazy old buzzard!" Grandma's looked at her sternly and says, "I don't like that!" Alyssa cried. Talk not required.

"Is 'friggin nuts' a bad word?" Alyssa asks. I turned my head and busted laughing. Upon gaining my composure, I asked where she heard that. She tells me she heard it at school. Interested, I asked what the kid said to her. She told me the kid looked at her and said, "You're friggin' nuts!" I tell her it's not nice to say and we have another talk.

I was driving home on the highway and there was a slow car in front of me going about 25 in a 55. As my patience was wearing and I said out loud, "I have to change lanes... this car is driving me friggin' nuts!" Oh my! Did she hear that from me? How often do I say that? Is "friggin" even a word? Maybe she didn't hear that from a kid at school? Well, it's better than the alternative. Ohhhh boy!

As I said before, in case we forget what we say, there's always someone to remind us.

Light Switches, Doors & Locks

What's the deal with light switches, doors, and locks?

I'm absolutely amazed that with a room full of toys the only intriguing thing to play with is the light switch. Light on, light off, light on, light off, light on... "STOP PLAYING WITH THE LIGHT SWITCH!!!" It stops briefly, then starts again light on, light off, light on, light off, light on... I see Alyssa looking at me with those curious eyes. She reaches to give it one more try -- light on, light off -- just to make absolutely certain that she's not supposed to be playing with the light switch.

Next time, it’s the bathroom door -- open, close, open, close -- I hear the squeaking. This doesn’t work in her bedroom because there is a foam door guard at the top of the door. “SLAM!” the door closes. “STOP PLAYING WITH THE DOOR!!!!” I hear a faint voice say, “Mommy, where are you?” I go to open the door and it’s locked. I hear giggles in the distance. “OPEN THE DOOR!!! 1…2…3…” Apparently, the counting is ineffective when Mommy is on the other side of the locked door. “I’m getting the key!” and magically the door opens. We have the first of several discussions about not locking doors.

You would think that would be enough, but it’s not. You have to think like a child and anticipate their every move. Mommy has been locked out of the bathroom, the changing room at swim class, public restrooms, and, yes, even our house. When your child is running quickly towards a door and giggling, you run as fast as you can screaming, “You’d better not lock that ((SLAM)) door!” Sometimes, I feel like the big, bad wolf standing outside the door yelling, “Little pig, little pig, let me in!” Little did she know that Mommy had already entered the house through the garage door, I sneaked up behind her and said, “What are you doing?” It was time for another discussion about not locking doors.

We’ve made progress. Alyssa told me yesterday that she’s not going to lock doors anymore because she wants to be a good girl and only bad girls lock doors. I understand that it’s just something new that she’s figured out how to do by herself. Meanwhile, she has learned a lot about cause and effect. Locking Mommy out gets you in BIG trouble!!!

If this hasn’t happened to you already, it will. If you don’t have another way to get inside a locked door (besides threats and bribery), then you’d better learn to run very, very fast. It’s like the real life version of Survivor – outwit, outplay, outlast. You’ve always got to be one step ahead of the game.

Travel Buddy

Hi there! It’s me, Alyssa. Mommy has been too busy to work on my blog, so I decided to do this one for her. I went to San Francisco for vacation this year and it was a blast! Since Daddy has a travel buddy “Homer,” I wanted a travel buddy too. This is my “Annie.” She is a little critter that came with my Jessie doll from Toy Story. She looks kind of like a bunny rabbit, but with the body of a pig. She didn’t have a name, so I named her Annie. We’re going to travel the world together. She’s my travel buddy.


My favorite part of vacation is riding all of the carousels. San Francisco had a HUGE carousel. It had two stories and I got to go up really high. Mommy and Daddy let me ride it a few times. It was fun!


I got to ride in a boat and it was really, really cold and windy. We went to Alcatraz. It’s a really scary place that they used to lock people up in. We had to be very, very quiet because people were sleeping. Daddy told me they weren’t real, but I saw them! My daddy made a really neat video of Alcatraz (http://www.vimeo.com/5032057). We had fun looking around and playing in the cellblocks. Mommy told me if I wasn’t good that she’d leave me there, but she was just kidding.


My next favorite part about vacation is all the yummy food! We went to this bakery with lots of yummy bread. Mommy got me turtle bread and it was so good. The lady at Boudin Bakery even let me pull around a giant alligator bread that was bigger than me! We also had pizza, ice cream, mini doughnuts, and salt water taffy.


I had a nice bike ride to the Golden Gate Bridge. Daddy pulled me the whole way and I slept on the way back. Now, that’s what I’m talking about. We stopped at this really pretty place on the way back and I met a little boy. He gave me some bread to feed the birds. There were birds everywhere!!! They must have been really hungry because they kept coming to me for more.

We took a nice drive out of the city to go find Snoopy. My mommy loves Snoopy. We had lots of fun taking pictures with Snoopy. I even got a super cuddly Snoopy to sleep with. I love him so much! We had a nice lunch at the Warm Puppy Café. Can you believe they even have Snoopy ice cream there? It was a Snoopy kind of day.

I had lots of fun in San Francisco! I got to ride on trains and cable cars. I went to two aquariums and saw lots of fish. I really liked looking at the sea lions on the pier. I’d hear them and say, “Arr, Arr, Arr!” I think they understand me. I met lots of new people. When I’d see someone sitting on the side of the street, I’d say, “Hi! What’s your name?” Mommy says I shouldn’t talk to strangers. I was a really good girl for my Mommy and Daddy. I can’t wait to go on vacation again! Annie and I have lots of places to go.

Two Mommies

It's hard to be serious sometimes when your child says or does something so silly that you burst into laughter. Last week, Alyssa was up to her bedtime antics of running around and not listening. When I discipline, I get down to her level and make sure she is looking at me when I am talking to her. She was looking off to the side, so I told her to look at my eyes when I'm talking to her. As her eyes met mine, she made them cross-eyed. I raised my voice, then she looked at me straight and went cross-eyed again. As she crossed her eyes she said, "Look! Two mommies are yelling at me." At a time when I needed to be authoritative, I clearly failed. I immediately busted up laughing. As I was laughing, she looked straight again and said, "One Mommy," then crossed her eyes and said, "Two Mommies." She then asked me to cross my eyes to see if there were two Alyssas and, of course, there were. We both got a good laugh and she asked me if I thought she was funny. Yes, I thought it was hilarious! We had a good laugh and a big hug. Now, when she wants to be silly, she looks at me with crossed eyes and says, "I see two Mommies."

Just Like Daddy

For the past month, Alyssa has been drawing on the back of her color sheets from school. All of the kids get the same sheet with a picture to color. Alyssa is usually the first person to finish her color sheet, so she flips the page over and draws on the back while everyone else is still coloring. Yesterday, to my surprise, I flipped the page over and it was an amazing drawing of me! She gave me purple hair because she knows it’s my favorite color and wrote “MOM” at the bottom. It’s just beautiful! I love all the green eyelashes. When I asked her about the drawing, she just smiled and said, “It’s you!”

I was looking through the other papers she brought home and didn’t realize there was a second drawing. When I asked her who it was, she told me it was daddy. These drawings are just amazing. I’m impressed that her stick figures are developing into detailed faces. It’s also interesting how she selects and blends her colors instead of just using one crayon. I think she definitely has daddy’s artistic talent.

I asked her to draw me another picture today. I can’t wait to see it!

M-O-M

Spelling is just the beginning of learning to read. We see words in a book and Alyssa asks what they are. I point at the word, spell it, and then sound it out. That way, the next time she sees the word she knows what it is. She's been writing words on her own like her name, C-A-T, D-O-G, M-O-M, and D-A-D. She's so proud when she writes something and we praise her for it. We're always challenging her to write new words. We also have a game on our iPhone called SightWords that teaches word recognition. It's the 100 easiest words in the English language. Your child can look and hear the word so they learn basic reading just by word recognition. It's great!

We just got back from our family vacation to San Francisco. One day, we were riding on the train and Alyssa was talking to a very nice lady named Pietra. I'm still laughing at their conversation:

Alyssa: Hi!
Pietra: Hi!
Alyssa: What's your name?
Pietra: Pietra
Alyssa: (looks puzzled)
Pietra: Pietra (sounded out slowly)
Alyssa: Pizza?
Pietra: (laughing) What's your name?
Alyssa: Alyssa, A-L-Y-S-S-A
Pietra: That's a nice name. What's your mommy's name?
Alyssa: Chanda
Pietra: How do you spell your mommy's name?
Alyssa: M-O-M

Not realizing how many people on the train were listening to this conversation, everyone started laughing as soon as Alyssa spelled M-O-M. I'm so tickled that she associated the spelling of M-O-M with my name instead of just saying she didn't know. This was one of those special moments that made Mom smile... and I'm still smiling. :-)

Letter to Mommy

For Mother's Day, Alyssa colored a picture for me and wrote me a letter. Daddy asked her what she'd like to thank me for on Mother's Day. This is what she said as written by Daddy:

Dear Mommy,

I love you. Thank you for making me breakfast.
Thank you for candy and food. I love all my toys.
Thank you for reading books. They are fun.
Thank you for taking me to the park and getting me clothes.

Love,

Alyssa

She was so excited about her letter that she asked me every day for the past 3-4 days if it was Mommy's Day yet. When I told her Sunday morning it was Mommy's Day, she took off running to get it. You could see the pride beaming from her face when she gave it to me. I love it so much! She is such a thoughtful little girl. It's amazing to me how she's starting to express her love. She asks for hugs now and tells me that she loves me.

I had an incredible Mother's Day. It seems like it lasted for two weeks instead of one weekend. Last Friday, we went to As You Wish Pottery and Alyssa painted me a Mommy's Bowl. I love it!!!! It's purple just for me and has her name and date on the bottom. I'll use it every morning and cherish it forever.


At school, Alyssa did a special craft project for Mother's Day. She made a pink sparkle frame with a beautiful picture of her inside. She picked out the shoe and the bow just for me. It's so adorable! She looks so pretty in the picture. I placed it on my desk at work so I can look at it every day.


We had a nice Mother's Day breakfast at home with Grandma. Daddy and Alyssa got me some beautiful flowers. We spent the afternoon at Desert Ridge enjoying the warm weather and the splash pad. We had a nice lunch on the patio and topped it off with some Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. What a fantastic day!

It's wonderful to be a mom.

Piggy in the Hole

We picked up some funnels not too long ago at IKEA for Alyssa to play with in the tub. Alyssa is done with the baby toys and needed something new to play with in the tub. She likes to fill them up with water and watch them drain. You'd think it would be a perfectly safe bath toy, right? Well, you've seen the picture by now. Who would have thought we'd end up with a piggy stuck in the hole? I gave a little tug and it was stuck really good. You can even see in the picture that her toe was beginning to turn purple. Good thing it was plastic, I knew that we could cut it off as a last resort. I asked her if it hurt and she said, "No." So, I quickly got the camera and took a picture. Come on, this is good blog material. Then, I told her I'd have to get the scissors and remove her toe. You should have seen the look on her face! We applied lots of soap to both sides and gave it a wiggle, wiggle. Little piggy was free again! Let's hope she learned a lesson and keeps her piggy out of the hole.

Ready, Aim, Fire!

The water balloons were fun, but the demand far exceeds the supply. I can't fill and tie them fast enough! Alyssa tosses them as fast as she gets them. So, it was time to introduce her to another water sport... water guns. We're not talking the rinky dinky squirt guns you pick up at Walgreens. We're talking the AK-47 of all squirt guns... Super Soakers! We went on a family outing to purchase our arsenal. We are now armed and dangerous! It didn't take long for Alyssa to operate her new water blaster. She quickly learned to pump, aim, and fire. We picked up several different kinds. The large ones are difficult for her to operate because they are so heavy when full and her little fingers can't pull the trigger. The best one is called the "Bottle Shot." It's perfect for little ones because it doesn't have a trigger. You just pump and squirt about 20 feet. You can use the bottle that comes with it or any size water bottle. She loves it! In case you're interested, here's a picture:

Alyssa isn't shy when it comes to using the "Bottle Shot." She can hold her own and get drenched with the rest of us. She loves running around chasing us and getting us wet. Her favorite is Daddy's reaction when Mommy squirts him in the face. She giggles hysterically! We like to gang up on him, but we end up drenched when we do. One thing about Daddy is that if you get him, he'll get you back twice as much. She quickly learned how to shoot with her head turned so that she doesn't get her face wet. It's so much fun being kids again!

We've been enjoying our family time outside together. Besides the water balloons and water guns, we've also been enjoying homemade snow cones. Yummy! With temperatures already in the 100's last week, we're getting ready for the summer heat. Beware of spontaneous water fights! You just might find yourself Super Soaked.

Water Balloon Fight!

How do you bring in the first really hot day of the year? We spent time together outside eating homemade snow cones and having a water balloon fight! Alyssa was breaking them faster than we could make them. She had so much fun! It was so cute to see her walk up behind Daddy and just smash one on his back. When she throws them at Daddy, he just catches them and throws them right back. Then, they land by Alyssa’s feet and *splash*.

While Mommy was busy filling up balloons, there was an ambush in the works. Ready, aim, fire… Mommy was drenched! We all ended up pretty soaked. Next time we have a water balloon fight, I need to spend some time filling up balloons beforehand. Fill as you go is hard when you have a little one standing there waiting and you don’t know if you’re the next target. There will be several more water fights before the end of the summer. This is just the beginning!

Inflate

On Saturday evening, we went to Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV) for the “Inflate” event (a/k/a Jumpy Heaven). There was every kind of inflatable jumpy, slide, and obstacle course you could imagine. Alyssa had an absolute blast! He favorites by far were the slides. I couldn’t believe that she climbed up there all by herself and wasn’t afraid to come down. She even went on the giant slide that was about three stories tall. It’s amazing to see your child have so much fun. In fact, she had so much fun that we played some more after church today. It was a bouncy, jumpy kind of weekend.

*click*

As I was driving Alyssa to school this morning, I heard a *click* in the back seat. "Did you unbuckle your seat?" I asked. She replied, "No." Relying on my mom instincts, I asked again. As I looked in the rear view mirror, she gave me a head nod. At that point, I immediately went into "freak-out" mode. I don't know if you have ever been in "freak-out" mode while driving, but you look for the first place you can turn in, jump out of the car, open the door, and start yelling. Yes, that was me freaking out.

I managed to stop yelling and explain to Alyssa that the seat belt is for her safety and it holds her in her seat if another car hits Mommy's car. I even demonstrated what would happen if she flew forward with it on and described what would happen without it on. Wanting to make an impact, that description went something like this, "You could going flying out of the seat, go through the windshield, and die!" It may have been a little extreme, but I followed it up by telling her Mommy doesn't want her to die and the seat belt keeps her safe in her seat. Like I said above, I was in "freak-out" mode. This is the first time this has happened while we were driving and I wasn't prepared for the impromptu lecture. Point made.

All buckled in, we get back on the road and Alyssa says, "In church, we learned that Jesus died on the cross." (pause) "Mommy, I don't want to die on the cross." I chuckled, "Honey, you're not going to die on the cross." I think I have some explaining to do when I get home.

Thanks, Easter Bunny!

On Saturday night, we painted eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide. Alyssa had fun dipping her paint brush in the dye and brushing it on. Mommy and Daddy painted some too. The eggs were very pretty. We sat out Alyssa's basket for the Easter Bunny to fill it up and left a bowl of carrots on the table. It rained Saturday night, so we left a note to let him know to deliver inside. The note said, "A-L-Y-S-S-A" with an arrow pointing to the basket. I think he knew what she meant.

Alyssa woke up at 6:00 a.m. saying, "The Easter Bunny was here!" She looked on the table and her basket was gone. All that remained in the bowl were some chewed up carrots and he even made a mess on the floor. The Easter Bunny must have sat at the table to eat his carrots because a piece of his fuzzy white tail was left behind. Alyssa picked up his tail and said, "Ewwww... a piece of his tail. How gross!" Then, she threw it in the trash. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her Easter basket behind the couch, pointed, and exclaimed, "LOOK!" She ran to it and started pulling stuff out. She was so excited! She absolutely loves her bunny puppet and bubble blower. Thanks, Easter Bunny!

We went through the house looking for Easter eggs. The Easter Bunny put them in the funniest places. Alyssa liked the one she found in Daddy's shoe and the one on Elmo's feet. She loaded up her basket with the painted eggs and plastic eggs filled with goodies, but not without checking to see what was inside the plastic eggs. They were filling with yogurt raisins, fruit snacks, Yogos, and a few had Nerds candies. This morning, with a sad look on her face, she said to me, "The Easter Bunny didn't leave me any jelly beans!" I tried to fill the eggs with stuff she'd be allowed to have for a snack and less candy. I guess the Easter Bunny will have to remember jelly beans next year.

After we finished our egg hunt, we enjoyed a pancake breakfast and went to Easter service at church. In the afternoon, we sat on the patio eating homemade snow cones while Alyssa showered us with bubbles from her new bubble blower. We finished up the day with a nice ham dinner and carrot cake for dessert. What a great Easter!

Disney on Ice

On Saturday, we surprised Alyssa and took her to Disney on Ice - Disneyland Adventure. It's was her first kid's show and she was so excited to be there. I'll always remember the look on her face when Mickey and Minnie skated onto the ice. She kept pointing at the characters and saying their names, "Mickey! Minnie! Goofy! Donald! Pluto!" I think I watched her facial expressions more than I watched the show.

The Incredibles went on a family vacation to Disneyland. The adventure took us on a Jungle Cruise with Baloo, flying through Space Mountain with Buzz Lightyear, spinning in Tea Cups with Alice and the Mad Hatter, watching the Main Street Parade with Cinderella and Snow White, hiding from ghosts in the Haunted Mansion, floating through It's a Small World, dancing Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Incredibles rescuing Mickey and Minnie from the evil Syndrome. It was like a trip through Disneyland from our seats. Boy, do I really want to go! I am hopeful we can drive to California by the end of the summer.

I hope to share more experiences like this with Alyssa. An experience is so much greater when seen through the eyes of a child. These are the memories that will last a lifetime.

"Can I Drive?"

Alyssa has asked twice now if she can drive to school. Here is today’s conversation:

Alyssa: “Can I drive?”
Mommy: “No.”
Alyssa: “Why Mommy? I’m a big girl.”
Mommy: “Yes, you’re a big girl, but you’re too little to drive.”
Alyssa: “I’m not little. I’m huge! I can do it.”
Mommy: “Well, you have to wait about 15 more years.”
Alyssa: *crying* “I want to drive to school!”

I think this was a flash forward about 12-13 years into the future where this conversation is destined to occur again with the same end result… lots of crying. I never imagined having this conversation with a 3-year-old. I think I’ll distract her from playing in the driver’s seat. I wouldn’t want her to get any ideas.