Ice Cream Sundae

We planned on going out for ice cream tonight, but decided to have some at home instead. Here’s the dialogue:

Alyssa: I want to go out for ice cream.
Daddy: Mommy’s going to make you an ice cream sundae when we get home.
Alyssa: I don’t want it on Sunday, I want it today!

Packing Lunch for Daddy

A few weeks ago, Alyssa came to me in the morning and asked what I was doing. I told her I was packing lunch for Daddy. She asked if she could do it and I helped her put his lunch into the bag. Little did I know that she'd be packing his lunch from that day forward. One day, it was all packed before she got out of bed and she cried, "I wanted to pack lunch for Daddy!" So I said, " You can do it tomorrow." Sure enough, she heard me in the kitchen the following morning, hopped out of bed, and came to pack Daddy's lunch. At first, she was just throwing things into the bag. I explained to her that the heavy things go on the bottom and soft things like a banana go on top. Yesterday, we were packing a can of soup and she looked at me and said, "Heavy things on the bottom." It's also great motivation to wake her in the morning and get her out of bed. I just say, "Time to get up! Don't you want to pack Daddy's lunch?" She gets right up and heads towards the kitchen. This is obviously very special to her and Daddy is very appreciative (even when some things get smashed). She has obviously observed me doing getting things ready every morning and wants to help. I think it's wonderful!

Glowing Lizards

It's always an experience cashing in the tickets from the arcade and choosing a "prize," especially when you don't have enough tickets to get the good ones. Alyssa had her choice between a Spiderman tattoo, crayons, and a glow-in-the-dark lizard. She chose the lizard and was quite excited about it. When we got home, I showed her how to hold him in the light and take him into the dark to see him glow. This was quite fascinating! She played with him in her playhouse for a while and then it happened. He disappeared!

She was sobbing that her lizard was gone and she could not find him. We searched her playhouse (with lights on and off) looking for him, but he was not there. We looked everywhere! He was nowhere to be found. I never imagined the drama that could result from a tiny glow-in-the-dark lizard. She continued to ask for him throughout the night. Our best guess is that she had him in the bathroom. If she was holding him and he fell into the toilet, then he was flushed away. Nevertheless, he was gone.

Desperate to hear her stop asking for him, I went to Party City in search of glow lizards. Yes! I found a bag of them. I gave Alyssa three to play with and saved the rest "just in case." No more than 10 minutes has passed and she was sobbing again. The lizards were gone! Unbelievable! So, I searched and there they were on the carpet by her playhouse. All was good for about 10 more minutes and the sobbing started again. The lizards were gone! Apparently, she decided to grab the markers to color her playhouse and sat them on the counter. It took me a little longer to find them this time around. Yes, we have spares, but I don't know how much longer I can handle their disappearances. These little guys sure are stirring up a lot of trouble.

Cardboard Box Playhouse

Today, we made our first cardboard box playhouse. I remember as a child how fun it was to make a house out of a giant box. Alyssa loves it! We cut out a window and a door. In the roof, we cut out a circle to insert her flashlight for lighting inside. We had fun making a flower garden outside the window. She’s already decorated the inside by drawing faces on the walls. Daddy did a drawing on the back of the door for her to color. She’s already moved in her blankets, pillow, some toys, and books. What a great idea and lots of fun! It’s the craft project that keeps on going…

Drawing Faces

Alyssa has been drawing faces and I am amazed! The first time I saw her draw a face was while we were playing with sidewalk chalk. Since then, her little faces have been improving and are more controlled. I was so excited when she brought home a page of them from school today. She drew five faces, each in a different color. You can see the first circle for the head and two smaller circles for the eyes. The lines on top are the hair and the lines on the bottom are teeth.

The face is the first object she’s drawn that she’s identified before drawing it. She knows she’s drawing faces and tells you that she’s drawing the eyes, mouth, hair, and teeth. I’m certain we’ll see many more faces, but they will change as she gets more practice. I wanted to capture the innocence of this drawing. To me, it’s priceless!

The Sneaky Snuggler

There's a little snuggler
That sneaks into my bed.
In the morning when I wake,
I see her little head.

She comes in late at night,
When I'm deep in sleep.
She slips into the covers
And doesn't make a peep.

She's quite the little ninja
She sneaks in late at night.
She's a sneaky snuggler,
She gets in just right.

If she'd wake me up,
I'd put her in her room.
She's a sneaky snuggler,
So what's a mom to do?

I ask her in the morning,
Why she's in my room.
She smiles and says,
"Cuz, Mommy I love you!"

Sweetest Little Voice

I remember when Alyssa was a baby, I wondered what her voice would be like. I got excited when she first started talking. Now, I occasionally find myself wondering when the talking will stop. There's something amazing about hearing your child's voice. It's the things she says, questions she asks, and expressions (like "I love you, Mommy!") that make me smile. Her voice is the sweetest little voice I've ever heard.

There's nothing sweeter than hearing that little voice sing. I've been singing to Alyssa every night since she was born. She started singing songs on her own like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and evolved into belting out full songs from her favorite movies like Beauty & the Beast and The Little Mermaid. I'm so tickled by her singing that I keep playing her favorite songs in the car just so I can listen to her. Here's a link to a video of her singing "Something There" from Beauty & the Beast:

http://gallery.me.com/fraulino#100315

I'm impressed that she remembers the lyrics and entertained that she directs me and Daddy as to which parts to sing in a duet. If you try singing the wrong part, you get yelled at. She takes her singing very serious! Lately, her favorite song to sing is "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid. I really need to try to get this on video because it's hilarious!

Self-expression though music, dance, or art is so important, especially for young children. Music teaches speech and movement and builds self-confidence. It also helps with language learning and building vocabulary. One night, I played the soundtrack from the "Cats" musical and she loved it! We were dancing around and singing about the Magical Mr. Mistoffelees. I think she just might end up on Broadway someday. I hope her love for the arts will continue throughout her lifetime. Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy serenades from the sweetest little voice I've ever heard.