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.

"I'm a Big Girl! I'll Do It Myself!"

I knew this day would come. The day my daughter no longer needs my help with every little thing. She’s exerting her independence by proudly declaring, “I’m a big girl! I’ll do it myself!”

With this declaration there are a lot of behavior issues. If she doesn’t want to do what she’s asked, we hear lots of “no’s.” There are arguments when we don’t do something the way she wants to do it. Worst of all, the tantrums of the two’s have turned into major meltdowns. As a parent, I understand there is some give and take. You let them try things on their own until you have to intervene because that’s how they learn. However, that’s easier said than done. I often find myself trying to help because that’s what I’ve become accustomed to over the past three years. There’s a learning curve for moms too. I’m learning to let her try things until she asks for help.

For example, Alyssa likes to dress herself. It’s so much faster in the morning if I just do it, but I know she’s a big girl and wants to do it. So, I put out her clothes the night before and now she asks me for help with the buttons if she can’t get them. The other day she was supposed to pick some shoes and came out with one boot and one flipflop. I made her go back and put on flipflops. Now, I wonder if I should have let her go out that way. It may look a little silly, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world.

This is an important milestone. While I struggle with letting go, these are the tasks that will build her confidence for the future. By allowing her the opportunity to try things and fail and giving her choices to make so that she can make her own decisions, we are building her confidence. When she says, “I’m a big girl! I’ll do it myself!,” that’s my queue to step back and let her give it a try.