You were slow moving this morning. You took FOREVER to get up, to brush your teeth, to get dressed, to brush your hair. In the car on the way to school, you were trying to sing “Hay Un Amigo En Me” but you were having trouble remembering the words without the music playing. You said “mama, can you please play the song? I can’t concentrate without the music!” We were running later to school than usual. You were happy when we got there though and had a great day. When you got home, you and Ms. Sandy finished your Frozen Lego Arendelle Castle and it looked amazing!!!! When I got home from work, you showed me all of your rainbow and garden projects…. Everything was great! When Daddy got home you were excited to show him as well. You told him to “wait a couple whiles” instead of wait a couple of minutes lol.
We packed up the car with picnic supplies, chairs and your bike and ran to pick up Chinese food and had a picnic in the parking lot. You were happy to ride all around and there were several cars that did the same thing. You were happy to keep tabs on what all the other kids were doing. The weather was just too nice to eat inside and I didn’t have picnic food options at home. This was as fantastic as it was unplanned. You skipped your nap again today (I guess you feel you don’t need them anymore) so you started to rub your eyes after we ate while you were bike riding. We packed up, headed home, jumped in bed and did just 2 Lingos before you fell asleep. Poor tired girl!
Daddy went to leave for work and you ran to the front door to kiss him goodbye. You ran back in saying “Daddy’s car has a boo-boo mama. A really BIG boo-boo! I went outside to see what had happened. He forgot the sunroof open and it poured rain all night. The inside was soaked! So we all loaded up in my car, we took you to school and then he dropped me at work & he took my car to work. You were so happy to have me ride in the back seat with you on the way to school!! You wore your new glittery light up rain boots in the car, even though you can’t wear them to school.
When we got home, we cooked together. You helped me season chicken wings and set the oven to preheat. You are getting so good at following directions like that. We made some teriyaki sauce and you were in charge of stirring. You still make a pretty good mess when you stir, but you are getting so much better! You loved the wings (and the tater tots!) You played with your new Arendelle castle and I had to send Aunt Deb a picture of you. It was so cute. Tonight, Arendelle was full of Toy Story characters.
You took a bike ride around the block while Daddy & I walked. We didn’t get too far when we ran into a few neighbors standing around talking. You were showing off to everyone how well you can ride your bike and fast too! Enzo was there so you wanted to pet him of course. All of a sudden, I looked over at you and your face was scrunched up. I knew right away you had to pee and already had started. We quietly headed home so you wouldn’t be embarrassed. We had just rounded the corner and you saw Ms. Moe almost to the next curve. You took off so fast and blew right past the house shouting out “Ms. Mooooooeeeeeee!!!” We ended up circling the entire block again, although we never stopped to potty! When we got back home, you ran in right away to change. By the time I got into the house, you had peed, put on night pants, a Frozen nightgown and had your bike helmet back on. When I walked in you wailed in tears because you wanted to go back out to ride more! I quickly calmed you down and we went to your room to do Lingos. We did two lessons, you climbed on top of me and you were snoring in 2 minutes. I must have kissed your forehead 20 times before leaving your room.
It was quite a process to get you dressed today lol. You spent a lot of time organizing your panties and deciding which ones to wear! On the way to school we listened to Toy Story in Spanish – you love to sing Hay Un Amigo En Mi! The new drop off procedure at school is going very well. You are happy to grab your lunch box, give me a big hug & kiss, then run right to Ms. Amber and right to your class with no worries about me! It feels so much better. I told Ms. Amber that after you went to your classroom and she said they are considering keeping this in place because it’s been so much easier for all the kids.
I picked you up and you said you were hungry. You just finished lunch before I came, but you wanted pizza. So, we grabbed a slice at Rico’s and headed to the park at the north bridge to Siesta. I put a blanket on the ground and we had a lovely little picnic. You told me “it’s so pretty here mama!” These moments make me extremely grateful for the changes that have come in response to this virus. Without it, our picnic today wouldn’t have happened. We headed to my office after lunch so Romo could give you your birthday present, a Frozen couch. She asked you to close your eyes so you could find your surprise. You said, “mama needs to take a picture of me first!” We were all cracking up laughing. When you learned it folded out and you could lay on it you were so excited. You wanted to call Jackie and sat on couch with the phone chatting her up. When I went to sign my closing I told you I would be right back & you said “is your people here?” I was done quickly and we left to go home. You wanted to video call Grandma Weezie and you were excited to tell her about your Frozen couch. When we got home we played phase 10.
Daddy’s coffee pot was delivered and you opened it like it was a birthday present lol. I said but it’s in a box and you don’t like boxes. You said, I don’t mind boxes anymore! I was like hmmm, well on your birthday you were super annoyed by them lol. He made you hot cocoa while I was at the store. We went to bed, did two Lingos & you snuggled on me and were snoring in 2 minutes. I went to lay you down on your pillow and kissed your forehead a thousand times. I love you so much!
When you came to my room last night, you brought your M&M blanket, raggedy Ann doll, stuffed flamingo, small pillow from your couch, Easter bunny stuffy and your water bottle! We have no idea how you gather up so much stuff t bring while you are half asleep. You always bring your water bottle and blanket or stuffy, but last night was a LOT!!! When you climb into bed you are back to sleep in 30 seconds.
You didn’t want to get up this morning but when you finally did, you were very cooperative. You were riding your scooter all over the house while I finished getting ready. Daddy left for work before you woke up and you were disappointed to find he was gone. However, he made you an awesome egg sandwich which you wolfed down on the way to school. I picked you up from school because Ms. Sandy was sick. You were quiet in the car, and when I looked in the rear-view mirror a few minutes later, you were sound asleep. While you were sleeping, we ran by Grandma Weezie’s to drop something off. While we were talking you woke up. You were happy to see her and you scammed her out of piece of pizza she was having for lunch. lol. We left and dropped some packages off at the UPS store. You handed each package and label to the clerk, one by one, giving her direction “this one goes with this package…etc”. The clerk was very complimentary of you and so was I. It’s impressive to see how confident you are interacting with adults.
We went home & Grandma Noot came to hang out with you while I took a quick call. There was an Amazon package delivered and I thought it was another birthday delivery for you. You opened it, but it was a part for Daddy’s phone. You said “this is nothing!!!!” clearly disappointed it wasn’t a birthday present. Grandma Noot brought your birthday presents that were delayed. You couldn’t wait to see what your surprises were. You were so excited about the mermaid shirt, unicorn swimsuit & long unicorn dress. She intentionally wrapped them without a box because you were so frustrated by the boxes on your birthday. You told her that you don’t mind boxes now. lol! We were both cracking up laughing. You thought all of it was so pretty that you insisted on wearing it to Target to grab a few things. You wanted everything we walked by in the store and you weren’t happy we didn’t buy a 5 foot tall Arendelle Castle. We drove by Juniper’s birthday party long enough for you to grab a cupcake, a cookie & a balloon! After dinner, you were jumping around and being crazy. We headed to bed, did 3 Lingos and read two books. You climbed on top of me and fell asleep. I love you so much!!!!
This morning when you woke up you told me that you had a dream about me. It was so sweet to hear you tell me all about it. I believe this was your first dream that you had. We were headed to the car to go to school and Luca & Mr. Anthony were walking baby Gio around the block. Of course you had to pet Enzo the Doodle. Luca had a Buzz Lightyear, so you ran in and grabbed yours. You were so excited that you both had one.
On the way to school, you were so excited to be able to see me in my rear view mirror. You giggled out
loud so hard it made me laugh! When we got to school, you couldn’t wait to show Ms. Amber your new Buzz & Woody.
You ran off into school so happily. My heart just smiles to see you back in your element, thriving. We could not possibly have found a better fit for you in a school. I hope you always love school like you do now! You had a great day and this week started a gardening theme at school. You planted seeds, cut & pasted a series of pictures of a garden growing & you were so excited to show it to me when I got home! You practiced more cutting at home and you have gotten so good at cutting straight lines!
You helped me cook dinner and then we played a fierce game of Sorry! & Uno. After that, we headed to your room to do Lingos. We did 3 Italian lessons (I’ll take it while you are into it because sometimes you only want to do Spanish.) You asked me to play the Frozen soundtrack in Spanish, so I did, but you fell asleep during the first song, with you arms holding onto mine.
When I left your room, I had an email from Alisa Sue with your birthday photos. Every single one is AMAZING!!! She’s able to capture your personality in every shot. I love every photo… like always!
You slept all night in your bed & came to my room at 7:40a and wanted to snuggle with me. I asked how your sleep was and you said “it was good & great!”
We made breakfast (blueberry pancakes & biscuits). You tried to use a ton of butter on your biscuits. Poor Harold, you made him wear your Anna crown, have a Buzz Light Year party and then you took him for a walk and used your binoculars to check everything out. In the mail, we found ANOTHER birthday gift. It was a 2nd Frozen Spanish book. When we got home, Daddy tried to read it to you & you said, “no Daddy, Mommy knows the words better. Have her read it” lol.
“no Daddy, Mommy knows the words better. Have her read it”
We played Uno & Sorry, had lunch and then Daddy went to your room to nap. We joined him as soon as you finished eating, but he was long asleep lol. I read you your new Spanish Frozen book and you were asleep by the end. You had a snack and watched Toy Story when you woke up. You & I took some soup & ice cream to Grandma Weezie’s house. You wanted to bring your scooter so we did. You insisted on calling her in the car. You couldn’t wait to tell her that we turned your car seat around! You were basically squealing with excitement!
You even told her when we were pulling into her neighborhood. Then you “yelled” I love you and hung up! You were calling for her when we pulled up to look at your seat facing forward. She was so happy for you! You got out and rode your scooter for a bit & gave her a huge hug when we left. She always tells you that you give the best hugs… I think she’s right!
We went home to eat & played Sorry & Uno again. You are counting the spaces in Sorry so much better than even a couple of weeks ago. I also love the way you say “Lose a turn” during Uno. It’s so cute because it’s almost sing-songy. I also love the way you pronounce “Sugar” with a very strong emphasis on the shhhh (“Shhh-ugar”). You are quite a special little girl.
We headed off to bed. You wanted to do three Lingos (Italian lessons) and we read your entire Spanish Vocabulary book. You then asked me to play spanish kids songs. I sang De Colores to you and then found a Spanish Lullaby station on Pandora. You drifted off to sleep in my arms and it was another absolutely perfect night. I love you so much.
Today was the day…. at 4 years and 4 days old, we finally turned your car seat around to face forward. You were nearing the maximum height limit, so it was time. However, it’s one more step away from you being little & that stings a little bit for me. The look on your face when you got in was priceless. You told me that it was so much “cozier” in your seat now. We stopped by my office for a minute and you were chatting up with Jenn & Laney, taking all their stamps and having a blast. Grandma Noot met us and we went out to Longboat Key to check on a condo listing of hers. The unit has a private beach access, so we were able to play on the beach. We collected shells, had snacks & you played in the sand (even put it right in your hair!) and because no one was there, you could throw the sand in the air as much as you wanted! That definitely made your day! You started to get tired, so you asked if we could go home. You were definitely tired & when we dropped Grandma Noot off at my office, your eyes were glazed. We weren’t to the back gate of my parking lot when you fell asleep! Poor tired girl!
When you woke up, you snacked & then we showered. I never did get you to put any clothes on lol. You ate a ton of watermelon & then you didn’t want to eat the stir fry I made for dinner. We played Life & then I ran to Whole Foods. While I was gone, you tried to con Daddy into making you a grilled cheese sandwich… He didn’t buy it lol, so you finally ate some of your stir fry and MORE watermelon!!! We went to bed to do Lingos & read Seuss books. You snuggled with me, complained that my boob was in your way, then rolled over and drifted off to sleep in the middle of The Lorax. As I sat up in your bed, I leaned over and kissed your forehead. You look like an angel laying in bed. Bedtime hasn’t always been this peaceful, but it was worth the wait! It’s one of my favorite things that we do. I love you so much!!!!
While I was brushing my teeth this morning, you snuck into the leftover birthday cake & got down! You had blue frosting all over your face!!! When I asked you what happened you said you were just looking at the cake!!!! lol!
Today is going to be gloomy & rainy all day. On the way to school, you sang “Rain, Rain, Go Away” the entire drive. You had another great day at school. Because of the rain, you guys did an indoor rainbow obstacle course. Jumping around inside was pretty awesome! Because of the virus, your school schedule this week was Mon, Wed, Fri from 8:30-12:30. When you got home, Daddy came down from working at lunch and you guys played Jenga for the first time. I was a little leery thinking it might frustrate you, but he said you did an excellent job right away! After work, Daddy helped you make an Olaf out of an Amazon box we had laying around. I was quite impressed!!! You two are so cute together!
When I got home, you and Daddy went outside to sit on the porch. You guys grabbed rubber duckies to see if they would float down the street in the water running along the curb. That didn’t work, so he grabbed your little boat. The rain started to fall much heavier, so you ran to the front porch for shelter. Unfortunately, you slipped and opened up an existing scab on your ankle. You cried hard and it was bleeding pretty good. You ran inside and I got you cleaned up and propped your foot up on a pillow. Then we started to watch Incredibles 2! You were sitting on the couch in your jammies, leg up on a pillow nursing your boo-boo, with your arms up behind your head. I was cracking up at you. Grandma Noot came for dinner and brought you one of your birthday gifts. You were a little salty again about the gift being in a box! That apparently frustrates you as we learned at your birthday party! When you finally got into it, you found Binoculars!! You are going to love them. You couldn’t really use them right away because it’s so overcast today, but once you figure out what they are you are going to love them I bet!
I made cookies while we were watching TV and you didn’t realize it. I surprised you and brought one over to you on the couch and your whole face lit up! You asked for another one, and I said, no just one per customer. You said, how about two per customer? You took a second cookie over to Daddy. Of course he didn’t want it (he probably didn’t want the first one lol) so you scammed him out of it. You ran back to the couch, stood by Grandma Noot & said, “if Mommy says no, just ask Daddy! He will say yes!” Grandma noot took you to the potty and all I could hear was the two of you laughing so hard. I have no idea what was so funny, but it sounded glorious. I’m so grateful for the relationship you have with her. It’s beautiful to watch it grow.
I love you so much!!!!
“If Mommy says no, just ask Daddy! He will say yes!“
Because we were up late partying last night, you slept in until almost 8am. This morning, you wanted to make unicorn cookies (part of the set that Elizabeth Munoz sent for your bday). I told you we can’t do that, but we can make unicorn pancakes, so we did. I lost track of time. I had a call scheduled for 9:30a which came in while we were making pancakes. I also had a 10am webinar to teach, which I totally forgot about. I had 2 minutes to spare from hanging up on the call until I had to be on the webinar, so no time to drive to the office. My laptop was at the office too. So, I had to throw on a dress, run in my room & jump on Zoom on my phone! About 40 minutes in, you threw open the door, ran in & jumped on the bed. Somehow Ms. Sandy didn’t realize it for a minute. I muted and turned off my video while Marina was talking, until Ms. Sandy came to get you lol! No one even realized what happened! The trials & tribulations of working from home!!!
You had 3 birthday deliveries! A Spanish Frozen book from John & Lydia Yoder, Frozen Lego set from Joe Cusumano & a unicorn Cabbage Patch Doll from Lisa Sessa. You were so excited to open them all!
You didn’t want me to leave for work. Daddy came down for lunch & took you in the car to the mailbox & let you ride in the front seat. You & Ms. Sandy made bubble art, built 3 Legos & did some school vocabulary words before heading out for a scooter ride. You didn’t nap, but rested and read books. After I got home from work, another delivery arrived. Frozen flip flops from Jackie & Baby Will!
After dinner we had more cake & went for a bike ride. We ran into Captian & Mike, so you didn’t ride much, you mostly pet the dog!!!! We headed to bed early.
This morning, when I woke up, you were laying in my bed with your hands over your ears, as though we had been keeping you up! You woke up while I was in the shower. You threw open the bathroom door, ran in and said “Good morning Mama!!” I said “Happy birthday sweet girl!!” You squealed, “yayayayayayayyyaya I’m foooooouuuuuurrrrrrr!!!!” What a great way to start the day. You took a birthday bath & you love to feel how far down your back your hair has grown.
When we arrived at school, Ms. Amber was at the gate and greeted you with a Happy Birthday welcome! You had a great day, and brought home a cute birthday card with a picture of your class on it. You also brought home a rainbow windsock that you made for Ms. Sandy’s birthday! I came home from work early to make ziti for your birthday party tonight. You were napping on Ms. Sandy on the couch. You looked so peaceful.
You woke up shortly after I got home and you couldn’t wait to open your gifts from Ms. Sandy. Shortly after Ms. Sandy left, Marcela dropped by to bring you a birthday gift. Excitedly, you told her today is your very first day of being 4! You were so excited to open it and find it was an Elsa doll with 3 different dresses (ones you didn’t have!). You immediately opened it and played with it.
“Hey, you are supposed to bring me a gift!”
Joe Romo arrived a little while later & you ran to the door to invite him in. You scolded him in the hallway & said “hey, you are supposed to bring me a gift!” Luckily, he thought you were funny/cute! Many of your gifts were delayed in shipping because of the virus! Grandma Noot arrived next and you hit her up immediately about where her gift was too lol! Romo, Aunt Deb, Fed & Grandma Weezie also came. Grandma Weezie was so excited to make your cake. It was cute & delicious! She even found some Frozen characters to put on it! You hardly ate anything because you were so excited to open your presents. You apparently have decided that you don’t like gifts to be in boxes – they are too hard to open!! You sighed in frustration, box after box lol! Nana Lesleah gave you a TON of Disney dresses, Ariel jammies, a stuffed Ariel and Little Mermaid figurines.
We all sang Happy Birthday & you jumped around like crazy! Finally, the long awaited time to have cake! You don’t love anything more, except maybe frosting!!!! Aunt Deb got you an awesome Arendelle castle dollhouse, Frozen bubble wand, Elsa & Anna dress up shoes, jewelry & a crown, and a light up scooter!!! Elizabeth Munoz sent you Frozen figurines & a unicorn cookie baking set! You have so may people who love you and boy did they show it & spoil you!! When Aunt Deb, Fed & Grandma Noot were ready to leave, you walked them out to their cars. But then, you started to play with Fed, chasing him on his Hoverboard (sneaking a ride) & signing songs with him. It was almost 11p when we finally got into bed. We did one Lingo (Italian lesson on Duolingo), read part of a story and you were out like a light! You drifted off to sleep while snuggling with your new Elsa doll. I couldn’t stop kissing your forehead. What a great 1st day of being 4. I hope all of the rest of your days are just as happy.
