Shhhh! It's A Surprise!

Today was Papa's birthday but Tater won't celebrate it until Papa comes to visit in two weeks. Birthdays don't exist in her world unless she is with the person in person!

So, as we were driving home from dance class, she hatched a whole birthday plan. We are going to go to the money store (a.k.a. The Dollar Store) and get decorations for a flamingo party...because Papa likes flamingos! And we can't forget to make the cake...pink, of course! And we have to put up streamers...guess what color?

And then she continued...

"B. can come over and help you set, Mama. (FYI - B. is my closest friend since we moved to this place and she helps me with all my parties!) And Papa can watch his favorite show on TV."

"What's his favorite show, Tater?"

"I know it's Phineas and Ferb, Mama!"

So, rest up, Papa! Tater has a fabulous surprise planned for you!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

It's all Daddy's fault we aren't pulling up your driveway to give you kisses and squeezes!

We'll save them for when you visit in a few weeks!

Love,

Tater, Bruiser & Miss Wiggles

Tater - 1 day old!

Tater as a glow baby!

Tater with Papa wrapped around her little finger!

Tater, again!

...and again, but a bit older!

With Miss Wiggles, Tater, and Bruiser's head!

Tater's Five-Year-Old Picture!

We just got Tater's preschool pictures this week. While I was putting her picture in the frame, I looked back over the older pictures I had in it. Here is Tater's picture from her first Christmas:

How cute is that! And here is Tater now...four years later! Where has the time gone?

My First Award!

Last week I got my first blog award! Thank you, Beth at Raising Three Sons...Not a Bow in Sight!
The rules for accepting this award are:

• Put the logo on your blog.
• Pass the award on to 10 bloggers...or as many as you want!
• Link the nominees within your post.
• Let the nominees know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
• Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

And so my award goes to:

1. Dana at Dana's Dirtworks - We began this blogging journey together and it has kept us connected across the states and the miles!

2. Kristine at Mommy Needs Therapy - She says it how it is and keeps it real! Her entries can bring me back to earth!

3. Terra at Sitting on an Oak - This is one the first blogs I began reading and I still go back every day...love her toy recommendations!

4. Emily at The Pilot's Wife - I love reading about her adventures and goals!

I must be really bad at this award-giving thing! I'm going to stop there and let these gals enjoy the spotlight! Thanks again, Beth!

Weekend Randomness

This has not been our typical weekend...although with our usual level of drama and stress, maybe it's not too far off!

Friday, Miss Wiggles and I headed to do our weekly shopping at Trader Joe's and to have lunch with our fabulous neighbors...a bit of a luxury before the weekend began! Then, since we were early to pick up Tater from preschool and I didn't want to go home and take the Wiggler out of her car seat for a mere ten minutes, we sat in the parking lot at preschool and finally figured out how to use my new camera. It only took me two months to find the time! Now let's see how long it takes me to figure out my newest investment...mt teeny, tiny iPod Shuffle...maybe by the time Miss Wiggles starts preschool!

Saturday dawned bright and early with Daddy heading off to work and Mommy getting three children ready for Tumble Tots. We made it there on time, Tater had a good time, Bruiser participated a bit, and Miss Wiggles had fun playing with me on the bleachers. It was a long 90 minutes, but it did burn a good part of the morning minus Daddy!

Daddy was home by 2:00 and Tater and I headed to her little friend's birthday party. She had fun playing and I had a nice time chatting with Mommy friends! They planted seeds and painted pots at the party...and how cute are the aprons!

Tater next to her friend, L, and the birthday girl, T.

Our smiley friend, M!

Posing for the camera!

Painting with pretty colors...but by the time she was done, the pot was completely pink!

What a creative mind!

After the party, we headed home to pick up Daddy and the other two so we could make our first trip to Secret Beach. The weather was amazing and we needed to run off some energy (and sugar!). Miss Wiggles was beyond excited because this was the first time we let her walk on the beach...and only because we forgot the backpack!

Too cute!

Look how tiny!

Tater's searching for shells...just like her great-grandmother.

And a family shot...so rare!

So, today I'm on my own again. Daddy headed out to work before 8:00 (and that's am!) and the kids were up REALLY early...like 7:00! We've had breakfast, watch some Disney shows, played a bit of doll house, and said a little prayer that I don't lose my voice before the day is over. Oh, yes, because we don't just have a weekend that Daddy is working, but we have a weekend that Daddy is working AND all of us have a nasty cold with stuffy noses, goop-y eyes, bad coughs, and sore throats. Lovely!

But the weather is supposed to be nice and I plan to spend sometime outside...maybe enjoying my new iPod...if I can get some music on it!

Last night I pulled out the bin of my Barbie dolls, so later I'm going to share them with Tater. She's going to love the handmade furniture and clothes (by my grandfather and Nana). Maybe she'll play while I relax with my Redbox movie, the re-make of Ice Castles - pure girl-y!

But first, there is laundry to do, kids to dress, clothing to swap out for a certain little girl who just can't fit in 6-12 month clothing anymore (and for no other reason than her legs are too long - she's such a peanut!), a shower for Mommy, beds to make and few sheets to be changed. And, of course, there is always food to be made, diapers to be changed, and things to be cleaned!

And, shame on me, but we decided to skip church because I'm not the crazy woman who tried to take her three children to church by herself...when no one feels good! Note to self - make time for a Bible story today!

On that final random note, I'm going to go clean up the kitchen island where my children were using medicine dropper to squirt milk into the empty wine bottle I left there last night instead of opening the door and tossing it into the recycling. Oh, and I'm going to take a look at that iPod...maybe!

Happy Sunday!

Wordless Wednesday

Daddy left for work early this morning

and this is what I found when I came downstairs from getting myself ready for work:

Good thing today was a "no school" day for Bruiser!

Rainbow Brite is Back!

Remember this shot from a few days ago?

And remember how I wondered who these children were?

Well, here is my secret! Shhhhh!

I recently received the new Rainbow Brite CD to review with Tater. It was one of those things I kept putting off because the computer is MY territory and I did not want to share! But last week when it rained and rained, I was desperate and grabbed for the CD. I prepared myself for hours of slowly explaining how to work everything - from the mouse to the printer - but was I in for a treat! Tater hopped on the chair, grabbed the mouse and began clicking away! She loved it! She has played the puzzles, made art pages, printed coloring pages, and jumped for stars in the games...while I had the peace and quiet I needed to make dinner! Not only that, she has learned all the characters, begged to buy a Moon Glow doll with her birthday money, and has even shared her game with her brother!

Pros:

• age appropriate
• attention-holding
• bright and colorful
• very interactive
• music is entertaining without being bothersome
• activities are rewarding when completed - with music and graphics

Cons:

• unable to load a desktop shortcut (which would help for when Tater shuts the program down accidentally!)
• unable to lock the printer off - so my ink doesn't run out!

And, on a final note, we had a fabulous fifth birthday party for Tater on Saturday and decided to share our CDs with our guests...and what a hit! There are girly girls all over town playing Rainbow Brite and living in the land of rainbows and unicorns!

Disclosure: I was given 10 copies of the Rainbow Bright CD to review with my family and share with our friends. I was not compensated financially for this review.