What is the piggy up to these days?

So, our rule in our house is that the kids are in bed around 7:30, but don't have to sleep. Well, Cole will because he is only two and a half but Claudia can play/read quietly until she is tired. Some days she naps at daycare or at home and isn't quite tired...and stays up playing for a few hours (yes, hours!) and some days she is out. It works well for us. She always knows when to crawl into bed and sleep. She has a nightlight in her room. We worked hard to get her to learn to stay in her room...on the flip side, she has learned to entertain herself like crazy. I will go in her room in the morning and see these elaborate play scenarios.

This morning? I found this.

We see her piggy I made (the pink one with spots) and the weird yellow/brown one. We see her new mini piggy (yes the replacement) with a crown on her head. It is hard to see in the picture, but the pig has shoes on her feet from her Princess Tiana doll. We have mini Lalaloopsy, Hello Kitty and Little Pet Shop stuff strategically placed around.A mini bottle is placed with a ring around it?? I love the creativity. There is some big scene she worked out here! Ha! I love the Twins bear bobble head stuff. She will often explain her scenarios to me in the morning. This one, she kept saying it was Princess day at school? So maybe the pink pig is the teacher and the mini pig was crowned the princess?

I love it. She usually does these kind of scenarios at bed or quiet time....probably because there is no little brother to want to help and ends up destroying or ruining whatever theme she has rolling around in that cute little head.


I love her so much.

A girl and her piggy bank.

Claudia and I stopped at Target today on the way to her gym class. We often will look at the $1 section for fun. Today they had mini piggy banks in two shades of pink. Claudia asked if she could have one. I told her she already had two piggy banks, one that I made her when she was a baby and one she got for her birthday.

"Yeah, but those are the mommy and daddy piggy banks. This one could be their baby!"

I loved her reasoning and her thought process. I don't always buy them something when they ask...I always don't say yes. Just like I don't always say no.

So I said yes.

She carried her carefully through the store. Showing her to random people. Talking to the cashier about her new piggy.

We were driving to her gym class and she was talking to it in the back seat. "You are the baby piggy. Your mommy is a piggy bank and she is pink with brown spots, MY mommy made it. Your daddy is a piggy bank and he is brown. I got him for my birthday. You will like your new home. You do not have a brother piggy bank. I will buy you a brother later. I love you piggy." So. Cute.

While I was getting Cole down for bed tonight, Claudia was playing in her room and all of a sudden there was a CRASH and a very very mournful crying from Claudia. Not in pain or mad crying, but devastated.

She broke her new piggy. I actually teared up for her, she was so so sad. "I broke the baby piggy! I broke the baby piggy! I was carrying her and she fell out of my hands (hardwood floors)." "I loved her mommy. I wanted to show her to daddy. Her mom and dad piggy banks are so sad". Seriously, break my heart, kid

I told her it was okay to be sad. I get sad when I break stuff I really like too. I told her we can get her another tomorrow. It is $1 at Target... it was an accident. I don't want her to think if she breaks something it is just easy to replace, but dang that girl sobbed and sobbed. I know she would take money out of her piggy bank to pay for it. And it was an accident. She was crying how the piggy was going to be scared in the garbage. Ugh. I asked her if she wanted to give it a kiss goodbye and she shook her head and burst into tears.

I heard her talking in her room after I left and she was saying to her other piggy banks  "I am sorry I broke your baby."

Are you kidding me kid? Pull at my heart strings.

I took Claudia to a "Princess Belle Tea for Two" party this afternoon. It was through our local park and recs program. I just had the description to go on, so I had no idea what to expect. Neither did she. It was really cute. There was a "Princess Belle" dressed up, greeting the girls as they came in. They had tables set up with plates and napkins. After everyone arrived, the little girls all sat on a big blanket. Princess lead a few dance along songs and read them a story. She then talked about good manners while having tea and how to decorate their cup.

Each girl was able to choose 6 stickers and decorated a cup. Claudia loved the sparkle stickers and worked hard to get them on her cup just perfect. She took the manners stuff to heart. She used please and thank you, a little too much, when passing the cookies. She loved the real tea pot we used to poor the "tea" (juice). Belle posed with each girl for pictures before we left.

Claudia was bouncing around after we arrived. She paid attention to Belle much like I have seen her pay attention to her teacher. She followed instructions to the letter. She laughed and smiled despite having a cold.

There was a little girl from her preschool at the party as well. Claudia was so excited to see her, she kept saying "That is just like the one in my class!" I was trying to explain to her that it IS the same girl. She truly seemed confused.

What was funny as we were driving home, she was talking about putting the napkin in her lap and how she "forgets" to do it at home and she needs to practice and remember. She was a little upset over it. (My little rule follower. Took Princess Belle's words to heart). I started thinking how we never GIVE her a napkin at the start of a meal. We usually just attack her with a paper towel at the end of the meal. Poor kid, not her fault.

Decorating her cup

Princess Belle and Claudia

Being a mom is really fun. 

Fro-gee go-gee

Everyday, Cole cracks us up...he has such a little personality. He talks up a storm, understands everything asked of him and is able to make his wants and needs known.

For the longest time, he wanted us to repeat back he said. Part of it was because we were trying to verify what he said. Now, when I repeat back to him what he said he gets mad at me and says "No! Cole say it!" And will repeat whatever he is saying until I just nod my head or not say anything back. It is so funny.

He picks up a lot of phrases and expressions from Claudia. She is big into saying "Not again!" When she is exasperated. Sure enough, I have heard him mutter this a time or two recently. It is pretty funny coming out of his mouth when he drops his fork or hears the dog bark.

My favorite thing of his is when he says "frogee gogee". I have no idea when it started or how. All I know is he said it once and Claudia, Craig and I burst out laughing. Now, it has become a standard phrase. He will say "Mommy! Guess what? "Fro-gee go-gee!" And, without fail, I laugh. Now, we all say it back and forth and crack ourselves up.

He is a little sweetie. He has his challenges that usually revolve around him crying at bedtime and waking himself up way too early. But for the most part he is an easy going boy who loves his family. He is able to take direction from Claudia in play scenarios, so she has been enjoying that. Some days they will play really nicely together. He is able to do so much more for himself these days, getting his own diaper, cup getting up on the chairs.....he is such a big boy. (OR as he would say. "NO, crying, no screaming, BIG BOY!) His little sense of humor makes me laugh, and watching those wheels turn. I am glad he is still so cautious. At daycare they have nicknamed "Cautious Cole." As his mom, I am completely fine with my little boy who refuses to attempt steps alone or doesn't even think of darting off on me in a public place!

We are blessed to call him ours.

Spring Fun!

I have had fun on Pinterest. Lots of easy crafts (lots of hard ones. I stay away from those.). I am not an artistic person, I am not a crafty person....but I want to be. So I pick the easy things and roll with it.

Claudia and I decided to make this Easter Countdown:
Easter Countdown

I found the cookie sheet at the dollar store, as well as the plastic Easter eggs. The letter stickers were $1.99 on clearance at Michael's. The spray paint was $2.99, I decided on pink since the letters were silver. I forgot to pick up magnets but was able to improvise with Velcro I had on hand.

Here is Claudia, hard at work. 

We made is "educational" where she had to identify the letters and numbers as we placed them on the eggs or cookie sheet.

The finished product!

In each egg, I placed a little "activity" to do for the day. Something as simple as "eat some jelly beans" to "breakfast with the Easter bunny". Each one (so far!) they have loved. I think my favorite was when we wore Bunny Glasses ($1 at the Target dollar spot) and took silly pictures. Not that I didn't love the Bunny Brunch, but they were so cute and silly. Just an unexpected fun afternoon. Those pictures are still on my camera. We have about 6 left at this point. I forgot what I placed in each one. I know we have to die eggs and make bunny cookies too.

Here she is doing an 'egg' activity, painting eggs on paper!

Making Easter decorations for the house

At the Bunny Brunch (Cole wasn't a fan of posing with the bunny. He loved him from afar, even up close, but wasn't about to stand with him!)

Showing off his balloon

They had face painting! Claudia is a bunny!





Claudia is going to really miss preschool this coming summer. She absolutely LOVES going each day. She has really blossomed in class and has been so better about telling me what she did each day. I tried to find some summer activities for her. Time wise, nothing works for me. I would be able to pick her up and bring her somewhere 2 afternoons a week, but there wasn't anything in the parks and rec brochure we got for those time frames. Only morning stuff and I need to be at work during those times.

I did find a "prestars" soccer class this spring, however. Starting Mid April to the end of May, Claudia will attend a soccer class one night a week for 45 minutes. The cute thing is it is with parent involvement, so Craig is going to take her. He would probably prefer tball, but the tball class is at a bad time for us.

For the summer, I did find a summer course for 6 weeks that is a gardening class! It is for ages 4 to 7 and a parent. It says you will work on gardening and activities with that theme. It is one night a week for an hour.  At the end of class, you will make a pizza with the things you grew in your garden. I have no idea how it will all work, but I think it sounds really cute. My mom gave her a little gardening kit last Easter and she has been asking to make a garden ever since. I can't even kill weeds, so I figured it would be fun to take a class. Who knew things like this even existed?

There were so many other fun things each evening I could have signed her up for, dance, martial arts, other sports....but I didn't want to pack her (and our) schedule each evening, either. I am sure we will have lots of evening walks and time at the park to keep us busy this summer. It is hard to know what to sign your kids up for....what they will really enjoy. I am slightly worried about the sports stuff since I have seen her get overwhelmed with simple games kids are playing that she doesn't understand the rules. This camp isn't "games" though. I think it is beginning skills, and since Craig can be there as well, I think she will be okay. I hope! I don't want it not to be fun for her.

I got my first outfit for Claudia for Disney....I plan to get the kids matching mickey/minnie shirts sometime, places like etsy and ebay have custom made ones where I can get there names on them. But I saw this outfit on a discount/ group shopping site and couldn't resist. Hard part was trying to decide what size she will be in 6 months! They are capri style pants so they are shorter..... I figure it may be a travel outfit, depending on the weather. Or good for the evenings.  Who knows. All I know, it is so flippin' cute: