You. Me. Splash Park. Done.

A couple of days ago a friend of mine called to say she was desperate to get her daughter and herself out of the house and if I planned to do anything this week I was under orders to let her know. Well, after all the rain we've been having we've had two or three days in the high seventies and I was in agreement. I love the rain, and I'm really glad we've had a couple of weeks of not much else, but I was also ready to do something outside. Especially with all the colds we've been fighting off, we haven't done much with other kids for weeks.

So I sent out an email to The Moms and said we'd be spending Thursday afternoon at the splash fountain park downtown. Well, the splash park was off (HELLO?!?! The ground was soaked when we got there, but after fifteen minutes nothing started up again! Lame.) so we went across the street to the park fountain. (It's a real fountain, not just a splash fountain.) The kids were a little hesitant at first, but once Max got there and jumped right in, the rest of them started to be a little braver. See? All it takes is one wild kid and the rest are gonners.

Here are some pictures of the cutest kid I could find at the park:

She was very hesitant at first. I took her close time and again but she wouldn't even let me put her hand in the flow.

Then I she braved up and started sticking her hand in on her own. Whenever she did that she'd run back with a gleeful scream. It was so cute! (Video on FB.) 

Then I showed her there was more than just running into the flow, if that wasn't your thing. I splashed a puddle a couple of times and that was the end of it. She stomped all around the fountain splashing puddles. By the end of a half hour she was soaked from neck to toe. I had to run to get her dress out of the car. I didn't bother bringing it because I didn't think she'd get so wet!

Oscar + The Grinch = Me

I am in a grouchy mood. Very grouchy. Not all day or anything--in fact, parts of the day have been delightful--but right now I'm grouchy. And the biggest problem with this kind of grouchiness is that it's very hard to explain. I got a decent night's sleep last night. I'm not stressed out about anything I can think of. The Fi has been in a pretty good mood all day--not spectacular but pretty good. Mike even cleaned up the kitchen, dining table, and living room and is now outside with the kid.

It could be because despite the decent night's sleep I'm still very tired and when I tried to get a nap in SOMEONE was throwing a fit.

It could be because on my four-mile walk with Lady Fi today I noticed the house of my dreams no longer had the sale sign posted out front. No, there was no chance of us ever buying it (it's in the $500K range) but still...

It could be because I know I need to get some spring cleaning done and I definitely need to finish some projects so I can start on others, and yet all day I have lacked any desire to do any of this. I don't even have a vision of the finished product in my mind to make me plow ahead.

It could be because my right arm has been aching all day.

It is definitely partly because I have had a craving for sweets two solid days now and I have not satisfied it. Not one little bit. The thing is, this is not a craving that can be satisfied with a piece of toast with jam or a Twix bar or something. No. This is Craving. It's an entity. I've almost called it by a gender-biased pronoun a couple of times already.

Baby? No, You Must Have The Wrong Number.

It's official, The Fi is no longer a baby, my friends. She's barely holding onto toddlerhood. *sniff* 

As her uncle Levi said today when I said it was normal for a girl who was almost two to have as many teeth in her head as Madie does: "Yep, almost hitting puberty." Honestly, that's how it feels sometimes. (Especially when she's throwing a tantrum.) She even gets my name right most of the time. There have been so many changes in Madie just in the past week it feels like. I think part of it is that Mike and I are realizing that if we let her have more control over the things she can do then she doesn't get upset throughout the day as much. (LIGHTBULB MOMENT, that one was.) So, that's what we've been doing. For example she climbs into her car seat on her own now. This is a miracle. Simply a miracle. 

Madie now helps around the house with the chores. She has always been good about taking care of her toys and books, but now she "sweeps" the entry way; she takes her dishes off the table and into the kitchen to whoever is cleaning up; she even takes dirty clothes and napkins to the hamper in our bedroom. In fact, while she was in there one day after Mike got home from his trip to Yosemite she came back with this:

The Face.

We all know she's got a thing for clothes, and recently it's been hats. When she toddled out of the bedroom she had this hat on just the way it should be and Mike and I both cracked up laughing. Then she got ahold of this hat...

I'm from Fargo, doncha know.

She reads all the time, and often when I ask nicely she will read to me, rather than have me read to her. It's a very exciting experience. Something is happening in The Pokey Little Puppy that warrants a much more dynamic rendering than I ever seem to accomplish. I think it's the pell-melling down the hill, but I can't be certain. Madie also attends workouts at the church with me and the other women who go. She insists on using her own mat and when she tires of entertaining the children she joins in on the yoga. She's got a Downward Dog that can't be beat. 

WARNING: Viewer Discretion Advised

The following content may cause hypothermia and other cold stress related conditions. If any of the following symptoms are experienced while viewing this blog entry, please put on a jacket: teeth chattering, shortness of breath, and uncontrollable chills.

1. Who? Kevin Athey and myself (Mike).
2. What? Man camp, of course! No car camping this time though. We packed everything in approximately 5 miles via Glacier Point Road.
   
3. Where? Badger Pass, Yosemite National Park.
   
4. When? March 18th - 19th.
5. Conditions? Lots of snow.
   
6. Why? Because its so cool!

Here is Kevin, dragging a 6 ft. sled behind him full of gear. I did the same. It worked out really well actually. Much easier as far as balance goes and I didn't get uncontrollably sweaty with a pack on my back.

We went approximately 4.5-5 miles in before we set up camp. We decided to create a snow shelter instead of using tents.

We had to cut out some ice bricks to build the base, and level out the inside of it for sleeping and cooking areas.

Ouala! A canopy for a cover, and an entrance that won't catch any wind. Despite it's flaws (heavy snow all night nearly caving in the canopy), it worked well. It had to be at least 5 degrees warmer in there than it was outside, which is pretty amazing.

Photos from the next morning...

WEIGHING IN

At an incredible 33 1/4 inches!

A whopping 25 lbs!

Mad Madie Fi!

Santa Cruz Adventure

Anyone ever visited or heard of the Mystery Spot? Their web site explains:

"The Mystery Spot is a gravitational anomaly located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California. It is a circular area of effect around 150 feet or 46 meters in diameter. Within the Mystery Spot you will be stunned as your perceptions of the laws of physics and gravity are questioned. But don't take our word for it, come and decide for yourself!
Some speculate that cones of metal were secretly brought here and buried in our earth as guidance systems for their spacecraft. Some think that it is in fact the spacecraft itself buried deep within the ground. Other theories include carbon dioxide permeating from the earth, a hole in the ozone layer, a magma vortex, the highest dielectric biocosmic radiation known anywhere in the world, and radiesthesia. Whatever the cause is, it remains a mystery." (mysteryspot.com)
It was really interesting actually. A lot of it was an illusion, obviously. But then again, that doesn't really explain a couple of demonstrations they showed. It would be fun to bring in my own level and play with some of the demonstrations and come to my own conclusions because as of right now, it's still a mystery!

When we arrived to the Mystery Spot, Madie apparently needed a diaper change because her pants were all wet when we pulled her out of the car seat. So, we let her streak for 30-minutes while we waited for the tour to begin.

Look at those little sausage roll legs!

Madie really enjoyed watching this water before the tour. Pretty sure she would have found a way to get down there if we let her.

This cabin we went into was really bizarre because it was located on a hillside, and the cabin was not level at all. I'm sure that there was a lot of illusion at play, but that doesn't really explain how a level surface can cause a ball to roll in favor of one direction. We actually have a video of this.

Might be hard to tell, but I'm standing at a slant.

Definitely worth the trip.

La Mision Santa Cruz. Spain was the first European country to settle California, and they set up these missions along the entire coast, hence all the cities by the names of San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc...This mission was actually really small compared to others I have seen.

Initially, Madie thought the water was pretty cool...at least until a swell came and was probably a little more than she could handle. She was then scared of the water, but in the end warmed up to the idea of standing near it. I think they have settled their differences.

The latest craze has been putting on Mum and Dad's shoes. There aren't many things that she finds enough interest to entertain herself with, but she can be completely occupied with our shoes for up to 10 minutes.

The return of 'The Face'

What Can I Say? The Girl's Got Taste.

For the past week Madie has run around in my bathrobe in the morning and my shoes, sandals, flats, or slippers in the evening. She is seriously getting into the whole dress-up thing.

She also enjoys taking my hairbrush and following me around with it until I sit on the floor so she can comb my hair for me. Let's just say, I cannot wait until she grows some of her own.