Oh What a Beautiful Morning

This morning around 7:45, when my kiddos are usually still sound asleep, I heard a strange noise coming from Bridgette's bedroom.  So, I went in there to investigate.

Bridgette was still snuggled under her covers, and I'm sure she was still half asleep.  But she was singing quietly to herself these words...

Oh What a Beautiful Morning! Oh What a Beautiful Day! I've Got a Wonderful Feeling! Everything's Going My Way!

These are the words from one of the classic songs in the musical Oklahoma!  Bridgette only knows them because I've sung them to her before.  But its not like we sing it everyday.  So to hear them coming from her bed first thing in the morning was a delightful surprise.  I got up on the bed, and whispered in her ear, that her song made my heart start the day with lots of joy!

 

The Good News Is...

This past weekend Bridgette came with me early in the morning to my office.  I was going to work there for about 30 minutes before rushing both of us off to our other activities.

On the way to the office - as both bribe to Bridgette for coming to work with me and fulfillment of my own vice - we stopped at Starbucks for hot chocolates! YUM.

I warned Bridgette several times - be careful with your food.  I don't want any spills in my BRAND NEW car.  And thankfully, we made it to the office without any food catastrophes.

Unfortunately, I did not continue my warnings as we walked in my office, and WOOPS...  Bridgette's entire cup of hot chocolate spilled all over my BRAND NEW carpet (we moved into the office in January).  AAAAaargh!

We used a whole roll of paper towels sopping it up, and to Bridgette's untrained eye, it looked good as new (I knew better - and as I'm typing this in my office Monday, I see the outline of the stain, dang it!).

My dear Bridgette, said to me in the car as we left, "The good news is, it cleaned all up!  And now your office smells like chocolate!"

That's what we call looking on the Bright Side of of life. :-)

Chocolate Heaven

I went to Berlin for work recently. I knew that the Swiss, Belgians, and French were famous for doing good things with chocolate, but I think I may have overlooked the Germans. These people know their chocolate!

The pictures below were taken at a fancy chocolatier in central Berlin called Fassbender and Rausch. These are very large sculptures of solid chocolate. The Berlin Wall is over 6 feet tall and each one took hundreds of hours to make.

Quote worthy

I love Oscar Wilde! I have loved him ever since I first saw the movie version of his play: An Ideal Husband.

It was sooooo quotable and hysterical. I watched it at least three times in the theatre - even going by myself. And I still rank that movie among my ALL time favorites.

So, today I got an email advertising a legal CLE (continuing legal education). The email used an Oscar Wilde quote worth repeating here:

 

"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes"

 

By that definition, I've got LOTS of experience. ;-)

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Playing in Pink!

Gilbert, Arizona is about as perfectly white suburbia as you can get. Thus, when you use the term "soccer mom," you are pretty much describing all the moms in Gilbert. We are a veritable soccer-topia.

Nevertheless, until now I have avoided the strong call to enroll my daughter in soccer. It's HOT out there on the soccer field. We live in Arizona for crying out loud. But more importantly, the game is being played on grass. Soccer-field grass (not the pretty green grass of my manicured front lawn). I hate this grass because it means ALLERGIES. Aachoo!

Well, I have run out of luck. A neighborhood mom texted all the other moms with girls Bridgette's age, and suggested that we put all our girls on a team together. I signed Bridgette up.

The good news is that in soccer-topia soccer is a matter of high little girl fashion. That means all the soccer gear comes in pink!

As soon as we bought Bridgette's gear this week, she ran home a tried everything on for Grandma! So cute! Maybe I'll like soccer after all.

 

 

 

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Sleeping Beauty

Post - Christmas, Vivienne has fallen into a frustrating sleeping habit!  She will no longer take any official naps.  But her little body gives out on her right about dinner time.

This is Vivi asleep in the middle of the carpet with a pizza crust in her hand. 

Here's another shot of Vivi snoozing away on Grandma's lap.  She stayed that way for another 2.5 hours.  Lucky grandma!

I have also held Vivi sleeping through a meal at our new favorite Thai restaurant and even her cousin's 5:30 basketball game.  I wouldn't mind - because it is awesome to hold her snuggly sleeping form - but for the fact that this means she won't sleep at her real bed time.  She's been staying up to 11:00 despite our best efforts, which only perpetuates the pattern.

At least she is a sleeping beauty.

What Was Mom Thinking?!

As a working Mom (and really as a Mom who just doesn't want her child to spend 24/7 watching videos on an ipad), I am always looking for activities and camps to keep my child engaged during her school breaks.

So recently, as I was signing Bridgette up for such camps for this coming Spring Break, I came across a skateboarding camp.  No kidding!  Who knew they had those?  I thought: this looks fun and different!

So, I signed Bridgette up for a one-on-one trial lesson, to see if she liked the place.  Here's a video from that lesson...

Of course, Bridgette loved it.

This means we bought Bridgette a real skateboard after the lesson (They let her pick out her own wheel colors and even screw colors).  And we are officially signing her up for the camp.

But Kevin and I are a little trepidatious about this endeavor.  Perhaps this is not the most SAFE activity.  It did not go un-noticed by us during her class that there was another kid practicing at the same time in in the indoor skate gym, wearing a neon green cast from shoulder to wrist.  He did some cool tricks though. :-)

Whidbey Island

Before our trip to Whidbey Island to see Grandma and Grandpa Hanson, Bridgette wrote a "to do" list:

1. Catch Slugs
2. Eat Seafood
3. Garden

We managed to cross off her "to do" list, plus a whole lot more.

Let's begin with the slugs!  Bridgette's fascination with them has not wained at all.

Grandma and Bridgette gardened together.  At Bridgette's insistance, they made bouquets with flowers that Grandma had grown.

We couldn't believe all the things in Grandma's garden that we could eat!  Vivi chowed down the raspberries faster than we could pick them.

One night our entire dinner was home-grown or home caught.  Potatoes, carrots and corn from the garden.  Apples, in apple pie Grandma made, from her tree.  And crab, that their neighbor had caught.

We also took a pleasant walk down the road to Kevin's Uncle's place.  The girls took turns squeeling as they road the zip line.

We spun in circles at the park.

We walked the beach, ducking into lean-to's constructed from driftwood, for shelter from the wind.

I Love You More

Recently, Bridgette and I have been repeating our own version of the "I love you more" conversation.  It goes something like this...

Me:  I love you Bridgette.

Bridgette: I love you more.

Me: Not possible.

Bridgette: Yes possible.

Me: No way.

Bridgette.  I loved you my whooooole life.  You didn't love me your whole life.  Hah!

The Yellow Brick Road

Last year, Grandma and Grandpa Tobler moved in next door.  You would think that was close enough.  But it wasn't.

This fall, we have endeavored to make the trek from our house to theirs even shorter.  As part of a yard overhaul, we created a paver path that stretches from our driveway all the way to Grandma and Grandpa's driveway.  Grandma calls it The Yellow Brick Road.

It may suggest we are lazy, but it is amazing how much easier it is to run next door.  I'm thrilled our kids don't have to go out into the street (we don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood).  And every step less for Grandpa is great.  Plus, the path really is pretty!