Thoughts on the wedding....

I know there are about a million other posts, tweets, discussions, etc. about the royal wedding but I just have to throw my two cents in...I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was up early anyways and so had planned on tuning in about 5:45 a.m.   I had casually said something to the Noodle last night about her watching it with me.  No big deal.  Well, at 5:30 a.m., what do I hear but, "Who's there?"  I went up and got her and then we hunkered down on the sofa with our scones.  I didn't know how long it would sustain her interest, but all in all, she was as riveted as I.  She was also on the look-out for swords as well as Miss Clavel (for those of you who don't remember, Miss Clavel is the nun who looks after "12 little girls in two straight lines, the youngest who was Madeline").  To say that she has been enamored with Miss Clavel lately would be putting it mildly!  Anywhoooo, she was not disappointed, on either front.  Swords abounded and did you happen to see, sitting next to the Prince and Princess during the service, were two nuns!!  Don't quite get that, especially because it was an Anglican service, not Catholic, but both J and I got quite a chuckle about "2 Miss Clavels".  That in a nutshell is the Noodle.  A modern day fairytale unfolding before her eyes, but she's more interested in swords and nuns.  Love the quirkiness!!

Other thoughts:
--Princess Catherine looked gorgeous in her dress--I loved the fact that she wanted to keep her hair down and look like herself, not some made-up princess...definitely shows how down to earth she is!
--I was amazed (as were all the talking heads) at how composed, poised and confident she appeared.  I wondered if she would get choked up or shed a tear, but her voice didn't even crack!!  I, on the other hand, was a puddle of tears on and off throughout my entire wedding day!  I was so overcome by emotion!!
--An interesting tidbit:  not only do we now share the same wedding date, but also the same time--their wedding was at 11 a.m., and that was the time of our wedding.  I had wanted something different and so picked the time with a champagne and canape reception to follow.  Who knew?!
--Finally, after all was said and done, the Noodle and I broke out our wedding, honeymoon and trip to England albums and we took a stroll down memory lane...ahhh, such sweet memories!  Then it was time to play L*ttle P*ople and stage a wedding for them.

May the love that they feel for each other today, grow stronger as time passes.  God Bless them both.

Today marks our 11 year anniversary.  Wow!  Time certainly flies when you're having fun!!  I'm blessed to be married to the love of my life as well as my best friend.  He may not be HRH, but to me he's my prince.  What more could a girl ask for?

Then:

 Now:

We will also be honored to share this anniversary date with another famous couple:

And yes, you can bet I was drinking my cuppa and nibbling on a chocolate chip scone in the wee hours this morning, watching all the festivities and hoop-la.  Those royals certainly know how to throw a wedding!  Cheers!!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for that sweet grin and the way her nose wrinkles up, just so!

All around the Oval

As I've said before, we are blessed to live in a town that is rich with museums and culture.  Quite a few of them are centered around an "oval", so visiting them is easy!  My favorite, of course, is the art museum, and since it is free, there's no reason not to go!!  Even if we just bop over there for an hour or two, which when you're with a 4 year old that's about all they're interested in doing, it is no big deal.

We decided to head over to the "oval" this morning and hit the museum--Armour Court being top of the list for the Noodle and for me, I was curious to see a current exhibit on Korean and Japanese painted pottery.  Once again, we weren't disappointed--and we had the museum almost to ourselves :)

Swords!

Oops...we're not suppose to touch--a second later a guard came over to remind us!

Afterwards we took a stroll around the "oval" and stopped to look at some of the other sights.

There's just something about that big, expansive sidewalk that makes little ones want to run.

 Meeting "Steggie" outside the Natural History Museum:

She told me she was putting suntan lotion on him so he wouldn't get burned.  Ha ha!

  Playing in the pea gravel outside the Botanical Garden's gates:

And just stopping to enjoy the beautiful day that God blessed us with (read:  NO RAIN!!!...at least this a.m.)

Our local paper today indicated that since March 1st, our area has had only 6, 6 people!, days above 50 degrees without rain.  Jeesh...good thing we've got gorgeous green grass to prove it!  Now if only the tree leaves would hurry up and come out!

Happy Easter to all!

Wishing you the happiest of Easter blessings.  Praise

the Lord...He has risen!!

Hello Saturday!

Hello big hugs--we always love them :)  Hello dyeing jeweled colored Easter eggs.  Hello stopping to smell the beautiful flowers and helping set up the porch. 

Um, hello we need to clean out the old leaves!

Hello Saturday--we're glad to see you!

Here comes the sun......

Today we had a break in the rain so we went outside to soak it in.  It is still chilly, chilly, chilly here and hardly anything, save the bulbs, are poking through.  Spring in our area is funny--some years by this time there are leaves on the trees and everything is in bloom...other years, like this one, we're still looking at bare branches, mud and green leaves tentatively poking out of the soil. 

At least the old adage is true--April showers bring May flowers!

Yummy granola

The Noodle and I haven't done any cooking recently so when we got her latest issue of High Five and saw a recipe for granola, we thought we'd give it a whirl.

And here's the little chef herself, enjoying her granola after lunch!

 Do you have a favorite granola recipe?  How do you like to eat it--straight up or sprinkled over yogurt?

J is for Jellybeans

We did this activity a couple of weeks ago during table time but I thought I'd post it, especially with Easter right around the corner.  Jellybeans are everywhere this time of year and a sweet treat always makes learning more fun! 

Even though the Noodle didn't have a fever, she looks pathetic with her watery eyes and her runny nose.  She wasn't feeling so hot, but loved gobbling up the jellybeans.  Poor baby--thank goodness the cold was a quick one!

Fun Friday

Hope the sun's shining down on you this Friday!

The best reward

I don't know at what age shoe shopping becomes a fun, enjoyable, "I-could-spend-hours-looking/trying-on-shoes" type event.  Certainly not when you're 4.  Probably not when you're 5, either!  The reward for being cooperative during a shoe-trying-on escapade?  Getting to play in the mall play area.  Big hit.  Especially because we so rarely do it. 

The Noodle happily climbed, slid, crawled, scooted and most importantly, laughed.  She even went up and started playing with another little girl about her same age.  A big step for my rather introverted-in-public child :)

Full Circle

Aren't her sunnies a hoot?  I had a pair when I was her age...everything eventually does comes full circle, even in the 4 year old fashion department!

Running off steam

We met up with our friends, who we traveled with, for dinner since they were up in our neck of the woods for their son's basketball tourney.  All 3 girls were quiet at the start, but by the end, well I think the pictures speak for themselves!

After listening to the adults blather on and on, all 5 kids were ready to run off a little steam! 

 I love how the little peanut on the right is looking at the other 2 like, "You guys crack me up!  What goofy-balls!"

My Latest "find"

What to be let in on a little secret?  I have a new haunt that I visit quite frequently.  While I know lots of others are obsessed waaay into this little "diamond in the rough", I honestly never saw myself as a follower.  Can you guess?

Drum roll please................................it is shopping at the G*odwill!   

Let me back up a bit.  A while back, I saw this tutorial on MADE and I thought, BINGO.  I need to get  some knit shirts and start making leggings for the Noodle (there are times in a girl's life when tights just won't cut it).  Where to go?  Where to go?  Fingers drumming....And then I had my a-ha moment...the G*odwill.  XL t-shirts at $3.50, each in a dazzling array of colors?  Throw in 50% off or $1 day?  Yes please! 

Even when a certain someone is displaying a burst of exuberance and starts running on cement, only to fall and bust open a knee and rip a hole into said leggings, all is o.k.  Just pop back in to the G*odwill to buy another brown t-shirt and whip up a second pair. 

Shocking, isn't it?!

And now those little legs will stay cozy, even if it is gray, drizzly and only 42 degrees out!

Update from yesterday

Nope, no news about Mei Mei...yet.

So I seem to have sent out some misleading information yesterday.  We are not currently in the process for Mei Mei (yet) but we ARE going to be going back to China--hopefully sooner rather than later.  I guess the news that I have been sitting on is that I got my placement for next year (my leave of absence is up).  I will be teaching at the middle school level in a self-contained special education classroom.  Ironically, I will have quite a few students that I had in the past so that will make the learning curve much easier!  Especially because I've never taught middle school before!  Ha ha!  Changes are ahead for our family but I know that the Lord has already smoothed the path for us.

The Carrier

December 2008--some random morning, just hanging out.

Before we went to China, I did some serious researching about baby carriers or slings.  I knew it was something that I wanted to use, but since the Noodle was going to be older when we got her (20 mo.), I was in a bit of a quandary as to what to do, since many carriers were geared more towards younger children.  Then I started hearing about the Ergo baby carrier.  I was intrigued.  This carrier is designed more like hiking equipment so the weight of the child is evenly distributed, but is centered around your waist, rather than their weight pulling on your shoulders/neck.  It was also made to accommodate toddlers and even preschoolers.  Perfect!!

Day-tripping in China.

Site-seeing in Hong Kong

Whenever we went out somewhere we put her in the carrier.  The selfish part of me (and J) loved having her so close to us--what more perfect way to smother her in kisses and cuddles?   She was always ready and eager to go in.  I think quite honestly she loved the feeling of closeness, security and protection, especially in those early days. 

Christmas 2008--trying to settle a "wild" child.

Feeding her baby a bottle.

Once we arrived home, we kept using it.  Around the house, at the grocery, to church...you get the drift.  Many times when she was fussy or upset or even getting "wild", I'd pop her in and she'd settle down.  In doing my research on carriers, I also did quite a bit of learning regarding "baby-wearing" and "kangaroo care".  You can google these to learn more, but basically the idea is that the most natural place for a mother to have her child, is right there with her.  I wanted to do whatever I could to help us bond and attach.  For our family, that certainly has been helped by the Ergo.  I know.  Rather granola-ish, but there you have it.

Heading out to the Farmer's Market.

As the Noodle has gotten older we've obviously strayed away from the Ergo.  We still pull it out, however when we're going to be somewhere with a crowd, and to this day, she still gets excited about "riding on Daddy's back".  Love that.  And considering that the recommended weight limit is 40 lbs (but has been tested up to 90 lbs!) she's still got 10 lbs to go, so I think we'll be seeing more of our trusty friend.  Let me tell ya, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, double heart LOVE my Ergo. Can ya tell?  They don't even pay me for this (though I wish they would!).

Last summer at the Dragon Boat Races

Shopping down at the urban market.

I know that everyone has different thoughts on how to best bond with your child.  This was just our experience with the Noodle.  When it is time to go back for Mei Mei, the situation may be totally different.  We'll take each one as it comes.