What a strange, strange winter we had for Minnesota...barely any snow until March, and then just a few days, later, it's been in the 80's! However, I am not complaining, nor will I ever complain, about warm weather in MN. We suffer through so many cold, long, dark days, that the early arrival of spring and bright sunshine is happily welcomed in my life!
Along with spring comes a few fresh things: flowers, thawing dog pooh, and sparkly new shoes! I bought some lovely tulips a while back, and this past week, picked up some sunny dafodills through my work...the smell of the fresh-cut flowers is wonderful, and the lovely blooms brighten up the kitchen.
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The dog pooh isn't nearly as fun, but as pet owner, this time of year seems to be about cleaning up the winter mess, and getting the yard ready to play in. Scott did a great job this weekend, and he even mowed the lawn today! I couldn't believe it when I saw green blades of grass poking through the dry remains from last year. WOW! Spring really is here!
As for the new shoes...we've made yet another potty deal with Ava. With the coming of spring, all of her shoes are just a wee bit too small. We had bought her a pair of light-up flip-flops that were a HUGE hit last year...wherever we went, she got a ton of compliments on them. So, yesterday, when Ava and I went out shopping, a new pair of light-up flip-flops were on the list. And we got 'em! She was so excited to show them off yesterday, along with her green toenails (she is part Irish, you know.) And as our final bartering chip for potty training, we went big and got her a pair of light-up Sketchers. Man, those were expensive, but she fell in love with them. Currently, they're sitting on her dresser, as an incentive to remind her to poop IN the potty (and not her underwear!) She even went without a pull-up today at naptime (yeah, who are we kidding, she doesn't actually nap anymore,) and she even let me know when she needed to go potty. According to her, she said, "I told you I needed to go potty, so I didn't pee in my bed!" Great news considering I had just put fresh linens on her bed! I feel like we're getting close - thank God.
We started looking at a few houses today, and now Ava has been telling me that her room is too small, and we need a new house. Yes, Ava, we all agree with you... :) In one of the neighborhoods, there was another family with two little girls, looking at the houses, too. One of the little girls told us she was three...and she and Ava instantly started twirling in their dresses around the living room. And THAT is what I'm looking for - a neighborhood with little kids, Ava's age, that she can play with. That's so very important to me - and she's such an outgoing kid, that she needs to be around other kids, socializing on a regular basis. Imagine how happy she was to see this same little girl at another house in the neighborhood, a little bit later.
Lots of stories from today...we gave her a lemonade to drink as we were driving around, and at the second to last house, we noticed she was crossing her legs a lot. Now, model homes don't always have bathrooms that you can use, so let me just give a big THANK YOU to the lady in the model home in Rosemount, who welcomed us back (and into their bathroom) as we were heading home. She even gave Ava a mom-like, "Aaaava..." as I was explaining the situation. Turns out she has a 7 year-old and a 4 year-old daughter, so I can only imagine she understood the immediate need for a potty break!
Ava's bangs have been getting in her face, and I realized it had been waaay too long since she had a haircut. Thank goodness for walk-ins at Kids Hair! She requested pigtails, as that's the style she's been sporting lately. So darn cute! Now if only I could figure out how to do them without pulling her hair out!
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Along with spring comes a few fresh things: flowers, thawing dog pooh, and sparkly new shoes! I bought some lovely tulips a while back, and this past week, picked up some sunny dafodills through my work...the smell of the fresh-cut flowers is wonderful, and the lovely blooms brighten up the kitchen.
.JPG)
The dog pooh isn't nearly as fun, but as pet owner, this time of year seems to be about cleaning up the winter mess, and getting the yard ready to play in. Scott did a great job this weekend, and he even mowed the lawn today! I couldn't believe it when I saw green blades of grass poking through the dry remains from last year. WOW! Spring really is here!
As for the new shoes...we've made yet another potty deal with Ava. With the coming of spring, all of her shoes are just a wee bit too small. We had bought her a pair of light-up flip-flops that were a HUGE hit last year...wherever we went, she got a ton of compliments on them. So, yesterday, when Ava and I went out shopping, a new pair of light-up flip-flops were on the list. And we got 'em! She was so excited to show them off yesterday, along with her green toenails (she is part Irish, you know.) And as our final bartering chip for potty training, we went big and got her a pair of light-up Sketchers. Man, those were expensive, but she fell in love with them. Currently, they're sitting on her dresser, as an incentive to remind her to poop IN the potty (and not her underwear!) She even went without a pull-up today at naptime (yeah, who are we kidding, she doesn't actually nap anymore,) and she even let me know when she needed to go potty. According to her, she said, "I told you I needed to go potty, so I didn't pee in my bed!" Great news considering I had just put fresh linens on her bed! I feel like we're getting close - thank God.
We started looking at a few houses today, and now Ava has been telling me that her room is too small, and we need a new house. Yes, Ava, we all agree with you... :) In one of the neighborhoods, there was another family with two little girls, looking at the houses, too. One of the little girls told us she was three...and she and Ava instantly started twirling in their dresses around the living room. And THAT is what I'm looking for - a neighborhood with little kids, Ava's age, that she can play with. That's so very important to me - and she's such an outgoing kid, that she needs to be around other kids, socializing on a regular basis. Imagine how happy she was to see this same little girl at another house in the neighborhood, a little bit later.
Lots of stories from today...we gave her a lemonade to drink as we were driving around, and at the second to last house, we noticed she was crossing her legs a lot. Now, model homes don't always have bathrooms that you can use, so let me just give a big THANK YOU to the lady in the model home in Rosemount, who welcomed us back (and into their bathroom) as we were heading home. She even gave Ava a mom-like, "Aaaava..." as I was explaining the situation. Turns out she has a 7 year-old and a 4 year-old daughter, so I can only imagine she understood the immediate need for a potty break!
Ava's bangs have been getting in her face, and I realized it had been waaay too long since she had a haircut. Thank goodness for walk-ins at Kids Hair! She requested pigtails, as that's the style she's been sporting lately. So darn cute! Now if only I could figure out how to do them without pulling her hair out!
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Scott's been smoking a chicken all afternoon, and we're looking forward to a great dinner to wind down this weekend. It's been fun (can't even mention the St Patty's Day adventures I had last night)...but boy, am I tired! I'm looking forward to a great night sleep, and starting off the next week with a fresh perspective. I really love how spring makes everything seem better!
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