Bathtime Thoughts

Do you know why you have a belly button?

So the food doesn't pop out!!!

She Won!

Well...she finished.  CJ did her first running race today - the Run for the Cheetah at the zoo.  A few weeks ago we picked up some running shoes and she's been talking about this ever since.  She tackled the hilly course with Daddy by her side and was so excited to finish and pick up her medal.  She wore it all day and kept waiting for people to ask her about it so she could talk about the run.  Way to go, CJ!

Almost Summer?

It felt like it today.  We met some friends at the zoo and actually got a bit warm sitting on the grass for a snack.  Here's CJ taking a little break in the shade.  We could get used to this weather.

Bellying Up

Can you really belly up to the bar before you are 4 years old?!?  CJ walked into the brewpub in Hood River and sat down on the bar stool and Mama just had to snap a picture.  Just wait til her college days - bet she'll be more interested in the brews than her new flamingo puppet then.

The weather was great and Daddy was able to get a little time off work so we headed out to Hood River to take advantage of the sun.  No, we didn't head right to the pub - we also stopped for a quick hike up to Multnomah Falls (check out CJ's arabesque) and a dip in the river.

I'm sure we'll be back soon.  CJ really wanted to hike further than the upper bridge at the falls and she always has a great time playing at the river and enjoying gelato in town.

It was a little weird for us to be a one girl, one dog family.  We left Big B at home because we weren't sure he could handle the excitement or the heat.  It's tough to get old.  Sorry, Big B...

Grandma's

CJ had a fun day at Grandma W's house today.  Playing with cousins, beading necklaces, snuggling with her new bear (Hannah), taking pictures, playing at the park and finally enjoying some dry weather.  

She had a quick nap in the car and we experienced our first real "Are we there yet?" ride on the way home.  Once there, she was excited to see her room and toys again.  With the warm, sunny weather she even suggested that we take the dogs for a walk before dinner.  Let's hope the rest of the week goes this well - sounds much better than last week.

Happy Birthday, B

Today we ventured up to cousin B's house for her 2nd birthday party.  CJ was excited to see B & O, Aunt A & Uncle P, Grandma W, cousin C and Aunt A, as well as her cousins' Nana and Papa.  She loved the pizza and chocolate cake with ice cream.  CJ must have been tired as she hung back while the presents were open and about 7 pm even mentioned that it was 8:00 (bedtime).  One of her favorite things was the teddy bear in the goody bag that we stuffed ourselves.  She wanted to snuggle with it and took it to bed.

Changing Her Tune

Usually CJ tells Mama how much she loves her "always and forever, no matter what."

Today we had an argument and she said "I don't want you anymore.  I am going to throw you in the trash!"  

Yikes.  Looking forward to the teenage years...

The Arts

The two extracurricular activities we've kept up consistently have been CJ's music class and the dance classes she takes through the local parks department.  She's been going to ballet since she turned three and they really learn quite a bit in a half hour class.  The teacher is amazing at remembering the children's names and even recognized us when we saw her at the park one day in between classes.

Mama finally brought her camera to class today, but there weren't too many pictures.  CJ said her tummy wasn't feeling good and sat out most of the class.  Funny thing is that once we went outside to the park, she suddenly felt well enough to play...

Happy Easter

Once Daddy reminded CJ that it was Easter this morning, she was excited.  They found a treasure map that the Easter Bunny had left for her and followed it through the house collecting candy filled eggs.  The hunt ended in the dining room, where the Bunny had left her a basket with a chocolate bunny, a pink stapler and a pink ukulele (with a case!).  

Happy Easter!

The Busy, Busy Day

We started the day with a quick stop at an Easter Egg Hunt.  The rain held off and CJ collected more than one egg so it was very successful compared to last year's.  She passed over many eggs as she ran through the park field and Daddy and Mama both thought she might only be collecting the pink eggs, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a variety in her basket at the end of the hunt.

Off we headed to CJ's school for a planting party.  Our family did a small bed of primarily nasturtium and sunflower seeds. 

We had a quick snack and CJ took a minute for a quick swing and we were on our way again.  We ran a quick errand and then stopped at the bakery for lunch on the way home.

Once there, CJ donned her apron and we colored eggs.

CJ ended the day with a farewell ride on her trike.  She's ready to move on to a two wheeler, although the one she and Daddy put together is a little too big for her right now.

Sherlock Holmes

Not sure what happened at preschool today, but CJ came home and wanted to "a-vestigate" everything.  She kept "a-vestigating" all afternoon and even on the dog walk.

Gone Fishin'

Well, at least if CJ had anything to do with it.  According to her, our priority list for the family's capital expenditures goes something like this:

 New Kitchen (Mama's dream)

Fishing Boat (CJ's idea)

Finished Basement (sorry, Daddy)

Monkey in a Barrel

CJ had a birthday party at the local children's gym.  We've never been there before, but you'd never know it.  She jumped right in and had a great time on all the equipment - rings, trampolines, balance beam, bars.  It was fun to watch her.  We might have to check out the class schedule...