HaPPy HaLLoWeeN from our family to yours...

Wishing everyone a safe and SPOOKtacular night of celebration!

I'll post Arielle's Halloween pictures tomorrow after the mayhem...

~Momma to Bug~

Halloween's Past: Day Three

In the spirit of HaLLoWeeN I thought I would put together a post of each of Arielle's past costumes, one for each day before the next celebration.

2007 (2 years old)

"The Little Mermaid" This was the first year that Arielle picked out her own Halloween costume and who else would she pick but her favorite princess that shares the same name as her? Arielle really enjoyed every aspect of Halloween last year because she was old enough to understand what was going on. I remember so much about this year and will probably tell these stories over and over for years to come.

First, we took Arielle to a trick-or-treating event at a local event center and she had completely forgotten that people were going to hand out candy to her. The first few booths we visited the people reached out to put candy in Arielle's bag but she kept pulling it away and putting her hand out. I kept telling her to give them her bag so they could drop the candy in it but she wasn't doing it. I figured out that she thought they were going to put their hands in it to take candy OUT, not put it IN!!!

Then on the actual night of Halloween while we were trick-or-treating around the neighborhood IT happened. Somebody answered the door in a {very exquisite} WiZaRd costume. This was not a scary costume by any means but through the eyes of a two year old that was not expecting to see anything other than a regular person opening the door it freightened her. For the entire rest of the night before she walked up to a house to ring the doorbell she would tell ask, "There's not going to be a scary person at this house, right?" I'm not kidding, every house she said this and every time we had to convince her that it would not happen again, knowing full well that it could happen again. And it would have happened again if my maternal instincts had not kicked in. As we rang the doorbell of a very dark house I heard some rustling behind the door and could see scary decorations inside the hall so I knew immediately something BAD was going to happen. I stepped in front of Arielle and just as I made sure she couldn't see what was in front of her a person opened the door wearing a WereWolf mask. Of course I asked them to remove it before Arielle could know what was going on and they did so the crisis was averted! Phew.

~Momma to Bug~

Halloween's Past: Day Two

In the spirit of HaLLoWeeN I thought I would put together a post of each of Arielle's past costumes, one for each day before the next celebration.

2006 (18 months old)

"Pink Fairy Princess" Mostly what I remember about this Halloween was Arielle's new found obsession with CaNdY!!! Like any other child she was hooked from the moment she received her first piece and could not get enough of it. Of course we limited her intake but even at such a young age Arielle tried very hard to get as much as she possibly could get. Trick or treating this year was very, very COLD so we didn't stay out very long but it was long enough for Arielle's liking. The other thing I remember is that it was so hard to take pictures of her at this age. I couldn't get a good shot of her if my life depended on it. {You should see the professional Christmas pictures from this year..they are virtually non-existant but the ones we do have are horrible. She kept moving all around and she did was cried and cried for me to come sit with her and I was not dressed for it.}

~Momma to Bug~

Halloween's Past: Day One

In the spirit of HaLLoWeeN I thought I would put together a post of each of Arielle's past costumes, one for each day before the next celebration. I can remember each and every one of them like it was yesterday. Each year she is amazed at the cAnDy & cOsTuMeS. It was nice being able to decide what she should be for the first two years of her life but it's also fun to let her decide. This year she picked TiNkErBeLL but not after much ado. First she wanted to be a purple ballerina but she quickly changed her mind after a trip to the Disney store. There she picked a Minnie Mouse costume that we all thought was perfect for her! When we tried on the costume at home it did not fit so she decided right then and there that she was going to be Tinkerbell because Daddy showed her that costume at the store. I told her that she could still be Minnie, we would just have to buy her a bigger dress but her mind was set on Tink.

2005 (6 months old)

"The Little Monster" This was Arielle's first Halloween. I remember rushing home from work (I had just started working since she had been born only a couple weeks prior). I was so anxious to get through out dinner routine so we could take her out Trick or Treating for her first time! Zak and I carried her around the neighborhood even though we knew she couldn't eat the candy they were handing out. She looked so adorable scooting around the floor and I remember we all just smiled and pointed at how cute she was!

~Momma to Bug~

Casey Key Beach Views

Today we took a drive to CaSeY KeY. It was the only outing we took on this entire vacation that Arielle actually fell asleep in the car so we took advantage of the the extra time we had in the car to do some sight-seeing. Here are some pictures I took today as we drove down the only road on this small island which is located near Venice, Florida.

Enjoy the beach views!

We couldn't believe how GIGANTIC the houses were and most of them had little BeAcH CaBaNaS across the street literally a few footsteps away from their own private beach.

Here are some pictures of a couple of beautiful houses on SiEsTa KeY which is the island that my in-laws live on and is just next door to Casey Key.

~Momma to Bug~

Enjoying our Vacation

We're still enjoying our vacation in Florida. Here is a list of the things we did today:

1. Took a walk around Siesta Key. We went with Gaby on her daily run to feed the cats that she is pet-sitting. Arielle enjoys this part of the walk. I like to see all of the tropical plants and palm trees on the island.

2. Visted Gaby's work at the hospital. Everyone was so complentitive to Arielle and one lady even gave her a pretzel rod. When we left Arielle said, "I told you everyone was going to like me. I like when people like me."

3. Ate lunch at Chipotle. This is a big deal because it is the first time we have been able to do this in Florida. Arielle ate every last bit of her cheese quesidilla and a whole lotta chips & guacamole.

4. Shopped at Old Navy & Marshalls. This is just a neccessity whether we are on vacation or not.

5. Ate Ice Cream at St. Armand's Circle. We go here every year to walk around. This time Arielle ate almost all of her chocolate ice cream and all the gummy bears on top. I found my new favorite flavor of ice cream thanks to Gaby, Toasted Coconut!

6. Went to Coquina Beach. There was the most amazing spot to take photos so that is the first thing we did. Then we were so excited to collect so many beautiful seashells that we almost didn't notice the DOLPHINS swimming off the coast! This was so fascinating to me as I had never seen dolphins in the wild before. They were relatively close to us but moving so fast that it was hard to chase them down. I managed to snap a few pictures as proof.

7. Ate Rico's Pizza for dinner. This is a little pizza shop that we drive by everytime we come here but have never eaten there before...neither had Gaby or Tee.

It was a great day and I am so happy to be spending time with my family. Arielle is just so talkative and it's fun to have real conversations with her even if the subject matter is somewhat repetitive. I love listening to her talk to other people and hear her perspective on things. I am starting to realize that there are just certain things about her that are part of who she is and they are never going to change and I wouldn't want it any other way. Spending this much time with her is a blessing.

~Momma to Bug~

Vacation, the Beach & Good Manners

VaCaTiOn is wonderful! No work for 11 days straight is cOOl enough but throw in two trips to the beach in the middle of that and I am one happy MoMMa! We had LOTS of fun in Disney World and Sea World. Despite feeling totally exhausted at the end of the second day it was an exciting weekend and a fantastic start to our vacation. Arielle is getting at least 2-3 less hours of sleep than she is used to getting on a daily basis and it starts to take a toll on ALL of us around 5 pm until bedtime. This is NOT a fun part about vacation but we are all trying to work around it.

She is so HAPPY to be spending time with GaBy, tEE & NiPs and is doing everything in her power to impress them. Something she has not been impressing anybody with is her manners, which is to be expected of a 3 year old, however I am working frantically to teach her to have good ones. Just a couple of hours ago when we were saying goodnight she told me, "I'm going to use good manners everyday and I'm going to sing the good manners song so I remember." She even found a way to incorporate Please, Thank You and Sorry into our bedtime routine. It was a great end to another day on our vacation and I can't wait to wake up in the morning and spend another day at the beach!

~Momma to Bug~

~Momma to Bug~

We're going on vacation!

It's almost time...just 2 more days left and off to fLoRiDa for vacation we go! We go there each year to visit Gaby & Tee, our favorite Beach Family! Last year was the first year that we took Arielle to Disney World. We spent one day at Magic Kingdom and one day at Animal Kingdom. For only being two years old Arielle held up extremely well but we were all very tired and ready to leave the park by lunchtime on the second day {well, everybody except Zak!} Now that Arielle is one year older I think she'll be able to handle a full two days in a row. This time we're going to Sea World the day after Magic Kingdom.

After our adventure at the parks, we drive down to Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota and spend the rest of our vacation at Gaby & Tee's! While we are there we go to the BeAcH as often as possible; this is where Arielle has the time of her life! Last year she spent a lot of time chasing seagulls, letting the waves hit her in the face {much to my surprise because she hates water pouring down on her face} and playing in the sand.

Here are some highlights from last year's vacation {most of which involved meeting princesses and other favorite characters}:

Here's TiGGeR at the Charactar breakfast!

We met the Jungle Book Gang & MiNNie MouSe at Animal Kingdom!

Princess Jasmine kissed Arielle on the cheek

{and ARIELLE TRIED TO KISS HER BACK ON THE LIPS}!!!

While in line for the DiNoSaUr RiDe, we were chosen to be the "Family of the Hour" and received a free mask, a pass to the front of the line and two turns on the ride!

Arielle was loving life at the BEACH!

Although it may appear that she was on a photo shoot for a swimsuit magazine in some of these pictures, I assure you that was not the case! She was just extremely relaxed.

LooK OuT Florida...here we come!

~Momma to Bug~

Focus on the Good

This past weekend took a toll on me as a parent. My sweet, beautiful little three year old decided to test our patience to the fullest! It started out when she decided to cut her hair. This could have ended up with a before and after shot which shows long beautiful golden locks in the former and a very short, bangless bob cut in the latter. However, what she did is easily concealed so fortunately that is not going to be the focus of this blog. Besides that {as if that wasn't enough to make me pull my own hair out}, Arielle was very vocal about the fact that she didn't like us telling her what to do. She told us more than once, "If you keep telling me things to do than I will NOT do them!" I listened to her say this and saw how she reacted everytime she disobeyed us and we punished her...and my heart was breaking. She seemed so angry and frustrated; children do as they see so she must have know that I was feeling this way.

What is a parent to do?

I decided that we needed to do less focusing on the bad stuff and MORE focusing on the GOOD stuff that she did. Tonight we are going to make a ReWaRd ChArT and start giving her rewards for the good things that she does instead of punishing her for the bad things. As a parent, you read about so many discipline methods and try to make them work for you but I found that in the end your child will guide you to do the right thing. For example, it is so apparent to me that Arielle does not like to be WRONG...that is just the type of kid that she is and I can't blame her because I am the same way. In her case, telling her she is wrong all the time when she does something bad {whether accidentally or on purpose} just makes her feel horrible from the start. She loves to do things right and expects everyone else to do things right so I am going to start showing her just how it feels to have someone acknowledge all of the hard work that it takes to be GOOD and do things right!

I can't wait to start rewarding her for all the gOOd that she does!

~Momma to Bug~

A lovely surprise!

Has this ever happened to anyone? I peered out my window at the garden last week and discovered that one of the GlaDioLuS bulbs had started to ReBLOOM! This made me very HAPPY!!! I quickly went out and cut them down before the frost could stop them from blooming {because after all we live in Colorado}. I am going to miss having these beautiful, fresh-cut flowers around the house this winter.

This is the weekend that I will have to dig up all of the glad bulbs and transplant any flowers that are overgrown or poorly placed in the garden. It is not a chore that I look forward to but it will be worth it next year when I replant the bulbs and have my own, replenishing stock of my FAVORITE SuMMeR FLOWER!

~Momma to Bug~

Is it still today?

Try answering that qUeStIoN to a three year old on a daily basis. Arielle hasn't quite figured out the concept of a day or the difference between today and tomorrow. We keep having the same conversation over and over again...

Arielle: When I wake up from bed will it be today?

Momma: No, when you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning it is tomorrow not today.

Arielle: Is today tomorrow?

Momma: No, today and tomorrow are two different days.

Arielle: Is it tomorrow yet?

Momma: No, it is still today.

...on and on and on.

It sounds quite humorous as I sit down typing it but it can be very frustrating as it is actually occurring. Perhaps it is time to buy a calendar for her room...maybe that will help teach her about ToDaY & tOmOrRoW.

Anyone else have a suggestion?

~Momma to Bug~

7 things about me

This is a FuN diversion from my normal everyday life which almost entirely revolves around Arielle. I have been TaGGeD by a good friend of mine, Megan, who has the two cutest little boys that I have ever seen. She and I used to work together and (by chance) we got pregnant with our first kiddos at the same time. Well, not only was something in the water at that place but whatever it was it gave us both very HEAD-STRONG, TALKATIVE & SELF-ASSURED gifts from above...GOD love them!


The RuLeS of this fun little game are simple, short and sweet...just the way I like em' so here it goes:

FIRST: Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

SECOND: Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

THIRD: Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

FOURTH: Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 THINGS about ME:

1. I am an only child. So is my husband. Our daughter does not have any biological Aunts or Uncles (technically this is three things but they are all related).

2. Before I got pregnant my hair was naturally CURLY; ever since my daughter was born it is not.

3. In college I was a member of DELTA SIGMA PI, a co-ed business fraternity.

4. I can remember EXACTLY where I was and what I was doing when I met each of my three closest friends...one from sixth grade orientation and two from my freshman year in college.

5. I have lived in three different states, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Arizona.

6. My mom and three out of four of her sisters were pregnant at the same time and each of them had girls. One of my aunts decided that they were going to name their daughter DESIREE (the name my mom had chosen for me) if she was born first. I beat her out of the womb by 14 days but if I hadn't then my name would have been THERESA.

7. I RAN the entire Bolder Boulder in 2002 in spite of having recently developed exercise-enduced asthma. It is one of my proudest achievements.

TaG...you're it!

Mommy + Me

Princesses & Pearls

Baby Kemler

Bam Bam's World

H-Squared

Little Man on the Go

~Momma to Bug~