Searching for Neverland

Wishing I could freeze time and keep her little for much longer. Absolute Perfection.

Butterfly Awry

Sometimes my mothering ideals fall short of the mothering realities. For the last two years we have ordered caterpillars and watched in awe as they slowly transform into butterflies. It is one of those delightful hands on science lessons that I always dreamed of sharing with my daughter. This year, after a month of patient waiting we finally saw our dear little painted ladies emerge from the chrysalis. Persy was just as fascinated with the life cycle as me and I foolishly let her lay on her belly one day and watch our butterflies while I did a little cleaning. When I came back to check on her two minutes later I was alarmed to see her smashing down the butterfly container! When asked what on earth she was thinking she shamelessly replied, "I died them!" Needless to say, I was not a happy mother and our science lesson of the day turned into a rather solemn affair.

3 Years

Dear Daughter,

Could it really be just 3 years ago that we met? Something tells me that we've known each other much longer. I am thankful every day that you came to our family and answered the tears and prayers of many long years. Happy Birthday my adventurous, loving, intelligent little girl! You are incredible and I watch in wonder as you grow with each year.

Preschool

First Day of Preschool today! A couple of amazing mom friends and I are doing a preschool co-op one day a week this year and Persy will be attending. She ran right into the home "classroom" without a good-bye to her mom and had a major meltdown when I came to pick her up and take her home. I guess that's a good sign, (even if it breaks my heart just a little.)

Sugar and Spice

Sugar and SPICE, (and everything nice . . . ) That's what little two-year-olds are made of.

Birthday Morning

Persy turned two last week and we had a wonderful day together as a family. We went into her room with singing, balloons, and a birthday crown. She was jumping up and down with excitement.Running around overjoyed

The shower of balloons that have littered our house for days now

Felt birthday crown that I hope to use for years to come

We opened presents right before we went to the aquarium. Gabe stayed up late putting together this darling wood kitchen from Ikea. She has loved preparing "snacks" for us and stirring "spices" into her dishes.

Look Who's Two

Time with Thomas

Persy and I had a scenic drive to Heber yesterday to ride on Thomas the train. Persy really adores this show and was very excited to ride on the train. We had a countdown to the event and every day she wanted to know if it was time to go on Thomas yet.

I Need a Much Faster Camera

My camera has about a serious delay problem and it is driving me nuts. You need to be quick to catch the ever elusive toddler!

Self Esteem

I've never met a toddler that didn't absolutely love themselves. They seem totally enamored with their own toothless smiles, chubby tummies, and wild hair. What happens to this unabashed joy in self as children age? Wouldn't it be lovely if each adult you met embraced their own talents, bodies, and thoughts without the need to lift themselves up by demeaning others? Imagine. . .

Wild Goose Chase

Spring weather has turned us into explorers. Last week, we went to Wheeler Historic Farm and Persy had a grand time chasing the geese, picking up pebbles and sticks and trying to eat rabbit poop. This girl is very busy!

Making Goop, Teasing Your Parents, and Other Toddler Adventures

Here's a little bit of what we've been doing . . .
Lots of teasing games of hide-and-go seek . . .

Playing in the Snow

Making "Goop"

Feeding the Ducks

Class with the Cool Kids

Persy got to start nursery this week! We're going to take turns attending with her because of the peanut allergy concerns. She loved playing with the other kids and singing songs. It was definitely a lot more fun than going to Sunday School with us.

Sunday Spinning

One of the fun parts of being a girl is spinning around in fancy Sunday dresses. This is a dress that was my favorite as a little girl and my mother saved it to pass on to Persy.

Scary Santa

I can't stop smiling at these pictures of pure terror we caught on Gabe's iphone . . . I hope this doesn't reflect poorly on me as a mother.

More Medical Adventures

Sometimes I wish I had a medical degree. It would certainly be more useful in my role as a mother than the anthropology degree that I currently hold. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to expand my medical knowledge yet as another crisis unfolded with Persephone.

We were sitting at dinner and Persy was picking at her meal and whining about the nuisance and eating when I decided to give her some peanut butter in hopes of enticing her appetite. We had her 18 month appointment earlier in the day and the doctor had cleared me for introducing this new food into her diet. Within seconds of her first lick she began rubbing her eyes and sneezing. I hurried and snatched her from the high chair and immediately ran to the car as hives began to spread across her face.

Even though we live close to medical care, it always seems a long drive to me when I'm fighting traffic and I can't see her from the rear view mirror. Persy was coughing a little and I was quite worried that her respiratory problems would worsen during my drive to Instacare and she might go into anaphylaxis shock.

Fortunately, she remained stable through the drive and with a dose of benadryl her condition improved after a couple of hours of monitoring. I think the benadryl made her a little hyper because she spent the long evening at Instacare running around, saying "hi" to every entering patient, and delighting in the otterpops and suckers that the enamored nurses were supplying. The poor girl looked all swollen like Quasimoto, but she couldn't have cared less.

So, short story long, it looks like we will need to visit an allergist to confirm the peanut allergy. We also have to keep Persy away from any products that may contain peanuts, (which are a lot,) because any additional exposure greatly increases her risk for anaphylaxis shock. This child certainly knows how to keep things lively and expensive!

18 Months

Our smiling, running, jumping, laughing, dancing, difficult to capture little girl is growing up way too fast!

Sous Chef

I've been making a lot of cookies with the help of the world's cutest sous chef. She likes to help pour, knead, frost and sprinkle. She enjoys smelling each of the spices with an enthusiastic "Mmmm. . . " Fortunately for me, she is also enthusiastic about helping to sweep and clean afterwards.

Love Story

I LOVE . . .

* nuzzling my nose into her silky, just washed hair.
* the way she signs "hot" with so much flair that she looks Italian.
* how she cracks herself up.
* watching her run in a circle, iggling because she can't keep her balance.

* how she gently rubs my back if she sees me lying down.
* her intense fascination with all things train related.
* the way she folds her arms and likes to say little prayers all day.
* how excited she gets when she helps me with laundry.
* her long brown hair and dark brown eyes.

First Haircut