Girls Weekend

Keith was away this past weekend in South Dakota, so Molly and I had some quality M&M time (Molly & Mommy Time). We had quite the weekend and actually got a lot accomplished. On Friday, we went to Burnsville Center to see the Easter Bunny. Molly got all dressed up and got her pictures taken with him. On Saturday we work up to 2 inches of SNOW....very dissapointing. However, it didn't stop us from running errands and having fun indoors. Sunday we went to get her nails done, had lunch at Subway, and then headed up to Saint Paul for a bridal shower with family. Molly had a blast playing with my cousins' kids and with her cousin Callie. I asked her if she had a fun weekend, she said "Of course!" I told her I was going to miss our M&M days when she gets older, but she told me not to worry because she is going to build her house right next to our house so she is always close by.....I hope she remembers that when she is ready to move out! We had a fun weekend, but are very glad to have Daddy back!
Waiting in line
Molly & the Easter Bunny
Being Silly
M&M
Getting her nails done
Lunch at Subway

Molly-isms

Molly is a hilarious, serious, stubborn, sensitive little girl. She is always saying and doing the craziest things. So I thought I would use this post to share some of the things that make Molly....Molly.

1. She is very active and creative! Her latest thing is doing Art Projects. She loves to paint and draw Mommy and Daddy pictures. Usually the pictures are of our family, which she has gotten very good at drawing. Pretty impressive for a 3 year old. She also loves to sing,dance, and cheer! She makes up songs on the fly and always likes to give us concerts and put on plays.

2. She loves to give reasons or explanations for things. Conversation 1 Mommy: "Come sit on my lap so I can hold and snuggle you"

Molly: "Why mama?"

Mommy: "Because you are growing up too fast and I want to snuggle"

Molly: "You know mama, that is what little girls do, they grow up, but don't worry it's going to be ok, I promise."

Conversation 2

Mommy: "Molly what are you doing in the bathroom?"

Molly: "I'm washing my hands mommy, it's under control. Don't worry about it. You know, you're driving me crazy."

3. Her independance and stubborness is beginning to become more and more noticeable. She always wants to do things herself (get dressed, open her string cheese, get in her carseat alone). Which is great that she likes to that and is confident she can get things done. However, if you try to tell her otherwise, she becomes sassy and refuses help. She also always says "I know that!" Her latest thing: If she gets in trouble, she yells "You're not my best friend anymore Mommy!" and storms off. Sometimes when she says that, it is hard not to laugh and cry at the same time.

4. Her vocabulary and memory is amazing! She remembers words from her Fancy Nancy books and from conversations she hears us having. The words that come out of her mouth make me stop and think: Where do they come up with this stuff? I recently brought home a new pair of spring time PJ's for her. Her response: "Oh my gosh, these are so elegant mama!" WHAT?!?! Last weekend, Keith told her we were going to the zoo, she squeled as she shouted out "You have got to be kidding me? Are you serious?" She is so funny sometimes and yet can be very serious. We were eating dinner one night and she told us that Jesus lives in our hearts and that her family is always in her heart. Keith and I both almost cried at that one!

I guess the point of this post is not only to share with everyone what Molly is up to, but also to remember how incredibly lucky I am to have such an amazing daughter, especially as she is going through her "sassy/terrible 3" stage. She is growing up so fast and becoming more of a little young lady and less of my "baby" girl. It's a way for me to remember all the sayings and mannerisms she has and will continue to have. How she loves to snuggle at bedtime, pat my back when she gives me a hug, run through the house in just her undies, how serious she gets when she is painting, and all of her out of nowwhere "I love you mama's". My biggest fear when I got pregnant was that I was going to mess up somehow with raising a child. I have learned that all you can do is your best and hope you make the right decisions. Bumps in the road are certain and I'm sure I have and will make some wrong decisions with parenting, but I'll tell you, watching Molly succeed and grow into such a great and wonderful little girl makes me think we're doing something right.

Declaring Spring Sprung

We had record snowfalls this year and missed out on our usual January thaw. It was a very, very long winter. We finally had a straight week of temperatures above freezing and most of the snow is gone. Fortunately, it stayed cold enough to slow the rising flood waters and it looks like we are out of the woods in terms of flooding (knock on wood).

So, we decided this weekend to officially declare winter over and spring here. Another trip to the zoo to meet the "farm babies" kicked the weekend off. After that, we ventured into the backyard and, despite the snow still clinging to the ground, we played baseball, pirate and on the slide. We ended the weekend with a trip to the "big park" where there were about 20 kids and their parents apparently trying to declare winter over as well.

It was a nice, relaxing weekend. WIth the good weather and melting snow comes the beginning of the end of the school year and it becomes a very hectic time for all of us. New courses, grades, AP testing, yearbook distribution all bring an increased intensity at work. But weekends like this make it easy to remember what is really important and that makes the stresses easy to handle.