Trip to Cottonwood

Amelia helping grandma Susie water the plants on the front porch

Watering the plants all by herself

Brushing mommy's kitty, Daisy at grandma's house

Silly face Amelia

This is what Amelia does when I tell her to put her chin down for pictures

 We went to Out of Africa with my mom

 

Getting ready to take the safari tour

The giraffe comes right up to the safari bus.  We fed him carrots.  Amelia was scared so she didn't give the giraffe a carrot.

She enjoyed riding the bus and seeing all the animals

I was sitting in the very front seat.  The zebra almost came into the bus.  I was only a few feet away! 

The bus driver asked if a few people would feed the camel a treat and get a camel kiss.  I volunteered and put the camel treat on the edge of my lips.  He came up and took it right from my lips, so I got kissed by a camel!  Luckily it wasn't a slobbery kiss, just a whiskery kiss.  Clint still didn't want to kiss me though.

Feeding the deer with daddy

Taking a break to play 

Hi grandma Susie! 

Whee!  That hurt my tooshie though :(

Before we left for home, we saw a tarantula in the driveway

 

Amelia kept saying "big 'pider" 



My Black Eye

So it all started when I took Amelia upstairs to look in her mouth with a flashlight (she has been saying her mouth hurts and she doesn't sleep well).  I thought she was teething the last four molars but then I noticed a white sore on the inside of her left cheek and on the tip of her tongue.  From what I have been reading, I believe they are canker sores...not fun for a two year old! 

I sat on my bed and put her in front of my lap, her back towards me.  I was planning on laying her backwards so I could look in her mouth.  She was holding the flashlight for me (Clint's heavy duty black flashlight that cops use).  I think she turned the flashlight on and started swinging it around so she could see the light shine across the ceiling. 

Well that's when it happened.....SMACK, STRAIGHT INTO MY LEFT EYE!

I instantly laid my face down into my pillow, covering my eye, and starting crying.  Part of the crying was out of shock from getting hit but it sure did hurt like crap to get hit in the eye with a heavy duty flashlight! I got an instant pounding headache and I was worried that my eye was going to be jacked up and I wouldn't be able to see or something.  I finally got the courage to open up my eye.  I was able to see through the tears. 

I told Amelia that she hurt mommy a lot when the flashlight hit my eye.  I asked her to say sorry to me.  She just kind of giggled and got off the bed.  This was not the response I was looking for!  I held her in my lap and explained to her what she did, and that I would like a hug and a kiss and for her to say sorry.  She finally did give me a hug and kiss but didn't want to say sorry.  I told her that she needed to say sorry to mommy.  After a while, she did say sorry and kissed my hurt eyelid.

I went downstairs, and after talking to my mom, (who works with eye doctors) I put a bag of frozen peas on my hurt eye.  Of course Amelia wanted to come check it out.  I let her watch her Baby Einstein movies until Clint came home from touch rugby practice so he could deal with putting her to bed.

When I woke up this morning, all around my eye was sore and tender.  The top of my eyelid has a red/purple look to it where it got bruised.  I wonder if it will turn black.  I don't think I have ever had a black eye before, so we will see what happens.

I'm glad I didn't get the black eye from somebody punching me in the face, but I still hope I never get one again.  I am lucky there wasn't more damage done to my eye, like a detatched retina.  I guess that can cause blindness...no fun! 

Making a Mess with Oobleck

After making goo with Amelia yesterday, I decided that we could make oobleck today to play with. 

WARNING: Oobleck is VERY MESSY project!

I got a large bow and added equal portions of cornstarch and water, then stirred.  I let Amelia try to help me stir but it is quite difficult.  Once the cornstarch and water start to mix together, they start showing the different properties of a solid when poked/stirred and a liquid when left alone.

I put a cheap plasic tablecloth on the tile floor in the dining room.  I took Amelia's shorts off so they wouldn't get all messy.  She still had panties, a shirt, and an apron to help cover her shirt up from the oobleck.  I had her sit next to the bowl of oobleck and picked some up in my hand.  At first she was hesitant but soon after, she put her hands in the bowl too.  I tried showing her that when you keep squeezing it into a ball, it stays hard.  And when you let go, it gets all liquidy and drips down.  She tried to squeeze it to make a ball but wasn't quick enough so it ended up just dripping everywhere.

After about 10 minutes of staying clean and keeping her hands over the bowl, Amelia decided it was time to experiment with the oobleck and get messy.  She would grab some from the bowl and hold it up over her arm, getting oobleck on her hands, arm, and the tablecloth.  This lasted briefly.  She then moved to dripping oobleck on her feet and legs.  At the end, she had both hands full of oobleck to drip on herself.

Can you guess where we headed after we were done playing with oobleck??

Correct!  Straight to the BATHTUB!

I tried to wipe as much off  her body as I could.  Luckily most of the oobleck had dried and was stuck to her body.  I carefully carried her upstairs and put her in the tub.  She wasn't happy because she wanted to play with the oobleck some more.  I think 20 minutes was a decent amount of time to play and get messy, don't you?  Next time I let her play with oobleck, I think I will do it outside and let her wear a bathing suit or something.  Then when we are done, she can run through the sprinklers or get hosed off with water.

Playing with Goo

While looking through my BabyCenter Preschooler email that I get, I found the recipe for Goo.  I decided that I would make it so Amelia could play with it as a fun activity.  It was quite simple to make and not very expensive.  I bought a 4oz bottle of Elmer's glue for 25 cents at Wal-Mart (now would be a good time to stock up because of the school sales.  I made two batches of Goo and it seemed to use a lot of my 4oz container of glue)  The Borax laundry detergent came in a large box for about $3.00.  If I only use it for Goo, I will NEVER run out of it! 

Here's the recipe:

1. Mix together 2 tablespoons of white glue and 2 tablespoons of water in a paper cup.

(I used a small plastic cups that I had on hand from a party) 

2. In another paper cup (again I used a plastic cup), mix together ten drops of blue food coloring

(I used pink for Amelia's batch and blue for mine.  I personally think 10 drops of food coloring turned out to be quite a lot so next time I will use less), 1/4 cup of water, and 3/4 teaspoon of borax laundry detergent.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of the borax mixture to the glue mixture and stir well.

(I used a plastic spoon so I could throw it away afterwards) 

4.Store it in an airtight container when you're done playing with it.

(I put it in a Ziploc baggie)

Below is a picture of Amelia playing with the Goo and posing a big "Cheeeeese" smile for me.

I made her a blue bracelet and a pink bracelet.

While playing with the Goo, I couldn't help but ask Amelia some questions to see what she knew (I guess that's just the teacher still in me).

1. I pointed to blue Goo blob and asked Amelia what color it was.  She responded, "Blue."

2. I pointed to the pink Goo blob and asked her what color it was.  She responded, "Pink" with enthusiasm.

3. I touched my Goo blob and asked her if it was cold or hot.  She touched her Goo blob and said, "Cold, brrr."

4. I touched my Goo blob and asked her if it was prickly or squishy.  She touched her Goo blob and said, "Squishy" while poking/squeezing the Goo.

I did not mention any of the above answers with her before asking the questions.  She was using her own knowledge and past experiences to answer my questions.  It is amazing how much a 2 year old can know, and even more amazing that some adults don't know/believe that their child is capable of possessing that knowledge.  I know Amelia is my daughter and I am probably biased but I truly do think that she is a very smart little girl!  And with such a big cheesy smile like that, how could you think otherwise.

Our 3 year Anniversary!

It doesn't seem like Clint and I have been married for 3 years already, but we have! 

So much has gone on in those three years:

• got married :)
• I taught 2nd grade
• got pregnant with Amelia
• went to New Zealand for a late honeymoon
• finished teaching 2nd grade
• I turned 23
• started a printing business at home
• gave birth to Amelia
• Clint turned 24
• celebrated our 1st anniversary
• went to Texas for touch rugby nationals in 2008
• watched sweet Amelia grow up in her first year of life
• I turned 24
• celebrated Amelia's 1st birthday
• Clint turned 25
• celebrated our 2nd anniversary
• cheered Clint on at touch rugby nationals in Gilbert in 2009
• became the wife of a national champion
• watched Amelia learn even more skills throughout her second year of life
• I turned 25
• got pregnant with baby #2
• celebrated Amelia's 2nd birthday
• Clint turned 26
• CELEBRATE OUR 3RD ANNIVERSARY!!!

I am so thankful to have a loving and wonderful husband like Clint!  He works hard to provide for our family, even if it means working from 6am- 6pm.  He likes to play with Amelia when he can, even if it's only a few minutes before her bedtime.  He lives his life in a righteous manner and always fulfills his church calling.  He is a good example for me and Amelia.  He is always willing to help someone in need, even if it means going out of his way.  I am so glad we met 4+ years ago Clint, and decided to wait the entire year so we could get married and sealed together for time and all eternity in the Temple.  I am thankful for Eternal Families and knowing that I will be with you, Clint, and our children forever.