Pet Rock and More

Since Heidi Anne is able to participate in the fun "big kid" crafts and activities at preschool and little cute projects get lost over the years, I'm going take pictures of them as keepsakes for Heidi Anne.

Her first one was her pet rock. It may look black (mostly because it is) it's meant to be purple. She picked a brown rock and painted it very carefully with her current favorite color-purple. However, Brown Rock + Purple Paint = Black Pet Rock. Either way she loves it and is super proud of her accomplishment.

This is her car. I could say she was trying to be a non-conformist by leaving it blank. But in all actuality I think she just had to much fun playing with it, wouldn't color it, therefore it's just white.

Here is her carousel. Naturally she picked a purple. Who knew how super cute a plastic cup, sliver pipe cleaner, and a paper horse could be?










Lastly is her guitar. While the older kids made a guitar out of tissue boxes and rubber bands the little kids made these guitars. They are cut from cardboard in the shape of a guitar and have yarn as the strings. Sue sue (the teacher) said the older kids were teasing her "guitars".
She said The older kids were making fun of her cutouts and telling her "That doesn't even look like a guitar at all". But when the little ones saw they had their own special project, they didn't care the exact shape, they loved it. Even after they colored it and stung it, the little kids thought they were so much fun and kept "playing" and "strumming" their guitars.
They had more fun with the yarn guitars then the older ones did with the tissue box ones.

Update On Momma's Goal # 324

Quick Refresher-Part of Goal # 324 is...Start the day off in clean clothing, free of obvious signs of staining, and no tares or holes...
Last week Nana gave Heidi Anne a very pretty, lacy, yellow dress. The next day Heidi Anne just HAD to wear it. Now this goal was mainly meant for mismatched clothing colors or rain slickers with tutus. However, after a few minutes I thought "Why not? What's the fun in having a pretty Princess dress if your friends can't see it?" And "Isn't this what Oxyclean was made for?" So off to preschool she went dressed for a ball and she didn't get a speck of dirt on that dress.

Momma's Goal # 391

Just let her be little. I believe the phrase Heidi Anne has in her mind most of the time right now is "But I'm Not Litttle..." She wants to be a Big Girl so much and to do everything all on her own like a big kid. She is getting to be more and more of a toddler, what more can I say?
For example, she now insists at preschool to wait to eat with the older kids. She won't go with the younger toddlers (keep in mind she is the youngest and the smallest of the little toddlers).
That's our little stubborn girl.
We're just learning to adapt so our little baby girl can do things the big girl way-hopefully the terrible two's won't be so rough this way. So far, so good.

The Children's Museum

Then the Highlight of the day, the Children's Museum. This place is awesome!! There is so much to do there for so many ages. There are 5 sections, we were there for 2 hours and we bearly wentthough 3, (the last one was towards Heidi Anne's nap time) so more like 2.5 sections. You can spend the whole day there easy!

The Beehive

The first section we went to was the Beehive. Here there are two parts, one where there are big musical instruments and the other is where kids basically play with balls down shoots, up pipes, down peg boards, ramps, vents, just busy bees.

The Kid's Eye View

We spent the most time in this area. The best way to describe it right off the bat would be to think of the coolest play house you ever saw as a little kid--remember it?--now times that by 100.
That is the Kid's Eye View.

There is a fun water play area, with and old handle pump, pipes with running water, different things to pour with, even little floating water toys.

Heidi Anne thoroughly enjoyed every single wet second of it!

She would focus so hard at times just thinking about what to do next.

The next stop was an Just for under 3 play area. It had a little bird playhouse, a wigwam play house, a few slides, different things up on the walls for them to play with, lots of activities!

There was a big playhouse, complete with a kitchen, bedroom, and living room, (think studio apartment). Heidi Anne ironed, vacuumed, played in the kitchen, and after all her hard work, took a little break and relaxed. Doesn't she look happy playing with the puzzle? I loved how everything is perfectly child sized.Next to the playhouse was a Construction area, with big foam blocks, cranes, pulleys, "blueprints" on the walls for the kids to follow. Next was the play Farm, with a farm truck they can play in and round, collect chicken eggs, pick vegetables, and play with them getting ready for market. Heidi loved to organize the vegetables, and play with the conveyor belt. Next to it was a play Market. Heidi Anne had an absolute ball! Playing store is one of her favorite things, and you couldn't of had a better play store. It had absolutely everything-bakery, deli, aisles, hand baskets, check out lanes, and even little lines.--Guess even in make believe there are still lines.
We tried to attempt the upstairs parts. We played in a bit in the Studio. However, by this time Heidi Girl was exhausted. All in all, it was a great day, and she had tons of fun with her Nana.

On The Way To....

We were planning on taking Heidi to the zoo yesterday, but since the weather was so nasty and she's just getting over an ear infection we did plan B--the Children's Museum. I love to take pictures of her on the way to our adventures. She seems to know now when we're heading out of our little valley that we're going somewhere very different. She stays up the whole 2 hour drive now, just chatting away, singing, or pointing out the window.

We drove through Downtown Salt Lake--with lots of "WOWs" coming from the back seat, parked underground--again accompanied by more "WOWs" and headed out. Once we got on the street, she was just wide-eyed at all the people around, and happily saying "Hi" to everyone she passed.

Yeap, I have a small town girl.

Mr. Trash Man

Heidi Anne, (like many other little children I'm sure) loves to watch the garbage truck pick up the trash. She hears the rumbling of the truck early in the morning, runs to the window, gets on her tip toes, peers out, and just watches wide eyed, saying "WOW".
This morning we were leaving a bit ahead of schedule, when we opened the garage there was the trash man getting ready to pick up our trash. Char picked up Heidi so she could safely watch. She yelled "HI!!!" and started waving with all her might. Somehow the driver noticed her, waved back to her, and said "Hi Sweetie." It made her morning!

Memorial Day

We have a little tradition of putting flowers on "forgotten graves" on Memorial Day. We place them on the graves of soldiers and little children (mainly those who've passed on long ago and have no
family around anymore). Heidi Anne loved to put the flowers one the graves and was great at finding soldiers and the children. After she would place the flowers she would say "Thank-You". Sometimes she would just say "Welcome".









For the most part she was very respectful and enjoyed walking at the cemetery. But when we passed one grave in particular, she became very scared, and just wanted to be held by us. After we were a few feet away, she wanted back down, and started handing out flowers again.

We also went to the Tot Lot--a toddler sized park--which Heidi Anne LOVED. Everything is just perfect for a toddler to do all on their own safely, and in a non-boring way.

Look at her on the bouncy drawbridge Running up to the towers

And going down on the slide. All on her own!Okay--Maybe I was spotting her--But just a little....