See? I Told Ya!

I One thing I love about this age is how honest little kids can be, they aren't trying to be rude, they just call it as they see it. Heidi Anne's new catch phrase is "See, I told ya." She says this when something happens or someone does something she warned about. 

"Hey, the cat is going to knock over my drink on the floor." Que cat accidently knocking over the cup while playing about an hour later. We hear from her room upstairs "See, I told ya'!" 
It's nice to know, in a weird way, that she isn't just up front with us. She does it at school. When playing with her friends, she'll warn of impending doom or that snack time is coming up. When it does she say's proudly "See, I told ya!"

See, I told ya. 

Katniss Hair

Lately Heidi Anne loves to have "Katniss Hair". In case you don't know Katniss is the heroine in The Hunger Games. What is Katniss Hair you may wonder. Well, Katniss has a cool French braid that goes from one side of her head, traveling along the back of your head the whole way. Once your on the other side of your hair you make it into a normal side braid. (I know, very intricate hair style).

One of her teachers asked Heidi Anne why she loved having Katniss Hair. She promptly responded, "Katniss is brave and when I have Katniss hair it makes me feel brave, too."  

Take that Bella there is a new role model for gals. Sure Katniss is on the slightly violent side of things but I will take that over a whiny girl any day. 

So That's Writer's Block...And Heartache

A few month's ago, my friend who's done blogs since before they were popular, didn't blog for like 3 weeks. She said she had writer's block. I was very puzzled by this, she always had things going on, memories to preserve, true and honest feelings to share, two sweet little girls always doing something. But she was blocked.

Well, now I understand. Sometimes life happens, but you aren't sure how to explain it from mind to paper. Sometimes, things happen, and you don't want it saved. You just want to hit delete-erase those memories, the sorrow, the pain. Because if you write it and hit print. It's there, forever, in writing, somewhere on the interweb, or deep in your mind and heart.

So I am going head-first. Yes, I have used many a tissue (and I don't cry easily). There, that is your warning (More so for me).

Last few weeks have been hard, I have a change in meds-which is fun. Enough said.

Heidi Anne has been wanting her kitten for nearly a year. The kitten we promised her, the one that once she was potty trained she would get. So since she is nearly 4, and she had been asking twice a day everyday (very nicely). We found a perfect orange kitten (that was one of the "demands"). It was to be orange to go with the other 2 black cats we have.
We found "Lily" - properly renamed "Pumpkin", and her sibling "Avi", renamed "Boo" came along as well. We get Heidi Anne from daycare to find the kittens in the car. The next morning "Boo" seems a little off, Saturday, something really seemed off with Boo. We talked with the shelter, only to be told that their brother was adopted recently, and is at the vet. The shelter gave us some antibiotics for our Pumpkin and Boo.

After the second dose, poor Boo went downhill, and fast. Wouldn't drink, couldn't eat, sneezed, and sneezed, and won't move. Not good and heart wrenching. We take Boo to the vet. The vet teats little Boo so symptomatic, gives us kitten ICU food, meds for both kittens, and instructions. Ways to help them breath, stay warm, help their noses, ect. They suggest we call the shelter to see if we can get more history on the kittens. Strike 1

I call the shelter to get more info on them. All they know is they were found in a field, maybe ferral cats, but alone in a field. Just before I end the call I am told their brother, who was adopted a little before them, had just died. He had gone to the vet, and unable to revive him-not 100% sure what it was, distemper, cold, they don't know. Strike 2

The last 7 (10?) days have been a battle. They both take a nose dive. It's been a battle to get them their meds (which only Char can do because I'm allergic to their meds). We feed them with a syringe.Water, meds, gatorade, food. --Yes, you can feed kittens food with a syringe. It's been an up and down 2 weeks. We make some progress just to drop down. Boo became known as Scrappy. Just losing weight and little cuts aren't healing. (Scrappy Boo fights when we try to do anything for him, feed, meds, just scratch himself.) Pumpkin has become more chubby and exploitative. Ball 1

We thought Scrappy Boo was turning the same corner. Until last night. Won't eat, won't sleep, just there. Tonight I have to add won't drink, meow, or really move much to the list. Worst part, Heidi Anne realized or voiced what we wanted to avoid. Her little kitten won't be around much longer. We cuddle her, she cuddles her kitten, and everyone cries. Strike 3. We all cling to Char, who is now "Daddy-fixer of all things-and has to be strong-because we're ALL clinging to him." 

Little Scrappy Boo-First Night Home

So little Scrappy Boo is now laying beside me. As I tell his little tale. At least someone will remember the little kitten, who was so loved and wanted by a little "almost" 4 year old girl. Now we wait. My little girl has cried herself to sleep. I wonder if he'll make the night (wishing like nothing else their was a 24 hour vet in the valley that doesn't cost an arm and a leg) and sick to my stomach of what if he does or doesn't make it through the night. Sadly I feel this is GAME OVER. 

PS-A little heart broken girl is one of the somberness things I have ever been through. I hope and pray she won't have many of these heartbreaks. It rips at us like nothing I've ever felt. Another box of tissues please.

One of Those Days...

Okay, more of One of Those Weekends. I woke up in the morning, noticed it was a little bright then it should be. I looked at the clock and it told me it was 7:28AM--We normally are up by 6:30AM. I could have sworren that the clock was making fun of me and saying "You're Running Late". 

I went into panic mode,. thinking of different ways we can possibility get to work on time, or at least not terribly late. Thinking "So we hurry. get ready, we can eat pop tarts in the car, I will do my hair and make up in the car, the only thing that worried me was Main Street, it can make it or break it for you."

So I JUMP out of bed,  I was panicked but with a plain. I told Char to hurry we're running late. He didn't move. I say, "Common' let's go!! He looks at me very, very confused. 

He said 2 words "It's Saturday", and went back to sleep.That is how I found it was SATURDAY!

So that was my Saturday Memorial Day Weened. How was everyone else's?

Heidi Anne's Momma Day Letter

So at Heidi Anne's preschool they made cute hand print potholders. In addition to these they had a "What Heidi say's about her Mom": Come and enjoy the slightly embarrassing but still very funny question and answers.


My Mommy's name is :  It's a secret

My Mommy is :  7  Years Old  (If you take off 20 years, she's right)

Her favorite color is:  Red and Pink  (Well close, those are HER favorites, I like blue)

Her favorite food is : Chocolate Sandwich's (In my defence they are Nutella and Peanut butter)

My Mommy loves to: Clean up (Bet you can guess what happens on the weekend).

All day my Mommy : Washes Dishes (Dishes, office, same thing right?).

My Mommy's Best Friend is : My Daddy!! (Need she say more?)

Spring Has Sprung

Spring is finally here! I love spring (apart from the allergies).  Spring brings so much fun. To start off with, Char planted some tulips for me. They are just beautiful. First came the daffodils, followed by some pretty purple tulips, next came some gorgeous white ones, finally there came some big purple ones, they look like purple fireworks. It's so pretty, just as one set start to fade away another one grows and takes its place.  




Another thing about spring are the fun activities we can do.  Anything from feeding ducks, playing at the park, or playing with bubbles. She reminds me of a kitten when she plays with her bubbles. She chases then pounces on them, giggling as she blows them or runs to pop them. 


I sunburn like nobody else, seriously, I have to put on sunblock if we are going to be in the car for more then 30 minutes. I can only watch her play at the park in the safety of the pavilions.  In all these years I've only been able to play outside for a very short amount of time. I've bee inside looking out. 

A wonderful gift Char got for me was a huge umbrella. Now I can go outside and watch Heidi Anne play or even better play with her. We can play in her sandbox together, play bubbles, draw with chalk, jump rope, and even a little bit of ball. On top of that I can sit and read while she plays. We may even get her one of those little plastic pools, since she LOVES water so much, and I can now enjoy it with her. 

Heidi Anne and Sleeping Beauty

Heidi Anne and I recently had our first official,Momma / Heidi Anne date. She picked the activity, she wanted to go see Sleeping Beauty. Not just any Sleeping Beauty, it was the ballet performance of it. Our local ballet company (again, where she takes her ballet class) put on the performance. She LOVED it!

 
She would whisper to me (plie, tendu, chasse, ect). She was fascinated for nearly a whole hour. A few days later she asked me "Momma, when are we going to see more ballet shows?" I think she may like ballet, but I'm not sure. We'll see how much she loves it when her summer classes are twice a week. To be honest,  I don't think that will be enough for her, if she had her way it would be 4 times a week.

Hello Dollie!

Meet Dollie, 
Heidi Anne's new favorite lovey. The only other thing she has loved as much as Dollie is her Blankie. In fact we often see the three of them everywhere together. Dollie came from Tahiti and Heidi Anne hasn't be away from her since. Dollie is in the car when we go to work and preschool in the morning, and sitting in her car seat waiting for her. 
Where ever Heidi Anne goes, Dollie follows. So far she seems to enjoy all of our adventures (I haven't heard Dollie say otherwise). 

Playing at the Park

Yeah! It's finally 45-50 degrees on a weekend. That means Park Day!! Char tries to take Heidi Anne to a different park each weekend to keep the spirit of Adventure alive. Right by her Ballet School is a super fun park that has just been torturing her. It looks soo fun to play at but it's always snowy or we have to get back to work.

Yesterday was her lucky day as that was the park he picked for their Adventure. She LOVED it! She even saw some friends of hers from Daycare there. I am starting to believe we can go anywhere in the valley and people know about Heidi Anne. Seriously. I'm not Melissa anymore-Now I'm Heidi Anne's Momma - Same thing, right?

Flower MisAdventure

It’s finally spring, which means I can finally go back out with a reduced fear of getting sick. When we do go out, we try to avoid heavily populated or packed with people. We choose to go do a fun walk on the River Walk trail. Most of it is paved so naturally that’s where we went. We were so proud of Heidi Anne as she did the whole walk without a stroller or asking to be held. She was just loving the walk through the “woods”.

When we realized the walk hadn’t zapped enough of her energy we took her to the park. Again you couldn’t tell she was tired. Finally, we tried to do a wildflower adventure. This is where we go on a walk and try to find pretty flowers to press. Sadly, we couldn’t find any big flowers yet. We found a few little ones but they were crushed by accident by one little girl, whom shall remain nameless. 

At least the season is still young and they were very teeny tiny anyways.

My friends' cousin is missing!

My friends' cousin is missing

Lindsey Smith Roecker's PhotosThe girl on the right is my friend, She is MISSING! If Anyone has seen her Please Contact the POLICE... She went to School Tuesday, April 24 and never came home. She lives in Logan, Utah. Her name is Catalina she goes by "Cat" she is 13 yrs old.... We think she is somewhere in the Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake area. Please contact Logan City Police Department (435) 716-9300 if you have any info. Thank you!

We Finally Installed The Bar!!

Heidi Anne is loving ballet. She kept trying to practice her different steps and moves without the bar at home - and fall flat on her face. Then she would get up and do it again. 

Stretching before practice

We wanted to make sure she really wanted to be in ballet we figured after 4 months, she must still like it to try and practice at home. 

Big Space-No Space

 Last weekend we got her a ballet bar for home - A.K.A disability bathroom bars. (I love Home Depot). It's the perfect size for her and shouldn't fall off the wall. She spent an hour with it as soon as Char set it up. She adores her ballet bar.

Second Position Plie

Relivate (Or Tippy Toes for the rest of us).

"I Want To Do That!"

About 3 weeks ago on Friday night, we were able to go to a ballet performance, yes ALL three of us. How did I manage to get Char to go? Easy- Heidi Anne asked him to come. Done Deal. Now how did I get my three year old to sit still and watch the 90 minute show without any electronic device? Easy again, she's a good girl who LOVES ballet.
The show was put on the by her Ballet School - and was funded mostly by our office that we live - I meant work at. Yeah for Conservice - free family activity! Sorry for the picture quality, I do have a strange feeling we'll be tweaking our filming in a performance environment over the next few years.

Heidi Anne loved to see her instructor, Miss Becky, perform. Ms. Becky is wonderful instructor! I think one reason is that you can just tell her passion for ballet and it just spreads to all those around her.

Did I mention she is a Prima Ballerina, who has been doing ballet since she was roughly Heidi Anne's age. She recently tried out for "So You Think You Can Dance?", she made it to the Vegas Round, which is amazing.

 We loved the other performances. It had various music (not just classical) and the instructors as well as a few of the older / higher level students choreographed some

This performance had nearly the whole company on stage-it was one of Heidi Anne's favorite.

For this piece most of the higher level girls were performing. It was do to more modern music. There was just a lot of energy for this dance. 

Every time Heidi Anne saw, a ballerina did a move or step she knew would whisper to us "Tondue, Sasha, first position). She wants to be a big girl ballerina even more now. I know she'll have so much fun when we go see "Sleeping Beauty". 

Dear Blog, IOU

Dear Blog,
You are the only way I can freeze these cute, Heidi-ish things that happen. Keeping up with a little Heidi Anne and her adventures can be hard! I want to tell you all about her Easter, her first experience at a theatrical performance, more of Heidi Anne and her ballet, and just a few little funny stories about that little girl who's growing up way to fast. From her writing a letter because she was mad to helping us get a sitter for our first date in a LONG time.
Example, she used to say "Watch Me DO!!" Now, she says "Hey, watch me" or "Watch me do (fill in blank). Just the small signs she's growing up to fast.
I will update you so I can capture those moments (albeit delayed). Thanks for being the keeper of my memories. I will appreciate you more than ever as she gets bigger and older.
Me.

So My Weekend Totally Rocked!!

My Favorite Pic!!

  Finally, it's spring, which means I can finally go back outside (as long as I have sunblock). We celebrated this day in style. First I got to go visit my friend Valerie. She's due to have her baby boy any day now, it's her first boy, but third baby. She has two adorable girls, sadly when they saw me they stared to whimper a little. Apparently they thought I was coming to babysit them, which oddly enough was very cute. But back to my quilt, I started it as soon as I knew what gender she was having. I wanted to give it to her for Christmas but I underestimated just how long quilting can take. I am happy that I got it done before the baby was born.

Baby Quilt 

Close Up

Then we meet my sister and her family at the Dino Park. As always, as soon as the girls saw each other they ran into one the other's arms. I just love it!!
My little nephew (who just barely turned 2 in January) said in the sweetest voice "Hi Charlie." That surprised me, not to mention it just melted my heart!






If you've never been to the Dino Park you should SOOO go! There is a fun museum, full of bones, pretty rocks, and other creatures. I believe my favorite was the rare and elusive "Wholly Hippo" don't let it fool you into thinking it's a Wholly Rino - according to a little kid at the museum, it's a "Wholly Hippo".  There were lots of fossils and displays.

The Wholly "Hippo!"

There were lots of fossils and displays. I'm pretty sure it was okay to sit on this display, if not it made for a cute picture!! You or the kids could talk to a paleontologist working in a lab. I am not 100% sold that he was the real deal, either way, it was fun. 

Then we went outside. Here you get to wander the paved trail or even some "off trail" sites. All along the way there are these life size dinos. On top of that there are a few other fun activities.

 As you can tell by the looks on their faces, ALL three kids were having a blast.

 As soon as the girls saw this one, they wanted to help the poor hurt dino. 

Heidi Anne got into the spirit of things, maybe a little too much??

But even little Rye let loose.  Isn't he SOOO cute!

 Another outside activity is "being a fossil hunter". Here the kids got to dig with shovels and paint brushes, just like the real paleontologist.

We finished the trip with feeding some ducks. Naturally you would expect ducks and geese to be at a dino park. KaiKai shared some of her bird food with me when she noticed I didn't have any. What a sweetie!! As we were feeding the ducks she exclaimed "This is so fun! This is the funnest day EVER!"

Then to top off the weekend we went to lunch with Char's sister Sarah. Heidi Anne had fun - as did we. But  the pics of her having fun are just better to look at! Told you my weekend rocked! 

A Little To Honest??

Today at preschool Heidi Anne came inside for lunch. When she saw what it was she got wide-eyed, it was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a side of oranges. If you know Heidi, that's one of her favorite sandwiches (the other being a Nuttella and Peanut butter Sandwich). She said "Oh Susu, this looks so delicious, you are the BEST cooker!"  Susan told her "I didn't make lunch Kait did." Heidi Anne then looked at Kait and replied "Oh Kait, you are the BEST Cooker - Not Susan."

At least we're teaching her to be honest - now I just have to teacher her tact. 

Momma, Daddy, Heidi Days

Weekends are very special to us, we call them “Momma, Daddy, Heidi Days!” Momma stays home on the weekends while Daddy and Heidi go run errands, or as she calls it, Adventures! They go to the stores, the post office, the park, get their hair cut, ect. Since I get sick easy it’s best that I stay home to reduce my exposure to any germies.

At the Park with Daddy

However, I still have tons of fun on the weekends. We watch movies, play games, do puzzles, work on homework(the girl LOVES homework) read books, and Heidi Anne’s favorites, I either sew or we do a craft.

Lately when I sew, she likes to help me pick fabrics, thread colors, hand me the pins, or just sit by me and watch. When she’s being really good she gets to sit on my lap while I use themachine. Apparently, when she has been in the room, I say out loud what I am doing. Suddenly, I hear an echo when I say “Now we do a back stitch….now we do abackstitch…Now we slowly move the fabric…now we move the fabric…” It so much fun!












We do tea parties and “indoor pick nicks”. To help get her energy drained, I started making “obstacle courses”for her to do as well. They contain a lot of ballet moves. (Run up and down the stairs 5 times then do 3 “sotaes”) She loves that game. Sometimes we paint woodenthings you can get from the dollar store, making fun foam crafts. Other times it’s just stamping things then coloring them, or whatever other ideas I find on Pinterest.

She LOVES Puzzles

See She Did 2 While I wrote this Post!!