T -Ball !

We signed Madeline up for Daddy & Me T-ball. Every Saturday she and a group of 3.5-5 year olds get together, run the bases, have a catch and practice batting.

running the bases

Hopping on the bases

Madeline seems to enjoy it. Interesting note: She is a lefty in everything she does...writing, throwing, kicking... but she took the bat and batted righty ... what a little puzzle she is

Bedtime. Its a problem.

I don't know what the reason is... the summer? That it is still light out at her bedtime of 7:15,7:30ish? I know the napping in the car doesn't help- but even on days when she doesn't nap, bedtime has become a struggle. The typical 3 year old stalling techniques- I'm thirsty,hungry,my mouth hurts, I need a bandaid-no not that one, the other kind,I'm scared,lay down with me, I'm tired... followed by a rousing rendition of the ABC song. Its frustrating. We got rid of the pacifier so I was giving her some room to find a new routine- but now, its out of control.

So I told her " Mommy comes in two times, so use them judiciously" She doesn't know what judiciuolsy means, but I think she gets the "i'm only coming in two times" Well, she *would* if I actually only went in there two times. Last night I told her if she didn't put her head on the pillow I was leaving the room. She didn't so I did... and I hear from behind the door " Oh no! Not again!" and then " Mommy, you're hurting my feelings!"

sigh.

Finally I bribed her. If you go to sleep, you will get to eat an ice pop tomorrow. So of course, she wakes up this morning and the first thing she says in her sore-from-waking-up cute little voice, smile on her face " mommy I have ice pop?"

Later Maddie, Later.

We took a day trip last week to Fire Island. I have lived my whole life in New York and have never been... isn't that nuts?? I loved it- a little beach community with out the brown/green Long island ocean water. Look! Its blue and clean -looking!

One of the paths to the beachI want to say " yeah, Maddie had an awesome time" but really, she liked the playground, had a tantrum, took a nap and missed the beach and then had ice creamthe wagons that people to use to tote stuff around- hanging on hooks outside the hotels
Me and my girl

So I don't Forget 3.0

Last night Madeline wouldn't go to sleep. She was wiggling around and hit her head on the headboard. Crying ensued, so I got into bed with her to calm her down. I was playing with her hair... so soft and sweet and curly right after a bath- and then she started playing with mine( dry from the sun and graying, but whatever). She was quiet and relaxed and I thought I hit a magic 'get-her-to-go-to-sleep-after-a day-in-the-sun' bedtime routine. 'No problem,' I thought' I can lay in bed with her for five minutes if it means I'll be outta her for the rest of the night.
Then she started singing the ABC song. Oh well.
After a few minutes of me shhhing her and trying to calm her down again, she got right in my face and said " Wanna touch each other's hair again ?"

I had a discussion w/ someone yesterday about overscheduling children. When i was growing up, I played soccer, that was it for 10 or so years. I never did dance or track or basketweaving. I'm not saying it was better that way. I'm just trying to illustrate the disparity between then and now. In the fall I will have Maddie in preschool 2 days a week. Both Greg and I want to start her in soccer( and honestly soccer is one of the cheaper activities out there for kids) I belong to a playgroup that meets once a week, and she also really really wants to take ballet. So thats 5 things she'll do every week. That feels like a a lot. As a stay at home mother, I really try to find balance in having her exposed to and involved in stimulating, educational activites vs. downtime to just be a kid, play in the backyard and paint. I'm pretty sure that is a sentence our parents never uttered. Things seemed a lot different back then.

One activity I don't think I am going to be able to refuse in the fall is ballet. For three reasons:

1. We went to her first ballet class and she LOVED it

2. I loved it so much i had tears in my eyes from the sheer cuteness and seeing how much she loved it

3.

This is a very difficult dance move called Squishing a Bug

This patented Lucy Van Pelt, toungue -out-of-side-of-the-mouth is something I've noticed she does when she is concentrating, particularly while doing physical activity

And this is her at the park the other day, yelling at a bug. Yeah, yelling at a bug to get off the tree b/c she wants to climb it.

Mealtime & Dreams

Particularly lunch and dinner. A normal exchange goes like this:
me: Maddie I made you (fill in the blank with the 4 foods that she is currently eating) for dinner
Maddie: Nooooooooo, I don't want that *crying*
me; Maddie, its what you asked for
Maddie: i want somethinnnnnnnngggggg else
me(trying to keep my cool) OK, what do you want?
Maddie: something eeellllllllssssssseeeeeeeee
me: like what?Maddie( in full on tantrum mode) something elllllssssssse!
me: maddie, I'll make you whatever you want, just tell me what you want
Maddie: i want lunch
me: 'lunch' is not food. You have to tell me WHAT you want
Maddie: something ellllllsssssseeeeeee


anyone want to come over for dinner???


Changing gears, last night she woke up screaming. I went into her room and she was crying, saying' Crayons! Crayons!!!' I finally got her back to sleep, but she told me this morning she had a dream that a bug took all her crayons and threw them behind the couch. How cool she can tell me her dreams. I told her to say to the bug " thats not nice, Bug" and she said " no Mommy, it was just a accident. He is sorry"

clouds.

Its a month later and I could still title my post the same as last month: rain. Well, today i would call it " clouds" We've been MIA since we unintentionally condensed a summers worth of travel in one month ( or so it seems) I am exicted to be home, get back to normal, but I would appreciate some sun , since its June and all. I don't think that is too much to ask. Lots and lots of pictures to post, I'll get to it eventually...

Rain

We went to an Earth Day event on Sunday. Guess what? It rained. No, you say? Yes, it did. I'm over rain. I am ready for sun, please.
Anyway, Miss Brave herself actually volunteered herself up for some face paining. well, she wasn't brave enough for the face, but readily gave over her hand and picked out a Nemo fish. She was very upset later when we had to wash it off and keeps asking me to re-paint a fish on her hand. Some photos:

This is what a sunny day looks like. It was just last week.

Picking some yellow flowers

Playing in the rain