Big Girl Bed

Corinne and I converted her crib yesterday after her stripping down while bored and not sleeping at nap time. Kevin and I had agreed it was time for the big girl bed a little while ago, we just had not executed. I decided that she should have the option to climb out of bed to entertain herself with toys or books instead of taking off all her clothes and peeing all over. So, she helped me with the tools and we changed out the side of her crib.

She climbed in and out about 40 times, thought it was AWESOME. We played upstairs and in and out of the bed for most of the afternoon yesterday. She went to bed immediately last night (she was extra tired from no nap) and I was sure the morning would really be the test of how the big girl bed was going.

When she woke this morning she talked a bit and when I went in her room I found her studying the low railing that keeps her from rolling out of part of the bed. Typically, Corinne starts her day with big jumps in her bed while she holds onto the railing of her crib. She was studying this ankle high railing to try to figure out how she was going to hold on to it and do her morning jumps. She seemed sad, not crying, fit throwing sad, but frustrated, unable to jump sad. I think not being able to jump in the bed so rigorously is probably not a bad thing.

Tonight she climbed in and out of bed 5 or 10 times while we got ready for bed. She and Kevin brushed teeth, we read books, and I tucked her in. Again, She stayed in bed and went to sleep.

My little girl is growing up.

* I knew I was posting to early and cursing the process. Corinne fell out of bed last night and was up multiple hours and afraid of her bed. She eventually went back to sleep in her bed with one foot on the ground. We slept in late to make up for the hours in the middle.

Shutterfly Representative?

It seems I keep hocking Shutterfly's products lately. I recently hosted a houseparty and taught everyone how to make photobooks. Now, I am going to take moment here to talk holiday cards.

In past years I have created my own custom card. I love squares and had 5 x 5 photos printed and then hunted for an affordable envelope option. This year I had my hands on the samples of Shutterflys photo cards and I have to tell you, they are nice. They tell stories, share moments, and so personal and fun.

I found awesome options for a sweet and modern 5 x 5 cards that come with envelopes (Can you tell the envelope hunt was rough?).

I had never even thought of doing a folded card. I remember when folded photo card cost a fortune and only could be ordered through professional photographers. Now they are affordable and look good with my snap shots. My mom is a huge fan of the holiday letter, giving everyone an update for each year. There is a perfect card for her that is a newsletter sort of format.

For the record I am sharing my love of holiday cards with you for a reason: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Halloween

Not quite the Halloween I had envisioned...

Corinne had no interest in carving pumpkins this afternoon. We covered the floor in newspaper and I popped the tops off our pumpkins and encouraged her to touch them. She ran to the other room and played with her toys while Kevin and I sat on the floor and each gutted and carved a pumpkin.

Nap time ran into trick or treating time and Corinne did not wake up on the right side of the bed. She was not a happy trick or treater and hated both warm costumes we have for her. She had been a cartoon character she likes for all her indoor parties, but for Halloween we have a fleece monkey and a flower. The flower wound up being too small over many layers of clothing to keep her warm and she made it to one house to visit before putting her foot down and coming back home. So, we switched to the monkey and she visited one more neighbor and insisted on coming home again. At that point we put on regular clothes, had a snack, and reset. Kevin had built a fire in the fire pit to keep us warm while handing out candy. Corinne LOVED getting candy from our bowl and putting it in the bags and buckets of all the people who can to visit her. I guess this was the year she hands out candy instead of collecting it.

Then we came inside to make tacos. It is a standard meal in our house and I can typically make them with my eyes closed. For Halloween we had a kitchen fire though. The shells caught in the toaster over after being in for less than a minute. I ran Corinne out of the house and came back in to put out the fire. Thankfully, we had some soft tortilla shells as well.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Happy Halloween.

one more thing...

One more thing....here is a little video of Corinne's favorite toy at music class; the roller coaster :)

Another Fall Is Upon Us

I love Autumn. It is such a beautiful season. The trees light up the sky and the sun shines bright.
There are all sorts of fun things to do in Michigan in the Fall. We visited the cider mill.
We dress us for Halloween. This year Corinne with be Kai-Lan (see picture) when it is warm out and a monkey on the cooler nights.
We even get to go on a hayride to pick the perfect pumpkin.
Fall is a transition in nature and has been a transition in our house. Corinne and I started mom and tot preschool and a different music class this Fall. We have begun to get up at 8 AM every day in an attempt to change her internal schedule. Corinne is happy to sleep until 9ish every morning, but that makes school very rough.

We had the great purge of 2010 and the yard sale that followed. We regularly have the pleasure of playing with our friends and family, but this Fall we even got to throw a party for Granny and Grandpa's 40th Wedding Anniversary. MSU stomped on U of M for the third straight year, that always brings me great pleasure. I personally find it awesome they have won that game since the day Corinne was born.

It has been a wonderful season so far and it is still going strong. Corinne has a packed social calendar for Halloween, playgroup party, pre-school party, Boo Bash, and so much more. I am extremely excited about attending my first murder mystery party this weekend.

Blueberry Muffins

Corinne went through the trouble of picking me fresh blueberries. So, I figured the least I could do was make her fresh blueberry muffins. I found a base recipe and went to tweaking. They turned out fantastic (if I do say so myself). So, I thought I would share the final recipe with you and with forgetful me when I want to make them again.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup milk
• Lemon Juice from 2 lemons (around 1/4 cup)
  
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix milk and lemon juice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. Add egg and oil to milk mixture; mix well. Gently stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.
3. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F at 22 minutes or until center of muffin springs back when lightly touched.

Watch That Smile Grow

I totally stole the idea for this post from Amber
( http://amberpagewrites.com/2010/07/the-evolution-of-a-smile-as-told-by-my-cell-phone.html )

Enjoy!

Whose Bottle?

Fun Laughter with Grandpa in Frankfort on July 3rd.

What is your take?

Alright readers, I typically give you an update and some adorable pictures and that is that. I do not ask for much from you. Today I want to know your opinion.

I was playing the yard today with Corinne and thinking about the evils of chemicals in and on our food, and in and on our bodies. I was thinking about the sunscreen I had lathered on Corinne to keep her safe and the organic yogurt she was having for her snack.

I seem to be making decisions for her based on some ever moving line. What mother earth provides is what is best for her, right? All natural is the best possible way to go? The human race had survived all this time without pesticides, without fertilizers to increase food production. Aluminum in your deodorant is bad for your body. I know everyone has their own "things" that are focused on. Some people avoid microwaves, mobile phones, pesticides, lunch meat, vaccines...

Human beings only lived to the ripe old age of 35 without modern technology. The sun burns her skin and gives her skin cancer, unless I lather her in sunscreen (that doesn't have oxy benzone in it, to increase her cancer risk as of last month). So, how is it that sunscreen (chemicals, and all) is good, but non-organic yogurt is unacceptable for her delicate body?

I am not talking about "going green". I can rationalize and understand why I recycle and bring my bags to the grocery store and re-use and donate rather than toss.

We seem to all have this zig zagging line between technology extending and improving our lives and Mother Earth providing the healthiest things. How do you make these decisions? Do you feel like they have impact?

Memorial Day Weekend

What a jam packed weekend.

Corinne and I had a fabulous time in Frankfort with Granny and Grandpa.

We went up Thursday afternoon as soon as I got out of work. We arrived just in time to unpack the car and watch the sunset. Corinne decided she did not need a nap while we drove, and was a trooper. We had a great time on the beach, on the playground, and visiting!
We came home Sunday night to go to the Memorial Day Parade with daddy this morning. I always thought of Memorial Day as the Spring equivalent of Labor Day. It was just a day off. The parade is very respectful and always put Memorial Day in perspective. The mother and family mourning in a convertible with a picture of their lost loved on bring tears to my eyes. It is an interesting mix because the kids love all the planes, motorcycles, fire engines, and the purpose is so serious.

Another Exciting Saturday with the Nicholls

Everyone is sleeping but me. It is 10:46 pm. Rufus is sleeping at my feet, always a loyal companion, but everyone else is in the appropriate bed upstairs.

Today the excitement began almost immediately with phone call from Tuffy that Kevin's brakes were done. So, the whole family hoped in my car and off we went. We dropped Kevin to fetch his car and continued down the road to a grocery store / nursery Corinne and I enjoy.

We like it for different reasons. Corinne squeals with glee every time she sees their model train come towards us on the track overhead. I like their flowers, produce, bakery treats, and general yum yums.

Today they were having a customer appreciation celebration. There were samples of tea, cheeses, ice cream, and other delicious treats. Plus free hot dogs, face painting, and raffles. Before you get too excited, we won nothing.

I thought it was grand idea to stand in line and have a butterfly or frog or something fast and easy on Corinne's perfect little cheek. We had a lovely time in line, we ate our free ice cones and people watched. A person sized Elmo came by and said hello. Corinne happily gave him a high five. Kevin and I were so proud of our brave little girl. We both knew Elmo could totally freak her out, or she could be excited. We were so happy she was excited. Now, face painting she was not excited about. While the line was a pleasure to her the woman thinking of coming near her face was not. So, we immediately moved to hand painting being a better idea. Corinne was not on board for this idea either and after 35 seconds with the face painting lady we decided to skip it. Apparently, according to other parents in line, until kids our over three they are not into it. So, we said hi to Dora and Woody instead. We tasted and purchased some more good things and hit the road again to return home.

That is when I spotted the "Going Out Of Business" sign on the Movieland. We certainly needed to stop and see what treasures they were selling as they closed up shop. Since Kevin was in his own car I called him to let him know I needed to stop and would be home later. He was very interested in the new addition to our agenda and told me he would be right behind me. I did now know there were any businesses still operating that rented videos. It really did blow my mind. More mind blowing, they were selling each video for $3. I have seen a fair amount of videos at garage sales for 25 cents. They had thousands of videos and a couple hundred DVDs. Corinne spotted a "Lazytown" DVD and we picked that up for her. Other than that, no treasures were spotted. So, we hit the road again to head home.

You think this whole story is going somewhere, don't you? Sorry, it isn't.

Springtime in the mitten

Fun Around The House

It is very difficult to get a good picture of the joy of spinning. I tried, but this is the best I can give you. Enjoy!

Corinne and I are excited about Spring, and pretty dresses.

Corinne has decided she likes Ni Hao Kailan. So, the whole family is learning Chinese.

Egg Fun with The Boys

Eye Drops

Quick Story

Corinne has an eye infection. So, she needs drops in her eyes twice a day for 5 days. The drops hurt, or burn, she hates them. Kevin feels her eyes are not goopy enough to warrant such torture, even though the doc disagrees. So, to prove she did need them he took her most beloved and hugged lion, and rubbed lion on his eyes. Kevin theorizes if he doesn't have an eye infection in 24 hours she doesn't need to be tortured with the drops. His eyes started itching almost immediately.

That is love.

The House I Came Home To

I am not sure I have ever been happier to come home. It was not the greatest vacation as both kids and many of the grown ups were sick. To add to my joy at arriving home was the new house I was greeted by. I might have driven right past my own home. Kevin worked hard on projects in the house while Corinne and I were gone. Plus, we had the house sided. What a difference!!


Freshly painted ceiling and new ceiling fan



Stairs Before

Stairs After


House Before

House Now (the porch cover is twice as big too)


New Light Fixtures

A Great Valentine Weekend

This is a not so great family picture last Friday afternoon. It was the start of our weekend. Kevin had Friday off and we spent the day hanging out. Then we packed up Corinne for a sleep over and Granny and Grandpa's. Once Corinne was settled in I returned home, we exchanged beautiful and thoughtful gifts, and Kevin and I were off. It was BIG DATE night ;)

I had signed us up for a couples massage class at the place down the road. It was actually really cool. There were 4 couples, 2 massage therapists and 4 therapy rooms. After uncomfortably watching one massage therapist receive a massage from the other (to learn technique) each couple was sent to their own room. The therapists traveled to each room to give tips and guide us, they also provided instruction from the hallway. It was fun! We followed class with delicious bar meal at Duke's. We stayed up late and slept until past 10 the next morning and then went to get Corinne. She was so happy to see us, it was awesome. That being said, she had been a perfect house guest, went to bed easily, slept all night, played, and was a pleasure to be around.
Corrine and I had made some chocolate covered strawberry treats for Valentine's Day. She enjoyed them very much! We made a few treat bags also, they turned out really cute and if I had thought about I would have taken a picture of them :( oh well.

The rest of our weekend was nice also. I went out for brunch and a little shopping with a girlfriend. Kevin worked on the porch a bit more. It was nice to have a romantic evening just the two of us, and then great to have the family back together. Life is good.

New Game

Corinne's favorite new pastime to is squat down and see how long she has to stay right in front of Rufus' mouth before he will give her kisses. It is not my favorite game ever. She loves her doggies!

Hands On Museum and Botanical Gardens

Corinne and I had a very busy day. We rolled out of bed, had breakfast, got dressed and took off to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum with our playgroup. We had fun. As you can see, the slide and water table were Corinne's favorites.

She kneels at the top of the slide. When I tell her to sit on her butt she just moves her legs out more so her butt touches the slide, and then she pushes off. She was doing what I asked, but you can see it made her position on the slide very strange.

The water table was her favorite spot. Those raincoat smocks are genius. She splashed enough to drench her face and hair.

We stopped by the botanical gardens to take in some warm, thriving, living things on this cold January day. I know it helped my overall mood. She ran around and pet the plants, touched the rocks, and played in the dirt. We both thought the gardens were a treat.