Friday, February 18, 2011

It's almost spring

Mostly about Ari, with other randomness.


Shopping for Valentine's Day cards with Ari...

Me: OK, Ari, here are the cards you can pick from. There's one with kittens, one with bears, one with mice, one with raccoons...
Ari: (looking elsewhere) How about this one?
Me: No, that one says, "To my wife" and you don't have a wife.
Ari: Yes I do... you're a wife.
Me: Yes, but I'm not YOUR wife. Now, these are the cards you can pick from--
Ari: (still looking elsewhere) I like this one.
Me: Nope, that says, "To my husband." You don't have a husband yet.
Ari: But Daddy is a husband.
Me: But not YOURS. OK, really, you can pick from these 4 cards... kittens, bears, mice, raccoons.
Ari: Um... (grabs the raccoon one) ...I think this one.
Me: You sure?
Ari: Yup.
Me: Good.


Ari got her dance costume last Friday, and ohmygosh, the cuteness...




I snapped the pic right after she blew a kiss, which, no, I did not tell her to do.


When Ari woke up on Valentine's Day morning, she went and cuddled with Tony for a few minutes, then sat down at the table and started coloring. (Hmm... now that I think about it... maybe he put her up to this.) A few minutes later, she presented me with a card, and said, "Happy Valentine's Day!" I thanked her, and asked her what the drawing was, and she happily chirped, "A spider!" Um... thanks?





Today was my first day wearing sandals this year, and I could not be more happy. It's almost spring, y'all! (Yes, I said "y'all." On purpose.) I couldn't resist adding a totally cheesy spring-tastic border to this picture.




This reminds me, though, that I need to redo my toenails... this polish is leftover from Superbowl Sunday (*sadface*).


Ari: Mama, what would happen if I ate you?
Me: Well first of all, that's gross. And second, you'd get in trouble and go to jail for the rest of your life.
Ari: Forever and ever?
Me: Yup.
Ari: Would I get to see you?
Me: Um, no, because you ATE me.


I usually pack my lunch for work the night before, and a couple nights ago, when I grabbed my lunch bag, I noticed there was a little pack of peanut butter crackers in it already. I asked Tony if he had put them there, and he said no. Then he remembered that Ari had gotten those crackers from someone, and since neither of them like peanut butter (weirdos!), he told her that she could give them to me. So I guess she decided to just go ahead and slip them in my lunch bag.


The next evening, I was washing dishes when she came and showed me a heart that she colored for me. I admired it, and since my hands were wet, I asked her to put it down on the counter for me. Later that night, when I went to pack my lunch, the heart was in my bag. And it occurred to me that this is kind of the opposite of how things usually are... usually, it's the mom slipping little notes or surprises in her kid's lunch bag, and instead, I have my kid sneaking things into my lunch bag. She's such a sweetheart (despite her cannibalistic questions).

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Another great mom moment

First of all, get a load of the size of this snowdrift at the end of our driveway. I put Ari next to it for scale (and because she's cute)...



It's not as high anymore, because Tony spent some time hacking it down so that we could see to get out of the driveway. But it gives you an idea of the ridiculous amount of snow we've had around here.


I snapped this picture of Ari one morning right after she woke up. Check out her crazy bedhead hair and rosy cheeks.



She came to me first for some cuddles, then saw the calendar on the table and screeched, "Why is my calendar not on the wall?" I explained that it's February now, and I took it down to remind her that she needs to color the picture sometime soon. So I guess she decided not to procrastinate.


Tuesday night, before we left for our weekly church group, I noticed Ari was sitting at the far end of the dining room table, sifting through her crayon box. I offhandedly asked her what she was doing, and she glanced up and replied, "Nothing" with a little grin on her face. Exactly the kind of reply that makes a parent wonder.


So I headed toward her, asking again what she was up to, and noticing that one hand was in her lap. This time, she came up with a better reply. "I'm just picking out some crayons," she said innocently, still grinning at me.


"Uh huh," I replied, and in one swift move, I glanced at her lap and snatched the paper out of her hand.


But it wasn't paper. It was a sheet of heart-shaped stickers, and all at once, it dawned on me. "Oh... were you making something for me?"


"Yes," she said, in the smallest little voice. And then she started crying, real tears and everything. I felt awful, and even when I swooped her into my arms to apologize and comfort her, it still took her a couple minutes to settle down.


I am the best mom ever, right?


Anyway, she must have forgiven me, because when I got home later, she made me close my eyes while she handed me this.