Funnies and Incidentals for May

Anna Claire is learning to sing the Star Spangled Banner. It's been either this or the Veggie Tales theme song that she will sing until she goes to sleep each night:

Oh say can you see by da dawns earwy wight
with so pwoudwy we hail at da twi-wights wast gweaming.

 Then she repeats this and meshes in some of the lines later on in the song. ;)
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Anna Claire has started looking at whatever she may have in her hands (sunglasses, for example), then looking at us and saying, "I ha-ave sunglasses and you-ou-ou don't!" to the tune of "Nanny nanny boo boo!" Where does she learn this?
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I counted it up and our car has broken down 10 times in the past month. I have been blessed that today was the first instance it broke down where Anna Claire was with me. And what luck, that we were at the YMCA. I know from past experience that it can take up to an hour for the car to cool and before the starter with allow the car to start. With us being at the Y, we were able to go back in after swimming and get a snack from the snack machine. Never underestimate how excited a child can get about a visit to a simple snack machine. (We opted for PopTarts). I was then able to take her to the child care center there to play with toys. And what luck that Charlie from her Sunday school class at church was there for her to play with. The girls played My Little Pony for the longest while I paraded back and forth between the kiddos and the car.
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You know those little plastic dental flossers? Well, I just managed to get one stuck between my teeth and Larry had to get scissors to cut it free. Until that point I was freaking OUT, and Anna Claire was cracking UP. "You got that stuck, Mommy. That was funny."

COP: Anything can be a COP. It's Anna Claire's made up word for "thingie" or "stuff". She might say, this is my superhero cop or this is my bubble cop.

Starting Gymnastics and Our First 'Nastics Class

Anna Claire has been wanting to take gymnastics for a long time now! She's been asking us and telling us how her friends go. But the times at the gym we wanted to go to just didn't work for us. We like our Saturdays free to do things as a family, and Thursdays were out with me in school.

School's out for the summer, so Thursdays are a go! We were wondering if there would be a conflict with her ABC Music class at the Red Barn which are also on Thursdays, but things are gonna work out perfectly. She can go to the RB at her usual time and stay through music which ends at 9:30, and still make it to Action Gymnastics at 10.

We're doing the Mommy and me class until her 3rd birthday coming up in a few weeks, and from there her teacher Miss Mary will help me choose whether to keep her in that class or move her to the preschool class.

Mary also offers a class at the Red Barn, so she could actually go during my work day once school starts (nice option!). HOWEVER: after seeing all the gym has to offer, it might be more worth our while to take her myself! Plus I love watching her!

I still don't know the names of all the gym apparatus, so forgive my ignorance which is sure to be revealed in paragraphs to come.

Today was really neat, and representative of a typical class so I am told. We started lying down on a big inflatable mattress and actually laid/sat on it while it was inflating. Big smiles from Anna Claire while doing this. It is a crazy feeling, the air moving under you!

Then we did a jumping course. Jump down the length of the bouncy mattress. Forward roll down the cushy wedge. Jump down the long trampoline. Carefully climb down. Repeat many times! Anna Claire is starting to understand "jump." I saw her and praised her jumping several times today. But she is just trying to get comfortable with everything. She did get to try out the long trampoline before at Maggie's birthday party, but it's still new to her. She preferred walking or running.

After the jumping course, we had circle exercise time. The kids came over and sat on a colored carpet square of their choice and Miss Mary led them through a series of floor exercises. Anna Claire liked doing the rainbow exercise and Superman. ;)

Next was circuit. This was a free-flowing obstacle course. Mary modeled each station, then the kids could go where they wanted. Apologies for lack of pics for this part of the class. It was very hands-on for Mommy and child, so no chance of photo opps here.

They could do backward rolls on either a cushy wedge or octagonal shaped thingy (loving my use of technical terms? be ready, there's more...). Anna Claire does this pretty well with a little assistance!

They could do a long-jump across two red square cushy cubes, then "hot dog" or roll on their side down a wedge. Anna Claire did hot dog pretty well. She definitely prefers it to forward rollling.

Another option was to swing like a monkey on a bar with Miss Mary. Anna Claire did not hear that she needed to hold on to the bar despite mine and Mary's repeating, "Hold on to the bar!" many, many times. Lol. On a side-note, this reminds me how comforting it was to notice none of the other 2/3 year olds listened very well either. ;)

There was a tunnel created using 2 adjacent accordion mats and placing them in a zig-zag. We liked this station, but it was short-lived.

The favorite for most of the children seemed to be the balance beams. They could walk across the one low to the ground, stepping over stuffed animals (beanie baby size) to encourage them to take bigger steps. On the high beam, they crawled "like cats" on hands and knees. then once they got to the end, they could slide down a medium sized slide. I do believe the slide was a big motivator for all involved. Good thinking, teachers!

After circuit was parachute and making popcorn. Anna Claire did this at Maggie's birthday as well, so she was excited about it and knew just what to do. I remember loving parachute even as an older child in grade school! So fun!

Last, the children got their feet and hands stamped. Anna Claire waited very nicely for her turn and loved when it WAS her turn. Big smile. :)

She told me afterward, "I go g'nastics AGAIN!" (Notice we have progressed to "g'nastics.")

I forgot to mention, one of Anna Claire's pediatrician's, Shannon was there with her little girl who is the the class. And one of my high school friends and her little girl. Small world, and nice to see familiar faces. AC loved seeing "Doctor Shannon"! She loves her!

Memorial Day Weekend: Spring Into Summer Festival and Remembering Granddaddy

We visit my mom every Sunday and when we do we often pass through Fort Campbell/Oak Grove on our way home. So thankful we spotted the Spring into Summer Festival banner in Oak Grove last weekend! We are always looking for fun things to do with Anna Claire (particularly free ones). And she absolutely loves festivals...she still talks about the butterfly festival we took her to back in September and asks to go again.

It was such a neat event for small children. We took Anna Claire to the Tennessee State Fair and Oktoberfest in the past 6 months, easily spending $50 on each trip, only to find one or two rides she could actually ride. In both cases we had to console a heart-broken child who was not able to participate in any of the fun she was seeing. She didn't meet the height requirements.

Spring into Summer Festival was another story...a happy one! It was FREE. She could ride just about everything there, so long as a I rode with her. The only tears shed were due to us leaving because she was having so much fun.

Anna Claire loved the strawberry ride. Thank the Lord she could ride that one because all we heard from the car to the mini-carnival was "I ride the strawberries!" I did have to ride with her, and though I normally get dizzy on spinning rides, this one wasn't bad at all. I kinda liked it.

The "Berry Go Round"

We rode the carousel twice. The first time she wanted off because the up-and-down movement of the horse she was on was kind of jerky. Didn't blame her. Then later she said, "I'm bwave Mommy, I ride the carousel again!" And she did. She was ecstatic to get the horse with the pink saddle the second go round. She had her eye on him the first time and was pretty disgusted that another girl beat her to it. So we were happy for her.

"Bwave" girl riding the carousel

Anna Claire was a brave girl and rode the fighter plane ride herself. It was a LONG ride. After five minutes most of the kids were crying and wanting off, including ours.We were calling out to the man, "She wants off! She wants off!"

The plane ride

There were also round trampolines set up for the children to jump on while harnessed. Just like what they have at our mall. Anna Claire REALLY wanted to do this, and I saw many kids her size doing it with ease. So we got in line. The lady in front of us turned around and told us they were the last in line and that the man said no one else could jump after them. We went up to the man to make sure this was true, and it was. So we did our best to gently break the news, but the result was tears as you might expect.

We did what any good parents would in the situation and offered distractions. We asked, "If there was any other ride you could ride on, what would it be?" "Would you like a treat, Anna Claire?" She wanted to rid the carousel again and the kiddie cars, so we took off to our final rides for the night.

Riding the Kiddie Cars

I should mention there were many more things happening at the festival that we enjoyed. Anna Claire had her very first snow cone (one that had way too much syrup, making mommy who forgot to bring bib a stress case). There was live music and a show that we were able to watch for a bit. There were games, and although we didn't play it was fun to walk past all the booths. And there was an inflatable. Anna Claire took her turn in there - now that she has been turned on to "bouncies".

I have already put this festival on my calendar for next year and love the idea of making it an annual Memorial Day tradition. That, along with paying a visit to the nearby Veterans' Cemetary to pay respects to my dad. Anna Claire liked seeing all the "statues" and flags. She was upset that someone took the flowers Meme put on Granddaddy's grave and so was I.

On a positive note, we ended the Sunday with a Sonic dinner outside which is always a hit. We spent Monday making a family Walmart trip followed up by a cookout and playing in the water. I loved our Memorial Day weekend.

Maggie's Birthday: A "Nastics" Birthday

Maggie's birthday was our 3rd and final one for in our "Week of Birthdays." All 3 birthday friends: Maggie, Jackson and Ava are all special in that they were in the original Chicks class with Anna Claire as a babies. They have known each other for over half of their of their lives!

Maggie's birthday party was at American Twister gymnastics. They had lots of activities planned for the kiddos! They went through an obstacle course, and ran and jumped on the trampolines, and they did assisted forward rolls. And remember "the parachute" from gym class? They got to do that too. They made waves with it with bouncy balls on top to make "popcorn."

They also tried out their hula hooping skills. This was all so much fun for the kiddos.

Afterward, we had cupcakes or some of Maggie's delicious Angelina the Ballerina cake. My personal favorite was the ice cream. Everyone got individual serving sizes of Blue Bell's birthday cake ice cream. DELICIOUS! I could eat that all day.

Maggie did  love her tutus and sidewalk chalk.

Jackson's Birthday

Jackson

Birthday # 2 for the weekend was Jackson's. His was at RiverView Mounds Century Farm. LOVE going there, and love "Bubba," as everyone calls Jackson :)

Tuckered out from Ava's birthday, Anna Claire took a long nap and was about an hour late to Jackson's. We missed the tunnel slide, playing in the corn, and the hayride, but we visit the farm several times a year and these are things we can do when we visit next time.

The kids were able to ride the barrel train. Some wanted off immediately. Others, like AC, did not want to get out. She loved it.

We did get to see the animals, but she didn't want to feed them. She also said, "I don't like sound the ducks make, Mommy." She did love the donkeys, chickens, and goats. She also got to ride a pony for the first time, which was very exciting! Thank you Miss Kathryn for inviting us and for the opportunity!

We were served a yummy lunch of hot dog or hamburger, and chips. Then of course, cake. Jackson had the most adorable John Deere tractor cake. It was tasty too!

Jackson received some exciting gifts, including a bike and a trip to Disneyworld. He liked the Jake stickers, Toy Story Beach towel and dump truck that Anna Claire gave him.

Landry and Anna Claire...love their faces.

Ellie and Anna Claire having a convo.

Jackson's new bike! John Deere!

Anna Claire's first pony ride!

Ava's Birthday

Ava's birthday was the first of 3 we will be going to this weekend!

Her birthday was at Kids N Play, and Anna Claire loves Kids N Play and Ava.

Anna Claire is becoming more and more comfortable doing everything there. As soon as we arrived, she dashed off with her friends to go inside the big climbing area. As soon as she got to the top, I had flashbacks to our last visit there...she got to the top and couldn't figure out how to get down and started crying and calling for me. Well, it happened again. So I did what any mommy would in that situation. I took off my shoes and climbed in to get her. Only once I got to the top, she looked me in the eyes and took off running and laughing. What a little imp.

If you haven't been to Kids N Play, it's a crazy maze that takes awhile to figure out how to get out. You climb up and down different levels through what I would call and obstacle course. On both occasions this has happened, I asked one of Anna Claire's friends how to get out, and thanks to a three-year-old, I escaped out of my Romper Room prison. ;)

Anna Claire also enjoyed playing dress up and in the vet clinic at Totville with her friends. She got a good bit of one-on-one time with Ava in both places. Love the birthday girl!

Ava had a princess birthday. All the girls got tiaras to wear and then they all enjoyed pizza, cake and ice cream.

And Ava loved her gift from Anna Claire: a princess beach sheet and princess bath toys since she is going to the beach with her family next week!

Opry Mills/Rainforest Cafe

I guess I should mention that this was our first trip to Opry Mills since they reopened following the flood, and it was also Anna Claire's first time to the Rainforest Cafe.

We really had no intention of going this weekend until we received some Skecher's Twinkle Toes in the mail that I'd ordered online last week that were too small. I read there was a Skecher's outlet at Opry Mills, and in my desperation to get my child some shoes that don't have a hole in the toe, off we went.

We started out at Bass Pro Shop. I think we could have ended the trip here as well. Anna Claire was absolutely delighted with Bass Pro. She loved the waterfall, aquariums, and animals throughout the store.

We didn't stay too long though. To get from Bass Pro to Skechers, we would have to pass Rainforest Cafe. In other words, we would have to go IN Rainforest Cafe. So there, it was decided where we would eat.

We wanted to go to the Rainforest Cafe before it got to busy. We rolled in at about 10:45. No wait. By 11:00, the waiter told us there was a 30 minute wait and it only got worse from there, so good call!

When we first spotted Rainforest Cafe, Anna Claire loved seeing the big red mushroom. Then she saw Cha Cha the frog. My hands honestly got clammy upon seeing him...the past two encounters where we've had to engage with people in costume: the Easter Bunny and the Chick-Fil-A cow, both resulted in tears. But I worried for nothing! She run up to him, gave him "five" and then a big hug. Whew! She would spend the rest of our time in the restaurant looking for him or watching him.

We were super-impressed with the food and the atmosphere! We were seated by the tigers, who had fog machines all around them and really moved and roared. On the other side of us was a giant butterfly whose wings flapped and overhead, constellations that twinkled away. The food? My quesadillas were everyone's favorite. Will definitely get those again. 

After we left the the restaurant, we went to the children's play area in the mall, but Anna Claire was not interested. She wanted to go in the toy store next door which had already caught her eye...and so we did.

Afterward was really not much to report about...went in several children's stores. Love that they are all grouped together.

We did get her two pairs of shoes...not Skechers though. Not for $44.95. We both agreed that was high for kids' shoes. For the same amount we got her some polka-dotted Tom's and a pair of gladiator sandals at Journeys Kidz. :)

An Anna Claire Vocabulary Lesson

"I want special special treat."
Translation: I want 4 chocolate covered pomegranate in a teacup.

"I need all my friends."
Translation: Help me get all of my stuffed animals and bring them in here.

"I want lots of food on my plate."
Translation: I hope there's lots of fruit on my plate.

"I need my book."
Translation: THIS book.
Linus:blanket::Anna Claire:this book

"I can have breakfast first!"
Translation: I can have a bagel with lots of cream cheese, some strawberries, blueberries, and milk.

"This is my badge, Mommy."
Translation: The packet of sunflower seeds shoved down my shirt is my badge.

Grandma and Freddie's Wedding

Anna Claire had so much fun today. And not just at the wedding. She loved the ride to and from, eating dinner with everyone, picking up and dropping off everyone, and of course, playing outside.

Anna Claire loved riding in the rental van. She's used to our little car - so low to the ground. Her car seat actually sits below the window level. The van put her way up high so she was able to see everything out the window on our ride to Fort Donelson. She loved seeing the farms, the water, and driving through little hollows.

She was thrilled to get out of the van and see the water. She wanted to run directly for it, which required a stern talking to, followed by the realization that she was surrounded by clover flower. Picking the little white flowers, just happens to be her current favorite pastime. So we sat and began picking a bouquet until the wedding actually started.

From there, my role shifted to that of photographer, while Anna Claire continued to add to her bouquet which she would ultimately give to Grandma.

After the wedding, we saw two baby foxes! I had never been so close to wild baby animals before. Anna Claire wanted to pet them and hold them so we had to explain why it was important to leave them alone.

By this time, a certain little girl needed a potty. The park workers let us come in and use the restroom even though they had already closed for the day. Thank goodness!

After leaving Fort Donelson, we headed to "the lodge" at Paris Landing for their amazing buffet. of course Anna Claire wanted lots of food on her plate. She was great the entire trip, but after eating I could tell she was full of energy and needed to run it off. So I took her outside for a walk in the garden. We found shuffleboard courts, which she mistook for hopscotch. So cute. She hopped and ran through the numbered triangles, many, many times.

We would come back out later to find some girls dressed up for prom. One was wearing an electric blue dress and a tiara. Marianne, a friend of the family, took Anna Claire over to meet "the princess." Anna Claire was star-struck. Afterward, as the girl was making her way down the hill toward the water, almost out of sight, Marianne told Anna Claire that the princess was Ariel. She was headed to the water and would turn into a mermaid. Anna Claire bought it completely. The look on her face was absolutely priceless.

After leaving the lodge, we dropped everyone off at their homes. Once we made it back to Clarksville, we all started looking for the Super Moon. Coincidentally the same day as the wedding, was the day the moon was supposed to appear 20% brighter than usual, the largest moon of the year. We did get to see it and it was an exciting way to end an exciting day.