Toddler Tips

In response to Rachel's fun-filled blog (and in celebration of her one-year bloggy anniversary), I am posting some toddler tips... even though Jaiden passed that stage a lifetime ago! Ha-ha. OK, so it was only a few years ago that she was a wee-bit!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO let your toddler ride a bike on expensive, marble floors. The hard, plastic tires do wonders for that scratched-up look you've been hoping to accomplish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO give your toddler everything he or she asks, yells, cries or screams for.... 'Cause no one wants to see that sad, pathetic face... or hear that whining, right?!? ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DON'T put your toddler in a cage... no matter how unruly he or she may be. Cages are for animals. Unless you want your child to act like an animal, it is advisable to forgo the cage altogether.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DON'T overly extend, stretch or pull your toddlers arms off.... not only is it painful for the toddler, he or she will need those appendages later on in life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO let your toddler contemplate life every now and then. He or she may come up with some profound insights.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DON'T let your toddler get abducted by aliens... as you can see in this photo, Jaiden was nearly lured into an alien spacecraft through a cleverly disguised teleportation device.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO hug your toddler often, or he or she will be forced to hug him/herself... or he or she might even tie up his/her own hands in a permanent hugging position.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO teach your toddler to fly fish... so one day he/she can feed him/herself something other than chicken nuggets and peanut butter sandwiches....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO give your toddler lots of candy and colorful plastic Easter eggs. It's fun to watch the wonder... and the confusion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DON'T dress your toddler in pumpkin orange and leave him/her stranded in the pumpkin patch. I guarantee he/she will be mistaken for a pumpkin, taken to a preschool somewhere and painted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DON'T let your toddler blow that runny nose too often, or he/she may have a red, swollen proboscis... and possibly antlers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO give your toddler new and/or unusual foods. The faces made when trying new things are priceless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DON'T put pony-tail holders in your toddler's long hair while sleeping. It's MUCH funnier to see the mad nest of hair when he/she wakes up. And, boy, is it fun to run a comb through!?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And...DO let your toddler dance... like no one's watching!

My favorite chips are -- backwards!?!

SO.... I was sitting here at my desk, hastily devouring my all-time favorite chips -- Stacy's Tuscan Herb Pita Chips -- and I figured I'd write a random little post and give them a few props, since the product is so amazingly delicious! I took a quick photo with my Mac and realized that the photo is backwards. Weird! I guess I never really noticed that the Mac camera takes "mirror-image" photos!
At any rate, enjoy my mishap photo... but, more importantly, go enjoy some Stacy's pita chips; breh nacsut is so DELICIOUS!

iPhone photos

This is a random photo.... just to say, Wow. It's true. The iPhone takes pretty good pictures!

Fun Run Funnies

Jaiden's school recently held a fundraiser that included a "fun run." She was so excited about raising money and winning little trinkets and prizes. She called and spoke to several people (neighbors and family, really) about sponsoring her... Then she ran 31 laps and raised about $225!
I thought I'd include a few pictures, just 'cause they are funny. The kids are doing all sorts of things: making faces, talking to each other, running, walking, giving high fives.... Well, I'll just let these shots speak for themselves!
(NOTE: Jaiden has on purple pants... makes her easier to spot in the blur of colors!)

Following in Mommy's... basketball shoes!

You have no idea how thrilled I am that my little girl is playing basketball! This is her very first time to play the game, so it's been a very... uh, interesting experience thus far! Not only has she had to learn all the rules -- from scratch -- she is the only girl on her team (and one of the few girls in the whole league)! But she gets to play with our neighbor, Colt. And she's having a great time. And she's really good! If only she would toughen up a bit and go after the ball! While she excels at home and does quite well in practice, she gets a bit distracted on the court. Of course, so do most of the kids! They're only 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds, after all! But I guarantee that my little Jaiden is the only one out there swinging her ponytail from side to side and doing ballerina twirls between throwing those hands up on defense and hustling down the court! And so far, she's the only one who's run out to Mommy to give her a hug... during the middle of a game! :)
Go, Number 22!

(For the record, I did play basketball as #22 for a bit, but, ultimately, I ended up with #44. So, Jaiden is about half of me right now!)

Goodbye, Bama....

Sean's grandmother passed away last week, and we held a small memorial service for her on Saturday. It was a bitter-sweet time for family and friends to say a final farewell to "Bama" (or "Grammar School") as she was called by her grand kids.
I did not know her well, but I know the stories -- from Sean and Corinne and from my mother-in-law. She was indeed a funny lady. And feisty, too. And, boy, did she love animals! I bet God will give her a special job, caring for the "least of His kingdom." And if there weren't any animals in Heaven before.... well, I bet there are now! And Marian Bogs is watching after them all....