Welcome to Resli's world

Big news from Resli's World

2010-03-21T09:09:00.002-04:00

Dear Blog Fans:

There is big news indeed -- I'm moving!

The powers that be (aka Mami) have decided that maintaining a blog for me and a blog for my sister is far too much work. I agree, since she's barely posted since Christmas. So she decided to combine our blogs together in to one family that will be updated as frequently as possible with news about me, Lela, Mami and Daddy and anything that is important to us. Sometimes all together, sometimes separately, but in one lovely digital place. So check your RSS feeds and be sure to add the new site to your favorites list. And check the World Wide Wards out at http://world-wide-wards.blogspot.com!

Thank you for following me all these 5 years, I hope you'll still keep up with my life as a part of the Ward family. We'll see you over there!

Love,

Resli

Spending time on campus

2010-03-04T20:07:00.000-05:00

I've been sick the last couple days. Nothing major as far as we or the pediatrician can tell - my eye is getting better and I have a little bit of a cough, some fluid in my ear, you know, the standard for March in Florida - but enough to keep me out of daycare. With Daddy being out of town and Mami having a full couple days of classes and meetings, well, we didn't have much choice but for me to tag along.
I went to Mami's class and talked to her students - I wanted to teach them all about princesses.

Then I checked out the view from the other side of the table.

I think I liked being a teacher better!
That was yesterday, today we had a Graduate Committee meeting, a faculty meeting, and lunch with a visiting scholar. I behaved surprisingly well, but it was a tough day on all of us. Thank goodness Mami's students and colleagues are very patient and understanding. And tomorrow, no matter what, I'm going to daycare!

Eye update

2010-03-02T19:53:00.000-05:00

Wow, those eye drops are something else, I'm doing SOOO much better in just two days.
My right eye is almost totally normal and my left eye is much improved.

By the end of the week I should be as good as new!

Another first: PINK EYE

2010-02-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning with runny, pink, swollen, painful eyes. The weekend pediatric physician service diagnosed me over the phone and I've now got eye drops to help take care of it. I don't like the eye drops at all.

But other than that I'm being a trooper about it.

(These pictures are the mildest, blog-friendliest ones we have. It's a pretty unattractive ailment...)

Pajama Day!

2010-02-25T20:02:00.000-05:00

Today was Pajama Day at school, which means I got to wear my pjs all day long. Woohoo!

Lela didn't go to school today, she spent the day at Grandma's, but she wanted to wear her pajamas too, so we let her.

Fun fun fun!

A message for Daddy, who's away on a work trip

2010-02-25T19:58:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the technological confusion there, these new gadgets can be so confusing!

Half a decade!

2010-02-09T19:52:00.002-05:00

Can you believe 5 years have passed since I was born? And can you believe that I'm already a big 5-year-old girl?!? To celebrate my special day Mami and Daddy brought cupcakes to my class at school so we could have a party with my friends.

Now, don't let this shock you, but we went with an Ariel theme again this year. Didn't Mami do a fabulous job?

Just kidding, Publix did the work this time around - isn't it amazing? They're cupcakes, so it was super easy to serve them.

Before we could eat, everyone said a prayer and sang Happy Birthday to me and to my friend Albert, who shares the same birthday.

Then we got down to business. Notice that Lela came to visit my class for the party - she was psyched to hang out with us big kids!

Yep, those sure were some yummy cupcakes!

After eating we all got up and did the A Tooty Ta dance.

Lela got to stay for that part too. Then she cried when she had to go back to her own class. But other than that sad moment it was a great party and I loved being the birthday girl all day!

The big pre-party

2010-02-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

Today was my pre-birthday, and we had a pre-birthday party to celebrate. (I'm having another party at school tomorrow with my friends, but this was for family and special friends like Ms. Jenifer.)
I opened some great presents, books, toys, clothes, etc.

And I got some nice cards from everyone too.

Of course, it wouldn't be a (pre-)party without cake - it even had my name on it!

I was so excited about the cake!

I blew out all the candles by myself and then wished, out loud, to be a princess. :)

Reading together

2010-01-23T20:09:00.000-05:00

Lela and I are starting to share a lot of the same interests, and we have similar taste in books. This is good because it lets us share our books.

And our chair, of course, we like sharing our chair.

Sisters are great!

A new do

2010-01-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, blogfans! I started the new year with a big change - a major hair cut.
In this first picture you can see my old hairstyle, which was getting very long. (And yes, in this picture I'm wheeling Lela around in the babydoll's stroller!)

Mami took me to get it cut and they cut a lot off!

What do you think? Mami really likes it, it's a lot easier in Florida's weather. I like it too, I think I look like a princess!

We wish you a merry Christmas

2009-12-25T20:29:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, blogfans! I gut up all aquiver with excitement at 6:30 this morning to go see if Santa had come. He had! At least, that's not what our tree and stockings looked like last night...

I paid pretty much no attention to that huge lump of wrapping paper to the left of the tree, but was fascinated with my stocking stuffers, from barrettes and headbands to M&Ms and slinkys.

Eventually though I discovered that big oddly shaped (and oddly wrapped thing) and discovered not only that it was for me but that it was also a real big-girl bicycle! I was so excited I climbed on before the paper was even off of it.

But then later I opened a few of the necessary accoutrements, such as streamers and a helmet (oh, and my ballet clothes, because everyone rides bikes dressed as ballerinas, don't they?), and got a better pose on the bike.

Pretty cool, huh? Unfortunately it rained all day so we didn't get a chance to try it out except in the living room, but I bet it'll be tons of fun. How were your Christmases, blog fans?

My Christmas Pageant

2009-12-25T20:20:00.002-05:00

This year I got to participate in the Christmas Pageant at church. I was a lamb. (Or a sheep, I've been called both.)

Aren't I cute?

My main job was to lead the procession to the altar, so I practiced that, back and forth:

I also got to sing Away in a Manger, and I did wonderfully. Mami and Daddy and Grandma and Granddaddy were very proud of me!

A special visit

2009-12-22T19:22:00.001-05:00

Today was a special day for me. I got to go to Daddy's Rotary Club with him. Not just that, but guess who was there? SANTA! I was so excited to see him I ran up and gave him a great big hug.

I also told him all about what a, ehem, good girl I've been all year long. I think he believed me!

He promised he would come visit me in a couple days...

After that Daddy took me to a park near his office, which I thought was very fun. My second park trip in two days - isn't vacation great?!?

The Great Christmas Performance

2009-12-18T21:19:00.002-05:00

Today was our holiday concert at school. Here we are singing our two songs: Away in a Manger and Jingle Bells.

What do you think?

My first gingerbread house

2009-12-17T19:32:00.003-05:00

At school this week we made gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. Here's mine:

It didn't last very long though!

Yummy...

Dance recital

2009-12-17T19:30:00.001-05:00

Last week we had our dance recital in Ms. Amy's dance class. I showed off my moves for the crowd.

Check out the air on this one - good photography Daddy!

I've told Santa that I really hope he brings me some new dance clothes, since mine are getting way too small. Do you think he will?

Christmas cheer

2009-12-09T20:04:00.000-05:00

A Christmas dance for you to enjoy

2009-12-06T16:56:00.002-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The best Christmas tree ever

2009-12-06T16:20:00.003-05:00

We went on a quest yesterday to find the perfect Christmas tree. It was cold and rainy, but there were a lot of pretty trees out at Pam's lot.

I looked and looked and finally found the greatest tree ever.

We brought it home and then started decorating it this afternoon.

Daddy hung the high ornaments because he's so tall.

And this is the final product. What do you think?

We're getting so excited for Christmas around here!

Our trip to D.C.

2009-12-02T20:05:00.005-05:00

As you know if you've seen Lela's blog, we all went up to Washington D.C. for Thanksgiving. It was cold there, we needed hats and jackets and everything!

We did a lot of fun stuff. Here are some of my favorite pictures of the weekend, in no particular order.

One day we went to the zoo. We saw all kinds of cool animals, like pandas, elephants, lions, tigers prarie dogs... and the orangutans came out to see us too.

My Aunt Melissa is my godmother, and I always call her my Fairy Godmother. So when we saw this store we had to take a picture in front of it!

We also went to see the Capitol, which is right near cousin Reeny's house.

And since Daddy says I'm going to be a lawyer one day (I like arguing with him), we took a picture of me in front of the Supreme Court too.

All this patriotic stuff got me going, and I proudly showed everyone that I've learned the Pledge of Allegiance, too.

I hope we can go back to D.C. soon!

Class photos

2009-11-15T20:50:00.000-05:00

At my school this year the class photos they took had a "treasures in the attic" theme. Mami and Daddy weren't too sure about that, but some of the pictures came out really cute.
Here I am playing the violin. Sure, it's a prop, but did you know my Mami and my Aunt Melissa play the violin too?

I got to take pictures with my sister Lela, too. We had a great time posing together.

Well, now you all know what you're getting in your stockings this Christmas. :)

Saturday fun

2009-11-14T20:03:00.000-05:00

We haven't been posting much because there hasn't been that much going on. Today was a Saturday like any other, but if you want to see what we did, here are some pictures.
We played with playdoh in the morning. (Mami and Daddy quickly regretted not covering the rug...)

Lela and I played dress-up (see how much Lela's got on? And see how little I've got on, maybe "dress down" is more appropriate for me!) and then pretended it was naptime.

We all went on a nature walk and had a picnic at the park. I played on the slide, up and down and up and down.

And we took a family picture to end the day right.

See, nothing that exciting, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T20:14:00.003-05:00

We got to celebrate Halloween twice this year!

Friday was a fall festival at my school, and we were allowed to wear our costumes.
Here's what I was: Cinderella!

Lela dressed up as a bumble bee for about 3 and 1/2 minutes.

She looked adorable but hated her costume so went to school in regular clothes.

Then yesterday, for Halloween, we went trick or treating at Publix, where they had a whole treasure map set up and different stations with fun games and treats.

I was Cinderella again.

Lela refused the bumble bee costume, so Mami improvised a sort of cat costume for her.

(The overall effect is lessened by: a) her insistence on wearing the gator shirt; b) her refusal to take her pacifier out of her mouth without screaming and quite frankly it was a battle I didn't want to fight); and c) her hatred of all hair accoutrement, thus the ears attached to a cap. Sigh.)
But we had a great time at Publix, and everyone said how cute we were. I kept telling people that they were giving me "just too much" candy, and I haven't even eaten a single piece of it yet. I think I liked the idea of getting stuff from people more than I cared about what I was getting!)

And then we got to go out to dinner because Mami wanted to watch the rest of the Florida-Georgia game. (The Gators won. Again.) Lela and I took the chance to check out our loot.

Overall a great holiday, I'd say!

County fair

2009-10-25T20:37:00.004-04:00

We went on a very special outing today - we went to the Alachua County fair! There was so much to do and see. There were bunnies and peacocks and chickens,

and horses and cows (but they didn't smell very good...).

Mami let us try this thing called cotton candy:

Yea, I can get in to this!

I was such a big girl that I went on a bunch of rides by myself, like these little cars (I rode the school bus - twice!).

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

And I went on this cool swing ride that went around and around. I look a little queasy but claim to have loved it.

There were some rides I couldn't go on alone. All four of us went on a roller coaster, and Mami took me and Lela on these flying bumble bees that went up and down and around.

And then the best part is that Mami's magic talents with darts and balloons won me this princess thing and Daddy won me a unicorn with his prowess with a water gun. I named the unicorn Narnia (Mami has no idea I'd ever heard of Narnia...).

It was all very exciting, and I could barely keep my eyes open on the way home I was so tired. Be sure to check Lela's blog for her version of events.

Getting ready for Halloween

2009-10-25T09:25:00.002-04:00

Did you all know Halloween is coming up? I can hardly wait! (This is a big week - Lela's birthday, then Grandpa's birthday, then Halloween, all in a row. WOW!)

Yesterday we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. There were so many there I didn't know where to begin!

This was a funny looking bumpy one, I didn't think I wanted THAT one!

This one was kind of comfy, that could be an added bonus?

This is the one Mami says was the cutest, what do you think?

We finally came home with two great pumpkins, one for me and one for Lela. We'll carve them soon.

In the mean time, I've also been preparing my Halloween costume - we accessorized today. Check out my crown, gloves and shoes. Can you guess who I'm going to be?

We'll be sure to post more of the real costume, of course.

Change in the weather

2009-10-20T20:19:00.000-04:00

We've been having some great cool, fall weather lately and Lela and I have taken advantage to have lots of fun outdoors.
Of course, I keep saying "Brrr" because I'm a true Florida gal.

But Lela doesn't seem to mind the nip in the air.

And if we do enough running around, we don't really have time to get chilly!

Homecoming Parade

2009-10-20T20:11:00.003-04:00

Last weekend was homecoming, and it was extra special because Grandpa and Eleanor came all the way from New York to visit (more on that on Lela's blog). So to get ready for the homecoming parade we all got in our gator finest, of course.

The parade had all kinds of cool things to see, like Albert and Alberta:

And the cheerleaders on a firetruck:

That firetruck made a lot of noise and I didn't like that part.

But Daddy lent me his hat to protect my ears and all was good again.

When the marching bands started parading by, Lela and I couldn't help but get up and dance!

What a great parade that was! I'm already looking forward to next year's!

Daddy's birthday cake

2009-10-17T10:51:00.000-04:00

You blogfans know Daddy loves the Gators, right? So we decided, for his (2-days-late) birthday party, to make him a GATOR CAKE!

I helped mix and stir and get everything set for baking.

Then we painted my nails orange and blue for homecoming while we waited.

And then I helped (mostly verbally) while Mami decorated the cake.

Happy late birthday Daddy, and Go Gators!

Dress-up

2009-10-04T15:04:00.000-04:00

When we play dress-up, Lela and I seem to have a different understanding of what that game entails.
I put on something fun like this visor.

She puts on extra clothes!

Who is sillier?

Time to bake!

2009-10-04T15:03:00.000-04:00

Lela and I got out our baking tools this morning to make cakes for everyone who has a birthday coming up. We had everything we needed, from strainers to pans to spoons and magnetic letters.

Isn't that how you make cakes?

Lela was my designated taster.

Yum yum!

I can't wait until we have real cakes to eat. Daddy and Lela both have birthdays this month - woohoo!

Sunday fun

2009-09-27T21:02:00.002-04:00

Today was a great Sunday, we did all kinds of Sunday things.
Lela and I hugged and mushed each other.

We read books together.

We went to Publix and we each got our own cart! (We had a lot of shopping to do...)

But mostly we did a lot of cuddling with Mami, because she's been traveling so much lately and we missed her a lot. And she missed us.

Happy Sunday to everyone!

Jacksonville

2009-09-15T05:51:00.000-04:00

We went to Jacksonville last weekend for Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Brian's wedding. (Our camera died, we have very few pictures, but you can check Lela's blog for some...)
We spent two days in a hotel room (and it rained, a lot, so we didn't even get to go to the beach). My favorite part was that I had my very own bed to sleep in.

Lela and I both liked the breakfast buffet though, we have to admit. They didn't have cheerios, but we made do.

We went to a children's museum one afternoon and they had all kinds of neat exhibits on the human body, and fish, and reptiles and dinosaurs. We had a great time and I was sure to show everyone which two of my teeth have come out. (Oh, by the way, my second tooth came out on Saturday!)

Lela showed us which teeth she's still missing . . .

We had a great time, and it was wonderful to see the wedding and to see how happy Liz and Brian were. Congratulations, you two!

Labor Day picnic

2009-09-15T05:39:00.000-04:00

Last week for Labor Day we celebrated with a picnic outside on the porch. Lela and I thought that was just about the neatest thing ever.

We ate

and drank

and had a grand ole time!

Aunt Lizzie's 'bagel shower'

2009-09-06T20:45:00.004-04:00

Today we drove up to Jacksonville for Aunt Lizzie's 'bagel shower.' (That's BRIDAL SHOWER to you, but I can't seem to get the name quite right...) We drove up with Grandma and Aunt Sharon, and Mrs. P. was there too.

So were lots of Liz's friends, and we all brought her presents to help her celebrate her upcoming wedding. I was very eager to help her open them, and I was a great help to her.

She got all kinds of cool stuff, from glasses to towels.

Hopefully she'll share some of it with Uncle Brian too.
I then made use of all the wonderful shopping bags and walked around pretending I had just spent a day at Saks Fifth Avenue.

And then Mami and I got silly with the bows from the presents and put them in my hair. I really liked that, even though I closed my eyes for the picture.

It was great to spend the day with friends and family, and we can't wait for Aunt Lizzie's wedding next weekend!

Chomp chomp!

2009-09-04T10:43:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year again, Gator football is about to start! Our first game is tomorrow so we're getting ready by wearing our gator gear to school today. And we're practicing our chompin'!

We're hoping for a big victory tomorrow. GO GATORS!

My tooth came out!

2009-08-30T11:55:00.000-04:00

Remember how my tooth was loose? Well, it fell out Friday at school! See?

Can't see it? Here, try this one:

Unfortunately, we're not sure what happened to the tooth itself, but the tooth fairy came and left me some stickers anyway.
And now, the OTHER bottom one is loose too...

I'm growing up so fast...

2009-08-22T08:16:00.002-04:00

I've had two pretty big milestones this week that I wanted to share with you all. First, I started my new school, and I'm in the PRE-K class! Can you believe I'm almost ready to go to kindergarten next year?!? I'm so good at recognizing letters and numbers, and getting better at writing. Soon I might be reading. In the meantime, my artistic skills are developing nicely too. Here's a picture I drew at school the other day of me and Mami and Daddy. (Lela isn't in it because, according to what I told Mami, it's the day we all went to the day we went to Weeki Wachee. Daddy is supposed to be "fixing something" and - as I pointed out to Daddy - I generously "gave him hair.")

My other big news - are you ready for this? - is that one of my teeth is loose! We all thought I wouldn't lose my baby teeth for quite a while longer, but my bottom front tooth is certainly wiggling around and wanted to get out of my mouth. Taking pictures of it is hard, just like when I was a few months old... They're a little blurry, but hopefully you can see that front one that's all crooked and dancing around in there:

Nonetheless, I still have my stunning smile!

We'll keep you posted on the fate of Mr. BraveTooth...

Shalom, Kol Tuv.

2009-08-14T20:57:00.006-04:00

Today was my last day at B'nai Israel School. (Lela's too, but she's only been there a few months, I've been there almost three years.) Mami came for our last Shabbat, we're going to miss that a lot.

(I hope I don't forget all those great Hebrew songs...)

We took the opportunity to get some pictures with my teachers, whom I will miss very much.

Here's Ms. Debby, she's the principal.

And you know Ms. Jenifer by now, I'm sure. She's my favorite, she's been my teacher (on and off) for my whole time at B'nai! I know I'll see her again outside of school, but it'll be hard to have a different teacher.

Here's Mr. Joe. I had a great year with him too. He doesn't let me get away with any of my usual stuff, but he also gets my sense of humor and we laugh a lot.

Ms. Patie was my teacher at summer camp this summer and we had some fun times together too.

This last picture is with Ms. Adriana. She was my teacher for a while when I was two, and she's been Lela's teacher lately, but I still love getting to see her. She speaks Spanish, too! (I would not share my challah with her, no matter how much I like her!)

Thank you all for so many wonderful memories, for teaching Resli and Lela so many great things, for helping Resli grow up so much. We'll miss you. Shalom.

Ribbit

2009-08-09T20:11:00.000-04:00

We got a new rug and shower curtain for my bathroom today. Isn't it awesomely adorable?

(Not as adorable as I am, I know, but the only time there would be a picture of me AND this stuff would be when I'm on the potty, and we know you don't want to see that!)

Getting ready for commencement

2009-08-07T19:52:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is summer commencement at UF, and Mami is escorting a PhD student. That means she gets to wear her fancy regalia (you know, a robe), and it comes with a fancy hat called a tam.

Of course, I wanted to try it on:

And then Lela wanted to try it on too.

Do you think if we get PhDs one day we'll get to wear a tam??

Sweet Publix goodness

2009-08-05T06:09:00.000-04:00

We just dig those Publix cookies!

Yummy!

Seriously, why would anyone shop anywhere else?!?

Helping Mami with her work

2009-08-05T06:04:00.000-04:00

Mami has a lot of work to do this summer since she's taking over the coordination of the lower division Spanish program. She had to write seven different syllabi!

I thought I'd help her out with the one for the advanced review class - don't you agree with my changes?

Lela looked on and thought, 'Ooh, that's nice work Resli...

... but I prefer me some Mickey!"

Two girls in a box (updated)

2009-07-30T18:27:00.001-04:00

(What did you expect? I said it was two girls in a box...)

UPDATE:
Here are two more girls in a box. Who do you think they are?

Special snack!

2009-07-28T20:50:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend Mami and Daddy let us have a special snack, sitting at the table in the living room!

We thought that (along with the raisin bread with cream cheese - see Nana, Mami finally took your advice) was about the coolest thing ever.

It was a pretty sweet snack-time adventure!

Architectural aspirations

2009-07-19T09:30:00.002-04:00

I got really in to the legos this weekend, exploring my potential as an architect.

Lela did her own building too, but I was on a mission.

She didn't do half bad though, considering she's not even two, right?

I was so busy I barely took time out for a smile!

Lela and I did help each other a little, but we mostly did our own things.

One day maybe we'll collaborate on a great big endeavor.

For now, though, look at the castle I built! I was very proud of it.

Then we had to put the legos away, so today I have to build a whole new one. How fun!

Weeki Wachee!

2009-07-15T16:34:00.007-04:00

You guys may not have known this, but mermaids are real. I didn't think they were either, until today, when I saw them with my own two eyes.

We took a special trip, just me and Daddy and Mami, to a magical place a couple hours south of here called Weeki Wachee. I had been so excited about going that my parents thought I was going to give myself a coronary, so the long drive down was difficult for me. But finally we made it, and even in their parking lot there were mermaids!

The first thing we did, the main attraction, was wait to see the mermaids swimming in the springs. I was sooooo excited!

And the show was awesome! The pictures didn't come out too well but I wanted you to see that there were real live mermaids swimming underwater putting on a show for us!

Singing too!

That was just about the best thing ever. I even told Mami it was better than Disney. ("Well, Disney was good, but they didn't have, like, mermaids. You know?")

The other attraction is a nice boat ride down the river from the springs. We had to wait a while on the dock.

Daddy and I used the time to hang out and talk.

He pretended he was going to throw me in the water! And I fell for it every single time.

Oh Daddy, you're so silly!

Then we took the boat ride and saw all kinds of neat stuff, fish and turtles and cool birds. The guide explained it all to us as we went.

It was nice and all. But can I remind you that I SAW MERMAIDS TODAY!??!?

(Aren't you jealous?)

Afternoon storm

2009-07-11T10:04:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things about summertime in Gainesville is the intense afternoon rainstorms that we get so often. When the thunder and lightning passes and we're left with those great drenching rains, I love to go outside and play! (Normally Mami and Daddy don't condone this, but it was right before bathtime so it was ok.)

The other good thing is that we don't have to water our tree when it rains! :)

Happy Birthday America! - a musical tribute

2009-07-05T20:23:00.005-04:00

OK, a day late, but Happy 4th of July, everyone!

And just for good measure, while I was in a singing mood, we sang some John Denver too, although it's not as patriotic of course.

I'm quite the performer, aren't I?
(PS - The cameraman was being attacked by one of my younger adoring fans during that second video, which explains that unsteadiness of the shot. We beg your pardon.)

A trip to the beach!

2009-07-04T19:47:00.003-04:00

For the holiday weekend we took a short trip to Crescent Beach, near St. Augustine. I was so excited for days beforehand that I could barely stand it, and on the car drive over yesterday I was downright giddy!

Lela and I had to sport our shades because the sun was so bright, but she had a hard time putting hers on.

Not me, I'm ready to be a super star!

The beach was absolutely beautiful and I couldn't get enough of it - the sand, the water, the waves, everything.

There was a pool at our hotel tool, and I got to practice my swimming and diving and jumping.

It was an amazing trip, and hopefully we'll go again soon. Mami and Daddy love the beach too, so we're going to try to figure out a way to make it happen more often. They also like how tired Lela and I both got, it makes us sleep well!

(How on earth can I just fold myself in half like this? It makes Mami's neck hurt just looking at it!)

Greening the shopping experience

2009-07-01T09:36:00.000-04:00

In an apparent effort to reduce carbon emissions, Publix seems to have eliminated their cars for us to ride in!

This means that Lela and I had to ride in a normal cart. She got to sit up front where there's a seat belt, and I had to sit in the back. The further in to our shopping trip we got, the more crowded it got back there!

It wasn't that bad, I thought it was kinda funny to hide underneath the food!

And by the way, Publix hasn't gotten rid of the cars. We were just at the store right near campus which, apparently, doesn't see many under-18 patrons, and therefore they just don't have them there.

What have I been talking about lately?

2009-06-28T21:55:00.006-04:00

In the last month or so, these are the words that I've used in my blog (bigger words are more popular):

(Do you like it? You can make one too from http://www.wordle.net)

Amazing Butterflies!

2009-06-28T20:32:00.010-04:00

We went to the museum this afternoon because they're having a special butterfly exhibit, in addition to the outdoor butterfly rainforest, of course. It's really cool, it's a big maze that teaches you all about the life of a caterpillar/butterfly.

You start off as just a little caterpillar, see?

As a baby, you have to learn how to move, inching forward piece by piece. Good thing Lela and I are so good at working together!

Then we learned about leaves, climbing, and eating. (I thought this part helped me resemble a fairy... Fairy, butterfly, same idea!)

But not all leaves are good! There are some plants that try to eat you if you're a caterpillar - they have these creepy leg-like things on them. I did NOT like this part!

Then, once you're all full of leaves, you build yourself a cocoon and hang out there for a while.

Then you're a butterfly! (There were no pictures of that part of the maze, we kind of got lost and confused for a little bit...)

As a butterfly, you have to be very careful of spiders. We climbed up a spider web just to see what it would be like, even though as a butterfly you should never do this.

I got all the way to the top!

And then the spider came home - can you see her face? Eeeek!

Ha ha, Mami's funny...

Apparently butterflies dance to attract their prince charmings. This I can handle!

I don't know what this was all about but it spun around and was fun.

However, the very best part of the exhibit was getting to fly like a butterfly! With the help of a nice butterfly-helper-man, of course.

That was so much fun I did it again:

What a great - and educational - way to spend a VERY hot afternoon, don't you think?

Some close-ups

2009-06-25T20:47:00.001-04:00

For some reason Mami thought I looked particularly cute at dinner tonight so she took some pictures. Now she'll subject you to them too.

He's got the whole ... what?

2009-06-25T20:16:00.002-04:00

Just a little dinnertime serenade. . .

So long, thumb!

2009-06-20T20:34:00.005-04:00

For several weeks now, Mami and Daddy have been trying to convince me to stop sucking my thumb. For the post part, I ignored them. But then one day, pretty much on my own, I just up and decided that I wouldn't suck it anymore.

(I'm very strong willed. If you tell me the sky is blue I will swear it's fuschia. But if you tell me you don't care what color it is, I'll describe it in minute perfect detail...)

Sooo, anyway, for about two and a half weeks now, I simply have not sucked my thumb during the day at all. The only time I do it is during nap time or bed time, and even then just for a couple minutes. Mami and Daddy are very proud of me and Mami took me on a special treat today to celebrate what a big, thumbless girl I am - I got a real manicure and pedicure!

I was a little confused at first, what with the bathtub for my feet and all, but I adjusted pretty quickly. My pedicurist was extremely nice and gentle.

We washed my feet and then scrubbed them. (As if I have any callouses at my tender age!)

It tickled!

Then I got a calf massage. I tried to lie back and relax but it tickled a little too!

And then... we painted. I got to pick my own colors!

We painted my hands too. I picked a different color for them.

And here's the final product:

OK, here's a close-up. Fingers = bright purple, toes = turquoise!

I'm very proud of myself, and it was so much fun!

"Mami got the tenure!"

2009-06-18T14:56:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for two reasons. One, it's almost Mami's birthday, and two, she got some exciting news at work:

(I make it sound like a disease, "the tenure,"... But it really is a good thing!)

Lela and I were clearly very proud of her.

I did some jumping to show her just how much!

But we celebrated with an extra special treat: CAKE!

Don't be fooled, it's not just me and Lela that like cake, Mami's a fan of Publix buttercream icing herself:

We lit the candles and sang to Mami, and Daddy tried very hard not to burn himself with the sparkles. (The things he does for Mami... quite touching, really.)

Check out these looks of pure rapture on our faces as we watch the cake make its way in:

Mami opened our presents too, and will open the others on her real birthday. She seems happiest with the bow.

It was a nice little party!

Swimming progress

2009-06-17T20:23:00.007-04:00

I've been making great progress in my swimming lessons. Tomorrow is the last day but Mami came with the camera today to document my work (since Lela is having her surgery tomorrow, I'm going to my lesson with Grandma).

Don't worry, no matter how good I get I will always start the day with a little Ariel pose.

(This is the one I mean: !)
Then I dip my hair in the water and get ready for fun.

One of the first things we work on every day is blowing bubbles. Check me out!

We've also learned to float on our backs, and I can almost do it now without sticking my legs straight up in the air.

In my down time while Ms. Amanda is helping the other girls, I like to practice putting my head under water. My friend Jayla looks at me funny when I do this.

I went so far under once that Ms. Amanda got a little worried and had to check to make sure I was doing this on purpose.

Note that Mami wasn't worried, she kept filming. Brave fearless blogger, she is.

But I was fine, I came right up smiling!

OK, a little wet and bedraggled sometimes, but happy!

My favorite part is by far the jumping in, still. And look how good I'm getting!:

But also, look how good I've gotten at kicking:
And even almost swimming!

I'm really hoping Mami will sign me up for some more lessons so I can keep learning!

Sign me up for the triathlon!

2009-06-11T17:02:00.005-04:00

As you know, I've been learning how to swim this week.
I'm doing great, Mami and I spent the afternoon at the pool today and I jumped from the side into the water without holding on to anyone. Over and over. And over. And I'm almost able to kick my way back up to the surface.

In the mean time, when Mami came to pick me up at Grandma's yesterday I had a brand new trick to show her - I had learned to ride my tricycle! The Big Wheels isn't quite as easy, but we practiced with it at home this morning. And of course we got a video for you blog fans.

I of course have been a master of running for quite some time now. So triathlon, here I come!

My first trip to the dentist!

2009-06-09T15:16:00.004-04:00

It's been quite a week for me. I went to swimming lessons again this morning and then after that Mami and I went to the dentist. I'd never been before.
At first, I had a hard time sitting in the special chair, I kept sliding down!

But then I figured it out. I was very brave and kept saying 'ahh', even when I didn't need to.

They got me all ready with this bib thing and sunglasses because they were using a bright light. And then they tilted me backwards and the nice lady counted my teeth.

(20, in case you're wondering.)

Then she brushed them. She let me choose what flavor toothpaste I wanted. I chose orange.

And then when I was all shiny and clean, the dentist himself came in to look at me teeth. He counted them again (I guess he didn't trust Ms. Tina), and poked at each one of them to make sure it was ok.

Check out these pearly whites!

I did great. Mami was very proud of me! Then I played by myself in the little playroom they have there while Mami got her teeth cleaned. She was even prouder of that!

We get to go back in 6 months, at which point they said they might brave x-rays, but we'll see about that... those lead aprons probably weigh more than I do! :)

Swimming lessons

2009-06-08T19:53:00.006-04:00

We've decided this summer that I'm going to learn to swim.

If you think about it, it really is ridiculous that I don't know yet. I mean, we live in Florida where it's like 400 degrees every day, and on top of that my Mami LOVES swimming. Yea, she does laps several times a week, yet she's never taken me with her... hrmph.

So, we signed me up for two weeks of daily classes at the public pool near our house. I was super excited and woke up at a ridiculously early hour this morning to run in to Mami and Daddy's room to remind them that swimming lessons started today. Because of my eagerness, we arrived at the pool a bit early and had to kill some time. Luckily, the lifeguard (behind me in this picture) knew the whole Little Mermaid story, called me Ariel, and had a lovely conversation with me about being mermaids and living in grottos and such.

Then we all got to sit on the side of the pool and we met Ms. Amanda, our teacher. So far so good.
Next, came a short adventure out and back, holding on to her. Just to get us used to the water and stuff. I was definitely a little scared at first, but after about 2 seconds I LOVED it. I had a hard time waiting until it was my turn to go again (and there were only 4 kids in the class!).

Ms. Amanda taught us how to kick next. My friend Jane (or so I thought at first, but it's actually something like Jayla or Jaylene, not too sure...), next to me, and I had a great time seeing who could splash the most. So much so that my Mami and her Daddy were a little worried we'd propel ourselves right off the edge of the pool!

Ms. Amanda came over to see how we were doing. We got high fives for our progress.

Then, to put those kicks to good use: a kicking sally out and back!

I did great!

But the best part by far was what happened at the end of each of those little trips: we got to 'talk to the fishies'! That means, by the way, that you put your head under the water and blow bubbles!

I know, you're thinking that I would be way too scared to do this, but I wasn't!
It freaked me out a little the first time...

...but from that point on, I went ALL the way under each time! (AND, I was the only one of us who didn't actually breathe IN under water.)

No problems there! It was a blast!

I can't wait to go back tomorrow, I hope we learn something new and exciting and mermaid-like!

Doing a mitzvah

2009-06-07T20:11:00.002-04:00

We learn all about "doing mitzvahs" in school. And although it may be a little confusing, I decided to perform a mitzvah by helping out at church. Our friend Kathy needed some help with the donations for our sister parish in Cuba, and I immediately volunteered to help.

Of course, the fact that they were in a red wagon may have made me a little more willing to help, but don't let that undermine your generous image of me.

I wheeled them all the way in to where they needed to go. And that was one heavy wagon!

Wasn't that a good thing to do? I was pretty proud of myself!

Does anyone think this is a good idea?

2009-06-07T20:10:00.000-04:00

Movin' On Up

2009-06-03T20:11:00.001-04:00

I'm fairly certain we've used this title for a post before, but if we did it was probably about a year ago and I'm sure you didn't remember it, did you? At any rate, it's appropriate, as today was the Moving Up ceremony at my school.
Grandma and Granddaddy (and of course Daddy and Mami) came to see it.

Every class had a performance or two. This was our first song. I think it's the days of the week in Hebrew, although we're not sure what the yawning thing is. Can anyone offer any help?

And this is our second song, about Shabbot (I think!).

And then I got my certificate saying that I'm moving up from the three's (Sagol) class to the PRE-K class next year, can you believe it? (Mami missed where they said my name. Again, second year in a row. Sigh. And we got my friend Adam too, just for fun!)

I was very proud of my certificate!

The best part of the day, though, was of course Ms. Jenifer. She's been my teacher for three whole years, and she won't be at my school anymore in the fall. We know we'll still see her, but I'm sure going to miss having her as my teacher.

Happy Anniversary Mami and Daddy!

2009-05-30T16:32:00.003-04:00

Mami and Daddy celebrated being married for five years on May 29th! (I'm four years and three months old... Hmmm, anyone know math?)
Mami and I helped give Daddy a special present. First, there was a card, which had a little mystery poem and a big long string attached to it. Daddy had to follow the string.

It went all over the house, and I followed him to make sure he did it right.

It went out to the back yard, where along the way it was tied to a new shovel. Hmmm...

Then it went all the way around the front yard too.

... Where he found a tree! (Gifts for the 5th anniversary are wood... get it?)

It's a Murcott tangerine tree!

Mami and I then got to work with the shovel.

And finally we have a planted tree in our yard! Woo hoo!

In about two years we should have yummy sweet tangerines!

Max's birthday party

2009-05-23T20:40:00.004-04:00

My friend Max turned 5 years old yesterday and he invited me to his birthday party at Sun Country today. I love Sun Country, so I was very excited.

We started off in this great big room full of bounce houses and other neat blow up things.

There was a big huge slide that I could not get enough of.

Wheeee!

There was a smaller bounce house without a roof, a bounce yard, I guess.

I had fun in there mostly because every time I got to the edge to try to get out Mami pushed me back in!

Just to get even, I made her roll around on the mats with me. :)

Then we all went in to the big gym and did an obstacle course of climbing, rolling, jumping and tumbling.

We played a brief game of duck duck goose. I was never goosed, which is good because I've never played that before and I'm not sure I would have done the right thing!

Then we played with a parachute.

But guess how we ended the afternoon... Yep, with CAKE!

Happy birthday, Max!

Rain rain go away... or not

2009-05-22T21:51:00.000-04:00

I don't know about where you all live, but it has been raining like crazy here this past week. Seriously, like every day! My new favorite thing to do in the rain is splash in the puddles. (Why? We're not sure, except that I do have one book in which Princess Jasmine claims that splashing in puddles is a great pasttime... Yea, Mami and Daddy are lookin' for the author of that book!)
Today, as with every other day this week, it was raining when we came home from school. So what did we do? Run outside to splash!

Lela was a little apprehensive at first, but she found her rainy day groove eventually.

We both danced and jumped and splashed, and even Mami and Daddy may have stomped a puddle or two.

Sure, we were drenched, but it was almost bathtime anyway. Besides, what else are you going to do with all this rain?

They say that the sun might come out tomorrow, but we'll believe that when we see it!

Best big sister. Ever!

2009-05-22T11:18:00.000-04:00

Lela's a great little sister, but every now and then she needs some help, and that's just what big sisters are for.

Success!

Check Lela's blog, you'll see how she has some problems with the whole neat self-feeding thing!

Water, water, water!

2009-05-16T20:39:00.002-04:00

This afternoon we went to play at my favorite water place, the fountain on campus. (Can you imagine what I'd think if I knew there were, like, POOLS and stuff?)

Today I wasn't even scared at first. It was really hot and muggy so maybe that's why I just ran right in to get wet.

Within minutes I was soaked!

And just kept going and going.

Lela had some fun as well, and we played together.

Uh oh. Then the camera got wet...

I guess that's it for the pictures.

A very appreciative week!

2009-05-16T20:29:00.003-04:00

We had a big week this week. It was Grandma's birthday on Thursday AND it was teacher appreciation week at school.
We made a cake for Grandma, about which I was very excited. Partly because, yea, I'm that kind of giving, caring granddaughter, but partly because I LOVE CAKE!

(That curve with the candles was intentional, although at the time it seemed like a much better idea than it appears to have been!)

Then I worked really hard on some cards to show my teachers how much I love them. I really do.

Lela made cards too. She has fewer teachers than I do, but she loves them a lot as well.

Mami helped us with the names because we're not so good at spelling yet. And for some odd reason, she wouldn't let us near the glitter glue. Sheesh, Mami!

But what a great week, when we get to tell the people we love how important they are to us, right?

Lunch with Aunt Lizzie

2009-05-10T20:33:00.002-04:00

Aunt Lizzie came to town for lunch yesterday so she could see her Mami for Mother's Day. (That's Grandma to you and me.)

We talked about some serious things first.

And then we got silly.

No, really. Aunt Lizzie just brings out the crazy in me!

It was good to see you, Liz!

An early Mother's Day celebration at school

2009-05-10T20:32:00.002-04:00

We had a little breakfast party at school on Friday to celebrate our mothers. Lela's class and my class both did something, so Mami was very lucky indeed!

Lela and I both liked the special treat as well.

And Ms. Jenifer set up a photo shoot op, complete with background, crown and tiara.

No, Mami didn't escape it, here we are!

She's so grateful for our wonderful teachers!

Spring dance recital

2009-05-08T20:59:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures from my dance recital this week. I've learned a lot, don't you think?

Well, wait. That didn't work so well. There were, like 26 pictures in that movie, but it didn't even show half of them. Grr. OK, here's a collage and another video for your viewing pleasure:

Bathing beauties

2009-05-06T15:10:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when one of our parents has to go out in the evening, the other is left bathing the two of us all by him- or herself. They say that this can be a challenge, but come on, look at us:

How could this be anything but a joyful family experience?

Maternal instincts

2009-05-06T15:08:00.000-04:00

I love being a big sister (usually). I also think I'm gearing up to be a super mom, and every now and then I get all maternal and care-giver-y with my baby dolls.

"Shhh, baby, here's your food."

A butterfly kind of day

2009-05-02T16:38:00.002-04:00

Today is Saturday. It was a warm, sunny, nothin-to-do kind of morning, so we thought... What better way to pass the time than to go see the butterflies!?!

So off we went. I really wanted one to land on me. But it didn't. Not this time.

Lela caught one!

(Just kidding, it's a finger puppet!)

I caught a lot of them in my butterfly princess crown. :)

We just love the butterfly place, we can't get enough of it!

Two virtual friends meet at last

2009-04-29T20:42:00.003-04:00

On the drive back down to Florida, we made a stop in South Carolina to see some of Mami's friends. I was really excited about this because I have been a big fan of Maleah and Ashlyn's blog for years, ever since Maleah was born. But we'd never actually met in person, so this was an exciting moment!

Here I am with Maleah.

We immediately started playing together, as if we'd been friends our whole lives. (Which we have, but just virtually!)

We both have little sisters, so we all took a picture together.

And then we let our parents join us too - here we all are:

It was a great visit and a nice way to break up the very long drive home!

Water adventures!

2009-04-29T20:36:00.003-04:00

Next to the playground we played at in the afternoon, there was this little stream. Daddy wanted us to go take a look. I went a little further than that: in less than 30 seconds I had stripped down to my underpants and ran right in!

It was a little chilly, but I LOVED it!

Guess who I pretended to be? Ariel!

I sang and pretended to swim and all that stuff. It was so much more fun than in the bathtub!

Mami had no mercy with the fact that it was a little chilly, and she kept splashing me and getting me even wetter. But that's ok, I was having fun.

Until, that is, we saw THIS SNAKE!

There was a woman there who kept telling us we were silly to be afraid, but Daddy knows all about water moccasins, and this one matched every aspect of its description. So we did not wait around to make any further identifications. (What is it about me and Mami attracting snakes?!?)

Out and about in the Carolina foothills

2009-04-29T20:29:00.003-04:00

We did so many fun things during our trip to Nana's that it's hard to remember them all!

One of my favorites was playing in this little area across from her house.

I LOVED the gazebo and could have spent hours there!

We also went to the barn where Nana's horse lives. Look at all this open space for me to run crazy!

We took a break for snack time, too, of course.

Yes, Lela was there too. Didn't you know that?

A kitty cat walked by while we were snacking! I thought that was cool.

Later that day we went to a neat playground where they had all kinds of fun stuff to do.

And... there was a little river there. Next blogpost deals with that!

Passing time with Nana

2009-04-29T20:23:00.002-04:00

There were a lot of reasons I was thrilled to spend some time at Nana's. Mostly, that we have a great time together. But also right up there is this wonderful merry-go-round horse that she has in her room, on rockers.

(My mami remembers playing on this horse with Aunt Melissa when she was not much older than I am now, although it wasn't a rocker then. Nana has put a ton of work in to repainting and refinishing it.)

Nana helped me up.

I pretended I was a princess riding around my kingdom. (You're not surprised by the princess part, are you?)

I also had fun just hanging out and stuff too. I was feeling so happy that I even was willing to share my yogurt with my sister.

And Nana let me help her walk her dog Ollie. That's a big responsibility, but I think I did ok.

We had lots of fun, as you'll see in the posts coming up!

The family that road trips together....

2009-04-29T20:20:00.001-04:00

... rents a minivan! We took a long drive this weekend to go see Nana in North Carolina. Even though I had my moments, I was overall a very big, patient girl and entertained myself pretty well on the drive (9 hours each way).

Thank goodness for mac-n-cheese at the lunch stop!

And of course, a good nap can always kill a little time.

Too many cooks in the kitchen?

2009-04-23T21:22:00.000-04:00

Oh yes, most definitely. This was just the start of the mess!

It's magic. It's a mermaid. It's balloon-Ariel!

2009-04-22T21:07:00.000-04:00

We went out to dinner tonight to celebrate the last day of classess for Mami for the semester. We went to Beef O's, which I've always liked. But tonight they had a magician to entertain us. He showed me tricks with cards and coins that sort of went over my head, but then he said he could make me something out of a ballon, like a flower or a doggie. I said I wanted Ariel... AND HE DID IT!
Check out balloon-Ariel!

(Sure, it requires a little imagination, but goodness knows I've got that!)
I'm thrilled with her. I spent the next hour or so feeding her, cradling her, rocking her and talking baby talk to her. Now she's sleeping in my bed with me. I don't seem to care that balloons smell funny.

My green thumb

2009-04-22T21:00:00.000-04:00

Last weekend when Mami was away Daddy and I had some gardening fun. We got the necessary tools:

And dirt and seeds and plants.

I had a great time and was fascinated with the idea of planting seeds and watching them grow. Here's the little garden we created:

There are tomatoes, flowers, and some herbs. I'l let you know how they turn out!

Happy Easter! from Resli

2009-04-12T17:26:00.003-04:00

Today is Easter! When I woke up this morning I discovered that the Easter Bunny had come to our house and left me and Lela each a basket!

Our baskets were awesome, they had Teddy Grahams and one book each...

...and the most exciting of all, matching fancy Easter dresses!

I immediately put mine on and danced around, of course.

We tried to take some pictures of me and Lela together, but it was harder than it sounds!

Hope you all had a happy Easter too!

A morning at home

2009-04-10T20:43:00.000-04:00

Since daycare is closed for the foreseeable future in observance of Passover, we had a day at home with Mami today. She was folding our laundry when I discovered the bedding I use for my naps at school. Lela and I decided that it would be fun to play naptime at home.

That kept us busy for at least 30 minutes.

Then another joyful 30 minutes were spent unfolding, putting on, and taking off a variety of clothes items found in the clean laundry basket.

Who wants to babysit next week?!?

The story of Moses

2009-04-06T22:04:00.003-04:00

At school we've been talking a lot about Moses in preparation for Passover and all. (We even apparently play a Baby Moses game at school!)
At dinner tonight Mami asked me if I could tell her the story of Moses... Here goes:

We're Lettuce Heads!

2009-04-05T20:43:00.001-04:00

My sister Lela and I are "Lettuce Heads." That means that we wear these special T-shirts from Crispers restaurant (which cost $2 each), and then we get a whole kids meal (including fruit and milk!) for 99 cents! Can't beat that, can you?

Besides, how cute do we look in our shirts?!?

OK, Crispers, here we come!

Wheeeeee!

2009-03-29T20:25:00.000-04:00

It was lovely sunny weather this afternoon (after a night of really intense thunderstorms that I slept through but that kept Mami and Daddy awake for quite a while!), so we hung out in the back yard.
I like to pretend that I'm a queen in my castle.

I also got really interested in nature for some reason, I kept examining the trunk.

But then there was sliding, of course. Wheee!

Check out Lela's blog too, she had a blast sliding!

Spring Arts Festival 2009

2009-03-29T16:05:00.005-04:00

This weekend was the Spring Arts Festival downtown. We went this morning before lunch, but we didn't realize that it didn't really open until 1pm! But that's ok, because a)we weren't going to buy anything anyway; and b)there were a lot fewer people there than usual!

I strolled along,

while Lela rode on Daddy's shoulder.

(This gave her easy access to his cap... Silly Lela!)

We saw all kinds of art, like sculptures...

... and pottery ...

... photography ...

... paintings ...

... and these cool kid-friendly prints.

Lela liked this booth too, she kept pointing to and naming all the animals she recognized.

"Turtle!"

"Froggy!"

There were some hand carved rocking chairs too, so I took a little break for a snack.

And then we stopped at the beach.

Just kidding, it was a painting of the beach, see?

Lela and I took a little time for a sisterly hug on a bench before heading home.

We had a good time! Next year we'll remember when it opens, so that we can do the fun kid stuff, like get our faces painted.

Raquel's birthday party

2009-03-22T22:18:00.004-04:00

Today my friend Raquel celebrated her 4th birthday with an an awesome party at Sun Country.

When we first got there we played in the general area. I was immediately drawn to this pretend castle - of course so I could be the queen of it!

There was a ball pit too. At first I was a little nervous about getting in, but eventually I got up my courage and jumped in.

Then I realized howmuch fun it could be!

Even mostly buried, I still thought it was great!

After that we went and did this cool obstacle course with things to crawl and jump and roll on.

And a big foam pit too! I jumped in and then had the hardest time getting OUT!

Ah, at last, my escape!

I absolutely loved this trampoline!

I was a jumping fiend!

Then we did an activity with a parachute, where we shook it up and down and pretended to make "popcorn." I really got in to that, too.

At last, they asked us to get in a line and follow the leader...

... to the cake! Woohoo!

What a perfect way to end an awesome party!

Happy birthday, Raquel! Thanks for inviting me to your party!

NATURE PARK!

2009-03-21T14:01:00.003-04:00

We went to the nature park this morning. It was beautiful weather and we wanted to get some exercise. (Or as Daddy said, get me to use up some energy, whatever he meant by that.) So we headed over to the Alfred A. Ring park and set off on our adventure.

This is the bridge you have to cross from the parking lot.

I love it, I always look to see if any trolls live underneath.
(Little known fact about Daddy: Whenever anyone says "trip trap" - like from the Three Billy Goats Gruff story - he giggles! Yep,every time!)

Then Lela and I took a short break to enjoy the slide - that was great!

After that we went exploring. Lela had a diaper accident so Mami and I were on our own.

It actually got pretty exciting. Towards the end of the trail we saw a whole bunch of black snakes - really big ones, too, probably 4ft or more. At first just one, then another, then it seemed like they were everywhere. We weren't sure if they were just black snakes (some kind of Racer?) or if they were water moccasins, because we were near a creek and those are pretty common in Gainesville... So we decided to let them have the trail and we turned around and headed back to wait for Daddy and Lela. We think that was the right decision!

Mermaid or Leprechaun?

2009-03-17T20:49:00.000-04:00

YOU be the judge:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Mami's home!

2009-03-16T20:52:00.004-04:00

Mami came home! She was at Arizona State University for the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium conference from Wednesday until yesterday afternoon.

Lela and I were excited to see her. We were also excited by the cool outfits she got us. (The ASU bookstore was having a ridiculous clearance sale which made it cheapter to get these than just a T-shirt...)

I got a cheerleader outfit!

Lela got a onesie, but she seemed pretty happy about it too. We both danced and jumped around.

And we hugged too. We like hugging each other.
(And yes, I'm wearing a necklace in my hair...)

Daddy was very concerned that the colors of these garments resembled those of our sworn rivals, the Florida State Seminoles, so he made us wear these notes so nobody would get confused:

Close up here:

Silly Daddy!

Friday Was Pajama Day!

2009-03-13T21:25:00.002-04:00

And here I am, relaxing comfortably afterwards, on the way to "Monkey Sub" for dinner.*

*Yes, this is after school. Daddy forgot to take our pictures this morning, which, it turns out is a good thing, since the camera at home refuses to talk to his computer. He took this with his phone. Still, don't I look relaxed?

Technical Difficulties ...

2009-03-13T20:57:00.002-04:00

Please stand by while our equipment figures out how to talk to the rest of our equipment. We have Thursday pictures, we just can't get 'em off the camera and into the cloud for your viewing pleasure.

Spirit Week - Day 3

2009-03-11T09:47:00.000-04:00

Today's Purim theme at school is ROYALTY! (I know, what a chore for me to have to dress up as a princess or queen, right?)
So, I'm dressed today as Snow White. Don't I look regal?

I had a ton of fun twirling and dancing in my costume before leaving for school. There's no telling what kind of day Ms. Jenifer is in for with all of us dressed up like this!

(At this point in the photo shoot, Lela - who was eating breakfast at the time - begged for some attention from the photographer, perhaps asking for her picture to be taken. So the photographer obliged, and was rewarded with a "tank-oo!" from Lela.)

Unfortunately, Lela is still to sick to go to school, but quite frankly, I have the best princess dresses anyway. Tune in tomorrow to see another fun costume opportunity!

Spirit Week - Day 2

2009-03-10T10:53:00.002-04:00

Today's Spirit Week theme is WESTERN. This was a little harder for us...
I'm wearing my jean skirt, my San Antonio TX shirt (since there are lots of cowboys there), and pigtails, since Mami swears that all cowgirls wear pigtails. And we got my horse to ride around on, of course.

And then we dug out my Strawberry Shortcake cowgirl vest from two years ago. Sure, it's a little small, but that didn't stop me from wearing it!

Wait until you see what tomorrow's theme is...

Spirit Week - Day 1

2009-03-09T14:38:00.004-04:00

For Purim at school this week, every day we have a different "theme." Today's theme was sports, so we all had to dress in gear from our favorite teams. Clearly, we went with a Gator theme in my house.
Lela and I got all dressed up and got our pom poms out (or "shakers" as I call them).

I had to teach her how to shake them, but she caught on really quickly.

Mami and Daddy are a little scared at how intense a cheerleader I can be!

But I say, I just love my Gators! :)

More fun at the museum

2009-03-08T17:58:00.003-04:00

This afternoon Mami, Lela and I went to the Museum of Natural History again. I couldn't wait to see the butterflies. Lela and I walked in and looked at all the posters. I explained to her that there were Blue Morphos.

And then we went in to the rainforest part.

I really really wanted one to land on me, so we sat and waited a while, but no luck.

That's OK. Then we went inside and looked at the under-the-sea exhibits. I pretended to be Ariel while Lela examined the giant starfish.

Then she came running to give me a great big hug. She shouted "hug! hug! hug!" as she ran at me.

This did not end well!
But we're both ok now and had a great time at the museum! Be sure to see what Lela has to say about the afternoon, too.

BLUE ice cream?!

2009-03-07T21:17:00.000-05:00

This afternoon the weather was just beautiful. We decided to stop and get some frozen yogurt and sit outside. I got something called "rainbow ice cream," which was mostly blue. It matched my shirt.

And then my lips, tongue and teeth matched my shirt too!

Lela wasn't too interested in any ice cream, she preferred to do some powerwalk laps around the shopping center.

To each her own, however you can enjoy a lovely spring afternoon!