Tuesday, February 18, 2014

We LOVE Frozen but it "caused" our first meltdown

(Photo courtesy of DisneyWiki)

For those that have not see the movie Frozen, know that I do really like the movie.  I really don't like when a movie is hyped up as being sooooo good but truth is, I saw the movie, thought it was good, but am now jonesin until it is released.  I WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN!  (smile)

As for you, Miss E, you also REALLY LOVE the movie!  You ask to watch the videos of the songs on YouTube every day, most of the time multiple times per day.  Normally, I do oblige.  But lately, you've been having some acts of, well, defiance and disobedience.  It happens.  We all go through our stages of learning who we are.  You are three. 

But last night, it REALLY happened.  You were good all day.  The deal was, as long as you were good and had no potty accidents, we would watch the videos before bed.  And we did!  I loved having you lean up against me, smiling and laughing at the movie (and also covering my mouth telling not to sing - smile).  But then IT happened.  It was time to head upstairs.  You flipped out.  You see, lately you haven't been napping which I knew would eventually happen as you got older.  I think you've napped once in the last week.  So you were extremely tired.  But when we told you it was time to head upstairs, you had your first all out kicking legs and scream/crying tantrum.  You wanted more Frozen.  You didn't want to go to bed.  It lasted all the way through potty, teeth brushing, and putting PJ's on.  It didn't stop until you were in bed (which was the quickest amount of time we've ever gotten you down).  YOU WERE EXHAUSTED.  We're not mad that it happened, we just wanted to show you how much we love you.  By the time Daddy was done reading, praying, and singing, you were laughing again.  But I can now say, you've had your first tantrum meltdown.  (smile)

Here are some links to a couple of your favorite songs:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQaN59JcRPo&feature=c4-overview&list=UU_4RsWywMaNKzdtjJL1qa4Q


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtEk4KMyz9c&list=TLmhFZL_skpfuDQFzru7oOt_mb-YyNzjuI


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttc3-F0UufE&list=TLHjcZelNyCh6_eBdiuXjJ-AdohD0wmQro

Love you baby girl!

Mom

Monday, February 10, 2014

New found creative gene? And a birthday wake-up surprise...

Ha!  I'm not a "newly" creative person, nor would I really consider myself creative, but with changes that we've made for a better 2014, I've rediscovered, or maybe a better word for it would be, I've implemented creativity back into my life.  I'm crocheting again and what's more, I'm trying to do things for you that show you a glimpse into how much Mommy and Daddy love you.

To start, I went to the wonderful, cannot be disregarded, Pinterest.  As I've said before, I LOVE this site!  All the ideas organized in one place the way you want, basically, it's an online pin board.  You choose the folder titles, as few or as many as wish.  (I have not been compensated by Pinterest, I just REALLY LOVE this site!)  And not to be outdone, never underestimate the ideas friends post online.  They can be really fun!

Case in point, for your birthday, I wanted to start a new tradition.  I wanted to start a birthday wake-up surprise, something different every year, but possibly always including balloons (we'll see how this progresses through the years).  So this year, I found this on Pinterest:

(Photo courtesy of organizeyourstuffnow.com.)

And here's our implementation, and your wonderfully surprised face!
(He he, I think you liked it. - wink)

The second thing I wanted to do was to create your birthday cake.  I'm not the best cake decorator but I found this on Pinterest and thought it was perfect as you LOVE M&M's:

(Photo courtesy of www.artsyfartsymama.com.)

Knowing that there was no way I was going to be able to make this and do your request of a chocolate cake and cupcakes with blue frosting (you were quite insistent I might add - smile), I came up with this and am pretty proud of it:


Yup.  There you have chocolate cake and cupcakes, blue frosting and your favorite candy, M&M's.  I used a new recipe called The Best Chocolate Cake from a friend, and will be honest, I will ALWAYS make this cake if I have a request for Chocolate Cake.  It was FABULOUS!!!  I used half the batter to make the cake (basically is just one layer of the cake) and then used the rest for the cupcakes.  Worked out perfectly!!!  I also used the recipe for the frosting, with some minor adjustments (I always half the vanilla extract and add the other half with almond extract - never use imitation, the real is SO much better), added blue food coloring and VOILA!  MAGNIFIQUE!

It was so much fun celebrating your birthday!  You had fun, helped me make the cake, and you are starting to really remember the moments and tell us stories about what happened!  You are growing into such a great person and I love watching you learn with each moment!

Again, happy birthday to my little Miss E!!!

Mom