Chick-a-Rella

A few weeks ago we saw a flyer that Chick-fil-A was having a princess night.  There would be a princess, free ice cream, and chicken nuggets- basically our 3 favorite things.  On Saturday night we put on Jilly's pink princess dress and headed over to cfa.  She was completely star-struck when she saw Cinderella, but she also loved the princess cow.  She was constantly on the lookout for the cow and ran over to hug her at least 6 times.

 

On the way home Jilly chanted "chick-a-rella! chick-a-rella!" and I woke up this morning to a little girl standing next to my bed holding her princess dress and asking, "we go see cow again?"  So I'd say the night was a success.

friday five

1.  This week we did potty training boot camp  (I'd been putting it off long enough.)  Jilly's doing really well, in fact a little too well. Every morning I wake up at 5:30 to "Mommy! Hafta go potty!"  I cannot tell you how much I want to call back, "You're wearing a pull-up, just go in there!"  But instead I heave my (humongous) body out of bed and help her to the potty then start our day.

2. For Christmas Jilly and I both got rain boots.  Usually it rains a ton here in the winter, but this year that was not so.  This week we finally got to put on our boots and go puddle jumping and we had a blast.

3.  I was complaining to Bryan about my swelling feet and he told me, "Just stand up, you won't be able to see them anymore."  So helpful.

4.  For Easter I made Jilly a little pillow and blanket for her baby.  I love watching her put her baby to sleep with them.

5. It's been kind of a rough week around here and we are very, very happy to relax at home and watch General Conference this weekend.

 

Books: First Quarter

Last year I wrote my book lists every 6 months.  But it was hard for me to remember every book after that long so I decided to make quarterly lists this year.  Next quarter should be very interesting; when Jilly was a newborn I read a lot but I have a feeling my quiet, baby snuggling time will look more like sideline refereeing this time around.

Excellent:
1. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain- This book was fascinating, and I could not stop talking about it during the few weeks it took me to read.  I feel like I now have a better understanding of both introverts and extroverts.
2. Bomb: The Race to Build-And Steal- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin- Another excellent nonfiction (have I turned into a complete nerd?)  Sheinkin made the story of the creation of the atomic bomb so interesting and so accessible; this is a fabulous book for both adults and children.
3. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls- This is the story of Jeannette Walls' grandmother; a strong and determined woman who thrived in the desert.  I loved it.

Great:
4. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls- I had to read this again after reading Half Broke Horses (I originally read it in 2011.)  The dynamics of this family are just so fascinating to me.
5. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson- This was very good, but my least favorite of his books I've read thus far (Thunderstruck was my favorite, with Devil in the White City second.)  I kind of felt like it read more like a textbook than his other books that read more like novels (yet are nonfiction.)  This book tells about the family of US Ambassador William Dodd who lived in pre-WWII Germany and had to deal with the rapid and shocking changes brought on by Hitler.
6. Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage- Mo LoBeau is a southern Flavia de Luce so naturally I adore her.  This was a cute murder mystery story, and I found the little southern quirks of the characters irresistible.

Good
7. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate- A very sweet story, especially appealing for animal lovers.  I also found it fascinating that this was based on true events.
8. Mrs. Mike by Benedict Freeman- A beautiful story of love and struggle in the Canadian wilderness.  It kind of reminded me of a cold version of These is My Words.
9. Toilet Training in Less Than a Day by Nathan Azrin and Richard Foxx- Clearly not the most exciting book I've ever read, but it was very helpful and entertaining.

Meh:
10. Reached by Ally Condie- This is a series that I thought started out great then went downhill.  By the time I got to this book (the third and last of the series) I was sick of the characters and barely cared about what happened in the end.  Am I being harsh or did anyone else think this?

Easter Weekend

On Saturday morning we let Jilly open her Easter presents from my parents.  She got an outfit for her bitty baby, which she loves, and this dress, which was a definite winner.  She immediately put it on and started dancing around the room telling us she was "Pincess Rella."  When Bryan suggested that she looked more like Princess Strawberry he was given a dirty look and an emphatic "No, Pincess Rella."  

We drove out to Bryan's parents' in the afternoon and our first stop was their ward Easter Egg hunt.  Up until this point all of our egg hunts had involved empty eggs so when Jilly realized there was candy in these eggs she was pretty thrilled.  So thrilled that she lost the gathering spirit and chose to just open the eggs and eat the contents.  

After the egg hunt we had a picnic.  It got kind of cold and breezy, but it didn't stop us from having fun.  Jilly loved getting to sit up in a high tree with her Uncle Jeff even if it made her mother nervous.

After church on Easter we had another egg hunt, a delicious dinner, and lots of fun playing in the backyard.  I got Jilly's dress at Target and it was a huge win for its spinning effect.

five on friday

1. A new Chick fil A opened nearby us this week.  Jilly and I may or may not have gone there for lunch and dinner on Opening Day. 

2. While on a walk this week we ran into a neighbor we don't know very well.  She said, "You're pregnant?  Either that or you have a large tumor."  For a minute I was speechless at this awkward statement then I pulled myself together and assured her that I am pregnant and not carrying around a 15 lb tumor on my abdomen.  

3. Over Christmas the top button on my phone got stuck and stopped working.  At first it drove me crazy then I just got used to it.  This week I finally took it in to an Apple store and 15 minutes later I left with a free brand new phone.  How lovely.

4. We've had lots of fun getting ready for Easter this week.  We made and decorated yummy sugar cookies, made a bunny mask similar to this one, printed and played this matching game, and have had many, many egg hunts.  If Jilly were to have any egg hunting competition she would dominate, but instead she'll enjoy her last year hunting solo.

5. I've been reading Toilet Training in Less Than a Day and the illustrations circa 1972 have been quite entertaining.

Jilly girl

Jilly has been perfectly pleasant for the past few days.  She's been happy, obedient, funny, helpful, and overall delightful.  (I know now that I've said this we'll have a day full of tantrums tomorrow, but come what may.)  Here are some of our favorite Jilly-isms from the past few days-

I got Jilly a snack one day and asked her where she wanted to eat it.  She replied "in my mouth."

Bryan has a bag that holds his tools and Jilly saw it in the garage and told me "That's Daddy's purse."

One morning I woke up to a voice calling from the other room, "Mommy, Mommy! I want to paint my nails!" (even though she can easily get out of her bed she almost always still calls for me when she wakes up.) When I got in Jilly's room she said, "sparkey (sparkly) pink nails!"

Every morning Jilly asks to wear a dress.  Once it's on she does a little spin in front of the mirror and if the skirt doesn't flare out to her expectations she tells me "it's not working" and asks for another.

Jillian's favorite breakfast is a "faffel in a cup"- a waffle cut up and put in a cup.  I'm not sure how she came up with this but I'm usually happy to oblige.

Every night when we read books I hope for some variation but without fail we must first read "Pincess Yaya" (Aurora) and "Pincess Rella" (Cinderella.)

Whenever Jilly can't find something she says "I miss it."

Anytime Jilly or someone else gets an owie, she quickly says "I'll kiss it. Mwah. That's better."  

Resurrection Eggs

When I was young we had this activity and did it every year as our Easter Family Night to learn about the Resurrection.  When I saw it on pinterest, I was excited to make one for us.  Then once I got going I decided to make some for the families I visit teach. 

Basically you have 12 plastic eggs, each filled with a scripture and an object to represent an event from the week before Christ's resurrection.  This year we'll hide the eggs and let Jilly find them, then go through the objects and talk about the different events so she understands them (or as much as a two-year-old can understand things like the crucifixion.)  We'll also use lots of pictures to help.  But as she gets older we'll be able to spend more time reading the actual scriptures.

To put it all together, you label some plastic eggs 1-12.  Then put the appropriate numbered statement and item in the egg.  I mostly used the ideas from the link, but changed a few things.  Here is what went in my 12 eggs-

1. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people waved branches because that's what people used to do when a king walked by. Mark 11:8-9 (a plastic leaf)
2. Later, Jesus had a special dinner with his friends.  A woman came and poured perfume on his head.  This showed that she knew that he was the Christ and she knew that he would die soon.  Mark 14:3-8 (a cloth with perfume on it)
3. The next day, Jesus had another special meal with his friends.  We call this The Last Supper.  Jesus said that people who followed Him should have bread and wine or water to help them remember Him. Luke 22:19-20 (a sacrament cup, you can also use a piece of cracker, but I like the cup because it's easy to make the connection to our sacrament.)
4. Jesus went to a garden to pray.  Luke 22:39-44 (a flower, but this one I'll definitely use a picture and talk more about the atonement as Jilly gets older)
5. Judas was supposed to be one of Jesus' disciples, but instead he helped other men arrest Jesus.  He did this because those men paid him money.  Mark 14:10-11 (3 dimes)
6. After Jesus was arrested, the soldiers were really mean to Him and made fun of Him.  One thing that they did was to put a purple robe on Him.  Only kings wore purple robes.  They didn't realize that He really was a King, they were just teasing Him because people thought He was a king! Mark 15:16-20 (piece of purple cloth)
7. The governor's name was Pilate.  He didn't think that Jesus had done anything wrong, but the people wouldn't listen to him.  Pilate washed his hands and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person."  Matthew 27:22-24 (a piece of soap)
8. Jesus was crucified.  Mark 15:25 (a nail)
9. Another thing the soldiers did to make fun of Jesus was to put a sign on the cross that said "THE KING OF THE JEWS."  Again, they thought they were making fun of Him, they didn't realize that He really was the King of the Jews!  Mark 15:26 (small piece of paper that says THE KING OF THE JEWS)
10. After Jesus died, His friends put His body in a tomb.  Later, some of the women who followed Him came to the tomb to put spices on His body and wrap Him in white cloth.  Mark 16:1 (white cloth and/or whole cloves)
11. The tomb had a rock that could roll over the opening to seal it.  While the women were walking to the tomb, they wondered how they would get the stone out of the way.  Mark 16:3-4 (a small round stone)
12. When they got to the tomb, they were amazed to find that the stone had been rolled out of the way- and Jesus' body was gone!  Then an angel came and told them, "He is risen; He is not here."  This egg is empty because Jesus' tomb was empty.  Jesus' tomb was empty because He was resurrected!  Mark 16:6

I put the finished eggs in an empty egg carton and tied a note and bow around it.  Happy Easter!