Special Treats

Around here, special treats are truly special. Cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy and anything else that creates a sugar high are used as rewards or "special treats" on special occasions. We like it this way for many reasons but mostly because Anna gets so excited when she gets a treat since it's pretty rare. One night after dinner, we headed to the new United Dairy Farmers for ice cream (Yee-haw! We've been pretty excited about the new "chain" moving into Independence). We ate outside and had a really fun time watching the girls get so happy from the taste of summertime. Megan shared strawberry sherbert with me; Anna had something called superman (I think). The guy working told us it tasted just like cake icing -and it did!- so we knew Anna would love it; and Matt -and Anna on round two- enjoyed chocolate chip cookie dough.

Food, Glorious Food

When we move one day, one of the main things that our new house must have is a large, open kitchen where people can gather around meals. This will include gathering together to cook, eat, pray, or to just plain watch and talk. So many of my memories involve the kitchen on Rogers Road with my family and with friends. So many of my new memories with my own babies are in our own kitchen too. With the eve of summer around us, the "kitchen" has quickly extended to the deck. I love taking pictures of meal time with the girls because it always turns out to be an eventful and expressive experience.

Making Rice Krispie Treats together for the first time.

"Popping" edamame, one of Anna's favorite eating activites.

Digging into Grandma's birthday cake (she thought we got it just for her).


Lunchtime outside

Our Little Piglet

Despite the doomsday weather forecast, the Flying Pig Marathon festivities got off to a good start this morning down on the river. All of us have been preparing for this weekend for quite some time, including 2 year old Anna who participated in her first major sporting event - The Piglet Race. To say that we were excited is an understatement. We have been helping Anna practice for weeks by running on the streets around the neighborhood. Although it was only a 25 yard dash, the athletes in me and Matt couldn't help but get pumped for our baby girl's first athletic event. She would walk around telling anyone she could that she was going to run a race and get a medal. She was even mentally prepared to run in the rain if she had to.

So we got down there at about 12:15 for her 12:45 start. Both sets of grandparents were there to cheer her on. Megan was ready in her illegally-taken-"I-got-my-OINK-on"-shirt-that-some-worker-at-the-Expo-yesterday-gave-us-for-free. We were all set to watch this moment of stardom for little Anna. Maybe it was the crazy mascots that raced before us (including a carrot and the Keebler Elf), maybe it was the screaming child at the start line, or maybe it was that we got there too close to start time for her to "get the feel", but something spooked our little girl. There we were at the start. She was excited, game face on, scoping her competition next to her. I was at the finish with the video camera, Matt was at the start holding her hand. Then it happened -she burst into tears. Poor Anna was scared to death and couldn't even finish the last 22 yards. Matt had to carry her over the finish line and our little girl who was so very excited to have a medal, couldn't even see it handed to her as she wiped her tears.

Oh no, has it already started? Are WE those crazy parents that push our kids too hard to be good at sports? Okay, maybe we'll lay off the late night back neighborhood sprints for awhile and cut back on the protein shakes at lunch. We'll stop letting Anna do Ab Ripper X at night. This day was just too much for her to handle, but one day Anna WILL love being an athlete and her mommy and daddy will be her biggest fans. We're still so proud of you Anna!

P.S. After all the age groups were finished, Anna got back out there with her daddy and ran the full 25 yards tear free and very happily!