Kindle Book Review

My sweet husband got me a Kindle for Christmas. I have wanted one for so long!!! So far, I've read Water for Elephants and The Help.



Water for Elephants was really good. Simply put, it's about a guy who loses everything and joins the circus, falls in love and lives happily ever after (with bumps along the way of course). I'm so glad they are making it into a movie with my man Robert Pattinson and the lovely Reese Witherspoon. Yay! The book was a lot like The Notebook. It went back and forth between the actual story and the main character living in the present as an old man in a nursing home. Also, the book was basically a love story, but once they get together their are no details of their life together, just like The Notebook. You do find out they had kids, etc., but no details. Overall I really liked it. It was an easy read and not too long.



The Help was awesome! It's about black maids and their white employers in Jackson, MS in the early 1960s. I say that I liked it, but I do have a lot of complaints about the book. First of all, the chapters are broken down by character so each chapter has the name of a different character in the book and it's told by that person. The only reason I didn't like this was because I would be dying to find out what happens to a particular person, but then I would have to read 4 or 5 chapters before I got back to their story. I remember that was something I didn't like about The Poisonwood Bible because one of the characters was really boring and I would end up skipping her chapter to get to the good stuff. I didn't skip any chapters in The Help, though because all of the characters were interesting. Another thing I didn't like was that if left you wondering so many things at the end of the book. I'm sure the author does it on purpose, but it was like the book ended before it was supposed to. I felt like one more chapter with a little tidbit about how each person's situation turned out would have made me feel better. Oh well. The last thing I didn't like was during the whole story one of the main characters is trying desperately to find out what happened to her beloved maid who disappeared while she was away at school. No one will tell her because apparently it's so awful it will crush her. When the story finally does come out it was a huge letdown because it really wasn't a big deal. I even re-read it to make sure I didn't miss something. So even after all that complaining I will say I really liked this book. The story is really good and it was hard to put down.

The List: Update

Run a 10K: I bought some fancy new running shoes which I hear is crucial when you are training to run a race. I went to Fleet Feet in Huntsville. They don't play. They measured my foot and couple different ways and then put a pair of test shoes on me and made me run on the treadmill. Then we watched the way I run in slow motion on tv while the guy told me abut the way I run and what kind of shoes I need to correct any problems. Basically, I already knew that my ankles go in towards each other. I've been aware of my knock kneed self for a long time now ;) He brought out a couple different shoes for me to try, but I really liked the first pair I put on. Here's what I got.



Monday I walked around my neighborhood and then yesterday I had to run for 20 minutes. It was hard! I told myself not to look at my watch for as long as I could, but I broke down and peeked when I had been running 11 minutes. I told myself I was halfway through and I could do it. A couple times I slowed down to barely a jog, but I did my 20 minutes without stopping. Yay!!! My legs were like Jello afterwards. My knees started hurting right after I started running, but they stopped soon after. Later that night they were both hurting pretty bad. They feel good today so hopefully I can do my 20 minutes again with no problem.

Decorate my entire house: I ordered a dining room chandelier with a gift card I got for Christmas and I painted and framed my chalkboard for the kitchen. I also got two lamps and a mirror for the dining room. Operation Make This House Look Like Adults Live Here is under way. Once I get my chandelier I will post pics.

I hope everyone has a fun New Year's! We are headed to a new Huntsville friend's house to party all night long...or until Finley gets tired and we have to go home :)

White Christmas!

When it started snowing on Christmas Day, I was so excited! I've decided there's nothing better than a white Christmas! It really makes it feel like Christmas especially when you've lived in the South all your life :)

Here are some pics of us in the snow.

Christmas 2010

We had an awesome Christmas! I couldn't have asked for more :) We drove to Bham on Christmas Eve morning to visit Joey's family and my dad, step-mom and step-sisters. We had breakfast at Joey's parents house with my brother-in-law and his family and exchanged gifts.

Afterwards, we went to my step-sister's house. We had lunch there and exchanged gifts again. We had a great time just relaxing and talking around the kitchen table.

That afternoon, we went to Joey's grandparents house to see Joey's extended family and have dinner. By this time we are all exhausted, but we had a great time. We drove back to Huntsville Christmas Eve to spend Christmas Day at home.

Christmas morning we got up make sure everything was set up in the living room. We brought Finley in to see what Santa brought. She was smiling, but kind of shy. She just went around to each of her toys and looked at them and touched them. We put her up on her rocking horse and showed her how to jump on her trampoline. She looked at all her books and then went through her stocking. We ate some yummy breakfast pizza and Finley played in the floor with her tea set while Joey and I opened presents. It was definitely one of the best Christmases ever. I will never spend another Christmas anywhere but home! Also, we had a WHITE CHRISTMAS!!! It was so awesome! I pulled up all the blinds in the house so we could watch it all day. Actually, on Dec. 29th there was still snow in our yard. Love it! My mom and sister came to our house that afternoon after driving on icy roads from Birmingham and we exchanged gifts with them too. Basically we stayed in our pajamas all day except when we went outside to play in the snow. It was the best!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!!!

Operation Christmas Child: Update

I got this email today from OCC!

Dear Elizabeth Dambro,

Merry Christmas from Samaritan's Purse! Thank you for participating in Operation Christmas Child and for choosing to Follow Your Box.

Your gift box(es) went to Ghana. For photos, stories, and other information about Operation Christmas Child in this country, click here.

Please remember to pray for the children who will be receiving your shoe box gifts. Thank you, and may God richly bless you.

Pajama Days

Lots of those around here lately :)

Playgroup Christmas Party!

Monday was our Playgroup Christmas Party at The Little Gym. It was lots o fun! Santa came and handed out goody bags to all the kids. We ate yummy snacks and mingled with the other parents. The Little Gym is just that. A mini gymnastics gym where kids can just run all around and play on the equipment. Finley's favorite was the inflatable tumble track and the balance beam. Joey was very impressed with Finley's skills on the balance beam. So much so that he asked one of the instructors if it was normal for her to be doing so well. To his dismay, she basically said it was nothing special. Sorry, babe. You and I know she is incredibly gifted both physically and mentally. We have really enjoyed playgroup and I signed up to host in February. Yikes!

Balance beam!



Mine and Joey's arms were sore from letting her hold on and bounce. She is going to LOVE the trampoline we go her for Christmas!



Group shot! Always good for a laugh. The little girl holding onto Finley, her name is Finley too :)

The List: Update

I realized pretty quickly that since one of my goals in 2011 is to get pregnant, (and hopefully have the baby in the same year) I only have a few months to mark 2 goals off my list. Run a 5K and go on a mission trip. Those are things I do not want to try to accomplish while pregnant. Here is an update...

-The mission trip isn't going to happen. The only ones I can find on my sister's Spring Break are to Haiti and Africa. I want to help people, but I'm not a good enough person to risk getting cholera. Going to Africa is also a dream of mine, but I want to wait until our family is old enough to all go together. Plus, I can't be away from Finley for 2 weeks. Am I being too picky?? Anyway, I found a great website for a company that does service projects in Applachia. Yes, please! Perfect. I'm definitely looking into this. Not too far, helping people in need, 2-5 days away from Finley. This fits the bill.

-I decided to step it up a bit on my goal to run a 5K. Like I said, I don't run, but I'm determined not to let my knee get in the way. Last night I ran 1 mile in about 10 minutes. I jogged really slowly and softly, but I did it! I wasn't exhausted afterwards either. Surprise, surprise! Right then I knew a 5K wasn't going to fulfill me. I needed to step it up. That 1 mile was way too easy. Soooo, I signed up for a 10K in March! I have exactly 10 weeks to train and I already have my training schedule. I start training on Dec. 26th. Actually, WE start training on Dec. 26th. Joey signed up with me. It took very little convincing. I think it will be awesome to do it together! Wish us luck in training and I'll be updating everyone on our progress. The only thing I'm really worried about is not having music. You cannot wear headphones in this race. Ugh! I don't know if I can do it without Eminem, Kesha and Pink.

The list...

A lot of people are making those "101 things" list. I can't think of that many things I want to do so I'm making my own list called "5 things I want to do in 2011".

In no particular order...

1.) Go on a mission trip.
2.) Get pregnant.
3.) Go on another non-beach trip this summer to a place I've never been.
4.) Finish decorating my entire house.
5.) Run a 5k.

Here's a little background on each goal.

1.) I have always wanted to go on a mission trip, but I just never did. Now I have the time, the means, the desire and someone to go with me (my sis). The time is NOW! We have been looking at companies that do mission trips rather than a church since neither of us are members anywhere so if you hear of anything let me know.

2.) Let's see...how should I put this? I want another baby ;)

3.) I've gone to the beach every summer my entire life. It's great, don't get me wrong, but I've decided I'm tired of the beach and I want to see other places. I'm trying to convince my family to go to Yellowstone or somewhere out west for a change. Actually a beach somewhere other than the Gulf Coast would be cool too. Again, recommendations are welcome.

4.) My house is a hodge podge of furniture from mine and Joey's past, hand me downs, etc. I want to fully decorate my house so it look like adults live here and not college students. We have no window treatments, no rugs, no light fixtures and very little living room furniture. Our guest bedroom has five pieces of furniture in it, none of which go together and the bed has no headboard. The furniture in the master bedroom is the same suite I've had since I was in elementary school!!!! It's awesome actually, but not for adults. It was my grandmother's. I want to paint it and put it in Finley's big girl room.

5.) I have a bad knee. It started when I was in 7th grade and the pain came and went until the end of college and then it started hurting again and never stopped. It got a lot better after my pregnancy and I think Juice Plus has helped it too. I can jog a very short distance, but I have to jog really softly and favor one knee. Walking isn't a problem, but jogging long distances, going up and down hills or stairs is really difficult. I have been to 3 orthopedic surgeons.
Here were their thoughts...
1st opinion: I don't know what's wrong so I want to cut you open and then try to figure out what's wrong.
2nd opinion: I think I know what's wrong, but I want to cut you open and then try to figure out what's wrong.
3rd opinion: You have the knee of a 70 year old and there's nothing I can do for you.

I tried physical therapy, Hylagen injections, staying off of it, herbal supplements and anti-inflammatory medications. Nothing has worked long-term. I have decided to try to run a little each week and build up to 3 miles. If I just can't do it, then I'm going to consider a knee replacement. I would like to play soccer with my daughter and be able to exercise at age 30. I don't think that's asking to much.

So there you have it. My list of things I want to accomplish in 2010. Wish me luck!

Getting in the spirit!

I bought a gingerbread house kit thinking Finley could help with the decorating, but she had absolutely no interest in it until it was done and then all she wanted to do was eat the candy off of it. Oh well, it got me in the Christmas spirit!

Here she is with my, I mean her, masterpiece :)

Christmas with the Blakes.

Saturday we went to Birmingham to have Christmas with my cousins and their families. We had a great time as always! We all exchanged gifts, ate and watched Marmaduke. Of course I didn't get any pictures of all the kids together. Dang it! Here's the best I can do...Finley eating a grilled cheese.

The Naughty Spot

Time-out is a pretty toasty spot at our house because Finley has been spending a lot of time there lately. She will swing her arm right near my face like she's going to hit me, but she gets just close enough to miss me. She knows EXACTLY what she is doing. At this point, I'm fighting the urge to smile and Joey is covering his face with his hands and laughing. I usually let it go until she hits me and then she goes in time out. She stays there for a couple minutes and then I get her out and tell her why she was in time-out. (No hit Mommy). Then we hug and move on. Today, Finley pulled out her hair clip. I asked her to hand it to Mommy and she throws it on the floor instead. I tell her to pick it up and bring it to me. She smiles and refuses to do so. I ask her 3 times, she's still smiling, but refuses to bring me the clip. I take her to time out for 2 minutes. I go back and stand at the door to the bathroom. I tell her to come to Mommy. She, smiling, starts scooting across the floor on her bottom very slowly. I say Finley stand up and come to Mommy. She scoots towards me even more slowly. I walk over to her and put her back in time out for 2 more minutes. I come back in the room and say Finley stand up and come to mommy. She does, I take her back to the scene of the crime and tell her to pick up her clip and hand it to Mommy and she does. I say thank you and we hug. Moving on.

"Ho, Ho, Ho...Pimp!"- Michael Scott

Looky what I found at fye yesterday. All of The Office Christmas episodes on one DVD (for $6.99). Christmas is complete.

Coolest stocking stuffer ever!

Joey and I wandered into Urban Outfitters in Asheville while we were waiting for a table at a restaurant. We were lucky enough to stumble upon the "Books" section. They have great stuff! I found the "coolest stocking stuffer ever".

Parking Tickets: For Those Who've Crossed The Line



It's a little booklet with perforated "parking tickets" that you can tear out and put on people's cars who have pulled in crooked or, my biggest parking pet peeve ever, purposely taken up two spaces because they think their car is special or something.

Now, instead of getting angry, I can be passive aggressive instead and give them a piece of my mind. Here are some of my favorites...

"Your car isn't nice enough to park in two spots."
"Is your name Katrina? Because this parking job's a disaster."
"Did you park this or land this?"
"Couldn't decide which space to park in, huh?"
"Did you park like this or was there an Earthquake?"
"Double parking hints at something deeper."

I promise you I'll use these and I'll take pics to prove it :)

Asheville trip!

Joey and I went to Asheville for a few days and had a great time!!! We definitely plan to go back this summer. Asheville is such an awesome place! Lots to do, friendly people, good food and beautiful scenery. What more could you ask for? I decided to break our trip down by activity so here goes...

Where we ate...
Bistro 1896-I had the fried green tomato BLT with sweet potato fries and Joey had the "Southern Comfort" plate which was shrimp, Andouille sausage, roasted red peppers, & spinach tossed in Cajun cream sauce served over polenta cakes. It was DELICIOUS!

Brixx- I had the BBQ chicken pizza and Joey had the Bronx Bomber which was meat, meat and more meat. It was really good. It may be a chain restaurant. It happened to be near the Biltmore Estate.

Tupelo Honey Cafe- I had the fried green tomatoes over goat cheese grits and Joey had the fried chicken BLT with roasted potatoes. I guess you could say I really love fried green tomatoes ;) It was really good. I wish I had gotten something else though. They are famous for their sweet potato pancake so I wish I had tried it. They also brought out the best biscuits I have ever had with blackberry jam and honey. Yum!!!

Zambra- This place was tapas so Joey and I got the pork spring rolls, pacific shrimp, lamb and chargrilled calamari. It was all amazing and the restaurant was really cool. It was below street level so you could look out the windows and see people's feet as they walked on the sidewalk. It was dark and all the tables had candles. Very cool.

French Broad Chocolate Lounge- Keep in mind we had just eaten at Zambra...We had a milk chocolate turtle, a piece of chocolate cake, a cup of hot chocolate and a chocolate, dark chocolate and caramel mousse. So.Good. This place had couches and tables for you to sit at and just relax and have your chocolate.

What we did:
Hiked- We tried to hike some spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but almost the entire stretch was closed either for weather conditions or construction. We went to Dupont National Forest to Hooker Falls and Triple Falls and we also went to Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest. When I say hiked, I meant walked through the woods and up some steep hills. We are not experienced hikers.

Visited the Biltmore Estate-We both really enjoyed the Biltmore Estate. I got tickets to visit the Winery and the Gardens during the day and then tickets to tour the house at night when it was lit by candlelight. It was amazing! The Christmas lights were up and it was beautiful. I loved the history behind the house and the Vanderbilt family. Definitely worth the money.

Got massages- Best massage ever!!! We went to Spa Theology in downtown Asheville. I made the appointments weeks ago and the staff was awesome! We got into robes and had our massages. We got to pick our own oils and my massage was heavenly, just heavenly. Afterwards we took showers there and got ready to go to dinner. They had Bumble & Bumble products for us to use and the shower and locker rooms were so nice. I didn't want to leave. I could absolutely spend an entire day at a spa.

Shopped- We went in a ton of shops, I'll never remember all of them, but I know we went to Mast General Store in downtown Asheville, O.P. Taylor toy store near the Biltmore Estate, Just Ducky, William and Grace (both children's shops)in Historic Biltmore Village, Urban Outfitters where Joey and I laughed until we cried looking at the books they have.

Hot tubbed- Our cabin had a hot tub and every night we got in it and stared up at the stars. It was on the back porch and looked out over the side of a mountain. I am so glad I went with the cabin instead of a B&B or a hotel.

Drove around- We got lost a few times, but with such beautiful scenery, we didn't mind it. The mountains, pastures, hillsides, old farms, fruits stands on the side of the road were all beautiful and I am so jealous of the people who live there and get to look at it all the time.

Where we stayed:
We stayed at Rooster Ridge cabin in Hendersonville, NC. It was about 25-30 minutes SE of Asheville. It got old driving into town, but I'm glad we stayed where we did. It was private, quiet, gorgeous, less expensive and I pictured us staying in a log cabin in the mountains so it was worth it.

Notes:

The last day of our trip (today) it SNOWED!!!! It was so beautiful!!! Picture it...a hilly pasture with mountains in the distance, a few horses, a small wooden stable surrounded by a wood fence, all of it covered in snow. It was so gorgeous! I wish I had made Joey stop the car so I could take pictures, but I was too busy dreaming about one day owning a cabin in the North Carolina mountains. (Sigh)

Every restaurant we went to had a regular menu and a vegetarian menu. They all also claimed to use organic ingredients from local suppliers. The chocolate lounge even bought mint from a local elementary school garden to make their mint chocolate truffles. Those hippies are pretty cool ;)

The people in Asheville were really friendly and we felt safe in even at night in downtown Asheville.

I want to go back when its warmer and do all the fun outdoor stuff like white-water rafting, ziplining through the forest, horseback riding, Chimney Rock, etc. A lot of the outdoor attractions were closed. The Blue Ridge Parkway, Mount Mitchell and Chimney Rock all had closures at their most popular stops :(

Overall, we loved Asheville and definitely plan to return!!!

All the pics are on Facebook...I'm too lazy to put them all up here too, so here are a couple of my favs.

Santa' s Village.

We took Finley to Santa's Village in downtown Huntsville tonight. They set up an area called Constitution Village as Santa' Village. It was really cute. They had real reindeer, a stage with dancing penguins and snowmen. They had Santa's Workshop, a place to decorate Christmas cookies, Christmas music piped in, an icicle maze, fake snow blowing over the village every 20 minutes, I could go on and on. They had it all! We got in line to let Finley sit on Santa's lap and she started fussing because she just wanted to walk around. So we left and went back later armed with a cookie and she did great. She sat on Santa's lap and told him (in Jibberish of course) what she wanted for Christmas. He just nodded and smiled. Who knows? Maybe he understood what she said. He is Santa Claus after all ;)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Far away, but not forgotten :)

Last night I talked to my Uncle Don who lives in Nevada. He told me that his twin daughters (Finley's cousins)love to watch her videos so I knew I had to put up some new ones for them to see. Sam and Kena, here they are!

Weekend in the 'boro.

Saturday morning we drove up to Joey's old stomping grounds. Murfreesboro, TN! Joey moved there right after college graduation to train with CED. He met some great friends while he was there. John and Julie invited us up for the weekend and we had a great time. They have 3 children, 1 of which is just a few months older than Finley so she had plenty of playmates. The kids played and Julie watched Finley while I did a little shopping (that's a true friend!)That night we left the kids with a baby-sitter and went to dinner at Chuy's. Sunday morning Joey made chocolate chip pancakes for everyone and we just sat around in our pajamas and talked and watched the kids play while Joey and John messed with every electronic device in the house. It was a relaxing weekend and it was nice to get out a town for a few days. Thanks John and Julie!



Finley with Owen, Grayson and Catherine



Yay! A night amongst adults!

We also picked up our Christmas tree on the way home. Yay! Joey and I argued over whether or not this one tree would be too big ;) I KNOW it would have fit, but I love the one we chose. I'm headed out to get lights and ornaments tomorrow. Unfortunately, our ornaments, lights and probably some other decorations I've forgotten about are still in our house in Mobile. Not sure if and/or how we will get them to Huntsville because we definitely aren't driving down there for a few Christmas ornaments. A big box of balls from Costco will have to do this year :(



A little Christmas tree shopping

Iron Bowl 2010.

What a great game!!! It was a nail biter for sure! Joey had several mini-strokes throughout the game. We went over to my bestie Kristen's house to watch the game with my sorority sisters and their husbands. We had a great time. It was so good to see them. We don't see each other enough :( Finley had a great time too! She played with Kate and Kristen's dog, Max. She was doing some major boundary testing with the stairs. She has officially learned how to scream bloody murder when she doesn't get her way. Yikes! Here it comes...the terrible TWOs! We ate MORE food, watched the game and then headed home. WAAAAARRRRR EAGLE!!!

Decadent Peanut Butter Pie

This was so easy to make and it was a huge hit!

1 cup creamy peanut butter, plus 2 tablespoon, divided
1 (8 oz)block of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 (12 oz) container (4 1/2 cups) frozen whipped topping thawed and divided
1 prepared Oreo chocolate pie crust
1 (11.75 oz) jar of Smucker's Hot Fudge Spoonable Ice Cream topping, divided

Beat together 1 cup peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer on medium until well combined. Gently mix in 3 cups whipped topping until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into pie crust. Using a spatula, smooth mixture to edges of pie.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of hot fudge topping in the corner of a Ziploc bag; set aside. Microwave remaining topping (see directions on jar). Stir. Spread topping over pie, covering entire peanut butter layer. Refrigerate until set. Spread remaining whipped topping (1 1/2 cups) over hot fudge layer, being careful not to mix the two layers.

Cut a small corner from bag containing topping. Squeeze bag to drizzle topping over pie. Place remaining 2 tablespoons peanut butter in a Ziploc bag; cut bag corner and squeeze drizzle in opposite direction from topping. (Make a criss cross design) Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thursday we drove to Bham to spend Thanksgiving with our families. Again, the hour and a half drive is so awesome! It feels like no time at all and makes the holidays even better knowing we don't have to pack up our lives and drive 8 hours round trip. We had lunch at Joey's mom's house and my mom and sister even came over to join us so we only had to make one stop. That never happens!!! We enjoyed visiting with family and stuffing ourselves with good food. Finley reused to take a nap because she didn't want to miss any of the action so it made for a rough afternoon, but she caught her 2nd wind and had fun playing with her extended family.

We have so much to be thankful for... family, friends, freedom, good health
and ,most importantly, a beautiful, sweet, funny and healthy little girl! Isn't that all that really matters?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It is officially the Christmas season!

Visit with Granddad.

My dad has been working on a project here in Huntsville so we have gotten to see him a lot more than we usually do. It has been wonderful! He came over for dinner the other night and shared his brown rice with Finley. We love our Granddad!!! The rice is sooo good and really easy so I posted the recipe below.

Melissa's Brown Rice
1/2 stick butter
1 (10 ounce) can beef consomme
1 (10 3/4 ounce)can French onion soup
1 cup uncooked Uncle Ben's rice

Melt butter; combine with remaining ingredients and mix. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover, stir and bake 30 minutes more.

So delicious!!!

Working Mom.

Well, I'm a working mom :) Luckily, I'm a working-from-home mom. I'm working for a non-profit organization that promotes personal health and wellness in school age children. Basically, I'm the coordinator for Madison County schools. I go to classrooms and do activities with the kids to teach them how to stay active, eat healthy foods and be the best that they can be. The program is called Wellness, Academics and You (WAY). It's funded by the Alabama Department of Education. To be brutally honest...kids in Alabama are obese (because their parents feed them crap)and we are trying to change that. In their defense, my step-sister, who is the Alabama director, has been to schools in Alabama counties where there is every fast food restaurant you could possibly want, but not one grocery store aside from a gas station. Can you believe that????

I went to my first classroom today and did an activity with the kids. They had to move like different animals and by animal #3 they were already saying they were tired and their hearts were beating fast. After that we watched a short video and then talked about how when we exercise our heart rate goes up and that makes our heart and muscles strong, etc. It was fun! The kids I had today were 1st graders so they were easy to entertain. Next week I have 8 classes to go to on Monday and Tuesday ranging from 1st to 4th grade. Eek! I'm a little nervous about the 4th graders! Wish me luck!

Funny story. For a couple months now I have been trying to get the teachers to let me come to their classrooms to do an activity. No one would respond to my emails. Understand that I get paid by the hour and if I don't go to any classrooms, I don't get paid very much. So I finally got so frustrated I just sent out a mass email to all the Madison County teachers and told them if they needed a "pre-Thanksgiving Break" break, to email me and I would come entertain their class for 30 minutes or so. I IMMEDIATELY got 10 emails back asking me to come! Haha! Yay!

Interesting things that happened today...

-When I told the kids to move like a cat, one little girl came up to me and started licking my leg.
-When I told them to bounce up and down, a little boy head-butted me in the, ummm, groin.
-I made the mistake of telling the kids to "act" like a dog instead of "move" like a dog and 17 kids began barking really loudly and it took 5 minutes to get them quiet. At this point, the teacher was probably re-thinking her decision to have me come.

Kids are weird. Today, I'm thankful for teachers ;)

Socializing Finley.

We joined a playgroup! I'm so glad to have little ones for Finley to interact with. My friend Katie invited me to join and I'm so grateful!!! I do plan on putting her in MDO after the first of the year, but this will do for now. We all met up at the park and let the kids play. It was hard to talk to the other moms although I did meet everyone. I have to do what Finley wants to do so I followed her around all over the place. Hopefully, as we meet regularly she will get to know the other kids and will play with them and not just watch them :) Tomorrow we are going to the Bridge Street Town Center to have pizza and watch the lighting ceremony. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!


Who's back there?

Abby pushing Finley on the swing.