In more detail #3: AppleFest

Honestly, I wrote the most interesting thing about Applefest on my previous post: that C was chugging the apple cider. I mean, seriously, I asked her if she wanted a sip of mine, and she took the cup and handed it back to me, empty, about a minute later! However, we also got to go on another pony ride. Here's the pix. 

In more detail #2: Ciderfest

South of Kansas City is a little town called Louisburg, "famous" for it's apple cider and the mill that makes it. During apple season they offer tours of the mill. There's also a quaint little country store where they make quite tasty cider donuts. The first weekend in October it's the site for the Louisburg Ciderfest; we went on Saturday, the 4th. There's a corn maze, and a big ol' pile of pumpkins to choose from. The crowd was crazy that day, and the craft vendors were plentiful. Along with the craft fair, a vendor offered pony rides. Of course, that was something C had to do. She sat that little pony so confidently that the man running it asked if she'd ridden before. Maybe horseback riding is in her future? (Every time I think something like that, I imagine all the number of things that could be in her future...how wonderful to have so many possibilities!) We got to taste the Louisburg Cider on Sunday at the Weston Applefest. C loved it. She guzzled down a full cup and a half of it. I'm thinking that sometime soon we'll have to get down there and buy some. 

in more detail #1: Raggs

Now that things have begun to slow again, I wanted to share about some of our adventures in more detail and post some pictures. 

Relatively recently C discovered the Raggs show on PBS, as it was on when I turned on the television one day. Shortly thereafter, my friend Kimberly told us about taking her daughter Sophie to a Raggs concert out in Virginia--so I knew that a live-show/concert existed. The last 

weekend in September, I was reading the newspaper and came across a very small blurb about a Raggs concert in Liberty, Missouri...not too far for us to go. I don't know that I would have noticed it if I hadn't known the event existed. On the 3rd of October then, I skipped the gym and we were off to the concert. We got a third row seat and bought a paw for C to

 wear during the concert (imagine one of those big foam fingers that fits over your hand at a football game, only shaped like a pawprint). We also picked up a new "friend" at the concert, a beanie-baby sized version of Trilbie, one of the Raggs band members. C bopped and wiggled through the concert. She did a pretty good job of following the storyline of the performance, and she tried to do the dance moves that the dogs did. Her face lit up when they threw the bucket of "water" confetti on the audience; they got us! Of course, that meant  she asked (excuse the hyperbole) another 42 times when they were going to do it again. Here she is, rockin' it out. 

slowing down

Ah, finally, a slow-down. This week we had an ear infection, which meant lots of mommy & me time for the little one. It does explain why she's been so ultra-clingy lately, not to mention cranky and just plain unpleasant to be around. Granted, we've been so busy, I'm pretty sure that she hasn't had enough at-home, attention-from-mommy time. We also had some guests this week: my friend Leta and my 20-month old goddaughters (twins!) What an eye-opening experience. Leta has my utmost respect for being able to handle having two toddlers going through all the same stages--at the same time. They were here for 3 1/2 days, and now that I am back to the one, I'm feeling really relaxed. I'm really glad they came though. C enjoyed playing with the twins, even asking a) if she could keep Katie and b) where the friends were when she woke up the morning after they left. It was so nice for Mommy to have a grown-up to talk to in the evening and the night time. That's the hardest time, I think, during a deployment. For now, though, we're back to the new normal.

For her card...

This is what I want to write in my daughter's birthday card this year. 

Dear C,

Months ago you started talking about your birthday. How you would eat cake and be three! Then you decided you loved ballet.  I think you dress up as a ballerina (aka princess) every single day. You also love kitties right now, and talked about the kitty-fleece-fabric we saw one day at Wal-Mart for three months. Since we're celebrating you today, it's all about the things you love. So we're having a ballet birthday party. You're dressed up as a ballerina. I'll be making your cake this year, and I've made the ballet ribbon wands for your friends to dance with at the party. I bought that fabric and have spent hours making it into a blanket for you. I really wanted it all to be perfect, because I love you so much. I tried really hard to make that blanket perfect. Then I realized something: you'll love this blanket. Right now you'll love it because you're three, it's soft, it's got kitties on it, and it's pink! But later I hope you still love it, when you realize how imperfect it is...because your Mommy made it, thinking of you and trying to make something you'd love. Mommy did her best. When you're older, maybe it will have a message for you about perfection, about love, or about doing your best. I hope it does.

Oh, how the days go by...

Well, I wanted to make sure that C and I had plenty to keep us busy with F gone. I have succeeded far beyond my wildest imaginings. Our ability to "go and do" at this post is so far beyond our ability to "go and do" at Irwin, it astounds me. Let's see, lately we've been to gymnastics class, dance class, a Raggs concert (visit www.pbskids.org for who Raggs is.) the Louisburg Cider Festival, the Weston Apple Festival, the Weston Red Barn Farm and pumpkin patch, a production of Richard Scarry's "Busy Town" by Theatre for Young America, the KC Renaissance Festival and KC chocolate festival, and that's only in the month of October! Of course, there's still more on our calendar to get us to the end of the month, then even more to get us to Thanksgiving and I think we get to breathe a little before Christmas...oh yeah, then we get to get ready for Christmas! If I have a chance later, I'll give some of the details of our outings, but right now, I just wanted to let y'all know what we're up to. 

We said bye-bye...

to the diapers. That's actually why I haven't updated this in a while. My life has revolved around the potty-training issue lately, and I didn't want to scar C for life by publicizing every detail of her potty-ing. However, it's been a week since she said that the diapers could go away and she'd use the potty. She's doing quite well so far, and her Mommy is keeping calm...mostly.