When Life Gives You Lemons

Make Lemonade!

On Saturday out church had an Easter egg hunt at the park and lemonade to drink for the kids. It was so successful that there weren't any cups left so I convinced Harrison to come home and make lemonade with me. He and the G.I.D. went outside and collected a bag full of lemons from our tree then he came in and helped me wash them.

Here is a collection of photos from our adventure.

Starte by cutting 5 to 6 lemons (yes, mommy helped with that big sharp knife.)

Squeeze lemon juice out of lemons

Stir in 1 cup sugar

Pour in 6 cups water

Stir until mommy says your are done. (sugar is dissolved)

Drink from favorite Woody cup

Then take a nap, get up and have a lemonade slushy!

Perfect!


Now head over to the Land of K.A. for more collections!

Wordless Wednesday - And I Quote...

"Leave me alone. I'm working."

For more Wordless Wednesday photos check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

The Eggs Have It!

I admit, as much as I once loved getting Easter baskets and coloring eggs (not to confuse that with the true meaning of Easter), it had waned over the years to non-existent. Then Harrison came along and it was time to dust off all those memories of youth and to experience them again through the eyes of MY child. This was the year to start the traditions with him. So we started on Thursday night by making an "egg bed" Who knew that sticking straight pins into Styrofoam would keep him so focused and content for for a good quiet half hour!

After making the Egg Bed we prepared our eggs for color, using rubber bands, sticking on dots and hole-punch protectors for designs.

Colors waiting for the egg-stravaganza!

On Friday, I set up everything and showed Harrison what to do. He went to town! Once he dyed the eggs he wanted to dye more, so he re-dipped (and would have continued until all were brown - literally!) I also helped me with blown eggs.

Using his hands to grab the eggs out of the dye left a lovely shade of green.






We came, we saw, we ate eggs.

Celebrations of Easter

We had a very busy weekend with A LOT of pictures to sort through! Harrison started out his weekend on Friday with a Purim parade at his school, then we came home and colored eggs. His FIRST experience dying eggs! He loved it and wanted to keep dying more, and MORE!

On Saturday morning we went to our church's Easter egg hunt at the park near our house and then came home to make fresh lemonade and relax as I wasn't feeling good. Later in the day, we all walked down to the park to hang out and play in the beautiful weather.

Finally, yesterday we spent time with Harrison's God-family after an incredible Easter service at church. His God-mother planned a little Easter egg hunt just for him!

Although our immediate family lives far away and Big Brother spent Easter weekend with him mom, the three of us had a very nice, low-key weekend spending a lot of time together as a family. To our family we miss you and love you! To our friends, thank you for your dear friendship. We hope you all were as blessed as we were this Easter season!

I'll post more pictures later but this is my best shot for today.


Go to Mother May I and see more best shots from this family weekend!

Our Newest Family Member...

When we were at Disneyland a week before his birthday, Harrison noticed Build-a-Bear boxes being carried about in little hands for the first time.

"Mommy!... I want a house, mommy!"

"That's from Build-a-bear." I tell him.

"I want to go to build-a-bear house! Pleeease Mommy!"

"Well, honey, maybe we can stop by when we come back for your birthday but not today."

We go into the park and he soon forgets about it. For a few days.

The following Thursday, as we drove home from our Mops group Harrison announces,

"I want to go to Build-a-bear house, Mommy."

After a short dialog pursued I realized I had run out of reasons not to go to the local Build-a-bear.

I discovered that asking my 3-year-old to pick one animal to stuff is more painful than 3 root-canals! In fact, we left the store, visited other stores, run around a bit and came back.

At the suggestion we go home and come back a different day, Harrison was ready to pick.

He looked at many of the animals and would say, "that one!", then I would pull it out of the bin and he would say, "yuck! it's broken!" and throw it back in and we would start all over again.

I had to convince him that there was more to the build-a-bear part of getting a "house". That it started with an empty bear, that HE actually was going to help fill it and clean it and name it. With all that in mind, he became more willing to accept the limp clump of fabric-bear-fur.

Stepping on the pedals to get fluff and air were highlights , but the best part was naming the bear on the computer.

I asked him "what do you want to name him?"

"Bucky"

"What?"

"Bucky"

"Bucky?"

"Yee-as"

"Bucky it is, then."

Meet Bucky. I have been informed that he likes to sleep in his build-a-bear-house.

Bucky in his bear-house

A Happy St. Patty's Day it Was!

So I lied. I did drink on St. Patrick's Day. I had a Black & Tan and a green beer. Yippee! Our friend called us and asked us if we wanted to join some friends at an Irish pub and offered that we could all keep an eye on Harrison together. We accepted and walked down to the pier for a light dinner and beer. Well, we've found out that Harrison is not only a partier at the ripe age of 3, but also a ladies man! Shortly after we got there he found a very sweet (and cute) little 6 year old to play with. They talked, and danced and walked around the place until it was time to go home. At one point he came over to get his drink cup of water and go sit in the booth his friend and her sister. (And their dad.) Ken proudly exclaimed, "That's my boy!"

Harrison and his new friend, Samantha, played, collected beads and danced, and danced, and danced!! I am happy to announce that he has an affinity for My Sharona! and other great 80's tune! That's my Boy!

If only I had my camera.

At another point they were walking around our table arm in arm when Harrison threw us a look with a mischievous grin, as if saying "Check me out with the older babe..." He all but did that aside-nod thing with his head - Check it out, check it out, eh?

All the waitresses thought he was cute and would give him (mostly beer) beads. Then he would turn and give them to Samantha. True love. But there was some mama-love - I got this one strand of beads.

Harrison talked about "Amanta" our entire walk home. Then he went into the house, drank some milk and promptly went to bed - exhausted!




That's one way to get a Toddler to sleep.

BSM - Just Having Fun

We went over to the local Purim Carnival today. Purim is the Jewish holiday that celebrates Esther saving the Jewish people from annihilation. I admit this is a great holiday; the Rabbi that taught a class I took about Judaism told us that one of the traditions is to drink until you don't know the difference between Haman (the bad guy) and Mordecai (the good guy). I know, I am summing up big time!! So you can learn more about Purim here.

How fun is that!? You actually get to drink [if you like drinking] I don't recall a Christian holiday where we are encouraged to drink like that! Of course, if you're Irish, today is a good day to have a green beer, eh? Or two, or three... heck, go for the 6-pack! It's St. Patty's Day!!!

[I digress.]

So we went to the Purim Carnival mainly for Harrison to play on the bouncer and get some lunch before his nap. Bouncer-Smouncer. He found this slide and a fun worm-like thing that he could run through, again and again and again.

Here is my best shot(s) for today.

Head over to Mother May I to see more best shots!

"My, My, My" said the Spider to the Fly...

On our way home from a late date with the Mouse Thursday night. Harrison was not only very awake, but also quite talkative. We got on the subject of helping people (sparked by Handy Mandy in Playhouse Disney's newest live stage show that we were able to preview.)

As we talked about helping people I reminded Harrison that Jesus helps us and teaches us how to help others. Then I reminded him that Jesus loves him and started to sing Jesus Loves Me. Suddenly he yells,

"No Mommy! Don't sing Jesus Love Me!"

"Why not?" I asked.

"Jesus doesn't love me." (Yes, I was as surprised as you may be...)

"What?? Jesus, doesn't love you?"

Seriously, this it NOT the kind of thing your want your toddler saying when all the other moms in your Mops group are telling cute little antidotes about how cute their child was when she prayed or how little 2-year-old Tommy asked for one more cookie to give to the homeless person, etc., etc. No. This isn't good fodder for THAT group! Plus, wasn't it only a couple weeks ago that Harrison was pointing out Jesus. [A post I forgot to publish. No surprise there.]

So we go 'round a couple times, mind you this is a tired, strong-willed 3-year-old I'm conversing with here, so really most of this is just plain tired-Toddler-asserting-the-NO-card. No singing Jesus song. No, Jesus NOT love me. No, you not love me... Yes, No, Yes, No, NO, YES! NO!

Finally after a beat, I ask again, "Who told you Jesus doesn't love you?"

"Pider tell me. "

A couple more guesses on my part of whom pider might be. Finally, I hit the nail on the head...

"Yah! Spider tell me. Spider in a web. Spider say Jesus not love me."

"Well, that spider is wrong and you can't listen to spiders. Jesus loves you and He loves that spider, too."

By this time we're home, Harrison runs into the house still shouting about the spider in the web. Without even a hello to Daddy he goes to the corner of the living room pointing and saying, "Spider! See? Spider! There's spider!"

We look closer and behind the telescope at the base of the bookshelf is a tiny little web with a small daddy-long-leg sitting in it. That was odd.

Well Harrison may very well be a spider-whisperer, but spiders still lie.

Fav Phrase Friday - "Not yet, Mommy."

That's what I have heard a lot of in the last week. It's funny, it's cute, it's not getting old, yet! Not yet.

Typical conversations go -

"Harrison, time to eat dinner."
"No, Not yet, mommy! I need to finish playing."

"Harrison, it's nappy-time."
"Not yet, mommy. 10 more minutes."

"Harrison, we need to get in the car to go."
"No, mommy, not yet. I busy."


Harrison, are you finished with your breakfast?"
"No, not yet, I'm not done."

"Would you?"... "Are you?"... "Do you want to?"...
"Not yet."

And my favorite, after he has finished "doing business" in his diaper...

"Harrison, let's change that poo-poo diaper."
No, Mommy, NOT YET, 10 MORE minutes, Mommy!"

Why on earth would you want to stay in poo-poo for 10 more minutes?

Theme Thursday (Late) - Changes

The theme at Land of K.A. this week was change. How appropriate considering that Harrison just turned 3-years-old last week. That is a huge change-in-the-making in it's self. Last year when he turned 2, I noticed a big jump in his language within a couple of weeks. Amazing. This year, it's seems he has decided to talk in more complex sentences shortly after birthday number 3!

He is more defiant, yet more able to adhere to simple requests; and he just plain, outwardly enjoys the events taking place around him.
That is the most fun part of taking it to the "next level". He can exhibit more self-control and I can intervene when he begins to lose his ability for self-control. Not to say those two things run smoothly on a daily basis. After all, he is still a toddler.

We went to see the new Playhouse Disney show and the new Pixar Play parade at Disney's California Adventure on Thursday. It's been a few months since we last watched the live stage show - or a parade for that matter; and Harrison has changed in that time. He was much more engaged in the stage show (not to say he wasn't the first time.) and watched the parade intently without sitting in a stroller or trying to run into the street to touch the people and floats. This is a BIG change!
But there was still freedom to dance in the street before the parade... Of course!



So since you couldn't be with us in person watch the Pure Joy on Harrison's face at this parade, I thought I would bring the parade to you! Here are just a few highlights - (only slightly out of order...) complete with water, more water and bubbles galore! Can't wait to see it on a HOT day!