With the Buddies

It was great to spend time with our friends on our minibreak, as well.  Vivi got to play with tons of buddies!

She and Russ spent time in the waterpark with Kyler's cousin Jori, trying to shoot me with water cannons as I took photos.

Can you see the intense determination on Vivi's face?  I was very glad the canons did not shoot that far.

Then, she and Kyler turned Derek and Jori into their slaves, "letting" them push their floating tube around the pool.

Peel me another grape, Copernicus.

And, last but not least, Dawn let Vivi hold Baby Kella!  Vivi took it very seriously and was very gentle with her.

..and then in the middle of it, Vivi and Kella both seemed to realize what was happening and looked totally freaked out.  It was quite hilarious.

Note how long Kella is compared to Home Girl?  Keep in mind, Vivi is in the 79th percentile for height for her age.  I think Miss Kella is going to be a tall lady!  Too cute!

Minibreak!

This past weekend, we took a minibreak!  It was lovely.  We headed to Kings Pointe, an indoor/outdoor waterpark in Storm Lake, Iowa.  Our friends, the Grooters, were headed there to celebrate Derek's birthday.  It was a blast!

Now, let me tell you that Storm Lake is in THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.  Were driving through cornfields of North Central Iowa seeing signs claiming Storm Lake was 15 miles away, and I thought, "Lies!  There is nothing out here!"  I was wrong.  There is a giant lake and it is beautiful.

We were a tad worried, as we had never stayed in a hotel room with Vivi before.  Would she sleep?  Would she like it?  Would Russ's snoring wake her up?  She did not share our worries.  She was thrilled.  It didn't hurt that it was 80 degrees out and she could sit out on our balcony in a skirt.

It was beautiful.  We could sit out on our balcony and listen to the waves, which were right below us.  I love water, and Vivi seems to as well.

However, she was more intrigued by the fact that she would sleep in her very own bed, while Russ and I slept in a bed in THE SAME ROOM.  She kept sitting on her bed, and then very graciously inviting me and Russ to join her.

Mind you, Vivi has had her very own big girl bed since January.  Why this one was special, we are not sure.

She took to hotel life very well.

Lazlily hanging out and watching TV?  Check!  Room service?  Check!  Ah.  They joys of travel!

The Ides of March

No need to beware,here, Lincoln.  It reached almost 80 today.  I have a perfect bracket (!).  And I am far enough removed about this day that I can finally blog about it.

This day was the day it snowed something stupid like 10 inches in 6 hours, after raining all night.  We lost power for 4 hours.  I wanted to stab someone.

Then, right as about we were about to throw in the towel and go to my parent's house (thanks to my brother and his truck, since we COULDN'T GET OUR CARS OUT OF THE GARAGE), the power came back on.  So, we finally gave in to Vivi's pleading and went outside to play.

Russ demonstrated how to make snow angels.

Vivi was inspired, and made ones of her own, for the very first time.

We made a snowman.  The snowman was quite successful.  Taking of a picture of him was less-so, as the wind was blowing straight in their faces.

Secret to making an awesome snowman face?  Black olives!  I was really proud of myself.

Far more successful was taking Vivi sledding in the street.  It was totally safe--no one could have driven anything short of a plow through that crap.  In fact, you can see where one drove through and DID NOT PLOW OUR STREET.  Grrrrr.

She loved it so much!  She would have done this all day if we had let her.

 I know that it's only the middle of March.  the 80 degree weather will end, just like my perfect bracket (thanks a lot, Wichita State).  But at least days like this are behind us.  Fingers crossed.  It is Nebraska.

Dino Museum

We have been busy, blog world.

Vivi's dinosaur love has not abated, and so we have been exploring ways to help her learn more about them.  Believe it or not, Lincoln actually has TWO dinosaur museums.  One is a Lincoln tradition, Morrill Hall.  I cannot tell you how many times I have been there.  School field trips, college classes (yes, you can have class in the museum), and now with our little girl.  I have always loved it there.  I am a history geek.  And she loved it too.

Unnnnfortunately, this is the only picture I have of her first visit to Morrill Hall.  Her outside, gazing at Archie the Mammoth.  Someone "ahem" forgot to charge her camera batteries.  Parent fail.

We had better luck on our trip to the second dinosaur museum.  Located just outside of Lincoln, the Milford Dino Museum was actually pretty cool.  We met our friends Parker and Jill out there and had a really fun afternoon!  Parker loves dinosaurs just as much as Vivi does, so we knew they'd have a great time.  And the cool thing about the Milford museum is that their dinosaurs...look like dinosaurs.

 

Vivi was very impressed.

Russ helped her achieve what I can only imagine is a current life goal and helped her touch the teeth of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

He was less successful at attempting to be a dinosaur.

Vivi does not think he is as tough as...which ever dinosaur that is.  I don't know.  Vivi could tell you.

The dino museum also features (intriguingly) also features a mirror maze.  Parker, Vivi, and Russ really enjoyed it.

   Jill and I spent a lot of time running into the walls and muttering about depth perception not having ANYTHING to do with dinosaurs.

There was even a place where Parker and Vivi could excavate dino bones.  They had a fabulous time being paleontologists.

It was a great day, and I think we'll be back for sure!

Cupid, Draw Back Your Bow...

We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post to bring you a special message:

Happy Freaking Valentines Day.

Secret: I do not care for Valentines day.  Don't worry, close friends who are reading this, I am not going to go on my traditional rant.   I know, you've all heard it.  But, while I do not care particularly for Valentines day, I do like celebrating things with Russ and Vivi.  And, despite my recent kvetching about crafting, I wanted to help Vivi make something special for her daycare buddies on Valentines day.  

I have to say, I feel like holidays and daycare is a little like a minefield.  Halloween: Jean had a party.  I brought treat bags.  No one else did.  I felt dumb.  Christmas: two of the moms brought treat bags.  I did not.  I felt dumb.  So, I have decided to bring treats for every possible holiday that makes sense, and will just assume that if there is ever a Miracles on 34th Street PTA organization, I will be elected president.

But I digress.  Vivi and I decided to make Whoopie Pies.

With some attitude.

Vivi helped with every step!  She poured ingredients in...

...she helped me mix (although she thought it was hilarious that we were not just going to eat the batter right then and there)...

...and she helped roll the whoopie pies in sprinkles once they were assembled.  Because, you know, stuffing two chocolate cakes with frosting is NOT ENOUGH SUGAR FOR TODDLERS.

She did have to taste-test the sprinkles first.  And incorporate her special birthday sprinkles that Grandma Otto brought this summer.  Thankfully, sprinkles do not go bad.

And, of course, a final taste test!

Look at them.  They're kind of hideous.

But you know what?  She and I had a blast making them together, and I am glad that she is going to get to celebrate with her daycare buddies and bring them something fun.  Even if their parents find it hard to forgive us for presenting their children with that amount of sugar.  So Happy Valentines Day, yall.  From the Ottos.

Tip-toe Tip-toe Tip-toe Where?

Thanks to a little episode called, "The Wonder Pets Save the Nutcracker," Vivi is obsessed with Sugar Plum Fairies.  Super obsessed.  When she wakes up every morning and I ask her how she slept, she answers, without fail, "I slept well.  I dreamed about Sugar Plum Fairies."  When I ask her what they were doing in her dream, she replies, "They were dancing on their tip-toes!"

It may or may not surprise you to find out we also spend quite a bit of time these days dancing on our tip-toes.

Due to a stroke of luck and a very timely growth spurt, cousin Eva swung into town with some out-grown costumes.  Among them...a fairy!

Yes, it is technically a Tinker Bell costume (I think).  But I am not really up to differentiating between the varietals of fairies, nor is Vivi interested.  So a Sugar Plum Fairy she is.  And what do Sugar Plum Fairies do at the Otto house?

They laugh at funny jokes.

They practice for Fairy Mardi Gras.  -AHEM!-

They DO NOT like to stop dancing to take baths.

Even the prettiest fairies can sport Grumpy Frowns.

Queen Vivi

My apologies, blog world.  I know I have been missing for a bit.  I have been crafting, crafting, crafting for a score of events that are now, thankfully, almost over.  And let it be said, for the first time, that I am tired.  of.  crafting.

Very tired.

However, my endless painting, glue-gunning, etc has afforded Vivi lots of time to spend playing in her new domicile.  You see, Vivi now has a castle.

A Christmas gift from Grandmary and Grandpapi, it has been very, very popular.  Our little queen has been holding court quite relentlessly since we opened it up.

Sometimes, if you ask very nicely, she will even let you into the castle with her.  If you fit.

And sometimes even if you don't.  No one denies the queen.

Heck.  Everyone likes castles.

Even baby Charlie.  :)