2 Pictures and a Note

Hey All. Just sticking my head in the door to briefly comment on the weekend. If you've been over to Jess's you saw MaryJane's baby bro had a b-day on Saturday. Seems like just yesterday we were seeing him for the first time at the hospital. So M.J. had a blast at Chuckies and was happy to report that Chucky didnt come out...shes not wild about people in suits. She got herself a magic princess wand that she clung to most of the weekend (even slept w/ it). Cute. When she had gotten back we played "Princerella". Now thats a first. Heres a picture of a friend we found Sunday morning. His name is "Mr. Orangies" (orange-gezz).
And heres a picture of a princess i found before church Sunday morning. Hehe.

Got out to Fayettteville for lunch and for a trip to Toys-R-Us (further preparing for yet another b-day soon to be here). She spent some time using me as a jungle gym and a horse and we played an ellaborate round of Barbies on the porch Sunday afternoon. It was so great. One last very sweet, cute and funny thing i must mention that shes done a few times over the past few days; singing sweet things to the opening themes of cartoons. Just imagine her singing "you're my friend, daddy loves me, i love daddy" to the theme of Spongebob Squarepants. Heeee...to great.

I could go on and on about all the fun we had and all the sweetness that little gurl is, but ill keeep some for myself. Hehe.

Heres to a great week.

Later

History Buff!

So you may remember my mention of MaryJane attending History Camp this week. I am here to report that she absolutely loved it and is an official history buff. hehe. Following is a little day to day breakdown ive put together of what she made and had to say.

Day 1 - Spoke to the gurl shortly after she got out of camp via tha telephone. Her first thing was "I remember one thing we did" (which was bologna cause she remembered a lot more then that...haha) She said they played Red Rover, asked me if I knew how to play, and broke it down for me. Merely a time filler till pick-up, but thoroughly enjoyed by my daughter. She said she made a picture frame, a camera and a phone. She's so funny too...she was like ask me about anything you want to know...so I asked about the camera; she told me how to make it and how to make a telephone (which turned out to be the good ole 2 cans and a string phone...sweet!). She said they had the best snack...Ice Cream and when I asked her if Katie (her friend from Treehouse was there) she said she was and that that was the best part...awwww. Shortly after tall of this she discovered she had gotten new clothes, shoes and a little radio from her mother so I was told "well, I better go now. I have some rock-n-roll to do". Rock out MaryJane!

Day 2 - Today I was surprised with the Knowledge I got to pick her up. Yea. When I got there I got the usual, and always enjoyed, "DADDY"! She grabbed her stuff, we admired the very well put together doll house eat the front of the museum and then jetted. Again I was told about the wondrous Red Rover. She said that they made peanut butter and had cookies for there snack. She showed me her crafts for the day that included a straw that shot little balls out of it (not sure what exactly the point of it is) and a button on a piece of string (again, not sure what the point is), but when I asked her about it she said it was a "magic trick" so maybe that explains me not understanding it. She said they learned about War too. And as if she hadn't had enough museum already we played museum and even art museum that night. It was obvious from day one and every day after that she was totally loving the camp.

Day 3 - Didn't talk to my gurl this night, but got a little info the next morning. I know she had a great time, but all she had to say really was "The bad part was we had to walk a lot" and she said she was sleepy. They walked to a near bye cemetery where she said she checked off things in a notebook. very interesting.

Day 4 - Again I was happy to be picking up M.J. up this day. They were outside when I get there...doing what imp not sure, but she was certainly dirty and hot. She had 3 things we picked up and it all went along with the things she said they did. She said they learned about bugs (a cool spider picture frame), bones (a page with bones she collected and glued to it), and birds (a gourd bird house she painted). And again this night (and Friday morning) we played history museum. What a history nut. hehe.

Day 5 - She couldn't believe it was the last day. She had told me she thought she was going for a month (and she sure would have it she could). When I got there to pic her up Katie's mom had them in front of some scarecrows they had made and was taking pictures....Wait!....I ran as fast as I could and was able to grab that super cute super shot! She had some potatoes they she dug up and asked me if we could make them when we got home. we didnt, but she's been having fun peeling the skin off. she said they had ice cream again. sweet. and then it was "I want to play Red Rover when we get home" haha. next time we get a group of kids outside it happening and she will certainly be the experienced champ. : ) Latter she elaborated on the horse shoe a little more saying it was her lucky horseshoe. She said "today was a special day cause I got to ride a horse". how awesome it that.

So as you can she absolutely luved the camp. So glad she went. She had asked me if we could make some food for her teacher when I was putting her to bed Thursday night. It was to late of course, but very sweet of her. I told her today we could get a thank you card and send it to her.

"Let's Pretend Like..."

My daughters most frequent phrase. This usually begins and sometimes directs our games. Example: "lets pretend like your the prince, Lionel's the king, Kelly's the queen, and im the princess" or "lets pretend like I only like healthy stuff and you only like sugary stuff". With her creative imagination and endless ideas there is always plenty of pretend. She so funny too. She can incorporate anything into or make a game out of just about anything. Whether its a "Daddy and Lionel show" on the way home, ordering her dinner that im making for her, insisting that I make the stuffed animals talk while she uses the bathroom, don't step on the cracks at wal-mart, keeping points while we make puzzles, or church being a "field trip" for her and Kelly. Im not even breaking the ice either.

What a blessing she truly is and her sweet, loving and playful spirit is more then I could ever, ever ask for. Not long ago she told me just out of the blue "I Love Life" and she certainly does. Her love of learning, church, people, playing, art and doing what's right and good really shows that. Take all that and put it into the cutest little nutshell ive ever seen and you get the closest thing to perfection I know of, my angel gurl MaryJane. She may be the Queen of Pretend, but her happy heartedness and sweet smile is no act....

Had an awesome blossom weekend!

Summertime

"...and this is The Fresh Prince's new definition of summer madness".

Fathers Day...and Beyond!

Got that Gurl and was home around noon on Sunday. She had on the most beautiful dress worn to Church w/ Mommy. Soon as that monkey got in the car she handed me a stuffed animal, gave me the specifics of the game, and it was on like Donkey Kong. We played our hearts out till 4:00 pm. It was great. She was all over the place. Before one game was finished she was moving on to the next or changing the specifics of the game. It was high speed action man. Had a tea party, played pet shops in and out doors, Aladdin, and plenty more. The only reason we stopped at 4 is because I couldn't keep my eyes open. I took a 30 minute power nap while she watched cartoons and played. That nap did wonders in combination w/ an energy drink. Got outside a bit, made some tasty Chicken Etuffe for dinner, and played a game of Clue before laying down. Although my Fathers day gift was still at Jess's I got a couple Happy Fathers Day's, a kiss, a hug, and a third thing she called "luvin" before she fell asleep. How sweet a princess she really is. Next morning was great too. She woke up to my alarm which she rarely does, got upright and said "I love you"..."wake up" followed by two what she called "short" presents; another kiss and another hug. How wonderful! Played some stuffed animals and admired a sticker book before it was of f to meet mommy. Got a very funny card and a super cook book from MaryJane. The book is sooooo awesome I cant even begin to explain. I cant wait to afford groceries so I can cook from it. haha.

Boat Float Note

Fabulous time. Headed out a little later then initially anticipated, but still got to the cabin about 9:00 pm on Friday. We did make a stop for ice and a stop at a smoke house / restaurant to grub. Talk about delish. Had some BBQ wings that gave he chills! Also some smoked shrimp and a tasty burger. The trip turned out to be just 5 of us, down from 7 or 8. One of the guys, Bryan, didn't come out till Saturday afternoon. So initially it was Barry (the one that planned the trip, drove and owns the cabin we stayed at), Brandon (community group leader), Matt (one cool dude), and myself. Now when I say we stayed at a cabin...I mean a real cabin and in a real cabin spot. We drove 4 1/2 miles off the beaten path to and from the cabin 2 times and despite what Barry said the name of the so called road was I deemed it "Mild Whiplash Alley". Guess why. haha. Had there been Metallica playing while driving the road I might not have survived due to major whiplash. It was very cool tho. So as you can see I do have pictures of the cabin. Purrty nice huh. I would totally live there. So when we got there we unpacked our things and broke out the Nintendo Wii and played 4 player Mario Kart. Matt was explaining how great this game was on the way there, but had no idea he brought it. So after he smoked us a good 8 races or so we retired our characters and broke out the portable flat screen and DVD player to watch X-Men 3. Pretty good flick, but could have been way better I think. Movie was over bout 1:00 am and it was off to bed. Barry slept on the Futon and the rest of us slept upstairs where there was a bed and 3 inflatable mattresses. We all slept good. : ) Barry was up before any of us Saturday morning, but I was number 2. We hung out on the porch for a bit and chatted while drinking coffee. wonderful way to start the day. The others roused about an hour after I and Barry made us all pancakes and Cajun sausage (brought back from Louisiana) cooked on the grill and man was it tasty. Once we were all awake and full we prepared ourselves for the river and headed out. Went to the Canoe shop, got our ride down to tha drop point and it was on. Barry was at the back of our Canoe and Brandon backed Matt on there Canoe. Water was just great. Barry said it was about 1 1/2 feet above normal and the prior weekend. There was a little white water here and there and a pretty good current some of the time to keep the oar work down. We boogied a few times, but for the most part took our time. Fished out of the canoes quite a bit, stopped to jump of a cliff, stopped to swim, stopped to eat, and stopped for a good ole "safety check" by some rangers. I was keeping no track of time all weekend, but would say our float was a good 4 hours. Seemed like half that tho. Saw a few little snakes and about 7 turtles, luckily while in tha canoes tho. : ) The water temp was nice and the temp outside was great and the scenery was good. Overall it could not have been a better float. Got us a ride back to the truck and back to the cabin we went. Barry started up a fire in the pit while the rest of us partook in games of washers. It was fun, but not great like at dads. it was a portable version; carpet on top of a wooden boxes with a bigger hole in it...and the rules were not as good, but still had a blast w/ it. It was baked potatoes, salad and...yes, Deer for dinner. Have to admit it was good. I wasn't scurred or nudin, but a little skeptical. It was heavily seasoned and the best part of the deer so it tasted and chewed good. I would not put it ahead of beef, pork, or chicken for sure tho. Oh, and Brian (the other guy) showed up shortly before dinner. The rest of the night was b.s.ing round the camp fire while made smores and drank "cowboy" coffee. We did sneak in another movie before going to bed at 1:00 am called Live Free of Die Hard. It is awesome. I would recommend it for sure if you like the Die Hard series. its no slack and does the series proud. Crashed...woke up before seven, cleaned up the place and hit the rod. Got home around 10:00 am and it was off to get MaryJane to enjoy Father's Day!

Hullo Buffalo!

So im leaving out today after work for a trip to the Buffalo River. So excited. Been close to 10 years id guess since ive been out thurr id. Goin down w/ some of the guys from my community group. I believe there will be 8 of us in all. We are going on a 5-6 hour float trip, hiking, fishing, and who know what all. Staying at one of the dude's cabin and hes cooking for us. Should be tha bomb trip. Ive got my camera packed and will try to get some good pics to share. We will be back in town sometime Sunday morning for Fathers Day.

It's Friday tha 13th...are you scared?

I wondered why this today is demed "unlucky", so i dug a bit only to find there is an actual "phobia" of this day and many believed reasons why Friday the 13th is unlucky.

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή) (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς) (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (φοβία) (meaning fear). The term is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia(fear) of the number thirteen appearing in any case.

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. "It's been estimated that [US]$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day".

So how did Friday the 13th become such an unlucky day?

Dossey, also a folklore historian and author of Holiday Folklore, Phobias and Fun, said fear of Friday the 13th is rooted in ancient, separate bad-luck associations with the number 13 and the day Friday. The two unlucky entities ultimately combined to make one super unlucky day.Dossey traces the fear of 13 to a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked the uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous Loki. Once there, Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow."Balder died and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day," said Dossey. From that moment on, the number 13 has been considered ominous and foreboding.There is also a biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.Meanwhile, in ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.Thomas Fernsler, an associate policy scientist in the Mathematics and Science Education Resource Center at the University of Delaware in Newark, said the number 13 suffers because of its position after 12.According to Fernsler, numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus.In exceeding 12 by 1, Fernsler said 13's association with bad luck "has to do with just being a little beyond completeness. The number becomes restless or squirmy."This fear of 13 is strong in today's world. According to Dossey, more than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor. Many airports skip the 13th gate. Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half. In France socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate.Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13.As for Friday, it is well known among Christians as the day Jesus was crucified. Some biblical scholars believe Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit on Friday. Perhaps most significant is a belief that Abel was slain by Cain on Friday the 13th.

Water (B)loged!

Yes! It was wet weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday afternoons were very similar. Both very, very good! Mornings were great too. Saturday it Home Depot. They had there craft making outside which was nice. It was hot, but luckily we got to sit in the shade of a log house. She made a Sail Boat which she doesn't believe will float, but I think it will. She did all the work and it turned out good. She had noticed a "Tony Stewart" NASCAR shopping cart when we got there and she asked if we could take it for a spin in the store. Of Course. We cruised at pit speeds thru the garden area for a bit and then she bailed on the car. played some games and admired the pretty flowers and foliage. She made a game out of setting up wind blown over plants and we played a game where I only liked ugly plants and she loved beautiful one.s lucky me. hehe. Sunday it was Church. hehe. She had a blast. Got to see her teacher, her friend, did a crossword and word search, made a craft, and learned about Wanting vs. Needing. Her and Kelly had a test afterwards and she passed and Kelly failed (Church was a field trip ya see...hehe). An hour or 2 after lunch each day it was off to the Jones Center to swim.

Saturday we got there right when the pool was closing for fifteen minutes. they run on a 1 hr 45 minute open, 15 minutes. We sat out in the hall and talked about this and that, laughed at a picture of an old man in a suit going down the water slide, and played a game of Lionel attack. We spent an hour and a half at the pool that day. that gurl is getting so tall. The deepest part of the kidz pool is 3' 8" and she can now walk flat footed in that part. Last time we went she could barely tip-toe in that part. So she was all over the pool. We had fun racing (and non racing) around the pool holding on to the edge, playing in the water blasters on the side walls of the pool (the one in the picture below in particular), and going down the water slide. We go down the slide together, but by the end of the day I wasn't holding on to her (by request) and she faired so very well at the bottom. She thought about going by herself, but stuck w/ me. They were having a picnic/concert event later that evening and when we were on our way out they had just blown up a big inflatable obstacle course in preparation for it. M.J. wanted to play on it and I told her we could come back later when the event started, but when she saw other kids playing on it already she was off. Some of the event workers were right there and were ok w/ the kids playing on it early. It rocked....No Line! That monkey of mine ran thru that thing a half dozen or more before I told her it was time to go...and it was because almost immediately I got a "my legs hurt". It was home to take a break.

Sunday we did a lot of the same antics from Saturdays trip, but this time she took a pair of eye googols she got and she spent a lot of her time holding her nose and looking under the water. She loved having those things. We spend another hour and a half having a ball. When we got done she wanted to play in the grass area there so I said let me put our stuff in the car first. Well, she saw a few hopscotch's on the sidewalk and decided to do them and I followed and that lead us away from the grass area and to the garden area where we scoured, admired, and played. When I said it time to go she said something along the lines of "but we didn't even get to play in the grass" My oh my. : ) It was time for a break...again. Around 6ish both days her and Samantha hung out together outside in the shade and made food out of mud. Saturday she had seen the last little bit of Iron Chef (a cooking competition where to Chefs have an hour to make five dishes and then they are judged and a winner is chosen), so when I was called to taste the dishes M.J. mentioned it being that show. so I tried both there dishes and picked a winner. then she was making something else and did a count down "9,8,7..." to when the dish had to be done...again I ate and picked a winner. It was awesome. Sunday she had made me a chocolate mint drink, some dish, and "sprinkles". it was all yummy and she was deemed the winner (although I reiterated the fact that both there making were superb).

We did our share of inside fun as well which included Barbie's, Pet Shops, Sponge bob, Babysitter (but I was the dad instead, so it wasn't called babysitter; same premise tho), reading, art and lots of other stuff.

It was a fab weekend!

Friday Night Eatz!

Got a call from my bro early last week askin if M.J and I would like to come out for a visit and dinner w/ them Grandpa and Nana. Oh yeah. Hadn't been over thurr since first of the year and M.J. always enjoys playing w/ Robi and the two pooches (Ele and D'Arcy). So we had a great time of course. Here she is out back of there pad picking mint leaves.I chowed one down and she couldn't believe they were edible. She didn't try one, but got me a handful and when I asked her what would happen if I ate them all I was told id be in "Mint Heaven". haha! So after the mint appetizer we had yummy pesto chicken broccoli pasta w garlic bread, fresh corn on the cod, salad, and some "Spanish" dish for dessert. All of it was super tasty and what better to follow up a delicious meal other then a salon session. MaryJane broke out the Bratz Make-up case she got some years ago and went to work. She got Robi and Nana all fixed up. She did a fabulous job and they were both fit for a ball (had there been one). : ) We played an hour or so of Monopoly before I had to announce our departure, but M.J. wanted to see Robi's room so those to took to it...and the dogs followed of course. I peaked in to see what they were up too and saw M.J. laying on the bed getting licked in the face by the dogs and she was cracking up. It was 2 cute and funny. she loved it. After a short stroll on the treadmill and some playing (or training if you ask her) w/ the dogs it was time to go. Had a bunch of fun and glad we went.

Mutha

Oh how I can't wait to leave this dungeon. Just been on of those days. We are thru w/ close and got compliments from the boss man, but just wont be happy till 4:30...hard to please today. hehe. MaryJane stayed w/ Mommy last night. Her GuaGua came over to spend tha nite and even tho i havent spoken to either of them yet today im sure they had a great time last night and are enjoyin thurr day today. Jess metioned maybe goin to yard sales this morning. How wonderful that sounds. determined to do it a very upcoming Saturday. Been to long since i have and there is bound to be lots of goodies people have been waiting for gorgeous weather to sell. Hittin up Home Depot tomorrow morning. Seems like we just went...time flies. Going out to Cody's tonight for dinner. I just confirmed last nite so M.J. dosent know yet. She will be so excited. She loves going over there to see them (and the dogs of course). Dad and Nana are going to be there too. Made a yummy salad to take last night. Got the produce at the Harps on Sunset. It aint no garden in the back yard or Ozark Natural Foods, but certainly second to those. Wont buy any produce at Wal-Mart again (so take that...hahaha) Ill have details and pics Monday from Cody's....and the same in regards to the weekend.

Ready, Set, .....

Weekend Babysitter

Yes...I babysat this weekend....2 cranky, cranky kidz and one very, very well behaved one...and I did it for free. hehe. MaryJane has been on a "let's play babysitter" kick for a week now; Wed thru Sunday, everyday. Its a lot of fun obviously. Her two Cabbage Patch Kidz, Margaret & Charlotte, act terrible while she is an Angel. Both mornings it was tell a few jokes from a joke book she got at mommy's and then babysitter and more babysitter. We did play some school, did some art, played Christmas workshop in June, and other things as well. I wanted to get out Sunday and do something, but she didn't want to and the surprise rain Sunday confirmed we were staying home for the afternoon. Did get out in the rain and went to Church Sunday and made a short trip to Wal-mart Saturday. We took notepads and made lists for each other of what we want for our Birthday's. That kid just cant wait for her B-day. She spent around a couple hours both afternoons outside. Sunday was her fav I think cause it was sooo muddy and her and Samantha got to make there patented mud bakeries. Quite yummy I must say...that is if you like mud. haha.

So Monday is here despite my attempts to wish it away. No babygurl tonight. : ( In lieu of my empty pockets we are having our last community group for the semester at my pad tomorrow nite. My awesome and understanding leader said he would bring pizzas and we could all just pitch in a few bucks. Looking forward to it very much and the place is lookin good, but you know when you have company there are always a few teaks that have to be made. So it a few errands, a little cleanin, and then a lot of relaxing. Gotta try to get to bed at a decent hour too. All that live MMA kept me up late Saturday and Sunday. : )

Well, lunch has about expired, but the day has flown by so far; better get back to tha grind. Ill holla Friday.