Valentines Day is coming

After the Christmas & New Year festivities were over, Madeline was very excited to take the Christmas decorations down and begin making Valentines Day decorations. I think the tree was down by the 9th of January. Probably the earliest in history! We kept the small tree up in the master bedroom for the heart garland to be made.

So, one day Madeline and I sat down and got busy cutting out and decorating hearts for the heart garland. There was glue and glitter, foamy stickers of cupids, hearts, and arrows, and the occasional marker stamp to decorate the hearts. She saved a few special ones out for daddy, aunt theresa, poppop and grandma to make necklaces. We have yet to string some of those. But, the remaining hearts were strung onto red yarn and then placed on the upstairs tree. We hung every Valentines window cling imaginable all over the front windows, and now, thanks to Grandma Boose, we have even more on the back window! Madeline LOVES window clings!!! We are considering a Valentines party with her friends which should be a great time of crafting and tea parties with heart cookies of course!

Madeline started the next session of gymnastics and swim class. Gymnastics is now at a different facility (Splitz) which is a bonafide gymnastics company complete with trampolenes, bars, and balance beam, and all the tumbling room necessary for growing children. She has really excelled in all facets. It is a bit more exhausting than the classes at The Summit, but I think she really enjoys them. They stretch her abilities a bit, and I believe this is right up her alley. She's awesome on the balance beam, and her tumbling is unparalleled in her class! (toot, toot) Last week she got a taste of the bar, which proved to be quite a challenge. Flipping over the bar is a tough concept at first, but she got it and I think she'll be an old pro before long. Can't wait to see what this week will bring.

Swim class is also proving to be a bit more challenging this session, even though it's suppose to be a repeat of the same session she had at the close of the year. (see, she can't advance until she turns 4 which is fine) Her instructor this time has requested she put her face in the water a bit more often, which she's done! and float on her back with only the assistance of a lifejacket, which she's done! She is answering the requests really well. Her class is very small, only 3 kids, so she gets full attention from the instructor and not a lot of distraction. Madeline is always a bit apprehensive to go to class the next week because she has been informed of what to expect (floating on back next week), but once there, she's like a fish and has to be pulled out of the pool at the end of class. She tries so hard to impress her instructors both in gymnastics and swim. She just loves it when they watch and commend her on her performance. Who doesn't!

Kipper is still the show of choice on most occasions. Although, Zoboomofoo has taken a close second. Its main character is a lemur and two brothers (Kratt brothers) who teach Zabu (the lemur) all about different areas of the animal world from cats to jumpers; from the different faces to the green creatures (trees and plants). At the very end of the show, they tell a couple jokes and Madeline has remembered a few of them and shared them with the family. Some day we'll have to get that on tape and share.

Our weekend started with a trip to the International Auto Show with Grandparents Boose, and lunch in Greektown at Pegasus ending with a trip to Astoria for a special treat (Madeline chose a heart cookie). Madeline really loved sitting in the cars, but that was a lot of walking for a tired girl. She perked up when we got back on the PeopleMover to go to lunch. The extremely brisk air didn't hurt either.

Now, our Sunday is beginning with some Zabu and Kipper, and will most likely involve a trip to the fruit & vegie market, and of course, a bath. Have a great week everyone!

Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, etc...

Wow, a lot of time has passed! Madeline celebrated her 4th Christmas in Defiance, OH with Grandma & PopPop Boose, Uncle Jason and of course, Mommy and Daddy. She received really great gifts from all over the country on Christmas Eve then from Santa on Christmas Day. She loved this concept. The presents seemed to keep on coming! The other day, she said that the Genevieve doll she got from Grandma & Papa Brown was the sweetest doll she got on Christmas Eve. She said it with such sugar in her tone that I just had to smile.

The Christmas holiday was filled with tea parties and petit fours. Everyone was invited, including the Woodsies, Genevieve, Babydoll, Bear, and of course the occasional human grandparents, parents, and uncle. Madeline put on many performances with her new microphone and guitar. She often performed Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, but the request that sticks out in everyone's mind was one made by Jason. He requested a pig song, so Madeline did a rendition of "Oink, Oink, Jason's In the House" and brought the house down! I wish I could play it for you, but I'll have to have it posted to the family website for your enjoyment. I'll let you know when it's posted.

Madeline had her first visit to the Detroit Institute of Art on Friday, Dec. 29th. She loved looking at all of the paintings, sculptures, armor, and she visited the medieval chapel a couple times. She really liked the stained glass and the holy water bowl (anyone with the appropriate terminology, feel free to tell me). This year will be the year of introducing Madeline to the different forms of world faiths. There was one painting in particular, she noted as being her favorite (to be named later, once I find it again). We made a marionette spider together and had our photo taken for a museum project. We lunched in the cafe and had a really great morning at the museum. I think Madeline would really enjoy going again.

Well, it's just about bedtime so I'll close for tonight. More to come later.