Parents Say the Darndest Things

I know that as Megan begins talking more, she'll say all kinds of funny things, but there are times when I can't believe the things that come out of my own mouth. You would never think there would be an occasion to say something like that until a 1 year enters the room. I think only a parent can fully appreciate the situations you get into with a child -- especially when they are in the stage of constant exploration. 

Here are some of the things I've said to Megan recently:

"No no, Megan, the bunny does not go into the diaper genie."

"Why did you put a spoon into the ball popper?"

"Batteries do not belong in the Starbucks cup."

"Yes, Shoki is gray and crazy-looking, but he is not a rhinocerous."

As funny as these are (at least to me!) it is facinating to see how her brain makes connections and to watch her explore things.

Beating the Heat

It's been super-hot here lately so we've been trying to come up with ways to enjoy the sunshine, but stay cool with out being cooped up inside.

We started with a trip to VIR (Virginia International Speedway) to see the Rolex/GrandAm race. There was not much "staying cool" at VIR, but we did find a nice shady spot under a tree with some friends and watched the cars zoom by. Dad and Megan read Speedy Little Race Cars and we all took turns following Megan around on her quest for balls, which we think we actually pine cones (Thanks to Adria for figuring that out!).

Sunday afternoon we splashed around in the back yard in Megan's new kiddie pool. The water out of the hose was really cold, but she still enjoyed splashing - a lot! Afterwards we took a short wagon ride to warm up (ironic, i know...). And speaking of the wagon -- that has been money very well spent. I can't begin to count how many miles we've logged in the wagon in the two months that we've had it.

We even tried our hands at fingerpainting one afternoon. Megan tried to eat the paint more than actually painting with it, but she still had fun and made a few cool paintings.

And of course we spend a lot of time running around in the yard kicking balls, chasing the dogs, and going after the kitty-kitty-kitties!!! (her second favorite word after duck.)

Time to Catch Up

It's been a few weeks since I've posted an update. Things have been moving pretty fast around here, or should I say Megan has been moving very fast. That girl is like the energizer bunny. By the time she goes to bed, I'm so exhausted I don't have the brain function left to blog.

I guess I should start with Easter. We spent Easter weekend in Albemarle where we got to see grandparents and family. We went to church and then played with the horses. Megan got a very special easter egg, or rather goose egg when she slipped and fell face first into a small stool, and came home with a black eye...her first, but I'm wagering not her last.

A food first: Megan ate a whole banana right out of the peel! You can also see her black eye pretty well in this picture. Oh yeah, she had some kind of tomato-based pasta that night, hence the orange hue.

Family time: Megan got a special surprise visit from her great aunts from Conover. And Grammy Herring came into town while she was on Spring Break, so we went to Kevin and Vicky's to visit and Megan got to play with the kitty Patita.

The Spaghetti Incident

I made spaghetti and meatballs the other night for dinner. It was nothing particularly homemade, but it was pretty delicious just the same. Megan especially liked the meatballs and ate a bunch of them, but not before getting the tomato sauce everywhere. In between bites I snapped some pictures of our little Oompa Loompa. And though it probably goes without saying, after dinner Megan went directly from the highchair into the bathtub. Check out the whole orange mess on our photo page.

Pigtails and Lawn Chairs

The past few days have been pretty low-key around here. We've just been enjoying the outdoors (when it hasn't been raining) and taking it relatively easy. Megan really likes being outside, running after the dogs with frisbees, kicking the soccer ball, picking flowers, and of course, riding in her wagon. We picked her up a little adirondak chair to sit in outside. It's just her size! Granted, she doesn't spend a ton of time just sitting still, but she likes to climb in and out of it and drag it around the yard.

On Saturday we went to Raleigh to visit Beth and Kenny and spend some time at their new house. Megan had fun running through all the empty rooms and checking everything out. And that evening we watched some of the Final Four games, but I must confess that I've been only barely aware of the tournament this year. But I hear that UNC is going up against Michigan State tonight in the final game, so GO HEELS!

Oh - back to the outdoors. We finally got our riding lawn mower fixed. It runs, sounds great, and cuts better than ever. The break in the weather from all the rain gave Brian and chance to mow the yard. Megan and I helped pick up sticks and carry them up to the woods. Good thing he mowed yesterday because it rained - again - this morning. I know it's only early April, but if there is a drought this year, I'll just be flabbergasted. 

The last topic on my mind tonight is Megan's hair. We've been experimenting with some different hair styles this week to keep it out of her face and eyes. If it's not pulled back, she looks like one of those long-haired toy dogs whose eyes you can never see.

She's got so much hair (but I'm not ready to cut it yet) that the little bows just can't hold it all. So we've been using hair ties instead. Our favorite style right now is the little water spout on top of the head, but we did go bold with some pigtails one day. I'm still fighting the ongoing battle of how to keep Megan from pulling out the ties and bows in her hair without having to glue them in!

I think tomorrow we will go visit the Easter Bunny at the mall for some photos. We're supposed to have a park playdate tomorrow morning with the DMC, but it's supposed to be in the 40s tomorrow and I'm not sure that's the most fun park weather. We'll see how we feel in the morning.

Storytime

I try to keep Megan involved in several activities so that she can socialize with other kids, try new things, and learn within a structured environment. We belong to a small playgroup and go to a weekly gym class, and this morning we went to the library for lapsit story time. 

I'd heard good things about the library storytimes from one of our playgroup moms, and Megan loves books (Brian and I read a ton to Megan at home, and she loves to "read" her books by herself), so we thought we'd try it out. Plus, I figured that it couldn't hurt Megan to have to sit relatively still for half an hour. =)

The books this morning were cute and the storyteller - who was great - had some fun props to go along with the books and really involved the children. We also sang songs and had a short play time with some toys. For one of the songs, the kids got to pick Easter eggs that rattled from a basket to shake along with the song. Megan picked the largest one and immediately pulled it apart, spilling dried beans all over the floor. After storytime, we checked out some books to take home. 

When we got home, Megan flipped through her books and even started "reading" her very first Stephen King novel.

Carousel Ride

Last week, while visiting with Granddaddy and Grandmommy, we went to the mall. Megan and Grandmommy rode the carousel. This was Megan's first time on the carousel and she was a little startled when the ride started and the horse started moving, but by the end of the ride, we think she was having a good time.