Where to start.....

Where to start with this update is the question! We left last Tuesday afternoon for the farm and returned yesterday (Tuesday) just in time for our goddaughter's third birthday party. Whew! In between we packed as much as our little family of three could into a week! Miss Mouse spent most of last week with Grammy, as Mommy Mouse was working on her crafts for the Pride of Dakota debute at the ND State Fair in Minot. Miss Mouse did not mind one bit. She enjoyed spending time with the sheep, the cats, the horses, and the rabbits. One day she was obviously trying to get Grammy and me to realize something. She was getting frustrated, so she grabbed Grammy's hand, grabbed my hand, walked us out to the entryway, and said "Baaa!!!". It couldn't have been much clearer that she wanted to go see the sheep that morning! Friday evening was Mommy Mouse's 10-year class reunion (how did that happen?). Miss Mouse attended the family barbecue until about 7:30 at which time Grammy and Great Grammy came to rescue, er, take her home. We actually all had a really great time visiting with classmates and meeting everyone's children and spouses. Saturday morning came very early for Daddy Mouse. He biked in the "Bike to the Bee" event, biking from 35 miles out of Crosby into town with a group of about 16 other riders. They had a good time, although they all turned out to be too shy to ride in the Threshing Bee Parade. After completing the 5K run in the morning (Miss Mouse slept through it at the farm), I (thanks to the "shuttle service" of Grandpa Bob) managed to make it back to the farm, clean myself, and return with the entire group to the Threshing Bee in order to ride in the parade in our "Old Chevy". Papa had the car restored for Auntie Laura and me, so that makes it even more special when we get to "show it off". Miss Mouse rode with Grandpa Bob and me. She waved the whole way, and she had the entire crowd waving right back at her! She had a glorious time with everyone looking at her and actually waving back! The rest of the afternoon was spent in Great Grammy's motorhome. What a relief to have that right at the Threshing Bee grounds so that Miss Mouse could nap while I visited with a good friend and spent some quality time with her (adorable) new baby girl. That evening, after a quick practice session, Grandpa Bob, Auntie Laura, and I performed in the Threshing Bee talent show. Auntie Laura is sort of always the "star" at the end of the show, closing off the show with her traditional rendition of "The Orange Blossom Special". It's hard not to have her #1 fan in the audience anymore (Great Grandpa Don - front and center, or at least front, every year since she started), but the performance went well. And it was really an honor to be included in their group this year. Miss Mouse loved the show, though she did take a break with Grammy to ride the "kiddie train" around the Threshing Bee grounds. After the talent show came the dance (to 'old time music'). Grammy and Miss Mouse danced while Daddy Mouse and I had some time to dance together. As we were leaving, another little toddler (a boy) came over and asked Miss Mouse to dance. The other mother and I were able to coax the little ones out on the dance floor as they held hands and swayed together. At one point, Miss Mouse pulled away, so the little boy leaned over and gave her a kiss. So sweet!! The other mother was more prepared (and technological) and took a picture on her cell phone. I have no pictures other than the memory. It doesn't get much cuter! With that full day, we missed the class reunion activities on Saturday. I was happy to spend the afternoon chatting with my friend, and we had a great time at the Threshing Bee, though. Sunday, Grammy, Miss Mouse, and I headed back into the Threshing Bee to tie up some "loose ends" that we hadn't had time to do on Saturday. Great Grammy headed home to Williston after many kisses from Miss Mouse (I'm sure she cannot wait until she gets more!). At the Threshing Bee we visited the Laura Ingall's Wilder exhibit and bought Miss Mouse a "Little House on the Prairie" bonnet. Very cute, but it nearly fits me. Yes, we have small heads. Back to the "Bee". We also rode on the "kiddie train" again since I hadn't had a chance to experience it on Saturday. Miss Mouse enjoyed saying "whee" as we hit the bumps and took the corners. She hung on to both me (or Grammy) and the side the whole time (and didn't mind that we hung onto her!). Miss Mouse also had a grand new experience with horses! She fed grass/hay treats to a couple of young fjord horses that belong to a good friend of Auntie Laura's. The horses weren't terribly hungry, but she was happy to pet their manes (they're different than typical quarter-horse manes) and have them sniff at her. Then, Auntie Laura's friend found a horse for Miss Mouse to ride!!! I sat her up on the horse (a paint named "Pickles"), and she gave us the biggest, proudest grin she could! She stayed up for a respectable amount of time, but then she was "all done". She "rode" another horse, too (this one was a smaller horse named "Candy"), but she didn't enjoy her as much as Pickles. Auntie Laura's same friend (don't get any ideas, anyone, he's in his 60s) also graciously gave us a ride on his wagon, pulled by a beautiful team of fjords. We were getting close to parade time again, so the wagon needed to be decorated. But Lloyd wouldn't pass up the chance to give Laura's niece a wagon ride with us sitting right up front before the parade. Miss Mouse even got to hold a rein for a bit (don't worry, Lloyd had them, too). I was so proud of the "youngest driver" of the weekend! After our ride, we headed home and had good naps. Monday, Daddy Mouse and I took off early to the ND State Fair. Miss Mouse arrived after her afternoon nap (which happened during the trip to Minot) with the grandparents and Auntie Laura. She got tours of the animal barns and commercial buildings as well as watching a herding dog demonstration. She was excited the whole time we were watching because the two little herding dogs were herding sheep. Everyone around us was treated to continual "baaing" (from our daughter; the sheep were quite quiet). The day was a success (I sold several items), but we were all completely tuckered out. We started for home yesterday around 12:30 and, as I said before, arrived just in time for our goddaughter's third birthday party. It was a wonderful party, but we bowed out early rather than falling asleep with our heads in the cake. What a week! I'll post pictures later, although most of them are on cameras other than mine, unfortunately. I'll post what I can, though.

The past two weeks in pictures

The Mouse is now a climbing mouse!
Everything is fair-game-climbing-material.
What a little ham.
We couldn't pass up the ice-cream truck. Seriously, really, truly, there is an ice cream truck that drives around here! It is complete with off-tune music and everything!
Me thinks she likes the popsicle! Well, she liked the kiddie pool better. She played there, and I finished the popsicle. It was tasty!

Miss Mouse in her Sunday, Writing Rock Church Centennial celebration outfit (from Auntie Steph).
Modeling her new sunglasses from Great Grandma N.
Miss Mouse has become Louie's favorite person. He is letting her put his stuffed ball on his head.
Louie is at peace with the ball on his head, as long as it happened from Miss Mouse.
Happy Independence Day 2008, Miss Mouse!

These pictures were a bit out of order chronologically, but I hope you enjoyed them anyway!

A big event for us was celebrating Miss Mouse's Grandma Kathy's 60th birthday. Miss Mouse stayed to help her celebrate with a surprise party on the 2nd, too! Happy Birthday, Grandma K.!

Little Farm Girl

We returned last night from a marvelous, though short, trip up to the farm. The "main point" of the trip was the centennial celebration of Writing Rock Lutheran Church on Sunday. This was a great celebration complete with special music, an "old Concordia" service, good old hymns, and messages from current and former members and pastors. One of the neatest features of the service was the special music. During one of the songs, a high school girl (granddaughter of the congregation, now living elsewhere) played fiddle with her grandfather who must be around 90. The were accompanied by the pastor on guitar and another musical member of the congregation on a stringed instrument and a harmonica. I suppose it wouldn't have passed for professional music, but it certainly was special and sort of, to me, symbolized what a good congregation is about - passing faith, in this case in the form of music, from generation to generation. Intergenerational ministry being done free of formal programs - I love it.

Miss Mouse loved the music, too. After each special music selection or hymn she would, not softly, demand "more, more"! No one minded.

Other excitement for the Mouse at the farm included the newly-arrived-lawn-mowing-sheep. There are about ten of them, and they are the quietest woolies I have ever met. Miss Mouse loved them; she has no fear (yet?) of any animals she has met so far. She absolutely loved Auntie Laura's kitties, Socrates and Aristotle, though Socrates seemed by far to be the most loving of Miss Mouse. Miss Mouse also adored Auntie Laura's bunny, Louie. They bonded quickly and became good friends. In fact, Auntie Laura debated smuggling Louie home with the Mouse because she sadly observed how much happier he seemed with Miss Mouse than with herself! We consoled her with the fact that the Mouse is so much closer to his size that they had some "common ground" on which to quickly build their relationship. Louie would hop right over to Miss Mouse and happily take treats from her hand. Each time we went into his house, Miss Mouse looked up on the shelf and asked for "more" treats to feed him. She may be nicknamed Miss Mouse, but she seems to have the memory of the proverbial elephant!

It was a short trip up to the farm - a short trip for how long a drive it is anyway. We ride, the four of us, in the Saturn SL1. Hubert rides shotgun with Miss Mouse and I in the back. It works, especially when we can get 45 mpg. We'll be heading back up to the farm in a couple weeks for Mommy Mouse's, cough, er, gulp, ten year reunion. We look forward to the arrival at the farm to play for a bit longer, even if we don't necessarily look too forward to the trip that leads to it! We are thankful we are as close as we are to Daddy Mouse's parents and thankful that we are not farther away from mine than we are.

The Colder, The Better!

We returned last night from spending a marvelous week with Daddy's Mouse's family. We spent Tuesday through Friday out at the lake, and then Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon at a wedding. Some highlights of the week are as follows:

*Pictured is Miss Mouse exploring the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. She loved, loved, loved being in the water. Unfortunately, Mommy Mouse didn't think to bring a swimming diaper, so the regular diaper got super-sogged. She didn't mind, though. She didn't mind the cold, either! We played for several minutes in the water, splashing around with Miss Mouse wading deeper and deeper into the pool. She got up to her armpits before I decided she was getting too cold for her own good. She enjoyed finding smooth rocks on the bottom of the pool and reaching down to get them, even if that meant getting her face wet! What a little Mermaid! Getting out of the water was extremely unpopular, and even after we walked the 600 feet (note: through the woods - it's not like she could look back and actually see the water) back to the van, the poor Mouse pointed and told us she wanted to "go" back to the water.

*First pontoon ride with Mommy and Daddy Mouse and Hubert. The Mouse had had a rough night, so she was solemn for the ride. However, she enjoyed her lifejacket which pictures Mickey Mouse and Pluto.

*"Balls" were very popular. Thank goodness her "cousin", er, "aunt", um, well, Grandma and Grandpa's dog, has lots of them for Miss Mouse to play with. Echoing through the house all week was the little Miss Mouse yelling "ball", "ball".

*Grandpa and Grandma's dog, Maggie, was renamed. Miss Mouse was quite positive that she should be named "Bert", like our very own "Bert" (Hubert). Grandma and Mommy Mouse repeatedly explained that, yes, Maggie looks like, but is not Bert. She would shake her head emphatically, point at Maggie, and say "Bert". Grandma and I lost that battle this week.

*Debute in her princess dress! Auntie Steph found Miss Mouse a princess dress which was debuted this weekend at Miss Mouse's first-cousin-once-removed's wedding. Daddy Mouse performed the ceremony which was held under a gorgeous tent at a golf course. I will put up pictures of that later. Miss Mouse, though she came down with a cold, enjoyed walking around on the plush grass (it seriously felt like cool, green carpet), sniffing all the different varieties of flowers. She colored through the ceremony (what a great idea to have goodie bags for the kids - something different than the regular, old 'toy bag' I always pack), only getting a little bit on her princess dress and the white tablecloth. For dinner, Miss Mouse forewent the prime rib, delicious chicken, mashed potatoes, roasted baby potatoes, green beans, dinner rolls, and instead feasted on butter. Yes, that's right, plain, pure butter. Grandma was in charge of slathering it on, and Miss Mouse licked it right off the dinner roll, consuming none of the roll. That's talent. Daddy Mouse looked at her and said "I wish I could eat like that". I seconded it but elaborated that I wish I could eat like that and look like her!

We had a wonderful week playing with this set of grandparents at the lake and then at the wedding. It was great to have Auntie Steph join us for the wedding weekend. It was fun, also, for Miss Mouse to get to spend some time with her Great Grandma Dorothy and Great Grandpa Milt as well as her little second cousins and great aunts and uncles on that side of the family. It is always a good time when that family all gets together. Lots of laughter inevitably ensues.

We'll be off again Wednesday to go up to the farm to spend some time with the other set of grandparents. How much fun can a Mouse take in two weeks??!?!! We shall find out!

A "Fair" Saturday

I'll try to catch up a bit on our week. Last Saturday was our "Fair" day. Miss Mouse and I spent the morning at the fair looking at the bunny rabbit barn. She was enthusiastic and spent most her time in there telling everyone who would listen how pretty the rabbits were. I'm not sure anyone but me understood, but that's what she was attempting to convey. One of the judges brought her a tiny little rabbit to pet. She thought that was awesome. From the rabbit barn, we ventured to the livestock area. There we were just in time to see the hogs being shown. I'm not sure she had ever actually heard a pig say "oink". She thought it was a funny sound. Her Mommy Mouse was impressed by the fact that when the 4-H/FFA kids tapped their pigs with their little sticks, the pigs actually responded, unlike where Mommy Mouse grew up and saw pig shows.....back home it was pretty much a free-for-all with pigs running every which direction followed by frantic 4-Hers sweating in their dark jeans and white shirts. The kids showing the pigs that day had obviously worked very hard with them.

From the pigs, we moved to the sheep area where Miss Mouse visited with several lambs. "Very pleased" would be the label for the expression on her face as she "baaed" to the sheep, and they "baaed" back.

After wearing out our welcome with the sheep (most of them tired of "talking" and went back to "resting"), we spent some time at a horse show. Miss Mouse was quiet and respectful around the horses, but she offered big smiles whenever one was near.

It was quite a successful morning at the fair - cool, but sunny, with a strong breeze and few people. We decided to forego the fair food for the morning and head home instead for napping. I think I spent the whole time we were there with a huge goofy grin on my face. I couldn't seem to wipe it off from the time we walked up to the gates to get into the fairgrounds. There was just something about finally being the adult, paying for admission, and taking my very own little one into "THE FAIR". It was sort of magical.

Later that evening, after waiting out one thunderstorm at home, we returned to the fair. This time we made stops at the carnival for Miss Mouse to observe the carousel as well as some other children's rides. I was impressed by the bredth of children's rides they had available; someday she and I will have lots of fun riding them (while Daddy Mouse watches and turns pale). That evening we also shared some cheese curds (my first in 5 years - she enjoyed 3 of them) and an orange (I felt the need to support the 4-H booth, but I didn't relish the idea of cherry pie all over the stroller....so we went for the fruit option which turned out to be messy enough). Before we made it through the commercial building, we overhead talk of a terrible storm heading our direction. I turned the regular stroller into an impromptu jogging stroller, and we joined the surge of bodies headed for the gate. "We must get home to Hubert" was my mantra for the impromptu stroller run.

There could still possibly be carnage from our mission to get to our vehicle and get out of there. I think some small children and large men were run over as we made our mad dash. Actually, we had thankfully found a parking spot close to the gate, so we were able to beat the storm home and get ourselves and Hubert into the basement just as the sirens were blowing. It was scary stuff. I have seen several wall clouds approach me before, and several have ended up having significant rotation in them. This storm looked similar to others I have experienced; the difference this time was that I had not only my own life to look out for, but my baby's, as well.

I've been trying an experiment to save gas money - driving slower and accelerating significantly slower. It irritates the heck out of the people behind me, but it was really increasing my gas mileage. However, I think I blew all the savings as we were driving home that night. I sped most of the way home, breaking the speed limit by 10-15 miles an hour in some places. I wasn't too worried, though, after I met two cops and didn't get chastised. Ugh. I do not relish speeding or wasting gas, but as I said, I was on a mission to protect myself, my dog, and, most importantly, Miss Mouse!

It turned out to not be as much of a storm as it could have been when it hit town, but we were thankful to have gotten home in time to hole up in the basement anyway.

It was definitely an exciting end to a magical day. Miss Mouse and I both missed Daddy Mouse (he was away leading a men's retreat for the weekend), but I think we made a good pair at the art museum, the children's festival, and the fair. I think we're pretty compatible!

We May Have an Introvert...

Yesterday's excitement was at "kid's fair". It was supposed to be at a park, but because of the chance of thunderstorms and terrible wind, it was held indoors at the Civic Center. We went up about 2 o'clock (yesterday's napping was crazy after a really rough night) and stayed for 80 minutes (I know the "80" number because it was 10 minutes short of our allotted parking time of 90 minutes). Miss Mouse's favorite event seemed to be the puppet show. I have to say that the puppet shows Ambrose Lutheran's Junior Choir put on put that puppet show yesterday to shame, but Miss Mouse didn't know that. And there was a rabbit puppet. (By the way, Auntie Laura, "Miss Monkey" also made an appearance; however, she appears to be in the witness protection program because she didn't look very much like herself.) Miss Mouse liked the music a lot, so we went back for a second show at 3. The rest of the kids' fair was a bit frightening. It was like a sea of children rolling through the Civic Center. Most of the activities were for children older than the Mouse, but there were several she would have enjoyed if the people watching the booths would have given her the chance. I think they just assumed she wouldn't want to do them, and I guess I just wasn't pushy enough to shove her up to the front of the booths and force ourselves onto the crafts. Oh well. She'll enjoy it even more next year.

I was a bit horrified at the behavior of parents and children. Many were extraordinarily rude. We nearly were run over by strollers several times (Miss Mouse held my hand and walked with me); at the petting zoo where they had the most docile miniature horse, baby donkey, calf, and fawns, there were children yelling at the animals and reaching in to hit them. With their mothers standing right by talking to other mothers!!! I nearly yelled at them myself and then figured the animals could bite them if they wanted. We left the petting zoo quickly. I was also mildly disturbed by the "children's" karoake that was happening in one of the rooms. I realize it makes me old, very old, but there is just something disturbing to hear songs about "give me one more kiss" coming out of a 9-year-old's mouth. Doesn't anyone sing songs from Disney movies anymore? Broadway shows like Annie (yes, I realize some of the Broadway shows could out do today's pop music for lyrics - some of my favorite could, in fact!)? As I was on my soapbox last night to a friend, I realized I must be old, but I do really want my someday-9-year-old to sing sweet songs and not songs about kissing and jewelry and getting more and more money.

I figured that after such a very crowded "people afternoon" Miss Mouse would either be wired until 1 a.m. (if she were an extrovert) and unable to sleep at all, or she would poop out quickly and sleep really well. She didn't go to sleep until 11, but that could have been the fact she napped from 4-5:30. And, tah-dah, she slept all night until 9:15 now. I think it is possible Daddy Mouse and I may have ourselves a little introvert after our own hearts!!!

First Trip to an Art Museum

Miss Mouse had her first trip to an art museum downtown today. I have been wanting to see a big sculpture exhibit there, and today was the "get in free" day (for me - she's always free at this age). She and I enjoyed it so much that we might go back if it is still here on the next "get in free" day! Maybe we'll even go someday when I have to pay! Miss Mouse was interested in the sculptures, especially when we got to the third floor gallery which had the larger sculptures (I'm talking bigger than me, or Daddy Mouse for that matter!). On the second floor there were paintings. One was a painting of a cat, so Miss Mouse of course let out a loud "MEOW". Good thing we were the only ones in the exhibit, though I don't have much patience for people who would have been offended by a little child meowing! Well, anyway, she discovered that when she made a loud noise, it echoed. By the time we made it to the third floor, she was saying "mom, mom, mom" and "uh, uh, uh" in different tones, experimenting with how they sounded. I thought it was pretty funny, and the staff person who was following us around (under the guise of "just being there in case you have any questions") smiled and commented how good Miss Mouse for her age to be at an exhibit like that. The staff person was actually probably following us for security purposes. I'm fairly sure they don't let anyone be in the exhibit halls long without a staff person around with this exhibit. How one could just wander on out with a large sculpture, I'm not sure, but I can appreciate the need for added security.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience for both of us, and I am glad to know that my little Mouse is appreciative of the arts....not that I would know how to sculpt anything, but Daddy Mouse and I can appreciate it (he could probably figure out how to do it, too) and am glad the Mouse can appreciate art as well! :)