My Job as Mom is Complete (at least for today)

I made my first attempt at vacuuming since the accident this evening. Ms A tentatively asked if she could *help*. I thought it was a GREAT IDEA, so I answered YES!! She gingerly pushed the vacuum under the table, she's a bit shy of the loud noise. We finished that area and a bit more confidently, she asked if she could do it herself! I was SO EXCITED!! She cleaned the kitchen and moved to the livingroom. I asked if I could document the occassion, so she stopped and posed.

ISN'T SHE A KEEPER and ADORABLE to boot!! 

I love you sweet pea!!

I Have the BEST Four Year Old

Any day of the week whether I'm in jeans or in a dress, I'll hear "Mommy, you look beautiful!"

Today as I was preparing dinner, Ms A. asked for her work gloves, when I asked why she simply stated: "Mommy, there's two dandelions that I NEED to pull up." Daddy found her gloves and she pulled the 'icky weeds' up root and all! She held the weed gingerly between her fingers and she took them to the weed pile I started, but haven't cleaned up.

After the weed pulling, she knocked on the door to give me the glove back then asked if she could have a bowl. I asked why and she said, "I need to pick some raspberries." My heart leapt in joy and I quickly grabbed a bowl. I enjoyed watching her walk up the the bushes and then race back to a safe place away from the buzzing bees. Reed and I went out and helped her and she felt much more secure with the two of us.

Isn't Ms. A AMAZING!!

I love my LITTLE SWEET PEA! :)

Clean Up

I asked Ms. A to clean up her toys so I could vacuum. I was thinking she'd pick up the few toys lying on the floor, but she did MUCH MORE. :)

This is what I found:
This is what is normally in her closet:

What a HELPFUL GIRL!

It's Raining, It's Snowing

Our former paper shredder gave up the ghost a couple of weeks ago and we welcomed this AMAZING new shredder into our family. It cross cuts paper and shreds credit cards or CDs. VERY COOL! It even has a sensor around the opening of the blades. If you touch it, the machine turns off. Makes me feel much better, but Ms A is still closely supervised by mommy. Whenever there is paper laying around our home, Ms. A and I race to the shredder. She'll giggle and dance as the paper enters the slot. She will also get down on her knees and declare "Mommy, I see the knives cutting the paper!" (with a HUGE grin.) She loves to watch the paper 'snow' down on her evergrowning mountain of paper. Thank heavens she hasn't figured out that she can empty that mountain on the floor. :)

FYI : If you need any paper shredded, let Ms. A know. :)

Carving Pumpkins

October brings so many wonderful surprises for Ms. A. She loves collecting all the beautiful leaves and going for walks in the crisp autumn air. She is also very curious about the changing world around her. She'll ask why do leaves change colors or why do they fall off the tree every time we go for a walk. She loves her leaves! :)

Another popular question revolves around pumpkins. I thought it would be fun to take her to a pumpkin patch this year. We opted for the Corn Maze at Lakeview Farms, it was fun, but we left too late to enjoy the pumpkin patch. Instead we picked out our pumpkins at WinCo, which Ms A enjoyed. All week long in-between conversations about leaves, she has been pointing out the pumpkins on people's doorsteps. She also, very proudly, points out our pumpkins to all visitors at our home.

Much to Ms. A's joy, last night we carved the pumpkins. Ms. A liked the carving part, but wasn't too excited about the slippery insides. Ms. A helped daddy carve his pumpkin, then she came over to draw her pumpkin face. She made sure that the pumpkin wasn't scary! Daddy's was. :) It was a fun night. We also put up some decorations.

At the end of the evening, Reed made the comment that Halloween is a man holiday. Men like to scary aspects of the holiday and the candy! How True! :)

Mundane Chores

We all have them. They never seem to get acknowledged or end. The other day I received a bit of praise for one of the chores I don't mind doing, but it does get old and never seems to end. It made me see the appreciation and love that is received.

Ms. A woke up the other morning and joyfully exclaimed, "My Ariel panties are clean!" It made my day. Laundry is one of those things that have to be done, but how often do others recognize the task has been completed. Usually it's the "My ... is dirty and I need to wear it!" or another favorite of mine, "Next time you wash the clothes, will you wash my ...?" (After I washed three or four batches of clothes that morning.) It was so nice to hear Ms. A's gratitude and bliss knowing her favorite panties were clean. I knew she loved me.

My Little Cleaner

I was cleaning the apartment and Ms. A decided she wanted to use it. The vacuum is so loud, that Ms. A typically runs the opposite way. I thought I'd let her try it out. She did a pretty good job!

“That's a No-no for Daddy"

I took Ms. A into the bathroom and she saw Reed's dirty clothes on the back of the toilet. She wasn’t too happy to see them and said “That's a No-no for Daddy, no clothes on toilet. Mommy will you clean them up?” She wouldn’t go to the bathroom until the clothes were put in the basket. When I put them away she said, “That’s where daddy’s clothes go.” :) I was so proud that she knows where dirty clothes belong.

The other day, Reed did something she didn't like and Ms. A stated "That's unacceptable daddy!" It was so adorable. :) Guess what Ms. A hears when she does something wrong.

My Little Cleaner

Sweet Pea has discovered the need for things to be cleaned! :) Hooray!! I'm a bit unsure about her method. Check out my previous entry Bath Time.

Today I saw she was using her glasses to clean things. I asked her if the ponies needed a bath and she happily said yes. We got a paper towel wet and she went to town. She wiped down the living and dining rooms. I was very impressed when I saw her lift things off the table so she could clean underneath them! When I grabbed the camera, she said "No pictures momma, I'm cleaning right now!" When she was ready, she posed for me with her towel. She even cleaned the pieces from her My Little Ponies!