March Madness

Since the NCAA Basketball tournament started last week, Lil' SB has been interested in the different teams. It all started when she and Papa SB took a look at this magazine. She loves looking at the different pictures (mascots) and identifying the various animals. When they watch the games together, she always asks about the teams--referring to them by the color of the jersey. I would love for her to grow up liking basketball (watching and playing)...after all, it's in her blood. With both of her grandfathers, 2 uncles and her father as former players, how can she escape the inevitable? (Of course, I tried out in 8th grade and was cut in the first round...but that doesn't count...even Michael Jordan can relate.)

Go Fly a Kite

It's been a bit windy around here lately, so I decided to buy a kite a few days ago. Sunday proved to be the time to fly it. So...Papa SB, Lil' SB & I went looking for a park by the lake. Well, after driving around for 45 minutes looking for a decent one, we found it! Unfortunately, there was a gate at the entrance with a sign saying $7 fee for entry. What?! Forget that...we weren't planning to stay longer than an hour, so we found a nice park w/ a great...pond. As soon as we got out of the car, Lil' SB ran through the field. After catching up to her, Papa SB got the kite ready. She was sooo excited! They finally got it up in the air...she was in amazement.

After a few minutes, Lil' SB spied some wild flowers and took off. She spent the rest of the time picking the assortment of white and purple flowers which were scattered all over the field. Here are a few pictures of her in her element....

Adventures with Omi & Papa

It was Spring Break this past week, and Omi and Papa came to visit. Lil' SB was so excited (I was, too...not just because I would get to see my parents but because it would give me a bit of a much needed break!) They arrived on Monday night, and within minutes we were off to eat at a local Mexican restaurant. Lil' SB sat between Omi and Papa in a big booth, and Mama SB & Papa SB got to sit by ourselves on the other side (what a nice change!!!). As we waited for our meal to arrive, Lil' SB told her grandparents stories, sang songs & listened to Omi read one of her books. It was a great start to the week! On Tuesday, Omi, Lil' SB and I woke up and had eggs for breakfast, and soon we were off to shop at the outlet mall. We arrived at the Coach store where it was very crowded. Lil' SB had a great time helping Omi choose a purse and a wallet. She loved looking at the different colors & 'unstuffing' the goods. While Omi waited in line with her purchases, I took Lil' SB outside for a breather. Since she acted so well for the first hour of our trip, we rewarded her with a ride on the ummm...not sure what kind of ride it was, but it had the Teletubbies on it?????? Anyway, shortly after that we proceeded to enter the OshKosh store---looking for pj's & a bathing suit. Lil' SB lasted about 10 minutes before she got rambunctious. I ended up picking out a few things for her and quickly handing them off to Omi while I had to 'escort' Lil' SB out of the store (how quickly a preschooler can turn on you!!). We cut our trip short and went home for a nap & later took Lil' SB to get her haircut. What a fun place for kids---car chairs, tvs at each station (with movies such as Cars, Dora, etc...), manicures, etc... Of course, Lil' SB didn't want to sit in the bean bag chair to get her hair washed, but I'm sure I can coax her next time.

I cringed when I saw that they were going to paint Lil' SB's nails, but I went ahead and let her do it. Of course, she chose a nice shade of blue!!!!

Once we got home, we went out to eat at a local hamburger joint--another good day! On Wednesday, Papa SB and I took the day and night to have a date. Woohoo! As I was waiting for Papa SB to get ready, Lil' SB looked at me in my skirt and said..."Where are you going?" I replied..."Dada and I are going on a date." She said with a smile..."Are you going fancyin' around?" I couldn't stop laughing!!! While we were out and about, Lil' SB got to go out to eat breakfast, to the park & buy flowers at the local Home Depot. After her nap, Omi, Papa & Lil' SB went out to eat at a local Italian restaurant. Apparently she's a tiramisu fan because she helped Papa finish a huge piece after the main course! Thursday was another great day...shopping at the mall (playground trip & carousel ride included), planting flowers and pizza for dinner.

Friday morning we went to a local restaurant for brunch. Lil' SB feasted on pancakes (& even ate some of my eggs) and managed to talk Omi into buying her a piece of banana chocolate chip cake for her to eat as her "after nap" snack. Once we came home it was time to prepare for our goodbye. Lil' SB's mood changed, but she was cheered up by the thought of Omi & Papa's return in June (to visit her new baby brother). Overall, I think all of us really enjoyed the visit & we are grateful for the time we could spend with each other.

Say "Cheese"

Lil' SB and I went to our local Babies 'R Us store to buy a few items for her little brother who is on his way. We walked through most of the aisles--browsing among the crib sheets, blankets & changing pad covers. Of course, when she saw the books, we had to take a few minutes to peruse the selections. While we were reading one of the books, a lady (from the photo studio) came up to me and asked me if I would let her take pictures of Lil' SB (apparently business was slow that day). I told her we would as long as Lil' SB was in agreement. Well, Lil' SB said she'd do it if she could take the book (of course she asked that). So...off we went to the studio. To be honest...the only reason why I agreed was because the lady offered me a free 5X7 for my time, so I thought, 'Why not?' Anyway, Lil' SB had a good time posing for the camera. Here are the results of our little adventure...