Fodder Dodder Canoe Trip

There is something magical that happens every spring on a river in Arkansas.

The annual Fodder Dodder Canoe Trip.

Canoeing and magical together in the same sentence???  What?

That's right.  Magical.

Because to a little girl having her big, strong daddy all too herself for two whole days is very magical.

He is her hero.

Her knight in shining armor.

Her very own daddy.

Just nothing but time and a river to spend together.

She knows her daddy is all there for her.

When he should could be working.

He choose her.

And that, my friends, is magical.

True love between a daddy and his princess. 

And his really big hat.

FYI

Rumor has it that stuffing NERDs candy up your nose at bedtime prevents you from falling asleep for hours and hours.

Not that we have tried that around here or anything. Oh, no.

I am just guessing...

Saturday Part II

The Legend of the Lost Candy Castle

The hour finally came for Loulabelle's party. We were all so excited to celebrate our Lollipop girl. She and I spend HOURS playing CandyLand, so it was a fitting theme for her 4th party. We started off by reading the Legend of the Lost Candy Castle to the kids. Then prepared them to search for the lost castle.

Here they are in Mr. Mint's forest. The kids (with the help of their parent) made Candy Cane ornaments with pipe cleaner and beads.

After leaving the Peppermint forest, they found Gramma Nut's house. Here they made a gingerbread boy and girl. Another ornament for their Christmas tree. I hope I don't forget...




Yummy Princess Lolly was the next stop. The kids made candy bracelets. It was ooey, gooey fun jewelry making.


Queen Frostine is Loulabelle's favorite CandyLand character. We made a fun memory game to play at her stop. I don't know who won, but I have a feeling it was Skip.

Don't get stuck in the Molasses Swamp. Or maybe you want to thanks to this yummy chocolate fountain. This was my favorite place to hang out and watch the action!

Lou found the CASTLE! The kids bounced and flopped to their heart delight. At the end of the party, we filled it with candy. The kids filled up their treat bags...I am sure their mom's didn't care!

Sweet castle cake for a sweet girl.

This is my Loulabelle. Funny, quirky, smart, charming, silly, sweet, happy, curly, sunshine-y, spunky, bossy, crazy. I love this little girl. Happy birthday, darling!


(I didn't post a picture of all her guests. I hope you all know how much we love you and appreciate you coming to Lou's party!)

But wait, there's still more to this day...

Decisions, decisions

"eeny meeny mini mo casha tiger make it holler my mother told me to pay a dollar so you are it!"

"Mama, I decided no Tickle Bear in my backpack."

Since everyone else is confessing...

...then I guess it is my turn. I am so embarrassed by this one that I haven't even told my husband. He will read this just like everyone else.

Say a prayer for me, girls.

Loulabelle is turning four at the end of this month. We are planning a CandyLand party to celebrate our sweet lollipop of a girl. Everyone is really excited for a party with tons of candy and a chocolate fountain. It should be loads of fun.

Anyway, the big dilemma (for me) has been what Lou will wear. Does she want to be Queen Frostine? Princess Lolly? Plumpy? Everyday we change our mind and now it is go time. I need to know.

Today she said she just wanted to be the girl on the gameboard. The sweet little blonde girl with overalls and red/white tights. Very sweet. Somewhat easy.

So I thought.

Nary a website had cute little red and white tights. On a whim, I started flipping through a Hannah Andersson catalog when I saw these leggings. Very possible, but I would need the Hannah dress to go along with it. I just don't see her wearing red and white striped tights without the whole ensemble.

By now I am bored out of my mind looking at this catalog.

Yeah, right. I was DROOLING over all the pages. I think I actually digested some of them. Like this and this. This dress actually made my womb open and make room for triplets.

After getting over that cute little cable knit dress, I found this. Cue the lights. Cue music. THE. PERFECT. DRESS for a CandyLand party. The perfect dress for a lollipop girl like Loulabelle.

I needed an intervention right then. Right there. I called Shelley to have her talk me through the rest of the catalog and then support me while I threw it in the trash. Well, talking with her was like calling Hannah Andersson and chatting with a customer service rep. She offered me NO backbone. NONE. In fact, she pointed out all the wonderful features of the Hannah Andersson day dress. Supposedly, these dresses will last 10 years and they clean themselves.

My day went on and I did my best to get this dress out of my mind. I tried to ignore Shelley. Then I talked to Sonja. She said, "YOU HAVE TO GET THIS!!" She also went on to say that it will last for years. I wonder if both my friends get a kickback from Hannah herself.

Since I easily cave to peer pressure, I called the company just to "ask a question" about the dress.

Will it arrive in time for her party? YES.
Does it last 10 years? YES.
Does it clean itself? YES. YES and YES.

I am weak. I bought the outfit. I did. It was the most I have ever spent on clothing for my kids. But since it has a shelf life of 10+ years, it should pay for itself.

So really, it's a bargain at a mere $6 a year.

Mini Me

Hmmm...so this is what my mom does for hours everyday.

Thursday 13

A Day in the Life of My Girl

hair curling
baby rocking
somersault flipping
everywhere skipping
costume dressing
secret telling
eskimo kissing
brother bothering
kartwheel flopping
constant snacking
blue eyes peeping
real tears rolling
fingernail painting

Oh, I wish I could go on and on. She is a blast! Loulabelle adds a fullness to our family that I can't describe. I love you, sis.