10 Things About Amanda

1. She's wonderful with kids and enjoys spending time with them, playing games, reading books and helping them with things.

2. She loves animals Her best friend is her little dog, Pepper. She volunteers at the SPCA and does a wonderful job with the animals there. She is especially good with animals who are frightened at being in such a strange place. She can spend a little time with them and soon have them calm and quiet and sleeping in her lap. 

3. She loves all kinds of pasta and is not a fan of vegetables. But she eats her vegetables anyway while saying "I'll thank myself for this 20 years from now." 

4. Her favorite color is purple and her least favorite color is pink.

5. She has the most vivid dreams of anyone I have ever known. Every night must be an adventure for someone who has dreams like she does. From ships at sea sailed by goats, to dancing cheese, each night is different.

6. She likes to read, play Solitaire, watch Little House on the Prairie, Heartland,  and Seventh Heaven, and sometimes she gets in the mood to sew and makes all kinds of creative things. 

7. She is not a social butterfly - she would rather be at home with her computer and her dog. But she loves her friends and family with all her heart!

8. She's quick to see it when others need something and step up to help. She's been my lifesaver more than once on those days that somehow veer a little out of control. 

9. She can be very loud and goofy and random and funny. But only with those she knows well. Most people would be surprised to know I affectionately call her my "Wild Child." 

10. She's a blessing to me in more ways than I can count and I'm so happy to have her for a daughter!

Musing and Meanderings

Warning!

This will be a meandering post containing a hodge podge of tidbits from my day and whatever other random thoughts happen to wander through my mind in the process.

Here are a couple pictures I took today just because I was amused at the way D. was playing with these cards. She was having a great time.

Today was the first nice warm day in about a week. This afternoon I took the little kids out to play. Amanda came out with us and we walked around the yard looking for signs of Spring. The trees are starting to bud, there are tiny white flowers growing in some places, and some of the little bushes are showing new growth. I always looking for and finding the first signs of Spring each year.

Austin spent most of the day at Grandma's house. He decided he would like to spend the night tonight and come home some time tomorrow. It's nice that he can just walk down and back when he decides he wants to. As long as he checks with me first to make sure he's needed here to help with the kids I think it's wonderful for him. Amanda has the same privilege and does often go down but not as often as Austin.  She's more of a homebody, and she likes to have her free time to do whatever she wants by herself. She's always been that way.

I was looking through the pictures on my phone this evening and discovered that someone besides me has been taking pictures with it. It must have been yesterday evening when we were all sitting around the living room after the little ones went to bed. Two of Amanda's friends were here and I'm sure it was one of them who took these pictures. We all look pitifully preoccupied and grumpy even though we really weren't. It was a pretty good evening. For the most part everyone was just quietly watching tv or doing something on the laptop.



Doug, Amanda and Michael went to Wal-mart to do our weekly shopping and Amanda came back with a Webkinz frog. She now has 37 Webkinz. A friend of mine told Amanda yesterday that she thinks we need to do a Webkinz intervention.

After the last of the daycare kids left this evening we took Amanda and Michael to Dairy Queen. Michael loves to play in the kids play area there, Doug and Amanda were craving ice cream, and I was just glad to get out of the house for a little while.

Michael finally truly got the hang of peddling his bicycle today and was so proud of himself. We are very proud of him too. This is the little boy we were told may not be able to hear or see, and may never be able to walk. He has come so far.

And now I am very tired because even though he has come a long way, he still hasn't mastered the art of sleeping peacefully all night every night. And last night was one of his restless nights. Hopefully tonight will be better because I am exhausted. Plus with time change I will be losing an hour of sleep tonight.

So good night everybody.

Don't forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you go to sleep tonight.

Amanda has a talent for getting the little ones happily involved in one activity or another. Here she is entertaining them with some funny little YouTube videos that she had found and thought they would enjoy.