There's a Hole in my Bucket

Dear Liza, Dear Liza

There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, a hole.

We decided to take an adventure with Kiera on Easter Weekend.  Her sister's birthday was Easter Monday, and we wanted to take her out to dinner.  For those who might not know this, it's a 5 hour drive each way, without children.  Add a toddler to the mix, and it is 7.5 hours.  

A long 7.5 hours.

Then Fix It, Dear Henry, Dear Henry

Then fix it, dear Henry, fix it.

Our adventure begins at 6:00 am Saturday morning.  We had done all the packing and loaded the car the night previous, so all there was to do was last minute things.  Which is good, because 6:00 am is not my best time.  Last thing we did was get baby girl up and packed her straight into the car.  We were on the road by 6:30.  Unfortunately, there is where our first "misadventure" occured.  We had gotten down the road, about 10 minutes, when we realized I had forgotten the iPod.  Why is the iPod important?  We had loaded it with Sing Along Toddler Music, just in case.  We almost didn't go back for it.  Thank goodnes it was almost.  That iPod was a life saver.

With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza

With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, with what?

By the time we hit Timmies and Mickie D's, it was 7:30.  A hour later than Mike had planned.  He was already starting to panic.  We made our first stop 2.5 hours later, after reaquainting ourselves with songs from our childhoods.  Anyone remember "Do your Ears Hang Low"?  

Did you know that there are a bunch of verses in that song? 

With straw then, dear Henry, dear Henry

With straw then dear Henry, with straw.

Our idea was to stop along the way, and have a picnic.  We had brought a BBQ, but we needed to pick up the essentials like hot dogs and buns.  Since we all needed a break from the car, we went shopping.  The shopping was uneventful.  Daddy found a bubble gun and batteries for little one.  The idea was that mommy could blow bubbles without twisting around. 

I had my doubts.

The straw is too long, dear Liza, dear Liza

The straw is too long, dear Liza, too long

We needed a Timmies, so we made our way to the next stop.  During that time, I looked at the bubble gun, and realized we needed a screw driver to open the battery case.  Luckily, we found a Zeller's near the Timmies. 

Daddy drop us off, and went to find a screw driver.

So cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry

So cut it, dear Henry, cut it.

With coffee and a screw driver in hand, we continue our journey.  Ten minutes later, Kiera was sound asleep.  Ahhhhh, finally we can listen to "Adult" music.  I open the screw driver, and try to loosen the screw on the battery case.  Hmmmmm.  No luck.  Ok, we will try another bit.  Again, no luck.  All the bits are too big.  Well, she's asleep, so we will just make a stop later and find the right sized screw driver.
The knife is too blunt, dear Liza, dear Liza.
The knife is too blunt, dear Liza, too blunt.

A quite two hours went by.  Bliss.  We make it to the next large town, when Kiera wakes up.  Perfect timing.  We stop for lunch, then buy the proper size screw driver.  $30.00 and 3 hours later, and we finally get the batteries into the bubble gun. 
Eureka!!!

Then sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry.
Then sharpen it, dear Henry, sharpen it.

Wait.  No bubbles.  Ok, lets look at this.  Hmmmmmm. Nope.  No bubbles.
Children's music it is, for 3 more hours.  We decide to let Kiera run around for a bit before we checked into the hotel.  We met Alexis and friends at a park.  We learned a new word in the park - Rock. 
The best part of any playground is the rocks. 

The stone is too dry, dear Liza, dear Liza.
The stone is too dry, dear Liza, too dry.

The rest of the evening was fun, if a little less eventful.  There was swimming, and dinner, and Texas Hold'em, and The Big Bang Theory.  There was also some jumping on the bed.  Shhh, don't tell Sandman. 
Time to say good night.

So wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry.
So wet it, dear Henry, wet it.

By now, I am sure you are wondering about the song playing in the background.  This song played in my head all night long.  I found myself singing it at 6:00 am as I was getting up. 
I won't go into details about our drive back, which was 8 hours long.  I will say, listening to 3 hours of Waybuloo playing behind your head can drive you insane.
But, it was worth it to see these two sisters bond.

There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza.

Just 1 Word

Just 1 word to describe my Baby Girl

The Latest Jungle Gym

Is there such a thing as Parental Abuse?  I have the bruises to prove it.
 

Or does being a parent mean you are also a Jungle Gym.

 

Look whos Talking

Baby's first words.....

You dream of hearing the word mama for the first time.  She did say it once, many months ago, but not again. 

The first word she used on a consistant basis was

BALL

Followed closely by

Apple

Banana

Meow

Along came Daddy, Duck, Puppy, Yup, No, Bubble and Up.

I started to think that my name was UP since that is all she would say to me, arms outstretched.

Wait....

Did you hear that?

I think she said "Maaaaa"

Close enough, I'll take it!!!!!

Kiera's Book Review

I am an avid reader, and I have always wanted my children to be as well.  Here are 2 books that not only will Kiera sit still for me to read them, she will actually pick them out her self from the mountain of books she has.

The first one is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.  This was one of my favourite books as a child too.

Its the story of a Very Hungry Caterpillar, as you probably guessed.  What Kiera and I like is the holes they have actually put in the food the caterpillar ate.  I was never allowed to put holes in my books.

The other one she loves is "I Love You Through and Through" by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak.

This book is about what we love about our little ones.  I had never read this book until we picked up for Kiera, but I love it now.  It shows that no matter what, we will always love our baby girl.

"I love your happy side, your sad side, your silly side, your mad side....

I love you through and through...yesterday, today and tomorrow, too."