Painting

Maddy the artist! These tempura paints are really fun and I'm strangly calmed and made happy by the smell. Perhaps it's old childhood memories surfacing in connection with a remembered smell. They say senses are tied to memories right? Or I'm just crazy.

Miss Swendy's Day School

Maddy started going to Miss Swendy's Day School in November of 2011. I posted about her first day of school and said that I'd blog about Miss Swendy's later and was reminded by my sister-in-law that I never did.

 Well, welcome to Miss Swendy's Day School!





When I was in high school I took an occupational child care class. We had a day care at the high school and on the days when we weren't planning lessons, observing, or teaching, we drove to observe Miss Swendy's day school. The name was so abnormal that it stuck in my mind over the years and when I realized that we lived close by I thought I'd look into it. I was terrified that they would either (1) not take kids in diapers, (2) cost way too much, (3) not deliver kindergartners to the elementary school that Maddy should attend, and (4), (5), (6) a whole host of other things I thought would keep us out of a real day care program and locked into family or friends.

On a whim, I decided to call, thinking they likely would be full and have a wait list to boot. Turns out, they had an opening in her age group, they took infants all the way up though jr. high kids, the drive kids to our elementary school, and they were not that much more per month than we were currently paying. I made an appointment to come and visit the school the next day.

We sat with Miss Swendy (she has wonderful red hair) and she told us about the school. I'll admit, she had me with "we do a lot of singing here  . . . " Maddy started a week later. Of course, there were already two Maddys there (both Madison's) so our Maddy is known at school as Madelyn. I'm actually pleased because this means that she will know here actual given name. I had been worried that she wouldn't have a clue who the teacher was talking about when she got to Kindergarten and the teacher read the roll and said "Madelyn Bishop?"

Maddy sharing Trix with her friends. I think this may be (L to R) Maddy P., Lyla, Madelyn, and ??Maddy D. Maybe?)

It took over two months for Maddy to get comfortable there and to not cry when I left her. They told me though that it was never more than 5 minutes and then she was perfectly fine. She has settled in now and has a wonderful time. She comes home filled with stories and ideas and big words and SONGS! and I'm so very pleased with this opportunity for her. They are extremely structured and have "quiet time" every day. We don't pay additional for lunch and they don't go for a week on family vacation leaving me to find a substitute sitter. It has really worked out beautifully. When it was time to really potty train her they made Lyla Madelyn's potty buddy and I'm certain that without their work Maddy wouldn't be trained now.

Madelyn's best friend is named Lyla. Funny thing, in the picture above, Madelyn and Lyla are wearing the same shorts and both have blue shirts on. They were thrilled to be dressed the same. Lyla's mom and I both shop at Target so Maddy often pulls out her outfit for the day based on what she thinks Lyla might wear. She talks all the time about her school friends and I know she loves it there. We are very grateful for this wonderful find. Miss Swendy and her staff are GEMS I tell you.

the big dig

I know, I'm a blogging fiend these days right? I have to admit, I'm writing all these the same day and scheduling them out so you have something to read each day rather than overwhelming you all at once. That's allowed right? It's just that I've downloaded all these pictures and I'm in the groove . . .

A weekend or two ago Scott rented a bobcat so that we could put dirt in my front flowerbeds. Yes, on either side of the sidewalk up against the porch foundations we now have a raised (about a foot) flowerbed with sprinkler pipes and dirt! I may very well be planting plants there by the end of the month! I am very excited. Can't wait to show you a picture when it's done.

While we had the big toy tool, Scott also dug up more of the dirt from the back lawn area so that it will be slopped away from the back of the house. Just before we bought the house the basement flooded because all the water comes down the property and filled the window wells. So, before putting sprinklers and grass in the back, we decided we'd better address that slope issue. We certainly don't want to have water damage in the basement after it is finally finished (someday).

So there you have it, the work continues (see maddy up there in the bob with dad?).

golfing for work

 On Tuesday I was invited with a co-worker to golf at South Mountain in Draper. This course is gorgeous!!! Tucked right up against the mountain the view of the Salt Lake Valley is breathtaking. Though I would never want to live on a golf course (does insurance cover broken windows when you knowingly buy on the edge of the 9th hole?) for this view, I might change my mind.

 Though I started out lousy, I found a trick in my grip on the club and actually started connecting fairly consistently. Now I just have to work on getting some distance and also not hitting to the right with every single shot!

Best part of the day though? This wonderful rainbow that just sat up there in the clouds for the better part of an hour with full sun and no rain in sight. I suppose there must have been moisture up there in the clouds to have the rainbow form but it was just so beautiful. I've not seen a big long horizontal rainbow before. I seriously was fascinated with it and kept commenting on my. My partner was probably sick of hearing me say "I just can't get over that rainbow!"

I got horribly sunburned (you'd think I'd know better after 35 years of frying at the drop of a hat) but it was a nice afternoon.

Yard Saling (yes, it's a word - isn't it?)

Once a year we take a Saturday morning, meet at 7:30 am and go Yard Saling. Last Saturday was our outing for the year.

(don't you just love how that noun has become a verb by just adding "ing"? Perhaps that verb is not accepted anywhere but between me and my girlfriends. Who knows.)

Linda, Kim, Angela and I pile into the biggest vehicle we have, take a quick glance at the list Linda has compiled after combing through ads on KSL and Craig's List, and we head out.

 The bad (good?) thing is we all have kids about the same age so we are looking for toys and play things that tend to take up quit a bit of room. So, out come the tie downs to keep things from falling out. We hold things on our laps and at our feet. And occasionally we actually have to come back later for things that don't fit. This year Kim bought a free standing basketball standard that she had to go back for. Last year, it was a playhouse for me. The trick here is not forgetting where the house is that has your already purchased item!

Once we get back to our starting place just before lunch, we pull everything out and split it up and pack it back in the cars we came in, hoping there is enough space to get it home.

 For $60 I got some great hard back picture books ($1 each), shoes for me (they are cuter than they look in that picture I promise), my favorite game (somebody want to come play Rummikub with me? Marie?), a lamp I'm currently spray painting robin's egg blue.

 Nope, that's not all, also a picnic table, toy kitchen (really great wooden one), umbrella, bicycle w/training wheels, doll carrier and highchair, booster seat, and good snow boots for next winter for Maddy.

Did I mention that was all for $60? And actually, that $60 also covered a bagel with cream cheese and a 32 oz. Diet Coke. SCORE!

Not so sure that Scott was happy to see all someone else's junk come to rest at our house but I thought I did awesome. All the play toys got scrubbed (thank you Magic Eraser), sanitized, and hosed off and then taken down to the basement. With more toys downstairs I'm hoping Maddy's bedroom might be a bit less cluttered and maybe I'll go down with her and exercise while she plays . . . Maybe!

Maddy talk

Last night I had to wash Madelyn's blanket (since she had an accident the night before) and it wasn't finished when I needed to send her to bed. So, I sent her with Jackson's hand-me-down woven blanket (also from aunt Jana) which is the same basic color and feel. This morning she woke up and told me "This sure is a good blanket - but I don't like it". I'm not sure which was funnier to me, the use of "sure is" in a sentance or the fact that was positive and negative about it both in the same sentance.

In other great moments:

I have been wearing my glasses all this week becuase I am getting LASIK next Monday. On Monday Maddy told me as we were getting out of the car at preschool "your glasses make you like an old lady". Then after work as we putzed around the yard she told me no less than 3 times to take off my glasses because she didn't like them. "Go put in your contacts" she told me.  Yesterday I wore a heavier, more rectangular shaped pair of glasses and she said that they were ok and that they didn't make me an old lady. I guess that's just those thinner framed glasses that make me look old!

Several months ago Scott and I had an assignment to do sealings in the temple and so we took Maddy to Aunt Katie's house to be babysat. I don't recall really talking to her about where Scott and I were going in particular but on the drive to Katie's house she said "you are going to the temple to get married and daddy is the prince and mommy is the princess". Oh how correct she was!

On Sunday Maddy decided that she wanted to say the prayer at dinner. She never wants to say it so I was surprised to hear she was interested. I figured I'd have to feed her the lines but she just started. She basically said "Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for this day. We're thankful for this food. Please bless the food. something, something, something, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen" I was so, so pleased. She was listening all this time even if she wouldn't say it. Her first prayer all by herself. What a proud mommy I am.

my love

Sometimes I think my heart will burst out of love for our Madelyn.

I could look at this picture all day long . . .

gesture

The Saturday before Mother's Day I was finishing up a shopping trip at Wal-Mart in Sandy. As Maddy and I exited the store a man with a rose approached me and said "Will you accept this rose?" I was a bit flummoxed and must have looked it. He quickly followed up with "I just would like a hug in return". What was this guy's angle? This is not normal. Should I be worried?

I looked around and there were two girls standing off to the side and they each held several more long-stemmed roses.

Still feeling a bit sceptical but thinking that this must be some kind of bet I said "What do you get out of it?"

He replied "I get to give someone a hug and hopefully make their day a bit better!"

Oh. Again, surprised. I gave him his hug and walked off with my rose. When I got to my car I looked back to see a stream of women and girls exiting Wal-Mart all with roses and at least two men standing there giving them to the ladies.

I then felt mixed emotions. Gratitude for the truly nice gesture and Sadness that in this world I am so sceptical of the intentions of a nice looking (he was nice looking) man standing outside a Wal-Mart offering a hug and a rose. I decided to focus on the gratitude because it did truly have me smiling as I left the parking lot.

a bouncy house extraveganza

We went to Scott's work party on Wednesday in Provo. Scott doesn't love this type of work activity so I was surprised and pleased that he said that we could go.

Maddy was in Heaven because there were at least 9 bouncy houses! Her favorite was of course, the pink and purple castle. I was shocked that she was brave enough to climb up this big huge slide and go down. She is a fearless wonder.

 

I spent quite a bit of time just following her around to make sure that she didn't get squashed by any of the big boys that were also playing (a bit crazily) on the bouncy toys and slides. We had a nice catered dinner of bbq beef sandwiches and really yummy loaded garlic mashed potatoes (meaning cheese and bacon on the top - yum!) and chocolate chip cookies that were almost as good as the cookies that Katie makes. Well, we ate, Maddy mostly played and nibbled on chips and cookies. I know, I'm a good mom right?

Scott visited with co-workers and showed off his adorable daughter and I got to meet several people that I had heard of but didn't have a face to go with their name.

The next best part? Face Painting! We waited far too long in line but Maddy knew exactly what she wanted, a butterfly that had its body on her nose and blue lips!

I couldn't get her to smile for me, I think because she was trying so hard to preserve her lovely blue lipstick. Because of the black wings right over her eyebrows I couldn't get over the fact that every time she looked at me she looked like she was furrowing her brow, a bit annoyed at me or something.

But she loved it and it worked like a charm to get her to stop crying later in the evening "you don't want your tears to mess up your face painting do you?" Like a charm I say! Maybe I should paint her face every time we go out to run errands . . .

  

And one last picture because it was on my phone and, come on, she's so cute!. Maddy had braids in her hair and it looked pretty and  all wavy when we took them out.

the fountains of youth

Poor Maddy. She woke up at 1:30 in the morning and had to go to the bathroom but, unable to find the doorknob in the dark she just sat right down in the middle of the floor and went. Then she cried for me to help. I felt bad for her because she had tried to get there but just didn't make it. The good thing for me was that there was no bed sheets to change and since she was sitting on a blanket, there was no spot cleaning of the floor either.

Then, this morning I went into her room and patted her bottom while talking with her to allow her to open her eyes and wake up slowly (my mommy used to do that with me - she knew I was a grumpy gus in the morning). Once she was awake enough to not fall back to sleep, I started pulling out clothes to wear. When I pulled her over to me to put on her clothes, she was wet!! She had just decided that she didn't need to tell me that she had to go and just peed in the bed. What?!

So, two accidents in less than 12 hours. One that I don't fault her for and the other one . . . well, let's just not talk about that one. I have some sheets and blankets to wash before bed tonight I guess.

Aloha to Summer BBQ

Last Friday Maddy came with me to work. We played in my office in the morning - tape dispensers, coloring with highlighters, the whiteboard . . .

We then joined the other familes in front of the building for hawaiian chicken (spicy!) and hot dogs and chips. Maddy got her face painted, fished for a prize at the fishing booth, and got a balloon butterfly (which didn't last the day unfortunately). It was a really fun Friday.