Birthday Guests at Little Gym

One of McKenna's classmates had a birthday party held at the Little Gym and since his little sister is in Keeghan's class, she got to come along too. They both had a really fun time, and continued to take some "baby steps" with gymnastic moves.

On the way home, I took the car through the car wash. McKenna was initially startled by the noise:

And Keeghan wasn't sure what was going on, but know she didn't like it:

She wasn't traumatized too much, because when we arrived home minutes later, she was fast asleep.

Awards

On Monday, the schools were closed (due to a holiday this time instead of the weather). Camdyn and I headed out in the afternoon for the 2008 Daytona 500 winning Penske race shop. Here is Camdyn next to a car for the winning driver, Ryan Newman.

As you can tell, she was a little distracted. She could see the excitement that was going on through the window as the team was viewing the driver's trophy.

Here's a closer picture (albeit a little blurry, sorry).

Last Friday, Camdyn got to sit in the red chair for music class and received a certificate "for being an active listener" and thanking her for her "leadership and participation". On Thursday this week, Camdyn and the other science fair winners were recognized at the PTA meeting and received certificates. Camdyn patiently and proudly stood with her certificate as all the others were recognized. We are very proud of her accomplishments and her behavior at the meeting.

We ♥ Snow on Valentine's Day

As I have noted in previous posts, the one thing disappointing about living here is the limited prospects for snow. On Wednesday night everyone was making preparations for Valentine's Day when Marcey looked outside and noticed some strange white particulates falling from the clouds. This was not a light dusting, but a full scale blizzard for these parts. Everything was white except for paved surfaces which nevertheless developed some icy spots. I helped McKenna turn her pajamas inside out (to support the snowday superstition) and went to bed with a feeling that pajamas or not, schools would be shut down in the morning. The next morning, we received the automated phone call from the schools announcing a full day closure despite anticipated sun and temps in the 50s. Here is the backyard before it could get direct sun:

In the morning the girls got some play time to frolic in the white stuff before it was gone without a trace by midday:

And as a result, Valentine's Day has now been carried over an extra day this year. Snow and two days of "I love yunz", what could be better.

For the Love of Money

This week saw the loose tooth watch come to an end. Camdyn and McKenna had their dentist check-ups on Thursday and the dentist decided that Camdyn's two front teeth needed had to go since her permenant teeth had been growing in behind them. Unfortunately, the baby teeth weren't going to go easily, so the dentist yanked them out. Here's Camdyn immediately following the procedure:

While not the best time of her life, she took it in stride knowing the Tooth Fairy was coming. She thought it best to place the pillow on top of the bookcase so that the teeth wouldn't slide down and get stuck between the bed and the wall. I'm sure the Tooth Fairy was appreciative of her thoughtfullness. She made two shiny Sacagawea dollars the "easy way".

Also in other news: The Cookies are Here, The Cookies are Here!

Camdyn previously went out and sold girl scout cookies to help support her troop and learn some real world financial skills. This weekend the cookies arrived and now it's time to get paid.

Thanks to everyone who purchased cookies, you should get them soon. A special thank you to Uncle Frank's tummy for its bulk order:

Meanwhile, the other two girls just watched the show and played away. Their time for all this will come soon enough.

Groundhog Day, Lexington Style

You may recall that last year at this time, I was fascinated by the media attention given to a pig in Lexington that delivers its own forecast about how much longer winter will be. So this morning, Camdyn and I got up real early and headed to Lexington to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about. Lexington is known as the Barbecue Capital of the World.

And around town pig sculptures could be found to celebrate this nickname.

We were the first to arrive (except for the police and two planners), but it didn't take long before the hundred or so other spectators showed up and the event got underway. The mayor made some opening remarks, and then turned things over for the pig to come out and the official announcement to be made: Spring is on the way!

I know Phil says differently, but I think the pig speaks about the local weather instead of more national conditions.

The pig came out of the Avon store, where apparently it had stopped to have a mani/pedi beforehand.

Camdyn enjoyed the pig, the festivities and getting an inperson view of how they predict the weather. It helped that she also got some of the freebies that were distributed.

The rest of the family was unable to make the trip this year. When I told mommy she was going to have to stay behind to look after McKenna and Keeghan, she tried to hide her disappointment by smiling and saying "Oh Thank God." She's a keeper!