Easter 2011

The Easter Bunny was REALLY good to Dotty this year. In fact by the time Dotty and I went over to Jake and Keri's to hunt eggs...Dotty was almost "egged out" at that point. However, when the girls were told that some of the eggs had money in them the race was on! Good thing the Easter Bunny is a smart woman and put the girls names on their respective eggs. No fights and all fun!

Dotty's School Program

Dotty's school had a program in which Dotty's class sang two songs. Dotty did a fantastic job! One of the songs involved throwing a penny into the crowd. Based on that performance I am thinking that Dotty might also make the Olympics in Women's Softball. She has quite the arm on her!

Dotty's class also painted flower pots that were auctioned off. Dotty picked the one we won...as you can tell she LOVES it!

Dotty Visits the Fire Station

Dotty's class visited the local fire station a week or so ago. Dotty was not really thrilled about the whole experience. The size of the trucks scared her and most of the time she stayed clued to my legs. The only way we got these two pictures is because whatever Mrs. Hall tells Dotty to do...Dotty does. (I am trying to figure out how to get that woman to come live with me.)

After the class trip I took Dotty to visit Rowdy's fire station which is much smaller and conveniently located by a park. Dotty did better at that station but was more than ready to go swing as soon as we were done.

Happy Birthday Uncle Jarrod & Gang!

Today is Dotty's Uncle Jarrod's and her Gang's (great grandfather) birthdays. Nana is picking Dotty up from school and taking her to eat with the family. (I was invited too but I have so much to do that an hour or two of free time is going to help me out a lot...so thanks Nana!)

Dotty is so excited about the "party" she decided to take her own decorations to school today. She grabbed a pink balloon with her name written on it that she had gotten at school yesterday (teach those teachers to send stuff like that home) and she took a silver star Christmas ornament that somehow missed getting boxed up. I hope Jarrod is thrilled with the party theme!

Dotty also dressed herself in full party going style. The best part was the small tiara held up in her hair by a hot pink princess headband.

If you know Tony and me you might wonder where Dotty gets her fashion sense from. You would not be alone either.

I sent Nana a text suggesting she bring another outfit...just in case Dotty's attire was too much for a Wednesday night in the Falls (we are talking about a church night after all). Of course it is always best to be overdressed than underdressed...I must have said that nightly in my sleep while Dotty was in the womb...that girl has that down pat!

Dotty's Vocab

Dotty (like most children I am sure) at times comes up with a unique way of saying something.

This morning Dotty was getting herself dressed for school. Dotty has wanted to dress herself for some time. The phrase "I can do it myself" is uttered often and gets progressively louder most mornings at our house.

I don't even try to help her anymore. I just pass by her room, look in, and say little reminders like...
- That is on backwards.
- Your shoes are on the wrong feet.
- Did you remember to put on panties?
Things like that.

Today Dotty was sitting in a chair in her room about to pull her dress over her head. I just happened to be close by hanging up clothes in her closet when Dotty looked at me and asked...

"Is this rightwards?"

I just smiled and said yes. Lots of things in life are backwards, upside down, and sideways...but for one short moment in time...everything was "rightwards" in our world.

Kissed by an Angel...

I have a lot of freckles and several moles. Growing up I did not like them. My grandma loved them though. I really did not like the three moles that are on the right side of my face. Grandma told me that moles were "beauty marks" so I must be three times beautiful. That made me feel better.

I also was not fond of all the freckles that covered my nose and cheeks. Grandma told me they were Angel Kisses. She said I must be really loved to have gotten so many kisses. I never looked at freckles the same since.

The other night Dotty pointed out a freckle to me on her shoulder. She asked why she had a brown dot on her arm. I told her it was a freckle. She said she didn't like them. I showed her all the freckles on my nose and the ones I have spotting my arms. Then I told her what Grandma had told me...they were Angel Kisses. I told her the same story Grandma had told me about how you get Kissed by an Angel.

Late at night when you are sound asleep the angels watch over you and they love you so much they cannot resist giving you a kiss. Every time they kiss you a freckle appears on your skin as a reminder that you are loved.

Dotty was so happy. She started looking all over her body for more Angel Kisses. In no time at all that girl was completely naked and we had counted quite a few. Dotty hopped up and down so excited about all her kisses from the angels. Then she looked at me and stopped all of a sudden.

She pouted out her lip and when I asked what was wrong she said that I had a lot more kisses than she did so the angels must love me more. I just hugged her and pointed out that I had been alive longer than her so I had more nights for the angels to kiss me.

The next night Dotty pointed out her Angel Kiss on her shoulder to me again to show me it was still there. Then she reached up and kissed my nose.

That was by far the best kiss from an angel I have ever gotten!

Reasons Why...

...I do not go shopping with my child...

I do not take Dotty shopping...usually at all. I don't take her to the grocery store. I don't take her to the mall. I don't take her to Walmart or Target or anywhere when I have actual shopping to do (like a list and everything).

Occasionally I do take her to Toys R Us but mainly because I figure they have surely seen children behave worse than mine...surely!

Yesterday I had Dotty with me for most of the day because her school class had taken a trip to the local fire station, I had volunteered to go with the class, and there was no way Dotty was going to let me leave her at school the rest of the day. We went to McDonald's for lunch then we had about 2 hours to kill before her swim lessons.

Being the ultra organized mother that I am, it was at that moment I realized Dotty's teacher had requested I get her swim goggles. She told me Target had some that would fit a 3 year old's face. So I loaded Dotty up and headed that way. How bad could it be right?!?

One hour, fifty bucks, and still no swim goggles later...we left Target...both of us exhausted and close to tears. Let me just tell you...the fact that we survived swim lessons after Target AND no nap is purely Divine intervention.

Toilet Bow

This story about Dotty happened some time ago and it took place when Dotty was with Tony, Nana, and Papaw. Thus, I just heard about the story and did not witness it first hand. Although I sure wish I had...I can only imagine how funny it was to see in person!

Dotty was at a mall with Tony and his parents. Nana always dresses Dotty up super cute and always has a matching bow in her hair. Some of Nana's bows are considerably larger than the bows I use and they are definitely cuter than mine (I stick to basic colors...Nana...being what all grandmas are supposed to be...awesome...goes all out with bows...just ask her what one of her bills was at Morath's Originals).

So the story goes as I heard it, Dotty had to go potty and Daddy got the duty (pun intended). They went to the bathroom and somehow while Dotty was using the potty the bow fell out of her hair and into the toilet. Daddy being the great daddy that he is....flushed it! (I also heard that this particular bow was one of the larger ones and there was some concern it would even go down.)

Dotty was traumatized. I can only imagine it was similar to how a child feels when they have to flush their first goldfish or how a parent feels when their expensive watch heads out to sea via indoor plumbing. She was so distraught that her bow had been flushed and she was even more upset Daddy was going to make her tell Nana (I have a feeling Tony was not trying to be mean...he was just wanting to see exactly how a 3 year old would explain what just happened...and I would have done the same thing).

Tony had her go outside and with her head hung low she told Nana her bow had fallen in the toilet and they had flushed it. Nana told me it was the saddest thing to see how upset Dotty was to have to tell her the bow was no longer with them...sad and yet funny at the same time.

When I got Dotty on that Sunday she would not even tell me the story...of course I had already heard it by then but Dotty was too distraught to recount the event to me. Since then Dotty has told me the story at least a dozen times. Sometimes the story goes that the bow jumped off her head, sometimes a monster threw it in the toilet and sometimes Daddy threw it in the toilet. Each story ends with Dotty telling me "Nana was so sad we lost the bow." And I always say..."I am sure she was but at least she still has you."

Somewhere some sewer rat is looking real pretty in that bow!

Why Didn't I Think of That???

Dotty loves to dress herself...and trust me her fashion style is unique. I am one of those mothers that does not have the time or the energy to fight Dotty in the morning to wear what I think she should wear. So as long as she is weather appropriate...we go with it.

Today Dotty had on her new favorite style of clothing. It is a tshirt with a tutu attached to it. Thanks to Memaw we have like 4 of these outfits. The "tshirt tutu" is a tad too short to go without something underneath. Plus at the park Dotty is climbing all over the place and modesty is one of my demands and falls into the "weather appropriate" category.

So this morning when Dotty was running around with her tshirt tutu on I told her she needed pants or shorts under it. I highly recommended shorts since it was going to hit 100 degrees today. When I looked back at Dotty she was putting another skirt on under her tutu shirt. I told her she needed shorts. She pulled up the 2nd skirt and showed me the shorts that were attached to it.

She smiled big.

I thought...what the heck...the layered look is in.

We headed to school.

Dotty's New Word...

Dotty has developed a new favorite word..."Why?"

Why do I have to go to school?
Why do I have to take a bath?
Why do you have to stop at red lights?
Why is the sky blue?
Why can't I wear my pajamas all day?
Why do you not have cantaloupe?
Why can't I have a puppy?
Why did Fuzzy die?
Why do you have to work?

Why, why, why....

My response is what mothers and fathers have been saying for years...

"Because I said so!"

My new response will be...

"Ask your Daddy."

Good luck this weekend Tony!!!

R.I.P. Fuzzy

It is with a heavy heart that I am letting everyone know that Fuzzy has passed away. The actual time of death was Monday evening. Dotty has decided to pass on a formal funeral service and instead would like to just believe that Fuzzy has grown into a beautiful butterfly and flown off to somewhere wonderful.

She believes that because that is what I told her.

How do you explain to a 3 and a half year old about "death"??? I had no desire to tell Dotty that Fuzzy had died (or to explain why he died...mainly from being "loved to death" by Dotty).

This is why I never had many pets growing up (just Pat the "potted cat"). I don't like to be sad or to know that someone or something I loved is no longer going to be a part of my life. Life is hard enough without adding dead pets to the mix.

Perhaps I am sheltering Dotty too much. Perhaps I don't want my child to feel pain when in fact pain is a part of life and the sooner she learns to deal with it and get passed it the better.

I know I am not a big fan of crying myself. I don't like to do it. I don't even like to see other people do it. My counselor has numerous times said I should learn to be more comfortable with crying and she has said that I need to embrace crying since it is a natural and needed part of life. I am still working on that.

Don't get me wrong. I always try to tell Dotty it is okay to cry if she is really hurt or upset about something (I just don't do fake tears). I always hug her and tell her it is okay to be sad. I just don't really practice what I preach yet...or at least not all the time. Plus I am of the mindset that as Dotty's mom she should see me as stable and strong...for that reason I rarely (if ever) cry in front of Dotty.

So Fuzzy has since moved on to...well...wherever insects go after this life. If anyone has any thoughts as to how to tell a sweet child her first "pet" is no longer of the living I would love to hear it. Until then I am sticking with the story that Fuzzy is now a beautiful butterfly.

Fuzzy...

When I picked up Dotty on Sunday she came with a new friend...Fuzzy...the caterpillar. Luckily Fuzzy also came with his own fully furnished mobile home (a glass jar with some leaves and sticks in it).

Dotty loved "holding" Fuzzy...Dotty nearly killed Fuzzy several times due to all that loving! Finally I talked her into putting Fuzzy back in the jar for the trip home.

Fuzzy spent the night on the dining room table and as soon as Dotty woke up her first question was "Is Fuzzy a butterfly yet?"

Nope...not yet. Dotty frowned...I think Fuzzy felt the disappointment.

Fuzzy was taken all over the house and played with for quite a while this morning. Dotty wanted to take Fuzzy to school but I spared Mrs. Hall the joy of meeting Fuzzy...at least for today.

While I am not an animal fan...Dotty is proving to be a BIG fan of all kinds of living creatures. I just have one thing to say to Daddy and to anyone who might want to send Dotty home to my house with a new "pet"...NO THANKS!

(Side Note: My new policy is if you buy it, catch it, find it, or give it to Dotty...it stays with you and Dotty can visit it when she visits you! This notice is especially directed toward Papaw Nichols...no ducks, chicks, geese, dogs, cats, etc. Howard has been trying to get Dotty a pet since before birth!)

Dotty-licious

Thanks to Jeri, Dotty loves her new lip gloss...Liplicious (cherry flavored)! She has to apply it the minute she gets up...several times before we leave for school...and right before we go inside to school.

Today, Dotty could not even kiss me goodbye at school because she did not want to mess up her lipstick...Geez!

You know the girl is addicted when she has to have the lip gloss on the bedside table..."just in case I need it" during the night.

Jeri now calls Dotty "Dottylicious"...I think the name is perfect!