Thanks everyone!

Thanks to everyone that donated to the Children's Specialized Hospital for Muffin's birthday party! We took the checks over and they thanked her by giving her a sparkly new teddy bear. We collected a total of $330 in donations !!

It was such a gorgeous summer day, that we decided to follow up our good deed by having a nice little picnic lunch. Yum! As you can see she was hamming it up to the camera.

Wisconsin

What a weekend! The whole family went to Wisconsin this past weekend for the wedding of MamiMuffin's goddaughter. It was a wonderful time, we got to see old friends and meet new ones. We partied all weekend, literally! Muffin did wonderfully the whole time, though she was extremely bored by the wedding ceremony (which I can understand from her point of view). Muffin got to meet her godmother for the first time since her Christening, and it was love at first sight for both :) Her godmother was quite busy being the Mother of the Bride, but she always made a point of listening to Muffin. It was so sweet to see them both together!

A few tidbits from the trip...

• While at the airport restroom, Muffin informed me (in a very loud surprised voice) that this bathroom had "magical toilets" and "magical faucets" because they worked by themselves. Thereafter, every public toilet was inspected to see if it was a magical toilet or not. LOL!

• While driving into Wisconsin from the Minneapolis airport, we stopped at a convenience store for a drink and snack. Here's what Muffin had to say when we walked into the store: "I didn't know they had food in Wisconsin!" She said it so sincerely too!

• While getting ready for the wedding, MamiMuffin went to get my nails done at a local salon and Muffin came along to get her fingernails done too! She spent the rest of the weekend showing EVERYONE her beautiful nails, especially the thumbs which had a flower painted on them.

• After the ceremony she requested to go for a nap (!!) and promptly fell asleep when we got back to our hotel room. We did make it down in time for the end of the cocktail hour, and she had a wonderful time making new friends and dancing with everyone from kids to the bride (see picture!). She missed out on quite a few naps and she did wonderful (no temper tantrums, meltdowns, etc) though she was tired. Today she is determined to get her nap in, now that she's home.

• One of the couples at our table turned out to be neighbors of Muffin's godmother, and they were generously offered to do a playdate with Muffin and their 4 yr old daughter. This was a much needed playdate for Muffin, I think she was missing playing with kids her own age and really enjoyed this playdate. Thanks Dawn!

• The music for the wedding was fantastic (it was a salsa band - and they were smokin'!) but it was quite loud. Muffin asked me (on her own!) for a pair of earplugs to wear while dancing (note the yellow plugs in her ears). Smart girl!

• Special thanks to Titi Ali for the beautiful necklace she made Muffin to match Muffin's dress. Muffin loved it!

All in all, a fun trip, but it was nice to be back in our cozy beds last night.

Daddy & Daughter

I can SO see DaddyMuffin one day doing this….

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Birthday!

Muffin is now officially FOUR years old! Time sure flies fast.

She had a wonderful birthday weekend. On Saturday she had a 'children's Princess and Pirate party with a special guest, 'Giselle' from the movie 'Enchanted'. All the children looked like they had a blast. Muffin dressed like Cinderella and truly felt like she was a Princess.

Then she had a second party for Daddy & Mami Muffin's friends and family. Not as many kids but this time she got to dress like Alice in Wonderland.

For her actual birthday, Sunday, we went to a playgroup friend's birthday party at a local gym. Three parties in one weekend, not a bad deal!

Busy Weekend

Spent the weekend doing prep work for Muffin's birthday party next week. We were were very lucky and grateful that a friend lent us her almost 11 yr old daughter to be a mother's help and play with Muffin while DaddyMuffin and I did our house/yard cleaning work. Of course Muffin had a fantastic time playing with Sarah, and she seemed to enjoy herself too.

Muffin will be having two parties on Saturday - a morning party for her playfriends, and an afternoon party for family friends & relatives. In part we made the decision of having two parties so we could manage the crowds inside our house, in case of rain. But it would be so much more fun & comfortable to be OUTSIDE!! Right now the forecast for Saturday reads:

Partly sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Let's hope that rain percent goes down by the weekend, or that at least the rains hold off until late in the evening! We're looking forward to sharing Muffin's special day with all our friends and family (and perhaps a surprise princess visit? Hmmmm...)

Villains are Good People too

For some reason Muffin has had a fixation with the villains in Disney stories for a while. She asks me to play-act the villains (i.e. Mami, please be the Stepmother), then she'll talk me (i.e. the Villain) into becoming a 'NICE' person. For example, when she's asked me to play the Stepmother from Cinderella, she'll ask me to smile (which the Stepmother never does). Or she'll ask me to be the hag from Snow White, and then proceed to tell me/ show me whatever's happening at the moment (i.e. Old Woman, do you want to see my new spinny toothbrush?). Gotta love how she tries to humanize them and make them 'good'.

Sunday Pancakes

As usual, when we woke up on Sunday morning I asked Muffin what she'd like for breakfast, and started rattling off options to her. And for once, instead of cereal, she picked Pancakes. STOP THE PRESS - she hasn't had them since January! (not from lack of offering, btw). I seized the chance to get her to eat something different, and she helped me mix them. She ended up eating FIVE of them, can you believe it? (I made them small, so its not as much food as it sounds). Of course DaddyMuffin got to enjoy them as well, and he was a Happy Daddy.

Then that evening we had a visit from Muffin's uncle. My brother patiently played with her before and after dinner, and Muffin was in uncle heaven. Thanks, Tio!