The first (third) big birthday

I'm not a huge birthday person- I do like presents, love cake, and enjoy having a day to claim as special for me, but I'm not committed to a big celebration.  I have not, as of yet, seen fit to do a big birthday for Stephanie.  Let's review the last two.  Her first, as it would happen, fell when Alaina was in town, so we actually did throw a party- food, cupcakes, presents, even streamers- but it went that way because we had a guest, and it was as good of a reason to throw a party as any.  Her second birthday involved me standing in front of the freezer and asking, "Do you want a cherry pie or a pumpkin pie for your birthday?"  She picked pumpkin, we made a dinner she enjoys, had a nice family meal, and sang happy birthday over pumpkin pie.  I feel pretty good about it, because it was a nice evening together.  This year marks her third year, and we are now less than two months away.  She now thinks birthdays are fun (she will declare it someone's birthday, bring them "cake" and sing "Happy Birthday") and I am actually really looking forward to doing something special for her.  It will be Dora themed, of course.  I'd like to make the cake, and we've been looking online for ideas-  she really gets a kick out of this.  As you might imagine, there are some crazy cakes out there- some good, some bad.  Notably, there was one that Kevin said, "Are you sure that is Dora on the cake and not Roseanne Barr?"  Additionally, Stephanie has a guest list that she announced at dinner a few nights ago (Don't feel bad if you didn't make the cut, it would seem she only invited people that she is familiar with having over)-  she will be inviting Owen (neighbor her age), Mary, and Naan (the cat from next door).  The cake that I would like to make is a little large, so assuming that Naan does not eat more cake than the average cat, I need to rethink or plan for leftovers,  I may have Kevin do a little woodworking to build a cake platform so I can do less cake but still have it be impressively Dora themed.  Just FYI, I am posting this  now, because, as of this moment, Stephanie seems to have caught a plague that involves non-stop coughing (it seemed so bad that I actually googled "whooping cough" earlier today, but her cough does not even come close, happily) and has finally passed out in my arms, trapping me on the sofa, so I was thinking of and planning for brighter days, and decided to post how much, for the first time, I am looking forward to a birthday for her.  I can't wait to make a cake and post pictures-  I am going to try to aim squarely for the "Dora" theme and miss the "Roseanne" theme altogether, but it will be my first go at this, so only time will tell.

Stephanie, now seeking admittance into the FFA

We took Stephanie today on the Kaw Valley Farm Tour.  About 30 local farms were open to the public, and we managed to see six of them.  The website said to plan to have enough time to see only 4-5, but as usual, we are an above average family :)  Some of the farms run a regular business out of the property, so you can technically go to those farms whenever, but several were just family farms that are not normally "open", so those seemed like a special treat.  We saw a family poultry farm, a bee farm, an orchard, a winery, an alpaca farm and a buffalo farm.  We got wagon rides at the poultry farm and the orchard- very popular with the whole family and got to pet an alpaca that was born yesterday.  The last thing Stephanie said before collapsing to sleep in her car seat was, "I go to 'nother farm", which we would have, except for the whole part where she was clearly unconscious.

First wagon ride at the poultry farm- chilly morning.

One of these lovely white birds can look forward to be served at our house for Thanksgiving.

Why yes, that IS a large tire full of wheat!

In case you wondered about the best way to empty a bunch of pockets full of wheat.

Second wagon ride at the orchard.

At the winery tour

ALPACAS- and thankfully it warmed up a bit.

One day old alpaca

Feeding the alpacas was also very popular

At the buffalo farm-  The buffalo were pretty far off in the distance, but some horses were quite close.

Two days in a row now that we have run her until she dropped.

Butterfly Girl's Big Day

Just last night I posted about the latest dentist visit and did not mention that today we were attending a party in the park hosted by the dental office.  I was surprised that they did such a thing, and when we got there, I was really surprised!  It was quite a shin-dig, as you can see by the pictures.  The only thing I didn't get shots of was the pumpkin painting and the "popcorn hands"-  filling a clear plastic glove with candy corn for nails and then popcorn.  They had face-painting, a bounce house and treats to eat and drink (including, as you may note in the pictures, cotton candy and candy corn... hmmm... perhaps the office was trying to drum up some extra business?)  Mary went with me to the party while Kevin loaded up on compost and mulch from the city.  After the party, Kevin, Stephanie and I went to Topeka to pick up Kevin's motorcycle, which is now running (YAY).

Hmm, needs to work on her aim...

I had about 20 bounce house dismount photos to choose from because she kept getting out to tell me that she was still having fun.  

This one is still a little too big (not that I have any intention of ever actually letting her ride one).

Dad's bike is definitely too big!

And this is how she looked by the time we got home from Topeka.

Fang Inspection

We went to the dentist last week for Stephanie's biannual check-up, and I was happy to learn that her teeth look great.  This is gratifying, as a lot of time and energy in this house is spent chasing her around twice a day with a toothbrush.  A little positive reinforcement usually goes a long way for good cooperation- I should probably consider buying stock in light sticks.  I also learned that she had gotten six (that's right SIX) new teeth since her last visit 6 months ago.  I knew about exactly zero of these teeth- a reminder that I'm not gifted with a strong power of observation (those of you who know me well should not feel bad about nodding your head right now:))
The dentist told me (and I knew she would, but until she did, I was avoiding it like the plague) that it was time to start using toothpaste with fluoride.  That means I have to get her to stand, brush her teeth and immediately spit in the sink.  Stephanie, of course, got a new toothbrush and they gave her a travel size "sparkle" toothpaste that smells suspiciously not mint (in addition to my problems with observation, I also lack a strong sense of smell).  I have purposely avoided kid's flavors, and was using a very minty non-fluoride toothpaste before.  Turns out, the change in tooth brushing routine has been magical.  I don't know if it is just the cool little toothpaste tube, the sparkle, the non-mint flavor, the new toothbrush or the spitting, but she now demands tooth brushing and, if we are home all day, we have to do it three times.  It is the highlight of each morning and night, and I, for one, am relieved.
As for the visit to the dentist, she did great.  She was a little hesitant at first, but they showed her how the chair worked and then she realized there was a television above the chair and she could wear headphones and watch Dora the Explorer, and she was in.  There were children older than her crying (which I realize might be her one day), but for this visit, she was such a trooper!

She is holding the dentist's tiger-  his mouth opens and you can brush his teeth.

One last little funny moment to share from the dentist office.  Another patient was ahead of us checking out, so I suggested we go to the bathroom.  I said, "You haven't gone since we left the house, and I could stand to go too."  Stephanie says, "Mommy, you can't stand!  You have to sit."  As always, the talking just kills me!