Size Crisis

I made Alyssa this adorable dress for Easter, which was also around her first birthday. She wore it for a few months and I eventually stowed it away because I thought it no longer fit.

Well, Alyssa and her mighty will proved me wrong last week. We were going through baby clothes to donate a few and she found her beloved dress and begged me to put it on her...so I did. 

It turns out it doubles as a shirt!

Unfortunately no matter how hard she begged I could not get her ruby red slippers on her. Some moments aren't meant to be relived, I suppose.

Words that bring us together

Our Read Aloud Book Project is continuing. Reading with Alyssa is one of my favorite times each day. We get to relax and read and have new adventures with our bookie friends. It is wonderful! If you ever think you are too busy to read, think again. Put away whatever doesn't matter and spend some time with a little uplifting, fun literature. It is totally worth it!

We didn't get far into The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The "Woods Book" was just too compelling so we had to turn to Little House on the Prairie and Farmer Boy. We are about halfway through Farmer Boy and although Alyssa can't quite figure out what happened to Mary and Laura (they are not in Farmer Boy), she is still enjoying the books.

She has taken a special interest in wolves. There is a story about wolves surrounding Laura's house in Little House on the Prairie. The story in conjunction with an experience I had while running one day has her asking about wolves almost on a daily basis. I was in the military park and saw a dog-like, but kind of scarier looking, thing. I told Erik about it and little ears were listening. This interest has been peaked by a story in the August Friend about Lambert the Sheepish Lion, which also features a wolf. Alyssa hasn't really had any fears - like nightmarish type experiences - up to this point, but I can tell she is nervous about wolves.

We also read The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It was a most excellent read. It has many pictures in it, which is what keeps Alyssa interested. I am not sure the story line was as simple to follow as the Little House books, but it was still interesting. And really enjoyable. And suspenseful, but not scary or creepy. I'm very bad at summarizations, so look it up. I will just tell you that I enjoyed it and so did Erik!

Words truly do bring people together. Words allow us to communicate. They form sentences that tell stories about what is real and what is in our dreams. I have always loved reading and thus I particularly enjoy sharing this love with Alyssa. We come together and read and talk and learn. I consider it a blessing to read with Alyssa. It is enjoyable and educational. I even feel like it is a second chance to learn and be creative and nerdy, just like I want to be. And the greatest part is my small fry "peer" is Alyssa. What more could I ask for?

Love rises above frustration

We went to Durango, and now we are back. Pulling away from the mountains and my family of crazy Nelsens broke my heart. We had too much fun for words. More on that later (when I feel like I can actually put the picture up and tell a cohesive story about the best nature on this planet with the best people I know).

In the meantime, since being back we have been a little over the top busy. I did this mostly intentionally so that I wouldn't have time to sit around and pout about living in he...the steamer of the south. Now Alyssa is at swimming lessons with Erik and, after a long afternoon with that munchkin, I am taking time to reflect about how much I do love her, including her strong will and persistently demanding though lovely and adorable personality.

:: I love the way her small hand fits into mine when we are walking places together. She holds on to me and I show her the way.

:: The same 25 primary songs have not worn her out yet and she sings them with such vigor!

:: Swimming without a floatie is daring and wonderful for her even though she is three and can barely keep her head above water. I love to see her work so diligently to do something difficult for her.

:: She lets me do her hair and her nails.

Now they are home, so I must go. It's good to remember the good! The frustrations were only a part of today. There was much good to cover up the bad.

I need to read this

Alyssa went over to a shelf and pulled out National Geographic's Our Fifty States and said, "I need to read this."

Mmm hmmm.

She proceeded to look through through the book page by page, asking questions and saying things like, "O! Look at that! Whoa!"

For the patriotics in our family, be proud.