Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Circus Tomorrow!

We're going to the circus tomorrow! I can't wait to see Elise's face. I haven't been to the circus since I was a little kid, and I'm pretty excited. If you're interested in show times, a coupon code, or other important details, be sure to check out my previous post. You can also visit ringling.com for info.

© 2012 Feld Entertainment







I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events. Even though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Circus!


We're so excited to be taking Elise to the circus for the first time ever! This show looks amazing! If you're in the Phoenix area and are interested in going, keep reading for a special coupon code.



© [2012] Feld Entertainment



Legendary Once-in-a-Millennium Event Celebrating The Year of the Dragon!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents DRAGONS

Coming To Phoenix June 27 – July 2, 2012



WHAT: Let The Dragon Games Begin! Searching the farthest reaches of the globe, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has gathered the best of the best circus performers to honor the Spirit of the Dragon! Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson presides over this fantastical tournament of champions that brings together mystic dragon lore with astounding circus feats of bravery and athleticism that will take you on a wondrous journey to discover what it takes to believe in your dreams. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents DRAGONS is a never-before-seen circus adventure of legend and spectacle coming to US Airways Center from June 27–July 2.

Representing mighty “Dragon Tribes” that possess the Strength, Courage, Wisdom and Heart of the great mythic beast, some of the extraordinary performers in The Greatest Show On Earth include:

  •  Famed Shaolin Warriors display ancient Kung Fu martial arts and unbelievable strength
  • Making his American debut is Alexander Lacey presenting the only mixed-cat act of its kind in the United States featuring both tigers and lions together
  • Cossack Riders charge the arena floor with unrivaled equestrian acrobatics
  • Like the mighty winged Sky Dragons, the Flying Caceres amaze with their aerial bravado on the only double-decker trapeze in the world
  • Plus even more remarkable displays that pay tribute to the dragon including the frenzied daredevil motorcyclists in the Globe of Steel, high-flying thrills from the Russian Bar and Teeterboard troupes, exciting double motorcycle high-wire stunts, and of course the majestic Asian elephants.

Be sure to come out one hour early to each performance to meet our performers and animals on the show floor at the interactive All Access Pre-Show, FREE admission to all ticket holders.


WHEN: Wednesday, June 27 – Monday, July 2

Wednesday, June 27 7:00 PM

Thursday, June 28 11:00 AM & 7:00 PM

Friday, June 29 11:00 AM & 7:00 PM

Saturday, June 30 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM

Sunday, July 1 1:00 PM & 5:00 PM

Monday, July 2 11:00 AM


WHERE: US Airways Center – 201 E. Jefferson Street Phoenix, AZ 85004


TICKETS: Ticket prices are $15, $25, $40 (VIP), $60 (Front Row) and $90 (Circus Celebrity)

Kids tickets (under 12 years) are only $10 each (restrictions apply to price levels and performances)

Save 50% on Opening Night tickets with special Half Off discount (not valid for VIP or premium tickets)

All seats are reserved; tickets available thru Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or visit the US Airways Center Box Office.


Discount offer – $5 off tickets in the $15 and $25 price levels.


$5 Off with code MOM5
· P5 & P6 only
· No double discounts

Valid on all show days and times EXCEPT Opening Night (Opening Night tickets are 50% off, excluding front row and VIP seating)


Tickets can be found at http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

Come join us for a night of fun with the family!

For more information, visit www.Ringling.com or visit us on Facebook and YouTube.



I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events. Even though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Headbands

Elise put a headband on herself once, and I told her it was cute. Now she's obsessed with headbands. She likes to wear multiples at a time. She put both of these on herself (one's around her neck).





And, yes, her pajamas are on backwards. If you are wondering why, I explained in this blog post. And by the way, she can get the duct taped diapers off now. I've found her completely naked on two separate occasions even though I had duct taped her diaper on. We also had a poop smearing incident a couple of days ago, but thankfully I was gone to the dentist. But I guess that really has nothing to do with headbands, so I'll spare you the details.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Ummm...YES!

Elise's new favorite word is YES! She just figured out the concept of answering questions with yes instead of just repeating what we said. For example, if we ask her if she wants a drink, she now responds with a resounding "YES!" instead of repeating drink back to us. She is so proud of her new accomplishment. It makes me laugh every time because I always forget to expect it. Kind of like when she suddenly gets really loud when saying prayers. (It's okay; I think the Lord understands, and probably laughs a little too.) It also makes me laugh when she says this because she always has to pause for a minute to think about it first. Our conversations often follow a question-pause-YES! pattern.

So today, I guess I really should have seen this coming, but I was still surprised. Elise and I were talking about showing your muscles, as in flexing your biceps (a concept she learned from Froggy Goes to the Doctor). Lately, she likes to talk about being fast and strong and takes great pride in being a "fast runner" and lifting things she deems "heavy" (like a piggy bank). Then, kind of out of the blue, she says, "Mama big." "Mama's big?" I clarified. Pause. "YES!" was her resounding answer. As if, in the start of my third trimester, I need to be reminded of how big I am.

Another favorite response to questions, when the answer is no, is nope or not. Nope also came from the Froggy books, specifically Froggy Goes to Bed (We literally have a dozen Froggy books by Jonathan London checked out from the library right now. Elise loves them, but they're not all favorites of mine. I do like Froggy Plays Soccer, though; Elise sometimes randomly chants some version of, "Head it! Boot it! Knee it! Shoot it! But don't use your hands!") Her use of not, though, doesn't always make sense. I sometimes ask her, "Do you want this or not?" to which "not" is an appropriate answer. But now if I ask only, "Do you want this?" she sometimes still answers with "not."

One day she'll figure out this whole question thing. In the meantime, Mama grows bigger and bigger.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Daddy's Girl

Elise loves her daddy. She is always so excited to see him. We have to get used to him being gone for work all over again every single Monday. Elise is so lucky to have such a terrific father.

Last week, I had been sick and Matt let me sleep in on Saturday morning. He got up bright and early with Elise and took good care of her and played with her while I slept in a couple of (golden) hours. (Did I mention he's an awesome husband too?) Then when I finally got up, I went downstairs and took my time having breakfast. I came upstairs to find Matt playing a new game with Elise that he had invented. A blanket made a cave, and they were repeatedly acting out the story of "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen. Elise was loving it. I just thought to myself how glad I am that she has such a great daddy who loves her so much.

in Daddy's boots


putting on Daddy's socks and shoes


all dressed in Daddy's clothes!
She wants to be just like him, and I hope someday she will be.


These two have such a good time together.


(Matt is perfecting the fine art of multitasking.)

Happy Father's Day! Especially to my Matt, who is a great Daddy to Elise and will surely be to the one we have on the way.

Cousins Make the Best Friends

Last week, Matt and I got to watch my sister Holly's three oldest kids while she and her husband went to an overnight convention for his job. Unfortunately, they took their sweet, squishy, nursing baby with them, so I missed out on his cuteness while they were away, but the older three were a lot of fun. Elise had the time of her life. She has missed them so much since we moved out of Holly's house about five months ago. It was like a play date all day long with her three favorite friends.

hanging out with the cousins, playing with Star Wars figurines


Ryland, Leighton, and Savannah
(I love the face Ryland is making.)


Ryland and Elise play so well together. Ryland is about six months older than Elise, and he is pretty much the sweetest kid ever. I love him, and so does Elise. Can you tell?


This one makes me laugh because it looks like Elise is yelling and Ryland is plugging his ears.


Did I mention he's a sweetie?


I spun the kids in the chair for awhile, and then Ryland took over. I love how Elise is just laughing and laughing.


Cousins really do make the best friends.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Talk Like a Toddler

This post is inspired by another blog post by my friend Megan, written about her adorable son, Elijah. He's just a little older than Elise, and he says some funny things too.

Unrelated to this post, Elise loves to put things, especially headbands, around her legs, then shuffle around. I have no idea why she does this, but it sure is funny to watch.

Elise is 21 months old now, and she has been talking like crazy lately. She is stringing words together all the time, not necessarily in sentences, but close. Like tonight, when she wanted to watch this video of Jesus being baptized, she said, "Watch video Jesus baptize water." She definitely can get her point across.

She also constantly asks to go to the pool lately. A typical request might sound something like, "Shoes, diaper, suit, water." She knows that in order to go to the pool, we need to put on our shoes and bathing suits and get her a special swim diaper.

She is usually pretty clear when she speaks (at least to me), but I thought I'd make a list of some things she says that would probably need translation. Sometimes I even have to translate for Matt, like tonight when he thought Elise was saying something about her shirt being wet today. She was actually saying "red day" and patting her chest because she was wearing a red shirt today.

Here's a brief list, with the word or phrase she is trying to say first, followed by my best spelling of the way Elise really says it:

tomato = made-oh
bathing suit = suit
today = day
motorcycle = cycle
pineapple = apple
strawberry = strawbee
peanut butter = butter
sour cream = crean
ice cream = cone, or ice crean
pinecone = cone
kitchen = chichen
couch = chouch
sandwich = chanchich
library = ahh-bwee
thank you/you’re welcome = tan too gwelcon (said like one word as she gives you something)
washcloth = foff-foff
pacifier = faff-fie
up high = pie
hold it/them = hole-mum (usually with both hands on chest)
eat it/them = ee-mum
excuse me = scuses
basket = bassick
quesadilla = dadda

If you don't already know what she means, some of these things can get confusing. Like how she uses "apple" for both apple and pineapple, or "butter" for both butter and peanut butter. She says a lot of other typical things little kids say, like "baff" for bath, but this list includes a lot of the things she says that I think are amusing or unique to her toddler speech, although I'm sure there are many more things she says that are amusing that I can't think of offhand.

She also occasionally adds "es" to words, like "feetses" for feet or "toeses" for toes or "clotheses" for clothes. She's still figuring out the whole plural thing. And if she adds "too" to the end of a sentence or a phrase, you can usually ignore it. It doesn't usually signify much; I'm not sure she really knows what "too" means, but she uses it a lot. She can also say most of a prayer by herself, although she sometimes gets really loud suddenly and inexplicably while she prays. Occasionally she will stop playing, look over at me, fold her arms, and say, "Favver (Father), thank thee, Jesus Christ, Amen."

We sure do love this sweet girl, and we love how talkative and spunky she is.