I haven't blogged in so long, partly due to Facebook's ability to allow me to post my short Madison stories. This time I found myself wanting to say more than would allow on a post, so I decided it was time to update this darn thing!

I was reflecting on my recent Birthday and I can't begin to express the love that was shown to me. I have decided that from now on the best way to celebrate my birthday is for the entire WEEK, not just on the DAY!

• The week was kicked off on Wednesday with a fine dinner/wine/dessert at Sips with Karlha and she gave me the prettiest girly necklace (Love it!).  
• Thursday was the work BBQ that I wasn't planning on attending.  Tawny did her best to convince me to come (didn't work) and I later learned she had a delectable chocolate pudding cake (even texted Hubby for intel on my favorite cake) for the potluck with my name on it with plans of getting the entire District to sing to me! Backfired for her BUT was awesome for me because I tucked the cake away and saved it for my birthday! 
• Friday I spent an ENTIRE day with Tawny shopping and eating and getting all dolled up with Bare Minerals make up! We have never done an entire day together and it was awesome! I later learned that Mallory, Leslie and Adrienne were waiting in the wings in Motown for us to get home and have ice cream! That didn't materialize because we dilly dallied the day away and unbeknownst to me, ran out of time . When I heard this, I was still moved by the gesture of these fine ladies wanting to spend time with me celebrating. My Mom, spent the day with Madison so I could get away with Tawny and that was a precious gift as well. 
• Saturday was my ACTUAL birthday, spent with my wonderful husband and daughter, the Dean Trio! The three of us opened presents and cards, went to a Tball game where Mad caught her first ball, picked out two new Pandora charms and went home and took a 3 HOUR NAP! Talk about a gift! (I was still coughing sick). 
• I loved my cards from Emily and Cousin Judy that arrived just in time in the mail! 
• On our way to Tball Tia called and I was serenaded with a wonderful Happy Birthday song Tia style via the speaker phone! Nothing like hearing a friend's voice! 
• Karlha called too although I didn't answer because I didn't recognize the number. She was at Cold Springs and had no cell signal and had to use a land line!
• Monday I got to have a wonderful child free lunch with Sabrina at Damian's!  We did a lot of laughing and catching up!
• Monday evening I got to spend some time with some great friends and "friends of friends" celebrating the birthday of a fellow Gemini James. Good times.
• Wednesday when I got to see my Mom again she brought me the coolest present! Matching Tye Dye American Flag shirts for me and Madison! I can't wait to wear them for the 4th of July in Wyoming or perhaps even for tonight's MoBand "Americana" themed Concert in the Park (probably both if I can find a skirt for Mad, she is such a dress girl!)
• The birthday was topped off when I received a special package in the mail. It was a package of hand crafted candy suckers, "Cuban Mojito" with real mint leaves.  What made it odd was I had this particular thing in my Etsy "Favorites" and wondered how did they just show up?  The card said "Happy Birthday. Love you, Brenda."  It took me until I was explaining it to Rick to realize who it was from! Very few people get one over on me and it felt great! I didn't realize other people could see my favorites...I better clear out some of the more embarrassing things!
• I turned on the "Birthday" notification on my Facebook for the first time and received many messages  from friends from around the country and from home. It was great. The texts were amazing too. 
• If I have missed anyone who made this week special for me, I apologize. I have been carrying this blog post around in my head for over a week and it was not intentional. Attribute it to my advanced age!

My Birthday Resolution is to say YES more often than NO and I have to say, in the short time I have been doing this, I have met some amazing new people and am having a GREAT TIME!

If my 43rd birthday week is any indication of the year I am going to have, it is going to be EPIC! 


I feel so very blessed and humbled. Thank you my dear friends and family. Thank you.

Madison raised $1240 for St Jude Children's Hospital with 11 laps at her preschool's Trike-a-Thon

: Click Here for video of WINNER of $100 Gift Bag Drawing!

Madison participated in her first Trike-A-Thon at her Preschool this month! We weren't so sure she was going to get to as the three weeks prior were spent sick with the stomach flu, then pneumonia and rounding off the time with two rip roaring ear infections.  I was pleased when she woke up on Friday morning ready to go with no fever for the second day and some energy.  

Mom started off the month asking for donations from friends on Facebook and via email.  Within a day we had raised our goal of $500 and increased our goal and kept asking. I set up an online donation site through the St. Jude and immediately received donations from Texas, the Bay Area, Elk Grove and even one from OKLAHOMA! Grandma sent the email to her friends and within a few days over $200 in checks arrived in my mailbox!  

With a few hundred to go I decided to bring some famous Mr. T's donuts to work and had a "Donuts for Dollars" fundraiser.  This alone brought in $40 for the donuts and two additional $20 checks from individuals. 

Dad did his part by bribing his coworkers with donuts too and I even made a "Support your Little Knight" flyer for him to take to his Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club meeting. He brought in another $60!

With one day to go, amazingly from the donut announcement I did at work a coworker contacted me because she had been meaning to donate to St. Jude for some time and hadn't decided how to get them the money.  Madison's Trike-A-Thon provided  the perfect opportunity! I was pleasantly shocked when she presented me with a check for $300, from her generous mother, and this took us well over our new $1000 goal!

We were excited for the Trike-A-Thon for MANY reasons.  Not only did we raise a lot of money, but Madison spent time with Papa waxing her retro trike she got for her 2nd birthday in preparation of her ride. She had an accident in the fall at school where she got run over by a child riding a trike and she for a long time was fearful of them and wanted nothing to do with pedaling one!  She gradually got more confident and over time began riding her trike all over Mamo's house (INSIDE).  Soon she was asking to ride her big girl bike (16' bike with training wheels) so we went and she picked out a helmet and has been riding every since.  She said she wanted to take her pink trike to the Trike-a-Thon because it wasn't a "Bike-a-Thon" (After asking me "What's a Thon?"). 

Mommy and Mad painted a St. Jude shirt with 27 hand prints representing the 27 donations (ranging from $5 to $300) we received.  The hand prints on the front her HERS and the ones on the back are Mommy's because after about 8 hand prints she was "all done crafting".

On the day of the event Cousin Judy and Uncle Shad drove over to watch and Papa drove down from Jamestown to be a part of it too.  Mamo wasn't able to attend but was there in spirit and it was a great day!  Madison watched the last educational Bike Safety Video with her friends and then listened intently to the instructions explained by Mrs. de.  They all mounted up and off they went.  

Madison did 10 laps at full speed and I heard her a few times as she rounded the corner "THIS IS FUN!"  She had never ridden this trike on the asphalt and it was bumpy and funny.  Papa said he would have to tighten up the fenders after this ride!

She stopped and asked me to come over and said "I'm done."  I was so proud of her. She had been so sick for such a long time, I was surprised she was able to do it for as long as she did.  She came over and rested a bit and then at the last lap before it was over, she mounted up again and gave it one last go 'round.

Afterwards she enjoyed a Popsicle with her friends and then off to home we went.

This weekend we will be doing the drawing for the gift bag as promised (Every $20 donation gets a ticket for a chance to win a bag with goodies valued at over $100.)  I will be posting video of that as well.  

Her first few laps are shown in the video below.

Click Here for video: Miss Mad's two laps of eleven

THANK YOU to all the DONORS!  Every single dollar COUNTED toward our AMAZING accomplishment.

Madison was also recognized in the Preschool Newsletter:

UPDATE:

The Preschool Raised $2625 total for St Jude! Way to GO! Preschoolers ROCK!

Capital Experiment

Someone recently told me how important exposing kids to lower case letters is when it comes to learning to read.  Makes sense right? How often do you read anything in all caps? (Except when shouting or making a point or trying to annoy someone! Not using ANY caps will do this as well. At least it annoys me, but that is another story.)

I started looking at all the alphabet stuff we had, yep, everything was in CAPITALS and if you think about it, some lower case letters are very different from their upper mate. 

Well I made a point of finding some lower case letters to 'expose' Madison to (besides the words in her books).  I have had our Leap Frog Upper Case Alphabet magnets since she was a tiny toddler.  They are on the dishwasher and she has always enjoyed them. You put a letter in and it sings a song and it sings the alphabet when you press a different button. One of my FAVORITE toys to give.  

I was so excited to find another toy that was similar but had places for three letters to spell short words and they were LOWER CASE! We had to have it.  It even came with an extra  "d" and "m" so spelling mom and dad would be possible.  Can't explain the extra "e" but maybe "bee" is a popular toddler word! It is a fun toy also and plays different spelling games.

In any case, the researcher in me had to experiment.  I had to see what would happen if I put all the CAPS in a row (She helped) and then asked her to pick from the jumbled Lower Case letters and "match" them to the Upper Case letters.  It was a fun game and one I soon learned she had already mastered.  Honest, it was fun for both of us, it wasn't a drill or a 'lesson'.

BEFORE

AFTER!

At first she was doing them in order, one by one, and then she started doing them when she saw one that matched. She got so excited and would say "LOOK, IT MATCHES!"  The funniest part was when she would put her finger to her lip and turn her head to me while keeping her eyes on the letters and say "Look at what I am going to find."

I didn't help her ONE TIME and she got them ALL!  

She ended our game with a loud "YOU SO PROUD OF ME?"

Yes baby, I am so proud of you.

Roxy was wishing we would go back to playing with the "Cherrios" book!

(Baby book note: Madison was 29 months when she did this)

CHEESE!

Our Topsy Turvy Life

Madison enjoyed growing tomatoes with Papa so much last Summer I thought it would be fun to plant strawberries this Summer.  We bought a Topsy Turvy and gave it a go.

PLANTING DAY!

(Picture of Daddy reading directions: Now THAT is not a sight you see everyday!)

Time for a slide break while Daddy keeps working!

Planting is hard work, time to crash

THEY'RE TURNING RED!

ALMOST READY!

HARVESTING DAY!

BERRY BOUNTY and time to give them a DRINK

WASH'em

EAT'em!

LAST ONE UNTIL NEXT TIME!

LIFE IS JUST A BOWL FULL OF BERRIES!

Jesus Loves Me

I just love this little person....

Tonight at dinner Madison wanted her glasses and when she put them on she started to sing Jesus Loves Me. She did it three times all the way through including the second full verse "Jesus taught us how to pray". On the fourth time I asked her to wait and said "Can I video you and then you can watch it?" Her response was "SURE!". Here is the result. She was so excited she didn't get to the second verse cute none the less right?

I hope you enjoy the little glimpse into my joyful world that I get to experience everyday!

A few of my favorite things

Some of my favorite things: A product that allows Madison to be a "big gurwell" and turn on and off the light and a few booger related items.

I bought Madison a light switch extender months ago, she could barely reach it when we first put it on. But she has since become a pro and I have installed a second one in her room in the reading corner as well as her bathroom. She loves them and insists on being the one to turn off her light after we read. If she isn't finished reading, I say "The light is going OFF, do you want to turn it off or have Momma do it." I never get to do it!

The ones I found are called Kidswitch and they glow in the dark and have a moon shape that happens to go really well in Madison's room. She is facinated with the moon but that is for another post. Below is a photo of her illustrating how it works! (the best price I found was on Amazon and in a three pack) The first one I bought was at a specialy baby store and I paid 2X+ the amount as I did for the three pack online. Lesson Learned.

No one told me when I become a Mom that one of my primary responsibilities would be sucking so much snot! People tell you about all kinds of gross things you will do as a Mom and most are related to bathroom activities and barf (at least the ones that I had the fortune of having shared with me)....I don't remember anyone telling me about all the boogers. I have heard about 'snot nosed kids' but I never knew what a reality that would become for me. I swore I would NEVER have a kid with snot running down her face. Yea right, just like the kid that I refused to have that has a pacifier! UGG. I am fortunate though that Madison HATES having a runny nose and will say "Nose runnin' again." to get you to wipe it as soon as she feels it! While this is annoying after about the 50th time, it is helpful in keeping with my desire to not have her let it run and lick it off! Hey, I warned you this was gross.

I read somewhere to expect your child to get 10 colds a year! Are you kidding me? That is nearly 1 every month. When you take into account the sniffles prior to the cold, the height of the snot production mid cold and the post cold drips, that is A LOT OF SNOT for a lot of weeks! And if you are really lucky you get to experience that thick snot that gags your baby resulting in the all offensive barfing episode.

Did you keep that 'bulb syringe' from the hospital? For us, it was the only one that worked even remotely well and I know because I bought EVERY ONE I could find (Even the battery operated automatic music playing one - that was a BIG no go!) I often thought of going to the hospital to steal another one. I snuck several receiving blankets out but it never dawned on me to request a spare booger getter!

I was lucky, Madison was 14 months old before she got her first cold, Christmas #2. I think it is a tradition, we BOTH had one for Christmas #3. But let me tell you, she has made up for it this last year. Let's just say, I hate SNOT.

Actually I have 2 favorite BOOGER related products. The first are Boogie Wipes, wipes soaked in saline. The grape ones smell great and the product is Mom invented and I think that is cool. Madison likes them and will tell me "I need get a Boogie wipe" when she has a 'GIANT booger' she wants me to get out. She HATES having boogers. You can get them at Target and Amazon (the wipes, not the boogers...well depending on your store:-) and I have seen them at Baby's R Us as well. Madison did tell me the 'menthol' ones 'hurt' her once but then tried them again and they were fine. Makes sense though, especially if the nose is raw from wiping already.

I found this next product on Amazon and read about it several months prior to purchasing it. I remember telling my Mom "Hey I found you a booger getter to try. I'll buy it, you try it, and if it works, I will try it." It is called NoseFrida and is a nasal aspirator where YOU are the SUCKER, literally! There is 'filter' that keeps you from actually sucking the boogers in your mouth, but I still had my Mom try it before I would believe it! She became an instant believer and I followed suit soon after.

It is so much easier than the hospital syringe, cleaner, less abrasive, quick, and best of all EFFECTIVE! It is made in Switzerland and also available on Amazon and Target. Below are a few photos of Madison illustrating how it works. See, so easy a 2 year old can do it! While she doesn't REALLY do it, it does illustrate that she doesn't MIND it and grasps the concept of how Mommy does it. (Depending on the severity of the snot situation, I sometimes will premoisten her nose with either saline drops or saline mist.) On my wish list for our "never going to happen house renovation" is a steam shower. I think it is a medical necessity with all this snot production!

Yes, Santa brought her some Piggy Paint in her stocking. WHAT was HE thinking? :-)

Madison Swimming Videos from Summer

These videos were taken during Madison's Infant Swim Resource (ISR) testing that was done after 7 weeks of 10 minute lessons, 5 days a week this Summer. (Better late than never). I have blogged about it and posted photos but really wanted to post the three days of testing videos to show how far she had come and I just think it is cool to watch. She is more 'water safe' at 19 months than I was when I was 6 years old. While some might see this method of 'swim lessons' as extreme or over the top, I was confident in my choice of instructor and method. And while difficult to watch at times, it was an extraordinary experience for all of us.

Since ISR is based on teaching 'drowning prevention skills' rather than typical 'swimming lessons' there are three days of testing after the lessons are completed, one with Summer clothes, one with Winter clothes and lastly back to swim suit for 'reset'.

The idea is to think about what they would likely be wearing if they wandered near the pool and fell in, anytime of year. The sensation of being wet fully clothed is so much different than when wearing a swim suit and the children need to be exposed to that sensation so they can learn adjust their 'float' accordingly. If they usually carry a lovey or have a pacifier all of the time, it is recommended they test with those items as well.

Each video is the length of a typical lesson (about 10 min) so if you only have time for one, I recommend the Winter one (#2) and the end especially when she is jumping in from the edge and comes up to a float.

Summer Clothes: TShirt/Shorts/Crocs/PullUp. A rather unfortunate reality of falling into the water with clothes on is that you are likely to have something covering your face at some point. At one point during testing, Rebekah removes Madison's shirt and places it over her face to be sure she has the skill to pull it off her face.

Winter Clothes: Undershirt/Long Sleeve Shirt/Jeans/PullUp/Socks/Tennies/Fleece Lined Jacket (Hey we live in California! What are the chances she'll accidentally fall in the pool with a down snow suit on?)

Last day of testing, swimming reset back to swim suit. I got in the pool on the last day so Rebekah could show me how to work with her when we went swimming.

(Click here if you would like to learn more about the lessons and research behind ISR. Click here for more local Modesto information.)

Madison's ABCD's

I heard Madison in her room saying the ABCD's and she did the WHOLE thing THREE times without missing a letter. I asked her if she would do it again for the camera and she said "SURE!". (miracle in itself)

I took three videos and she missed some each time but was very proud of herself as was I.

The first one was the best ABCD's and the second one was cute because of the LMNO part. (no that isn't text lingo for lauging anything off.)

I turned the camera so I could get her whole outfit and nervous jig moves thinking I could turn it later like with photos but I couldn't figure it out. Sorry.

This was Thanksgiving and she was wearing the dress Papa picked out for her birthday. When I put it on her she twirled and said "I beautiful!". The sweater was also a birthday gift from a friend.

Zoe found her calling: Ghostbuster

So much has gone on since I posted last...I have such good intentions...I hate posting without pictures and I while I am good about making sure I TAKE pictures I am not so good about getting them on the computer.

Future blogs with photos to include:
Madison's 2nd Birthday and Two Year check up stats
Halloween and pumpkin carving
Trip to Monterey
Madison's first hair cut
Potty training update

In the meantime I had a Madison/Zoe story to share and I have some pictures of Madison and Roxy playing outside in the dark one evening before it got too cold.

Zoe and Madison have a love/hate relationship. Madison loves Zoe and I hate that I have to keep them separated for both of their safety. It isn't all bad, Madison knows not to touch her and Zoe knows to steer clear. Things have gotten much more relaxed now that Madison has control of her movements and walking steady etc. We just make sure Zoe doesn't get cornered and forced to choose fight over flight. Unfortunately there is a lot of "Go lay down Zoe" "Don't touch Zoe" "Zoe down" "Zoe leave Madison's food alone" talk around our house. I feel guilty sometimes but we manage. Don't get me wrong, Zoe gets her play time in with Mom and Dad and Roxy too.

Well tonight I think we found Zoe's purpose in Madison's eyes and it was fun. Madison came into the kitchen tonight and here is how the conversation played out:

Mad: "Ghost coming"
Mom: "What? Did you say ghost?"
Mad: "Yea, ghost right dare! Scare me."
Mom: (Inside my head: Imagination here we come) "Where is the ghost?" {calm}
Mad: "In da window right dare!" (She ran behind my legs to hide).
Mom: (I had to think on the fly. My gut told me that Daddy would protect us, but he is leaving for WY in the morning and with her memory the way it is I didn't want to risk hearing tomorrow "Daddy not here, ghost coming." So I thought of Zoe. "Madison, show me where the ghost is. [she pointed to the wall] Watch this. Zoe come. {Zoe came and I leaned down and whispered in Zoe's ear "what's that" and she perked up, on cue and barked her head off and ran out ran outside to 'chase the ghost'.
Mad: "Where Zoe go?"
Mom: "She is making sure the ghost is gone."
Mad: "Zoe come ear! Zoe good girwel. I yuv you Zoe." {heart melt}
{She leaned in to hug her and we were back to normal conversation again}
Mom: "No touch Zoe."
Mad: "Touch Roxy."
Mom: "Yes you can touch Roxy."
Mad: "I yuv you too Rox."
Life is good.

It was so sweet. It was as if Madison was so proud of Zoe protecting her and we were both glad that Zoe is a little more assertive than Roxy. Zoe seemed proud too. I have to chuckle to myself thinking that now Madison and Zoe have something in common, an active imagination. Zoe is always chasing off imaginary 'ghosts'. Now I don't want any comments about real ghosts. My dog and daughter come by their active imaginations naturally!

I think God spoke to me today

The strangest thing happened to me today. This post isn't about Madison, one of only a few but I wanted to document it none the less and this seemed like an easy way to express myself.

I know when asked, I often talk about being an only child and that is mainly because in general conversation it is easier to say than explain I had a half sister with whom I grew up with but who died before we could be adults together. But the truth is, I did have a sister who loved and tormented me during my young years.  Her name was Christina and she would have turned 47 next month.

My sister is buried in a beautiful cemetery in Sonora just up the road from my dentist. I have been there with my Mom a few times to put out a new flag for the season and I have gone a few times alone to take flowers for the deer or just to sit quietly and look over the tiny city from the hill.  

I had a dental appointment today and for some reason she was on my mind as I drove through town. I thought it would be nice to take some flowers and then I realized I didn't know where to buy any.  After my unpleasant dentist appointment, I was still thinking of her and so I looked around and decided on a nice natural wreath with pine cones on it.  It smelled great.  She was very crafty and would have enjoyed it. I drove up the hill and put it on her stone. I stopped and looked over the hill and quietly thought about her and I when we were children and how I longed for her to be here with me now as adults.  I also thought of her adult son who I recently heard is expecting his own child. The thought of her being a grandma while I am a new Mom made me smile wondering what that might have been like.

I didn't stay long and drove on down the hill, back to work.  I am not sure why she was on my mind so much, I admit it doesn't happen often.   

Here is the strange part: When I am in the car I often look at the plates on other cars and wonder what the personalizations mean.  As I was driving back to work, I looked over at the car next to me and the license plate read: 

"LV USIS". 

 At first I was like "Who would pay $X extra a year to say that?" 

Then it hit me.  Maybe God put that message there just for me to see. Was she thinking of me too, or perhaps saying "Thank you" for the wreath? I shook it off, thinking I was being crazy, as if God was too busy to talk to little 'ol me.  I actually rolled my eyes at myself.  But then I thought, 'Why not me?'

We can choose to believe whatever we want, and I am choosing that she spoke to me through Him and it warmed my heart overwhelmingly, once I allowed it to.

Here are some of the things I remembered today: She was a great cook, she could make the best things out of NOTHING, and even when something didn't turn out she could turn it into something else. I remember one time she burnt up a batch of biscuits and then proceeded to pull out the paints and made a flower sculpture!  She could drive somewhere once and always know how to get there again without a map (0r GPS for that matter).  She taught me how to tie my shoes, helped me have the courage to take my earrings out after the required 6 week wait time (aka forced me to), and she told my Mom when she caught me using her razor shaving my leg for the first time, (I refused to shave the other one because I thought I was in trouble).  I remember her fighting for her right to watch soaps when I wanted to watch Sesame Street, (She was 6.5 years older than me), and she loved animals.  She used to hold me down on the floor and kiss me all sloppy all over my face while I screamed.  I hated it then and do it to Madison now.  She was who I hunted Easter baskets with and who I walked out with to see what Santa had brought us.

Thank you for the message Chris, I heard you, I love you and I miss you.

Rock Skipping Lesson with Grandma

All in a day's fun

I was looking for something fun to do over Labor Day weekend and what was supposed to be a nice day watching hot air balloons turned into four hours in the car with a bunch of fun packed in between.

When you ask Madison about this day she talks about: Rode Thomas, High Five Doggie, High Five Giraffe, and the Horsie. Her memory amazes me everyday.  

Our day started out at 6am.  The annual Color the Skies fundraiser for the Children's Hospital was happening just up the road from us and I thought Madison would think that would be fun. There was LOTS to do, but EARLY!  

It was far from what I imagined.  I don't do crowds but decided to venture out in the name of Madison having a good day.  When we got there, first we were in a line of 300 hundred to get in.  Then we had the pleasure of parking in a field of goat heads.  The car tires, our shoes and the stroller tires were FILLED. I was less than thrilled.  When we finally got to the actual location, there were people EVERYWHERE!  

It was a great showing of how the economy is keeping folks local over a three day weekend I think.  We went to get in line for the pancake breakfast and that is when we learned that it was too windy and there would be no hot air balloons that day.  The hundreds of people broke from the field and headed for the pancake line. NOPE, skipping it.   We tried to watch the wild animal show but it was so crowded we couldn't see or hear anything.  

I wanted to leave immediately.  This is precisely when Madison spotted "Thomas" the train ride.  She is fascinated by trains these days.  I agreed because she was so excited.  In line, we did see a friend we made during signing class, Leanne and Emily and that was a special highlight. 

Daddy was a good sport and rode on the train with Madison. He does all the adventurous stuff like the kiddy rides.

Daddy said she waved at everyone as she went by and really had a good time.

Yes, above was the LINE for the TRAIN.  (the line for the food was 3X as long, no joke) What Madison taught me during this experience was that waiting in line isn't all that bad with a toddler. I think she enjoyed the 20+ times she got to see the train come and go each time much more than she actually did while ON the train.  It really changed my perspective and reminded me to see the silver lining.  She clapped and sang each time she heard him coming/going and then waved as hard as she could as he went by. 

We came across the Giraffe that was the mascot for the Children's Hospital and she usually is afraid of these characters but she gave him a high five and wanted to see him more.

The Giraffe was quickly 'old news' when she 'spotted' the Ripon Fire Department's mascot, Sparky I think was his name.  She did the high five and still talks about him.

All this fun and guess what? It was only 830 am!  I wanted so badly to have a fun family day and this was turning into a bust so I convinced Rick to drive up the road a ways to Lodi to a small animal zoo, Micke Grove.  I hadn't been there since I was a kid and wasn't really sure what to expect but knew it couldn't be worse than the goat heads.  She was asleep when we got there so Rick and I visited in the car while she rested and picked goat heads points out of our shoes.  What sweet family time.

The highlight of the day and worth the trip were the Lorikeets. You can buy nectar and watch them eat (and unknown to Rick, he volunteered to hold it not knowing they would fly on him, he thought he would hold it to them and they would drink, I told you he does all the adventure stuff). I wish I had gotten a picture of his face when he realized they were landing ON HIM.  We went into the tent type area and they were EVERYWHERE flying and sitting around.  They were chirping loudly and Madison's first words were "TOO MANY BIRDS!"

Well we walked around for about 20 minutes and saw all there was to see. Again, I was bummed.  I remembered it being so much larger when I was a kid. They did have a huge section shut down because they were building a new otter and snow leopard area so that will be cool later I hope. We tried to see the birds again and they were closed for a break, good thing we got to see them when we did! 

We left and it was still really early and I didn't want to go home to laundry or go grocery/target shopping like every other weekend!  I read in the paper on the way there that Old Town Sacramento was having their annual Historic Pioneer Days and again convinced Rick to drive more up North for more fun.  He is such a good sport, not to mention tolerant of me!

They poured tons of dirt on the roads of Old Sac and had horse buggy rides and gun fighting in the streets.  We found a pony ride and Madison was game. 

The highlight of the entire day had to be the Steam Train ride.  We stood in line for the 3:00 and I am not kidding when I stepped up to the window and was told "SOLD OUT till 4pm".  I about had a heart attack. I heard someone say, what about 1st class?  I was then like, yea, what about 1st class!?  Oh yea, they had those tickets, just $7 more. I would have done that regardless once I learned how much better it was!  

Heck I guess it all worked out. We were in an AIR CONDITIONED car, got served a GIANT cookie and a drink and there were only three other people in there with us.  We got a personal story told to us about the train we were on and had HUGE windows for an awesome view of the Sacramento River on our 40 minute tour.  It was great and Madison had a great time. It was the perfect ending to our day.  

Conductor punching Madison's ticket.

I told you she was having fun.

This is a train on display and not the one we went on but cool.  

We took a break and at a chocolate covered strawberry as we watched the gun fighters and horses and got messy with strawberries and melted chocolate. 

We came home tired and ready for bed. We stayed home all day on Sunday and didn't do much at all but rest.  Spontaneous marathon one day road trips are hard on these old bones.  We then made it to Grandma's and Papa's on Monday for BBQ pork chops and fun in the water. Photos of that day to follow soon.

Life doesn't get much better than this.