Proof of spring.

Having lived in Utah my entire life, I don't understand how I can be so shocked each year when it snows after the March 20th Equinox. Yet I never fail to curse at mother nature for being such a fickle female.

However, I am happy to report that I have seen the signs of spring, in my very yard. And I will show them to you, since they bring me such joy and happiness. Perhaps they will do the same for you.

Here are my beautiful purple pansies which braved and survived our freezing winter. I'm so proud of them.

And my flowering cherry tree is nearly bursting at the seams. She will bring me much joy this year, I can feel it.

My Japanese Maple is a tad nervous to let her leaves out so early, afraid that the snow will hurt them. I hugged her assured her that she will be just fine. She felt much better.

Harley is enjoying the warmer weather, as well.


And since it's been a while since I've posted a random picture of Kennedy, I will put one on here. It is of Kennedy and one of her future prospects, Jackson:

In case you were wondering

Here is a list of my feelings/emotions, and the reasons for them, as of late:

Happiness:
– Justin has a man date tonight, so I can plan a fun night with princess Kennedy.
– Listening to Kennedy sing "Castle on a Cloud" from Les Mis. Or any song, for that matter.

Relief:
– It's Friday. Finally.

Pain:
– Pilates.

Excitement/anticipation:

– SPRINGTIME!!!! It's so close I can almost taste it.

Frustration:
– Snow.
– My inability to say "No" to a 5th girl scout cookie. or 7th.

Jealousy:
– of Anyone who is basking in 75+ degree weather. And not having to work. (You know who you are.)

Amusement:
– Kennedy singing "Follow the Prophet" and then saying "What IS a prophet, anyway?"
– Blog stalking.

Confusion:
– As to why my pants aren't getting any looser. I'm sure it has nothing to do with that 7th girl scout cookie.

Contentment:

– I love my life.

Dogs vs. Cats

If you don't frequent The Pioneer Woman's website, you are missing out. Especially the cooking section. Yum.

Anyway, she recently had a contest where people could send in photos of their cats (go here), and she would pick the winner(s) and award prizes. This was the well-deserved first place winner:

Doesn't he look perfect? You should go to that link and look at all of the submissions. There are some GAWgeous cats. And no, I did not just waste a bunch of time browing through photos of kitties when I have piles of work sitting on my desk waiting for me. I mean, who does that?

And I'm sure some of you have read the following, before, but I laughed the first time I read it, and I laughed when I saw it again, today. So I thought I would share:

Excerpts from a Dog’s Daily Diary:

8:00 am – Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm – Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm – Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm – Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm – Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm – Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm – Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat’s Daily Diary:

Day 683 of my captivity:My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.
Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the floor.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am. The audacity!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow– but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released — and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded!
The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe…for now…

Free sucker!!! Or not.

Remember when you were a kid and you got a Tootsie Pop and the first thing you did after you shoved it in your mouth was hurry and search the wrapper for that indian shooting an arrow at a star because if you had said wrapper with a star it totally meant you'd get a free sucker?

Apparently it's completely bogus (see here).

I never tried to redeem my star wrappers, and I don't know of anyone else who did, either. Who starts these rumors, anyway?


I feel cheated and lied to. And I want my free sucker.

Dizneeland

So you'd think that by planning a surprise trip to Disneyland, your five year-old would not throw any fits, she wouldn't whine about anything, and she would be the most grateful little child you could ever imagine. Well stop thinking that. Because it is totally not how it works.

The first whine of the trip occurred when we informed her that she wasn't going to school because we had a surprise for her. She was sure that no surprise could ever possibly be as awesome as school.

And then apparently we joke around with her way too much, because she thought we were kidding when we told her we were going to Disneyland. But after she realized that we were actually serious, she and Kaden (our nephew) jumped and danced around the living room.

We had barely made it to Sandy (about 20 minutes into the drive) before she asked "How much longer?" I lost count of how many times that question was asked.

BUT. Aside from her crying while in line for Splash Mountain because she was afraid of the big hill, and her complete meltdown because she couldn't get her face painted for $15 a second time, and the many "Kaden won't let me [insert whatever here]!!"s, it was way fun. The kids really got along great, they rarely ever fought, and the weather was beautiful.

That is pretty much it for my narration. I will post some pictures, now (with brief captions). There are a lot of them. Sorry.

Here we are at the Lego store in Downtown Disney. Yes those are made out of real Legos. Yes I tried to take them apart. Yes they are glued together. No, I didn't get caught because I was discreet. Like a ninja.

Standing in front of the large fish tank while waiting to eat dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Yum.

Piggyback rides are fun. Kaden told me I had chubby buns so he couldn't give me a ride.

Next day we Disneylanded it up.

We told Kaden that if he could pull the sword out of the stone he could be the king of Disneyland. He couldn't do it.
They made their way through Tarzan's treehouse. And looked way cute.
Kaden showed us his monkey skills

Then of course we had to meet Mickey.

Justin, Kaden and Kennedy rode the Teacups. I didn't because I'm not a fan of vomiting.

It really bothers me that Jessie has no neck.
And while Justin and Kaden went on Splash Mountain (which Kennedy adamantly refused to ride a second time), we met some princesses.
Kennedy was SO excited. She thought she was in heaven.

And even more so when she got her face painted. Like a kitty. She meowed for the next 2 hours.
Next day: California Adventure
Ok- this is a new ride (I think) and it was awesome. It's the Toy Story ride and you get 3D glasses and you have these guns and you shoot things. It was pretty freaking awesome.
Bug land. I think that these two kids were the cutest kids in all of Anaheim.
We rode the bumper cars. They go about 0.0002 miles per hour.
And since we did everything we wanted to in California Adventure by about 1:00, and it was a GAWgeous day, we went to the beach.
They had a freaking blast. The water was like an enormous ice bucket, but the kids didn't seem to notice. Kennedy actually totally biffed it while running away from a huge wave. And we caught it on video. It was pretty hilarious. (She thinks so, too.) If I can upload it, I will post it on here.

After the beach, we ate at a yummy nearby Irish restaurant, where they colored pictures of leprechauns, rainbows and pots o' gold.
And after a delicious treat at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, we drove back to the hotel.
Last day. (holy crap this is long. Sorry.)

We met a few more characters:


And Kaden had his face painted (yes, this is where one of Kennedy's meltdowns happened) and then we rode a carousel.

Here's a tip- never go to Disneyland on a Friday evening. I think that the whole state of California was there. I was feeling extremely claustrophobic and then when the sudden urge to strangle everyone around me came on, we decided it was in everyone's best interest if we left.

So we went out to dinner.
Remember how I said Kennedy didn't like Splash Mountain? Well during dinner, Kaden asked her why that was (in blue), and she replied (in red):

And after a good night's sleep, the drive home: