Some catching up to do

I forgot to post these the last time:

 

 

My attempt at a picture with the camera propped on the car. You can sorta make out Zack and Mara in the background messing with the bushes or mulch or something. I love the little jacket with the ears.

And I had mentioned that Mara was invited to Anissa's 3rd birthday party at a place called The Little Gym. We packed the whole family up and hit the town. of Cary.

Anissa is one of Mara's good friends at daycare. Sophia (another daycare friend) is pointing at Anissa in that picture. The gym staff had the kids bake an imaginary cake and throw in whatever they wanted to (Mara chose to throw in pretend ice) and they stirred it up with their hands, baked it in an imaginary oven, ate it, etc. I think at first Mara was a little confused and shy (and mega-constipated).

 Her really good friend Alexis (Lexi) is sitting in her Mommy's lap.

They then each got a scarf that was a pretend butterfly that only came alive and active if it ate peanut butter. So they all danced to a peanut butter butterfly song and helped the butterflies dance, twirl, run, lay on the ground, etc.

 I did hear one parent wonder why they did exercise before sugary sweets and not the other way around.

 The song was long enough, though, that Mara really got into it and was zooming around with her flying butterfly.

 They did get some free choice time to play around on the gym equipment.

 Do you see a future gymnast? Maybe!

 What you don't see in these pictures is her being toted off the the bathroom attempting to poop, or bent over uncomfortably and making faces because her bottom hurt. But all in all, she had a great time. They got to lay on this blow up mattress while it was being blown up.

 Leave it to our kid to be different and the one facing the other way.

 They then got to bounce and somersault and run down the air mattress (for lack of a better term?)

 

 

 There were snacks and drinks and cake. Mara mostly ate pineapple or strawberries, I can't remember which. She sat right next to her good friend. And you can see what I was toting around the whole time. Big-ol-baby-boy and my camera.

 Mara liked that the party was Dora-themed and commented on the characters on the table covering.

 Anissa's Mom had them all line up for a group shot. It's sorta' obvious who is on the uhhh, smaller side? Granted, Anissa just turned 3 and Sophia to the right is probably 3 1/2 and I don't know the ages of the other kids.

 Mara got a hand stamp on the way out - a smiley sunshine. She asked for another stamp when it wore off the next day and I said I didn't have a sunshine stamp. She forgot about it soon afterwards or I would have given her one of my other stamps.

 She was so thrilled with her goody bag and would take things in and then put them all away in her bag and keep track of where everything was. She got bubbles, Dora playing cards, Dora bouncy ball, some stickers, and 2 plastic neon orange rings. They were all her little treasures.

 And Zack was a good sport about everything. Thanks, honey!

Oh, I wanted to post some pictures of the family collage that I made for daycare. I chose to make a butterfly that had wings that opened. Pretty awesome, right? I had a great time making it. Mara helped by putting the Dora stickers on the pictures and/or butterfly.