Our Favorite Park...It Has it All!

Plenty of Spots For a Picnic...

Hungry Geese to feed...


Opportunities for Detective Work...

Kayli is on the lookout for signs of Fall because she knows Halloween is in the Fall, and that means two of her favorite things: costumes and candy!

A Pond with Stepping Stones...

Kayli said "Hold my hand mom. When I grow up I'll do this by myself, ok?"

Long Bridges to Run Across...


Real Live Lily Pads That, Before Now, Kayli Has Only Seen on T.V.

Water for Splashing and Floating Leaves...

Shadow Fun...




A Great Playground...





A Pretend Little Town with a Schoolhouse...





And, Finally, A Pretty Backdrop for a Sweet Picture Before We Go Home...

Good Old Fashioned Bar Soap!

For months, Kayli has been lamenting to me how much she wishes we could have “soap like Grandpa has”. (That would be “Bar Soap” instead of the boring pump soap we have at our house) When we go to Grandpa’s house, Kayli always makes sure she uses the potty so she can spend some time playing… I mean washing… with the bar soap he has in the bathroom. So, as much as I hate that slimy mess sitting on the side of the sink, I broke down and bought a pretty soap holder and a big bar of soap. Well, we should be in great shape this winter as Kayli simply basks in the opportunity to wash her hands, and always takes LOTS of extra time to turn that giant bar of soap around and around, making lots of suds, and scrubbing away, and generally just “losing herself” in the experience. And to categorize this “as priceless” like the credit card commercial, it’s true, the simple “fun” IS priceless, but this only cost me about $1.00 for the soap and $2.99 for the soap dish! Check out the video below to see how Kayli has also turned this fun into a “learning opportunity”:

Just in case you missed her "full name", it was "Kayli Rose Meili the Free(that is 3)-Horned-Dinosaur Every Day" She has changed it, as it use to be "Kayli Rose Meili Super Hero Save Today" I wonder what it will be next?

Oh How She Makes Me Laugh

This child of mine provides me with a steady diet of humor! Sometimes I have to laugh quietly to myself at something she said, because of course she's not trying to be funny, and sometimes I get to laugh out loud, because we both know it's funny, and we both enjoy the moment. The bottom line is that there are many, many, many of those moments at our house!
Recently:
1) She was telling a short story which went "Once upon a time you picked me up in China in a thunderstorm and we lived happily ever after" I said "Oh that was a great story, I love 'Happily Ever After' stories" She matter-of-factly replied "Well, then there you go, I telled you one!"
2) I was telling Kayli that she could not wear her swimming suit to the library. "Why?" she asks. "Because it's a rule" I say. She thinks for a minute, then with a serious demeanor, she states "No, Mom, it's the law!"
3) It was a Saturday and I was trying to get her to take a nap. All was quiet, I was the only one drifting "in and out" of consciousness, for an hour or so,when Kayli said to me "Mom, are we done with our nap yet?" I looked at her, and shaking my head, I said "I'm the only one that took a nap. I don't even think you closed your eyes." She pats me with her hand and sympathetically says "That's alright mom, you tried your best and I'm very proud of you!"
4)Kayli has a cousin named Nick, so one day when I told her "Boy, we just got to our car in the nick of time" (before the rain) She said "What?" "Nick of time?" "We know that word, it's that boy that lives at Aunt Marion's house!"
Here's a couple pictures along with "one-liners" from Kayli:

Official Name Badge

As the school year began and I headed back to work, Kayli immediately noticed that I was wearing a photo/name badge every day. She wanted to know why I was wearing this, and my explanation lead her to believe that she should probably have one too. I thought this might be something she would soon forget about or lose interest in, but no…day after day she would beg “Please, Mom, can you make me a badge just like you?” But, she had specifications to go with her request, “I want my badge to have my name and my picture aaaand a picture of a princess” (Maybe she thinks that would establish her job position...princess Kayli ) So, with the enthusiastic assistance of a co-worker, I created a special "official princess/Kayli name badge”. Her wish was about to be granted!
Kayli never disappoints me with her reaction to an unexpected gift, as she gasps “What? You have a surprise for me? What is it? I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait! Then, wide-eyed in disbelief, as I show her the badge, she proclaims “Ohhh, thank-you, thank-you, mom, you are the best mom I ever had!” She and I wore our badges to my work several evenings when I had to be back at school for various parent-events. She looked as proud as a peacock as we walked into my school together, both wearing our badges!

"How Do You Think?"

When Kayli wants me to look at an outfit or ensemble she's put together, or accessories that she thinks "complete the look", she'll say "Well,Mom, how do you think?" (That's how you condense the phrases "How do you like it?" and "What do you think?" Another example of a 4 yr old's efficient use of language... gotta love it) Just as she did after adding this stylish headband to her "nighttime ensemble" Simply marvelous,my dear!

You Know Your Weeds Are Getting Tall...

When your child looks out your kitchen window and says "WOW, Mom, look out there...I think it's a MAGIC BEANSTALK!!!


I like to think of it as an "English Garden". If it has blossoms of any kind or leaves that look pretty, it can stay for now. For now, I also like the idea of a magical beanstalk. Who knows, maybe there's a hen up there that will lay some golden eggs for us??

What a "Fun Field Trip"

A full week at the Lake of the Ozarks with almost 40 family members, WOW! So much fun! As we pulled out of the parking lot at the end of the week, Kayli said to me "Mom, this was sure a fun field trip!"