Do you ever wonder

what in the world is going on in their minds, what is she thinking, what does she see.
Most of the time I feel like I am in the know, only because dakota is a talker but she still has her moments where I can see a look in her eye or an expression that, I think, clues me into that there is something she is thinking about that she is not saying out loud.
Dakota's love of life and love of everything is always so refreshing to me.
Not to say that I don't love life because I do I am a very lucky person and I like to think that I count my blessings daily but dakota is just so pure and wonderous and her interactions with people are so positive and I feel like in those interactions she always leaves the person with a smile.
Okay so I am her mom and so I think I may have a slightly skewed vision of her and may just think she is the most wonderful human on the face of the planet but still I cherish the moments when I really realize just how lucky I am to have her in my life.

I have ideas

essie not pleased about the rain

but often times they stay that way. For Christmas I was going to make dakota a canopy for her "new" room and then I thought I would have dakota stay at the folks house and get the canopy done and do up her room so when she came home there her room would be. That didn't happen either and here sits the tulle and flowers waiting to be made no longer a surprise.
I guess the reality is I don't know what the heck I am doing. I bought an embroidery hoop that I was going to use as the top base thing but it is just not strong enough and I can't seem to get it together to either reinforce it or find something else. So here it sits. Other than that dakota's room is done. There are some things I would still like to do but all in time for now it is a great space for her.
It was a wonderful rainy day here in Ventura today and I am sure there was tons of fun to be had indoors but I just could not muster the energy to think of anything grand to do. Luckily dakota had dance this morning so we got out of the house for a bit
and then Marie came over and they had some good play time whatever they are doing it usually involves dress up attire.

And then it was movie time and then while I sat there watching finding nemo with them my eyes got heavier and heavier. You know when you get to that point where it is almost painful to keep your eyes open and you think okay I will just shut them and stay awake because that seems so much easier than holding the heavy things open but inevitably you fall asleep well I did for a millisecond because kiddos have sensors for that kind of thing and the moment I was out I hear MOM....MOM we are still hungry. I so wanted to say just give me five minutes, wait I think I did say that but five minutes translates to five seconds when you are four apparently so I was up and making popcorn but I tell you what I have not been that tired in a loooonnnnnggggg time.
So needless to say right after sierra came to get marie I told dakota nap time and off we went but then of course I was awake Ha! never too awake for me to take a nap. Before I knew it randy was home.
AND dakota got her first valentine from you know who, the wonderful mister noah, so very sweet.
thank you noah (and amy)

Dakota and noah have been mailing letters lately and I think it is really helping dakota learn her letters AND she loves getting mail that is for her,

me too though there is really something fun about getting a letter in the mail that is just for fun.

Unexpected Fun at the Park

So we were off early this morning for some park time, out the door by 930 we were meeting jenn, kai, dax and jet there. When we left the house I am sure it was already 70 degrees and then when we got to the park the sprinklers were on and the kiddo's were in heaven.
And us moms rolled with it because that is what we do, that is how we roll, HA!
Well not really ha I mean I think at first I was like oh no this is going to be messy
but then after a millisecond I was like we have to start counting on this as the weather warms up it was water and park play all in one AND the wet sand that it left behind is more fun to work with.

It is always so interesting to me well two things first as an adult I have a hard time saying anything to people I know or am acquainted with, people I have not seen in ages and so I pretend I don't see them and hope that we don't look each others way at the same time. I don't know if I am just weird or if others are like that but it is always this internal conversation should I say hi should I wait for them blah blah blah silly really, really silly. Anyway Dakota gave me a great lesson today in we all love to be acknowledged, a little girl arrived at the park who is in the same dance class as dakota and I pointed her out and dakota goes running over saying her name, saying hi you want to play, what a greeting. I don't know why I am so weird but really is it that hard to say hi to people we have met even if they don't remember you.
So then the other thing I was thinking about at the park today is the whole climbing up the slide issue and I do say issue because I have seen some parents as strict enforcers of the slides are only for going down, I am not in that camp because it is something that kids really feel the need to do and it is a great challenge.

I mean really. Here is my feeling you teach your children to pay attention when a slide is not in use great climb up it all you want but when you see children at the top it is off limits.
It is funny to me because when I stand back and watch it seems so natural for them to want to climb up things, to climb up slides just like doing superman on the swings or going down the slide.
Those were my amazing thoughts at the park today.
Sleep update: Just like when she was in her toddler bed next to our bed she starts out in her room but sometime between 1130 and 200 she either calls for us, which has been her way the last few nights, or she comes walking into our room. I am fine with it although last night she was really restless for some reason and that made me have a restless night and I am sure randy as well but most nights I am ready by the time she is.