What a creation

That's sometimes what I think about Nina. But let's stay on topic here. Nina has been digressing in some areas and we have been brought to our knees. Thus the reimplementation of a "rewards system". I am happy to report that Nina achieved her goal and we celebrated. In this case, the term "celebration" is the in eye of the beholder. If someone gave me this heap of a mess as a celebration, I would never ever want to celebrate anything ever again. But Nina is happy and maybe she'll start thinking about improving. Maybe.

A clean thing of beauty

Ever since Lexi passed along this piece of comfort, Nina can be found lounging in it most mornings.

Tea Party question

Are tea parties supposed to involve shredded cheese, water and smashed up grapes all mixed together in a creation of nastiness?




Because I'm pretty sure these two lied to me. I expect this from Nina, but Cambri? I'm thoroughly disappointed.

Heaven Sent

There have been times when I think Nina's special qualities are too much for me to handle. She is oozing with creativity, spunk, love, curiosity and emotion. The way those traits sometimes manifest themselves makes me shake my head. And take a picture. And issue threats. And eat chocolate. So it has made me feel grateful that an absolute gem has entered our lives. There have been countless times where Patty has shown up when I'm at my end and whisked Nina away for a day of fun. She showers Nina with love, attention, treats, conversation, hugs, sparkly things and time with her dogs. Nina loves Patty, and has said, "Mom, I think you're the best, but Sister Lillmars is my favorite." She is my favorite too! She has been a lifesaver for Nina and for me.

A new hiding spot revealed

All of Nina's secret hiding spots are generally used for consuming various forms of sugar or cutting things into ultra-fine pieces. All but one. This special spot is used for disposing of portions of Nina's meal. The use of this space gives the illusion of her eating all of her food and qualifying her for dismissal and perhaps a future treat. Clever girl. As you can see, I was duped several times this week.



This is a cozy little nook located between the base of the table and the table top. It looks like it was made for stashing unwanted food.

Some fashionable photos

I hope I can relinquish any desires to control Nina's wardrobe when she starts kindergarten in the fall. It seems a little closer since I just registered her a couple of weeks ago. She's still pretty particular about what she will and won't wear so it could be interesting. Here are two fun choices.

Sparkly dress, high heels and two guns all compliment each other so well.


Yes those are pajamas that she is wearing to a basketball game. She was pretty sure "no one will suspect it".

The Opportunist Strikes Again

I had just turned on the water to take a shower when I hear the chair in the kitchen being moved across the floor. I went ahead and hopped in the shower anyway figuring I would just clean up whatever mess she made when I was done. Those windows for a shower are so tiny these days. When I came downstairs to assess the damage, I found these:


And they weren't neatly lined on the counter. They were hiding in a spot she uses to carry out her naughty deeds. The reason for the big fork is quite simple. This was a new bottle of syrup that still had the top sealed. She cleverly found a way to puncture the seal so she could fill her plate with syrup, then promptly lap it up.



It's such a bummer to have your plans foiled.