Beauty and the Beast

MHS' spring musical is "Beauty and the Beast." This morning there was a special event just for children. We got to meet the cast, see a preview of the show, and then go on stage and tour the castle. Mati does not yet have a clue about princesses nor has she ever seen a Disney movie but she likes music and other kids so we gave it a try. She was not too thrilled at meeting Belle as you can see in the pictures. I think she was confused because whenever we're in that spot in the high school it generally means she gets to run to my room; in the pictures it looks like she's scouting her escape route. When we went into the auditorium Mati just wanted to run the aisles and push down seats; but then the lights went down and the curtain opened and music started... Mati went still. She sat on my lap so quietly I thought she was sleeping. She liked watching the singing and dancing! She's not ready for the full production, unless they could run it with songs only and cut all the dialogue, but the preview of three songs was perfect!

Meeting Belle, Mati is not impressed.



Sitting in the Beast's throne on stage.

Happy Earth Day!

We celebrated Earth Day by planting our free Dogwood tree we got last weekend. Mati enjoying picking, smelling, and eating tulips while Doug dug the hole, then she helped place the tree and fill the hole with soil.

Smelling, then eating a tulip.


Whenever Mati walks by the tulips she tries to close them.


Doug found the perfect spot.


Getting ready to plant.


Filling the hole with soil.

Play Structure, More Progress

The cold and wind has not been friendly to Doug's building progress but he has gotten a lot done nonetheless. I also want to give him huge credit for working under challenging conditions, and I don't mean the weather... the neighboring farms just fertilized their fields and when you step out our doors the scent of pig manure hits you. Doug says you don't notice it after awhile but wow! It's bad.

So the progress... the climbing wall is done, the swing is hung, and Doug is designing a platform fron which to attach the slide. He's in the home stretch!

Play Structure Update

The nice weather is giving Doug the time he needs to continue building the new play structure. Mati even got to go on the tower platform today to inspect dad's work.

Spring Break Wrap-up: The Zoo!

We headed to the zoo Saturday morning. Thank heavens the sun finally came out and the temperatures warmed up; it was a perfect day for the zoo!

Getting ready to head into the zoo. We still needed jackets and hats at this point.


Aunt Jen, Aly, and Morgan with Mati taking in the animal sights...


We were there in time for penguin feeding... how cool! And have you ever heard the noise a penguin makes? It's loud!


Mati, Morgan, and Dean watching the fish.


Outside the bear enclosure. I loved the bears; Mati loved eating her raisins.


The bears. One had just taken a swim.


The male lion.

Play Structure Progress

Doug is designing and building a play structure for Mati. He did some research about sizes and features, consulted the staff at his home away from home (Lowe's) and it is now in progress. He said he wants to have the main tower built this weekend and from the way things look I think he'll do that and more.

Spring Break Day Five: Jumpin' Jax!

Finally Mati is feeling better so we ventured out to the indoor bounce arena. First, I think she missed her friends at day care because she was very excited to see other children, second she loved running and bouncing! She has never been on any bounce/jump toys like this before but she loved it!