Hazel, before the nurse came in
to administer shots.

Hazel had to get her kindergarten shots today.  We have been discussing shots, how they feel, and the best way to get shots (look the other way and chat about something to distract from what the nurse is doing) for a couple of months now, but she was still quite nervous about it, especially once we got there and the nurse told us she needed three shots to become current on her immunizations.  Danny and I promised her a new Barbie if she would be still for her shots and not give in to the dramatic side of her nature.  Hazel tried her best, but she panicked at the last moment and forgot to look away, causing her to flinch when the nurse poked the first two needles in her legs.  Luckily, the nurse was very fast and got the third shot done before Hazel could change her mind about submitting to the shots.  Danny (who is such a sucker for his girls) calmed her down, wiped her tears, and carried her out of the doctor’s office while promising a Happy Meal to go along with her new Barbie if it would make Hazel feel better.  By the time we got to the truck, the sting from the shots was long forgotten!

Gemma was watching the squirrels while we waited
for Hazel to get weighed and measured...which, by
the way, resulted in 70th percentile for both weight
and height.

Both Hazel and her new Barbie liked the
sparkly bandaid the nurse put on her leg.

We had baked asparagus with burgers from the grill tonight...
Gemma decided that she does NOT like asparagus!

Veta's winning paper!

Molinelli's Jewelers (a local jewelry store here) sponsored an essay contest at Veta's school for Mother's Day.  Up to five essays from each class were selected as best, and the children who wrote them were awarded a certificate that they could bring into Molinelli's for a free gemstone to give to their moms for Mother's Day.  Veta's essay was one of the winners from her class.  I remember the day that she wrote it; she was so anxious when she came home.  When I asked her what was the matter, she told me that she had written an essay for Mother's Day to try and win a gem for me and she really, really hoped that she would win because she really wanted to be able to give me a gem for Mother's Day.

We decided to have the stone set in a necklace so we
could share it  ♥  Veta modeled it for this picture.

Two weeks later, she burst through the door after coming home from school, shouting, "I won!  I did it!"  I had forgotten about the competition, but Veta was quick to remind me.  She was so ecstatic!  We went in to Molinelli's the Saturday before Mother's Day to redeem her certificate.  The selection was a little picked over since we didn't go earlier in the week, but Veta found a pretty, sparkly pink stone that she wanted to get.  The jewelry store people called me this morning to let me know that they had set the stone and we could come pick it up.  After Veta got home from school and Hazel's friend went home, we ran over and picked it up.

Veta promptly told me that the coupon book was already
invalid and I shouldn't try to get her to do any of the chores
that there were coupons for.  I guess the coupon book was
her teacher's idea.

Veta and Hazel woke me up on Mother’s Day with breakfast in bed.  They had been planning the details for a week in advance!  They did make some effort to keep it a secret, but from their not-so-subtle questioning about what kind of breakfast I would eat that they could make, to the frantic cries of “Mama!  Don’t come in here; we’re planning a surprise for you!” I knew what they were up to.  However, it didn’t make it any less sweet on Sunday morning when both of my girls were presenting me with my breakfast (oatmeal, a cup of milk, and my vitamin) and a bag of little gifts (paper flowers, a coupon book for household chores, a cute little purse that opened up into a list of reasons of why I was so loved, a letter telling me why they think I'm such a great mom, and a tiara with a matching bracelet and ring!) for Mother’s Day.  How I love my daughters!

Gemma can use a straw!  Who knew?

The weather has been growing continually warmer, allowing us to go on our “daily” walks on more of a daily basis.  After one particularly warm afternoon walk, Danny decided he was craving Jamba Juice, and it didn’t take him long to get the girls to help him persuade me that we should go get some.  We drove all the way across town and then paid $12 for three smoothies, one of which was a small.  While the smoothies were quite tasty, it seemed that we should be able to make something similar for a lot less effort and cost.  When we got home, I found a site online that had six recipes of Jamba Juice’s most popular classic flavors.  The next day, the girls and I went shopping and that night we had our own smoothies!  Veta and Hazel loved to measure and pour things into the blender, but Gemma didn’t like the noise it made.  All in all, it looks like these smoothies will be in high demand this summer!

Frank L. Cole, author of the Hashbrown Winters series.

Veta was happy to participate; Hazel was bored.

Veta attended a Young Author’s Conference last Thursday.  One child per class was selected by their teacher to attend, based on their writing skills and enthusiasm for writing.  Veta was so excited to go!  There were three sections in their program.  First, the kids made bookmarks with lots of stickers and sparkly glue.  Next, they moved into a different room where they learned about drawing characters for their stories from the art teacher of a local high school.  Lastly, author Frank L. Cole gave a presentation on writing.  He showed the kids how to brainstorm characters and stories to write about and told them a bit about his own writing experiences.  At the end, the children were presented with a book selected for them by their teacher and a little bag of goodies from companies that sponsored the event.

Veta and her certificate.

Every time I tried to get Veta's picture, she would be facing the wrong way!

We had a busy weekend!  We started it off with some volunteer work at our local animal shelter early Saturday morning.  The animal shelter is always in need of dog walkers, and since Veta and Hazel have both been missing our dog (that we gave away), I thought it would be beneficial for everyone.  

This little dog was the just the right size for Hazel!

Since both the girls and the dogs enjoyed it so thoroughly, we have decided to do it every Saturday morning.

Savannah and Suzanne also came over for the weekend.  We did trips to the park, shopping, cookie baking, and homemade facials!  Well, everyone but Hazel had a facial.  She chickened out after she saw what it looked like.  The facial was a recipe I found online and I thought it would be fun to try.  It's made of coffee grounds (to exfoliate and diminish wrinkles), olive oil (for hydration), and honey (to seal it all in).  It seemed to work well!  I think we are all going to give it an extended trial.

It is a bit strange looking!

Sue and Hazel

Veta's new earrings from Savannah for doing so well on her ISATs!

Last night, I discovered Gemma has a tooth!  It is barely showing, but it’s definitely there!  She has another one coming in right beside it.  I would have posted a picture, but she doesn’t let anyone near her mouth unless they are offering something tasty.

Veta and Hazel, with Danny and Gemma in back

The weather was almost warm today; it was a nice change from the random snow flurries we’d been having.  Danny pumped up the tires on Veta’s old bike and reattached the training wheels for Hazel.  She did very well for her first time ever on a bicycle!  We went around the baseball field twice, and then Hazel decided that she’d had enough practice for one day and headed for the dirt piles with Veta where they pretended that Danny was Bowser, Hazel was Princess Peach, and Veta was Princess Daisy.  Danny chased them until Hazel decided she would rather be carried, so Danny became Mario and I got assigned to Bowser.

Hazel, Danny, and Veta