ABR: There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea

Ainsley loves to read! Since books are such an important part of her life, I thought I would start posting some of her favorites and let her give a "review" of each book in her own words. (If you are like me, you are always on the outlook for good children's books.)

The book for this week is "There Was A Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea" by Jennifer Ward. We checked this book out from the library over a month ago and have now renewed it two times. This has become a recent favorite for Ainsley. As you can probably tell from the title, it is a twist on the classic "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly"...with a "western" touch.

Ainsley's Book Review (ABR): "There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea" by Jennifer Ward

Me: What is the story about?
Ainsley: A coyote who swallowed a flea, a lizard, a snake, a bird, a cactus, a hat, a chile, a boot, a bull, and the moon.

Me: What was your favorite part of the book?
Ainsley: When he (the coyote) went "Burp! Is breakfast soon?"

Me: What was your favorite character in the book?
Ainsley: The snake. Because you (Mommy) like snakes. (I actually don't! I am terrified of them but Ainsley likes to tease me about it.)

Me: Do you think other children would like the book? Why?
Ainsley: Yes. Because it is very funny.

Click here for more information about the book.

If I could be ANYWHERE this week...

...I'd be here!

"...for it's ROOT, ROOT, ROOT for the CUBBIES!

If they don't win it's a shame.

For it's one...two...three strikes, you're out,

at the old ballgame!"

Friday Fill-In #65

1. Some relationships are meant to last forever.

2. Def Leppard/Journey is the last concert I saw; it was just like I remembered them 20 years ago.

3. Spring should be here soon.

4. Oh no! I forgot to put a load of laundry in!

5. I've recently started a new scrapbook project.

6. Ainsley never fails to make me smile.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching NCAA action, tomorrow my plans include relaxing and Sunday, I want to watch baseball.

Click here for more Friday Fill-Ins Fun!

Kindermusik

Ainsley has been enrolled in Kindermusik since last August. She absolutely LOVES participating in class with her friends...Samantha, Jackson, Ashley, Katie and Rilen. She loves singing, dancing, making music and using her imagination.

Her teacher, Ms. Amy, is such a blessing. Ainsley thinks she is "so nice and so fun".

Amy recently started a blog and one of her posts mentions Ainsley. Click here to read it.

Wordless Wednesday

Sunset on a snowy day - Ainsley's great grandparents' house - Missouri

(Photo taken by Ainsley's Aunt Ebby)

New Again

A friend of mine, Kristina, sent me the link to a powerful video. I wanted to share it with you this Easter weekend. It is a reminder of what Christ did for us.

Click here.

Have a blessed Easter.

Wordless Wednesday

Lunch with a bloggy friend

One of my favorite parts of blogging is making new friends.

Last year, Christy (from BonBon Boutique) and I met through our blogs and were surprised to find out that we lived close to each other. We've discussed meeting in person for quite some time...so...yesterday was the day that I met Christy!

Ainsley and I met up with Christy here. We had a very yummy lunch of chicken salad sandwiches. We talked a lot and discovered we know some of the same people. We also found out we have quite a bit in common. Christy is so friendly and during our lunch I felt I was visiting with an old friend.

It was great meeting you yesterday, Christy! I hope to see you again soon.

An Irish Prayer...for my bloggy friends

May God give you...

For every storm, a rainbow,

For every tear, a smile,

For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer.

Movie Fun

Lauren, at Baseballs and Bows, had a fun movie meme that I thought I would do, as well. I hope you'll join in!

Here are the rules:
1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess (If you know them all, please don't guess every one).
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. No Googling or IMDb-ing. That's cheating, and that's no fun!

Just leave your guesses in the comment section for this post.

(A little hint: For most of these, think "80's".)

Ok! Here goes...

1. "Men... Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em." - ST. ELMO'S FIRE - first guessed by Melanie.

2. " I just want them to know that they didn't break me." - PRETTY IN PINK - no one guessed.

3. "Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?" - THE BREAKFAST CLUB - first guessed by Amy.

4. "Hey, psycho - we're not gonna discuss this, OK, it's over. Please get out of my Van Halen t-shirt before you jinx the band and they break up. " - THE WEDDING SINGER - first guessed by Amy.

5. "Hey, hey! What's this I see? I thought this was a party. LET'S DANCE!" - FOOTLOOSE - first guessed by Amy.

6. "You know what we get to do today, Brooks? We get to play baseball." - THE ROOKIE - no one guessed.

7. "Are you crying? Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING? There's no crying! THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!" - A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN - first guessed by Lauren.

8. "Donger's here for five hours, and he's got somebody. I live here my whole life, and I'm like a disease." - SIXTEEN CANDLES - first guessed by Amy.

9. "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF - first guessed by Amy.

10. "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again." - FIELD OF DREAMS - first guessed by Lauren.

Another sign she's growing up

Here is the conversation I had with Ainsley after breakfast today:

Ainsley: "Mommy? Can I have a new placemat?"
Me: "Why? You don't like your Sesame Street placemat anymore?"
Ainsley: "No. Sesame Street is for babies."
Me: "For babies? Why do you think that?"
Ainsley: "Because everything on there I already know. For example...when Bird says "wig and big" rhyme...I already know that."
Me: "Oh. OK. What placemat would you like to have instead?"
Ainsley: "Care Bears!"

I can't believe my little girl is "over" Sesame Street. {tear in my eye}

Ma

I love this photo.

This is a picture of Dan's grandmother ("Ma") and grandfather ("Pa") taken a few months ago.

It has been a little over a week since Ma passed away. Her passing has been in our thoughts everyday. We have also been praying for Pa. He lost his bride of 64 years. We know he is feeling a huge loss.

Ma was a wonderful mother to Dan's mom. She was a wonderful grandmother to Dan. She was a wonderful great-grandmother to Ainsley.

She loved her family. She was proud of her family. She cherished every moment she could spend with her family.

I have so much gratitude in my heart for her and I am blessed to be part of the family she helped create.

Thank you

Thank you so much for your prayers, thoughts, and kind words during the loss of Dan's grandmother. Dan and our family appreciate the outpouring of kindness during this time.