Lincoln's Reading Corner March 2013

I am late posting March's reading corner, but I didn't want to skip it!  There are only a few outstanding favorites this month, but my goodness!  We have been reading a lot.  Some days we will read twenty or thirty books or more.  That is a huge deal around here - I'm so excited!  Addie is getting to be pretty excited to see the pictures in books as well - I may have to update the title of this series pretty soon.

1. Sleepy-Time Fun.  This book is from Disney and features little vignette pages with characters from Toy Story, The Lion King, Bambi and more amid two "main" stories.  One is about how Mickey finds Pluto in a pet shop and the other is about Donald and his nephews.  Cute, original, and comes with a bonus lullaby CD.  My favorite thing about this book is that the pages are thick.  Not quite board book thickness, but enough that I don't have to worry about Lincoln ripping out the pages when I turn my back.

2. Goodnight Moon.  This book has made a huge comeback in our house!  We read it almost every night before bed.  Lincoln loves to point out the clocks, bunny, stars, mouse, house, spoon, bowl, bears, chairs, and of course, the moon. 

3. Everything Goes: 123 Beep Beep Beep.  Daddy found this book at the library and it has been a big hit.  He likes to point at the vehicles on each page while I count them.  The only issue we have is that counting is something he does frequently on the iPad, and he gets mad when the cars don't move when he presses them!

4. Dracula.  This book from Babylit is a little creepy, yet awesome.  It's a counting primer and features wolves, ships, garlic flowers, and coffins (nicely referred to as boxes)!  We taught Lincoln to howl like the wolves and it is ridiculously adorable.

5. Pocoyo and Friends.  Pocoyo is one of our favorite youtube channels, and Lincoln has had fun reading about Pocoyo, Pato, Elly, Loula and Sleepy Bird!

6. My First Truck Board Book.  This book features some obscure trucks in addition to the normal ones - freight truck, logging truck, paver, forklift, etc.  It's a nice one to turn to when you just can't read about garbage trucks or fire trucks anymore!

We already have a few new favorites for April, so check back for those later this month!  If you're looking for more reading ideas, you can check out all our recent favorites here!

Wordless Wednesday: I Think They Are Best Friends

Disney Challenge Day 2: Favorite Princess

This may be my favorite day of the 30-day Disney challenge.  It's a super easy decision.  My favorite Disney princess is - and has pretty much always been - Belle.

Maybe it's because my Daddy took me to Price Chopper to buy the VHS after I split my eyebrow open on the playground when I was in Kindergarten (yeah, playground equipment terrifies me now that I have kids).

Maybe it's because she has this piece of hair that's always out of place and it just makes her a little more normal.

Maybe it's because she loves books so much.  A princess who loves to read is an inspiration for little girls everywhere. 

Or maybe it's because she's a girl who knows what she wants - and she's not afraid to wait for it.

Best scene in the movie.

If you ask my parents about my Beauty & the Beast history, they will undoubtedly tell you a story of how I would run up and down the hallway in my childhood home, swinging a basket wildly and singing about how I wanted more than this provincial life.

My husband took me to a high school production of Beauty and the Beast when we were dating and watched me cry when Belle danced with the Beast.  And you know what he did?  He gave me the most magical day of my life.

Yes, this is our actual engagement.

Most romantic thing EVER.

Another childhood dream came true when I finally was able to meet Belle herself when we visited Disney in 2010. Amazing!

Me + Belle at Epcot

I love the other princesses as well, and have a particular fondness for Ariel, Rapunzel, and Cinderella.  But Belle will always, always be my favorite.  Which princess do you love best?

Make sure you follow along on the Chameleon Girls Facebook page and the Disney 30 Day Challenge Pinterest Board for each day's challenge!  Plus, you can read all of my favorites here on the blog!

Easter Fail, or The Year Daddy Had Strep

I did not crop this photo so you could be astonished at the mess.

We had big plans for Easter.  We were planning to go to church.  We were planning to attend two family parties.  Everyone - all four of us - had new clothes.  I even made Addie a headband specifically to match her Easter dress!

None of it happened.

Because Daddy came down with strep throat.

We spent the day with Daddy on one floor of the house, feeling miserable - and Mommy pulling out her hair on the other floor because the kids were bored and tired and wanted to see Daddy.  There was a lot of TV.  A quick visit from grandparents with some food and Easter eggs.  And less sleeping than normal for me since Andrew was holed up in the basement around the clock and the kids were up about 352,294,039 times in the night.  Okay, it was actually like 4.

So far, the rest of us seem healthy so we're hoping all effort to stay away from the germs plus the immunities from nursing are working.  Daddy's been fever-free for almost a day and the antibiotic should be kicking in to make him feel better soon.  We're planning an Easter re-do next Sunday.  Hopefully I'll have cute photos to share then!


I'm linking up with Growing Up Geeky today for Toddle Along Tuesday!  I hope your Easter was better than ours!

Disney Challenge Day 1: Favorite Character

I'm so excited about this fun challenge from Chameleon Girls - 30 Days of Disney!  As you know, I'm a Disney fanatic, so this is right up my alley. 

Now - will I stay caught up throughout the month of April?  My track record is not great, but I am definitely going to try.

Today I'm talking about my Favorite Character.  This was a bit of a tough decision to make - because I have so many favorites!  Ultimately, though, it had to come down to just one magical character - and it just has to be the mouse himself.  Yes, Mickey Mouse!

Our 2010 Disney Vacation - with Mickey!

Without Mickey, there would be no beautiful princesses or dancing chipmunks, no theme park adventures, no singing teapots or magical undersea creatures. 

Plus - Lincoln loves Mickey Mouse!

Lincoln & Mickey at Disney on Ice Rockin Ever After.

Whether you're an old-school mouseketeer or someone who favors finding a mystery mouseketool to help you through your day...you have to admit, Mickey is a pretty neat mouse.

Isn't this fun?  I can't wait to share all of my favorites with you.  Make sure you follow along on the Chameleon Girls Facebook page and the Disney 30 Day Challenge Pinterest Board for each day's challenge!