I have captured a few great, random pics of Ms.B and thought they would make a nice little post:
Not exactly sure what is happening here – going for ice cream? A sit in? Making a call? Either way, it’s adorable.
Getting that towel wrap down…
I finally got smart and or brave and was able to snap a pic of her looking so sweet!
Nishan – The Phonenician Resort where Aunt Ali works and where we sneak into the playground. Ssshhh….
Q-she Grge – Curious George
Q-she Grge. Good Monkey. Always very q-she – Curious George was a good little monkey and always very curious
Barilla – Gorilla
How your baby going? – What she asks Ali while she pats Ali’s belly. We think a combination of how are you doing and what’s going on.
What ARF you do in? – Not sure why she says arf, but it makes me laugh every time
Miska! Mooseka! Mickey Mouse! – the magic words for Mickey Mouse Club House
What his mommy’s name? – In Bay’s world, there is a mommy, a daddy and a kiddo – in reality it’s a husband, wife and sometimes a kiddo. So when she asks what someone’s mommy or daddy’s name is, she really means spouse. And trying to explain boyfriend and girlfriend is just a lost cause.
The other night while driving home from swim lessons, I noticed that the sky was particularly beautiful. There was a dusting of clouds that glowed with the soft warm colors of the setting sun. It was spectacular.
I pointed out the clouds to B and we sat silently admiring the beautiful site. A few seconds later, we had this conversation:
“I think that’s where Heaven is.”
“I think you’re right kiddo.”
“I think that’s where mine Mamie lives. Waaay up there. I wish she would come back and live in her house so I could go and play.”
Trying not to cry: “I wish she would too.”
In true toddler form with no hint of sadness, but rather hopefulness she said: “I hope she has someone to play leggos with. Maybe great grandma. Or Jesus.”
I hate that she has had to learn about death and loss and heaven at such a young age. I hate that heaven has to be a part of our daily conversations. But I don’t want her to fear death or heaven, I want it to be an open, easy and welcome conversation for her. I want her to remember Mame and to know that it’s ok to miss her and that we can talk about her and remember all the good times and good things about her. I just have to learn to do it without having to choke back tears each time.
This past weekend I became a Godmother (again!) to one Ms. Nicole-Maree Isabella. Nic’s momma and I go way back to my first years at Merkle. Donna worked in HR and was the one who sent me my offer letter. Then I trained her in data processing and eventually handed over clients as I moved into data base. And finally we worked on the same team in data base. It’s funny to see how our paths intertwined over the years!
Donna called me a few weeks ago and asked if I would be Nic’s godmother – something I (and she) consider to be a great honor. Sadly, the bank account didn’t quite allow for a family trip, and PW’s schedule didn’t quite work for a solo trip so I was a godmother by proxy. But proxy godmothers do send nice gifts so I she’s got that going for her 😉
Is she not the cutest thing? The headband was a gift from yours truly (however, I have to give Donna credit for the idea) and the dress was Donna’s. I love the tradition of wearing a family garment for baptisms!
Saturday morning after Pancake Breakfast at school, we mosseyed north to McDonald’s Ranch to celebrate Zoe’s second birthday. We talked up the fact that there would be tons of animals to pet and horses to ride – B could hardly contain her excitment and took off running at the first suggestion of walking to the petting zoo.
The weather was perfect – close to 80 and sunny. Christiane packed a deliciously huge lunch for all the guests and we washed it down with some awesome birthday cake!
Baylor, the birthday girl Zoe and her cousin Simano
Not at all concerned that the goat is waaaay to close…
The birthday girl
“HI GUYS!!!”
Ready to ride
This was no pony. And yet being sooo high up was a blast to Ms.B. She waved to everyone like a beauty queen
Pop!
Noni!
My Valentine’s chair courtesy of PW and Bay
Baylor hard at work on Daddy’s Valentine
And a very happy 100th birthday to the lovely state we call home! Cake creation courtesy of our friends Ryan and Lisa
One of my mom’s favorite childhood stories about my sister Ali is when she came home asking my mom for a recipe for ice. Ali had been in the nurse’s office that day at school and the nurse had pulled out ice cube trays and popped out a few for a scrapped knee. Ali was in awe – we had an ice maker so she had never seen a tray of ice before and was totally enamored.
My step sister told me recently that her daughter asked to listen to the radio – when she put on XM radio, Madi said “no mom, like the real radio. Can we listen to the real radio sometime?”.
This past weekend it was my turn. At a friend’s house for a party, Bay and I went to the bathroom to wash hands. While in there she stared at the shower curtain. She gently pulled it back and said “Oh neat! The bath tub!”. I didn’t get it at first, but I guess she’s never really seen a bathtub with a curtain pulled across it. Oh how fascinating the world is when you’re two.
One of my best friends Chrissy sent me an article yesterday – really she tagged me on facebook with the caption “Carry on Warrior” Wisch Wand, you’re going to love this”. And in true friend-who-knows-you-all-to-well form, I did.
The article is pretty much the premise of The Goon Room: sometimes being a parent is just downright gross. And annoying. And exhausting. And not fun. It talks about those annoying people who stop you in the grocery store and tell you to be sure to cherish every moment – and they are usually telling you this on a day when you’ve not had a shower, slept a collective 3 hours, your baby is screaming while simultaneously spitting up on you…again.
The tag line of the article is “Carpe Diem!!!” – or seize the day to you and me. The article is hilarious, truthful and sweet – I love how this momma is able to laugh at the gross stuff, shrug off “failures” and focus on the small wins. This is the kind of mom I strive to be.
I’m also going to start yelling “CARPE DIEM!!” instead of “WHY IS NO ONE LISTENING TO ME???”. Mostly because I think thinking about how I want to remember every moment of Baylor being a child – even the annoying ones – will make me chuckle.
Here’s the article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html
It’s not my dog, but it is my kid and I can’t get over how cute this pic is!!
We live on a great street. We have lots of neighbors with kids and we are friends with a good 80% of our street. Like sit on the patio and have a cocktail, come by for dinner, can you watch my kids for an hour, here’s my spare key kind of friends. It’s awesome.
Friday night, Melissa came by with several bottles of wine (if she ever leaves the wine business, there will be tears). We cracked a bottle and sat on the patio while dinner cooked. I told her about our neighbor to the West kids “borrowing” neighbor to the East’s scooter. In their defense, the scooter was in the front yard. Now, we’re talking all kids involved are 3 years old and younger. Nothing malicious, but there was confusion about where it had gone and why there was a new toy in the garage.
I joked to Melissa that she was safe since she wouldn’t have any toys in her front yard. She thoughtfully sipped her wine before responding: “Do you think if I tied Smarties to the weeds in my grass, they would steal those?”.
I’m pretty sure we woke up the sticky fingered toddlers laughing.
The Goon Room 