Monday, March 24, 2008

little wordsworth

Enjoy many of Kate's words on my newfound way of recording audio/video at home -- our webcam!



And here is Kate and her endearing rendition of animal sounds!

something's in the air


This picture is from my neighbor's yard. I sat in my yard, attached my enormous telephoto lens, and shot this picture, hoping all the while that my neighbors wouldn't see me "spying" on their backyard.


Our forsythia (I think) bushes are some of my favorite blooming bushes in early spring! One Easter the forsythia, bridal wreath spirea, and snapdragons bloomed at the same time & I had a stellar Easter bouquet courtesy of my yard. This year, I only had two flowers blooming, and the forsythia had really begun to turn so they were not included in my centerpiece.


Finally! I transplanted these Iris' from "Granny" Livingston's yard two years ago and this is the first year they have bloomed! I am VERY excited!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

another first



Last week, I made the hard choice to give Kate her first trim at 14 1/2 months. Her tail in the back was never going to be beautiful, since her baby whispies had been growing at the same rate as the thicker toddler hair and didn't show any signs of stopping. Her bangs in the front were just looking a trifle unbecoming after naps or after having lost a bow for the day. So, I thought she would benefit from some shaping. I considered taking her into a children's hair salon, but it made my stomach sick to think about paying $15 for something to snip their trained scissor twice or even three times! So, I plopped Kate on the bathroom counter, whipped out my eyebrow trimming scissors and went to it. I was filled with cutter's remorse almost immediately! I couldn't believe I had just cut my baby girl's hair! This feeling was compounded when Josh returned home, and he didn't find my bang cut that attractive. Next day, he realized that he had been deceived about the haircut by a rumpled post nap look! A week later, I'm certainly happy I cut the back, and the bangs don't look that bad. Maybe next time I should google, "How to cut your kid's hair."
Before: the bangs!

After: The fuzzy bangs


Before: The little baby whispies

After: an even hemline to her hair!

Friday, March 14, 2008

a fortune cookie. . holder of wisdom?

Three fortunes true for the man, woman, and child who went to eat at Iron Wok one fateful evening. You decide to whom each fortune was given!

One: You have at your command the wisdom of the ages.
Two: May you have a good appetite.
Three: You are going to take a trip to the seaside.

Okay folks, here are the actual results. The fortune cookie maker correctly assigned these three fortunes, and so did Dad!

Josh has at his command the wisdom of the ages. Too True, Too True, quoth the owl in "The Silver Chair."

Kate has a good appetite and certainly did at that Chinese restaurant. Josh started calling her little Moo Goo (she & I shared Moo goo gai pan).

Liz is going to the seaside in June with the REST of her family! yeah!!!!!

Monday, March 10, 2008

girls day

Last Wednesday, the girls had a really fun day! We had lunch with Claire S., Megan T., Jen, and her girls. Then most of us went to the playground in Jen's neighborhood for some good old fashioned running around. I got to try out Jen's new jogging stroller and let me tell you -- it was great! I even jogged! It seemed easier to push than my "cadillac" for just Kate. However, the true test was turning the thing, which was NOT easier. You have to tilt the stroller up in order to make a turn. That would have been fine for direct right or left turns. The only problem was it was hard to make a curve in the road without some real strain or stopping to readjust the course. Let's just say that the stroller riders had some fun off road, too!

After playtime, we took Claire & Lydia back to our house for some craft time (aka Kate's nap time). Claire, Lydia, and I made cards. Well, Lydia mostly painted & played with playdoh, but I knew she wouldn't last long without doing the same thing as the big girls, so we made a card for Jen (her birthday was on the 4th), and for a cousin who was having her tonsils out. What a perfect little activity for young and old.

After Kate woke up, Claire had to go home, but Lydia got to stay for dinner. When Josh got home, I could finally spare a second to record these fun moments with the camera. It was so adorable watching the girls play on the slide outside while I was making dinner. It felt like a real Mommy moment. When I ran out there to watch a little closer, Lydia informed me that they were so cute, I should take a picture. So, like a good auntie, I ran back to the house for the camera.

One of the things they enjoy doing "together" the most is playing on the bean bag in Kate's room. Lydia loves to jump on it & off it, and Kate barely manages running into it. But, they have fun being together, and that's a great thing. All of this makes me think of the countless sleep overs & slumber parties to come!

Other great Lydia moments -- she is a real card, so she's always good for a story or two. She had to go potty a couple of times while she was here. Once, she had to go #2, but before she announced it to me, she ran around the house looking for the travel potty seat and then grabbing her pants. Finally, I noticed there might be a theme to her behavior, so I asked her if she needed to go potty. Yup! Well, we get in there, and she tells me she has to poop. So, she poops, I clean her up, and I'm about to get her off the potty, when, HEY, here comes some more. I did this one more time, and finally Lydia told me, "Just sit on the stool, auntie." As in, I have some more in here, so just wait until I tell you I'm done! Too funny.

The other great moment was after supper. She started talking about wanting to take a bath with Kate. She "needed" to take a bath, etc. A couple of minutes later, I noticed that Lydia's delightful although constant chatter was coming from the bathroom. I told her that I needed to see her right now-- out she hops, totally naked. She was convinced that we were going to take baths, so she was going to be ready!

And now, some of the moments caught on film. This slide is so perfect for both girls. We put Kate up at the top & she scoots her little bottom until she picks up speed and slides down. It is sooo cute to see her play like a really big girl.


NoteKate's waif look in this picture. It prompted a *rash* action the next day!


Before we took Lydia home, she asked if she could have "one last jump" on the bean bag. Two peas in a pod!



This is my total favorite! It perfectly encapsulates their attitude toward each other -- love & giggles all rolled into one! And, they're holding hands!


words:
bi-ci-bi (bicycle)
be (Ben)
Mi-ca (Michael, Micah -- two boys at school)
side (outside)
side (slide)
otay (okay -- this I heard for the first time today, and I'm pretty sure it had a t sound in there)
buh (book)
spoo (spoon)
ni-ni (Night)
These last two she has said for a looong time, I just don't know that I have written them down.
hi-ya (Hi)
bah-bah (Bye, Bye)

sweeper, part deux

There she is, my silly little sweeper with the scrunchy nose!