New Phrases for the Holidays

All I want for Christmas is for my son to come up with some more ways to make us laugh.  Seriously.  He's been really cracking us up lately.  Here are a few of his new phrases:

"That's not appropriate"

"Mommy, you stink"

"is that my daddy?"

"I need a kleenex, don't want to wipe it on my sleeve" (speaking of his snot)

"I want presents"

"I want toys"

"There's a monkey in her bed!" while reading "Good night Gorilla"

So many things he's doing now that just crack us up on a daily basis.  I'm going to have to start carrying around a note pad...

Holiday Frazzle Dazzle

As I sit here listening to the angelic voices of the Vienna Boy's Choir singing to the video of "word world" on PBS, I wonder if I will ever ever ever get all these goals for Christmas "cheer" accomplished for myself.  It's taken me this long (it's now almost 11 pm) to get Brighton fed, start a roast for dinner, give Brighton his snack, change two poopy diapers, brush teeth, make coffee, put dishes away, wash dishes in sink that are not dishwasher safe, wonder to myself "why the heck do we buy things that aren't dishwasher safe?", toss cat off the thermal bag that holds the crock pot (even though he has a perfectly good bed he COULD be laying in,) download a holiday album from iTunes, let dog out to go to the bathroom (again,) finally sit down to assemble my arsenal of recipes for holiday candy (sans the peanut butter ball recipe I search for every year and can not find until after Christmas,) and feeling a bit overwhelmed by all these tasks, I grab my trusty mac and blog.  

**sigh**

All of a sudden I feel like it is a completely impossible task for me to even THINK that I might get all this done.  Oh yeah, and I have to make snacks and wrap a gift for Brighton's preschool exchange...and finish the handmade Christmas presents I'm making for our nieces and nephews, and those two custom orders.  YIKES!  I better suck up the dirty look he just gave me and get this cat off my arm and close the laptop.  Brighton is requesting "Thomas" which is now on PBS.  

A Blogworthy Moment

Ok so Andrew is right, I haven't been blogging lately.  There have been hundreds of time when while in the moment, I think to myself "this is a blogworthy moment!" or when I get that pang of sadness when Brighton does something that makes him seem like such a little boy and I realize he's not a baby anymore.  But usually those moments are followed by oh I don't know, a supreme meltdown of epic proportions or I realize that I've forgotten to pick up milk from the store, or whatever.  You get the idea.  It seems my life is like one big race.  Racing from running here and there getting these things done then rushing home to get my son in bed before 4 pm for his nap.  

In addition, my online business simplysilly.etsy.com has been doing really pretty well.  I don't sell near as

 much as some people on etsy but I keep a pretty steady stream and as soon as I get a new one up or finished, I sell one.  I'm also making them for christmas presents too, so that's taking a big chunk out of mty time.  Which is great, I'm not complaining!  But it's keeping me busy.  

Anyway, I thought I'd blog about a blogworthy moment we had this morning.  We finished breakfast and went to brush our teeth.   Brighton decided he wanted to go potty on his potty.  As to not discourage him, I said "OK!"  And we took his pants and diaper off.  First he wouldn't sit on his potty chair (it was probably cold...) then he finally sat.  I attempted to show him how we push his "penis" down under the guard.  Of course, at this he laughed and laughed and laughed. 

"I'm done" he says.  

"Ok, let's go put a new diaper on"

"new diaper?"

"Yep, new diaper.  Let's pull your pants up."

"Pants on?"

"Yep!  Pants on.  Now lets go to your room."

We pull up his pants and he starts to giggle uncontrollably.  Which of course gets me giggling.   I know why he's laughing.  And this may be too personal for most people but he's just a little boy learning about his body.  So here goes.  He's laughing because anytime anything other than a diaper touches his penis he giggles uncontrollably.  

"My penis is in there" giggle giggle giggle...

"Yes, it is, so lets go to your bedroom quickly before you wet your pants"

"HAHHAHAHAHA My peeeeeeenissss"

"OMG," I think to myself.  "Is this normal?  At least he's not calling it his "wacker" like daddy taught him to."  

So giggling all the while we walk to his bedroom, which takes him decidedly longer to get to because he has no diaper on and is laughing the entire way while exclaiming "My penis is in there!"

We try to be good parents, we really do.  We lose our patience sometimes and let him have things he shouldn't sometimes, but when it comes to these important things, like being honest and not prudish about his body, I sure hope we're doing the right thing.   One thing I don't want for my son is for him to feel uncomfortable in his own skin or be ashamed of any part of his body.   But there's a fine line between teaching him to be comfortable and creating a potential streaker...I hope we haven't crossed that line...YIKES!

  

Let's Play Ball Dad!

Marcy has recently been overcome by writers block, I think she is having too much fun blogging with all of her creative Etsy friends.

Winter hasn't started yet and Brighton and I are feeling cooped up. Every night Brighton pulls on my shirt and says, "Get up Dad, I want to play ball". So up I go and we play ball on the living room or sunroom floor. He doesn't care if we are crowded, just as long as he can "kick the ball higher". I still remember all of the fun we had playing ball outside in October and can't wait until March or April and we can go out again and play on the muddy/wet grass. I guess as long as he has fun and mom isn't home to see us getting dirty, we will be ok.

- Dad

Tradition!

We're gearing up for the holiday season in our house.  We've got the turkey and all the fixin's for a great feast.  Even though we said we weren't going to make a big meal, it just kind of ends up that way because we have to have the corn cassarole and the bread and the stuffing and the pies etc etc.   But that's OK because I just want Brighton to remember these dinners and these special days at home.  

So tonight I tried my hand at making goat cheese.   Yep, you read right.  Goat Cheese.  My friends Dave and Joyce raise milk goats and were generous enough to share two quarts with me.  So I went online and got some recipes and instruction and voila!  I now have goat cheese curing in my fridge.  I added just some olive oil, salt and pepper.  I'm hoping it will be great!  I have another quart in the fridge waiting for a second batch.

I thought it would be great for Brighton to watch and "help" but he didn't get much enjoyment from the process but eventually he will.  I'm also going to buy a spinning wheel from a friend of mine.  Complete with a niddy notty and roving and cards and basically everything I would need.  It's my hope to learn some of these traditional crafts so that I can show Brighton that things don't always just come off the shelf at Target or Walmart.  I've always wanted to learn the "simple" way of doing things.  For some reason I feel like it's part of a good foundation.  And I want to pass that on.

My next adventure is making butter...

I want to catch you Daddy

Brighton's newest thing is jumping from footstools. Marcy bought him this little footstool that he loves to stand on. When he climbs up he says "Catch you Daddy" and then says sit there. I proceed to sit, like the obedient dad, and he jumps a little and falls into my arms. Then he wants to catch me. So I sand on the footstool, instruct my baby to sit on the floor and then I pretend to jump and fall on him, which is really I step down off of the footstool and then in slow motion I fall to the floor and give the little guy a hug. Giggles follow from mom, Brighton and dad. After I catch him, he stands in my lap and says "Higher Dad". Which means I hold him by his knees and hoist him up in to the air. He giggles non-stop and up and down we go.

Every day at work I can't wait to go home to play with my little guy.

Dad

Rain, Rain, go away

It's been raining all week long and I'm fearing the worst.  We'll never get to experience the splendor of an Iowa Autumn.  The smell of burning leaves, the smell of freshly fallen leaves, apples, pumpkin picking, fall bonfires.  

With every day that passes, I'm confronted with the fact that my little boy is becoming a ... well ... little boy.  He no longer likes to cuddle (except in the mornings when we have about 20 minutes to get out the door).  He hates to sit in the car and is no longer a passive passenger.  He has (gulp) real opinions regarding food, activities, toys, US.  He is also becoming very kind and sweet.  Giving his puppy (Feebee) hugs and gentle pats on the head.  He actively says "thanks mom" whenever I do something for him.  And lets face it, Andrew and I still giggle and feel that twinge of delight when we see his silly signature run.  

So I guess in a way, I'm now seeing the seasons of the year like the months and years of my son's life.  Spring is brand new, exciting, fresh.  Summer is steady, gets hot and unbearable sometimes, but we plow through it and watch the growth.  In the fall, we rest for a piece, we enjoy the fruits of our labors of the summer, and we bare down and get ready for the cold winter when we sit still, we reminisce, we hope for good weather, we enjoy the huge snowflakes falling on our tongues while we ache for the summer sun.  That is, right after we spend hours shooting down sledding hills on disc sleds and then come in for a cup of hot cocoa.  

I love Iowa.  I know that there are so many times I say I'd move in a heart beat, but I really think I would miss seeing the seasons and the earth change right before my eyes.  It's predictable.  You know that come April and May, you'll be fighting planters on the road.  In May and June you'll see the bright green of corn and bean buds against the dark black fertile Iowa soil.  By July you're measuring to make sure that the corn is knee high by the fourth of July (for a good crop).  Finally in September the corn browns and the yellow ears peek out behind the silks and husks.  Then in October against Iowa's beautiful sunset, you see the combines readying the harvest.  It's still.  It's dependable.  I never appreciated the steadiness of Iowa until I moved to rural Iowa and it was in my backyard.  I hope Brighton can see it the same way someday.  And when he has bonfires in fall and hot cocoa after sledding and sees those first green signs of spring against the black dirt, he tells his kids how wonderful it is to experience the seasons here at home.  In Iowa.

Tarbuts & Donods

I've had a number of blog-worthy days here this last week, but I decided that I'd perhaps write about a few things that I've...um...observed.  

Day One:  We went to the pumpkin patch with Brighton's preschool, and I realized that I most certainly could NOT do what preschool teachers and daycare providers do.  

Day Two:  Being old does not automatically make you handicapped...and therefore you shouldn't use the handicapped bathroom stall.  As far as I'm concerned, if you're shopping with a stroller or a toddler in a shopping cart, that IS your handicap and you're fully entitled to use the largest stall in the restroom.  

Day Three:  I walk into a store, "toss" my child into a shopping cart, ask someone where the restrooms are, and assume I can make a B-line for the bathroom (after my quad espresso + double tall latte) child and purse in cart, racing the restroom.  I don't expect 1. to be told I can't take the cart into the restroom because A. it's empty and B. the clerk tells me it is a "fire hazard."  (huh?!)  When I walk into the hallway then the bathroom, it's cluttered with rolling carts and racks and basically CRAP.  But I have to take the time (while almost wetting my pants) removing said child and purse from the EMPTY shopping cart, to make my way to the bathroom.  So...my cart is a fire hazard, (in case of fire my cart would block traffic...) but all the other crap in the bathroom/storage area isn't? 

************

Day Three almost over:  It's time to go home and Brighton is starting to get whiney.  I understand, he's tired, hasn't had a great nap, and it's going to be a long ride home.  We pass the mall and all I hear from the back seat  "Tarbuts!" "Tarbuts, Mom!"  And the rest goes a little something like this:

"What?" I say.

"Tarbuts, tarbuts!" *you fool-don't you speak English?*

"You want Starbucks?"

"Yeaas..." *duh? didn't you just hear me say that?*

I start to pull into the turning lane to go through the drive through because honestly, I'm thinking I can't make 

it through the next 30 minutes if I don't have some *Tarbuts* myself...but then...

"No! No Tarbuts"

"You don't want Starbucks now?"

"nooooo (whine), Donods."

"What?"

"Donads!" *good God woman, clean out your ears!*

"McDonalds?"

"Yes, Donads!" 

"No honey, we're going to eat pretty soon, no McDonalds tonight.  I'll make you some Starbucks when we get home."

"Nooooooo...Tarbuts"

*sigh*  I anticipate a looooooooong and whiney ride home.  About 1 mile from our drive, I starts wailing.  I 

admit, I lost my temper and told him "STOP WHINING!" (In my defense, it was a constant releasing air from a balloon sound all the way home...for THIRTY MINUTES...that mmnnmmnnmmnnmmnn...like a hungry puppy minus the drool) at which time I promptly pulled the car over onto the shoulder and in leu of ramming my vehicle straight into the first telephone pole I saw,  I saw his big tears, my heart softened, and I asked, "Did Mommy hurt your feelings?" (oh don't go gettin' all self righteous with me...you've ALL lost your temper on some cute little kid, you know you have!)

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeees..." *as he wipes away his big crocodile tears*

"Oh babe,Mom's sorry.  She shouldn't have yelled.  Can you hold out for just a few more minutes until we get home?  And please stop whining?  Sing a song!" *do something other than whine before my head explodes!*

"Tay"  *sniffle sniffle*

"Tay." I repeat.

Finally we get home and he sees daddy's car in the driveway and perks up.  Daddy greets him at the door of the car and rescues him.  

We spent the rest of the night together watching "pendins" (Happy Feet) &"meemo" (Finding Nemo) and it turned out to be a good night afterall.  

Finally.

Is it bad?

Is it bad that I hate dinnertime?  Feeding Brighton is an absolute nightmare anymore.  He usually doesn't like what we make (godforbid he eat meat...) and it takes him an excruciatingly long looooooonnnnnnnnggg time to eat.  Forget that he tosses most items out to the dog, but then he just plays and will put things in his mouth only to spit them out when they're chewed to a mush...how is he growing?  I just don't get it.

Writers Block

First of all I have to apologize for my posts lately.  Now I know how writers block feels!  Hopefully one of these days my creative writing skills will once again become apparent...but until then, I guess we'll have to just keep plugging away!!!

Yesterday I filled out a form for Brighton's new preschool called "all about me."  It got me thinking about all the new things Brighton is doing and discovering.  

I'll start with his new preschool.  He LOVES it!  Miss Mary has centers for science, art, language, dramatic play (which Andrew thinks is hilarious), and math.  They have free time during the day, he gets regular snacks and a great lunch, never comes home hungry, goes on field trips and she's even invited me to bring him next Friday to their field trip to the pumpkin patch.  I guess this is what REAL good preschools are, but it's such an eye opening experience for me to be able to drop him off and not worry!!  I actually almost cried Wednesday when I left him but it was because she was rounding them up to go on a field trip to the Children's Museum and watching Brighton toddle along with the other kids and me knowing he was going to have fun and be safe and all that jazz just got to me.

Another new thing, Coffee.  Brighton sees mom making espresso every morning and occasionally, I'll make him a steamer.  That is steamed milk with syrup.  So the other day, he looks at me and says "I want coffee mom!"  My reply went something like this "You want coffee?"  Yeah, I know.  Pretty uneventful.  And I proceeded to make him a vanilla steamer.  For the next three days.  Yesterday I made him a raspberry steamer and he looked up at me after taking a drink and said "Is this coffee?"  "Yep!" I said, "it's raspberry coffee, Daddy's favorite!"  Wherein he proceeded to drink it hesitantly.  Well, I  better be off. I have to get this house prepared for the Gazette photographer who is coming out to take a pic of my gourds...

We'll be in the paper on Saturday the 13th of October!!  Check it out!

Supper

So tonight I made supper.  No big feat for many moms, but a big one for me!  I actually cooked a meal.  Here is what I made.  It was nummy.  I substituted chicken breast for the pork and Brighton REALLY liked it (for once).  I seem to make a meal of this type every fall.  

Brighton said it was "dood."  I did too.  But now we're snacking on "pips" and Happy Feet Fruit Chews.  Yeah well,our healthy evening ended approximately 7 PM.  Tomorrow night we're going to have dinner at the Solon American Legion.  YAY!

Sweet Like Sugar

I quite possibly have THE sweetest boy ever.   He's become very protective of me and my "stuff."  Dad hasn't been feeling well and so today he really just laid around.  he was lying on the chair with the red blanket that I'm usually cuddled up in.  He told Daddy that "that's mommys!"  And tonight it's raining and so he won't go to bed until I come to bed with him.  He comes up to me "Night mommy!  Night mommy!" as he's pulling my arm.  Earlier tonight he helped me make popcorn on the stove.  He poured the popcorn  kernels into the pan and then we watched as the kernels went POP POP POP!  He had to try a piece right away as soon as I put them in the bowl.  "mmmmm dood" he said.  And he tried as hard as he could to put the kitchen chair back under the table but when he couldn't, he decided he'd move the tote out of the way instead.  :)  Speaking of my sweet as sugar little boy, he's headed back to our room to go night night so I'd better follow.  I told him I'd come in after my show was over and since it's over I guess I'd better make good on my promise :D

WANTED: Have you seen this boy?

Wanted:  

Have you seen this boy?

Two year old boy, brown hair, hazel eyes - very shifty.  Approximately 3 feet tall, weighs approximately 25 pounds.

Wanted for serial cookie, cracker and chip pecking.  That is, taking one bite of a cookie, cracker, chip and putting the rest back.  

His profile also includes licking doritoes, pringles, suckers, and jalapeno jelly (mild).  

Especially vulnerable are Grandmas with open cookie jars, Nanas with open bags of chips and Moms with cream cheese, jalapeno jelly and crackers.  If you are any of these people, please use extreme caution when in the presence of these items.  Can be extremely messy.

If you see him, please hide, disguise, or otherwise get rid of potentially tempting foods.

Happy Friday!

 

Bus Buy?

I'm not sure how many times I can write about Brighton's new words or phrases or what's going on with him every second of the day anymore.  He doesn't so much make huge strides like he did when he was little.  He's a toddler now.  A little person.  A little person...oh my God, a little person!  A person that can actually hold a (for lack of a better word) conversation.  A little person with obvious compassion and tenderness.  A little person who is becoming independent and knows what he wants.  Am I getting empty nest already?  

Andrew and I had a rather heated discussion last evening regarding Brighton's schooling.  It all started when he mentioned to me that in two years and some odd months Brighton would be getting ready for kindergarten.  How dare he!?  How dare he foil my fantasy of my little boy never growing up!  We "discussed" which school he would attend and in what school district.  Andrew keeps insisting that I can not open enroll him in Iowa City schools and that Mount Vernon isn't a great idea either.  He thinks we should stick with, gulp, the school here in town.  It's a good school (I guess) and test scores compare well to Mount Vernon, and it's more "culturally diverse" which is pretty important to me.  Then the topic of home schooling came up.  I am not totally opposed to this idea!  Not in the least.  But Andrew is.  So the "conversation" continues but since I was starting to hyperventilate at the thought of my baby going to school, we had to end the discussion and finish the drive home from Dairy Queen.

Today I was happy to spend the day with my little boy.  He had his second dentist appointment (No cavities!) wherein the dentist chastised (gently) me for not using fluoride toothpaste.  And I (gently) explained to him that I wasn't going to use it because it upset Bright's tummy.  He threatened to give him a fluoride treatment if needed and I (in my head) was going to tell him that he was not going to give my son a fluoride treatment.  

Next we made our way to Perkins for breakfast.  We never ever eat at perkins.  They give you TOO much food and charge you too much for it.  But sometimes you just get hungry for it I guess.  Brighton happily shared my pancakes and sausage and hash browns while he colored on his menu.  We ran a few errands and then were on our way home.  

Later tonight we made chocolate chip cookies, danced the waltz, cha cha and two step, and drew many many "two planes."  I love that I can hold him in my arms and waltz.  I love that he has to stand on a chair to help me make cookies.  I love that for some reason, he's obsessed with "Best Buy" which sounds like "Bus Bye."  

I have a few more years before I have to watch him walk all by himself into those big doors.  I think we'll be doing a few more waltzes.

  

The Definition of "insane"

Brighton just before his bike ride this morning with Dad


It is said that the defintion of insane is to do the same thing over and over again with expectation of a different result. But does that count when you're dealing with a toddler? Tonight for the first time I actually said "No" when Andrew asked me if he should cut up some chicken for Brighton for supper. He ALWAYS takes it, then spits it out as soon as it hits his tongue. Though today I broke down and got him some "Gerber Graduates" chicken and turkey sticks...you know, those cylindrical shaped almost white dare I say vienna sausage looking nastiness soaked in water in the baby food aisle. EVeryone tells me though they look really gross, their kids love them. And he took one bite, spit it out, then cintinued to eat three more. Yuk. I felt bad even giving them to Feebee! But he liked it..so whaddya gonna do?

Then we saw the new sensation promoted by manic mommies (http://www.manicmommies.com) called fruitaBu smooshed fruit (http://www.fruitabu.com). So we got a couple of boxes of those. They're certified organic smooshed fruit (No, we don't usually go organic, but I've heard great things about fruitabu). They had fruit twirls which are like fruit leather, fruit flats (I'm not sure what these are) and smooshed fruit that is well...like smooshed fruit.

So the point of this "insane" blog is that it seems like we try to give Brighton the same thing over and over again without trying new things and expecting a new result. Afterall, they always told me you have to try sometimes up to 17 times before a baby will eat a certain food. But it's been probably more like 100+ times that we've tried to give him meat...and he just doesn't like it unless it's all processed and well, yuk. So I guess he'll keep getting protein from cottage cheese, milk, cheese products, peanut butter and beans...What's a mom to do?

I'm one of "those people..."

Oh yeah, I'm one of "those" people. "Those people" that I can't STAND, one of "Those People" that when I see them, I almost have convulsions. "Those People" that I'm referring to are "those people" who think they are so ridiculously important that they need to walk around the mall with a bluetooth headset glued to their head. I can't STAND "those people!" I seriously want to rip them out of people's heads when i see them wearing them. I hate them.

Then. I got one. Now, I still hate seeing them at the mall, or target, or whatever. But I can see the fascination with them now. Well, oK maybe not the fascination that makes everyone from heady corporate snobs to bib wearing hicks want to be accessable 24/7 through their very convenient and very obvious blue tooth. But I understand that it is so utterly convenient, especially in the car and when trying to grocery shop with a toddler. So for Moms, I totally get it. Totally. Is that hypocritical? Nah, I don't think so.



I still held to the belief that I could live without my bluetooth, and I only used it when it was most convenient. I wasn't one of "those people!" I am a closet bluetooth wearer. I don't use it because I think it looks cool, I use it because it's convenient. I am embarrassed to walk around with it in my ear, afterall.

Then we come home and Andrew tells me, "I found your bluetooth."
"You did? Where was it?"
"In the dryer, i washed it!"
OMG I felt the stab in my gut. "My bluetooth! My convenience! I can't turn back now!"
"GREAT! How much did you pay for it? I love wasting money on crap like that. LOOK IN MY POCKETS BEFORE YOU LOAD THE WASHER!"
Ok I know what you're thinking. And I know, I should be grateful that my husband does the laundry period. And I am. I am grateful. I am very grateful. And I know I need to clean out my pockets myself. But I was most upset because I was upset about possibly losing my bluetooth...that scares the hell out of me.

Thankfully, it still works and I can have hands free access to my phone yet again. Guess I'll have to get used to being one of "those people."

Oh TODD!

On our way home tonight Brighton came up with another funny phrase. Of course, he was copying mom saying something she shouldn't while driving....but that's another story. Anyway, we were waiting to turn in solon onto Hwy 1 (which is ALWAYS nuts at that time of day) and I had an opening and the person headed north wanted to turn. So I said "Oh GAWD!" and I hear this little voice fro the back seat "OH TODD!" I about peed my pants. We did that all the way home. I also called someone a moron and he perfectly copied that too. Guess mom better watch her mouth! Especially when driving!

Here are some pics of Brighton & Daddy being silly.

And some of Feebee's new hairdoo. Andrew hates her feet, but I know how much easier they are to clean when they're like this. Besides, I want a poodle so she's going to have to be my guinea pig!

Livestrong-Peppers-Bapes & Mamey

Got your attention? Well those are the topics of the blog today. Daddy went to the Livestrong (republican) Presidential Cancer Forum today and came back with two livestrong bracelets (which we are both wearing) and a bandana (which neither of us is wearing...) I'm surprised he didn't purchase a Livestrong Biking Shirt. But I digress. I'm waiting for him to dictate what happened there, but I can say that my favorite republican candidate, Mike Huckabee was there as well as Sam Brownbeck. The other three main republican candidates apparently didn't think it important enough to attend. Those would be Rudy Guliani, Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain. All three, by the way, have had cancer...tacky. Thankfully Andrew and I both like Mike Huckabee. So at least we don't have to argue over that. I would have liked to go to the Democratic forum, but I forgot about it until Andrew reminded me today...naturally!! I'll have to let him tell you about the forum though. But here are some photos.

Peppers: Brighton has been helping me harvest tomatoes an peppers. As you can see here, he is his daddy's son.

Bapes, the other green fruit. Yes, Brighton loves his bapes. That would be "grapes" in grown up speak. I just thought that was so darn cute. He says so many things very clearly but tonight on our ride home from preschool, while we were riding through the park he kept going on and on and on about something and I couldn't understand a word of it, but I have a feeling he was telling me about his day. It went something like this:

Mom: "Did you have fun at Ms. Mary's today? Did you play with Charlie?"
Bright: "IWAS SPPEst bisstt abbblittab IWAS...IWAS...IWAS...Paaaay cheeee. Mamey Peete I was..."
Mom: "Oh wow! You had a busy day!"
Bright: "IWAS PEETE, CODOR, ppp! I was Pete. Mamey. I Was"
Mom: "Are you excited to go to Ms. Mary's tomorrow?
Bright: "yes"
Mom Giggles
Bright: *while holding his $3.50 fruit smoothie* "I want mama's juice" (meaning my $3.50 frozen mocha)

Engaging.

We've heard a lot about Mamey lately. It's good that he loves his Aunt "Mamey" and his cousin "Pete." He just saw them a couple weeks ago when we had family photos, and he's going to see them again this weekend. We had to call "Mamey" tonight. All Brighton wanted was his Aunt Mamey.

Aunt Mamey if you're reading this, you should be proud :)

Blank Park Zoo

We picked Cerra up Friday night in Des Moines and came back yesterday, but made a few stops (not including the state fair though! We didn't have our mullets on). We went to Blank Park Zoo in West Des Moines. I was SO IMPRESSED with this zoo and the condition of their animals! I know this is probably totally taboo to say, but I liked it better than San Diego! Sure, there weren't as many animals, and yes, it wasn't in the middle of a fabulous park like Balboa park, and don't get me wrong, I know how much San Diego does for animals who are endangered and threatened and for philanthropy. BUT. Iowa's little gem in our capital is a fabulous place to spend the day or 1/2 of a day.


Here's what impressed me so:

1. The zoo is very interactive. You walk through a gated area that has peacocks and emus and wallabies running around. At first I thought of this as a safety issue, but the animals really kept to themselves and patrons respected the animals and stayed on the path. Occasionally a peacock would stammer across the path but as I watched anxiously, I noticed that no one ran after it or tried to pet it or basically anything other than just witness it and hope that he would spread his tailfeathers.

2. The petting zoo part was VERY clean, the animals were clean and friendly, and gentle. Of course, there was miniature donkeys and a miniature horse and one donkey pony. There were goats, sheep, llamas, chickens, baby llamas, and they were all separated in their own areas (the goats, big llama, and chickens were together) and there were feeding stations and little holes where kids could stick their hand or cone or whatever in to feed them.

3. The water of all the animals that were inside or out was clean and clear. Animals that had a water habitat (like sea lions and penguins) had great habitats.

4. There is a pond that goes throughout the park. In the pond, towards the end of the kids area, there is a square dock, in the middle is a hole where you can feed ducks and koi. I have never in my life seen so many koi. They were literally jumping and crawling all over one another to get to the food. Now anyone who knows anything about koi knows that they DO become extremely friendly and the way to their hearts is most definitely through their stomachs. Judging by the size of these koi, I'm guessing that they were VERY well fed and definitely not starving. Anyway, it was very fun for Brighton and Cerra.

5. They offer a short but inexpensive train ride around part of the park (it's short and you don't see a whole lot other than trees and bushes...but Brighton HAD to ride the toot toot), a camel ride, and my favorite, Giraffe feeding. They also have a huge tent where they hold little classes and learning exhibits. This time it was "the scoop on poop."

I was just really impressed with this little gem in the middle of Iowa! If you are in Des Moines, this is one place you should not skip. And feed the Giraffe!!

Fun in the Morning...

Or something like that!

Brighton woke up this morning coughing and hacking and eventually throwing up. So I let him stay up and decided we'd have some creative play time with play dough. Poor kid not only has a tooth coming in but I'm sure he's got a cold on top of it. So his acid reflux (if that truly is what it is anyway) is really bad. He's thrown up about twice a day and usually it's just mucus. I'm hoping we can make it to Des Moines without an incident...but I'll be sitting in the back with a barf bag just incase.

Not much

Dad's been pestering me about posting a new blog. OK, I admit, I haven't blogged about some of the most important and exciting events in our lives for quite some time. Such as, Brighton is speaking in toddler sentences, and we're going to a little place called Hawaii for vacation in a few weeks and oh let's see I started an online business. Oh yeah, and Brighton started preschool. You know, just the little things. So....I guess I'll start with Brighton speaking in toddler sentences:

Brighton's vocabulary all of a sudden has exploded. He's using two and three word sentences - correctly. He's started asking for things and when you confirm to him what you think he said, he says "Yeees" or "No." Then there's the typical, "I want it..." and "No mama." And the new "I did it! I did it!" We also watch the movie Cars every single day. Every...Single...Day...I think he's grown two inches since we took him to the doctor last. He has become obsessed with "berries" which is perfectly fine with us. Mostly blueberries and raspberries, which technically he's not supposed to have too many of because of his acid reflux - which just as as side note, has improved since we stopped using flouride toothpaste. His favorite new numbers are 1 & 2. One two, two one. I could spend the whole blog telling you all the fun things he's saying but that would be terribly boring.

Preschool: Brighton started preschool...today! Yes, he's a little young, but the "teacher" is a friend of mine and she is fantastic. I've been trying to get him into her group for a while now, but where she used to work, Lil Rustlers, was so darn expensive and I couldn't do part time, so it never worked out. But she finally went out on her own and now we're set! He had a blast today. Miss Mary has centers that they're required to try that include a math center, language, science, art, dramatic play, etc. He gets a report card at the end of the day telling me how many times his diaper was changed, when he napped, when and what he ate, the story they read, what he did in each center and more. He really really enjoyed it. And I was glad knowing that when I left him, he was happy and was going to have a great day. That, to a mom, is priceless.

This weekend we're on our way to Des Moines to pick up our Niece, Cerra for family photos on Sunday. She lives in Council Bluffs, so we're meeting her mom half way. That's OK because we're going down on Friday and staying the night then going to Blank Park Zoo and/or the mall on Saturday before we drive home. The last time Brighton was at a zoo, it was in San Diego, and he slept the entire time. Hopefully he'll have more fun with his big cousin with him.

HAWAII HERE WE COME! We're going there for my birthday. ok, not really. We're going there ON my birthday but for Andrew's college roommate's wedding. I might have preferred to go to Japan, but I probably would have been more intimidated. But we might as well be going to a whole new continent!! It's a 9 hour flight from Texas! YIKES! We'll be flying for a while and I'm not too keen on that, so I'll be drinking heavily.

My online business is selling gourd piggy banks. It's called simplysilly. The website is www.simplysilly.etsy.com. Stop by and see us!

Well, that is all that's going on in our lives for now. Brighton "wants toon on" so I'd better oblige. It's a sure sign that he's getting tired. Yep, "night night" he said. So...night night.

Brighton's First Movie Ratatoulle

Since Brighton and I haven't really spent much quality time together lately, I decided that while Dad is out working, Brighton and I would spend some time together this week. Yesterday we had a play date with Ava and Andrea. It was just what the doctor ordered. The minute Brighton got home from gramma's he was whiney, grumpy, clingy. I know he was tired, but wouldn't go to bed (naturally). So finally I decided (after calling my poor godmother and making her listen to my emotional vomit and Brighton's wailing in the background) to go to the mall to let him run off some steam. I called Andrea to just put it out there that we were going there, and so she and Ava decided to meet us. Ava was just what Brighton needed. He found his voice somewhat yesterday too. He would let out this constrained, smiling, yell and then look at me and giggle.

Today we decided that we'd go see Ratatoulle. It would be Brighton's first movie in a theatre. I wasn't sure how he'd react, so I bought my tickets for the "rush hour" movie ($4.25) on fandango.com and off we went! We ended up going to the new Galaxy 16 theatre, which is pretty nifty. Call me crazy, but I am not sure how I feel about it exactly. It felt like we were walking into a whole new dimention! I have never experienced a movie theatre quite like it. With a menu. Like a real menu. Not great food, granted. And it's still expensive as all get out, but still. It felt weird carrying a chicken wrap and fries into the theatre with me. I guess I didn't need to stuff my bag full. Oh well.

Brighton did FABULOUS! I was so afraid that he would be freaking out because it was too loud or it was too dark but he didn't. He did say "I'm done" a couple of times. But I just told him that the movie wasn't over yet. If he was really really done we could go. He said "No" so I said "OK." He stayed through the whole movie and even some of the credits (to which he started to dance to the music :) I'm glad I turned around to get his "toot toot" blanket and his bear. He cuddled up to them the whole time. We had a great day today. I hope tomorrow is just as good or better!!

Pizzazilla

Ok, well that might be taking it a bit far, but I'm pretty darn smart if I do say so myself. Amy and Lil' Pete came over tonight for a little while to visit. I don't know why it surprised me but Brighton wasn't too keen on sharing his toys with baby Pete. We tried to explain to him that Pete wasn't going to take the toys and they were still his but he needed to share. For example, when baby Pete (8 mos) sits on the sit-n-spin, Brighton doesn't need to rush over as fast as he can and sit on it so that Pete can't. Bright did sit next to baby Pete and show him his toot toots which I was amazed by...but most other things, it was "MINE!" "NO!" "NO PETE NO!" He needs a sibling.

Here's where the genius comes in (has nothing to do with him not wanting to share his toys). Brighton naturally didn't eat his supper and so a couple hours later he was hungry and started exclaiming "PIZZA PIZZA!" 'Oh god here we go again...' I think to myself. Here's how the conversation went:

Brighton: Pizza Pizza!
Mom: We don't have any pizza...
Brighton : *whining* I want piiizzaaaaaaa.
Mom: Honey, we don't have pizza. Are you hungry?
Brighton: Shakes his head 'No' I eat.
Mom: You're hungry? Mom has an idea...You want pizza?
Brighton: Shaking his head vigorously with a smile creeping up his face Pizza!

Mom whips out the flour tortillas, left over spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese. I Fry up the tortilla, add the sauce and cheese, cut it into four triangles, and VOILA! INSTANT PIZZA PIZZA! And it tasted good too! Bright ate all but one piece. He is henceforth going to have the nickname, Pizzazilla...though it's hard to type so you probably won't see it here...

YAY MOM! This was such a victory for me you have no idea. It made him happy, made me happy, made us all happy. And I feel like maybe my IQ is a little higher than I'd previously thought...which probably isn't saying much!!

jalapeno hands

just incase someone else out there makes the same stupid mistake and decides to cut 12 jalapeno peppers (from the garden, not the supermarket) to make jalapeno jelly and NOT wear gloves, here's my warning to you.

For the past three hours now I've been suffering with Jalapeno burn. I've tried oil, mylanta, lotion, milk, vinegar water, rubbing alcohol, and now I'm onto bleach. Nothing is helping. I've come to the conclusion that the only thing that can possibly help is a LOT of alcohol (the kind you drink) and time. Though the bleach water (5 parts water to 1 part bleach) did help and sure makes sense, it only helps after you dip and release...I have a feeling I'll be feeling this for a while.

The good part? I don't have to change Brighton's poopy diaper.

Jalapeno jelly anyone?

ps. here's a helpful website:
http://www.soupsong.com/fpepper.html

also, for more help call your poison control center.

Just to keep me humble

I know that the universe doesn't like anyone to get too big in the britches but ferpetesakes, a break once in a while would be nice. I worked lastnight at starbucks, the night went really well. We closed relatively early, the night went smoothly and we only had 2 groups of customers at 2 minutes 'till 9. I got home, played on the new computer and finally went to bed around 11.

We woke up this morning with no set plans, just the way we like to start a Saturday morning. We knew that at some point I had to go to Michaels (40 % off coupon), PetSmart, and the Market for green peppers. Andrew wanted to pick up the new Harry Potter book and we needd a few grocery items. We just didn't know exactly how the day would pan out. So about 9:00 AM after breakfast, we were on our way to CR to the market. I decided it would be nice to take Feebee since she doesn't get go to many places (keep reading and you'll find out why...) and now that Boomer is gone, she gets lonely at home.

We get to the market, I'm holding onto Feebee's leash, trying to find her pinch collar (NO it's NOT INUHUMANE!!) when my phone rings...Ring...Ring ring...Ring RING...RING RING RING!! It shouts at me. It's Star from Starbucks. "Um, I just got here and no one is here and nothing is done and I can't get into the back..."

Curses. I tell her calmly, "it's OK, i'll call over to First and Collins and see if someone can come over and open for you." Inside I'm giving a tongue lashing to the mnager who was SUPPOSED to open...Though I know that mistakes happen, this is the second time this person hasn't shown up when this person was supposed to. But no worries, the ASM from the other store agrees to come over and open and all is well. I tell him I'll try to call around to see if any other shifts can cover because I'm in Civi clothes and 1/2 hour away from home and with my family.

We figure it out and We move on to the market.

With Feebee in tow, people of course stop and pet her and she goes ape sh** and everyone is either appauled or sickeningly sweet which feeds Feebee's fire. But no matter, she settled down a bit and all was well. I found the most beautiful purple peppers for $2/box of 4 and so I grabbed them. I was done. We stopped at our Kolache people, bought a kolache for each of us and then off to my favorite wine man, Paul Tabor (tabor home winery check out http://www.taberwines.com - my favorite is the red raspberry). We bought three bottles and sampled a red raspberry and the Catawba Rose' which of course were wonderful. Then we were off and running to the next stop, Starbucks.

We get there about 10ish and the ASM is there with Star and the new gal. Everything looks great (of course, thanks to STAR!) and so I feel comfortable leaving. We decide to hit Younkers and check out the new Evergreen Fiesta color. Cool. I go potty, and as I'm sitting there, my phone rings.

"Can you hurry up? Your son is bleeding..."

"WHAT?! What do you mean he's bleeding?"

"He fell and hit his lip on the fountain and now his lip is bleeding..."

I finish my business, wash my hands and grab a few extra towels for the downpour of blood that I'm expecting to see when I emerge from the ladies bathroom.

"That's it?" His lip was scraped, but not bleeding...I assume this was Andrew's new tactic for getting me out of Von Maur.

We leave, get to the car and Andrew is about at gagging stage. "Feebee, get back your breath stinks!!" I should preface this by saying she was sitting in the front PASSENGER seat when we got there.

"what's that on your seat? What the he&& is that smell?" I open the door and it catches me and about knocks me off my feet.

Two words. Anal Glands. "Ah cripes. Some little jerk must have scared her and she expressed them...dam it!!" Now my car wreaking of sickening sweet unnecessary scent gland, I grab the only thing I have capable of cleaning anything, Wet Ones. I blot and blot and blot. The smell goes away a little but not completely. Enough to get us across the street to Michaels.

We get to Michaels and all is well. I don't think anything happened after taht except that I am now exhausted and ready for a nap. But I have pepper jelly to make and a dog to bathe and gourd pigs to make. Maybe I need to brew another cup of coffee instead...

WAY off the beaten path...

I got this email from my husband. You see, he's more of a conservative and my friend Jill is more of a liberal politically. Andrew, an auditor in Iowa. Jill, an assistant director for public television in San Diego, CA. Makes for great comedy since one of the things they actually have in common is a good sense of humor...that I usually get to indulge in. So I'm sharing it with you. Remind me again what they get paid so much to do? I don't get to have nearly this much fun grooming dogs... Here goes: I've deleted their numbers and their emails and switched the timeline so you read the first part first...



From: Andrew
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 10:09 AM
To: Jill
Subject: FW: Funny Tees

I thought you would enjoy these.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Jill
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 12:12 PM
To: Andrew
Subject: RE: Funny Tees

I gotta git me one a them tees.

Jill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Andrew
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 10:27 AM
To: Jill
Subject: RE: Funny Tees

Have you decided when you are going to come back to Iowa?

Andrew

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Jill
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 12:46 PM
To: Andrew
Subject: RE: Funny Tees

No, with Jason starting XX's Fire Academy on 8/23 my summer is out of whack...but if I do it will likely be over the Labor Day holiday. Tell me again what kind of car you bought..

Jill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Andrew
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 10:53 AM
To: Jill
Subject: RE: Funny Tees

It makes me feel old, I bought a 1999 Cadillac Catera. It only had 75k miles and was a pretty good deal. It smells like cigarette smoke so Marcy complains all the time when she is in it. It is also a small car similar to a Buick LaSabre, not a big boat like a Deville would be.

Lance Armstrong is hosting a presidential forum to discuss cancer research on August 27 for the democratic candidates and August 28 for republican candidates. I already have my ticket. If you are in town, you should go, you will probably see the next president, I don't expect to when I go on the 28th.

Andrew

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Jill
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 12:56 PM
To: Andrew
Subject: RE: Funny Tees

You should have bought a Deville, just to throw people a little. We could rename you "A to tha' O"

Jill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Andrew
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 11:01 AM
To: Jill
Subject: RE: Funny Tees

i thought about getting those things that go on your tires that spin the opposite way you drive and then fill my trunk with a big sub and listen to rap music. We saw someone in a mini van listening to rap music last night.

Andrew

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Jill
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 1:05 PM
To:Andrew
Subject: RE: Funny Tees

Or maybe you go with a gansta/elderly stereotype combo and wear the over-your-glasses sunglasses with black socks and sensible shoes but get something airburshed on the hood and a bumpin' stereo....the possibilities are endless!

Jill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Andrew
Subject: FW: Funny Tees
Date: July 20, 2007 1:05:48 PM CDT
To: Marcy

She is out of control.

Andrew

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The moral of this story: Careful what you send to a blogger with some extra time on her hands ;)

And the teeeeeeny tiny keypad

And I'm trying to get used to the teeny tiny keypad, which is why there are so many mistakes...sorry... Blogger does have a spell checker, I just usually don't have to use it...guess I'll have to get used to that too...

Dodging Bird Poop, Playing on The Mac gimmeanapple.

OK for some reason I can't see any photos that I've uploaded, all i can see is the html (which is very ugly by the way) so I hope these pictures and this blog look OK...Day one, with my new mac. I love it. I'm still figuring it out, but asthetically it's beautiful, functionally it's a lot easier than a PC. Despite that it takes me a while to navigate becuase I'm used to searching and trying to find things in obscure places. What that means is that instead of my files being hidden in remote cavities of my hard drive, they're usually right in front of me. I guess taht's why people love the mac. It's simple, straight forward, no fuss no muss, jsut pure creative beauty.
I'm sitting outside on our front deck by the water garden and the birdfeeders (thus the title). So if a bird is brave enough to grab a bite to eat while I'm sitting here, I'm trying to avoid being plopped on. I can see it now. Wonder if the warranty covers bird poo?
And as you can probably also see, I'm getting used to playing with the camera atop the screen. I thought it was pretty silly and thought I'd never use it...well...other than that when the laptop is on my lap, it's at a horrible angle that makes my face look a big like jabba the hut. But other than that...
I'm learning and really enjoying the freedom this lap top will offer me. You all know how I hate being confined...

We're Going Fruit Loopy

So Brighton is asserting his control over the people by only eating what he wants to eat. I spoke to my friend Jennifer about this and this was her conclusion. He doesn't have a lot of control (or so he thinks) over much of what happens in his life, but he can control what he eats, and right now all he wants is fruit loops... He refuses most things these days including but not limited to: meat, vegetables (except beans, carrots and potatoes), fruit (except grapes and melon) and milk. Is the fact that we’ve succumbed to his wishes and give him fruit loops for breakfast, and snacks, and supper make us bad parents? Did we feed that sweet tooth too early? WHAT DID WE DO! I made his food from whole ingredients when he was a baby, I painstakingly prepared and pureed everything from beans to cauliflour to broccoli to plums and apples and you name it I pureed it. Not a drop of sugar added. Ok, he got the occasional CONE from Dairy Queen, but he didn’t like the milk, just the cone, so we figured OK...And I DID give him chocolate here and there because any self respecting human likes good chocolate. Right? Well, we did something wrong, or it’s just the way of the beast...I just hope it ends soon before he breaks us completely.

A Long Couple of Weeks

I haven't blogged for quite some time now. Sorry about that! It's been a really crazy and difficult couple of weeks. Here's a quick lowdown on the goings ons... Brighton is really hitting his terrible twos, we put our dog Boomer to sleep a week ago Monday, Andrew got a new car, I got a new computer, storms to beat the band, generally just busy busy busy. I'm really tired right now so I'm sure I'm missing something.

Brighton's new favorite word is "no." I know, every kid goes through it. But he's REALLY asserting his independance. He's also into throwing things. He loves baseballs, basket balls, feebee balls (tennis balls) anything that resembles a ball or that is small enough to fit in his hand he throws. So yesterday he took his metal John Deere truck and threw it at me...three times. I told him the last tme that if he threw it at me again I was going to put it in the garbage. He looked at me then defiantly threw back his arm and got ready for the pitch. BLAM! It hit me square in the chest. So despite his cries, I took the truck and (pretended to) pitched it into the garbage. He cried and cried! Then later I caught him pulling things out of the garbage to find it...Nice.

He also has a new friend, Vava (Ava). It's Ava this and Ava that. It's like he wants to tell Ava everything he does. It is the cutest sweetest thing ever. He definitely thinks about her a lot. More so than any other friends like at Daycare...at least I haven't noticed him saying their names over and over again.

So I got this new computer. But not just any computer... I got a macbook. Not a big fancy pro or anything. Just the bottom of the line macbook (which BTW is comparible to a middle to top range PC) So far so good, but it's a bit strange getting used to a Mac. Though it's awfully pretty. The graphics are amazing. I just got it today so nothing I "need" is loaded on it yet, like my picasa or any of my photos. But I'll figure that out. Or more likely, Andrew will.

I'm ashamed to say that right now as I type, I am watching "Victoria Beckham comes to America"...OMG are you serious? I'm even more ashamed to admit that I kind of am enjoying it. She is a beautiful woman but she is ALWAYS posing. Always having her lips pursed, her head positioned just so. It's amazing. Right now she is in the home of an L.A. Socialite with other rich, blonde, hairsprayed, lipsticked, botoxed, vaneered women. I liked Victoria better than any of the rest!! Yikes.

Well, i'll leave you with this photo of Brighton Andrew and I from my new computer.

A New Vocabulary

So, it's July Fourth and instead of doing what I need to do (finishing my pigs for the market) I instead decide to blog since now thanks to Tom and Sally we have wireless internet (they gave us their old router-thanks!!). It's so much more fun. I've worked on these pigs for the last three days and I feel like I'm just inching along in progress. Anyway...back to the blog.

Brighton is in the midst of the "terrible twos." His favorite new expression is "Naooo" Which is NO but it sounds like Naooo! "are you ready for a nap?" "Naoooo.." "It's time for sleepy" "Naooo!" And so many other things. "Give me those scissors!" "NAOO!" Ok, he doesn't get scissors but you get the point. He's also learning new words every single day. Every day we hear something new. Today it was "Hurt." He has a bug bite in the crease of his arm that he's scratched raw. So he came up to me and said "Hurt." The phrase before that was "I want it" which comes out as "I wantnehh" or "I wantnehh naaowww" Wonder who he get's THAT from? My favorite of course is "mama's baby."

Tonight is our annual Fourth of July gathering so if I want to get anything done for that I need to get my butt off this computer. Dad's home from looking at his new car, so maybe he'll blog a bit about Brighton's new found vocabulary.

It's Summertime!

Baseball games, camping out in the back yard, dad cleaning the garage...Yep, it's officially summer! June 30 was Brighton's second Kernels Game but the first one was almost 2 years ago and he was just a button. He did go to a San Diego Padre's game, but still was a little too young to really enjoy it. Boy he enjoyed it this time! Andrew's work "picnic" was at the Kernels again this year. They gave us all ticket + enough $$ for one beer or $10 in kernels cash (which is 1 beer each).

Once Brighton warmed up, he was all about entertaining everyone around us. To the point that some people who didn't have kids got up and left :) MORE ROOM FOR US! He ran up and down our aisle, poked people around us with his and Eva's foam fingers, managed to make everyone laugh so hard they snorted. I've seen this side of my son before, but not quite to this extent. He was in all out entertainer mode.

Afterwards were fireworks (The Kernels won by the way) which Brighton fell asleep for last year so he's never really seen them until then. Naturally, he didn't like the noise, but he did like the colors. It was after 9 by then and he kept saying to us "Home" "Night night" "Home"...we got the point and got out of there. We were barely 15 minutes into our drive home and he was out...no surprise :)

Oh, and Daddy won a digital frame! I can't wait to try it out!


Last night Daddy had his annual camp out. He set up his tent and the air mattress in our back yard. We wanted to see how Brighton would do camping outside. Needless to say though it was cold outside, it was HOT in the tent and Brighton was all wired up. He would jump on the mattress, then hit the screen, then Dad and Mom and Bright would have some silly time. It was chaos. My back can't really take the air mattress, but I thought I'd give it the ol' college try anyway.

We went to bed probably around 8:30 but it was going on 9:30 or 10 and Brighton wasn't going to sleep. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer and we came inside and Brighton slept in our bed. So much for the ol' college try!! Maybe next year...

There's lots more photos. Visit my picasa web albums for more. Click on the 2007 JULY album for camping and 2007 JUNE album for the baseball game.

Play Date Photos

I wanted to add a link to all the photos but if you click on the title or HERE, it will take you to the June folder where the pics are at the bottom. Not all of them, but the ones I cropped and put online.

Play Date

I'm still a bit tired from our play date today with Andrea and Ava, so this blog entry might not be quite as fluid as they usually are...see, I'm using the word fluid like it's an adjective...anyway...on with the story.

Andrew and I met Andrea and Matt in our lamaze class in 2005. We really hit it off, moreso than we did with any other moms and dads there. It seemed that Andrea and I especially had a lot in common and so we were automatically "drawn" for lack of a better word, together. We've kept in touch ever since. Some months better than others but two years later, here we are! We decided to get together a week or so ago at the mall. Partly for a play date and partly so I could order some scrapbooking stuff from a party that Andrea was having. I called Andrea Sunday (I think) to see if she and Ava wanted to meet us at the pool today. Andrea came up with a better plan. She suggested we meet at her house and have a "pool party." That was a FANTASTIC idea! So that's what we did.

The kids played so so well together! I have a load of photos and video that it took me the majority of 15 minutes to figure out which ones I wanted to feature on the blog. It went from typical 2year old apprehension and timidness to quickly dumping water on each other and splashing. OK Brighton was the dumper and Ava the dumpee but still, they had fun.

It's so interesting seeing other kids and how they're developing in comparison to Brighton. Bright has always been an observer, so it seems that he's just a wee bit behind other kids. But he's really not. Though Ava has quite the vocabulary and is very articulate, she and Brighton seemed to communicate very well! She has the sweetest voice and the cutest way to say things. Some words she says backwards, like instead of "birdfeeder" she said "feederbird" which was as cute as can be. And when Andrea ran inside to get her a snack or a drink, Ava would respond to Andrea's question "do you want to come with me?" with a "Don't move!" in other words, "No mom! I'll stay right here and I won't move!" HAHA It was so darned cute!
Ava told us about her neighbor's dog, Midnight, who came to visit for just a minute. Just long enough to help clean up the grapes that had fallen. She taught us about sharing, by sharing her yellow pitcher and her golf clubs and her other fun toys. She taught Brighton how to "puddle" and then jump into the puddle. They both though it was amazing that their diapers dripped when they stood up after being in the water. They had snacktime where Ava shared her nutrigrain bar and Brighton shared his goldfish crackers.

Naturally, both kids were more than ready for bed by the time it was all said and done. Ava and Andrea walked us out to the car and no sooner did Andrea pick Ava up than her head was too heavy to hold and she rested it on Andrea's shoulder. It took Brighton all of about 20 mintues to fall asleep in the car. He slept until we got home and then for about another hour and a half. But he was ready for "night night" at 8:30, so it worked out great!

Well, tomorrow is another day. I'll be at work trying to get home in time to pick up Andrew at the airport (though he won't know that until he reads this blog I guess). It sure would be fun if Andrea and I were both pregnant with our #2 at the same time...I guess if it's in the cards, it's in the cards. But it still would be fun!

"PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZA!!!"

I now understand where Little Caesar's got their ad campaign for PIZZA! PIZZA! Obviously one of the account execs at the advertising agency had a two year old.

After a long day yesterday that ended around 5:30, Brighton and I headed home. Instead of actually cooking dinner (God forbid) I opted to call in a Casey's pizza so it would be ready by the time we got home. Brighton was tired (he woke up on the WRONG side of the bed yesterday morning), Mom was tired, Dad just left for PA and so we were on our own for the night.

Stupid things mom does #1 (create expectation):
In the car, on the way...I asked Brighton, "Do you want pizza?" Vigorously shaking his head 'YES!' "PIZZA PIZZA!!" He patiently waits for oh, 5 minutes, then promptly begins whining. I realize the magnitude of what I've done and attempt to divert his attention with his new favorite song by Paul McCartney, Dance Tonight

Stupid things mom does #2 (attempting to reason):
"We'll be there in a little bit babe, they have to cook it then we have to pick it up, then we'll go home, bring in the groceries, feed the doggies, then we can have pizza! How's that sound?"

"PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZA!!!"

I think to myself 'he can't seriously expect me to pull a pizza out of my arse? Does he think I can snap my fingers and a pizza will appear? He's so unreasonable!' (duh, he's 2...)

"PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZA!!!"

"OK babe! We'll get pizza as soon as we get home!"

Shakes his head, yes. "Home..."PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZAAAAAAAAA!!!"

We reach Casey's, the pizza isn't quite done. We mill around, grab some vanilla ice cream, a paper and wait. Finally, mercifully, the pizza is ready. We pay, we get out (after much wrangling over a box of tic tacs - thanks Casey's for putting them at eye level for a 2 year old)
Get back in the car, as I'm putting him in his seat, I see his face start to contort..."PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZA!!!"

I can feel my blood pressure rising and my head about ready to explode..."Yes babe, Pizza! We'll be home in a sec! We'll feed the puppies then we can have pizza!"

"NOOOO! PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIIIIIIZZAAAAAA!!!"

Stupid things mom does #3 (testing 2 year old' patience):
We get home and I let Bright out of the car seat and grab ALL the groceries, my purse, the pizza and the paper and hope he can make it in the house on his own (which he does). Of course the minute I open the door, the dogs are at the ready and bolt. They haven't gone potty since 9:00 AM, it's now almost 6:15 PM. I put the pizza on the desk, set the groceries on the floor (Brighton quickly grabs the ice cream and drags it down the hallway, through the kitchen and deposits it in the living room) and let the dogs out. As I come back in I hear, "PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZA!!!" Brighton is now wailing with tears streaming down his face...

"You're gonna have to wait a sec, I have to feed the puppies. Want to feed Feebee for Mom?" <~~diversion attempt "NO! PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZA!!!" diversion failed.

Tears are now streaming down his face as though I've told him "there's no more pizza in the whole world and you're now going to starve to death because we have no other options in our home to eat...sorry. Would you like some dust?"

Like a soldier ready for battle, I plow ahead as planned. I march to the back, get the dog food and cat food prepared while Brighton is following me every step of the way, mustering out between sobs "PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZA!!!"

Finally about 6:25 I get him in his high chair, which calms him a little but the wailing has now become habit so he continues a little as though he can't help it, and I grab a monkey plate (I figure that will make him happier than a plain ol' fiesta plate). I grab the smallest piece of "PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZA!!!" , dab it with a paper towel (if you've ever had Casey's pizza, you know why), eat most of the pepperoni off and give him his "PIZZA! PIZZA!! PIZZA!!!" which he eats two pieces of...

Mom grabs a beer and a slab of pizza and is done for the night...

Pool Closed

Another disappointing morning this morning. We get up, get all ready to go to the pool. My intention was to go early so that we could beat the crowd and somewhat beat the extreme heat. Now keep in mind, I've not been to a public pool in quite some time. Probably since I was a kid myself. So I have little experience with aquatic parks...

I have it all planned out. We'll go in the morning and beat the heat/crowd, then we'll get home around noon when Bright can take a nap or eat lunch or both, then we'll leave around 2:00 to be at his doctor appointment at 2:45 then off to meet dad and to work I go. Sounds like a great plan right?

We get our suits on, pack the beach bag with towels and such, get in the car and off we go. I first hit Dollar General to get some arm floaties and a tube and some sunscreen. We pick up all those things (and then some), and off we go. I get to the waterpark, armed with floaties, noodles, sunscreen, an innertube, and walk proudly up to the front desk where I'm greeted by a woman who looks at me like I'm a wee bit crazy.

"Do you have an outdoor pool or is it just indoors?"

"It's only 10:00, the outdoor pool doesn't open until 12."

"Ok" So what's the problem? I think to myself as I reach in my purse to get my wallet.

"There's swimming classes right now. Neither pool opens up for 'free swim' until noon."

"oh." I play if off as best I could. I was angry at myself for not calling ahead (like that little glimmer in the back of my head TOLD me to do) so I asked if they had a flyer on swimming lessons for toddlers and left.

Doesn't it figure. Another romantic "orchard view" kind of day.