April 28, 2013 ~ Spring Fest

Billy got a special treat this weekend. I've known about it for about a month and didn't tell him. Man, what an experience for him. I real fire truck to go see.

I took him to Spring Fest.

What's Spring Fest? I don't know. It was in a rinky-dink little shopping center by our house. There happened to be a grand opening of a new gym at the same time. I don't know if the gym arranged the festival to coincide with their grand opening, or if they took advantage of an already planned event. Anyways, it's the first time they held it. To be honest, if I didn't have a toddler it would be pretty lame. But Billy loved it. Why?

1. Big Birds!

This owl and black vulture stopped by for a visit. How often do you get to be up close and personal with birds like these...for free?


2. Kids' Activities

They had a moon bounce plus lots of kids crafts. All for free. He was scared of the moon bounce at first- mostly because too many kids were in it. Then he realized he could fall flat on his face and not get hurt. Who doesn't love that?

3. Free Music Lesson

Yes, he got to play a REAL guitar and get a "lesson" from a music professional for 10 minutes. All for free. He really wants that guitar. He'll get it too... if he finishes his potty training.

4. Giant Animals

Billy got to meet the Towson Tiger and some random other people dressed up in animal costumes. He was so excited about them. A little odd, but the kids like it.

5. RAVENS!!!

Talk Ravens to me any day and you can be assured I'll show up. Here's Billy getting his very owned signed copy of the Ravens' 2012 team photo (you know...those guys that won the big game?) That's Jah Reid and Bryan Hall of the Ravens sitting at the table.

6. The biggest and best reason of all!

Forget the other stuff. The local fire truck was there. Not only did Billy get to meet real firemen and see the truck, he got to SIT in the truck. How cool is that? He was allowed to sit in there as long as he wanted and play with all of the buttons and steer the wheel. Here he is sitting in the captain's seat, where he got to flip through the maps of the area and the procedure book.

This, THIS! is why we went. Billy loves fire trucks. And some of Baltimore County's finest brought this big shiny truck over to the festival. Nothing could be cooler to a 2 year old boy.

5 Years

It's a big day. Billy doesn't get it. But if you're old enough to be reading this, then you understand.

5 years, one toddler and a geriatric dog...

Drawn In Thursdays

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A true story from this week. Misunderstanding of "strong".

April 23, 2013 ~ Buddy Boy

I'm asking for a bit of mojo for Buddy. He's moved on to the last phase of treatment for his cancer- stop all medication and wait to see if it comes back. Fingers crossed. We've made it cancer free since October, so here's hoping.

Lots of love to the Bud:

I have a riddle for you...

What do you get the next day after your toddler hasn't had enough sleep because they peed in the bed?

Grumpy Pants

April 22, 2013 ~ The 4am Break

<sarcasm font>

Last night Billy and I decided to take a break from sleeping to enjoy some quality time together at four in the morning.

It's so lovely to be able to wake up in the middle of the night to a crying child who's calling for you and discover a puddle where a bed should be. We got to play dress up and pick out new outfits to wear back to bed. Then we got to strip his bed and go on a scavenger hunt in the dark for all of the things that were hiding in the crib/around the crib.

We had some lovely cuddle time after the tears were put away. Alas, it had to end and we had to go back to bed.

</sarcasm font>

April 21, 2013 ~ Of Peeps and Pirates

Ever hosted an outdoor party... for kids? Ever done it in the pouring down rain? Now, I can say that I have.

I hosted a Peeps Roast for the neighborhood kids. It seemed like a great idea at the time. We have a fire dish and roasting sticks. The kids come over with their leftover Easter candy and voile! Instant awesomeness.

Well, that was the plan. Mother Nature intervened.

I never cancel a party sooner than 24 hours out. And 24 hours out the forecast was for a potential squall line to blow through town. But the timing was iffy, so I made the call to keep the party on and hope that the front would come on the earlier or later side.

The party started at 7 and so did the storm.

This was my "make it work" moment.

Daddy ruled out the fireplace or the kitchen stove. What to do? Fetch the camp stove. So, a bunch of families with little kids huddled on our covered porch around the camp stove on our coffee table and roasted peeps.

And in the end, the weather made it a different kind of fun. We had a great time, got the kids all wound up on burnt sugar and sent them out to run in the rain on a warm spring evening.

~

Springtime means that a favorite part of my city gets invaded by pirates. Who doesn't love pirates?

"Hey Billy, do you want to go see the pirates and the ships?"
"And the barmaids?"
"How do you know that word???"
"Because I like barmaids!"

Yes, that's a real conversation from this weekend. He doesn't know what a barmaid is. We still have no idea what he meant.

He also told us about the "apocalypse bus". Apparently, the four horsemen have traded in their trusty steeds for the more modern conveyance of the public bus. He was trying to say "public".

And then there's "shiver me neighbors!" We could NOT get him to say "timbers". Nope. He decided the appropriate pirate phrase included our neighbors. Argh!

On the way, and ready for pirates!

Checking out the parrots

The Pride of Baltimore II

He was absolutely terrified of the pirates. TERRIFIED. He was scared of the parrots, too. We tried to get him to pet one, but the best we could do was having the little blue one sit on Daddy's arm. Of course, he loved the ships. He really wanted to board them, but they had just closed for the day so they could prepare for battle.

"Mommy, pirates don't say 'argh.' Non of pirates said 'argh' today."

True, but they do say "argh!" But not when you tell them to "shiver me neighbors."

~

This is our new backyard (revamped, I should say) on a chilly Sunday morning:

The cold weather this week yielded our first crop- broccoli, which we enjoyed with some friends for dinner.

Daddy and Billy spent the morning laying new sod.

He was very excited about digging for worms- gloves required. He's still scared of touching bugs (and birds and pirates).

We ended the weekend with another Peeps Roast with Cub, this time over a grill. The boys got hyped up on marshmallows and then ran it off in Cub's back yard in the dark, despite the chilly air.

Peeps, then pirates, then Peeps. It was a busy weekend.

The Sunday Post ~ Eat Dessert First

I'm sure that you've heard the age old adage that you should eat dessert first because life is short. Seems indulgent, and while you've probably thought about it, I bet you rarely follow through.

But here's a thought: Serve your kids dessert first.

What! Whoa! That's crazy talk!

Think about it, though.

You fix a nice meal that your kids pick at while squirming, waiting for dessert. Then, after they're in a food coma, you pump them full of sugar just before bedtime.

So think about it.

Serve your kids a small scoop of ice cream before dinner. Maybe even while you're fixing dinner. It's the perfect opportunity to seem indulgent- but what you're really doing is indulging yourself. Because instead of a sugar induced pre-bed frenzy, your child eats dinner during the sugar rush and ends with the food coma.

Putting my kids to bed when they're already in a food coma? Whoa, that really is crazy talk!

The trick is portion control. Clearly, you still want them to eat a healthy meal. But there is room for both dessert and dinner in that little belly and the order doesn't really matter.

So switch it up. Life is short, after all. Your kids will think you're the best parent in the world.

April 18, 2013 ~ Why?

Billy, eat you dinner.
Why?

Mommy, can I go outside?
No, it's raining.
Why is it raining?

Mommy can I have a cupcake.
No.
Why?
We don't have any.
WHY???

Mommy, can we watch kitty cats?
No, we have to get ready for school.
Why?
Because it's a school day.
Why?
Because it's a school day.
But why?

Mommy, do parrots bite?
Yes.
Why?

Do alligators bite?
Yes.
Why?

Do dinosaurs bite?
Yes.
Why?

Mommy am I a baby?
No.
Why?
Because you grew up.
But why?

--- Conversations, all had in one twelve hour period. This is only the highlight reel.

Drawn In Thursdays!

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True story from this week.

April 17, 2013 ~ No Goodbye for Grandma

We were leaving Grandma's house and I asked Billy to give her a hug and say goodbye.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I know say goodbye Grandma!"

We tried and tried to get him to say it.

"Tell Grandma 'goodbye', honey."

"See you next week, Grandma! I no say goodbye."

Yes, he really said, "see you next week."

Then on the ride home he continued to tell me that he was NOT going to say goodbye to Grandma and NOT give her a hug. Until we were about half way home...

"Mommy! I didn't give Grandma a hug! I need give Grandma a hug! Turn back!"

"Sorry, honey. We're driving now. You'll just have to give her a hug next week." ;)

April 15, 2013 ~ In the Wake...

In the wake of today's tragedy (and let's not talk about that, since it's all anyone is talking about) it got me thinking.

They shut down the cell towers, blocking communication, closed the metro and I'm sure the streets- if not closed, were gridlock. I work downtown. Therefore, were something to happen in my town, God forbid, how would I get to Billy?

It's a new world we live in.

I need a plan. Daddy and I need a plan. And that plan needs to include how to get Billy from daycare and rendezvous some place safe.

Everyone should have a plan. If there's anything that tsunamis, earthquakes and bombings teach us is that we need to be prepared. I'm not talking doomsday prepper prepared.

Here's what my plan is going to consist of:

1.) getting in touch with Daddy and with daycare
2.) picking a rendezvous spot and meeting there, even if it takes hours for us all to arrive
3.) gather supplies in the event that we need to flee farther
4.) contact nearby relatives to check on their status

IF phone lines are down we need to know some of these details ahead of time.

Be prepared. Make a plan. I'm going to.

April 14, 2013 ~ Pink Toes

We've had more successful attempts at poop on the potty, and many unsuccessful attempts too. But this weekend Billy won himself a new garden shovel and the right to have pink toes. I'm resolved to buy some nail polish in a "boy" color so that he doesn't look quite so girly. Here are our matching toes, a la Billy's request. Buddy posed for us too.

National Cherry Blossom Festival, Continued...

It's impossible to write out a blog post on my phone, and it even doesn't post pictures correctly. My apologies for being behind again, but we've been absolutely swamped at work and I'm not able to keep up with things like eating and sleeping, much less a blog. Something's got to give.

Anyways, here is what happened at the festival:

This weekend we went to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC and to the Japanese Festival.

First, we went to the Japanese festival, which was in the streets between the Capitol and the White House. Literally, standing in the middle of the street looking one way I could see the dome of the Capitol and looking the other, the White House. Then looking around me- geishas, samurais and random anime characters. I didn't take any photos because it was as crowded as a mosh pit at a concert- no exaggeration. Hell to navigate with a stroller.

From there we wandered down the Mall past the Washington Monument.

After that we walked down to the Tidal Basin to look at the blossoms. It's very late for them to be blooming, but they were only just past their peak. We've had very cold weather.

We walked down to look at the Jefferson Memorial. I didn't take this pic of Billy looking up at Mr. Jefferson- my friend did, but it's an awesome pic. "Mommy, he's really tall..."

Billy's favorite part was seeing Mr. Jefferson in his "house". He also liked riding on the green train that wasn't green. (The metro on the green line).

He had a great time, but when I asked him what he liked best, he said the tigers. I think he liked the circus last weekend better than hanging out in DC with friends. That's ok. The tigers were really cool.

April 13, 2013 ~ Cherry Blossom Festival

Today we went to the cherry blossom festival. It was actually my first time. Here are some photos of the very well behaved Billy at the festival. More details to come.

Where Have I Been?

I realize it's been several days since I posted. It's also been several days since I got more than a nap or had more than five minutes to consume a meal. What's going on? Massive state contract at work. My assistant quit back in January and we don't have a replacement yet. So, I had to forfeit sleep and food to try to get everything done. That includes the blog.

Well, that also means I haven't been spending a lot of time with Billy.

So, I'll leave you with a picture of some eggs that Billy dyed for Easter. And yes, I just got around to throwing them out.

The Sunday Post ~ How to Camp With a Baby/Toddler Part 2

 Awhile back I wrote a quick summary of how to camp with a baby/toddler.

How to Camp With a Baby/Toddler

But what I didn't include was an actual list of things to bring. Since camping season is just about to start, here is the list that I use to pack for camping. This is just stuff for baby/toddler to be included with regular camping gear

Avoid milk. If you have to, get some individual milks. I usually take juice boxes too. I avoid sippys if I can. Camping stores sell scrubby brushes with soap built into them, but it requires potable water to wash with. I usually pack 2 per day (per kid) and bring home the gross ones to run through the dishwasher instead of cleaning on site.

Baby list:
# of diapers he uses per day + four extra per day
box of wipes (yes, a whole box)
a sheet saver to use as a changing pad
2 cloth diapers for whatever small person bodily fluid emergency
diaper rash ointment
SUNSCREEN!!!
wide-brimmed hat
fever medication (just in case)
any regular medication that baby/toddler takes
baby lotion
baby allergy medication
3 outfits per day
coat or sweater that is comfortable to sleep in
1 sleep outfit per night with long pants
2 summer blankets
1 heavy baby blanket
2 sheets for baby sleeping arrangement
baby pillow (if he/she uses one)
White noise machine
2-4 favorite luvies for crib
binkies
2 pairs of shoes
3 pairs of socks per day
3 baby bowls
6 baby spoons
2 sippy cups per day
1 plastic bib
baby shampoo
1 bath towel
3 wash clothes
2 swimsuits/swim shirts
1 bag of books (5-8) for bedtime or quiet time.
1 large bag of random toys
1 small bag of toys for car ride that he doesn't get outside of car
1 large blanket to play on
toothbrush
crib/pack'n'play (for sleeping and play
shade (either a shade tent or a tarp with rope to hang up. good to keep both sun and rain off)
stroller- bring one with a feeding tray if still an infant.



Food for baby/toddler:
bananas
animal crackers in gladware
cheerios in gladware
fruit loops in gladware
raisins
pb&js for lunch
grapes
yogurt bites (instead of yogurt)
arrowroot cookies (good for unhappy bellys) (gerber makes them)
precut cheese
juice boxes
water
already cooked peas (serve cold)
baby carrots
anything for you guys that they can eat too




If there is a swimming area:
1 bag of water toys/beach toys
1 swim towel
1 pair of sandals or water shoes
swim diapers


Bring a ball. A big ball. Glowsticks are awesome. Flashlights are fun. Make games out of what's there, like picking up sticks.

April 6, 2013 ~ Billy's First Circus

Do you know how expensive the circus is these days? Wow. We were going to take Billy, but between the shows all being at naptime/bedtime and the cost we decided to wait until next year. Then I got free tickets. Who can pass up free tickets? (Clearly not me).

We had a birthday party at lunchtime, so Billy went no nap on his way to the circus.

Here we are at the circus. In this photo you can see Billy's head, elephants and acrobats hanging from the ceiling.

Here's Billy in his seat:

If you ask him what his favorite part was he will tell you the elephants. Ok, elephants are really cool, especially elephants that do tricks.

(On a side note, I was not so happy to see the trainers using bull hooks and hitting the elephants. I had hoped the circus had evolved some. If you don't know what I'm referring to, read Water For Elephants.)

We got to see a very angry tiger almost eat her trainer. Yeah, that happened. My coworker speculates (he was there) that it may have been part of the act. Could be. But the other big cats in the ring were under control. Just not this one very angry Tiger.

I think one of Billy's favorite parts of the whole experience was sitting in a theater seat. They don't stay down unless you're sitting on them, and at a toddler weight, they don't stay down unless you're sitting on the very end of the seat. He found this fascinating and ended up sitting in my lap the whole time between wanting to push the seat up and down from my seat and because he couldn't see when it would squish him.

Despite going no nap he stayed up for the whole show and was so excited to see everything. He really liked the animals. There should have been more animal acts. He liked the 8 motorcycles in the cage of death and some parts with the clowns. Let's not forget the dragon at the end.

And I can assure, after all of that activity, he was passed out before our car ever left the parking garage on the way home.

April 4, 2013 ~ Little Red Umbrella

Last weekend, Billy had multiple successful uses of the potty, so as a reward we went to the toy store to buy some toys and to buy some in reserve for future successful attempts.

His chosen toy? Was it a toy gun? A train? A stuffed animal? Something with batteries?

No, it was an umbrella.

There was a rack of umbrellas in the little girls' section (apparently boys don't need umbrellas). Most were pretty princess parasols, but they also had a bumble bee and a ladybug umbrella. He got to pick between the two and opted for the ladybug.

This is no ordinary umbrella. It's his new favorite thing. It goes everywhere with him. He takes it to bed with him. He takes it to the potty with him.

Sometimes he walks with it like a cane. Sometimes he does tricks with it- flipping it over his shoulder and swirling it around. Sometimes, he plays golf with it, or baseball. But whatever it's purpose for the moment, it's always with him.

"When's it going to rain, Mommy?" he keeps asking me.

Maybe one day he'll get to use it for its intended purpose.

Drawn In Thursdays: Mysteries of the Toddlerverse #2

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A true story from this week. This is what happens when Billy gets his very own umbrella.

How I Explained Easter to a Two Year Old

Easter is a tough concept to grasp.

You've got this guy. He lived a long time ago. But he lives perpetually. On Good Friday he dies. Then on Easter he rises into Heaven to go hang out with God, the Holy Ghost and all of the angels and Saints.

Some of my more tongue-in-cheek friends refer to it as Zombie Jesus Day.

But how to explain it to someone that has no concept of religion?

Here's my version of the story (for toddlers):

There's a guy named Jesus. He has a house. We call it Church. Church is Jesus' house. Jesus has a big booboo. He's really sick. So we're all going to pray really hard for him. And if we pray hard enough he'll be all better and we'll all start singing.

Well, that was the best I could do.

How would you explain this particular religious mystery to a toddler?

P.S. I left out the reference to Ishtar and fertility rites and other sources of Easter traditions. Probably not that best topic for a two year old.

Easter Monday 2013

Again, daycare was closed.

We started our morning with an egg hunt.

Just Billy this time. The Easter bunny hid plastic eggs with candy and coins in them in our back yard. We got home too late for him to hunt on Easter, so we hunted the next day. Also, it was terribly rainy on Easter. Good thing the Easter Bunny came back Monday morning to hide all of those eggs for him. It was nice and sunny then.

He had a great time being able to hunt for the eggs that were easily hidden around the backyard. There was no rush and he found all of the eggs. He might have had a little bit of help...

Then it was time to empty the eggs. He got lots of candy in suspicious orange and black and red and green (shh! don't tell!) He also got some coins, which he put in his piggy bank. These were the very first coins to go into the bank. Lucky Billy.

After nap Grandma popped over for a visit. He got to show off his bounty.

Then it was off to the toy store to purchase another poop prize. Yep, more poop in the potty! He picked out an umbrella. He also got a garden shovel and Candyland- both being held in reserve for more poop. He's also already picked out a toy kitchen for his birthday. I'm hoping he forgets by then!

~

PS- I totally forgot to mention that yesterday during the family egg hunt Billy won two prizes. He got almost nearly the most eggs (3rd place) with 13 eggs and he got the $1000 dollar egg- for which he got a real 1000 bill- from the African country Guyana (worth 4.50 US). I think it's awesome. He will too in a few years.

Easter 2013

Well, I need to pull photos off of my camera, but for now I will share photos from my phone.

Here's Billy with his basket, already emptied of contents. He was so thrilled that the Easter Bunny hopped on by. He got chocolate, play doh, bubbles, chalk, a chicken that poops jelly beans (because we all need that), a stuffed bunny and a toddler Bible. I think he liked the Bible the best. He read it before getting into the rest of the basket- candy included.

The funny thing is that I don't talk about religion very often. Billy saw the toddler Bible in the store and wanted it. He picked it up. But, he seems to like religion a lot. So, the Easter Bunny got him the Bible. It's got colorful cartoons of some of the popular Bible stories and short versions of them told in a way that kids understand.

After opening the basket it was off to the shore for the family egg hunt.

It was very cold and drizzly out. But all of the cousins had fun hunting. Billy took awhile to warm up to all of these cousins. So many so close to his age. We visited with a small number from that branch- 40 or so- for brunch.

Then afterward we went over to my aunt's house for the bunny bash. That would be literally bashing a chocolate bunny with crab mallets. Billy had a fabulous time with this other group of cousins too.

He went no nap and up early and made it the whole day without getting cranky until the very end when we were back home. He had a wonderful Easter, overloaded with candy and cake and cousins. That's the best kind.

An Easter Vigil

Saturday was all Easter prep- as it should be. We dyed eggs, baked bunny rolls and attended High Mass.

Billy got to dye 18 Easter eggs. He liked the yellow ones. We made a lot of yellow eggs. Grandma helped us with the egg dyeing process. He got to sticker the dry eggs too. In hindsight, toddlers and stickers that don't stick well to eggs are a bad combination.

There was also some baking involved. Billy loves to cook, however he was relegated to just watching for this particular task.

In the evening we attended High Mass. This is the Easter Vigil, the most solemn and most beautiful of all of the Masses for the whole year.

If you have never been to the Easter Vigil, allow me to share what it is like. The Church is completely dark. It begins with a bonfire. This year the bonfire was in the courtyard outside. From that fire is lit the Pascal Candle. Everyone goes back into the completely dark Church. Then the Pascal Candle is slowly processed in. As it passes, each parishioner lights their own candle from the flame being passed through the crowd. A single flame becomes a thousand. The Church is lit solely by the candles of the parishioners and the Pascal Candle for the first part of the Mass. Then, the Gospel proclaims Jesus risen and the whole Church lights up and the choir rings out in song. It's very powerful symbolism.

Mass started right at Billy's bedtime, so we had no idea what to expect behavior-wise. He was grumpy most of the day from having a cold, so I wasn't sure we would make it very long.

He was fascinated by the bonfire and the part with the candles. Daddy gave him a candle to hold. It was Daddy's candle. Billy insisted. I wanted to take it away from him, but Billy insisted on holding onto it. I watched him like a hawk the whole candle part. He did fine, though. He was very proud of himself.

Then, almost shockingly, Billy sat quietly through the Mass. Now, most days he has difficulty sitting through a normal Mass- you know, the kind that run 45-1 hour. This was the Easter Vigil. We left right after the Eucharist (I know, I know...poor manners) which was 2.5 hours into the ceremony and there was still another half hour or longer to go. Yes, Billy was quiet and behaved for 2.5 hours in Church. Small miracle? We missed my favorite part, which is when the choir sings Handel's Messiah at the very end. But I doubted Billy was going to make it that long. I doubted I was going to make it that long. Next year we're going to rethink attending the Easter Vigil. Beautiful but too long for a little one.

Good Friday 2013

Well, I wasn't home with Billy- that was Daddy. Daycare was closed so they stayed home together. According to Daddy they didn't do anything.

HOWEVER,

Billy earned himself this baseball bat.

This is poop prize #1. Yep. He gets a present for every poop in the potty. (Might be too much information, but when you're potty training, this is a big deal).

He's thrilled with his new bat.

Drawn In Thursdays: Things Kids Do #22

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A true story from yesterday. Verbatim.

March 28, 2013 ~ Singing Up A Storm

Drawn In Thursdays is coming...I think. Let's see how busy I really am...


Billy has a love of singing. And thanks to daycare, he now knows lyrics to songs. This was the serenade I got on the car ride home yesterday.

"Twinkle little star,
Up up the world so high
Twinkle little star, twinkle twinkle little star,
Diamond in sky,
Twinkle little star!

Itsy bitsy spider
climbed up the spider spider
Down came the rain and
Itsy bitsy spider
Sun in sky and
Itsy bitsy spider

Cow jumped over the moon

A b c d f m g,
h and k j l and b,
w s,
p m b,
w s,
y and b
next time won't you sing with me...

twinkle little star,
up up in the world so high
twinkle little star!"

That's his song and he's sticking to it!

March 26, 2013 ~ No, Play That Other Song

Awhile back I posted about Billy's love of the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Here's the post.

He hasn't asked for it in awhile. Well, he started asking for it again. It's on a mix CD (hey, remember those?) that I keep in my car.

So, I played the 'Chatnaga' Choo Choo at his request. The next song to come on in order was Fly Me To The Moon.

"Mommy, I no wanna hear Fly Me To The Moon. I wanna hear Chatnaga Choo Choo!".

Wait... was that my toddler knowing the name of the next song and then asking for a different song?

"We just heard the Choo Choo song. Let's listen to something else."

"Um, Kalamazoo."

Wait, is that my toddler remembering the name of ANOTHER song on the same CD? Why, yes. Yes, it is.

This conversion actually happened on the way home from Gammy's. The reason I mention it here is that last night on the way home Billy again asked for the Choo Choo song. Then Fly Me To The Moon came on and he started singing along with it. His favorite line? "Baby, kiss me." He thinks that's just so funny. Then he requested Kalamazoo and started singing it BEFORE I put it on. Oh, yes. He remembers the lyrics to that one too. Well, mainly just the "zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo part." He sang the two songs the whole time between getting home and bed (which thankfully wasn't that long). He went off to bed singing, "baby, kiss me!"

March 25, 2013 ~ Sledding. Finally!

Well, it finally snowed. It's Spring and we got our first significant snowfall of the year. We'd given up hope, but here it is!

Unfortunately, Billy didn't gt to enjoy too much of it. I was sure that daycare was going to be closed. The schools were. But daycare opened, so Billy went off to school and I went off to work.

After work I dressed Billy up in his winter get-up with snow pants and everything. We grabbed the toboggan and headed for the hills. This was Billy's first ever attempt to go sledding. Rain had turned some of the snow to mush and lessened the amount, but we hoped to find enough on the hills to attempt a run or two.

What luck!

Kids had turned the snow-covered hill to mostly grass with earlier sledding fun, but there was enough left to get some sledding in. I thought Billy was going to be scared. It's a big hill. But he hopped right into the sled and was ready to go. he giggled the whole way down.

We went down the hill a few more times before he informed me, "Mommy, this time I go just me." That's right. He wanted to go all by himself.

Not going to hover, not going to hover...

So I put him in the sled, gave him a push and prayed for dear life.

He giggled the whole way down. "Again, Mommy!"

Yep. Again and again he went down that big hill all by himself we me chasing the sled down the hill on foot. He didn't want to go inside, but the lack of daylight sent us in.

Here's looking forward to next winter!

The Sunday Post ~ Twas The Night Before Easter

A revisit from last year's Easter post:

The Sunday Post ~ Twas The Night Before Easter

Twas the night before Easter
And all through the house
The eggs were all dyed
stripes and flowers and one even looked like a mouse.
The baskets were placed by the back door with care
In hopes that the Easter Bunny soon would be there.
The children were tucked all snug in their beds
while visions of chocolate bunnies danced in their heads.
And Pa in his PJs and I in my gown
Had finished our running and just settled down.
When in the kids' bedroom there arose such a clatter
We sprang from our seats to see what was the matter.
Away to their door I flew with all speed
They were back asleep after one had gotten up and peed.
A late dinner awaited out on the deck.
It was a little too chilly, but hey, "what the heck?"
When out in the garden there was a flash of white fur.
He ran by so fast it was all just a blur.
With a cottonball tail and ears so funny
I knew in a moment it was the Easter Bunny!
He hopped up the step and hopped up one more.
Then then all a sudden he hopped through the door.
His fluffy fur was as white as snow.
And around his neck he wore a pink and yellow polka-dot bow.
And on his head a he wore a tophat
It held all the candy- it must be a magic hat!
Oh how it wiggled, that small bunny nose
And how long those feet, with their cute bunny toes.
His ears on his head reached up so high
A wonder they couldn't reach to the sky.
He filled each basket one by one
Then wiggled his nose when he was all done.
Choclates and peeps and candy galore.
But I thought to myself, "there must be some more!"
Then for each basket a final touch-
That chocolate bunny we all love so much.
Now he was finished and turned with a jerk.
Off to the kitchen to finish his work.
From the fridge he took the bowl of dyed eggs.
Then hopped out into the yard on his white, fuzzy legs.
He hid each one in the garden with care.
Under rocks, behind trees- he hid them with flare.
Then he winked at us and wiggled his nose
And dashed away beneath the primrose.
But I heard him exclaim as he hopped out of sight
"Happy Easter to all, and to all a good night!"

Palm Sunday Weekend 2013

You know what happens when I'm excessively busy? I don't make it to the computer to post. I've been busy at work, busy at home.

Actually, it's kind of a funny story for what was going to be Thursday's post. Billy kept telling me about the alligator under the bed and how he needed to put his shoes on and had to be careful. This was randomly in the car, so not even related to bedtime. I was telling the story on Saturday and come to find out that his rendition closely resembles a children's book about an alligator under the bed. Here I thought he was super inventive, but he was just telling me the story he heard at school most likely.

Friday was a boring day. Nothing to report.

Saturday we started our day with a pillow pile. I pulled all of the cushions off of the couch and we took turns diving into the pillows. He thought this was the best thing ever. We got to "swim" in pillows.

After that we broke out the play dough. Billy decided to use it to "paint" his nails.

Well, at least it's blue.

After nap we went shopping. Carter's was having a sale and I'm in the market for a decent Easter outfit. No luck on that. But Billy did get to pick out his very own shoes. They don't fit him yet- maybe another few months, although he wants to wear them starting yesterday.

Oh yes. They have a collection of balls down the side that light up when he walks. I did my best to capture the awesomeness that is the light up shoes in this picture. I think I failed miserably. They are silver and navy blue.

After the shopping adventure it was off to see Gammy.

I know what you're asking... wait, who's Gammy? We've got Grandma, and Nana (Peepop's wife) and dearly departed Grandmother. Gammy is a good friend of Grandma. You know how some of your parents' friends are around so often they feel like family? That's Gammy (as she's requested to be called). She's not the only close family friend that I grew up with, but a very dear one to be sure.

Our little afternoon visit ran on so late that Billy didn't get to bed until well after bedtime. That's okay, gabbing with Gammy was worth it. Besides, Grandma and Gammy don't get to see each other nearly enough.

~

Palm Sunday

Well, we opted to go to the kids Mass very early in the morning. Palm Sunday is perhaps the longest Mass of the year, so fortunately they kept it short. That's relative- it was still well over an hour, but at least it wasn't the full High Mass that I usually go to. Billy wouldn't not have cooperated.

He was very good for Mass. It helped that he had a palm frond to inspect and play with until Daddy took it away. Billy bopped the head of the lady in the pew in front of us. Unfortunately, Daddy bopped Billy in the nose in the process of extricating the palm frond. That sent him into high-pitched wails just in time for Communion. But he was very well-behaved otherwise. We did have to make two trips to the potty- both successful. And he kept asking about the smell (incense).

I think the big thing that kept him quiet was that he wanted to see baby Jesus. The last time we were in Church he did get to see baby Jesus in the beautiful nativity scene in one of the smaller chapels. But, Christmas is over and the Nativity scene long put away. I took him up to the altar to look at the crucifix instead.

"But, Mommy, that's big Jesus"

"I know. But that last time we were here was his birthday. Now he's big. He grew up."

Okay, well, he bought it- for now. How does one explain the mystery that is religion to a two-year-old?



I know! Let's ask the Easter Bunny.

We got home from Church and headed over to the annual neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.

It was bitterly cold, but the kids showed up in force. They all ran around collecting as many eggs as they can. Since I was on the hiding committee, I kept Billy from collecting more than 10 so that all of the kids could get some. I swear all of the eggs were gone in less than 5 minutes.

Two boys and their grandma showed up late to the hunt and missed out. I asked Billy if he would be okay with sharing. He went up to the boys and handed each of them an egg from his very own basket. Then he went around offering up other eggs to other children to make sure than everyone got one. I didn't tell him to do it. I asked him if he wanted to share. He did it of his own accord.

He also got to visit with the Easter Bunny.

Yes, he's creepy. We're going to see if we can't get the bunny some better digs for next year. Despite that, Billy was SO excited to meet the bunny. He followed him (really a her) around until the Easter Bunny's mom picked him (her) up in a car and drove away.

You should see Billy's face when he talks about the meeting the Easter Bunny. Smile from ear to ear. He can't wait for the Easter Bunny to come by on Easter and fill his basket with candy.

Look, Ma! The Easter Bunny is real!

March 19, 2013 ~ The Easter Bunny Ate My Hair

First, that person formally known as Grandpop is now Peepop. Despite my best efforts, this is the name Billy has settled on. Peepop it is.

We knew this day would come. It was inevitable. The day when Billy would ask where Peepop's hair went.

"The Easter Bunny ate my hair," Peepop laughed.

Billy was very concerned. I could see his little toddler mind processing this. First, the Easter Bunny will bring candy, next the Easter Bunny will eat all of his hair and then disappear into thin air leaving me with a boon of chocolate and a bald spot. Way to combine Halloween with Easter, Peepop, with a mutant bunny that goes around eating hair off of unsuspecting heads.

"Um, actually, Buster ate his hair!" I piped in. Buster is Peepop's dog. Seemed a likely choice. He's been known to eat a shoe or twenty.

There was a quick exchange of glances before Peepop caught on. "Oh, yeah, Buster ate my hair!"

Better than warding off a horrible hair-eating hare with magical powers.

Now we only have to worry about locking Buster up at bedtime when Billy sleeps over at Peepop's.

March 18, 2013 ~ Clowning Around

Yes, I'm a day late in posting. But I'm busy busy busy.

Daddy and Billy went to the grocery store together, so I didn't get to see much of Billy. When I finally did get to see him, this is what I saw:

Yep. School decided to paint up Silly Billy like a clown. With real clown makeup. And me without any baby oil (a real clown's secret to removing clown make up). We had to scrub it off with baby lotion instead.

It took two parents to get the makeup off, between stubborn makeup and a stubborn toddler.

March 17, 2013 ~ Snoopy Sauce

We started the weekend with a jaunt down to the court to finally try out the motorcycle on the street. He wanted to really open it up and get it going to top speed (of 1.7 mph).

He did not want to come inside. It was chilly and cloudy, but he was having too much fun tooling around with his little bike. He really wanted to take it out on the road, but I have a strict court-only rule. We did take it over to the pool parking lot, but the gentle slope of the hill proved treacherous. So much for that.

Due to a mild salon fiasco I ended up missing the whole afternoon with Billy. That's a long story filled with gripe.

Unfortunately, it was a crappy afternoon so we were stuck inside.

Here's Billy showing off his feats of strength by carrying his box o' blocks. It's full and rather heavy.

Oh yeah, and check out the sweater. I let him have a sheet of stickers. Do you know what happens when you give a sheet of stickers to a 2 year old? This:

~

St. Patrick's Day!

The first thing that Billy wanted to do on St. Pat's Day was watch Brave. In fact, he's had no love for this movie (it's scary) and I didn't suggest it. He decided he wanted to watch it. Fitting for the day, I think. He even told me the music in it was "Ire-rish music."

It was another yucky day so we were cleaning. Billy is terrified of vacuum cleaners. He loves them, but he's terrified. 

Billy is hiding in his chair and protecting his stuffed friends from scary old roomba.

After two days of crappy weather Billy had cabin fever. So, I decided that the best thing to do on a cold almost snowy (it was snowing nearby) day was to go out for ice cream.

"Billy, what kind to you want?"

"Um... the pink one!"

Of course, he wanted the pink one. That would be strawberry gelato. I figured that was a safe bet with him, since he loves strawberries and ice cream.

I got mint chocolate chip gelato and let him try mine. He ate his for awhile, but then decided he liked mine better and so I gave mine to him. He ate the rest of mine and when that ran out went back to the strawberry.

At this point he had the shivers. Time to put an end to the ice cream. I threw out that whole cup of strawberry. He wailed, "I want more ice cream!" but there was nothing for it. It was already thrown out and he was shivering.

When we got home we curled up under a blanket to watch the end of Brave. In the middle of the movie he said to me, "Mommy, I know like that smell. What's that smell?"

I smelled it. Smelled like wine. But, Daddy has been making his own wine as a hobby, so I thought nothing of it.

Just then Daddy bounded down the steps having just woken up from his nap. "What's that smell?" he asked. "Smells like wine," I repeated. I must be the special P.I. Nose around here.

A string of expletives came out of his mouth as he dashed towards his wine making area. The carboy, a glass container for brewing, had been sitting on a milk crate. The old crate had collapsed under the weight of the wine, sending approximately 5 gallons of wine gushing all over the laundry room floor and into the bathroom and guest room. There was glass everywhere.

I bet you're wondering why I am telling you this story? I'm getting there.

Billy really wanted to help with the clean up. But we had on shoes- he didn't. Also, he's two. He shouldn't be cleaning up a.) wine or b.) glass. So, I told him he had to have shoes and that we were too busy to put his shoes on (you know, with wine soaking into the carpet and all).

He ran upstairs to fetch his tennis shoes and brought them back down. He really wanted me to put them on him, but again, there was wine and glass everywhere, so I didn't want him helping and didn't want to break from cleaning.

"Put them on yourself!" I suggested.

And he did just that. In under five minutes. Foiled again! He got to "help" for being so big that he was able to put his shoes on all by himself for the very first time.

A small sigh for the wine that was lost. It was done, just needed to be bottled.

~

By the time we got everything cleaned up it was after bedtime but Billy hadn't eaten dinner yet. I sat him down to eat a favorite soup of mine- potato and leek soup. I call it vichyssoise (although generally vichyssoise is served cold but it's the same thing.) Billy decided the name was Snoopy Sauce. By the way, he doesn't like Snoopy Sauce and he was pretty sure I hid a potato in it (okay, maybe 3).

He gave his Snoopy Sauce to me and opted for leftover Mac Mac instead. Then, being well past his bedtime, it was off to the land of Land of Nod.
 
 

The Sunday Post- I Want A Dress!

Imagine for a moment that you are two. You're two, so you love shiny things and bright colors. You're two, so you love lots of decorations. You're two, so you have no concept of gender. Now, imagine being two and walking into a store to buy an Easter outfit.

For the girls there are beautiful dress in vibrant colors or pastels. Each one has more decoration than the next. The have glitter, iridescence, bows, embroidery, jewels and lots of other frills.

For the boys they have jeans to match either plaid dress shirts or rugby shirts, or polos with plaid shorts. Whomp, whomp.

And now imagine that you are two AND a boy. Imagine that sinking feeling when you realize that girls get all the cool colors and all of the fun shiny stuff. And you're a boy, so you're not allowed and you don't understand why because gender means nothing to you.

Billy wants an Easter dress.

Okay, stop right there. I'm not buying him a dress even if he wailed about it (and he did). Yes, I made him a pink hat because he asked for one and pink is his favorite color. But, no. I won't be buying him a dress.

However, this is where I launch into a tirade at the kids clothing manufacturers. The only places I have ever been able to find decent holiday garb for a boy have been in the boutique shops. No, I don't want my little boy to look like a girl. But I would like him to look festive.

Hoodies for Christmas?

Jeans for Easter???

What kind of example are we setting for our young men if this is the height of fashion to aspire to? That dressing up means hoodies and jeans? Those are great for the playground. But where are the holiday vests, the sweet little sweaters, the seersucker suits?

I'm not talking dressing little boys up like they are ready for a drag show. But what about some frills for the boys? Why not?

I have half a mind to start making my own clothes for my son, just so he can have some simple, yet elegant detailing that he desires.

Drawn In Thursdays: Holiday Hijinks #4

Click to Enlarge

A true story from this week.

March 12, 2013

March 11, 2013 ~ Bribery

I'm not beneath bribery.

Yeah, that was me in the store bribing Billy with ice cream if he would just behave and stop throwing random stuff into the grocery cart or running willy nilly own the aisles.

It worked. So, when we got home he got dessert first. That's right. Ice cream with chocolate. Then he got dinner. No worries. He ate most of it.

Sometimes you've got to live a little. And sometimes you've got to bribe your kid to behave.

Just don't tell Daddy...

March 10, 2013 ~ Shamrocks and Stuff

We had a very busy weekend, but here are the highlights:

Billy got to meet Cub's new siblings. Congrats to that family again on their new additions. Billy really liked the babies. Poor Cub. Billy brought him a balloon to congratulate him on becoming a big brother.

Billy really wanted to hold the babies. He got a turn with each one. Yes, I have pics and they are adorable, BUT I never post pics of other kids on my blog. So you'll just have to imagine it.

On the car ride home Daddy asked Billy if he wanted a sister or a brother. Billy decided that he wanted a sister. Then he informed us that "we need go to store and buy a sister. Yeah. I want buy one." Apparently, babies come from the store.

~

We have POOP!

What's a toddler to do when potty training? Hold his poop. For days. Then poop in his pants. It's what you do.

Billy was making the "poop" face on Saturday so I whisked him off to the bathroom. He produced the tiniest turd known to man. But, poop is poop! So, he got a bag of gummi bears, a balloon and to put on make up for the first time AND by himself.

(We're trying to make poop a big deal so he'll want to poop more often in the potty.)

What do you think happens when a toddler puts on his own make up? THIS:

You should enlarge the photo so you can see the blue streak down the cheek.

Then, all dolled up he went to play on his computer. I couldn't resist.

I'm pretty sure if he ever runs for office or becomes a movie star that this will be the embarrassing photo from his past.

~

We also went with Grandma to the Shamrock Shindig at Pierce's Park (let's call it SS@PP for short). There's no better place in Baltimore for an Irish Festival than Pierce's Park.

Here Billy is playing the musical fence.

You probably can't tell from the photo that there's thousands of people there and lots of loud Irish music. What's that you hear, Billy? "Ire-Rish moo-kiss!" We're still working on the pronunciation. There were kids' activity and lots of booze. Although, we weren't imbibing since it was morning. He really wanted an ice cream, but there were only 4 food trucks that I saw and none seemed to have ice cream. Oh, well. Maybe at a summer festival- although it was so warm it felt like summer! He had a great time running around the park and we were glad to run into cousins. We heard even more cousins were there, but with so many people we never found them.

There was the St. Patrick's Day Parade after the SS@PP but we didn't stay to see it. Nap time called and wanted a tired toddler.

~

Billy would like to wish Baby M a happy first birthday! Sorry to miss it but we'll see you soon!