I once heard of a little girl who wouldn't smile for pictures at her sister's wedding... OR How history repeats itself...

Hey Na, Hey Na

I didn't realize that Eve missed her daddy so much, until he got back from Madden's Friday afternoon (a full 2 and 1/2 hours earlier than I expected him!) and she would not let him put her down for about 4 hours. You couldn't wipe the smile off her face, and she kept burying her face in his shoulder. Sometimes, I think we have it so ingrained in our heads that Josie is "daddy's girl" that we fail to make sure Evie is getting enough time with him, and Josie with me.

Many things in life are uncertain. But one thing I'm fairly certain I know FOR SURE - my children will never be America's Next Top Model. They are beautiful, but not pros in front of the camera as some kids their ages are. See my friend Nikki's blog for perfect examples (and just to enjoy a couple of darn cute kids!) Granted, the end result is not always indicative of the experience as a whole, and I don't know what goes on behind the scenes during others' appointments. But for some reason, we keep subjecting ourselves to the terror of professional photographs. Gluttons for punishment? Apparently. We just want to be "good parents" and capture these months for our girls that go by so quickly. But between the one that wouldn't stand still, sit still or hold still and the other who wouldn't crack a genuine smile - we had ourselves one doosey of an appointment at Target on Saturday. It got quite comical towards the end, and we found ourselves laughing... good thing - or we probably would have been crying. We did end up with a couple of pretty cute pix... so the whole thing wasn't a wash. Maybe in a couple of years it will be different and I'll be eating my words. We'll see. Until then - the photographers at Target will be cringing when they see us coming!

Josie loves to draw pictures. Lately - her favorite subject matter is "the broken bridge." I wasn't quite sure I heard her correctly the first time she told me what she was drawing. But sure enough - she said it again. She must have seen something on tv at daycare - or they talked about it there, because she hasn't had any exposure to the coverage of it at home. It was a little disconcerting at first - but I guess this is a good lesson for us that we can't shelter them from everything.

Cute Josie story from yesterday - I had gotten done putting groceries away last night, and was starting to clean up the house before bedtime. Pat was getting Evie in her jammies, and probably changing another yucky-poopy diaper (the little doodle is working on about 4 new teeth all at once; they're the pointy ones next to the front four on top and bottom - are those the incisors?) and Josie was at the kitchen table when all of the sudden she came busting into the hallway yelling "OH NO! Look what Brewster did!! Brewster ate my pudding!!" She was holding an empty snack-pack carton that I had failed to throw away and must have left laying on the floor by the pantry. Her pudding snacks were safely tucked away in the cupboard, but she assumed by the empty container that Brewster had eaten all of her pudding. And in her little world - that would have been a tragedy of mammoth proportions. So I had to take her to the pantry and show her the pudding before she believed us that Brewster had not been a bad dog. This time, at least!

Ho Hum

It's Thursday.

I'm eating my soup and breadsticks from Eddington's (chicken potato chowder, in case you were wondering) - it's definitely a soup kind of day out there - and wishing that I was home on the couch, under a blanket, snuggling with my girls. *sigh*

Patrick is on Day 2 of his Madden's-resort-work-conference-getaway-dealie. He left at 5:00 am yesterday morning, which means that this morning was the second morning that Josie woke up asking, "Where my Daddy go?" Brainerd just isn't a sufficient answer for a 2 1/2 year old. Neither is work, golfing, or on a business trip. The only answer I've found so far that stops the question is, "Madden's resort for a work conference." And I think that's only because it's too much of a mouthful for her to repeat. I get her stock reply of, "oh." Usually followed by, "Mommy, you snuggle me?" Snuggling is a very big deal in our house right now. It's a cure-all for owies, an effective stalling tactic before bed, and the perfect after-dinner activity.

So I've never had to get the girls ready in the morning before daycare and work by myself. I'm not sure how that has failed to happen until now. But it's gone very well, much to my surprise. Mainly due to the fact that I've been forced to get up on time and get in and out of the shower and be ready before they wake up. I'd be toast if that didn't happen. Sure does make me appreciate my husband. I'm one lucky gal. At least tomorrow I don't have to be somewhere by 7:30 am. And I can probably even get away without showering... Yesss! And even better, in the morning when Josie gets up, I can tell her that her daddy will be home today.

I haven't mentioned Josie's potty progress lately. Yup. She's potty trained. She has a very rare accident here and there - and sometimes we suspect it's on purpose so she can pick out new undies - and she can even make it all through the night and wake up dry. I'm still flabbergasted that it was so easy.

And Eve is our little walker now. She's all over the place. It's taken her a while to warm up to wearing shoes, but now she's off.

Hey - congrats to Jeff and Michelle on the birth of their daughter Anna Catherine on Tuesday. She's beautiful. They are one handsome little family :)

Hey, again - check out the counter I added to the sidebar. Now we can actually see how few people I'm writing for. :) Not that that's going to stop me.

Josie-isms

I'm a big fan of Lucyisms. I've been compiling a list of cute things Jo has been saying, and it's not convenient for me to log everything into the calendar that I keep in my purse, so I've decided I should probably get this stuff in writing before I lose the list. While the humor may be lost on, well, pretty much anyone who isn't her parent (!), I hope you enjoy, nonetheless.

(Jo and Pat had gone out and about to run errands, and she came back in the house with a flourish, announcing her arrival...)
Jo: "MOMMY! Heeeeewwwwwooooowww!"

me: "Well, hi. I missed you!"

Jo: "You did?!"

me: "I did. You know why?"

Jo: "Why, Mommy?"

me: "'Cuz I love you."

Jo: "You wuv me?"

me: "I do."

Jo: "Oh." End of conversation. :)

____________________________

(Daddy was barking. This upset Jo.)

"Daddy - you not a puppy. You a BOY."
_________________________________

(We were having a discussion about thumbs. Then hands and feet. We asked Jo if Brewster had hands and feet. Then we had to talk about paws for a while. She was quiet for bit, we could tell she was mulling all of this over.)

"Mommy."

"Yes, Josie?"

"Evie doesn't have paws. She have feets. Just like me!"
___________________________________________

(Brewster is a large dog. With a large tail.)
"DaaaAAdddDDY... Brewster WHACKED me!!!"
_______________________________________

(I don't even know the context of this conversation. But this is what I overheard from the kitchen...)
"Daddy?"

"Yes, Josie..."

"Daddy - you mad at me?"

"No. I'm not mad at you."

"Daddy - you pooping?"
___________________________

(While riding in the van. Pat was driving - chauffeur-style. I was in the backseat, with Jo.)
"Daddy a good driver. GOOD EYE, Daddy! Good eye!"
________________________________________

(Pat was away in Duluth for the weekend. The girls and I were watching the Twins on tv.)
"Hey! That's my Daddy on tv!" (I looked up and there's Justin Morneau coming up to bat. Hmm... *wink, wink*)
____________________________________

(Same tv session. I was flipping channels. Men's beach volleyball was on. The players were being introduced.)
"Mommy!! They're NAKED!"
________________________

(We were getting set to leave the house before daycare / work in the morning. Josie was alone in the kitchen, Pat was letting Brewster out, I was finding coats for the girls. All of the sudden, Jo started yelling, like something was really wrong.)
"DAAADDDDY! DAAADDDDY!"

Pat went running into the kitchen. "What, Josie??!"

Silence for a couple of moments. "Thanks, Daddy." Apparently - she just wanted to make sure he was listening. :)
___________________________

(Buttoning up Jo's raincoat before leaving for daycare / work.)
"Mommy?"

"Yes, Josie?"

"We going to the Mall?"

"Nooo, we're going to Betty's house."

"OH." giggles. "Silly Me!"
________________________

(We have frequent dance breaks at home. Jo stops whatever she's doing, and just starts dancing. One of her moves is a "pony dance." She was having a dance break in the kitchen this morning. Pat told her to "ride that pony, Josie!" Then I walked into the kitchen. Without missing a beat...)
"RIDE THAT PONY, MOMMY! RIDE THAT PONY!"
_______________________________________

(Another one of her patented dance moves is the "bootie dance." She and Pat will bend over and shake their booties at me. While shaking it...)
"Mommy... look at ours butts!"
_________________________

(She has moments of affection for her little sister. She'll hug and kiss Eve...)
"Mommy - Evie my BEST friend!"

More Cowbell

Josie's wish for "more cows" was fulfilled over the weekend. Not only did she get her bovine-wish-come-true when we visited my mom and Erwin in Newburg on Thursday, but she saw almost more horses than she could have hoped for during the annual Western Days celebration in Chatfield Friday thru Sunday.

It was a hot one, though, so that did put a damper on our spirits as it was hard to even enjoy being outside much. But we took in the parade, and Jo had her fill of candy... or should we say her parents' fill of candy, since we had a very sugared up 2 year old on Saturday night. She's a bit of a mean drunk when she's had too much sugar - even told me she didn't love me when I was trying to make her put on her jammies. Although she was very remorseful not too long afterwards and gave me plenty of snuggling to make up for it. :)

We belatedly celebrated Evie's 1st birthday with my family on Sunday - and she graced us with 7 or 8 consecutive steps across the kitchen floor - giggling maniacally the whole time! Of course, Sunday was her day to be all hopped up on the sugar as she whole-heartedly dove into a cupcake with chocolate frosting. She's beside herself with excitement over her new walking trick, and continued to take more and more steps once we arrived home last night. It was a weekend full of late nights and off-kilter nap times... I truly think they were both relieved to walk through the door at Betty's this morning to some normalcy in their routine. But they enjoyed their weekend at Amma-Ue and Youin's and KayBob's house and will be very excited to go back soon!

Speaking of walking through the door... we had a bit of a tough time doing just that when we arrived home last night, as the storm that blew through town also blew over two sections of the privacy fence on the west side of our yard. I'm sure Old Crusty was having a coronary envisioning that birch tree busting through her roof - it's a good thing that the fence isn't on her side of our yard to really top off her anxiety attacks. Oh - and the ole birch is still standing strong. :) So take that, oh crusty one.

It's been a week already?

Since last we spoke:

• The 35W bridge collapsed. I was at happy hour with friends, one of which had just driven over the bridge 20 minutes before. I'm thankful that my friends and family are safe, and sorry for those who can't say the same. But I have to say that I'm a bit horrified at those who try to compare this tragic event, an accident, to 9/11. I blame the intensive media coverage. Let the recovery workers to their work without sensationalizing and dramatizing every aspect of the efforts.

• On a much different note - Josie successfully dropped her kids off at the pool. Made a $2.00 deposit in the bank of potty. She pooped. In the toilet, that is. We were playdating at the Gronaus' and she spent the entire time going in and out of the bathroom. It's still a novelty to her. Granted, she does actually "go" every time she goes... even a droplet, so it's hard to chastise her for wasting toilet paper or running up the water bill. But "number 2" had been an issue... until last Friday. Yahoo! I daresay that we are on our way to being rid of diapers for one kid. She's been doing so wonderfully... only 3 or 4 accidents since starting to wear big girl undies over a week ago. She's been napping without a diaper since then, as well, and a couple of nights ago asked not to wear a diaper to bed, too. And she made it all night without an accident. I'm still amazed that we're actually in the midst of the much-feared and much-dreaded Potty-Training. And it's not nearly as scary as I imagined. :)

• Pat left us. For the weekend. He had a softball tournament in Duluth, so I was a "single" parent for the entire weekend. Needless to say, I was really tired come Sunday evening. But the girls survived without their daddy, and we had a very lovely time. We ran errands, played and played, went to the Twin Cities Public Television's 50th anniversary event in downtown St. Paul - and very quickly left as it was INSANELY crowded, played in Mears park with friends, and went to Culver's to celebrate Josie's potty success. It was nice to get some one-on-one time with the girls, and to move up a notch on the snuggling and story-time ladder. Josie actually had to think about it when we asked her who she wanted to read books with the other night. Usually, it's a slam-dunk for Daddy. Granted, I think she still ended up going with Daddy - but at least she had to think about it for a minute :)

• I got to use our "season tickets" for the Twins for the first time Monday night. We split a flex package with some friends of ours, and up until now, Pat was the only one of us to use the tickets - well, except for a couple of bobblehead games, I guess, but we rarely get to actually go to the game, or if we do, to see much of it. I have to say, that was the first time I've SEEN an entire game in a really long time, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I watched the whole thing, and even kept score (Meg - I think I'm hooked!) - for the Twins, at least. Way too much to ask of me to have to pay attention for the other guys, too! When am I supposed to do my people-watching?

• Eve has started to make animal noises. Man, she's stinkin' cute. "Woof" is "uffff," and "meow" is "maaaw." She is over her bout of roseola, and finally has her appetite back. Little peanut couldn't afford to lose much more weight. But she's happy and healthy again, much to our relief. She's going to be a climber. She's constantly trying to climb on Josie's bed, and loves to climb into the kid-sized chairs in the living room, turn herself around, sit down and give us a look like "what are you going to do about it?!"

• My mom's husband, Erwin, received the great news that he is in remission. Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes their way!

And that's about it. We're gearing up for a fun-filled weekend in Newburg and Chatfield. It's Western Days time already! I probably won't check in again until next week... so have a good one!

Not So "Rosey"

Remember how I said that Eve was my crabby little bear all weekend and had a fever?

Yeah.

So Monday night when we pick her up from daycare, she had this weird rash. Hmm. From the heat? We didn't know. Still had it yesterday. Pretty bad on her back, front and head. The daycare lady got suspicious, got out her little book of kid ailments and says, "Roseola!" And she was right. Who knew? I feel really naive about this stuff sometimes. Heard of it - but had no clue what it was. Pat did take her in to be checked out and they confirmed our self-diagnosis. It's much lighter today. Poor little bugger. She's had no appetite at all, has been miserably sad and her nose has been as runny as runny can be. Add teething to the mix - and woo-hoo! Instant party.

Maybe I should take a lunch break more often...

What's the bestest sound in the whole wide world?

The sweet little tinkle of pee-pee in the potty!

We had smashing potty success yesterday. Jo agreed to wearing her Elmo undies, and wore them with only one accident all day long. She even napped without a diaper (and woke up dry!) and ran a couple of errands with Daddy (without any pee-pee incidents!) She is SO ready to be a big girl, and has begun the "I'm-not-a-baby-I'm-a-big-girl" argument. Crossing my fingers that we're rounding the corner to potty-training happiness.

Today she has on princess undies, and as I was getting her dressed, she says "we don't pee-pee on princess, do we Mommy?"

Another whirlwind weekend in the month of July has passed. Can't even believe that we're looking at August already. Seems like just yesterday I was saying "holy cow. I can't believe it's July already." Guess that's just the way it goes, huh? Evie was either battling a doosey of a cold bug, or having teething trauma over the weekend. She had a low-grade fever all weekend, runny nose and general grumpiness. We had a couple of rough nights as she was having trouble breathing through all the snot and woke herself up frequently. But yesterday the 4 1/2 nap she took seemed to do the trick and she woke up her chipper self again. And I'm sure you're dying to know that her nose goo is no longer yellow, but a shiny-happy clear color again. :)

Saturday I went to Stillwater for my friend Dana's bachelorette party. It was a very "grown-up" party; we met at Northern Vineyards Winery for tasting and a tour, followed by a buffet dinner and boat ride on the river courtesy of St. Croix Boat and Packet Co. It's been a few years since I've done a bachelorette party, and I daresay that in our "old" age, we've mellowed a bit as no one got kicked out of any bars, threw any phallic-shaped objects at anyone, or slept on any toilets :) (Not that anyone I know ever actually did any of those things, you know, I'm just sayin') But it was tons of fun, and so good to catch up with some friends that I don't get to see very often. While I was having bachelorette party fun, Pat took the girls to a birthday party for his godson and cousin, Ben (who is 14, by the way. Geez.) They had a great time and Josie even got extra servings of ice cream. I'm sure she wouldn't mind going back to Paul and Erin's house sometime soon!

So there's your weekend wrap-up. I'm fixin' to post some more pictures soon. Hang tight.

Some Days

Some days, I feel like Supermom. (And I'm not talking about the bakery at SuperAmerica.)


My spotless, luxurious cape flows gently in the breeze behind me.


I efficiently and effortlessly whisk my two girls off to a doctor appointment after feeding them nutritious breakfasts and dressing them adorably in trendy outfits. They are clean and content and well-behaved. I stop for a moment to soak up all the Happy in my life.


"What good parents you are!" "Look how cute those girls are!" "You make it look so easy!" These are the cries of astonishment from the masses as we effortlessly Parent our children. We joyfully journey home in our family vehicle, singing educational songs and oozing love for one another. "I love you, Mommy!" "NO, I love YOU, Josie!" Meanwhile, Eve plays and smiles in her carseat, the waves of bliss crashing over her, helping to form her into a generous, caring child.


Eat your heart out, Hallmark.


I valiantly toss my beautiful cape over my shoulder and usher my children into the house, prepare yet another delicious, healthy meal for my smiley, cooperative, little ones, while keeping my kitchen spotless, putting away dishes from the dishwasher and opening the mail, all at the same time. There is no task that I cannot handle - for I am Supermom!


Then. There are the Other Days. The days when my cape is a little dirty and frayed at the edges. It falls in my face, gets shut in the bathroom door and trips me as I drudgingly move from one Chore to another.


One girl whines for no reason while the other makes messes of everything she touches. All I want is a shower and clean underwear, but there is no time, and the laundry has not been touched in what feels like a month - even though it's probably more like a week. I step in cat vomit while trying to identify moldy leftovers in the fridge and assembling unpaid bills in "now" piles and "next paycheck" piles.


Time to prepare another meal. We cook, clean-up, cook, clean-up. "I want ketchup!" "I need a napkin!" "I'm wet!" It never ends. Annoyed, I push my cape aside and wipe runny noses and disassemble Megablock towers left in the living room.

My temper is a bit short. I speak a bit too sharply. Don't put my full effort into reading all of the books or stacking all of the blocks. A bout of crying pounces on my last nerve and then kicks it in the shins. And I feel guilty about everything all the while. What if my lack of skills on this day shape my children into vandals, scoundrels, brats or social misfits? How will I live with myself?!

Okay. So I'm being a bit dramatic. Most days are... good. Some days are great. And some... not so great. Through it all, I wear my "Mom" cape. It fits better on some days than others. It doesn't get in my way as much on some days as it does on others. And there are a lot of days when I wish that I could "do more," could "be better." But as long as I'm "doing," as long as I'm "being" a mom, then I think everything will be okay. And I put those words in "quotes" because they differ from day to day, from person to person. I don't think there is an all-inclusive definition for doing more, for being better. If there is, please tell me. What I have to remember is that the ferocious love I feel for those girls is the same on the good days, the great days and the not-so-great days.

I have lots of Mom-Friends, and some soon-to-be Mom-Friends. And each and every one of them never ceases to amaze me. Most I have known since long before we became moms. We vary in personalities, abilities, backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses... but the one thing that doesn't vary is the cape. As tattered and worn as it may be some days, we all wear it with pride.

In a nutshell...

Evie had her 1 year well-baby check last Friday.

Weight: 18 lbs., 14 oz. - 10th percentile.
Length: 28 3/4 in. - 50th percentile.
I don't remember what her head measurement was - but it was a big one. Like, 90th percentile. My kids have big noggins!

So we can't face her forward in her carseat quite yet - she needs to be at least 20 lbs. And, we had tried to switch her over to a "next step" milk-based formula a few weeks ago, and she started to throw up, arch her back while crying and have bad gas. So we put her back on soy formula until her doctor appointment. She most likely is lactose intolerant, so we're giving her soy milk, just like daddy. Hopefully, she grows out of it. We're supposed to try whole milk again in a couple of months. She seems to handle a bit of yogurt and cottage cheese and cheese just fine, so if we only have to watch the milk, that will be do-able.

More soon. Just wanted to get that down in writing before I forgot.

Just Eve

A Letter to the Most Beautiful Girl

Evie,

Happy 1st Birthday! Please forgive me as I am struggling to find the words for you today. I want to be eloquent and insightful and give you a letter that will awe you with pearls of wisdom in the coming years. But try as I might, I could never adequately describe the pure joy that I experience when I open the door to your room in the morning and see your bright smile and even brighter eyes. To know that those gifts are meant for me makes me feel completely and totally blessed. It's a moment that strikes me every single time and never dulls with routine - a rush of emotion that can only be plain old unadulterated happiness. Whatever worries might lie on my mind outside of that door are instantly gone when I greet you. You have wrapped me around your little finger. You fill me with wonder at your abilities - already taking first steps, saying first words, mimicking sounds you hear. You amaze me. Thank you for... just being you.

To say that your daddy and I love you just doesn't seem like enough today. To the moon and back, Genevieve. Happy Birthday.

love, mommy

My ice cubes are melting, and I'd like a cocktail...

Do you ever have so much going on and so much to look forward to and so much to talk about and are so busy at work that your head is spinning and you don't know what to think about or what to do first or what to do next and don't know how you're going to get it all done but it's all so fun and tiring and exciting and so... worth it!

Yeah.

Good times.

Gotta get back to work now.

Ta Da!

Eve will stop whatever she's doing to smile and clap whenever you say "ta da!" AND... she took her first unassisted steps yesterday! She's been toodling around furniture and standing unassisted for a few weeks, and days, respectively, and yesterday I was folding laundry (speaking of which, mine eyes have seen the glory, and it's the bottom of a laundry basket! Hallelujah, I think I'm caught up!) while sitting on the loveseat in the living room, and she was playing between the laundry basket and the coffee table. Somewhere in there she decided to turn from the table to me - and instead of dropping to her bottom like usual, she took 2 definite, wobbly, hurried steps to my leg! Frickin' amazing.

I swear she's trying to say "Baxter." And "Brewster." And Pat thinks she told him "thank you." She is mimicking anything and everything, including matching and out-screaming me and her sister. I've never heard a kid with such a set of pipes.

Watch your toilet paper if Eve comes to visit. She's very adept at spinning oodles off the roll into a lovely pile on the floor. Picture it:

Saturday afternoon. I'm in the kitchen. Josie is in the living room. I haven't heard Eve for a few moments, and ask Josie what Evie's doing. Josie looks around. Spots Eve in the bathroom, unrolling toilet paper. "OH NO, Mommy - look what Eve did. NO NO, Evie!" Eve hightails it from the bathroom, hoping that if she's not caught at the scene of the crime that it can't be pinned on her. She's quite sneaky that way. BUT she forgot that she has WADS of toilet paper in her mouth. Slightly incriminating. Pat intervenes. Attempts to dislodge wet, gooey paper from Eve's chompers. Josie decides to become a rhino and begins to ram her head into Pat and Eve. Why? Who knows. Pat removes toilet paper from Eve's mouth, but there's still more. "How much toilet paper is in your mouth??!!" he exclaims, all the while getting rammed by Josie's head. Meanwhile, I'm just leaning against the sink in the kitchen, taking it all in. :) Ahh. Good times.

Josie and Pat went outside to play for a while after dinner Friday night. The nice neighbors were outside, so they went to say "hi." Apparently, Josie was sitting on the steps at the side of their house when she says to Darlene, "Look! My lion... ROAR!" while lifting up her dress and pointing to the lion on her diaper.

Anyone have any advice for getting toddler back on board for potty-training? She was doing so well, and now, not so much. No interest anymore. Do we up the anty in the bribe department? It's just very frustrating when you know that she CAN do it, but just doesn't want to.

Is my voice really THAT bad?

Wait don't answer that. Here's another Jo-ism...

I'm not sure why... but Josie never wants me to sing - other than during the nightly bedtime ritual, of course. I start a little diddy - and then soon I hear "Shh, Mommy." Or, my favorite, "Mommy. Enough."

But SHE can go around singing all she wants. :) I wish I would have had something handy to record with the other night - we had just finished dinner and Brewster was doing his usual scavenging around the table and chairs looking for any bit of food he could find (because you know, we never feed him) and somehow he ended up with a single grain of rice on his head. Josie found this particularly hilarious - and not too long after I left the kitchen and heard her singing a lovely rendition of "Brewster Rice-Head, Brewster Rice-Head..." If you haven't had the privilege to hear it, it's quite stirring.

Where did "3" go?

Josie Update:

1... 2... FOUR! Jo is counting everything. And no number 3. Ever. And even if it's blatantly obvious that there are, like, 99 of something... it's still 1, 2, 4!

And everything is "Watch THIS!" Then she runs down the entire length of the sidewalk in the morning going "whoooooaooaooaooaooaooaoo" the whole way. Or sticks her tongue out. Or gives a little kick. Or sticks her finger in the hole in the middle of an alphabet magnet. Or closes her eyes, but leaves them open just a tiny bit so she thinks she's being tricky and fooling us into thinking that she's sleeping, but watching us the whole time.

And if you say her name in an inquiring manner, she responds with "WHAT?" in a somewhat irritated tone.

And if you groan or complain or make an exclamation - she's dying to know "what, Daddy?"

And she is oh, so sensitive to everyone's emotions. Quick to give a hug or kiss if someone needs one, and quick with the tears if she's scolded. Or not allowed to have fruit snacks right before dinner.

And her imagination is taking off in full form. If you haven't been witness to the "wolf" story - let me highlight it here: We went to the Minnesota Zoo a few weeks ago. After that - she started to spin this yarn about the wolves we saw. If you asked her what she saw at the zoo, she's say "wolf." Then she started to hold up her finger and say "Wolf BITE me!" (Which it most certainly did NOT.) Then it progressed into this tale about how she'd given the wolf a time out, and told it "Bad Wolf!" and "Go away, Wolf!" and "naughty Wolf, no bite!" And I think last weekend she was even telling the same story, but it was Emily at daycare who bit her on the finger, not the wolf. (Which also did not happen.)

And we find her babies napping all over the house, and are told repeatedly to "shhhh, Baby sleeping!" if we talk too loudly.

And if she doesn't really care to do something, we are told that that something is gone. Josie - do you need to go potty? No - potty gone. Josie - let's brush your teeth. No- toothbrush all gone.

And her bedtime rituals continue to expand. Hugs and kisses to those not venturing to her room with her. SHE has to close the door to her room. Pick out books. Perhaps play with dolls for a bit. Read "a couple" of books. (Which in reality is probably between 8 and 10.) And she may have to then "read" them. Perhaps a potty break. And more books. And then maybe a drink of water. Finish off a couple of books - then it's time for lights out and songs. And you prepare to say goodnight, and she asks in a sweet little voice, "more songs?" To which of course you have to oblige. The whole ritual can take - well, longer than happy to admit. But I figure that this won't go on forever, so we're going to enjoy it while it does.

Eve Update:

She's so close to walking. She'll turn away from whatever she's standing holding onto, and will almost take that step, but drops to her bottom instead. And she likes to "stand" on her head. Just hangs out. Head on the floor, butt in the air, looking around. Goofball.

She busted through a couple more big teeth - uppers, molars, I guess.

She's beside herself with excitement in the morning. Such a morning girl - she cracks us up, which helps in the morning when we're not quite as excited about being up. It's like she's been separated from us for SO long... and just can't stand it.

She loves to pull Josie's hair. She still doesn't have much of her own, so I suppose it's fascinating to her. And she follows Jo wherever she goes. And tries to do whatever she does. Which is awesome to watch. I'm sure Jo will tire of it soon - but for now I'm going to soak it up.

She's still terrified of strangers. Just don't look directly at her, and it will be fine. Or make a move in her direction. Or say anything to her. Or touch her. :)

I think I mentioned that she's saying "uh oh." And I swear she says "this." And of course, "da da" and "ma ma." They were both pretending to talk on the phone the other day at the same time. We're in so much trouble. :)

Man. I love those kids. *sigh*

74 lbs. of Boomity Boom

Holy Wa!


Charlotte's a fun town. I highly recommend that you give it a whirl sometime. Bars, restaurants and down-right friendly folk a-plenty overflow into the very clean, very entertaining Uptown (which is actually the Downtown) district. I'm fixin' to go back sometime, y'all. There's just something about the South that is very appealing - it's an attitude, or an outlook on life, I don't know - they're just not rushed or worried or stressed about much of anything. Hotter than he-awll (that's Tennessee speak for "hell", that's right, 2 syllables) but it is here, too - so what the hey!

AACTfest '07 has come and gone, and Escanaba got screwed. It was the only comedy of the 12 shows there, and unfortunately, the 3 adjudicators were musical theater freaks. (No offense, Meg. But they are a strange crew, don't you have to admit?!) They did win the award for best sound design (awesome sound effects, including the most amazing fart I've ever heard, and I'm married to Pat!), and that was the only acknowledgement they received - oh, wait, they did get some runner-up award for backstage congeniality or something like that. Sure, I'm biased, but their show kicked ass, and everyone knew it. All week those who were in the theater on Wednesday night to see the performance kept telling the cast and crew that they'd be one of the top plays, for sure. And after getting the shaft, everyone was scratching their heads as to what the heck happened. There really should be different categories in the judging, comedies / dramas vs. musicals. Don't get me wrong - I love a good musical. But they are so different in so many aspects, I don't quite understand how they can be judged on the same criteria. And a great comedy is so hard to pull off - and they did it spectacularly. We actually witnessed people slapping their knees and doubled over with laughter. *Humph* But they made it to the national competition, and put on an amazing show, and had fun all the while. And I guess that's what counts. What an honor it was to watch my brother on stage, leading the laughs with amazing comedic timing. He got the shaft, too, for best actor - not even a nomination. Frickin' musicals. It's not ACTING, and that's all I have to say about that, before I get myself into trouble. :)

To the cast and crew of Escanaba in da Moonlight - thanks for an amazing experience. You are wonderfully creative, funny and talented people, and I can't thank you enough for welcoming us into the "Yooper" crew with such open arms. I hope you all enjoyed the Woo-Woos as much as Marie did! :)

So now I find myself back, at work, at home, drowning in piles of dirty laundry and work to catch up on. But it was worth every minute. Only 4 nights away from home - and my girls decided to grow up! Well, not really, but now Eve is throwing around "Uh-uh Oh"s and Josie is just - so big! It sounds like they had a splendiferous time and every minute was packed with some kind of fun. Thank you, Daddy Pat... you're kind of nice. I think I'll keep ya.

SSSSweet!!

Josie has been really good about using the potty for the last couple of days. And yesterday when we picked her up from Betty's, we got the wonderful report that she had finally asked to use the potty chair, AND actually went on it - ALL DAY. AND last night, she tinkled before bed... AND when she got up this morning, she used the potty AGAIN and peed so much I checked her diaper - AND it was stinkin' DRY. I am frickin' beside myself. Who is this big girl???!

AND... Eve is finally saying "mama." We've been hearing "dada" for quite some time now, so I'm pretty tickled. AND she's starting to stand while not holding on to anything. AND last night she was pretending to talk into the phone. AND a couple of days ago she was sitting on Josie's ride-on toy, and was actually using her feet to push it. Who is this big girl???!

I don't know if I can take much more! :)

Newsflash: "Relaxing" Weekends a Thing of the Past...

So you say "have a nice weekend!" to your co-workers on Friday afternoon (or Thursday, as the case may be) and head out the door while looking ahead to a whole weekend to revamp, recoup and recover from a long week at work. Yeah, right! If someone had only told me 5 years ago to stop for a moment and ENJOY long, quiet, self-centered weekends... well, who am I kidding, I probably wouldn't have believed them. But my point - it's pretty sad when heading back to work on Monday morning is a chance to recover from the craziness that now defines our weekends. I swear I'm more exhausted after a weekend at home than a week at work! The laundry, the cleaning, the shopping, the cooking, the playing, the mopping. To all you moms and dads out there - a big fat kudos. You are all some kind of special, because It. Never. Ends. and I. Don't. Know. How. You. Do. It.

Can you tell I need a break? And a break I shall receive... in exactly 9 days. Off to Charlotte with my sis to take in the AACT (American Association of Community Theater - I'm assuming?) National Festival where my brother and his Drama Center will be performing. Yahoo! I'm so excited I could... I don't even know. I'm just beside myself with giddiness.

Don't get me wrong. Spending quality time at home with my fam means more to me than anything in the whole wide world. But I don't have any evening activities to get me out of the house, and golly, haven't been on an actual vacation since before Josie was born. Of course, those are the choices that I make... but I'm feeling a little burned-out, nonetheless. Anyhoo. Enough of that.

To recap our weekend... yeah - it was good. How's that for boring? Back on track with the Gronaus-sans-Joel on Fridays for some playdate action. It's awesome to be able to be outside now - and Josie was especially thrilled with the new slide/climby thingie in Lucy's backyard. And we had our first "dance class"... and she paid attention for about, oh - 5 minutes? :) But it went better than I expected (from Josie, I mean, not Meg and/or Lucy, who both performed marvelously and were very well behaved! :) :) :) ) and I think it will be awfully fun as the weeks progress.

The bobblehead craze has begun again for another season. If you don't know already - we have a collection of all of the bobbleheads the Twins have given away since they started up again - oh, what, 6 years ago, or so, maybe it's longer than that, I don't know. But what I do know is this - we're giant nerds. But now that we have all of them, we can't stop. As much as I would LOVE to, we just can't. So the first BH game of the season was on Saturday night. (Joe Mauer. He only has one sideburn, and it kind of bugs me. The bobblehead, not the real Joe. But anyway.) Pat went to the 'Dome around 1:00 or so on Saturday afternoon to secure our spot in line, and I brought the girlies after they woke up from naps, just in time for the doors opening at 4:00. And we actually were able to stay for the dreaded 2 hour wait until game-time, and made it until around 7:30. Of course, hot dogs and malt cups help, but both girls did pretty well. Eve didn't start to melt-down until she got scolded for grabbing the beer out of the cupholder on the back of my seat, then she decided she'd had enough and it was time to go home. She is her daddy's daughter, after all. Take away his beer, and it's all over. :)

Yesterday was a whirlwind of yardwork, housework, laundry (in which I barely made a dent. grrr.) and a Target / Walmart trip AND a grocery shopping trip. Yadda yadda yadda. I'm really tired this morning.

OH! But happy day - we have central air. I now am officially a believer that it is installed, and more importantly, functional. A dishwasher and central air all in one year? What's next - an attached garage?? Naw.... that's just silly. :)