Friday, July 16, 2010

Garden Update!

 Whoa, baby!

It's that time again! I've been trying to do a garden update twice a month - once at the beginning/end and once in the middle - because frankly more than that would be too much for me.

I actually took these pictures a few days ago, and it seems like the garden has grown a lot even since then! I guess gardens and kids are a lot alike - once they get going...they grow fast! I LOVE my garden to grow fast - my kid, however, grows much too quickly!!!

Here's the pics for now - don't have time for more than that at the moment. It is a hot summer day and we are going swimming with the cousins. Woo hoo!
Alas, these are not tomatoes - these showed up on our potato plants after they blossomed. Potato seeds? I thought you usually started potatoes with the potatoes themselves. Obviously I have a lot to learn about growing potatoes.
Pretending to take a bite
Actually taking a bite
Hmmm... that was pretty good!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Say what?

Lily is turning 2! She is a sweet smart little girl and we love her like crazy!


Here are some funny things from Lily I’ve been saving - I scratch things down on paper when I hear them so I can remember them later.

She’ll say Monday like “Moonday”

Today she was talking about "Scrumpy and Dumpy" -- the 8th and 9th dwarfs? I don't know...

She calls her Bathing suit “my Baby Suit”


She can always trick people into sounding like you’ll do what she’s asking with an innocent “OK” when you are just trying to clarify what she wants.


Lately she’s been saying "Oh my gosh!" and adding “I guess” to the end of things. I think she may have picked this phrase up from her cousin Evie, but she makes it her own. “I want some ice-cream, I guess…” With an instinctive subtle pouting of the lips an upward glance and batting of the eyelashes. I wish you could hear it or I could describe it better because it’s the way she says things that is killer!


My mom likes to tell how when she was taking out the trash (which is in a clear plastic bag) Lily saw an ice-cream carton and in a shocked tone exclaimed: “Grandma, No throw away ice-cream!” Like it was the worst thing that she could imagine -- but she understood when Grandma told her the container was empty.


We are always telling Lily she has to do this or that FIRST, like eat her lunch before doing something else. Well, she’s starting to turn the table on us... The other day as Mike was trying to get her to eat when she wanted to watch a show, and Lily comes out with: “I need to watch a show first, Dad!” I just need to watch a show, real quick!”

 Snippets of conversation:

(While drawing)             
Lily: “I’m drawing a cat.
It’s a spider.
                    Look at the spider! Ahh!
::giggles::    
  Just kidding!”


Lily: What are you doing, Mom?
Me: “I’m grating some cheese.” 
Lily: “I want some grate cheese!
        This is great!”                     

              
(Watching birds at the bird feeder which Lily calls a “bird seeder”)
Me: “The birds are fighting. That’s not nice.”                 
Lily: “They need a time out. The birds need a time out!”


Lily was coloring while I was working in the kitchen and when I wouldn’t help her trace her hand one more time she got upset and stalked off and dramatically threw herself to the floor while saying with feeling: “You make me so sad!” (Heart breaker! Thought I wouldn’t hear that kind of thing until she was a teenager!)
 

Lily: “I’m having a bad day. Mom, are you having a bad day?” 


Lily: “Seeker, I’m hiding!”

She’s getting really good at imaginative play and entertaining herself. While I folded the laundry on the bed this morning she grabbed a baby towel and wrapped it around her head like a head scarf and said it was her raincoat. She imagined it was raining outside (despite the sunny weather) and pretended to hold up her umbrella. She said: “I’m all cold and shivery! I need a coat.” and pretended a wash cloth was pants and she was pulling them on. A few minutes later she had piled all the washcloths in front of her over her legs in a heap with the headscarf still around her and she was driving her car with a small round mirror for a steering wheel. She and her dad LOVE to build houses and pretend cars out of our bed pillows.


One night last week - when I was also folding laundry - I showed Lily the new panties I bought her that came out in that batch. We haven’t started potty training yet, but plan to soon and I sometimes take an opportunity to tell her about the process and what we’re going to do – a little advance preparation. She was in love with those panties and wanted to put them on immediately! I helped her on with one pair over her PJ’s, but as I finished with the other laundry she proceeded to put on every single other pair – excepting one for Lamby. So funny - because I remember my mom recounting how as a child I came out of my room with about ten full layers of shirts, pants and underwear on!


 

Today we were reading Ten Little Ladybugs and there was a picture of a bee holding a ladle and a bucket and flowers in the background. I asked her what the bucket was - expecting her to say ‘bucket’, but she said: “honey”. Then she said: “Bees turn flowers into honey.” She is always surprising me with her understanding of concepts I don’t remember teaching her.


 

She has her stubborn moments, but she is pretty logical and reasonable most of the time. One day we were looking out the window into the backyard and she remembered having the blow-up water slide out the day before and asked to play on it. I told her not today and she just accepted that. I remember at the time I was kind if fearing she’d be upset or that she'd at least keep pestering for it... She just said “Water slide not today, maybe another day.” and was happy as can be!

 

She’s getting so smart and capable, but she’s still my baby! Sometimes in a quiet moment between the two of us... when she’s having a drink before a nap or something - she’ll say: “I want to feed you, mom” Which actually means she wants me to hold her in my arms and feed her her sippy-cup like I would if she was a baby. She likes babies. She laughs and laughs at this Little Bear episode where Mother Bear is babysitting a baby raccoon. She is so sweet with her cousin Audrey, and her little baby doll. She’s been saying her baby and Lamby are best friends and role playing with dolls and her Little People in the cutest way. I think she’ll make a pretty great big sister someday.


I love my little girl and I’m so glad she’s growing into such an awesome little human being!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Climb up th' Water 'gin!


A Whirlwind of Festivities

Now back to life :)

It seems like we were on non-stop fun here for about a week. Mike and I went to Knott's Berry Farm for a day and a night to celebrate our anniversary, leaving Lily on her own overnight for the first time ever without one of us. She was fine. Can't get much better than staying in your own crib in your own house with your doting Grandma who lives there too! Plus she had the added treat of a visit from her cousin Evie. The next day instead of us coming home - it seemed like she would've rather had her other cousin Isaac come over to play! Let's just say we missed her more than she missed us! I couldn't help but think about her a little, or a lot... We had a very fun time though. It was awesome to hit all the roller coasters without worrying about a child. I felt like a kid again. We actually got out of there with our sore backs feeling better! Roller coaster adjustment - awesome!

Then Mike's brother and his wife and our niece Octavia came to visit over July fourth weekend. It was so fun to talk and laugh with them. We tried to cram in as much fun as we possibly could, and wish they could live closer so we could see them more often! The first day we hit the beach -- the one downer of the trip: aside from Lily, we all got sunburned. I think I am on day 7 now of majorly scorched shoulders and am still feeling major pain! Ugh! Why did I not apply sunscreen!? Luckily I had a base tan on my face and arms (from all that yard work I've been doing), and I guess enough on my legs that those areas were OK, but the top of my shoulders are red as ripe watermelon but so not cool and refreshing. The day started off cloudy and we usually don't stay long enough for me to ever get burned - so I just wasn't thinking. (Stupid, stupid.) Thank goodness I coated Lily, because she only got a bit of pink across her nose and cheeks.

We also hit the Zoo and the pier and took Mike's family down to the Harbor and Horton Plaza because they love to shop. We had a blast - and we ate every night at some of our favorite area restaurants: Pizza Port, The Corvette Diner, and Acapulco, and snacked on Annie's Bunnies, a rainbow chip birthday cake, and Baskin Robbins... We basically spoiled ourselves rotten. Time to get back to healthy cooking! I need to get organized and start up a menu and shopping plan again - and stick to it! 

This week has been kind of gloomy. Exhaustion, gray skies, and window cleaning cancellations aside - I think we're just a little down from missing our out-of-town family! Time for another vacation! Who can we come to visit, now? Georgia is on my mind - we wish! :)

Here's some fun pictures from our weekend!

 Getting some sun.

 Lily's impenetrable fortress - at least until that major wipeout, but it took a lot before that!

 Miss Rosy cheeks.
Trying to blow out the birthday candles from across the room - with attitude :)

Go USA!

 SD Zoo

 Lily did not want to get off - she was climbing everything!

 
 Lily with her oldest cousin



 Helicopter Pilot
Had to drag her out of here too.

Totally loving the Footsie Wootsie!
Even Blaine and Octavia tried it.
Animal Acrobats - Lily says a 'tiger' threw her a necklace at the Zoo.
 Ready to eat. Can't believe Lily could sleep through the noise of the diner!
 She woke up with a totally grown-up attitude of impatient waiting. 
The diner was understaffed and messed up in getting us a table,
   but we ended up with a free appetizer and shakes all around! Yum!
We didn't plan to go to fireworks, but we spontaneously caught a show - 
fireworks going off over the water in three different areas right there in
front of us and absolutely no crowd! What luck! 
Lily was thrilled - She kept saying, "I see the fireworks!" over and over excitedly.
 Three for Tea.
Fun with Fish by Seaport Village.
Lily wanted to climb it too! Of course!
She wasn't too keen on climbing the tree. Go Figure...
Picking Flowers for Aunt Courtney at Horton Plaza
Hanging with Uncle Blaine.