Lazy Day Sunday

We had a fantastically ridiculous Sunday.  We basically did absolutely nothing but watch movies, TV, read books and play in the living room.  I think we needed.  It was the first weekend in quite a while that we spent together.  Saturday we went to Helena for the Zombie Run and the was pretty fun.  I think B had a good time and Willa called all the runners zombies instead of the actual zombies.  The house might be a disaster but hopefully we can get that remedied this week without too much trouble.

There was some funny toddler speak this weekend but for the life of me I can't remember.  All I know is she keeps us on our toes and typically in a laugh out loud fashion.  I can't believe she is going to be three pretty soon.

We have tried out some new recipes lately and some have been pretty good, some could use some tweaking to our likey and some we will probably pass on.  If you haven't tried the Pioneer Woman's fresh green bean recipe you are missing out.  We love it and it is so easy.  & speaking of eating, somebody we think is going through a growth spurt.  Typically, she may eat one meal at home every couple of days but eats really well at school so it doesn't bother us too much.  The last few weeks she has eaten breakfast or at least a snack on the way out the door and then either eats dinner or asks for a PB&J before bed.  Last night she ate chicken, goldfish, and a package of PB crackers.  So either a growth spurt of she has decided to be more consistent, but we will take it.  It probably helps that Bountiful Baskets 9-grain bread is addicting and that she loves zucchini bread.

Fall is coming!

We had our first glimpse of fall this morning.....at least that is what I am calling it and I am sticking to it.  I love the crisp mornings when we still have the windows open and I can nestle under a quilt and get some good sleep.  Being the night owl that I am, I swear my best sleep comes between 6 and 7:30.  That said, it is a scramble to get out of the house each morning and not be too late.  Thank goodness for flexibility.

It seems like we have been scrambling a lot lately.  B has had some out of town trips in the last several weekends and I took my trip to NYC to see JP.  Through in the fair, a Jack Hanna show, the last of softball, and Olympics watching it will be nice to relax for a weekend.  Except........B will be doing his first Zombie run this weekend.  Thankfully it is in Helena and we get to see my Great Aunt and Uncle that live near.

Recap:  My trip to NYC was a blast.  I practically hit the door running as soon as I got there.  Jenny left no room for rest and it was fantastic.  Time Square, Central Park, Staten Island Ferry (Statue of Liberty is under construction), 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street, a Coldplay concert in New Jersey, Coney Island, Sister Act on Broadway, a Yankees game, AND keeping up with the Olympics.  I have lost my acclimation to humidity so I really only complained about the heat.  The train system was fascinating and I would love to know the engineering behind it from way back when.  I truly wish I would have taken a pedometer to log our steps.  I don't know if I could ever change mindsets enough to be able to prepare for the whole day though.  I am so used to being 10 minutes from anywhere and being able to run home if we need something.  It was so nice to hang out with Jenny and get away for a while.  I think we decided Roomies Reunite 2013 might be a destination event.

Willa continues to crack us up everyday with the things she says and does.  It seems like we have finally conquered the world of potty training and it is just fantastic.  I am so thankful she is an articulate child though I am sure I may regret those words when she is a teenager.  One of her favorite things these days is helping out in the kitchen.  Whether we are baking (with me) or making dinner (with Dad) she is always game to be up on the counters helping out.  She knows her stuff too.  Preschool starts back up soon and we have been working days of the week.  Pretty much everything comes after Sunday in her world but she is starting to get it I think.

We are getting ready for another TDY and I am trying to come up with a way to help her countdown to the day he will be back.  We figure this one is going to be a little tougher since the last one she really picked up that Dad was gone somewhere else.  But her birthday is coming up soon and I think all three of us are pretty excited to plan it.

The DQ

In our house DQ doesn't just mean Dairy Queen but Drama Queen.  The little Chick has been turning on the charm lately and while we can't help but left we are worried of what is to come.  The most funny has been the "But I never get....." or the "It's not fair!"  Tonight at bedtime when I wanted to read something other than The Jungle Book I got the, "But...it's....my....fave...rite." all exasperated like.

Another funny was when I picked her up yesterday and she was waving goodbye to all the other kiddos.  "Bye friends, I am leaving."  Then we got in the car she told me, "Those are my friends, they are my girls!"

We have been working on days of the week and months lately.  She also knows her birthday is coming up and that she will be three.  She has been asking her when our birthdays are and is insistent that B's birthday can't also be in June because "That's Mom's."

B also got her to wear pants a few days in the last week.  Hopefully that means when the weather starts cooling off she won't be opposed to them.  Because nothing is cuter than little kid jeans and sweaters in the fall, right?

A Funny!

So I was at a firm meeting this week that was held in a hotel.  We were coming back from lunch when I heard the door from the hallway open and close.  NBD, right?  Well, then I watched and heard a little furry thing launch itself at the door. THUMP was an understatement!  There I am staring down a squirrel trying like crazy to escape the building.  What is one to do?  Find an audience apparently, because as soon as I said "OMG, there is a squirrel in here" heads started popping out of the room.  I slowly walked down the hall and watched as the little guy kept jumping up at the door and then worried he would turn on me.  He did not seem like the friendly, fat squirrel that Willa keeps in snacks at our house.  I was able to kind of launch myself at the door to get it open and send him scurrying on his way.

 In my own defense, I was mostly worried because I was wearing sandals and wanted to keep my toes. 

Surprises

This will probably be short since I am at work and should you know be working....

Whatevs.

So I was doing a little organizing/cleaning last night and discovered I have a second crockpot.  I vaguely remember going to Walmart one night and buying one and also scoring a sheet set for Willa's room but have no idea why.  The question now is, do I keep said smaller crockpot?

Humanity surprises me and not always in a good way. I saw a answer tree for if you should stay facebook friends with someone.  It resulted in a facebook friend list purge last night.  Frankly, I probably need a break from facebook, I lurk/stalk way more than I should.  I have been trying to cut back and to really think about what I am posting and who all is seeing it.   Which begs the question of who to keep on the friends list.  I mostly struggle with the people that lived on our floor at KSU.  While it is nice to be able to see what is going on in their life from time to time some of them are not people I was really close with then, let alone now.  All nice girls mind you, but there are very rarely any communication on fb, so do I keep or get rid of?  Sadly, stalker me is keeping some of them for a while because they are pregnant and I want to see when the cuteness arrives.  I am ok admitting that.  I know I could change my settings and allow for them to see less but I kind of think if I am going to be "friends" with someone then I should be ok sharing with them.

Anyway, my randoms for the morning.

Babe

Willa has typically been a kid that rotated through favorite toys and blankets.  We have mostly enjoyed that because I have heard horror stories of losing prized possessions and never wanted to go down that path.  The problem with this is you never know which favorite is the flavor of the week so you sometimes have to be prepared with multiple choices.  That was a slight issue when we went to Orlando.  Over time though some things have risen to the top.  There are two blankets she prefers, the "Heavy Hitter"; her Angel Dear Elephant toddler pillow, and "Babe" a 50 cent garage sale find that is rarely wearing clothes.

This is Babe:

Babe's rise to prominence was because her eyes open and close.  Because she rarely is dressed and gets dragged outside to play she has started to get dingy and one of hers eyes gets stuck occasionally.  We started to worry and I took to the Internet after consulting the tag on Babe's booty.  Vintage Uneeda dolls are quite collectible but this 2003 edition really wasn't anywhere.....until I found a lady that had one on iOffer.  She wanted $10 plus $7 for shipping.  I debated paying $17 for a Bonus Babe and just haven't been able to pull the trigger.  Thank goodness for my procrastination gene because I was perusing the FB yardsale page yesterday and some young teenage twins had 2.  2 for $4.  Eureka!  One hour later I was off to pick up the Bonus Babes and figure out how to get them in the truck without her seeing them. No need for her to know there were extras, right?  She knew they were dolls and asked to see them.  I handed her one of them and she says, "It's like my Babe."  Crap!  Then I handed her the diaper the girls threw in because theirs didn't have clothes either and she got excited.

When we got home I hid the Original Babe and one of the extras.  Then she realized there was pink highlighter on the one I handed her and wanted it cleaned, switcheroo again!  I haven't quite decided if we should give her the one that is not like the others, but for now we have an heir and a spare.

The Three Babes:

Whew...June flew by

It seems like we have had a lot going on in the month of June.  Not so much work related, just life stuff.  I went in for Allergy testing and part of me thinks it's not even blog worthy and part of me thinks it deserves its own post.  Mostly because I might be running out of my 9 lives if doctors don't start taking me seriously when I say "if there is a possible reaction, my body will have it."

We had our birthdays and the Parentals came to visit.  We also redid Willa's bathroom (which also probably deserves its own post).  My Mom and I volunteered for Bountiful Basket and B and I are both hooked, especially on the 9 grain bread.

We have already gone to a couple of Voyagers games and Willa continues to be in love with Orbit.

The Parentals "finally" went home. :)  I can say that and not be in trouble because the delay at the airport was ludicrous.

Relay for Life was this past Friday and all the teams really kicked it up.  Last year we raised $75,000 and this year's goal of $82,000 was smashed with $118,000 raised by Saturday morning.  This year the team was better prepared for the night and had a better system for walking.  For the most part, someone was walking at all times.  After finishing up at 7am, I got a few minutes to catch my breath and then headed back out to pick up another Bountiful Basket.  Then I finally got to get some sleep while B and Willa went fishing.

AND.........we bought a new CAR.  The Bumblebee is still around but I have finally upgraded to a 4-door vehicle.  Willa and I went into this purchase kicking and screaming but we are finally adjusting and we do like it.  I am still getting used to all the features but it is a nice car.

Those were the highlights of our activities.  I have always said that I would love the toddler stage of childhood because you can actually do things and I think I am on to something.  Despite the typical tantrums Willa does pretty good going places.  We sit at ballgames every week, can go shopping, sit at more ballgames, go fishing, and rock it at Relay for Life.  We have been pretty fortunate that she saves most of her outbursts for home.  Plus, if you bribe her with food she is pretty content to just hang out and people watch.  She comes by this trait honestly.

I think we are going to continue on this pace the rest of the summer and if so, its going to fly by.