What's Grosser than Gross?

In the bathtub tonight Bella was pretending to make soup, scooping water into a plastic cup, stirring it up. I asked her what kind of soup she was making and she replied, "Pedicure soup."

Ewww.....

A Nice Place to Visit But I Wouldn't Want to Live There

Last week, Bella and I were driving to the airport to pick up Aunt Tracy, when we drove by some new apartment/condo buildings. I mentioned how fancy they looked and then the conversation went something like this:

Bella: "I want to live in an apartment."
Mommy: "Why?"
B: "I like apartments."
M: "But we have a nice big house with a yard. Where would the dog play?"
B: "We would make space for her to play."
M: "Well, when you are old enough to live by yourself, you can live in an apartment."
B: "YAY! And then you can be in my tummy!"

Huh?

I am not quite sure how we got from apartment dwelling to pregnancy. Maybe she thought since we would give her a nice place to live and keep her safe and warm until she was an adult, then it would be her turn. By the time she is old enough to move out, I will be close to retirement age. And although the thought of floating around in the water with nothing to do, being fed and taken care of sounds wonderful, I was thinking more like the beaches of Mexico or Fiji, than back into the womb.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

This weekend Bella went camping with her Daddy, his friend Matt and his son, and Matt's 2 nephews. A weekend with the boys! They returned this afternoon, dirty and tired and full of stories about all their adventures. They shot bows & arrows and BB guns, went for a canoe ride and swam in the lake. Bella and Brodie got stung by bees :( Of course they roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores. A fun time was had by all (especially Mommy who was home alone for 2 days!)

I gave Bella big hug when she got home and said "I missed you!" to which she replied. "I missed you too Mommy. I tried to think of you all the time." Her answer struck me as funny for a moment. For a little person who does not really understand the meaning of time yet, it must be a whole different feeling when she is away from home, not knowing exactly when she will see Mommy again. Sometimes she asks when she will see Grandmommy next, or Abuela, Grandpa, etc., and we tell her, but whether we say two weeks or a year, she just smiles and goes back to what she was doing. She lives life in the moment. She is happy with the here and now. No worries about tomorrow, no regrets about the past. I am inspired. I will take more time to think of those that I love when they are not with me. I will enjoy the day for what it is.

Carpe diem!

Three Card Bella

My four year old can pretty much con her way into anything these days. It is hard to resist the batting eyelashes, sweet-as-pie smile and the hilarious way she words her devious requests. For example:

It has been 90+ degrees for about a week now in Denver. It's HOT!

"Mommy, I am SO hot! If I have a drink, like milk or juice, I will still be hot. BUT, if I have a nice frozen Popsicle, then I will be very cool." (she is sheepishly grinning and twirling her dress from side to side). Irresistible! I think we have eaten a dozen Popsicles each in the last 4 days.

"Mommy, I LOVE you SO much!" (climbs up on my lap and gives me a kiss) "We should have chocolate chip cookies."

"Mommy, I like your new shoes. They are very beautiful!" (you know you can get anything out of Mommy if you talk about shoes!) "You should wear them to Target and we can get a new Princess doll."

She's a con-woman. And with her charm and wit, I am sure there'll be many more chocolate treats, new toys and Popsicles in her future. But as long as she makes me smile and laugh, I am sure I will give in just that easily. Better than a temper tantrum any day.

The Next Phil Rizzuto?

The other day Bella & I were at the post office when she noticed a new baseball stamp display set out on a table. She took one of the cards and when we got in the car, she was looking it over. I asked her what it said to which she replied in her best baseball announcer voice, "It says...Derek Jeter's baseball game. Boooo Red Sox! The Yankees beat the Twins in Minnesota. Go Yankees!"

(Daddy's really got her trained well!)

???

I am not sure what to title this one....the road rash, the bruise and the band-aid mark, mixed with the feathery high heels...

"Ma'OhNo!' Blahnik", "Cicatrix in the City", "The Scarred and the Beautiful"... any suggestions?

Symphonie Fantastique

Those of you with small children have probably all witnessed this, but I think it's funny every time so thought I would share it with you.

Remember the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy"? Julia Roberts fakes her own death to escape a controlling psycho husband, who meticulously lines up everything from the bathroom towels to the soup cans in the cupboards...

I'll leave Bella in my room playing, only to come back a few minutes later to find that all my shoes have been lined up and sorted by heel height, my t-shirts organized by color. Sometimes it freaks me out a little and other times I am tempted to take her down to the Home Depot to see if she can get a job in the closet organization department, maybe make a little money for her college fund.

It just strikes me as so funny when kids do this. I know that it is all part of learning, recognition of patterns, counting, colors, etc. But it always catches me off guard and I have to laugh. Then I get that music stuck in my head all day from the movie....you know the one...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIGXXJgwl_c

Dear Miss Manners

Recently I had a little scare with my four year old daughter. Here's the story...

One of a mother's worst predicaments is what to do with your child while you take a shower.

At first, when she is a baby, you head to Target (after 3 days of not showering for fear of leaving the baby for one second) to buy a clear shower curtain. Then you can set her in her car seat on the floor of the bathroom and still see that she is breathing while you bathe.

A few years down the line, she is content in her room playing where you know everything is safe and or bolted to the wall. She has not yet figured out how to climb over the baby gate that blocks her door, so off to the bathroom you go to shower without worry.

Four years old...by this time, most of the house is safe so she is usually fine watching TV or playing with her toys in her room and you rarely worry anymore. Until the day you have your head covered with shampoo and you hear your daughter SCREAM something from outside the bathroom. You jump out of the shower, suds everywhere, run into her room dripping wet, only to find her playing happily with her dolls. "Why did you scream?" you ask. "You sneezed, Mommy. I was saying bless you loud enough for you to hear me in the shower."

Now, tell me Miss Manners, do I punish her for screaming and scaring the @*#& out of me? Or do I thank her for being polite, and then rinse off?

....signed Bubbly, but Blessed

Dizzy and Tired

I am proud to say that my child has made it to 4 years old without ever drinking a soda (that I know of anyway). I myself have just given it up...no more caffeine, saccharine, or aspartame for me. I have however found some alternatives...because every once in a while you need a little fizz in your life. So today I was drinking a Blue Sky Organic Lite Root Beer (no artificial color or flavors, no preservatives and, of course, no caffeine - tastes MUCH better than it sounds!) and I asked Bella if she wanted a sip. "Of course!" she said with a smile. She took a tiny little sip and exclaimed, "Oooh, it makes my tongue dizzy!"....had it been a Coke, she may have fainted!

Then, this afternoon we took our dog for a little walk around the neighborhood. About 20 minutes into it, as we were just rounding the corner for home Bella said with a big sigh, "Mommy, I am running out of walking."

I know just what you mean kid. By the end of most days, not only is my tongue dizzy, but so are my ears, my eyes and my head. I have run out of walking, talking, listening, tugging, lugging, holding, wiping, cleaning and patience. But I will never be too dizzy to kiss you good night and I will never ever run out of hugging, kissing, caring or loving....I promise.

My Girls

These just make me happy....