Sunday, Monday...

Last night I was helping Bella brush her teeth. She tried to turn on her electric toothbrush and it wouldn't start. I took it and tapped it hard on the sink and it started. She looked at me with a big smile so I said,"Mommy's just like Fonzerelli!" Blank stare. "What's Fonzerelli?"
It was that moment that I realized I have become the "Nerd Mom". From now on, I will start to embarrass my kid, just by being myself. Just like my parents embarrassed me and your parents embarrassed you. Next year she will be off to Kindergarten and it will only get worse from there. The way I dress, the way I talk, the car I drive, the music I listen to (although my daughter is a Beatles fan - so let's hope that holds over forever). I will be dorky 'Laverne' to her and her friends when in my mind I think I am Pinky Tuscadero. Oh well, that's just the way it goes I guess.
I think there will still be plenty of Happy Days ahead.

Aaaaaay!

September 12, 2008

...and shoes! I am also thankful for shoes! How could I forget shoes!

September 11, 2008

Today I am grateful for...

My beautiful daughter who is so full of life and quick with a smile to brighten my every day.
My husband who is able to enjoy his passion for hunting, even on this rainy Colorado day.
My sweet, gentle, caring dog who protects me and loves me unconditionally.
My mother and my step father, my father, my sister and my soon-to-be-brother-in-law who love me and whom I love dearly.
My in-laws who make me feel like I have always been a part of their family.
My friends who constantly remind me that life is meant to be fun and enjoyed.
My memories of all the people I love that are no longer here on earth.
My comfortable house, in the gorgeous state of Colorado, in our free and beautiful country, in an awe inspiring world.
My voice, my mind, my heart and my soul and the freedom to express them.

On this day, September 11, 2008, I am thankful.

Delicious!

I don't think baking is in her future.

ICE CREAM MAN!!!

Well, we were out for a walk tonight and the inevitable happened....
For 4 years we had never let Bella onto the fact that there was such a thing as an ice cream truck. Now, before you judge and think "Why would we deprive our child of such a thing as the ice cream truck?!" On a hot summer day you could hear those tinny sounding chimes of the ice cream truck song (usually 'The Entertainer') a mile away. Just enough time to track down your mom or dad for money, running through the house screaming "ICE CREAM!", then running out of the house along with every other kid in the neighborhood and waiting for the truck to turn the corner onto your block. Then it was decision time. The hardest part. Bomb pop? Push up? Drumstick? Or my favorite, the Creamsicle. So why has our daughter not known about this classic summertime phenomenon until now? Well, a few reasons really. First of all, it is not like the kid is lacking in the treat department. We're seriously considering changing her middle name to 'Chocolate' at this point, just because I don't think she can live without it. Secondly, in this day and age of the credit and debit card, you run the risk as a parent of not having any cash on hand when the truck comes by, and then you have to deal with temper tantrums and end up driving to the supermarket to pick up Popsicles if you want the crying and screaming to stop. And lastly, we knew she would eventually figure it out and there would be plenty of years of "ICE CREAM!" to come.

So that brings us back to our walk tonight....we're walking down a long block when all of a sudden, the ice cream truck turns onto the street and is headed right towards us. I look around frantically, there is no where to go. Bella asks, "What's that sound?". Now, she has heard the music before from inside the house, but never asked what it was. I guess she just assumed it was someone driving by with bad taste in music. The truck gets closer and closer, the music is getting louder and louder. When it finally pulls up next to us, she realizes what it is. I have to say the look on her face was priceless! It was worth depriving her of the ice cream truck until now. Her eyes were wide open and a huge smile came across her face. And then she looked at me and said "That's where the noise was coming from! Ice cream!" No turning back now.

Of course, I didn't have any money on me because we only headed out to walk the dog around the block, so I had to run to the store when we got home to get Popsicles. C'est la vie.

Mrs Cab Driver

The other day Bella went running by me, chasing her cousins that were here visiting for the week. I grabbed her on the way by for a hug. She sat down on my lap and let out a big sigh and said, "Mommy, when I get big I want to be a Taxi driver." Then she walked away. I called out to her "Why?" and she turned around and said, "Because I like Taxis."

Simple as that. Funny, how day to day, week to week, she declares what she wants to do with her life. How something inspires her so much that she thinks "THAT'S what I want to be." What it tells me is that she is learning, thinking and appreciating the things around her. She doesn't let anything slip by unnoticed. She literally does stop and smell the roses (on the walk to school).

We are living in a time of Political History! Lots of stuff happening in our country and around the world. This week the DNC is here in Denver, and next weekend the RNC will be in my other hometown of Minneapolis. I think we could all learn a lesson from the four-year-olds in our life. Listen, look around you, take the time to appreciate this wonderful country we live in and pay attention to what's happening. Be open to new ideas and be willing to change your mind about things. Think about what you can do to make the world a better place. For ourselves, our children, and even our taxi drivers!

Follow up 8/28/08: Just now I asked Bella if she still wanted to be a Taxi Driver and she said no. So I asked what she wanted to be now and she said "An Ice Cream Girl". No need to ask why this time.

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.