"Momma, I going to pwetend"

The Brownies and I went to the Library yesterday and checked out a few books. We got a Platypus book, a cartoon mouse book, a fictional daddy book, etc.. We checked out what I thought were age appropriate books.

So we get home and start reading. She's not interested in the platypus, the mouse or the daddy books. Nah, none of the ones I picked out. She wants the only non-fictional, non cartoon-y type of book called "Let's play pretend". We read that book 10 times yesterday, much to Jacob's dismay. But Lauren loved it and has asked to be read that book another 10 times today.



As we're playing this morning, she glances over at the bookshelf and her eyes get wide. Then a smile forms. "Mommy, I needa dat!" and she point to her apron that's hung on the shelf. I handed it her and then "Mommy, I needa dat too!", so I hand her her brother's Fireman helmet.

I attach her apron (thanks Heidi!) and she puts on her helmet. Then she proudly announces "I pwetending I a cowboy!".



I'm not sure I've ever seen a cowboy in a fireman helmet, and an apron for that matter, but I went with it...


And as with most things, Jacob got to be in on the "pwetending" too.
So here we sat this morning, "pwetending" we were cookin' cowboys. Because that's what civilized people do on Tuesday mornings, right?!?


Riiiight.

The crazy things 2 year olds do...

As Lauren's second Birthday approached, the Hubster and I started to see some pretty wacky behavioral changes emerge. Gone were the days when she'd discover a toy and hand it to me, proud of her sharing accomplishment. Or when she'd allow me to button her pants so that we could actually leave and get to the 10 am library class before sunset. Ahhh, those were the days.

Don't get me wrong; she's still sweet and cuddly and pretty even-keel. But in addition to those traits, she's bossier and more inquisitive and lots more cunning. She definitely knows what she wants and now that she has the words to ask for it, she doesn't hesitate to do so. If she wants a "pecial treat", she goes to the pantry and asks oh-so-sweetly "may I have some cookies peas?" She's definitely a talker. She wants to know what everything is, what is does, why it does it, when it will stop, why it will stop, how long before it stops, etc... She's a babbling machine and sometimes I long for the days when all she could do was coo and burp.

So tonight as I'm getting her ready for bed, her true 2 year old self came out. First, she demanded to wear pink Pj's. No problem. Then only daddy got to put them on her. No problem. Then she had to say goodnight to daddy, mommy, Tessa and Mouse the fish. Pucker lips were out for all of us. No problem. When all those tasks were met with her approval, she told me that "mommy read my wibwawy (library) books". So I sit down in her chair and she's looking for a blanket. Nah, not the one in her room, that would be too easy. No, she had to have a particular one in Jacob's room. In sleeping Jacob's room, in the squeakiest of squeaky drawers. Ugh. Fortunately I won this battle and we settled on a pink blanket.

Next she had to get "white B". Then she pulled out her stool, telling me "Laurnen need da' fan on", followed by "Laurnen need the light off". And she proceeded to do both by herself.

I'm thinkin' at this point that really, story time should have been over looooong ago. I'm practically writhing in my skin, my impatience is boiling over, but I somehow keep my cool while Miss I-do-it-myself! dawdles. She finally relents and climbs in my lap. I'm thinkin' "yes! We're thisclose!" when all of a sudden, she hops down from my legs and says "I gotta go piddle".

Pull-ups off, buns on the toilet and task completed, we're on our way back to her room. But something catches her eye on the floor of our room. "I needa get it!" she insists, so I head into her room and get comfy for what is sure to be another 10 hours. Seconds later, in she walks:


Her "fwashlight". She had to have it. Ya know, because the table lamp I painstakingly decorated isn't good enough for the Princess ::eyeroll::

So there we sat... Lauren, myself, white b, library books and Jacob's workbench flashlight. Pleasant as punch.



Four hours of preparation for 30 minutes of story time. Ahhh, thus is the life with 2year old communicative little girls ;)

A new recipe...

The Hubster and I love us some Outback grub, but it's not the cheapest meal to swing. So I found this on another cooking website and we dig it.

Outback Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2-1 tsp seasoning salt
6 slices of bacon, halved
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp dried onion flakes
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I like 'em, my family doesn't so usually I'm outta luck but they're good with this dish!)

Pound chicken breasts to 1/2" thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and chill for 30 minutes. Cook bacon till crisp; set aside. For sauce: mix mustard, honey, onion flakes, and mayo till smooth. Brown chicken in a little bacon grease for 3-5 minutes per side. Place in a 9x13" pan. Top with bacon and mushrooms. Pour sauce over the top and cover with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or till chicken juice runs clear.

Serve with some rice or potatoes and some veggies and you're good to go! Delish!

Lobster-ish

I hate living in the desert in June. And July. And August through October. No matter how many pounds of suncreen I put on, I still end up extra crispy.

Owwwww.

Who needs toys?

I don't know, considering we have FAO Schwarz in the front room our home,


one would think that my children spend the majority of playtime in there. I mean, the room is loaded with all kinds of kid-friendly hoopla that the Brownies grandparents insisted they had to have. They would be completely neglected and deprived if they didn't own everything Fisher Price makes...

But my Brownies are into the simpler things in life. Lauren was into these, while Jacob prefers the fun-filled, highly educational...


bathtub.

I know. We have books that teach ABC's, shape sorters that develop dexterity and AquaDoodle's that encourage imaginative play, but my son prefers the bathtub.

"
Give him a spatula and a candle and he's good to go.

Uh oh...

There was a whole lotta angst this morning in the Brown home. It seems the littlest one in the house has taken a liking to the 5th member of our family; white bear.


Oh my Lord. Lauren is beside herself.

It used to be that Moosey Man favored his Moose. He would sleep with it, cuddle with it, "talk" to it, etc...


Not so much today. "White b" got all of his love and attention. And Jacob knew how much this was bothering her sister.

She'd whine and fuss for beloved "white b" and he'd giggle...


She'd beg and plead for "white b"and he'd snuggle him into a ball...


She'd cry for "white b" and he'd pretend he didn't hear her...


She'd wail for "white b" and he'd make eye contact with her , and then coyly look away...


She'd scream for "white b" and he'd antagonize her by "swobbering" (slobbering) on him...


Finally he decided to take off, making her scream a little louder because not everyone within a 15 mile radius could hear her.


Yes, he's a whole year younger than her, yet he already knows how to push her buttons. Had this been "green b", or "blue b" or "brown b", this wouldn't have been an issue. But noooo, it had to be "white b". He may be small but he sure does have the upper hand around here!



FYI... no bears little girls were harmed in the making of this post ;)

In the 140's...

With alot of hard work and determination, I have finally reached the last 10 lbs. of weight loss. I hit 149 lb. mark today. I'm in the 140's!!!!

9 lbs. left. That's what I'll be telling myself when ice cream calls out my name.

Smarty Pants

A to Z, baby :)

Father's Day 2009

I often think about how blessed I am. Blessed that four years ago I was in the right place at the right time. Blessed to be loved by someone so remarkable. Blessed that to this day, with 2 young Brownies and a rather busy life, he still opens the door for me, calls me every time he gets a few minutes away at work and lets me warm my ice cold feet on his warm body. Blessed that he gets my breakfast ready every morning, tells me my cooking is fabulous, and gushes to his friends that my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are the best. Blessed that he still tells me that I look great no matter how ugly I feel or how much weight I have put on. Blessed that he fixes things around the house and yard at any hour on any day and calls on his way home to make sure there isn’t anything else that I need.

But most of all, I am insanely blessed that he works so hard to ensure that I can be at home with our kiddos. I know what I have and it’s the greatest. I’m at a point in my life that I can look around and be happy with things exactly as they are. There is no way to grasp the sheer scope, the depth, the intensity of the love that my husband and babies make me feel… not only for them but for life itself.


Blessed, indeed.

And so it begins...

For the most part, Lauren and Jacob get along very well. She shares her broccoli with him, he refrains from pulling her pigtails more than once a day, life is good...

But now that we're in the process of creating a "big girl" room for Lauren, complete with new bedding, paint and accessories, she wants to be in there 24/7. Because it's pink and that's her obsession these days. She'll lay in there and read her books, or play with her dolls, or dance in front of her closet mirrors. That's all find and good, except that she insists on shutting slamming the door so that "baby broder" can't come in. Of course, Jacob winds up hysterical when this happens because he loves her and follows her around wherever she goes. So he'll peek in on her through the cat door (yes, there's a cat door in her room. We were supposed to get her a new door but she loves having Tessa come in her room to sleep with her, so it'll stay) and cry because she's having fun and he's not.

So today, as Lauren is having a "pawty in Laurnen's woom with my b's" (translation: I'm having a party in my room with my bears), I asked if Jacob and I could come in. Shockingly, she agreed and us lowly ones were were allowed to step into her castle.

Jacob sat still for a nanosecond before deciding there was a room to trash and sister to annoy:


Within moments, he was off,


completely fixated on a cute little girl, oblivious to the fact that little brother was coming in for the kill:


When she caught wind of his plans, she tried to warn him with a kiss.


No such luck. Trouble maker little brother was getting closer, so she bee-lined for her bed.


I tried to give her a few extra minutes by swooping him up for a kiss,


but he wasn't amused and snatched her "b". Now it was on.


With a beloved bear stolen, she grabbed her pillow and whacked him, sending him to the floor.


Once pesky brother was floor-bound, she made herself all nice and cozy.


She even repositioned herself, thinking she was in the clear...


And she was, until youknowwho came back for seconds:


and made her get off the bed:


Once his mission of annoying sister and sending her into a terrible-two fit, complete with tears, was accomplished, he moved on to better things,


like destroying reorganizing her kitchen set:


And yeah, you guessed it... our little drama queen was none too thrilled about him touching her "fings". But there is something really great about having a little brother who isn't a great verbal communicator yet... and that is, when I mutter the word "ice cream", he cluelessly continues playing, while someone else grins ear to ear...



Ahhh, sibling rivalry. Ages one and two, and already they're mastering their skills.