Dogs and Babies Anderson-Schroeder Style

Little Cowgirl

2012-02-17T11:44:00.000-08:00

One day about 8 months ago, Emma declared, "Mama, I want pink cowboy boots!!"

Huh? Pink Cowboy boots? What does she know about pink cowboy boots? I laughed it off and figured like everything else, this too will be a short lived request. Maybe she saw someone on the street with pink cowboy boots. . who knows. She'll forget about it and it will be business as usual.

Well. . to my dismay (or delight. . you interpret as necessary) the request for pink cowboy boots kept coming. At least 3 times a week Em would ask for her boots. I did a little web surfing and scoffed at the selection and prices of toddler sized pink cowboy boots. I hoped she would let this go.

Did she give it up?

Nope.

Several times a week Em would ask for her boots. About 2 weeks ago I decided to start the search again. Low and behold I found a pair of good looking boots in her size for 1/2 off (for the record, it still doesn't make them cheap). I added the boots to my shopping cart and clicked buy.

Call me a pushover. Call me a sucker. Call me the mama of a well dressed kid. It's your call!

A few days after the boots arrived I finally figured out where the idea for pink cowboy boots came from. Our neighbors planter! Of course she wanted pink cowboy boots, we walk by these everyday twice a day.

If I could edit the video I would show you Em's reaction to her boots.

Did she squeal with delight?

Did she run and give me a hug and thank you?

Did she pass out from surprise?

Um, no. She looked up and said, "Where's my cowboy hat?"
Little ingrate.. . ha ha ha.

What did we do. . .say stuff it? Nope!

Brian went online and bought the matching hat. The set is now complete and she's ready to go for a ride.

Snow Bunny. . . .

2012-02-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

Or Not. . .

Seattle isn't known for it's snow. We usually get one snow blast a year and Em has never been a fan. . . well this year is no exception.

This year I had big hopes that Em would enjoy making snowmen, throwing snowballs, and laying in the snow for the obligatory snow angel. I know better. My kid doesn't like to be dirty, wet or cold. . . and a combination of two of the three is a recipe for disaster.

She was all for it . .in the beginning. Here she is supervising Brian's snowman making. Notice she's not helping.

Now she's over it. "Can I go home now?" I think we made it to about 15 minutes. I told her she could go home if she smiled. . .this was her response.
I did get her to go down the hill on a real sled before being forced back indoors.

Obviously we weren't snow ready. . . here's our make-shift sled.

Oh yeah, we're classy!

Imagination

2012-01-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

There's something magical about being 3. Emma's imagination has exploded and lately Emma has been taking a lot of trips. She's either a princess in a far away land, on a flight to Geneticut to see Grammy, at Tooey's pool in Virginia, or off on some other amazing adventure. This girl sure likes to travel!

This morning I had a delivery and asked Emma to bring the boxes downstairs after I unloaded them. After the third box she disappeared. Approximately 15 minutes later she runs up the stairs and yells, "All aboard, your train is getting ready to leave!!" Huh, what train? I went down to see that she had transformed the three boxes into a train complete with an engine, passenger car, and caboose. "Where are we going?" I asked. "Seattle! Hop in. Sit down!" she demanded. I got into the caboose and looked around. She had packed a lunch (crackers and juice), pretended to secure all of her babies into their imaginary seats with imaginary seat belts, she crawled into the engine, tooted her horn and off we went. Ahh, the wonders of childhood.

Adventures in Food

2012-01-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

We've been lucky. Em is an eating machine. She will eat just about anything. When I hear my friend's adventures in picky toddlers, I sit quiet and am unable to offer any advise because my kid loves food.

Her favorites include: kale, spinach, capers, blue cheese (the stinkier the better), swiss chard, mushrooms, kalamata olives, balsamic vinegar, steak, salami, and collard greens.

Her least favorites include: eggs. She absolutely despises them. She still won't eat them in any form; scrambled, fried, poached. . . nada.

I'm pretty sure she gets her broad pallet from Brian. I'm not a very adventurous eater by any means and my list of dislikes is definitely a long one. Brian on the other hand claims he'll eat anything as long as it's not poisonous. Em definitely takes after him in this category.

On Sunday we went to the Aquarium and then had lunch at Anthony's. Brian ordered a mussel and clam dish and Em wanted a bite. Well, you know how this story goes. Em ate 1/2 of Brian's bivalves and then insisted we order her a dish of her own. Apparently bivalves need to get added to the love list. . . . who would have thought?

The blogging dilemma

2012-01-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

So here I am 2 months after my last post facing the biggest blogging dilemma. . to post or not to post? Should I just give up?

I'm busy. I'm really, really busy.

I am a mom. A working mom raising her child at the store she's trying make successful.

I am a small business owner with two separate thriving businesses; the store and my collar business.

I have a household (or zoo) containing three dogs, 12 chickens, two fish tanks, a bird, a husband, and a child in which I'm primarily responsible for keeping alive.

I have a 35 year old body that needs some attention after three years of neglect.

I feel like I continuously try to squeeze 26 hours worth of stuff in 24 hours and have hit my breaking point.

Something has got to give. That something has been my free time. Time where I'm not picking up dog poop, chasing a child, sewing, running a shop, cooking, cleaning, walking dogs, being a taxi, etc etc etc. . . you get my point.

So the question is. . in the few rare moments that I have to myself, do I slip into a warm bubble bath with a glass of red wine (fantasizing here. . this never happens) or sit on an uncomfortable bar stool trying to think of something cute and witty to write about my day. . . or do I just go to bed and try to get sleep to recharge myself for the next day?

Then I start accessing my blog. I have very few followers. No one ever posts anything so is anyone even reading this crap?

I reach a decision. I'm okay with giving it up. Great!! It's one less thing I have to do. I don't have the time or energy and no one will miss it. Right?

Well. . . then I get an email from my mom, (hi mom) stating that my brother (hi Chad) wants to know why I'm not blogging anymore. . . hmmm. . . .

I guess that was the kick in the ass that I needed. I at least have two readers, right?

I realized that I have to take a new approach. Instead of worrying about my "story" and making this a witty replay of my child's existence I need to use this as a family album where Emma can look back and be utterly embarrassed that her mother posted X, Y, or Z about her into the world wide web for all to read. . . now that's inspiration!

So I vow to blog more. . .forgo that bottle of wine and bubble bath. . oops I mean glass. . . and I will post. . . .

With that . . .here's Suzie the Punk Rock Georgetown chicken. . a collaboration between Em and I (she did the head, I did the body) I think we have a future artist in the making. . .

Halloween Bee Princess

2011-11-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Initially Emma wanted to be a fairy princess for Halloween. Okay that's easy. Raid her wardrobe, throw together some fairy wings, and wha la! costume finished.

Then we took an afternoon and went on a shopping adventure. We ended up at Old Navy where they were clearancing all of their costumes and Em decided she wanted to be a bee.

I present to you her royal majesty the "bee princess". We stayed in the hood this year and went trick or treating with Em's buddies Asher, Lucy, and Pasqual.
Em and LucyAfter about 15 houses, I think she was pretty spent.

Enter the chorus of Blind Melon's "No Rain" now:

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain I like watchin' the puddles gather rain . . .

a bee costume isn't complete without a bee dance. I don't know fluent bee, but I think she's telling us the flower is down the street, around the block, and to the right.

Future Profession.

2011-10-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

Emma wants to do hair when she grows up.

She decided that she would be her first client.

Drumroll please. . . . .

This was her work.

this is the work of a professional.

Thank you Columbia City Cuts for fitting us in on a Friday afternoon and doing such a wonderful job "fixing" Emma's masterpiece!

Right before the big "fix"
3 weeks later. . it still looks good!

A Different Child

2011-09-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

Having a child is an adventure. Children grow and develop at amazing speeds and the the child that wakes up in the morning is a tad bit different than the one that went to sleep. Emma is definitely developing into a wonderful little girl and I find each stage more fun than the one previous one.

This weekend a friend commented, "Wow, Emma has changed so much in a month. She's a different child!" I totally agree. Her personality has exploded. Her confidence is increasing daily. She is finally asserting herself in play with other children and she will now freely speak her mind to other people besides me. My baby is long gone and my little girl no longer relies on me for her confidence, she has found it internally. I don't know if it's preschool, this stage in development; but my meek, cautious, introverted-extrovert (yes, oxymoron I know), is now amped and ready to take on the world.

This weekend we went to the Puyallup fair for Brian's birthday and I was amazed at Emma's response. She wanted to ride the rides, pet the animals, and play her guitar with the bands. Who is this kid?? I don't know, but all I can do is smile.

Her first carnival ride ever. . . .I think she's trying to ignore Brian and his antics. "Papa, you're embarrassing me!"

Waving from the swing.

Feeding the goats.

Rocking out with her new purple guitar.

I was totally surprised by Em's reaction to the band. She grabbed her guitar and wanted to get on the stage. Again I ask, who is this kid? Three weeks ago she refused to leave my side and dance at the Toddler Tunes concert, but on this day she was rocking it out!

Seeing Emma "come into her own" this weekend and watching her rock out in front of the crowd was a moment that I will never forget. This is the same kid that wouldn't talk at preschool and was labelled as "painfully shy".

I think Em has finally figured it out and I am so proud of her!

Oh Chicken

2011-08-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

Chickens. . .

Our flock has exploded.

What sparked this? Is Lori nuts? That's still to be determined. . . . but the real catalyst was that we lost one of our original chickens, Penny, and our other three girls went from laying an egg a day to an egg every three days. These girls are pets, so sending them to the "farm" was not an option. Instead, I decided it was time to add some new layers and fresh faces to our flock.

With that my friends I have become indoctrinated into the the crazy chicken lady club.

I figured that since I was going to add some fresh layers why not have some cute minis, and while we were at it, why not have some a the store too. So now we have our three originals, 5 mediums, and 7 littles (these littles were a last minute addition due to me attending a livestock auction. . . . Really, Lori went to a livestock auction? Yep. I made an adventure out of it. . went with Em and friends and had a fabulous time. I went for two, came home with 5 . .. I was totally meant to be a farmer in sticksville somewhere. . . and I digress). . .

So. . . we have a coop at home for the bigs and mediums, a chicken tractor at home for the littles, and Brian is building a coop at the store. I' m waiting for everyone to get big enough to integrate and then I'll be able to break down my maze of temporary chicken wire fencing. Classy, I know.

Now for the introductions:

Our three originials: (l to r) Chippy, Henny, and Big Bird

The 5 new mediums in one shot.

Front is Nemo, back (clockwise) Percy, Charmagne, Susie, and Paulie is on the far right.

Front to Back:

Nemo, Charmagne (Silver Laced Wyandotte), and Percy (Barred Rock)

(l to r) Susie (Americauna. . she'll lay Easter Egg colored eggs. Pastel blues and greens), Percy, Paulie's butt, and Nemo

Littles:

We have two Frizzle Cochin Bantams -- Shirley and Chotchki

Four Polish White Crested Bantams -- Elizabeth Taylor and three currently unnamed. I am planning on re homing two.

One Mottled Cochin Bantam -- Mottle

Pictured are Shirley (front), Mottle and two of the Pollocks

Elizabeth Taylor. . Lizzie for short Cute little Mottle.

She's by far my favorite addition.

She won't get much bigger and is very docile.

Because we have so many chickens at the house I needed to expand the chicken "holding area". I built a cute little fence and gate to keep the chickens in and keep the dogs out. Pictured below, our little rooster Paulie demonstrates how effective my gate is. . . . .

it's his new roost.

Paulie likes to sit on the fence, and Cocka Cocka Koo. . . .his doodle is definitely broken.

When I say Paulie is our "little" rooster I mean it. Here he is with two of the new mediums. The girls aren't full grown, but he is. He's about 1/3 of their size, and won't get much bigger. He was part of a batch of mixed bantams I bought to sell at the store.

I think he's a Bantam Americauna.

He's little but all attitute.

"Who are you calling little!?!"
I'm going to split all of the newbies up once they're big enough to be integrated into the general population. 1/2 of the littles and 1/2 of the mediums will reside in their new deluxe coop at the store.

Parental Exaggeration

2011-08-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Bragging about one's child comes natural.

Honestly, I think it's really hard not to do. Everyone thinks their child is a genius; the next Einstein. You think your kid is smarter, prettier, or better than the child next to him/her. You would never outwardly admit it, but subconsciously you're comparing your kid to mine. I don't take offense because I do it myself. We all do it. It’s not malicious. It’s totally natural. I mean really how could you not think this little person composed of half your genes isn't the best thing to grace the earth.

As my child gets older I've realized that with the admiration of our children we as parents tend do a little inflating. We pad the score. My kid is just a little better because. . .. .

We do it. You do it. We all do it.

Case and point: I remember my mom telling me several times growing up that I was so smart as a child that I could put a 50 piece puzzle together at 3. Now did this really happen? I doubt it. Maybe it was a 10 piece puzzle. Maybe I was 4. Maybe I had a little help. Who knows? I do know that I'm not, nor ever have been a genius. I don't think my mom was intentionally lying to me. I think her perception of her darling child was a bit exaggerated. As an adult, my mom still brags about me, whether these brags are 100% true or a little inflated I don't care. Actually I'm okay with it. . It means she loves me.

So what is this about? I guess this is my unveiling that even though my child is the most wonderful person to walk the earth, she may not be a genius. . . (Though Brian would tell you otherwise) I often catch myself partaking a little "inflation "when it comes to Emma, just like my mom did to me, and I'm sure you do with your child.

Here a few non-intentional "padding the scores" that may have come from our family (uh, hum Brian) in regards to Emma:

Emma speaks Spanish: Emma can sometimes count to 5 in Spanish; on a good day. Emma will whip out a random word here or there, but she is no way "speaks" Spanish. She speaks Span-Em-Lish, her own language, which usually rears its head during night time delirium.

Emma rides her bike: Emma can cruise on her bike while being pushed. She refuses to use the pedals . . . just like any true princess, and would rather have her loyal subjects do all of the work.

Emma can read: Emma can pick out the letter E, "E is for Emma and Elephant" as well as a few other letters. When reciting her alphabet she usually gets to about F and then it could be anybody's game. Sometimes she jumps right to X, Y, Z, other times she throws in a "jota" or "double V". . . The alphabet is an adventure where Emma is constantly choosing a different path.

Emma was potty trained at 20 months: This one is true.

Emma will eat anything: This is mostly true. Em will eat anything except for eggs. She despises them. She will not eat them in any form; with cheese, without cheese, covered in ketchup. Eggs are a definite no, no! Em's favorites these days include: capers, kalamata olives, gorgonzola cheese (yuck!), and big chunks of parmesan. The kid definitely has the weirdest pallet ever.

Emma is the cutest kid ever: This is definitely true. See below and decide for yourself.

Oh wait. . I forgot . .not only is she cute, but she's sassy too!

She's so big. . .or so she'll tell you.

2011-08-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

Emma has entered the stage where all she can talk about is growing up.

"I'll eat this and grow bigger and bigger and stronger!"
"I need to eat and sleep so I can be big and strong like you, mama!"

I get a lot of "when I'm older I will do X" or "when I'm older I will do Y"

Though its very endearing its also very sad. My baby is no longer a baby. She's a walking, talking, questioning, opinionated machine that is racing her way through toddler hood.

Instead of fighting it, we've embraced this new stage, and have upgraded Em to many "big girl" items.

Out with the crib, in with the twin bed.
Out with the highchair, in with the bar stool.
Out with the Ergo, in with the stroller.
Gone but not forgotten are the changing table, anything 2T and smaller, and her booster seat.

I'm very thankful that the one thing she hasn't given up is cuddling. I know that one day that too will be gone, so I'm trying to get as much toddler loving as possible.

Em in her new bed. Night #1.

I asked her if she liked her new bed and I got this face!

Mazie is pretty partial to Em's new bed too. When she's pacing and whining at 2 am I tell her to go sleep with Emma and off she trots! Sound asleep!

Time Flies

2011-08-12T14:03:00.001-07:00

Where have I been?

Now that's a good question.

I've been here. I've been there. I've just not been a part of the blogosphere. We went out of town, my wireless connection at home went caput, work has been taxing, and I've been swamped with sewing projects. I've found I've got a lot to say but not a lot of time to say it.

So I'm starting again. I'm going to try to take it one week at a time, and give myself 30 minutes to post something mind blowing. . . okay, maybe I should aspire just to post. Little steps.

What's new:

Brian moved back home after an 8 month "break". I am very excited our family is together again. During our sabbatical I learned that being a single parent is hard but not impossible. I learned that being a single parent is empowering but not as fulfilling as sharing that experience with the one you love. I learned that family is worth fighting for even if it is hard work. Marriage ain't easy. . . but what in life is. .. . .

Em and I travelled to Virginia again and finally thawed out from this cold Seattle winter. .oh wait, summer.

Em started Spanish immersion preschool. At first she wasn't a fan but she now seems to enjoy it. I love to sit and listen to her Span-Em-Lish ramblings at the end of the night. I think I need to hire an interpreter.

Em is a true blessing. She is at that perfect age. She is so much fun to be around and we have a fabulous time together. The best thing about this stage is the ability to have a conversation with her. She's inquisitive, engaging, and she even pretends to listen to me while I'm talking.

We got a new bunch of chickens. Brian is building a coop at the store and we're going to have two separate flocks.

Summer is almost over and I don't even feel like it's begun.

Now for the main attraction:

Little Miss Personality.

Since summer has been so bad, Em's taken to swimming in the bathtub!

Mermaid

2011-06-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

I am a mermaid I have a top with shells.

I have a tail.
I put out my arms to swim.
I soar through the water.

I am mermaid but mom calls me a siren.

What does that mean?

Getting Braver

2011-05-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Emma has always been very timid. She doesn't climb on things. She never jumps off of things. When we go to the playground she plays in the wood chips, not the jungle gym. She always holds my hand when walking in the grass. She takes her time and rarely just takes off and runs.

Over the last 3 months I've had two of Em's teachers ask if I've had her eyes checked. I hadn't thought anything about her cautiousness being linked to her eyes. I've never worn glasses so it never crossed my mind. I attributed timidness as part of her nature. She's a thinker not an athlete. After the second inquiry I thought I'd ask her to see what she said.

Me, "Em why don't you climb on the jungle gym? Are you scared or do you have trouble seeing?"

Em, "Mama, I just don't see so well."

I guess that solves it. Em has an appointment for a pediatric ophthalmologist in June and we'll get some answers.

In the meantime she has gotten a little braver thanks to Circus School. She loves all of the aerial apparatus especially the ribbon, and trapeze.

Mornings

2011-04-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Em is a morning person and is at her best really early.

Em got up early today and by 6:30 we were discussing what we were going to do for the rest of the morning. Em informed me that she had decided that Tucker needed a bath. Really? Of all things that we could do. . this is what she wanted to do?

We have paints. We have art supplies. We have chickens outside that need to be let out and fed. We have a beautiful backyard to play in and plants to water. We have a park a block away. We have TV. All of these things would be appropriate activities for 6:30. Bathing the dog hadn't even registered as something "we could, or would, or would ever want to do" especially first thing in the morning.

Me, "Em, can't you think of anything else to do? Do you really want to wash the dog?" An astounding, "Yes!" was proclaimed as she ran into the bathroom.

Me, "Em, I don't know that Tucker wants me to wake him up to take a bath."

Em, "Yes he does. He NEEDS a bath. I want to wash him."

This is where I realize that my life has changed. I have officially crossed the line and have become that "crazy parent."

What did I do? Did I redirect my 2.5 year old and suggest that we leave our ancient old dog alone and relieve him of the humiliation of a bath?

Nope. I rustled the old guy awake, told him he was getting a bath, and carried him to the bathtub.

Em declared "Mama, good job. You're strong!" as I lowered Tuck into the tub. He gave me the "are you kidding me, this is what you woke me up for stare" as I turned on the shower and he got his first early morning bath in 13 years. Emma giggled, Tucker got clean, and when it was all said in done Emma snuggled Tucker and said, "I love you Tucker!" and I think Tucker understood.

I look back at my morning and I have to chuckle. Toddlers are completely unpredictable in a wonderful way. I didn't have a bath for the dog planned, but what did it hurt besides Tuck's ego? Nothing. He's clean. We had fun. And the pups got an extra long walk as a payment for Tucker being so compliant. I totally feel that this was a win-win situation for all!

Honestly I think they both look content!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

I walked into Em's room this morning and instead of her normal "good morning mama," I hear, "Today I can wear my purple fairy god mother dress!"

aka. . . screw the bunny, I get to wear tulle. . . .

We invited our good friends over for brunch and hosted an easter egg hunt. The brunch was delicious (if do I say so myself) but the Easter egg hunt was . .. well. . . .given we had 3 two year olds it was very short lived.

I think Truman had more fun than the kids. Brian and Ankur hid at least 30 eggs and I think the kids probably picked up 10. Truman scored at least 3! Who knew greyhounds like jelly beans??

Here's the trio devising a game plan.

Actually this is what went down: Em was happy to find the eggs, but didn't want to put the dirty eggs in her basket, Surabi would find an egg and take a time out to eat all of the jelly beans in that egg, and Asher was more interested in the dog's balls scattered throughout the yard.

Truman desperately wanted to participate. Hey Mom, is this my basket?

Em took egg finding very seriously. She would find one and yell, "Mama, bring me a wipe. It's dirty!"

No jelly bean went undiscovered!

Em sharing her find with Truman.

Emma twirling for the crowd.

MMM... jelly beans and sand!

After we put the eggs away this is how the kids spent the next 45 minutes. Apparently all we needed was three watering cans and a hose

Getting a picture of three 2 year olds is like herding cats.

We had a wonderful time and it was good to be able to spend such a special morning with friends! Happy Easter everyone!

So Eager to Grow Up

2011-04-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Oh the big dilemma of time. Children spend their days yearning to be old and adults do everything they can to stay young.

Whether it's to wear a pair of shoes that are too big or a new pair of underwear, Em is constantly telling me how grown up she is. "I'm big now!" she proclaims whenever she wants something that isn't necessarily age/size/Emma appropriate.

I bought Em a new set of underwear that were the next size up. I didn't think they would fit so I washed them and put them away. For three days Em informed me as she got dressed, "I can wear my new underwear now!" and would turn and point to her little hiney and state "Mama, my butt is bigger now!" For three days I laughed and then refused her the bigger underwear. Finally on day 4, I gave in and let her wear the coveted underwear. They were way too big and I spent the day listening to her exclaim, "mama, my underwear is up my butt!" but it made her happy. It made her so happy she tried to show them to two people at the coffee shop . . .side note: I've never seen a grown man blush so quickly.

The other item Emma wants to "grow up" for are the a pair of sparkly pink converse. Her Grandmother sent these and the shoes have become the "golden gem". I didn't see them come in and Brian hid them immediately after she opened the box. Em spent almost a week looking for them. One day she pulled me into her bedroom and informed me that she "WAS going to wear her new Caa-Berse". She pointed to the top of her closet and I could see two toes of shoes sticking out. I pulled them down and Em squealed with joy. These shoes are size 8. She's in a 6.5. Not only do they fall off her feet but she trips on them. We made a compromise and she is allowed to wear them in the house over her pj's with feet (that's the only way they stay on her feet).

So my typical morning involves Em waking up and asking for her new underwear followed by plopping down to put on her new clown sized converse. I guess if I look on the bright side, both of these items will still fit her in a year so we're getting our money's worth!

I bought Em a new dress for Easter. I made two big mistakes. . .#1. Letting her see me buy it. #2 Telling her she could wear it before Easter. That dress barely made it across the front threshold before Em put it on. She walked around the house singing "I'm a fairy Godmother," so I pulled out my camera and played with a few settings. I really liked how a few of these pictures turned out.

The magic of Two

2011-04-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Two, oh wonderful two.

In the past few weeks things have gotten a lot better.

I don't know if Em is getting easier or I'm getting more tolerant of two year old behaviour. I think we've mastered the game of getting along. . .. . . for now. I spend most of my days jumping from one activity to another and laughing at what comes out of her mouth. Bill Cosby is right, children do say the darnedest things.

I decided it was time to do fun things so we are taking classes at Musikgarden and SANCA circus school. Em really enjoys both and it gives us "fun time" out of the store. . . . something we both desperately needed!!

Every night when we get home Em heads out to the chicken coop to say hi to the chickens. Tonight she informed me that she was their "Fairy God Mother" and she was going to "grant their wishes with magic!" I don't know if she's casting a spell on Penny. . but these two seem to be having a conversation. (Penny is the chicken)

We've been making our own bows and the bigger the flower the better!

This is Em's favorite.

I actually took a day off today (gasp) and spent the day shopping. I got this hat/glove combo for a whopping $0.47 and this raincoat (size 5T) for $3.99 I love deals! Em instantly put on her new clothes, went into the side yard, and demanded I take her picture.

Here she wanted me to take a picture of her "esop-a-gus"

and here she's just being cute!

A day in the life with Em

2011-03-31T20:32:00.001-07:00

Em's grasp of language boggles my mind. Here are a few conversations and situations that made me chuckle.

Today we went to the grocery and I gave Em the coin change. She quickly put it in her pocket and said, "This is for my savings!" I then asked, "what are you going to spend your savings on?" She replied, "a nice gift for you mama."

Em has a ladybug nightlight in her room. The other morning Em stated, "The ladybug has a red light. The red combined (yes she said combined) with the ceiling makes pink stars."

Today I was doing dishes and Em was in the backyard. All of a sudden I hear "Mama I need help!!" I ran outside to see her standing in the dog yard, holding a bag, standing above a pile of dog poop. I asked, "What are you doing?" Em replied, "I'm picking up poop, but I don't want to touch it!" I laughed. I then informed her that picking up poop was my job, but I appreciated the help. She replied, "I am a responsible pet owner and I want to help you, mama. because I love you!"

Em, "Mama! Come here. Take my picture in my new pajamas that Grammy gave me and send it to Grammy. Grammy would like that!"

Totally random statement while walking the dogs. . . .Em states "I used to live on a tractor, one day when I was old. I used it to feed the cows and horses hay." Um. . . .. reincarnation?

Emma wanted to drink my coffee and I informed her that she wasn't old enough. I told her when she got older she could have coffee too. She replied "Mama, I don't want to be young anymore. I'm old now!"

Em still loves to crawl in bed with Mazie. This morning I overhear, "Mazie is sweet. She is my bestest friend."

Em went to the salon with me and got a red streak in her hair (it was vegetable dye and is already washed out). Every morning on the way to work Em reminds me, "mama, I want to go back to the salon. I need more red hair!"

Now that it's nice out I've been setting up her easel out back. Here she is painting the flowers on the stoop. "My masterpiece!" she declared when she was finished!

Trips

2011-03-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Another reason for my blogging absence is that Em and I took a trip back east to visit my family. Em is a great travel partner and overall our flights weren't that bad. . . well not as bad as I thought it would be on two 5+ hour flights with a two year old.

Waiting for our flight to Reagan International Airport

Em was exhausted when we finally arrived and quickly fell asleep snuggling Grammy.

I don't know who looks more content in the photo.

We didn't do much while we were there except sit around chatting, eating, and catching up. I have decided that's what one needs to do on vacation. . . NOTHING. I'm not used to doing nothing, so experiencing the pure void of responsibilities was really hard to do but very much welcomed and appreciated.

Oakley the wonder dog. He is the best dog on the planet.

The Ramey/Anderson/Schroeder ladies.

Pam (Tooey) and Em in her new tutu and heels. Em put on her outfit and proclaimed "I'm a lady!"

Chad was dead set on getting Em to say "Virginia is for Lovers!" For the most part he got a blunt stare and a closed mouth.

Em showing off her new tutu on mom's birthday.

Her ballerina pose!

I brought a giant suitcase of toys, books, and art supplies to keep Em busy while we were hanging out. Did Em want anything to do with these items? Heavens no. Em was content to play with Pam's stash of reading glasses, a bucket of rocks, and two wooden wine racks.

We had a great time and I am happy that we were able to get away for a bit. My battery has been recharged and I'm ready to hit the ground running.

Another day. ..

2011-03-12T21:53:00.001-08:00

After my last post I've felt a bit stifled.

Every time I've approached the computer I run through my list of things to post about.

Emma didn't do this today.

Emma didn't do that.

Emma asserted herself this way.

Emma is two and showing herself.

Today I wanted to join the circus.

Honestly how does one follow up such a heart warming touching post. . . . there's no way I can post "I take it all back .. . . . I didn't mean it! My child is a monster. . ."

Well. . . my child isn't a monster. She's two. I have to constantly remind myself that even though she communicates as well a 3 year old, she's emotionally a button pushing, limit testing, whining, bundle of terrible twoness. Don't get me wrong. We have good days. We have bad days. Some days the good outweighs the bad and some days the bad. . well. . .that's about all there is. Some days I hold onto her completely asinine statements, aka imagination, as a way to give me motivation to keep on trucking.. . . to make it another day. . .to embrace my previous post.. . to enjoy my child.

The other day we were on a walk and this was our conversation:

Em: The sky is purple

Me: Where? I only see blue sky.

Em: Over there. By my rocket ship.

Me: Rocket ship? Who's on your rocket ship?

Em: Me and mama. We're flying to the moon. To look at the stars and planet earth.

Okay. . . planet earth?? Really? When she says stuff like this I have to remind myself that she's barely 2. These are the days that make the hard days worth it!

Blessed

2011-02-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

For those that know me, know that I never wanted children. Don't get me wrong, I loved other's people kids, but I loved giving them back. I had no desire to change diapers, deal with tantrums, or have to explain to others why my house looked like romper room. I prided myself on being fun-loving, care free, and hanging out with friends. I spent every moment fulfilling the proverb of eat, drink, and be marry. Kids didn't fit into that formula. My maternal clock was broken.

After years of proclaiming I didn't want a family one day I told my husband that we'd let fate decide for us.

Well fate found us. I got pregnant.

I hated being pregnant. I was indifferent about having a child. I believed that the maternal fairy had missed me and I was bound to be one of those mother's that wasn't hard wired to be a mother. I made no secret of this. I told everyone. My mom tried to ease my worries by telling me I'd be a great mother, but I didn't believe her.

I often wondered why I didn't have those happy pregnant feelings that I read about? Why wasn't I excited to meet my little cooking nugget? I was horrified with myself because I wasn't like all of those women I read about. . . I wasn't ecstatic about being a mom. I was so scared I wouldn't like my child that I spent many nights awake worrying about it.

My indifference melted the day my little nugget decided to enter this world. My love for Emma is something that I can't explain. I had worried endlessly for nothing. It was love at first site.

I feel I have been totally blessed because I really like my kid. For 9 months I worried about not being maternal and after she was born it just clicked. Everyday she wakes up with a smile on her face and an insatiable curiosity. She is an easy going, happy to be doing what ever, ready to take on the world kind of girl. . . . and I can totally relate (about the taking on the world part, not the rest, ha!) I am one of the lucky ones in that I get to spend my days with my child and I wouldn't give that up for anything. I am not religious, but I thank God for the gift of Emma.

Why am I blabbering you ask? I am writing this as a reminder for when she hits puberty and I question my decision to have a child. . . I am writing this as a testimony of my love for my child. There is absolutely nothing in this world like it.

So on that note. . my camera died so I purged the pictures from my camera phone. Enjoy!

Em using a dog bed as a nest!

My three greyhounds

Lady Gaga has nothing on Em
Grandma hats are all the fashion!

This one cracks me up. . .she was having an "art show". . .what's the art, and what's the show, who knows. . . hence the reminder of how much I love my kid. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have my hands full!

Order and Schedules

2011-02-11T21:01:00.001-08:00

I never imagined that my life would become so routine. My life is one big schedule and all of those living around me must adhere to it or else.

Or else what?

Last night I got stuck at work and ended up running a little late. That little bit late turned my world upside down. The dogs were underfoot. Em was cranky and demanding. Mazie cried incessantly. Tucker was extraordinarily grumpy. Everything was out of whack. I was at whits end and was ready to just walk away .. . . .but I persevered. I stuck with it and everyone got fed, bathed, and into bed. After it was all said and done I finally sat down and I swear the gigantic sigh I released could be heard in all of Georgetown.

Wow!

Laptop finally in hand, a big glass of tea, and quiet. Quiet being the optimal word. . . . .it was heavenly.

This got me thinking. Could 30 minutes really set our entire lives into complete and utter upheaval?

The answer was yes.

After evaluating our daily routine I realized that we get up within 15 plus or minus the same time every morning. We do X, Y, and Z (I won't bore you with the details, because it would be just that. . .boring) then walk the dogs. We go to work, we do X, Y, and Z then go get coffee. We work all day, come home and immediately walk the dogs and then do X, Y, Z.

This got me thinking; who is this X, Y and Z and why are they running my life?

Well, after ruminating about it for hours and hours, I determined that X, Y, and Z have become my good friends. X, Y, and Z got things done.. X, Y, and Z are order. X, Y, and Z was predictability. X, Y, and Z was sanity. Most of all X, Y, and Z have given me peace.

I never thought I would live by the "book" and have schedules dictate my life, but I have found that disorder in our household is very unwanted. X, Y, and Z keep me and all of the beings in my life sane. Thank you order, schedules, and predictability, because of you I am happy!! I will try never to stray from you again!

The case of the missing remote

2011-02-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

Last night I got ready for bed, crawled under the covers, and reached for the remote. To my surprise the remote was not in its place. It was gone!! I spent over an hour searching in drawers, under furniture, on top of furniture, and in the deep dark cracks of every inch of my house. To no avail .. no remote. This wouldn't have been a problem, except Comcast keeps themselves in business selling replacement remotes. . .because you can't change the channel without one. A crock if you ask me.

This morning when Em woke up I asked, "Em did you take mama's remote from the bedroom?"

No answer.

While we were eating breakfast I enquired, "Hey Em, did you hide mama's black remote?"

No answer.

As I got her dressed I said, "Em where did you put the black remote that was in the bedroom?"

Again, no answer.

I started brushing her hair and informed her, "Mama spent an hour looking for her remote last night, did you put it somewhere?"

No answer.

I believe she was avoiding me. . . . .

While brushing her hair she got mad at me and started squirming and crying. I told her to be patient and informed her that I was getting quite frustrated. As I put her down she looked at me with her big blue eyes and says, ""Mama no frustrated! Follow me!"

With that, she turned around and trotted into my bedroom. She walked directly to the tv stand, pushed the vcr flap (we have a combo vcr and dvd player) and yells, "Silly Remote. Its Hiding!!"

Okay, she was right, how can you stay mad with something as asinine as that. I knew I smelled a rat! A little rat named Emma!

the look of an angel. . . see the halo?

A Few Videos

2011-01-31T20:47:00.000-08:00

Em's growing so quick and her vocabulary has exploded. Diplodocus? Really?

Oh and we got a cat. Sir Rocky the King of the Ferals. Long story short he was considered unhomable, had been out of his colony too long to be returned, and because he's white woudn't make a good barn cat. I got an email and two weeks later he moved into my storage room at the store. Em and I spend hours reading him books and trying to get him comfortable around people and we've made great strides in the last 3 weeks. He's Em's cat. . .really ;)

That girls got style!

2011-01-31T20:08:00.000-08:00

Em loves clothes. Em loves to dress up. I would love to take credit for all of her cute days and blame the bad ones on her, but usually its the other way around. This girl mixes patterns like it's no one's business and can pull it off. I've never seen anyone sport stripes with polka dots mixed with a little bit of flowers and not look like a clown. . . . well, no one except for Em.

Her favorite recipe includes throwing on a hat, adding a tutu, a couple necklaces and fairy wings to any attire and we've got an Emma ensemble . . . A perfect outfit!

Here are a few of Em's best fashion statements.

Hipster

Punk Rock Princess

Monster boots with sleepwear

Santa hat-- the perfect accessory for every outfit! Especially one consisting of a pattern explosion!

High Society Completely Pacific Northwestern

and we can't forget the

Fairy Princess Rock Star

Dogs

2011-01-29T22:17:00.000-08:00

My biggest fear was having a child that didn't like animals. Luckily I was blessed with Em, who absolutely adores every animal she's ever met. I'm sure being raised in a house full of pets and in pet supply store has helped but she certainly has a gift with them. My feral child has become quite an animal whisperer.

Em loves our dogs. Our dogs love Em. She helps feed them (she yells, "that's my job" if I try to feed them without her), she plays with them by giving them toys, and she's always up for a puppy snuggle. Every morning she crawls into my bed to have some quality time with Mazie. Last week she informed me, "Mamma, Truman is your favorite greyhound. That's okay, cause Mazie is my favorite." Um, okay.

Today we had the following conversation.

"Mamma, Truman is sweet. He's a greyhound."

"Mazie is a sweet. She is a greyhound."

"Tucker. Um. Tucker."

Pause

Silence

Pause

"Tucker is old. He is JUST a dog"

I couldn't help but fall out of my chair laughing.

I love that child!!

Emmie Barely Two

2010-12-30T20:31:00.000-08:00

One night I was sewing and Em was walking around with my scraps. All of a sudden she pushes my leg and says, "move over mamma, I'm supervisin' "

Em went down to the stock room and came back with treats. I asked her what she was doing and she informed me, "I need a job! Emmie's stockin" and she put the treats on the shelf.

Em wanted to wear a certain pair of pj's and I told her that they were dirty. She says, "Wash them!" I was joking around and said, "How come it's always do this, do that? I guess I'm Cinderella" Em's reply, "NO I'M CINDERELLA!!!" My reply, "Okay, you can scrub the floors, do the laundry, and make dinner from now on" She quickly interjects, "That's okay mamma, you Cinderella now."

Apparently Em owns the patent on the syllable "la". I was told I'm not longer allowed to sing "la la la la" If I forget and happen to belt out "la, la, la" Em usually pipes in with a stern "No Mamma! That's Emmie's song."

This kid is to much and I have a hard time reminding myself she's only 2!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2010-12-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

Em would like to say, "Merry Christmas" to all of her loyal followers out there! I had to work most of the day, but made time this evening to bake cookies for Santa. Em was super excited to help bake cookies and got really stoked when she heard we were adding chocolate chips to the batter. (chocolate is our bribe for doing #2 on the potty so she was stoked to get a freebie). She and Brian shared the beater and she was the first to indulge in the chocolaty gooiness.

Chocolate face!

After bath time we got a plate ready for Santa. Snickerdoodles, chocolate chip cookies, carrots and cauliflower. After writing our note and plating up the goodies Em decided that she didn't want the reindeer to eat the carrots. She wanted to eat the carrots.

This is reaction I got when I suggested she leave the carrot for Rudolf.

"No, my carrot!"

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Emmie'isms

2010-12-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

a few phrases from the last couple days!

Emmie hatched from an egg

Emmie eats guacamale at Mexican and noodles at Chinese with Grammie. (always with grammie)

Mamma you're boring

I'm outta here! (as she goes downstairs at the store)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 airplanes!! (I think she thinks airplanes is the next number)

Tucker lubs you! (instead of I love you Tucker)

Mamma, that Santa scary. Santa doesn't ride on airplane.

Mazie howling. Em says, "Mazie singing the I want mamma song" Um. . how does that go? Em cocks her head back and howl/sings "IIIII WWAAANNNNTTTT MYYYYYY MAAAAMMMAAA"

Grammy time

2010-12-12T15:21:00.000-08:00

My mom came to visit for Em's birthday and for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time. We shopped. We went to the aquarium. We tooled around town. The best part of her trip is that we got to spend a bunch of time together and she got to bond with Emma. Every morning Emma would wake up and ask, "When's grammy be here?" It touched my heart!

While I worked, mom spent most of the days hanging out with Emma. Apparently mom and Em are fabulous shopping buddies. The phrase, "Well, Emma wanted it," followed by a shrug and a smile is something that I heard an awful lot.

I am extremely grateful for the time we got to spend with my mom. We have become great friends and she's an amazing grandmother. Thirteen days was definitely not long enough. . . and I think she should move back out west! Not necessarily Seattle. . .but close enough that we can see each other more often!

Who else is willing to get their face painted with Em?

or hang out with her on the Sea Otter? or pose in front of the seal?or open her birthday presents?

Those are jobs for Grammy Judy! Thanks mom!! We miss you tons already!

Scary Santa!

2010-12-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

For those of you who followed our blog last December probably remember the below picture. . . Well, today we dressed Em up, dragged her to Macy's, had the long conversation about how friendly Santa is and how he'll bring her gifts, and then took bets about how she would react. Well. . . .she remains consistent. She screamed, clawed at his suit, and screamed, "Mamma, carry you!" which is how she asks me to pick her up. Poor thing. Santa was a real trooper and the staff was great.
We went to the Macy's downtown and we were super lucky that we went during a slow time. The Santa staff worked with us for over 30 minutes to get a picture we could send to family. This was the best of our many many awful options.

On Santa lap attempt #2, Em finally made her super cheese face in between tears. Check out Santa's face and death grip on her arms! I'm pretty sure he didn't want her to claw his eyes out. Santa pictures are pure torture. . .and just so you know Em got me back by taking off her poopy diaper during nap time. It was EVERYWHERE. Its been over a month since she's done this. All I can say is pay-back is a bitch a she can definitely consider herself vindicated.

Emmie Lemmie is 2

2010-12-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

Its absolutely amazing how time flies. My little Nugget just turned two. These past two years have been the most amazing experience of my life. Em is truly a blessing and I am so honored to be her mother.

Some things about Emma.

Emma is a very serious, very cautious kid. She still doesn't run and she insists on holding my hand anytime we're out and about

Emma is very girly and loves to play, "Fairy Princess."

Emma loves the pups and every morning crawls into my bed to give Mazie and Truman a morning "snuggle".

Emma is a talking machine. She amazes me on a daily basis.

Last night my mom was giving Em a bath and asked her, "Em what's your mamma's name?"

Her reply, "Lori Anderson" This made us both chuckle. She said this for the first time about a week ago and I have no clue where she picked up my last name. . . .

Mom then asked, "Emma, what's Grammy's name?"

Her reply, "Grammy Anderson."

Wow!!

Em loves books and puzzles. She's graduated to story books and has fondness for Dr. Seuss.

Em loves being the center of attention .. .yes she is my child after all!

All Em wanted for her birthday was a pink camera and Tooey found her one! Her reaction was classic. She opened the package, she started wiggling, got up on her tippy toes and exclaimed, "MY PINK CAMERA!!!" I will NEVER forget the look on her face!

Em had her birthday party at the Children's Museum in Olympia. Several of our friends made the trek down and everyone had a great time!

Here's Em in her sparkly skirt and birthday tiara!

My mom came up for Thanksgiving and Em's birthday and I am so grateful that we have been able to spend so much time together.

Em and mom are two are two peas in a pod!
Every morning Em wakes up and asks when Grammy is coming over. We are going to miss her terribly when she leaves.

Here's me and the princess in front of our $15 Christmas Tree. Total Score and another reason to shop local!

I love this picture! Here she is getting caught crawling out of a cat tree at the store. What a silly kid!

angel or comedian?

2010-11-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

Everyday I struggle with figuring out whether Em is my little angel or if she's a comedian. Its anyone's guess

Angel? Comedian??
Angel?
Comedian??

Emma sings

2010-11-19T11:26:00.001-08:00

I was able to capture a couple videos of Em and I singing. Please excuse my awful voice. Em was too cute not to post.

Em's favorite. . ."Mockingbird"

Rock A Bye Baby. . . in a corn tree top.

Somebody Else's Shoes

2010-11-15T19:48:00.000-08:00

We spend our lives wanting to live in someone else's shoes. Well Em and Surabi take this literally. These two little cherubs spent the day Friday switching shoes.

The big "swap" at Stellar's.

Just so you know, this is actually shoe swap round two. Amy and Surabi spent the morning at the store where Em and Surabi swapped shoes almost immediately. Check out Surabi's ADORABLE boots!

Em loves the bug boots!
She says walking in Surabi's shoes is a lot more fun!

Surabi disagrees.

She says that she prefers to walk in Emma's shoes!

During dinner I got some funny pictures of the girls and their alter-egos. Here's their first persona --Serious Girls!

Next, their second (and true) persona comes out -- Silly Girls!

I'm pretty sure we are going to have our hands full!

Happy Halloween Birthday!

2010-11-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

Even though this was Em's second Halloween, it was her "first" real Halloween. Em refused her lion costume so Brian whipped together a fairy princess outfit that "her royal highness" approved. Go figure.

We went to Kara and Ryan's and had a fabulous dinner, carved pumpkins, went trick or treating, ate candy, and then hung out playing Wii. I couldn't ask for a better night!

Ryan, Brian and Emma carved the three pumpkins we picked up at the pumpkin patch.

Diggin in!

Going back for more digging after I put on her costume. Fairies love pumpkin diggin too!

Stopping for a photo op!

The final pumpkins!

We decided to take Em around Beacon Hill for her first trick or treating experience. She figured it out pretty quickly, but initially she wanted to go into each house. "Emmie go in" she shouted after someone opened the door. I never realized how weird it is to have a door opened and shut without actually entering a house. With a little prodding she would say, "trick or treat" which was followed by "Happy Halloween" or "Happy Halloween Birthday!"

When we got back she got her first taste of Halloween candy which made her a little loopy.

This is how Em plays Wii.

For the rest of the night she claimed she was a kitty and hung out in K and R's cat tree.

Prrrrrrrrrr . . . . .

A Few new pics

2010-10-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

Since today is the end of the month, I thought I'd go through my October folder and post some pictures of Em that hadn't made it to the blog.

Here is the fairy princess superstar Happy girl in front of the store.
Em with her two nurse maids. Earlier this month Em got really sick. Luckily the bug went through her in about 24 hours, but it was by far the worst night we've had here since she was born. I stayed home with and this is whats most of the day looked like.

The little rooster that could!

2010-10-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

For those that have been following our continuing chicken saga. . . this one's for you.

One morning about a month ago Brian informed me that he heard crowing coming from the chicken coop. He said that he went to see who it was and all of the chickens sat there staring at him as if to say, "Wasn't me!"

The next morning, I heard it too. . . . .

The little chicken that was lost and then found has turned out to be one fiesty little rooster. Little Guy was named appropritately, he is in fact a little "GUY".

We went back and forth about whether or not we were going to keep him. We were so attached to this guy after surviving his big night out with a racoon, that it broke my heart to let him go. We did the responsible thing and checked in with the neighbors and he wasn't bothering anyone. He was a lazy rooster and wouldn't start crowing until around 7:30 or 8, so what's the harm?

Well a couple days after the crowing began his testosterone kicked in and he started becoming really aggressive. Think that guy at the bar who's had to many beers that puffs up his chest at everyone. . .well that was Little Guy. He was picking on the hens, he pecked Brian and drew blood, and would charge you if you entered the coop. Little Guy had to go.

I posted an ad on Craigslist and a woman who "rescues chickens" contacted me. She promised he wouldn't become soup and that he would be free to roam her 2 acres and puff up and act as manly as he wanted . . . he may even get a little chicken loving out of the deal. . . wink wink. She said we could come out to visit anytime we'd like to meet her flock.

The situation sounded too good to pass up so I brought LG to the store to meet her. She took him out of his box, chatted with him for a minute, and then kissed him on the head before putting him in a dog kennel with a blanket, food, and water. I don't think I could have asked for a better person to take him home. Had it not been the perfect home, I don't think I could have given him up but I think it worked out for the best!

Here's a few pictures of the final photoshoot as a flock of 5.

Henny, Chippy's butt, Big Bird, and Penny.

What are you looking at??

Little Guy and his "chicks"

Some days are better than others

2010-10-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

and today was one of those days.

All set,
everyone hands in. . .
on three. .
TEAM!
These are my three greyhounds.
Yes human child thinks she's one of the pack.
Notice the hand holding.

Today we woke up to Friday morning French toast and had an impromptu photo session with Em and the greyhounds. I think this is the best picture of the three. . . .

Em throwing gang signs. . .or acting like a turkey. . . I'm not sure which.

Below is Truman and Em having a "moment" This was after breakfast.

Breakfast consisted of Em grabbing a very syrupy piece of french toast.

Em eating said french toast.

Em sticking her hands out and giggling.. . . as Truman licked the syrup off her hands.

I asked her what she was doing and her reply, "Truman is wiping!"

Good answer, good answer!

Em's lounging (or posing) in this one.

She then decided it would be okay to put a pillow in our bottom drawer and lay down. Thankfully we had transitioned this drawer to a toy drawer long ago.. . .

Today was the Halloween party at Earth Mother Preschool and Daycare and Em REFUSED her lion costume. Brian went to the back room, whipped something together, and Em morphed into a Fairy Princess. She was so happy with this costume, that she wore it ALL DAY!!

Here she is cheesing it up for the camera. . .note: Truman and Mazie wanted their 30 seconds of fame.. .but how do you compete with such a cute kid??

Thank God they're cute!

2010-10-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I was ready to give up on parenting and run away to join a band of chimpanzees in Uganda. I would have rather taken on the running bulls in Pamplona that deal with my troublesome almost two year old who has decided that she's in charge.

Monday was "that" day. The day that definitely needs to be blogged about.

Emma is potty trained.

Well potty trained for the most part.

For the past few weeks she's been using her nap time to do #2. People say children aren't manipulative, and I totally disagree. She's realized that if she poops in her pull-up then she gets more mom time because I will come back, clean her up, and and change her. More mom time equals more awake time and less nap time.

Okay this is fine. I can deal with this. I've been telling myself that this is a phase and this too shall pass.

Well Monday, the shit hit the fan. . literally.

Em used her nap to relieve herself and when she yelled, "Mamma, diaper change," I expected our usual quick change and back to bed.

What I saw I was totally unprepared for. . . .

It appeared that Emma decided "not to bother me" and after she pooped she took off her dirty diaper. She then lovingly tossed the turds out of the crib and onto the floor and in the process got some on her hands. Em hates dirty hands so she wiped her hands on her sides to "clean" them off which ended in smearing. I think she then realized that wiping didn't work so she grabbed one of her blankets to wipe herself off. By the time I got there she had reached the point of no return. . . . .

I think my head almost exploded.

Thankfully the dog wash is functional because I grabbed my stinky child and plopped her in the dog tub and gave her a good spray down. I changed her bedding, cleaned up her crib, changed her sheets, put on new clothes, kissed her good night and put her back down for a nap, all the while trying to keep my composure.

Thirty minutes later I hear, "Emma, diaper change!" and imagine my surprise when I see my diaper less child curled up on a poo covered pillow trying not to make eye contact.

Yes, you guessed it . .. she pooped AGAIN . .and took her diaper off AGAIN.

Back to the tub she went. As I washed her down I thought to myself, "Anything was better than this". . and then. . . I spotted the packing tape.

After cleaning her up I put on a nice clean pull-up supported with a nice piece of packing tape around the waist. She had dirtied her back-up bedding so I sanitized her crib, plopped her into a barren crib, shut the curtain and let her scream.

I spent the rest of the day pissed off, angry, and wanting the day to be over. I couldn't wait to get home to hand Emma over to Brian and be done with parenting for the day. Well I forgot Brian had class on Monday night so I was on my own. I fed her, bathed her, put her in her crib 45 minutes early, turned off the light and walked away. Now for that glass of wine . . . .

As I sat down on the couch trying to decompress I hear, "Mamma! Mamma!"

I went back to check on her and she looked up at me and said, "Mamma sing Mockingbird" and at that very second my heart melted.

I picked her up, gave her a big kiss, held her like a baby and sang her "mockingbird" two or three times. I put her back to bed and she said, "Night, night mamma. I love you."

Monday will go down in the books as one of the hardest days I've had to date as a parent. I definitely learned something that day. . . one child could make you feel so many different emotions in one day.

I love you too, Emmie Lemmie!

Focus Rally America

2010-10-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

Brian and Ryan have an interview with an online web show similiar to the Amazing Race. If the they get picked they will travel across the US in a Ford Focus using only social networking to figure out where to go. Both need more Facebook friends and twitter followers. Please help to make this happen. ..

Friend them on Facebook

Brian Schroeder
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1432256955

Ryan Hester
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=685653491

or follow brian via twitter @ http://twitter.com/architectbrian

Videos of Emma

2010-10-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you that live far away I wanted to give you some brief clips of my talking, walking, bed stealing, baby loving machine.

I brought a new dog bed home last night and Emma quickly claimed it for her own. Here she's putting her baby to bed.

After putting her baby to bed she decided that it was her turn to try out the dog bad. She stripped down to her underwear and put herself to sleep in the new dog bed. Who needs a toddler bed when you can have a Big Shrimpy dog bed!

I posted this one as an example of her nonstop chattering. .. and I love it when she says Katarina!! Katarina was my first cabbage patch kid and the only one that Em has kept the name. All of the others have become mere variations of doll. . . I think we have "baby doll," "doll doll," and "orange doll."

This morning she tried to reclaim her thrown. If you can't make it out she's saying, "Excuse me, Truman!" At least she's polite as she's trying to push him off the bed. . ha! Thank goodness he's so patient!

Brian wants Em to be a famous musician. . or at least that's how it seems with all of the harmonicas he's purchased. Here she is giving me a little blues concert.

oh, the almost 2's

2010-10-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

My angel has morphed into an almost 2 tantruming monster.

Developments of the past week:
Em loves to go limp and throw herself on the floor to get her way. My reply, "please don't give yourself a concussion."

Em hates napping and will tell me she's not napping. My reply, "you must nap," followed by a marathon wait. Today I waited 2 hours for sleep fairy to arrive.

Em has decided that when frustrated that throwing what ever is in her hand and yelling, "NO AHHH" is okay. My reply, please don't throw things and I take that item away.

My patience is challenged daily but our "good times" still outweigh the bad (for right now).

Here are a few "better sides" of Em.

The model.

The thinker.The clown.

The angel

Hanging around

2010-10-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

Em's studying up to one day work at the store. Today she pulled up a box, dropped in her pillow and doll, grabbed an Orijen brochure and caught up on her studies.

Doesn't this look comfortable. . . .

not really.

Yay for stripey feet!

Taking a break. She pulled up her blanket and asked me to cover her. I guess a box is a good a place to rest as any. . . .

She wants to tell you a little secret. Her birthday is coming. . . .

Houston!

2010-09-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

Em and I took a quick trip to Houston to visit my sister and her family before they moved to Saudi Arabia. We flew down on a Monday and came back that Thursday. It was a whirlwind trip but it was great to see Ang, her husband Mike, my step-mother Karyn, and to finally meet my two nephews.

Houston was HOT. Houston was HUMID. Houston had very few coffee shops. Houston was everything I pictured Texas to be like. I'm glad I don't live in Houston.

Em and her two cousins; Owen and Carter

Ang, Owen, Me and Em. Look at Em's face. I think it says, "Houston is for the birds!"

Em and Owen hugging Steiger the coolest boston terrier I've ever met. I had hopes that he would come stay with us if Ang couldn't get him into S.A. but Karyn took him back with her to VA. I'm just glad he's got a good home. Trying to get all three kids to pose is nearly impossible. Here's a "decent" shot.

Owen and Em.

Em and Owen are almost 2 months apart and got along fabulously! Carter giving Em the stare down. I don't know what it is, but every time I look at this picture I laugh hysterically. To me it says "the meeting of the minds".

Swimming in September is unheard of in Seattle.

Not in Houston.

Ang and Owen showed Em the ways of the splash pad. Em's first experience with cheetos.

Three ducks tucked in for the night.

This look says it all. Carter was enamoured with Em the entire trip. It was very endearing.
Em in all her cheesy glory.

Taking a break couch shopping.

A rare quiet moment with Karyn. Em loves having an Aunt that is just as girly as she is.

(hence the giant flower)

Kalaloch 2010

2010-09-20T08:13:00.001-07:00

For Labor Day we packed up the Blazer and U Haul trailer for our annual trip to Kalaloch. The weather was absolutely amazing this year and the rain held off until the day we left. This year there was a kid explosion . . .there were at least 10 small ones and 9 different families. Em was a real trooper and continued with her "go with the flow" attitude. She's absolutely amazing.

Blog. . . .

2010-09-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

I've been away so long that the task of getting restarted is rather daunting. There is so much that has happened in this last month that I don't even know where to start. This post is to get me motivated to jump back on the blogging wagon. . . . here are a few major Emma milestones over the past month:

Em potty trained herself. We're diaper free, except for sleeping.

Em is speaking in full complex sentences and has mastered the use of the word "mine".

Em now understands that running involves more than just pumping your arms and yelling "go, go, go!"

Em has shown that "hop" and "jump" no longer mean "fall on your butt and giggle". I think she's actually left the ground once or twice.

Em loves her Airplane book and makes me read it over and over and over again.

Em now informs me when she's ready for bed. I usually hear "Emmy sleepy time," as she's walking to her crib.

10 days, 4 states, 5 different beds

2010-08-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

We just returned (okay we got back a week ago) from our whirlwind tour of the east coast.

MD, DC, VA, and GA.

We had a fabulous time and Em was a trooper. She actually travelled better than we did.

We discovered that the key to travelling with a toddler is to bring their car seat. Em flew like a champ and was a gem in our many hours of driving around. She was in her seat and she let us know it! I heard the following phrase more times than I could count "Mamma's Rental Car. Emmie's Seat"

There's nothing more rejuvinating than spending time with family and old friends. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life and am sad we don't get to spend more time together.

Next year. .. less stops. . more days. . . .

I didn't take many pictures (see above . . . ) but here are a few of my favorites. I will post pictures that other's took in the next post.

The Anderson's

Doesn't she look like Chad? Same crazy smile!
Chilling with Grandpa!

Baby soup!

A nature hike with grandpa Cheesing it up in DC
Overwhelmed at the Natural History Museum

Checking out the "dirt" AKA dinasour bones.

Watering flowers with Joe

My morning

2010-07-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Em here. I thought I'd give you a brief glimpse at my typical morning at the Zoo.

First things first. I've got to wake up the puppies.

"Mazie, Wake up!"

With Mazie out of the way I'm able to crawl into mamma's bed and watch my morning programs. I say the three magic words

"TV On! Helmo"

and hElmo appears on the magic box!

Once hElmo is over I have to check my email.

Come on. . .I know Grammy must have sent me something.

"Come on computer. . . ."

Now it's time to pick out some clothes.

Hmm. . I think this might be a little big.

Now it's time for shoes!

Teva, the offical shoes of the PCNW. Too bad they're 15 sizes too big.

The morning isn't complete without a play session with Noo Noo.

"Hey Noo, is this yours?"

Who're you calling yucky?
The morning ends with a giant gooffest!

Smile for the camera! Hey mom! "Blahh!

Time to get dressed

2010-07-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Em has taken an active role in getting dressed everyday. She's quick to remove every article of clothing and direct you to which outfit she's going to wear. I used to give her several choices, but now just give her the drawer.

Do not .. . I repeat. . DO NOT offer, suggest, or even mention anything other than what she has selected. Trust me, it's not worth it (speaking from experience here).

She usually informs me of what she wants to wear by stating the following.

"Pretty new dress," as she pulls out the pinkest, the frilliest dress in her drawer.

"Pretty new shoes," as she grabs shoes that are three sizes too big. (Thanks mom)

"Pretty bow," which usually ends in a scavenger hunt. (Hint Hint Ang)

I've finally decided who cares if she wants to wear a purple dress with green bloomers. . .oh wait, that's what Brian dresses her in. I guess she get's her unique sense of syle honestly.

Here she is putting her shoes on herself. When did she get so big?

Chattie Kathie

2010-07-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Emma has mastered the art of stringing a noun, object, and verb together to make a complete sentence. If I remember correctly, her first "real" sentence was shouted at me really early one morning . . . . "Mamma, GET UP!!" while I tried to hide under the covers for a few more minutes of shut eye. No dice. Every morning I am now greeted by the demands of a small child trying to remove the blankets from my body. Fun!

We had joked when Em was little that I wanted to be called "hey lady" instead of mom, mamma, or mommy. Well Em has developed her own name for me. She calls me, "mamma Lori". It cracks me up. Heaven forbid I get confused with any other mammas around.

To my surprise along with Em's growing vocabulary is her growing confidence. She will now happily climb the jungle gym at the park and has conquered the swing and slide. Its nice to actually be able to "play" on the playground instead of sitting in the wood chips digging with a stick. Don't get me wrong, I love to dig, but there's something special about a giggling child asking to go down the slide one more time or squealing with delight while flying on the swing!

Pure delight!

Em loves loves loves to play in the baby pool. She now has a yellow tutu to accompany her pink one.

Looking serious with tutu and pigtails.

The gratuitous cheese!

Chicken Saga

2010-07-14T20:28:00.001-07:00

Monday night after I cleaned out the chicken coop I forgot to properly close the coop door. Tuesday morning Brian went out to wake up the chicks and found one dead chick in the yard and realized that another was missing. I thought the deceased chick was Little Guy and we assumed that Chipmunk had been a nice snack for a cat or raccon. Little Guy was a special chick . . . . she was by far the smallest of the flock and I hand fed her everyday to make sure she got enough food. Needless to say, I was devastated. It was my fault! I spent the morning circling the house looking for the missing chick. After extensive searching through bushes, up trees, and in crevises, I gave up the search. I didn't want to believe Chipmunk was dead and joked that she had "flown the coop" and was out on an extended vacation.

Today I was reading the Georgetown listserve and see a post about one of my neighbors finding an injured chick. Are your freaking kidding me??? Had Chipmunk been found? 6 doors down and across the street??

I emailed my neighbor with the description of Chipmunk he replied, "I'm sorry, the chick doesn't match that description."

Come on now. How many "missing" chicks are out there. Apparently there are at least 2 in Georgetown.

I decided that I couldn't go to sleep unless I checked out the found chick for myself.

Em and I strollled down to the neighbors house, he let us in, and imagine my suprise when Little Guy was in the box staring up at me. "That's Little Guy!" I declared.

My neighbor had bathed LG and dressed her two wounds. He set up a little house with food and water and LG had all the comforts of home. My neighbor remarked that he knew this was a loved chick because she was so "darned friendly."

I brought LG home and put her in the coop with her friends. After a quick look around and a snack, LG cuddled up with her flock and went to sleep.

Happy endings do happen.

I now need to revise my chicken obituary. . . .

RIP Chipmunk. You were loved!

Summer is finally here!

2010-07-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

It's finally summer. For the first time all year it reached 80 degrees yesterday. Em and I have been full advantage of the sunshine and have been spending the vast majority of our mornings playing in the backyard.

Four butts!

Granny Hat
I pulled out the dog pool this morning, scrubbed it, then Em filled it with water. She would have filled it until it overflowed if I let her. I think that was the favorite part of her pool time.

Mazie got in the pool with her and this look says, "Hey mom, get that kid out of my pool!"
Em's reply, "ha, ha, ha, it's my pool now. . sucka!"

Tuck was happy to play rock fetch with Em. Em drops the rock in the pool. Tucker pulls it out. They did this for 30 minutes.

My two girls!

My three pups!

The others. . .

2010-06-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone told me that when you have kids your relationship with your dogs will change. I didn't believe them. I replied, "No way a little lump could come between my dogs and I. My dogs are my children!" As I look back at my photos from the last 19 months I get sad. My photo albums used to be filled with pictures of my four legged hooligans, but this past year and 1/2 my pups have become background.

Example: in the past month this is the only picture I have of Mazie. Is this the way I want to remember her? Is she mearly a giant white butt? I guess one good thing about that is at least you guys know that we haven't gotten rid of miss whiney pants.

Truman is in more pictures because he loves this kids.

Kids = Food.

Truman is also a lounger. . .and so is Em. These two are made from the same cloth.

The old man. . well he's old and cranky. He's not as cranky with Em and I think he understands that she understands the "Tucker" boundaries. Outside he's okay with her affection. Inside he likes his distance.

He sleeps a lot more but will jump to lick your face if you grab for his leash.

He's also up for playing dead opposum.

Going through the pictures made me realize that I need to spend more time with my pups. I love those guys and they make my life complete. . .

Speaking of hooligans. . .this is Penny. The most social of our flock.

Baby Picasso

2010-06-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

Em got a new easel from our friend Jennifer so I went out and bought her a sample paint set complete with apron. Here she is trying out her paints for the first time.

Here's my little artist in training!

The finished masterpiece!

SHOES!!

2010-06-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

Busy lives!

2010-06-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

Summer is already here and I have no clue where spring went. Luckily the weather in Seattle (60's-70's) gives me illusion that it's still April so I really haven't realized that time is passing before my eyes.

The other day I was working with a customer and I hear a "SSHHHLLLP AH!" which got me wondering. This was followed by a period of quiet so I continued with the customer. Then another "SHHHHLLLPP AHHH," and I ask the customer to hold on to see what was going on. Em was chugging my Americano and happily handed me my empty cup and said, "Emmy Caakkkee"

This picture was taken about 20 minutes post coffee I think the expression just about sums it up.

To make up for all of the time I've been spending at the store lately I took the day off. Today was my first full day off in a long time so we spent the day as a family. We kept it low key by doing chores, gardening, grocery shopping and fit in a quick trip to Alki beach. The weather was perfect so we came home from our adventure and cooked out on the grill.

What a perfect day!

Here's Em in her supervisor's chair.

Hey lady, put down the camera. . it's time to flip the steak!

Side note. . .Chickens:

As if three dogs, a store, and a child weren't enough. . .we got chickens. Brian built a temporary house for them which he refers to as the "chicken tractor" and they are currently residing in the middle of my lawn. Hopefully their forever home will be done soon!!

They move so much that it was hard to get pictures of them.

Below is a close up of "Little Guy"
(from left to right in the back, Chipmunk 1, Big Bird, Penny, and Henny . . Chipmunk 2 was hiding"

I had no idea how complex chicken society was and that the term "pecking order" originates from chickens. Well it's true. This is Henny the matriarch of our little flock. Doesn't she have the "don't mess with me look"?

All grown up

2010-06-15T19:53:00.001-07:00

According to the books 18 months is a huge milestone age for most kids and for Em 18 months has transformed Emma into another being.

She understands complex commands and when feeling like it will follow them.

She initiates songs. Row Row Row Your Boat and Itsy Bitsy Spider are her favorites. Please don't try to sing Twinkle twinkle in her presence. She will demand that you stop. I don't know what she has against little stars. . .but she doesn't like them.

She picks out her clothes, matching or not.

She pretends to throw a fit when she doesn't get her way . . . but don't you worry, she can turn on the full out tantrum when she wants to.

I'm pretty sure my baby is gone and has been replaced by a precocious little toddler monster.

Here she is monstering and pretending to fit. . . I call this video a twofer!

Earlier this week she proclaimed that she was a "bii drrrl" and I spent the week trying to get it on film.

This past month there have been moments of pure amazement. Today we were sitting out on the front stoop of the store and she counted to three. No provocation. Just, "One, two, three. . . " I almost died. I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get it on tape. . . .and of course she wouldn't preform for the camera.

You get the drift.

5 stages of a danish

2010-06-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Exploration

Indecision

Confusion

Hysteria

Coma

Girly Girl!

2010-06-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

I am no longer protecting Em from pastels, dresses, and girly girl items. It's apparent she's hardwired to LOVE everything that I've tried so hard to keep her from. . . . so in the spirit of my new enlightenment I have officially embraced Em's girly girlness!

My first girly girl project. . .a tutu.

It needs a little more tulle and a finish ribbon but not bad for my first try.

I also broke down and bought Em one of those creepy blinky eyed babies. She hugs, kisses, cuddles, puts the baby to bed, and shows her how to use the potty. It melts my heart to see her be so gentle and nurturing.

Here's both the tutu and baby

Sick, sick, sick

2010-06-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

This past week is a blur. Em and I have both been sick which makes for very interesting days.

As if being sick wasn't enough, Em has decided that this is the week to start asserting her independence. The battles have begun and I can't wait for this phase to be over. Yes I am aware that this phase will never end. . just let me pretend, okay?

Sunday she didn't want to get dressed for work. She refused take off her pajamas and insisted on wearing her dress.

Okay.

This is Em's outfit for the day.

Striped dress over polka dot pajamas complete with sun hat. . . Classy!

Today she decided to assert herself by refusing breakfast and controlling how her hair should look.

While getting her ready she kept handing me hair ties and demanded,

"Bow! Hair!"

Okay kid, you ask and you shall receive!

I figure she'll get hungry eventually, and my customers will get a kick out of her crazy hair.

Here she is lookig rather Dr. Seussish.
And here she is completely tickled with herself!

BOAT!

2010-06-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Brian bought Emma a plastic kitchen which she kindly refers to as her "BOAT!" Why boat, who knows. That's it's name. . .we don't ask questions.

Here she is being introduced to boat

Her first official dinner preparation on boat.

First Camping Trip of the Season

2010-05-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

Now that Em's a little older and the store is running smoothly, Brian and I decided that we would retake our lives. We vowed that this summer we wouldn't allow ourselves to be stuck inside and we would return to doing some of the things that we really enjoy but have neglected.

Over the past several months I've been working very hard to take back my yard. Gardening was one of my most favorite things to do until our two life changing events happened: the store and the baby. Both took all of time and attention and my yard became. .. well .. . inhabitable. For the past two years the dogs, squirrels, and neighbor cats were the only ones that thoroughly enjoyed my jungle. After many hours of hard work, we now have a backyard that I'm not embarrassed to show. We even built a small fence to make a dog free zone for the kids to play.

We recently had our first of many BBQ's this summer. This was the first event we've had at the house in over a year and I enjoyed every minute of it. There's nothing better than sitting outside, hanging with friends, and tending the BBQ. Last week I remembered what Seattle summers are all about!

This past weekend we went camping for the first "non-Labor Day" camping event in 3 years. We stayed close to the city, but were far enough away to feel like we were "getting away". We went camping with Kim, James, and Justin and had a fabulous time. I think both Kim and I learned that our kids are more resilient than we thought. Neither Em nor Justin minded the rain or mud, they were just happy to be outside!

This was the closest I got to both kids looking at the camera.

Sacked out!

Em discovering the joys of the Justin's treat cup. This cup entertained Emma for hours. It's the next thing on the list of "must haves" and tomorrow I'm off to buy her one.
Mmm. . Bacon and O's.
This is the life!
Truman doing his best Emma impression!

Justin giving Truman a big ole smooch!

Rocking her super-star sunglasses!

Shop shenanigans

2010-05-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I'm getting slower or Em's getting faster. Regardless of the semantics, I do know that I'm exhausted every night after I get home.

Em is a tornado.

She's a walking talking machine, dead set on leaving mass destruction in her wake. She is a whirlwind that keeps me on my toes.

Em is definitely curious. Thanks to my new birthday gifts "the octuplets", aka birthday chickens, I get about 1/2 hour of peace a day. These chicks are a wonderful distraction for Em's enquiring mind.

Em loves the "dicks" . . .(yes, she says "dicks" . . .picture me explaining that to innocent by-standers. . . . . CPS is getting called for sure!) Instead of instantly going to her dog jacket she now runs to the chicken tub and demands that I put them down. "Down!" "Dicks, down!" If I'm lucky a customer will walk in and overhear this, and all I have to do is point to the chicken tub and shrug. They get the picture.

"Hey there Chicken Friend"

Both Em and dicky posing for the camera.

The chickens only offer me about 1/2 an hour before Em's bored. Then she moves on to bigger and better things. Today she decided to turn my shelving into a jungle gym.

Here she is posing before she hoisted herself into the second row of shelves.

Crawling through the tunnel.

Em still dresses up in her dog jacket cape robe and today she added her royal crown (a silicone dog bowl)

Please bow in her majesty's presence! All she needs is a scepter and she'd be set!

Little Miss Demanding

2010-05-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

I love that Em is talking up a storm and I am constantly amazed by what comes out of her mouth. This includes the following list of demands:

"Move!" Whether it be a box, dog, shelf, or customer. . .if it's in her way she will quickly tell you (it, her, them) to "MOVE" so she can get through.

"Down" This is usually following with a tapping of her finger to where she wants you to put whatever it is that she's demanding.

"Cut" quickly followed by "No, Kniii" if you happen to not know the "rules of Em" and try to cut her food with a fork or heaven forbid a spoon.

"GO!" Recently we got a bike trailor and I have been riding to and from work pulling her behind me. The "Go" command usually happens on our daily bike rides. Apparently she likes to go fast and if I'm taking my time she's start chanting, "Go, Go, Go" aka pedal faster fat ass!

Here she is usurping Brian's dinner and showing off quite a few new words.

And here she is demonstrating her new walking skills at Alki Beach. At the very end she lets you hear her second favorite word . . . .hug. The first is MOVE. HA!

2010-05-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here are a few recent videos:

More animal noises. . . .

Hey Em did you take a nap?

Super Em!

2010-05-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Now that Em is walking nothing at the store is sacred. I don't know what sparked it, but one day last week Em decided that she was in LOVE with the pink Teckelklub fleece dog jacket.

Every moring we'd get to the store and she would run directly to the jacket shelf, grab for the pile of jackets and yell, "Jack. Jack. Jack." I would offer her every jacket in the pile but she consistently turned me down until I got to the pink one.

My little princess.

She now wears it around store like a cape, or better yet, a royal robe.

After a week of Emma wear the jacket is to dirty to be sold so Em is now the offical owner of a cotton candy pink dog jacket cape-robe.

Lovely

Pear!

2010-05-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

How to eat a pear.

Step 1. Give the pear a hug. You have to make friends with your food before devouring it.

Step 2. Tentatively taste the pear.

Step 3. Politely apologize to the pear for disfiguring it's perfect pear-shape and

Step 3b. admire your handiwork.

Step 4. Dig right in.

Take that you pear! Get in my belly! Bwahahahaaaaa!

Step 5. Revel in your pear juice facial mask and smile pretty for the camera

She walks!!

2010-04-15T20:23:00.001-07:00

After one full day with the walker. . . Em decided it was time to dust off her dancing shoes and get busy

My typical day

2010-04-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Owning your own business is hard work.

You have a ton of responsibility.

You work a ton of hours.

You have a ton of things to juggle.

Below is an example of my typical day in between customers:

I give a lesson in Ornithology

I teach little bit of driver's ed.

I study the effects of sleep deprivation.

I conduct studies in kinesiology

As you can see I'm hard at work!

I guess owning your own business isn't so bad after all . . .. . for me it's worth the ton of time I get to hang out with Em.

Even when she has bad hair.

16 months!

2010-04-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how time flies. Em is now 16 months old and becoming quite the young lady. Her recent stats are 21 lbs (23rd %) and 33 inches long (95th %). She's talking up a storm, loves to sit on the potty, her 6 teeth have become 9, and as of this weekend is finally "considering" walking.

The biggest development on the home front is that I'm finally okay with admitting that my baby is gone. She's finally weaned, attempting to potty train herself, and becoming a little more independent everyday.

My baby has been replaced by the most entertaining toddler in the world. She's relatively mellow, happy, and extremely curious. Three characteristics that make her coming to work with me possible. She has her moments, but don't we all?

With her new found confidence she's also discovered that walking isn't as scary as she thought. She will now toddle a few steps without holding on and will let go to venture from one piece of furniture to another. Today, she walked up and down the sidewalk in front of the store using her clacker. She went from a tentative step by step while looking at me for encouragement to a fast paced jog without looking back. I think she's getting the hang of it!

Here she is trying to take charge of my camera. Note the intensity on her face. She will be victorious!

She's recently decided that my work chair is the best spot at the store. She sits in my chair giggling while I stand to do my work.

This morning walking with her clacker.

Reciting her animal sounds. I have to admit, these still crack me up.

Easter Doggies

2010-04-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Em got a visit from the Easter Doggies

Poor abused Truman!Mazie's look says it all,

"I'm going to poop in your shoe!"

Even the Old Man was victim to my bunny ear fun!

Em didn't really know what all the fuss was about. Here she is having her prebasket snack!

The big reveal!

A basket of toys and chocolate. . .complete with bunny ears!
Em's favorite items are the $.99 wind up bunny and the plastic eggs.

Go figure. Happy Easter to All!!

Gone to the dogs. . .

2010-03-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to believe that living with three dogs and being around dogs all day long have had an effect on Em.

Lately I've been joking that Emma is feral. She still doesn't walk and is content to scoot around on the floor. She doesn't sing to the music, she howls. After tonight, there's no question. Emma thinks she's a dog.

Tonight she started howling during dinner.

and then she decided to lick her bowl.

Yep, she's definitley feral.

Grrrrr!

she may be feral, but she sure is cute!

Growing up is hard to do!

2010-03-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Em has become quite a character.

Some of her favorite things to do are giggling, making mischief, and hanging out with Truman.

Every night as we pull up to the house Em starts yelling, "Noo Noo! Noo Noo! Noo Noo!" This melody continues until we enter the house and let Truman out of his crate. As soon as I open the crate he jumps up and greats Em with a lick smack dab in the middle of her face. This is usually followed by hysterical laughter from Em. Ahh. . .a girl and her dog.

Two buds hanging out on the couch
Truman trying to will Em's oatmeal into his mouth. Look at the intensity in his face. This photo cracks me up everytime. Em also appears to be quite amuzed by his gaze.

Em's language development has exploded. She's a magpie and tries to repeat anything you say. Her comprehension is even better. This morning Brian was cooking bacon and she informed us that she wanted some by pointing to the pan and demanding, "Bake!" . I told her that we had to cook it first and she responded,

"Why?"

I almost hit the floor. I then informed her that bacon was slimy if you don't cook it.

Again prevoking the response, "Why?" At this point all I could do was laugh.

Apparently we've enter the "why" phase of toddlerhood.

The trick of the week is Em can now tell you how old she is!

Em's still not walking but she has been practicing standing on her own more and more each day.

We're not actively potty training but Em has now peed in the potty twice. The first time I thought it was a fluke, but she proved that she was capable of doing it a second time. She now announces before she soils her diaper, so I'm thinking potty training is in our near future.

Here she is posing on her potty.

My mom would be so proud!

2010-03-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

As Em gets bigger, her hair gets longer.

This past week I've taken it upon myself to try out some new styles.

"Little Cindy Loo-Hoo"

The infamous pigtails!

The other thing that has developed in the past couple weeks is Em's need for accessories.

Leaving the store with her very first purse.

Here she is turning Diane's watch into a necklace.Necklace .. dog collar. . . either way, she shows promise!

Since my collection of accessory items is limited, Em decided to improvise.

Today it was my underwear as a necklace. Who knows what it will be tomorrow.

Gone to the dogs!

2010-03-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

Mazie likes to howl. She howls when she's happy.

She howls when she's sad.

Most of all she howls while dinner is being prepared.

Tonight Em decided she'd join the chorus.

Rogue Pooper

2010-03-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

Picture this:

The store is super busy. Customers are coming and going. Everyone needs help. In the commotion the store baby disappears.

All of a sudden, while you're in mid-transaction you hear an off key grunting noise coming from the front of the store. You continue checking the customer out trying not to draw attention to the new background noises.

The grunting gets louder.

The customer then starts looking around as if to say, "what is that?"

Out of the corner of your eye, you see said store baby crouched behind a shelf trying to be "inconspicuous."

Just as the transaction completes, the king of all grunts is emitted and you just can't keep it back. . .both you and the customer start laughing. You both knew what was going on but neither wanted to admit it.

Today her "secret location" was wedged between the clearance treats and the front window treat shelf. After we stopped laughing I decided I would take pictures. . .

Instead of "Where's Waldo" we play "Where's the pooper?"

Gotta love the look. ."hey mom, I'm stuck. . . can you help a girl out?"
and the gratuitous, "I see a camera, smile"

Lady in red

2010-02-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

Emma looked so cute today all decked out in red that I thought I'd take the opportunity for a little photo shoot.

Right on queue she smiles pretty for the camera!

She wanted to sit in my desk chair. . .and she was so tickled with herself after I helped her up.

Leaning in for the gratuitous forehead shot!Then out of no where she decided she'd try her art as a flasher.
Demonstrating the art of taking control of her outie belly button. ..
get in there you!

Baby Dragon Slayer!

2010-02-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

Emma loves bubbles. "Bu-ba" was one of her first words and is frequently heard throughout the day. If you pull out that magic bubble wand she just can't get enough.

Emma loves baths. Every night after dinner she demands her nightly bath. She often declares, "A-Da, Bath!" while signing all done and pointing to the bathroom before she's even eaten any dinner.

Because Em is such a bub-a-bath-a-holic I decided that I would introduce her to one of the finer things in life. . .bubble baths. I thought there would be nothing better than having her two favorite things together.

I went to the store and searched for the perfect baby bubble bath. . we were going to do this in style. What a lucky girl!

That night, I drew up a nice, foamy, warm bath. I got her undressed and plopped her into the tub. Sounds heavenly right?

The second she hit the bubble water she let out an ear piercing scream. She started clawing the sides of the tub trying to escape the baby eating bubbles. It was as if I had put her in a cauldron of hot oil! I pulled her out and she refused reentry into her bubble paradise. Bath was done. She wouldn't go back in.

The following night as Brian was finishing feeding her dinner and I drew up a bath. This time sans bubbles. I asked her if she wanted to take a bath. Brian removed her from her chair, put her on the floor, and she scooted into the bathroom. Just like normal. The second she motored up to the tub it was as if a light went off in her little noggin, she turned around and hauled butt out of the bathroom. . .all the while screaming, "No Buba, no buba!" She got to Brian and started climbing up his leg pleading, "No Buba, no buba!" I tried to reason with her, "Emma there are no bubbles in your bath. There will be no baby sacrifices tonight." all the while laughing so hard it hurt.

She did take a bath that night. .. . . .and there have been no bubble baths since.

A dragon-slayer Emma is not.

14 months big!

2010-02-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

Em is starting to loose her "baby" look and is looking more "toddler" everyday. She's lengthened out and her face is not so round.

I think she looks like a little kid here.
Side view.

She's a lean mean cheesing machine! Everytime she sees the camera and this is the look I get.
I have to fight hard for a "real" smile.

Side view of the cheese!

My serious baby is becoming a little more care free. She sticks out her tongue on cue which gets both of us laughing.

Here's a genuine smile. Happy as a clam to take her clothes off.

Ghangsta Em

Em's understanding of the English language astonishes me. Here she is with several of "my" favorite animal sounds.

These next two sounds really amaze me. I own a pet supply store. ..so wouldn't you think my child would know how to bark and meow. Not Em. She prefers to pant and purr. I guess she's actually got it right. Most dogs that come into the store don't bark, they pant. And our foster kitties were purring machines. . rarely did they say meow.

Baby Humor

2010-02-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

Em has developed a sense of humor and recently discovered the joy in telling jokes.

Her first attempt at humor happened a couple days ago while I was in the shower. She picked up my sock and brought it to the shower. After hoisting herself up she offered it to me and I said, "That's a sock!" She smiled and pointed to my foot. She held it out again and I replied, "Sock!" She looked at me with a grin on her face and said. . . "Nooooo," in a sweet sing-songy way. She took the sock and put it on her head and proclaimed, "HAT!" and giggled wildly completely tickled with herself.

This morning she cracked another joke which had me in stitches. She was climbing in Brian's lap, stopped, looked him square in the eye, pointed at his hair and yells, "MOP!" followed by a baby grin and a giggle. I couldn't stop laughing. . . .Brian has been avoiding a haircut for some time and apparently Emma noticed. Priceless!

I finally got Emma motoring in her highchair. . . . . I know I shouldn't laugh at these things, but they are way too funny.

Best Buds!

2010-02-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

To me, there's nothing more endearing than the love between a kid and their dog.

I feel super lucky that Em has a special bond with one of our pups, Truman. It has been amazing to watch their relationship blossom. They have become the best of friends. At first I thought it was more of a parasitic relationship. . . Truman feeding off of Emma's meals. . .but lately it seems more of a two way street.

Em yells "Nu Nu!" every night when we get home from work and giggles as he gives her a welcome sniff or a lick. If Em's playing in the back room Truman's laying in the middle of the floor next to her. If Em is on the couch, Truman's laying on the couch too. If Em's sitting in her chair, Truman is right next to her being fed whatever today's menu provides. I think I've been ousted as Truman's favorite person, and that's okay. . ..cause I couldn't have been replaced by a better person!

Three (of my four) couch potatoes

Twins!

Truman, I love you!

and of course, a gratuitous cheese!

Side note: Since Em and I spend the day together I'm always trying to teach her cute little tricks. This week it was "show me your muscles!" It definitely looks more like a "touchdown" but is still hysterical.

It was bound to happen

2010-02-02T17:12:00.001-08:00

Em had her first toddler accident on Saturday. She thought she'd try out her flying skills and quickly learned about the laws of gravity. One would think that a header into the coffee table would be debilitating, but I think it hurt us more than it hurt her. Less than 30 minutes after her little incident she was demanding a bike ride. She's a tough little cookie!

She has a small cut by her eye, a bruise on the bridge of her nose, and a raspberry on the tip.

"Roar!" Her lion impression!

Injury aside, she's always ready to cheese it up for the camera!

The next day. . .all scabbed over and all smiles!

Emma-antics

2010-01-21T12:01:00.001-08:00

Emma is definitely a character. Every day she does something that makes me laugh. .Here are a few Emma-antics from the past two weeks.

Emma is learning new words almost everyday. One of her favorites is "hat". Earlier this week a family came into the store and one of the children was wearing a yarmulke. Emma pointed at the boy and yelled, "HAT!" The boy scowled at her and said, "It's not a hat it's a yarmulke!" Emma pointed again and said, "HAT!" The boy looked at his mom and demanded, "We can't shop here, she keeps calling my yarmulke a hat!" and stomped out of the store. He crossed his arms and waited on the sidewalk for his mother to finish shopping.

Along with Emma's word explosion has come her comprehension of language. Sunday morning we were all laying in bed and one of the dogs passed gas. I asked, "Yuck, what's stinky?" Emma looked at me, said "Dai-Di," and smiled like a Cheshire cat. Yes, Emma, you are correct . . your diapers are stinky!

Yesterday morning while I was getting ready to take a shower Em crawled over to my pile of clean clothes. She fished around for a minute and pulled out my underwear. She picked them up, stretched them out over her head with both hands, and proclaimed, "Mamma Dai-Di!"

Em has decided that since her high chair has wheels she should use them. The other morning I was laying in bed and Brian yelled for me to come see. I get up, go into the kitchen, and see Em moving her highchair across the kitchen while sitting in it. I guess her butt scoot came in handy. . she used the same technique to get highchair jet-propulsion. I got a video on my cell phone, but haven't figured out how to get it off. Once I do, I'll post it for all to see.

Yesterday Em wasn't napping. She was laying quietly in her bed talking to herself. Because she was not screaming, I left her there. After about an hour and 1/2 a customer came in and Em screetched. I went back to retrieve her, and there she stood naked as a jaybird. . holding her shirt and bouncing in her crib. Either she was cold and couldn't sleep, or it actually took her that long to get all of her clothes off. . . That girl's got gumption!

The best Emma-antic is that she is a super lover. She blows kisses by smacking her lips and gives out hugs freely. Ask for a snuggle and you shall receive. I love my girl!

Cheese

2010-01-20T15:31:00.000-08:00

Em is now conditioned to smile everytime she sees the camera. . . . Oh the gnarly smile!

Move over Lance . .. . .

2010-01-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

Several months ago our fabulous neighbor Paige gave us a kiddie bike for Em. Her two girls had outgrown it and thought Emma might enjoy it. We stashed it on the back porch and forgot about it. . . .until this weekend.

The sun was out, the patio was cleaned (thanks Brian), so B cleaned off the bike and took Em for her first bike ride.

Check me out. I've got my own set of wheels!

Vroooommmmmm~Come on Pop, let's blow this popcycle stand. . . .forward march!

I think her face says everything.

Teeth!!

2010-01-07T15:10:00.000-08:00

It's about darned time. Em's teeth have decided it's finally to make thier big debut. She now has 5. . .. Yes. . you read that right, 5.

Three teeth have come through in the past two months. I never thought teeth would make me so happy. With the presence of teeth, my life has gotten a little easier by no longer having to make baby food. She can now eat pretty much everything we eat. She still prefers the mushy slimy stuff, but is quickly finding that biting holes in things can be equally as fun.

She also loves to show them off.

Ask her to show you her teeth and this is what you'll get. or this
and now for synchronized teeth . . .
(looks like I could use a whitening)

Christmas!!

2009-12-30T12:32:00.000-08:00

We had a blast for Christmas! Great gifts mixed with fabulous family and friends.. . .you really can't beat it!

Courtney was able to come down and spend a couple days with us before leaving for South Africa. . .which made Em's 1st "real" Christmas even more special. Emma loved all of her gifts and really got into tearing open the packages open. I was suprised how long she lasted before getting completely overwhelmed.

Hanging with Courtney before the package opening extravaganza!

Emma was obsessed with her Santa stocking. I'm not sure if it was facination or fear. . but she couldn't turn away.

Pre-opening smile.
Books, books, books!

Post Christmas smile!

True love! . . .. Na-na and Em.

Smiling on command!

Thanks to everyone for making our Christmas so special!

Next American Idol

2009-12-25T19:07:00.000-08:00

Em's got talent. . . .

and boy did we laugh. . .

The cat keyboard has a crappy microphone.. .. and apparently Em likes to hear herself screetch.

That Christmas Present

2009-12-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

For all of you with kids, I'm sure you know that one gift that someone gets your child that makes you want to scoop it up and take it out with the trash.

The one that makes your spine crawl, your head burst, and challenges your senses. . . .

Here is "that" present.

The cat keyboard.

Emma LOVES it.

I hate it.

Thanks Grammy Judy!