Brotherly Love

Overheard at the playground this morning...

Cody - Yeah, I have a sister. She's over there.
Kid I Don't Know - Oh, is she that one? (pointing)
Cody - Noooooo! My sister is the CUTE one!!!


Aaaaaw...He's such a good big brother!

Hmmm...

Emma has begun to have a fascination with the "big girl" potty. She likes to sit on it, will sometimes actually go potty on it, and most definitely likes the applause and cheers from Mommy and Daddy after she goes on it. It is a rare occasion when I get to use the restroom alone these days, and I am also beginning to enjoy the claps, cheers and, cries of "You did it Mommy!" from my 2 year old.

Emma also has been asking a lot of questions lately about how things work, why things don't work, and how to fix things that are broken. From these conversations has sprung an affinity for batteries. She is constantly finding things that don't work, or that she thinks need to be more animated and bringing them to me so that I can fix them with batteries.

What, you ask, do these two things have to do with one another? Well, this morning at potty time this is the conversation that took place...

Emma: (sitting on the potty, pointing at herself) Mommy, it's not working!
Me: What's not working?
Emma: Her (she always refers to herself as her), she's not working.
Me: Just give it a minute sweetie. Be patient.
Emma: No patient, Mommy. Her needs batteries!

Party Girl

We celebrated Emma's second birthday today with a handful of friends and family. The birthday girl did not disappoint her guests. She giggled, she sang, she laughed, and, much to the appreciation of her guests, she fake burped for 5 solid minutes. I mean, what else can one ask for at a 2 year olds' birthday party?

Besides the fake burping, my favorite moment was the opening of the presents. Never has a child made each gift giver feel more appreciated than Emma did today. After opening each gift she promptly squealed with delight, insisted upon wearing or playing with the gift, and gave the bearer of her new treasure a hug, a kiss, and an award winning grin.

modeling all of her gifts

sleeping with her unicorn

Pickin Peas

Jay has a very green thumb (as opposed to my very black one), and every year he religiously plants a variety of yummy fruits and veggies in our yard for us to enjoy. This year we have corn, artichokes, onions, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, and peas. In the past we've also has zucchini, squash, strawberries, and watermelon. No matter what goes in, the favorite around here is always the peas. It has surprised me every year to watch Cody, who won't touch peas with a ten foot pole when I make them with dinner, devour pea, after pea, after pea out in Daddy's garden. This year Emma joined in the pea picking and eating, and also couldn't seem to get enough. I guess there's just something about picking 'em, shelling 'em, eating 'em, and throwing the pods on the ground, that is irresistible to children and adults alike.

No Birthday!

Upon first seeing my big 2 year old girl this morning, I greeted her with a hug and a cheerful, "Happy Birthday." Her response was to scowl at me and grump, " No birthday!" OK, so she's not a morning person. I totally get that. So, I walked away, finished getting ready for work and thought to myself, "I'll try again later - she must still be tired." Usually when Emma is grumpy, a little bit of distraction is all it takes to settle her down and get her back on track. Fast forward 30 minutes or so...We're ready to leave and I'm putting Emma in her car seat and giving her a kiss goodbye. I say, "Bye baby girl. I'll see you later. Have a good day...blah, blah, blah...Happy Birthday." Well, she took my face in her hands and turned it towards hers muttering, " Look-a me Mommy." So I did, I looked, and what I saw was not pretty. She had steam coming from her ears, and said in her most I-mean-business voice, "No birthday Mommy!" So I guess it's no birthday for Emma today. We'll try again tomorrow?

I'm Two!

Here we go...

The Last Day She's One...

Today is the last day that my baby is one. Tomorrow I will write my sweet girl her birthday letter in which I will recap the year, tell her some of my favorite memories and some silly stories, make clear how important she is to our family, and generally gush about how much I love her. But tonight, I feel the need to wallow in my sadness a little. Two is bittersweet. Though she will always be my baby, she will cease to have those baby-like qualities and mannerisms that I have grown to adore. With the dawning of two, I foresee less spontaneous acts of cuddling, fewer instances of peaceful rocking, and more time debating, arguing, and tantrum throwing. She has already begun to exert her independence, show her true colors, and experiment with manipulation tactics, and though these things are natural and will help her to shape her personality and become the little person that I am excited to know, I would be forever grateful for a pause button right about now. So, for tonight, in these last moments that she is one, I will spend as much time cuddling, rocking, and soaking up all the gentle kisses, ferocious hugs, and sweet compliments that I can, because tomorrow we will wake up to a 2 year old and we will begin a whole new chapter.

Kindergarten Dance Festival

Every year my school puts on a dance festival. It's a HUGE deal in the community and is often attended by several hundred family members, friends, and alumni of Frontier Elementary. This year I enjoyed the dance festival from the parent perspective and really began to understand what the hype is all about. I tell you what...there is NOTHING cuter than watching your child perform with his classmates in front of an audience. It is particularly adorable when your child is a kindergartner. Here's a glimpse of our cute little kindergartner doin' his thang...

And here's Emma stealing the show while the sixth graders square dance...

Kindergarten Field Trip

Cody's class went to FairyTale Town on a field trip today. Because I have a student teacher and because Jay is on furlough Fridays, we both got to chaperone. Even Emma got to come! It was a great day for kids and adults alike.

The Perfect Pig Class

Cody and his good buddy Edward

Cody and Michael taking a break from the heat

Cody and Anelise...could it be love?

Defense Exhibit A

I know the time will come when either Cody or Emma will question whether having a sibling was anything but a big pain in the rear, and I want to be prepared when the moment presents itself. So here's defense exhibit A...

Happy Together!

A picture is worth a thousand words

I love discovering moments like this. Not so much the picture. I love the implication of it. The fact that after 7 years of marriage, 11 years together, and two children, my husband still looks at me through the lens of a camera, without my knowledge and subsequent preening and posing, and finds me "picture perfect." Makes me smile.

Picnic Day at Young's Vineyard

We spent a gorgeous day at Young's Vineyard in Amador County today. We met a bunch of friends there and enjoyed good music, good food, good wine, beautiful sunshine, and lots of laughs. I can't wait to return next year!

Happy Birthday to me!

Today I am officially 36 years old. Geez...it seems like only yesterday I was graduating high school, heading off to college, getting married, and having babies. But alas, it was NOT yesterday. Though these memories will stay with me always, I am excited to see what the future has in store for me.

In honor of my birthday Jay, some friends, and I went wine tasting. It was a fabulous day.

2nd Annual Easter Camp-out

I know what you're thinking..."Teresa camps?" Though it is true that I think nature in all of its dirtiness is very overrated, there are certain things that a woman will do for her family that she would otherwise turn her nose up at. For me, that thing is camping. I don't love the packing up, the seemingly endless drive to the campground, the dirt, the wild animals, the lack of amenities, or the mountains of laundry that seem to come as part of the package, but somewhere in the middle there, I find my happy place and become "one" with nature. I attribute this oneness to my, "fake it till you make it" philosophy, and will continue to do just that until my children and husband outgrow their camping stage. (So probably for the remainder of my time here on earth).

This years trip was extra special (can you hear the sarcasm) in that we arrived at our campsite just in time for a torrential downpour. I'm not even exaggerating! There was more rain in the first 3 hours of our trip than in the entire week preceding it. We were cold, we were wet, and we were muddy - it was hilarious! The kids were really great about it, and the men were awesome as they set up camp wearing black garbage bags as ponchos to keep them from getting soaked to the bone. The women, well we did what we do best - we opened the wine, got out the snacks, and we tried our best to stay out of the way. After that first night, as we slowly dried out, we began to have lots more fun and were able to laugh at the ridiculousness of our trips' beginning.

Here are a few highlights...

Waiting out the storm.

Fun with friends!

That was exhausting!

And so it begins...

Tonight while putting Cody to bed...

Cody: "Mom, did you know that I have a girlfriend?"
Me: "What exactly does it mean to have a girlfriend in kindergarten?"
Cody: "It means that Olivia wants to hold my hand, and that she chases me a lot."
Me: "I see. Anything else?"
Cody: "Well today she said she was gonna kiss me if she caught me, and I told her that my mom was gonna write her a citation if she didn't stop trying to kiss me, because there's no kissing allowed at school."

And so it begins...heaven help me.

(Is it wrong that I TOTALLY want to write her a citation just for trying to kiss my baby?)

The world according to Cody...

Driving home today in the pouring rain...
Cody: "Mommy, did it rain before I was born?"
Me: "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ..."

There'll be days like this...

I know that not every day can go as planned, and that you can't count your chickens before they're hatched, and that when life gives you lemons you're supposed to make lemonade. I do, I know all of these things, but today I had a mini-letdown, and it has completely ruined my I'm-on-vacation-nothing-can-get-me-down mood. It all started a few weeks back...As you know, Cody has been attending my school for his kindergarten year. It's been great and we've both enjoyed the time together, but recently I found out that due to budget constraints, next year class sizes will be going up to 29 in first grade. This got me thinking...maybe we should enroll him in a school near our house for the remainder of his elementary education. We've vacillated back and forth on this front many times, but this was the fabled "straw that broke the camel's back" for us. So today, armed with official documents, a new pen, and fresh perspective, I skipped down to the local school district to sign up my boy. And that 's when I was introduced to the woman who would (with a smile) suck the wind right out of my sails. When I told her my purpose for coming she was quite helpful, at first. She gave me the required paperwork and offered me a pen. I cheerfully filled out said paperwork, growing more and more comfortable and excited even, about this decision, as I did so. When at long last I had printed and signed my name for the last time, I marched back up to the counter ready to hand over my paperwork, Cody's birth certificate, and the required address verification documents. When I'd gone over this in my head the next step was clear... she'd stamp an official seal on my documents, smile kindly, wish me well, and say, "see you in the fall." You can imagine my shock, and subsequent feelings of betrayal, guilt, and heartbrokenness when instead, she chuckled (really, she literally laughed at me), returned my paperwork (unstamped I might add), and said, "you DO realize that you are 10 days late to make any such requests." To which I stammered something about how the website said...blah, blah, blah...and how I was trying to do the best thing for my child...blah, blah, blah...and then promptly turned around (unstamped, painstakingly filled out paperwork in hand) and fled the building before she could see me cry. I know...real mature, but I did, I cried the whole way home as I thought about how much I wanted that change for my kid, and about how this was the first time that I had really let my kid down (even though he had no idea any of this was going on), about how I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, and then, about how I was going to make something positive come from this new set of circumstances. But even now, several hours and many deep breaths later, as I sip my lemonade, I can't help but taste the bitterness in my mouth (even though I added a LOT of sugar).

Eeeew, gross!!!!

Last night as I prepared to leave Cody's room after reading bedtime stories and getting him all tucked in, he stopped me because he had, "something important to say." Then he hit me with, "Mommy, you know when you and Daddy dance, and when you call him your boyfriend...well, that's DISGUSTING! I never want you guys to dance around me anymore. It's just too gross. And, it's not nice to call Daddy your boyfriend - that's a mean name." Sorry kiddo, I'm not making any promises. As a matter of fact, I might just go dance with my boyfriend after I write this. :)

Happy Anniversary

This weekend Jay and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary and our 11th year together. We began our celebration by spending a few days in wine country. We wine tasted, ate WAY more than necessary, revisited the Fitzpatrick Winery where we got engaged, and generally enjoyed each others company without the usual chaos that comes with being parents of two.

When we returned home we celebrated as a family by making a nice dinner together, indulging Mommy while she put on her wedding dress, and dancing together (all four of us) to Mommy and Daddy's wedding song. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect anniversary weekend!

(unfortunately the pictures were taken by Cody

and most of them were of his thumb - this is the best of them)

Don't breathe the Egg Sauce?

After school today, as we pulled into the driveway and began to unload, I noticed a smoky smell in the air and made a comment about it to Cody. His response... "No mom, that's not smoke. It's "egg sauce." You know, that stuff that comes out of the back of cars. They call it "egg sauce" - I think because it smells like eggs."

I love that kid!

The Great Escape

Emma is always up to something. Today...

Hmmmm...I wonder....

Here I go!

What?

Fishin' Day!

Cody got to go electrofishing with his Dad today. He loved every minute of it. He caught lots of fish and was even brave enough to hold the slippery suckers (ew)!

I love you!

I love walking in on moments like these! They make my heart swell with joy and pride (and usually make me cry a little too).

The Christmas Card Debacle

In an effort to get the "perfect" picture to put on this year's Christmas card, Jay and I took almost 100 photographs of our usually darling and photogenic children. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, in 95 of those 100 photos one or the other of them is doing something ridiculous like looking the wrong way, fake smiling, or throwing a full blown temper tantrum. When we finally threw in the towel we were able to find 3 pictures that were far from "perfect" but that would end up on our 2009 Christmas card anyway. Oh well, maybe next year!

Some of the most ridiculous:

We are SO bored with this!

Are we done yet?

This is my best smile Mom!

Emma! Put your tongue back in your mouth!

The chosen ones: