Still Not Funny

Liesel decided to go swimming in a brand-new 41.8 oz can of Enfamil formula. Bought from Costco on our last trip to Chicago since there are none anywhere near Iowa City. For $38 if you'd really like to know. If it weren't all over the floor I might have been able to salvage some but it was a complete loss. I had to vacuum the vacuum because the powder was EVERYWHERE! I sent pix messages to my family. My parents who had been out to lunch abruptly came home. Dad asked me what possessed Liesel to do this and I told him, "There is not to make reply, there is not to reason why, there is but to do and die." As part of Homicide Prevention Week they offered to watch the girls while I either went to the gym or took a nap. I burned 600 calories on an elliptical.

Maybe another 10 years and I'll laugh? Oh, and Ireland is now on regular milk.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

While having breakfast Liesel noticed the whipped cream Mom got out to top off her hot chocolate. She wanted some so Mom went to squirt it directly in her mouth. Liesel hesitated and to allay her fears Mom demonstrated on me. The only problem was that I had a load of whipped cream in my mouth and I made a face. Upon seeing that, Liesel's response was "You kill me Mom."

She kills me.

Turkey Bowl

After a delicious Thanksgiving dinner we headed over to the bowling alley to burn off some calories. We've never taken the girls bowling before and they both loved it. The kids had a lane all to themselves with bumpers and a ramp. Liesel didn't immediately catch on to the rules of the game and she was upset when her ball rolled away from her. Eventually she figured it out and

she even got a strike. Ireland was just generally excited, especially when someone sat her in front of the computer scoring thingy. Turns out my sister-in-law Krystal used to be on a bowling league and she won hands down. All the women beat their spouses but I only edged out Brent by a point. I was hoping to score at least 65 and I got 101 thanks largely to 2 strikes in my last frame.

The kids had a blast. Afterwards we went home to finish up the night with some pie. Mom made the most amazing apple cranberry pie! Unfortunately she thought it was too tart and isn't planning on a repeat. The bowling however I think we just might make a family tradition.

Marie Antoinette

Marketing companies for baby products really deceive the American public. They lead you to believe babies and children are perpetually happy, loving and most of all, CLEAN. They aren't. Usually they have some mess on them somewhere that good parents try hard to prevent. I guess that's why I really love my girls when they're fresh out of a bath or shower. Their skin glows and they're happy and loving. I was actually going for a bubble afro when I gave Ireland a bubble bath but this was the result:

I think she likes the look!

LOL

We had fajitas for dinner last night and out of nowhere Liesel said this:

"So Grandma, how is your tortilla?"

She was so very grown up about it I very nearly keeled over laughing. And that was my laugh for the day.

Hi Liesel

My name is Liesel, and I'm potty trained. It's been two weeks since I had my last relapse and even then it was in a Pull-Up. I guess I subconsciously traded naps for potty training but I think it's really a change for the better. Now that I don't have to wear Pull-Ups, I just feel free. I don't have any master plan per se, I just take things a day at a time.


You heard it here first folks! It's only been a couple of weeks but I'm cautiously optimistic Liesel is over the potty training hump. I'm sad she no longer takes naps but I'm more than happy to take the trade-off. She still wears a Pull-Up at night but she's been a champ during the day. First she stayed dry during a day at home. Then she stayed dry even when we spent the morning running errands. Last weekend she stayed dry while being in the car for 7 hours. I've high-tailed it out of a couple of places when Liesel stopped what she was doing and announced, "I have to go potty!"

When I'm running with her like an idiot through crowds to get to the restrooms she laughs and yells, "RUN! RUN MOM! RUN!!!" like a musher in a dog-sled race. You know how asassins always look for the exits when they go anywhere (well, according to the Bourne movies anyway)? I look for the restroom wherever we go. Interestingly enough, Liesel prefers to have her "privacy." She even asks for privacy when we're in a public restroom stall so I have to face the front door. If I turn my head to look at her she scolds me. On the flip side, when I have to go to the restroom and she's with me she says very loudly, "Did you go potty Mom? I'm so PROUD of you!" and then she cocks her head and smiles. People in surrounding stalls get a kick out of it.

I really am so very proud of her though!

Shabby Apple All That Jazz Dress Guest Giveaway

Shabby Apple All That Jazz Dress Guest Giveaway

Art Imitating Life

My sister Katrina found this comic strip and passed it along. When I saw it I immediately called Brent and we both had a good laugh. We're having this one printed out and laminated for our fridge! (you may have to click on it to read it clearly)

First Words

To my surprise it wasn't Mama or even Dada. Ireland's first words were boo boo. Bright and early this morning I was hanging out with the girls in my bedroom when Liesel started jumping up and down saying "BOO!" to make Ireland laugh. She responded in kind with her own "booooo... booooo". At first I thought it was a fluke but after a few minutes it was clear she was trying to communicate with her sister. I love that her first words were a result of their interaction.

Now we're working on Mama :)

Dancing Queen

My mom often dances in the kitchen when she was in a good mood (which is pretty much all the time). She noticed Ireland really enjoyed it. Mom and Ireland often end up in matching outfits like they were on this day.