For the Love of Ice Cream

You'd think the annual Scooper Bowl would be a harbinger of summer to Boston. Unfortunately, the last two years have been drizzling and cool. Not that the weather stops us from eating unlimited amounts of ice cream for a good cause. To top it off, our friends were able to get free passes courtesy of MIT. As if the Scooper Bowl could get any sweeter!


Do I even need to mention Liesel absolutely loved the Scooper Bowl? I think not. As soon as we finished one of the sample-sized cups she'd immediately ask for more. Don't know what I was thinking when I put the white sweater on her as we walked out the door.

A new ice cream flavor favorite from this year's event is Key Lime Graham gelato. Yum!

I'm trying to lose my baby weight so I've been cutting back on the "great whites" from my diet (sugar, salt, flour) and this was the first time in weeks I'd really had anything sweet. I think it put my system in shock because I felt SO sick on the way home. Which reminds me, does anyone out there get the logic of the following video?

Pequena Traviesa

Yesterday morning while I was nursing Ireland I decided to fire up the DVR and watch the latest episode of Losing It With Jillian. I love how blunt and ferocious Jillian is with those she trains and the last two episodes have taken place right here in Massachusetts. For the most part, Liesel is pretty good about playing on her own and she disappeared to do just that. When I was about to find out if "Deb" from Cambridge had lost the weight at Jillian's six week follow up I realized it was rather quiet. Eerily quiet. Ireland was now sleeping peacefully in my arms and I didn't want to jostle her. I decided to do a pulse check on her big sister. "Liesel?" I called out. She responded in toddler gibberish and I knew she was alive and in the bathroom. My instincts told me I needed to check on her sooner rather than later. When I did, I was met with this scene:

Liesel had climbed from her stool to the toilet to the bathroom sink, taken off her clothes, opened the medicine cabinet, pulled out the Vick's Baby VapoRub and slathered herself in it from head to toe. I don't entirely know how she managed to do it because the smell overpowered me before I even got to the door. Heeding my mother's advice, I grabbed the camera to take a picture and called her. Liesel proudly said, "CHEESE!" the second she saw the camera and of course my mother got a kick out of my predicament. While I related the story to her, I put Liesel down and tried to ascertain which bottles were clean and which were not. In that time, Liesel climbed onto the dining room table where she got a hold of the hand sanitizer and she began rubbing that on top of the VapoRub. I thought that smell couldn't get any worse but believe me, it did. I immediately told my mom I had to go and started a bath.

By the time I cleaned every inch of Liesel, the bathtub looked like an oil slick. The worst part? She got a huge glob of the VapoRub in her hair and it absolutely will not come out. I've tried 2 different shampoos as well as dishwashing soap and as of this morning I've lathered her up 9 times! The girls are supposed to have professional photos on Saturday and if I can't find a solution fast Liesel is going to look like she sleeps in a cardboard box on the street because of her greasy hair. Anyone know how to get VapoRub out of hair? The morning adventures must have tuckered Liesel out because for her nap she fell asleep right in the middle of reading her book.

Another recent development in our home is Liesel has discovered how to climb out of her crib. Time outs aren't nearly as effective when the offending toddler peaks out of her room 30 seconds after being chastised. This morning I awoke to Liesel at my bedside announcing, "I had a good nap... I hungry." So much for sleeping in another 10 minutes! Here is a picture of Liesel mid-escape. Friends and family joked with us that our lives were over once Liesel learned to walk. Oh no, I have to say this is much worse.

Aye de MI!

Missing Crosby

Today's Relief Society lesson was on forgiveness. The teacher mentioned an article she'd read on the Wall Street Journal which poses this question: Who do you treat better? Your pet or your spouse? It noted that most people actually tend to treat their pets better than their spouse because they are much more forgiving of their faults. This got me to thinking about our family pet. My siblings might argue that I treat my spouse much better than I did our dog.

When I was a kid my parents got an Old English Sheepdog for my little sister Reagan which we named Crosby. He was an adorable puppy and then he grew, and grew, and grew. Technically he wasn't as big as he looked. Sheepdogs really are a lot of fluff and he had tons of hair. It wasn't really Crosby I took issue with, it was his hair. My room had shag carpeting which was a disaster with the shaggy dog. Crosby's hair got everywhere because he shed TONS and because he eagerly climbed on the seats of the car it was on everything I wore. Admittedly, I hated that. Even when I was a kid I liked things to be clean, organized, tidy and to have my friends point out a tuft of hair on my butt was embarassing. I tried to keep him out of my room to no avail. I can remember firmly telling him, "Cros! Get out of my room" to which he'd respond by laying down and sighing as if to say, "Whydoncha come over and make me?" Well anyway, that is why my siblings were under the impression that I hated that dog.

I really didn't hate him at all. Crosby was always happy to see me even with my irritation at the mess he left behind. He was the greatest running partner I've ever had because he dragged me behind him as he loped from fire hydrant to fire hydrant, propelling me much faster than I could have on my own. Our neighbors had a boxer they named Ike because they admired President Eisenhower. Oh how Crosby tortured Ike and oh how we loved to watch the melee. Ike was kind of a stupid dog, he really had it coming most of the time. When Crosby heard someone walk in the front door he'd scramble down the hardwood hallway. In fact, he'd run so fast that without fail he'd start sliding into the doorway to the living room and his legs had to pump doubly fast for him to make the 90 degree turn to the front door. If I'd had a rough day, Crosby was always ready for a hug. How great is it to have someone in your life who is always at the ready for a hug? He never had to consider what kind of day he'd had and whether he had the emotional energy to give back to me, he just did.

More than anything, I think Crosby's most endearing attribute was that despite his size, he thought he was a small dog. When we were all piled on Mom and Dad's bed watching a movie he'd get one paw, then two, then his nose and then he'd quickly shimmy himself completely on. All the while Mom would repeat his name over and over in that warning tone that says he shouldn't be doing it. But once he'd settled in there was simply no moving him. Crosby repeatedly escaped from the backyard when we were out. As our van pulled into the driveway he'd "hide" between the bushes that lined the front of the house. As if you could miss a huge, furry sheepdog between the bushes! When we piled out of the van he'd run up like, "Oh hey guys! Whatcha doin? I didn't even realize you were home!" Any chastizement he received for escaping (yet again) was overshadowed by his excitement to see us again.

My best memories are of when he actually got to go with the family in the van. Consequently, if you wanted to see his little stub of a tail wiggle wildly all you had to say was, "Cros, wanna go WITH?" His claws would scratch the wood floor as he preemptively jumped around and sniffed towards the door. Returning home as we neared the house Dad would rap the dashboard and sternly instruct Crosby to get the squirrels that had taken over the backyard in his absence. One oak tree in particular still has a dirt moat Crosby created from running around the base in his vain efforts to keep the squirrels from invading his territory. When Dad mentioned the word squirrel he would start shaking with anticipation and whining. He'd always jump on Mom's lap which led to a cry of protest from her. "Cros!" she'd yell and then she'd chastize my father for getting him worked up. Dad never seemed to hear, he was having too much fun seeing Crosby's killer instinct kick in. As soon as the door to that van was open Crosby was out like a flash, into the backyard, running around that tree. Then he'd turn back to the house and bark as if to give us the all clear. It was so funny! Ahhhh, it may sound lame but I'm crying just thinking about it.

One of the many books on Old English Sheepdogs mentioned once you have one you never want to get any other type. Brent has mentioned if we ever do get a dog he'd like an Alaskan Malamute which sounds nice... but part of me still wants an Old English Sheepdog. No matter what we get (if we ever DO get a dog) there will never be another Cros. Oh, now I need a hug! Did you have a pet? Do you still miss him?

Travelogue: Gettysburg

After DC we headed to Gettysburg. Many years ago I read Killer Angels which brought this battle to life for me. I had never been interested in stories of war but I absolutely fell in love with Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and his 20th Maine regiment. "Fix bayonets" became my personal motto and I began to learn more about the characters that played a role in the Civil War. On a trip to DC I naively thought I'd drop by and quickly visit the site on my way back to Boston. Little did I know how huge it is and how much there is to see. I picked up a cd-guided tour book and headed home vowing to make it back to actually follow the tour. Well, several years later I made it back! I urged Brent to read the book and we put the movie on our Netflix queue so we'd be ready.

This morning Brent and I drove around the site of this famous conflict. We saw Little Round Top, Devil's Den, The Wheatfield (not a misspelling, it's a proper name), the High Water Mark and the gated clump of trees that was to be the focal point for the Confederate Army, Cemetery Ridge and Culp's Hill. Even after 3 hours Brent and I wanted to take more in but we had to get home and there's only so long you can strap your children in a car. Our camera battery was completely dead and we hardly left the car so we didn't get any pictures. On the way home we did have a momentous event which warranted a picture with my bb however:

I can't wait to see where our next 100,000 miles will lead us! For the time being though, it feels SO good to be home!!!

Travelogue: Washington DC

For Memorial Day weekend we decided to take a trip to Washington DC because Brent had never been. I've gone a handful of times and chipped away at the mountain of things to see and do but I'm always happy to go back for more. With two little girls it took the better part of a day to get there although we took a detour to Irving's in NJ for some melt-in-your-mouth pastrami. YUM! Totally worth the stop.

I remember as a little girl when we'd travel it was mostly to see relatives. We didn't vacation very much so staying in a hotel was rather rare but I remember thinking it was the coolest thing ever. My father had done his fair share of business travel and he was always unimpressed with the room and the hotel in general. I couldn't wait to explore. This basically consisted of locating the pool and filling the ice bucket which doesn't sound like much but when you don't stay in hotels often, it was an adventure! Well, now I'm the unimpressed parent and Liesel is the eager child. When we finally reached our room she ran around everywhere with her little golden curls bouncing. She picked up the phone and said, "I call grandpa? Yeah!" as if she just couldn't wait to tell him we'd made it to DC. She searched every corner of that room as if it was an Easter egg hunt. She love, love, LOVED the pool and even more so, the hot tub. Just watching her reminded me of when I was a little girl. Perhaps Brent and I have passed on our wanderlust to her?

Saturday we took the Metro to the National Mall and explored the Museum of American History where we saw ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz and Apolo Ohno's skates. The First Lady's exhibit was insane but I managed to see Michelle Obama's inauguration ball gown and her Jimmy Choos. Her feet are huge! Just sayin'. We went to the Air and Space Museum but only made it through the first floor of exhibits. Then we hiked up to the Capitol for our scheduled tour. Once we got to the top we were ushered to the side. Apparently an "unintended package" was left behind so they had to call in security and evacuate the place. By the time they called the all clear they decided to cancel all tours. We strolled by the Library of Congress and headed to the National Archives but the wait was 45 minutes. Completely soaked in sweat, we headed back to the hotel to relax for the evening.

Sunday we took the car into town. We hit the National Archives first hoping to miss the crowds. For some strange reason, they have decided making people line up to see the documents doesn't work. Once it was our turn in the rotunda, we were told to "fan out" to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights among other things. I was able to see a peek of all of those but only a peek because of the inanely unaware people who camped out right in front of them and refused to move. Why we would resort to the rule of will over the rule of law in the heart of our nation's capitol is beyond me. Personally I think they should have a conveyor belt that moves you along and if you want to see more of the documents then you can jolly well get in line again. Yeah, we're still frustrated with that.

The girls were sleeping so I stayed in the car with them while Brent went to Arlington National Cemetery to visit the grave of the unknown soldiers and then to the Jefferson Monument. They had woken up in time for us all to go to the Lincoln Monument and Vietnam Memorial. It just so happens a Harley-Davidson bike rally was tying up a heck of a lot of traffic. They apparently do a rally every year since so many of them are veterans. There were some very touching things left at the Vietnam Memorial by riders which was very cool to see. From there we headed out of town. Although a good visit, both Brent and I can't wait to go back and see more.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Brent snagged some Red Sox tickets from a coworker so we took Ireland to her first game. All day it had been as hot as a steam engine in the middle of the desert so I figured we'd be okay in cooler wear. WRONG! I ended up running to the souvenir shop to get a sweatshirt for Ireland. After we put it on her she immediately fell asleep on my shoulder. The guys behind us were smitten with her which was funny because they looked like bouncers. They kept tickling her cheeks and offering to help out when she fussed. It was really cute.

Unfortunately, the BoSox lost. Brent is starting to think he's a curse to the team because every game he's attended they've lost. Even with the cooler weather I'm glad we could introduce Ireland to Fenway. I'm happy I could lull her fussiness away by singing Sweet Caroline in the middle of the 8th inning. I'm also grateful I had an excuse to pick up one more Red Sox clothing item because you just can't have enough of those!

Reverse Psychology

Being a SAHM with an active toddler and infant is challenging; no two ways about it. Nonetheless I'm grateful to be around for moments like this rather than hearing about it from a daycare teacher or getting a note: "Liesel learned to share today." Actually being there is just priceless! I love how Liesel switches from territorial to compassionate so quickly. A lesson for all of us to learn...

Coming of Age

They say kids grow up so fast. We've honestly tried to internalize that statement and enjoy our girls in the moment but even so, time somehow slips away. Recently it's become clear Liesel has developed a liking for the boys:

No, no, I mean a REAL liking for the boys:

She's also become very fashion conscious... something I think she's hoping to pass along to her little sister:

Where did my little baby Liesel go?

Beachy Keen

When it's 78, sunny, and your toddler has a brand-new swimsuit she hasn't had a chance to wear, there's only one place to be. I slathered both girls in SPF 50 and headed out for some sand and surf today. Not only was the weather fantastic, but school is still in so it wasn't crowded and there wasn't any traffic to contend with. Here in Massachusetts they say you are either a north shore person or south shore (which includes the Cape). I hate to admit in my 8 years living here I have yet to try the south shore... I'm north shore all the way. My sister called just before we prepared to leave so I opted for Crane's Beach near Cape Ann.

Liesel is absolutely made for the beach because she worked those little legs like a Riverdance tapper. She would run around then come back to the towel to tell me, "I'll be right back! I'll be right back!" (see video). Sometimes she'd take her shovel with her so she could stop every few feet, dig in the sand a bit and then run a few feet more to do the same thing. I thought she'd get bored after a bit but we could have stayed there for hours longer than we did. Ireland just chilled the entire time, enjoying the warmth without having to be wrapped up. After a while I thought I'd introduce Liesel to the waves of the ocean so I grabbed Ireland and went down to the shore. When the cool water washed over Liesel's little feet she was so stunned she fell over. Then the water washed over her legs which broke her out of her stupor and she screamed like the little girl she is. She stayed far, far away from the water after that.

aaand CUT!

Today is rainy and miserable but we needed to get out of the house. Because Liesel's hair has some curl on the ends it's hard to tell how shaggy it was getting so I took her for her first haircut. On the way to The Container Store (aka my Nirvana), I had noticed a place called Snip-its which is especially for kids. They had a movie Liesel could watch, suckers, bubbles, and a stylist who worked lightning fast and called her "princess." The stylist made sure to save some hair for me as a keepsake which I appreciated. In the end, Liesel got a complimentary pack of stickers which she played with on the way home. Ireland was a trooper and quietly waited in her carseat the whole time. Liesel's hair looks so much better! Now she's all ready for summer.