It's a Maryland Thing... PSF/GMYBS

I seriously don't get the appeal of breaking apart a crustacean into a million pieces to get a few ounces of crab meat.

Maybe it's because I'm not a native Marylander... Maybe it's because I'm a lazy eater... Maybe it's because the smell of vinegar makes me gag and the newspaper-covered tables are usually soaked in it... Maybe because it just looks gross... Maybe it's all of the above!

I do know; however, that Doodle proved that she's a true Marylander on Saturday when she walked up to her Daddy for some Princess Juice and ended up staying and eating crabs with him!

P.s. Happy 1/2 Birthday, Haden! I can't believe we've not met yet... I'm definitely trying to remedy that!

P.p.s. Jill- Get the maid. ;)

Not My Usual Montgomery County... PSF/GMYBS/M-I-F

As you may know, we live in the suburbs outside of DC... in Montgomery County, Maryland.  As I commute to work into the city (I work 6 blocks from the White House) and usually shop/live around heavily-populated suburban areas, I often forget that there's a large part of the county that developers haven't gotten to (yet!) and is farmland!

The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair takes place a mile from our house, in a highly populated area, and is a very big deal around these parts!  We've gone in the past, mostly for the carnival rides, but since we have a nearly-2-year-old on our hands, we knew this year's focus was going to be on the other festivities!

Bonus: We all decided to go on my nephew's 2nd birthday!  When DH asked his Sis if they wanted to join us, she told him that they were already planning on it! How perfect is that?!


Birthday Smooches (Yep, they'll hate this one later!)... and walking into the fair together!

  Now, I can't remember if I've covered this here (so my apologies if I have), but Doodle has been kind of obsessed with "Horsey" rides.  She and her Daddy went on a carousel at a smaller town fair in July and she's been talking about it ever since!  She wants a horsey ride on your back, from the dogs, and will even sit on the arm of a couch and yell "Horsey!" We walked in last night and saw that they were doing actual horse rides for kids.  Yes, it cost extra and had she not been over-the-freaking-moon about it, it would have been considered a rip off.  We even splurged for a crappy cowboy hat and it turned out to be a smart investment...

Oh, yes.  This girl loves a horsey ride.  I see many years of her begging for a horse in our future! ;)

We spent most of the night in the livestock area - it is an Agricultural Fair, after all - looking at sheep, pigs, goats, cows, bunnies and chickens.  Dagny got to pet a calf that had been born at noon that day (in the birthing barn... yes, I was hesitant to even go in there!)!  The John Deere tractor area was a huge hit with the both of the kids, although I know Mason loves them way more than Doodle does! ;)

The Birthday Boy got his very own ice cream cone to celebrate... and even shared it with his cousin! What a sweetie!

Finally, because I am trying to get in front of the camera a little more often, here are a few photos for Momma in Focus Friday!

As you can see, it's nearly impossible to get Doodle to look at the camera... especially with cows walking by and flashing/bright lights in the distance!  I'm cracking up at DH as he was singing "ice cream" to Doodle to try to get her attention... he did get her attention, but got the Dozer-pout for not actually having ice cream in his hand. No worries-- she did get a milkshake out of the deal! ;)

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Calling Betty Draper... PSF/GMYBS

I love watching Doodle learn to express herself in different ways.  Sunglasses have been a staple for quite a while and I love when I can find a $2 pair at the store that she adores. This week it has been through headbands... this girl loves her some hair accessories!  I can't help but picture her as a young Betty Draper in this photo I took the other day:

If you watch Mad Men, you know that with all of Betty's good looks, there's a "little" side of her that can be, well, it rhymes with "itchy."  Doodle, as she's just a month short of turning 2 years old, has also begun to express herself in this "itchy," or toddler, fashion.  Yep, tantrums.  They tend to be brought on because the Princess & The Frog has ended, she finished her Princess Juice (Capri Sun Waters- She thinks the surfer looks like a princess) and wants another, she wants a Topsickle before her breakfast, or Sirius looked at her funny.  Normal stuff, really.

Last night she was outside with Daddy while he grilled steaks (I'll get to my Omaha Steaks obsession in a later post!) and requested macaroni and cheese for dinner.  Sweet.  I can do that. She's finally understanding that some things take a few minutes ("Wait for the beep" - a la microwave or an answering machine - works well!) and was pretty patient while I made it.  I came outside to let her know that it was on the table... and that's when she broke down.

She got pissed for about 30 seconds, stood up, said "I'm done," trotted in to the kitchen table and proceeded to eat two bowls of macaroni.  I can handle 30 second tantrums... just crossing my fingers that it doesn't get too much worse than this!

It makes me think... would I hate Betty Draper less if her tantrums were so short lived and harmless? DH is convinced that she is pure evil, but I find myself wanting to love her and find the good in her.  What do you think?

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Momma in Focus... Although I'm Not His Momma! ;) GMYBS/PSF

Let's face it... this week has been all about Cliff.  And rightly so-- it's not everyday you get a new baby in the family!  Doodle has been looking at the photos and saying, "Baby Cliff," with a huge smile (although it sounds more like "Baby Tiff!"), so I'm pretty sure she's okay with him in the spotlight.  Heck, she doesn't even know she's been in the spotlight thus far, but we'll see how she reacts when she meets her new cousin next weekend!

This week's "Momma in Focus" on Love Roars is going to be more like "Auntie in Focus" as I share some photos of me hogging Cliff just an hour or two after he was born:

See, I wasn't lying... once I got him in my arms, I didn't want to let go!  I'm so grateful that Mary grabbed the camera and took some photos of me-- that's always the hardest part for the photographer (you're usually taking all of the photos, so others rarely think to take one of you!)!

Uncle Colin, Uncle Steve & Aunt Kristen, the Grammes, and Grandpas were all there to celebrate Cliff's arrival... I felt bad that Ally was so out of it because it was truly a very cool moment as this little guy brought two families together forever!

p.s. I graduated High School with Cliff's (twin) Uncles Colin and Patrick... and while they were far more popular than I could have ever wished to be, they're the nicest guys ever!  Aunt Caitlin and I were on JV Cheerleading together my junior year (still need to find those photos!)... she's now on TV (wwnytv.com) and will surely be the cool aunt (much like my very own ABC!)! Also, one of my best friends is married to one of Dave's best friends... both Dave and I were in their wedding party (he started dating Ally a few months later!)! I'd say "It's a small world," but that's just Willow Grove!

p.p.s. I can't lie... Since I knew Cliff was on his way when I got dressed that morning, I totally picked out my favorite dress (Lilly Pulitzer Clare in Hotty Pink First Impression)  to make sure I looked good when he first met me! You know, because babies remember everything from the second they're born! ;) This is seriously my favorite dress and don't be surprised when I'm wearing it in nearly every photo you see of me. Doodle even has a matching one!

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My Morning with an Almost-2 Year Old! PSF

I'm usually the first one out of the house during the week, but working from home the last few days has given me a chance to relieve Joe of his morning duties with Doodle (And gives her time to sleep in a bit!).  This morning I grabbed my iPhone and snapped a few photos of our journey to the car (to go to Marsha's)!

 

Yes, 4 out of the 9 photos contain references to princesses.  This might me slightly disproportionate to the truth.  It's usually 6 or 7 out of 9. ;)

I have to admit, I had a bit of a Peter Pan-flashback when she discovered her shadow... she was so enthralled with it and enjoyed making it move along with her.  I literally had to pick her up and put her into the car.

Best part of the morning... she actually said bye to me when I dropped her off at Marsha's (she usually just runs in saying "Hi" to all of the kids) and even gave me a smooch on the lips when I left!

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Love Those Baby Blues... GMYBS/PSF

I have more than a few photos from this past week to share.  Some, if not most, show how much fun a week in Disney could be far better than this one.  All things aside, I love this shot of my little girl.  She's not smiling.  She's actually rather annoyed that I interrupted her playing with the buckles of the stroller. BUT... I just love those baby blues.



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A Swinging Good Time...

Guess which 18 month old loved going to her neighborhood park for the first time?!

And no, I've not been keeping her inside for the past 18 months... we happen to have two summer camps at our disposal, so she's gotten all of her energy out over there (with the added bonus that Grandma and Grandpa are always there to chase her around)!  We just happened upon a nice Saturday and decided to show Gramme and Finley around the neighborhood!

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Family Adventure Time at Build a Bear!

Okay, which one should we pick?  We showed her all of them and then put her down and let her pick...

We have a winner... she picked the Bearemy Bear (Clearly would not have been my choice, so this is proof that she actually picked!).  It was love at first sight.

She was a little hesitant to let them stuff her bear...

In a few years, I'm sure she'll think that this part is cool... she just wanted the darn bear in her arms!

What is she doing to my bear?!

I have my heart... loading it up with all her love...

Putting the heart in her bear!

Gotta give Bear a bath before we pick out clothes...

This is my life. ;) J/k... my goofy hubby and daughter!  Dagny picked out the outfit herself (and yes, it pained me to put on the tacky princess shirt, but she went back to it even after I had initially put it back... again, proof that we let an 18 month old make her own decisions!)

Creating Bear's birth certificate... and yes, her name is "Bear" since that's what Doodle actually calls her!  We could have picked a cute name and then taught D to say it, but this seemed more natural.  Yes, I tend to overthink things... have you noticed?! ;)

"Ta Da!" (Note for next time: Mommy should wear makeup!)

She couldn't decide if she wanted to put the bear in the house...

No house!  She carried Bear around the mall with her...

Time for Ice Cream!!

This was after we wiped it off of her face! Saving some for later?!

The end.

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Food, glorious food!

My child loves food.

Her perfect day (you know, because even though she can't speak, obviously I can read her mind) involves eating all day.  Oh wait, she does that... every. day.

My day yesterday...

9:00 a.m. - Wake her up and get her a sippy cup of water, stat.

9:05 a.m. - Go downstairs and hand her a pretzel stick to occupy her while you heat up a pre-cooked pancake (I make a massive batch every weekend).

9:05 and 15 seconds - Get the pancake to her before she sees it and starts screaming.

9:07 a.m. - Heat up her second pancake.

9:08 a.m. - Get a cup of juice (this week it's Trader Joe's Orange-Strawberry-Banana Juice.... yum!) and mix in the Zantac without her seeing it (Zantac syrup takes like peppermint, whoever thought of that flavor choice for babies should be fired.  Seriously.).

9:15 a.m. - Catch the end of Jack's Big Music Show with pretzel in hand.

I think you get the point... if I had more energy, I'd detail her eating nearly half a box of Gerber Banana Cookies, 5 or 6 Trader Joe's Animal Cookies, 2 more pretzel sticks, and 2 sippy cup refills (of water). 
All. Before. Lunch.

She ate Beef Skillet (Ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and corn) leftovers for lunch and nearly finished the box of banana cookies before Joe got home and put her down for a nap!  Mason was over for dinner last night and we sat them both down with a bowl of Beef Skillet for each of them to eat.  Mason had two bites (which, I might add, was a bite more than I thought he'd take!) and Joe decided to feed him GoGurt in the kitchen (away from Doodle's eyes -- she can't have yogurt anymore, but still loves it).  Not only did Dagny finish her heaping bowl of Beef Skillet, but she demolished the one we made for Mason as well.  Then she had a big slice of cantaloupe.  Followed by the Zantac-infused fruit juice.  We sent both kids to play with pretzel sticks in their hands.  Pretty sure Dagny ate hers and stole Mason's before he had a chance to think about it.

Don't get me wrong -- I am NOT complaining!  I hear everyone's stories about how their kids don't eat and cringe at the thought that someday Dagny will decide that she's not Cookie Monster and stop eating everything.   And yes, she ate nearly as much before she had teeth (you know, last month! ;) She has a whopping six teeth now!)...  now that she has teeth, she's realized that she can cram every inch of pancake into her mouth and sit there and break it down by chewing for the next minute.  I nearly fall over laughing as I watch her and her full mouth -- how she doesn't gag or choke, I'll never know.

I'm simply in awe of her abilities (perhaps a career as a professional eater, anyone?!) and cannot wait to see her eyes bulge wide open when she sees the spread at Thanksgiving!

Food, glorious food!
Eat right through the menu.
Just loosen your belt
Two inches and then you
Work up a new appetite.
In this interlude --
The food,
Once again, food
Fabulous food,
Glorious food!

Puppies in the Park... Photostory Friday

I fully recognize that the puppies have been seriously neglected in this blog space... although I assure you that they are far from neglected in real life!  Last night we decided to take advantage of the warm evening (who knows how many we have left!) and go outside and play.  Joe was completely exhausted from work, but I really appreciated him coming out with me as it would be nearly impossible for me to manage two puppies, a toddler, and a power wheels all by myself!  I know that the photo of Sully on the left is blurry, but he's so hard to catch sitting still and I just love the action shot! Enjoy!

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