Hunky Monkey

Today was a very fussy day for Liam.  He is getting over an ear infection and sore throat, and the screaming all day doesn't help.  His antibiotics are giving him diarrhea, so he is not a real happy camper right now. Thankfully a trip to the backyard cured his 3 o'clock blues.

It appears that he is not thrilled with Laney who was screaming "mommy" at the top of her lungs for attention.  Kinda looks like he is about to get up and smack her....lucky for Laney he can't walk yet!

Happy again after a few minutes of mutual fussing.

'Nect Dots

I switched from a Blackberry to a Droid phone this past week.  I must say that the switch has been more seamless than I thought, thanks to my prolific use of Google and all its functions!  Google and the Droid phone interface to pull all your calendar and contact info from your account so well that my most difficult decision on new phone day was what color case to buy for it.  What has really surprised me is how well Laney has taken to using my phone.  She loves playing Angry Birds (just like mommy, who is now addicted).  I also downloaded some puzzle games, memory games, painting apps, and a connect the dots game.  She begs to use the phone all day now, asking me if she can play " 'nect dots" or puzzle.  I fire up the app and away she goes.  She even knows how to reset the games when she is done and scroll the screen right or left so she can fire her angry birds across the screen.  I am in awe over how well she is able to use the phone and adapt to new technology.  Then I got to thinking about how much technology has changed since I was a child.  Laney will probably never see a cassette tape, video tape, or record player in her lifetime.  She already has her own iPod in her room (my old one) and has dedicated playlists on it.  She knows how to click the mouse at our computer to play sesamestreet.org "Silly Games" and when I tell her that we need to buy something, she asks if we should google it and order it.  Can you believe it?!  Still, I bet we will laugh about how archaic this technology is when she has her own kids.  For now, I just keep thanking the technology gods for helping this mom stay streamlined and in touch with all her besties.

Laney is 3!

Laney had her 3rd birthday on Saturday, and it was a really wonderful day.  She looked so precious in her white handkerchief hem dress, reminding me of a fairy as her blond curls bounced in the sunlight and the dress floated around her legs in the breeze.

The theme for her party was "elephant" and we decked out our home.  I made fabric elephants and hung them around the house and yard.  There were plenty of peanuts included in the floral arrangements and I even stashed several ceramic elephants about the party (garnering me strange looks from the sales clerk at Marshall's as I purchased copious amounts of elephant statues..to be returned this week!).

Laney's friends from preschool and the neighborhood were invited, and the kids had a great time.  They made elephant "handimals" (thanks to Shelley)

and decorated paper elephants (thanks to Elisabeth for manning the glue bottles).

There was an elephant piñata (thanks to Sean for running it) that was filled with mini-Tootsie Pops and Gummy Life Savers.  Laney reports that she loved her party and the piñata was her favorite part.  She liked hitting it and getting the candy from the ground.  (Thank goodness there were a few 6 year olds at the party to crack that thing open!)

Guests dined on Panera sandwiches and salad, and a white cake with strawberry filling, butter cream frosting (my fav), and a pink elephant to top it off.

The party favors were elephant shaped crayons made by yours truly.

Later we had a family bbq and enjoyed burgers and more cake!  A great time was had by all.  We finished out the night be reading her "On the Day You Were Born" by Debra Frasier and "On the Night You Were Born" by Nancy Tillman.  Both make me teary and sentimental as I think back to the day she was born and of all the milestones and memories between then and now.  I even told Patrick that I was sad that we only got to have her for another 15 years before she left for college.  He reminded me of how awful I was as a teenager and told me that I wouldn't really mind it when the time came.  Hard to imagine now, but I know that day will be here before I know it.

My mom rocks!

This week my mom got me a new cell phone and took me to the Tim McGraw concert.  She is the best mommy in the world!

On our way in to the concert

Mani Pedi please

Tomorrow my big girl turns 3.  I have been promising her for months that when she turned 3 I would take her to the nail salon.  So we headed out to the nail salon today for her very first mani pedi adventure (even though mom has been giving them to her since she was 2).  I took her to Toes on Melrose since they have special butterfly chairs in their "lil toes on melrose" section of the salon.

I thought she would be so excited during the spa experience, but true to form she did her own thing.  She quietly sat there in her butterfly chair, gazing around to take in the experience.  She hardly said two words and  looked confused as the women spoke a Vietnamese dialect she could not understand.   However, she sat still, paid attention to directions, and picked out a beautiful bright pink polish that was perfect for her skin tone (I was so proud!).  Laney and I ended up with matching flowers on our toes and she has proudly pointed that out over and over to the window washer who visited our home this afternoon.  I think he couldn't wait to climb the ladder to wash the second story windows after being shown her toes for the eleventh time... thank heaven for little girls!

Although I certainly am not the first mom to treat her small child to a mani pedi, I was surprised at how busy those butterfly chairs were on a Friday morning.  $48 can buy you 20 polished toes, 10 polished fingers, extra massage, scrub, and callous removal, but it actually buys a lot more.  Going to get your nails done with the girls is a rite of passage in these parts.  It is one of the quintessential ways that women gather together, gossip, and catch up.  It is a refuge for women that few men ever dare to enter.  I loved introducing this special experience to Laney today, and I foresee many more trips together for a little girl time and some r and r with my buggy!

I have quizzed Laney about this morning's experience and here is what she has to say:  "They do one color and then they do 5 colors.  Then they spray you.  Then they dry the colors and they put your feet in the water.  It felt good.  They paint sparkle hearts and flowers on me.  I want to go back and we do paint my nails again."

Beans and Rice

Liam ate his first rice and beans last night at Fidels!  He ate most of the melted cheese and guacamole from our appetizer as well, preferring it to his jar of baby food.  Guess that's one restaurant where we don't have to pack anything for Liam to eat!  I have a feeling we're going to be eating a lot of Mexican food......

Garden Bounty

The spoils of our labor.

Today was a day of harvest.  Laney, Liam, Shesh, and I went to check on our organic vegetable garden after lunch and were pleasantly surprised to find so much to pick from our plants.  We found that we had loads of snow peas, green beans, and blackberries to be picked.  Our very first summer squash was ready to be plucked from its vine.

The first summer squash from our vines.  Laney promised to try a bite of it (steamed and with butter and  parmesan cheese of course)

Laney also found a few strawberries to pick, as well as some mint plants (not sure what to make for her with mint!?!)  She also harvested some oranges from the orchard so we can squeeze her some juice in the morning.

Our corn stalks are about 2 feet tall, the pumpkin vines are spreading and have small green buds that promise to grow into nice orange beauties, and our tomato plants have gone crazy!  Seriously, I am going to start searching the internet for instructions on how to can homemade tomato sauce.

Liam snagged a blackberry from the basket and began an impromptu epicurean adventure with berries.

Still deciding if he likes that blackberry.

There is something so peaceful and rewarding about kneeling in the dirt and harvesting produce.  At one time in my life I was not a lover of gardening.  Now that my kids can play in our yard, I have really enjoyed transforming it into a peaceful idyllic "secret garden" of sorts.  Spending time outdoors with the kids is very relaxing and special to me.  The love of gardening is an amazing gift to give your children. Laney loves picking snails off the bushes, digging holes for plants, pulling weeds, and watering.  She begs to go outside daily to use the hose in our backyard.  I am hoping that growing her own vegetables will help her want to eat them.  Right now she seems to shun anything green that crosses her plate.  I can't wait until tomorrow when we put our aprons on and cook up something yummy with our well-deserved treats!