i have some dessert and update my shit-list

Lots to catch up on eh? Let's get this going.

Remember the Superbowl? Way back then...well, I have no comment on the game.  We had it on and my dad watched it but the rest of us just went on with our day like any other sunday.  Just before the game started we were all in the kitchen when someone walked in the front door.  Usually when someone lets themselves in it's my brother visiting or maybe my sister parked in the driveway instead of the garage.  Out of habit someone yelled "YAY" when we heard the door open but when the guest walked around the corner we saw it was an old man.  An old man that we've never seen before.  But he had wine so we welcomed him.  It tookabout 5 seconds for him to notice he was in the wrong house.  Oops. It's ok though, we had plenty of beer in the fridge.

I made the most delicious cupcakes a long while ago.  S'more cupcakes.  I ate most of them myself, like two or three a day.  I couldn't help it! They were easy too, here is the recipe I used: KAPOW!  Just spend 5 minutes on that blog's archives and then go find your apron.  You will be a hero.

The weather is warming up but every once in a while we still have a cool day and a morning of new snow to remind us that we live in the Rockies.  One morning about a week or so ago we had one of those cooler snow-dusting days.  Late morning Josephine stripped out of her pajamas and diaper and was being a typical toddler, relishing the freedom of being naked in her own house.  She loves that she knows how to open the back sliding-glass door to let the dog and cat in and out.  Such a good helper. 
Now, a few years ago this house had a semi-private back yard.  But in the last two years where there used to be trees there are now houses.  Houses so close that when the trees in our yard are bare (as they are now) you can see everything that goes on in the other houses if the blinds are up.  We can hear everything that goes on when they are in thier back yard because it is no different than if they were in our yard. 
This is going somewhere, I promise.
One of these newly super-close neighbors hadn't been home all winter, or so I thought.  I hadn't seen or heard anything from that house since last summer when we heard them moving in, with two little kids running around.  We never got the chance to meet them.
So back to naked Josephine.  After stripping down she opens the back door to let the cat out.  I call to her to hurry up and close the door since it's so cold out.  She is two.  She steps out onto the porch and shakes her butt.  I grabbed my camera and get a 20 sec video of her assuring me it isn't cold out and then jumping back into the house because her toes are cold.   There was no snow on the porch.  She never took more than one step away from the house. The door never closed behind her.  I'd show you the video to prove that she wasn't out there more than 30 seconds tops but, she's naked and this is the internet...so, no.  I tell you all this because about 4 hours later the cops stop by to let me know a concerned neighbor called to report a naked baby in the back yard.  He tells me it was the mystery neighbor house that I thought was empty.
So many things wrong with this.
Why didn't they come over themselves if they thought Joey had let herself out without my knowing?
They must have told the police that she was safely back in the house or else it wouldn't have taken 4 hours for them to come check-up on me. 
I still haven't see any movement from that house, I guess I can't be 100% certain that the cop pointed to the right house.  Or maybe they just don't like playing outside.
I am mostly calmed down from that day now, but I was quite upset for the rest of the day and the next day even. 
I know that I'm a good mom.  I don't doubt that.  I HATE that I am no longer comfortable playing with Josephine in our own backyard. 

Playing with the panorama function on my camera.

Josephine, as I mentioned before, askes to watch a movie when she wakes up.  I usually allow it if we have nothing going on, I get about a half hour of uninterupted time to plan, do homework, clean, or whatever before she's bored with it.  Usually she wants Robots, Tinkerbell, or Cars, but I got her to start asking for Cry Baby on some mornings.  Small victories.
I'm sending Josephine to Disney on Ice this week.  With her aunt and her nana, not her mama...I am missing 'baby's first ice show' but I am getting a evening to myself.  Fair trade.

She's got a honey+olive oil hair treatment in. 

She knows how to relax

finding my marbles

NOT A BABY

Still just two, but oh what a much more pleasant two than just weeks ago. She entered two with a crash and continued her Hulk Smash attitude for weeks, scaring the crap out of her mother.


How was I supposed to survive months of this? Would it end, ever? Would she transition from tantrums over M&M's to tantrums over homework? And then curfew? Then coming home from college? Would she ever shut up?

Then we had a day of quiet. It stood out so much that my mind bounced back and forth between enjoying the peaceful happy day and scrambling to figure out how this happened so that it could be repeated.

Now she regularly says (and signs) “thank you” without prompting, as well as “pease” and “you’re helcome”.

She pretends to be a robot for about half the day. It probably has nothing to do with the fact she wants to (and usually gets to) watch Robots every morning. She also wants at least one random episode of Blue’s Clues which is followed by a request for a specific episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. Yes, I let her watch them. She doesn’t actually sit through all of it.

She’s been a kick butt sleeper at night lately too. Took her long enough, but she’s finally there. After months of trying to get her to take a normal nap at a normal time she just up and started to tell me that she is “seepy, mama” at the same time every afternoon and takes my hand to lead me to the bedroom. She still doesn’t always stay napping long enough.

I’ve heard 2 year olds with better verbal skills than Josephine’s, but I’ve also heard worse. She is definitely catching on to new words and sounds at super speed now though. Kinda freaky. The best is that on one of her Yo Gabba Gabba episodes the “cool trick” is a beat-box demonstration by Rahzel and she tries to make the sounds along with him. She’s getting good.

So, she is pretty radical as of late, I hope it lasts.

HOMEMADE

I made some homemade ketchup a while back and it was really good. Except I don’t eat ketchup normally anyway so I spent the next few weeks making food that I could use ketchup with, I ate a lot of french-fries and burgers . No one else liked it much which was a bummer but whatever. It didn’t taste like normal store-bought ketchup but I thought it was better (and healthier!)

Last night I made yogurt. When I announced that I was going to attempt this, my family all made a stink face and asked if that was even safe, they think I’m trying to poison them. Whatever, it’s not difficult but I suspect it takes a few attempts to get it to the taste and texture you personally want. So far mine is a good taste but I’d like it to be thicker so I’m trying to drain it a little this morning. I’m still considering it a success.

Next up is homemade mayonnaise. I’ve been meaning to do this for a long while now but I guess I was putting it off thinking I shouldn’t be eating mayo anyway. Whatever, I eat lots of mayonnaise and I like it, so there.

now what

Got a coupon in the mail for some Touch of Gray hair dye today. Yeah, the stuff for men...
What is the Universe trying to tell me?
I found another grey hair tonight also.
I can tell that both hairs started to be grey about 3-4 weeks ago. What happened in my life about a month ago? Oh yeah, I became a mother to a two year old.
Coincidence?

I blame Josephine

I used to silently mock the women who freaked at a few grey (gray?) hairs.
I mean, get over it.
Probably because I thought I had a good 5-10 years before I'd start finding them on my head.
I'm 26 and I found my first grey hair.
I'm mostly uncomfortable that I was so uncomfortable when I found it.

2 years

*oops, forgot that I had this saved and hadn't published it yet...*

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Josephine, Jojo, Joey,

Several days ago you had your second birthday. Turning two was pretty fun for you, you practiced holding up two fingers for weeks leading up to the day and you answer "2" to any question where an amount is appropriate.

How old are you? TWO!

How much is it going to snow today? TWO!

Do you want some more rice? TWO!

You are finally old enough to understand how to open up presents and even fake excitement when it's just socks. Actually you are probably genuinely excited to get socks. Your birthday this year was a car theme. I didn't plan on that ahead of time but every time we'd walk through the toy aisles you'd loose your mind trying to reach for all the cars and trucks. I told your aunts and your Nana that if they weren't sure which gifts to give you for your birthday and which to save for Christmas that they should give any car or truck gift on your birthday. Then you saw a few minutes of the Cars movie on TV one day and proceeded to loose your mind all over again for the next week asking to watch it again but we didn't own it and it wasn't on TV anymore. So you got the Cars movie, and a million different kinds of cars and trucks as well as other nice non-car things for your birthday. I even molded candy into shapes of cars on pretzel sticks for you. Blue candy, your favorite color.

I made a dump cake for your birthday, with mixed berries. Last year I made a berry pie but didn't let you have any because you were in a white dress, this year you just plain didn't like the cake. Sorry.

Christmas, two(!) days later was just as fantastic for you. I'm really really impressed at how well you did during your three day party. Opening presents, saying thank you, and you didn't have a melt down at all which is awesome since you melt into the floor pretty regularly these days.

Sorry but it's true baby, you are like the wicked witch and sometimes when I talk to you my words are like water. I tell you it's bed time and the next thing I know I'm standing in a puddle, and it's screaming at me. You cannot have as much chocolate as you can hold in your lap, you may have one piece. Boom, splash, screaming puddle.

This year was pretty awesome.

You are getting good at posing for pictures. (duck face)

You perfected the somersault.

You have become a much better eater, trying more things, eating more at meal times, and using a fork like a pro. (Scrambled eggs in an ice cube tray?)

We took lots of walks this summer. You were finally brave enough to sit in the swings and then absolutely refused to get back out. You were nearly passed on from exhaustion and heat but if I stopped pushing you all of your energy would come back and your head would spin and other kids at the playground would suddenly burst into flames. You like the swings.

We were outside a lot this year but nothing is as fun for you as playing in the snow.

I even built a sledding hill in the back yard for you. You LOVE it. Is loving snow something all kids do?

You finally met a big chunk of your extended family this year and refused to acknowledge any of them. For the last year and a half you have ignored all strangers by clinging to me as tight as you can and then looking off into the distance like What? I don't see anyone? Do you hear someone? Oh let's look at this blade of grass for a minute.

You also danced your butt off this year. I don't have a suitable video of you dancing to share here but you have to believe me, you are a dancing maniac. Every commercial with a catchy jingle must be re-wound ten times (thank goodness for DVR's) and you regularly ask for us to put on a music channel and dance with you. Your dance moves are incomparable. They are probably my most favorite memory of your second year, your fancy dance moves.

Finally, you decided you'd like to use the potty this year. Mostly. I had just bought a huge supply of flushable diaper liners and ordered a travel potty that I was going to give you for your birthday but before it even arrived you were wearing undies all day and sitting on the big potty. You refused to sit on the potty with the small seat adapter thingy once it came...whatever. You still have accidents when I forget that you are still just two years old and I have to ask you to sit on the potty a few times a day. You have so much fun playing that there is no time to stop and pee.

Your favorite food is Papa's dirty rice and Costco's rotisserie chicken. Your favorite color is blue; I have to prove to you that your clothes have blue on them or you won't get dressed. You sing Yo Gabba Gabba songs all day. Someone taught you to say shut-up and you say that more than any other word, though I don't think you know what you are saying really. Your aunt Sarah tries to teach you a bad habit every day ( when asked what you are doing you answer "nothing", on Sarah's prompting you tell me I am crazy or stinky, and if I'm not carefully watching, your aunt will tell you to go ahead and wipe your hands on your shirt...)

Mostly though, you have been the most powerful motivation for me to work hard and be a better person. You have made me laugh so hard I cried on many occasions and love so hard that I cried on even more.