big news around here...

we have some big news around here... nope, not the big girl bed- that's so 2 weeks ago.

nope, not the first haircut - that's so last week.

this weeks its all about big girl pottys!

and penelope has successfully gone number 1 and number 2 in the big girl potty!

number 2 happened on tuesday at suzies... when i came to pick her up - suzie told me - i was shocked.  we have been sitting on the potty for MONTHS now just happy to have an accidenttal success that she could be super exctied about - but nothing.

one random day at suzie's and BAM - poop on the potty - no pee though.

i'm told she was pretty proud of herself, looked up from sitting on the potty (and reading a book) and said "my poopy coming out of my butt!" 

then she waved it bye, bye - was VERY proud of herself and got a treat from teh babysitter.

she told me all about when i got there.  and not gonna lie.  i cried a little.  i hated missing out on that.  i nkow it's silly, but it's that little stuff that gets me sometimes and when i wish for a second that i was a stay at home.  it's weird to think that poop could make you cry.  i think my biggest issue was that it's the last surprise. you know?  when they are babies, it's first words, first smile, first laugh, first steps, etc.  i feel like i'm running out of firsts.  at least the surprise firsts.  sure there are still first day of school, first 2wheeler, but not more UNPLANNED firsts.  at least not ones that are part of babyhood..

so while i was happy for penny, i was a little sad.  sad that i missed it and sad that my baby is really no longer a baby... running out baby things to hang onto here!

well, today penny must have decided to throw me a bone.  cuz she asked to sit on the potty, got a book and 2 second later - we had pee!  our first big girl peepee! she likes to look between her legs and watch to see what's going to happen. she always says "it's dark in there"

so once the peepee came out she kept saying "dont be scared peepee, it dark in there"

then she repeated the same while flushing

such a considerate potty person :)

love you baby.  i mean big girl :(

my favorite face

i started just taking a few pictures of little bits modeling my flip flops...

but something about how cute her face looks with her hair pinned back... couldnt help myself so went in for some close ups... that little face, the little nose, love her.



a girl after my own heart...

... she asked for her own bowl and her own spoon.  who am i to turn down that request...



sunday funday

this is a sunday funday  post.. not the boozing/partying kind, but the hanging out wiht my family and enjoying a day with my little girl kind... i think this kind is way better :)

penny woke up asking about "riding rides" and going on "pony's giddy up" so after we put out a call to pawpaw for a pony, we decided to take matters into our own hands and hit up faust park.  they have a huge caroseul that accomplishes "ponies" and "riding rides" in one swoop.  made a stop first at the butterfly house, hit the ponies for a few rides, then rounded out the am with the ducks... not too shabby :)

smelling the flowers

 

patting her pony and saying "giddy-up"

squatting down to talk to the quack quacks

penny was wiped by end of the morning... passed out in the car with her glasses on sideways :)

short video of her talking to the ponys. she could ride that caroseul all day... mommy, not so mcuh.. was feeling a little green after ride three...

 

flat tires suck. helpful little girls rock.

why am i blogging at 9 am and not at work you ask?

well, i woke up to a LOVELY flat tire, an expired triple AAA membership, and an autotire that didnt open til 7:30.. fun morning.  so now i'm waiting for traffic to die down before heading in...

but what a fun morning it's been already :)

after heading back inside after my failed attempt to go to work, penelope was pretty pumped to see mommy.  i told her mommys car was broken so i was home.  she responded with "everybody car broken". which is true in this house - kris's is already in the shop for an accident a couple weeks ago.

anyway - kris heads out to deal with the tire, and penny heads to her toys.

she comes over a minute later carrying her tool box and saying "no problem. i fix it"

so off we went to help daddy.  one thing that will brighten you day when it starts this crappy?

watching this person walking out saying "I here. i fix it."

she said "oh no you tire" then set to work.

eventually kris got a spare on and took it to autotire (once the damn place opened) and i headed out to day care with penny. she asked me where my car was on the way.  I said daddy took it to the shop to fix it.  her response "but i fix it.  where you car?"  clearly my first answer was wrong... she had taken car of the situation and i better recognize.

thanks for helping me penny... you are the cheapest mechanic i've seen.  one pack of fun fruits will be waiting for you as payment when you get home from daycare.

good work today kid.





love her.

well penny must have known i was bad-blogging (that's my new phrase) her yesterday cuz she was amazing last night.

perfect little angel.  played well, ate well, went to bed well.  was precious when i was reading her stories.... outsmarted me and I ended up reading 5 instead of 2, but that's just good negotiating.  can't fault her for that one.

as we were reading "giraffe's can't dance" - my new favorite - HIGHLY RECOMMEND this one, there is a part where the giraffe is sad and they show his face really close up.  she goes, "he so sad. go to your mom and dad giraffe"  just very matter of fact.  if you are sad - go to your mom and dad.  they'll take care of this :)  i love that she knows that.  i hope she ALWAYS remembers that. 

another funny story ...

penny wakes up on sunday and said "i want to ride pony's".  now i dont have a pony just hanging around, so wasnt sure how to make this happen.  penny had a plan though.

"call pawpaw. go to paw paw house".  I told her that paw paw doesnt have a pony.  her response "paw paw will build it".

well there you go.  i can imagine how that logic worked in her head.  pawpaw makes me happy. when i want something, even if mom says no, pawpaw will get it for me. i want a pony.  i dont have a pony. i'll call pawpaw and he'll build it.

well there you go.

so - what did we do... left a penny message for paw paw: "pawpaw, i need a pony.  need pony pawpaw. giddy up pony giddy up. it penny. bye"

sure enough - i got a call yesterday... pawpaw has found a pony for her to ride.  well, we can't fault your logic little bits :)

well played.  now - find someone to build me a million dollars.  and a living screening of magic mike.  thanks penny :)

lord grant me patience...

conversation with penny yesterday evening:

Mommy: Penny, say you are sorry.

no response.

Mommy: Penny, say you are sorry right now.

no response.

Mommy: Penny, say you are sorry.

Penny: i play legos.i want to ride rides.

Mommy: Penny, you can't ride rides or play legos until you say you are sorry.

Penny: I no say sorry.

Mommy: Penny, say you are sorry RIGHT NOW.

Penny: I no say sorry RIGHT NOW.

Mommy: Penny, i know you are sorry. Just say you are sorry and we can play.

Penny: I know i not sorry.

holy crap this child tests my patience.  

terrible twos are starting to really live up to their name... god help us.

Race for the Cure... and a little sprinkler fun

this year penny, mommy and daddy participated in race for the cure!  it was a pretty awesome experience to see tens of thousands of people walking to support their friends, family, or even complete strangers...our little family, along with most of penny's aunts and uncles and both gma's came out to walk.  we had never done the walk before, but this year, we joined a team for gma h who is currently busy kicking some breast cancer butt.

the team was called "Ho's Heroes"  ... apparently that's a nickname for gma h at work... not sure we want to know the details on that one :)

the walking team (comprised of penny, mommy, daddy, gma h, aunt kori, matt, uncle kyle, aunt mary beth (plus baby in the belly), aunt tony, betsy, aunt lizzie, gma d, matt and tracy l,aunt kori's friends, plus a whole crew of people from children's hospital (gma h's work) met up bright and early at 8 am at union station for the walk...

we attempted some group photos but penelope was way too distracted by the fish pond at union station and refused to participate.... the race started about nine and lasted about an hour... we just did the short one mile walk, but with soo many people it was crazy.. coming up over the hill at olive and 17th was amazing... people as far as you can see... this photo doesnt really do it justice, but wow.

was a pretty cool event to be a part of.  penelope was great... didnt do much walking, but was happily entertained in her stroller with some water and la la loopsys... she made a swimming pool out of the cup holders in her stroller for her dollies and that pretty much took care of her for the whole walk.

it was a long hot morning and we were all worn out by the end... when we finally made it back to the car everyone was beat!

we were so happy to be a part of the day and honored to walk in support of gma h who has been so strong and awesome through her fight with cancer. she is more than half way complete with chemotherapy and we are looking forward to the finish line.  you would never have known by how far she walked yesterday that she was going through treatment.  we love you gma h - keep kicking some breast cancer ass! (it's okay to cuss on a children's blog when it's relation to fighting cancer! :))

other than the photos above, i dont have more of the race, but i do have a few of penelope in her race gear enjoying a run through the sprinkle after our hot and busy morning...



my baby is in a big girl bed...

we had a pretty epic around our house.

penelope got her first big girl bed!

we have been talking about doing it for a while, since she started sleeping on a mat for naptime as suzies. so we have had some ideas in work and even bought the bed (on craiglist, where else?) a few weeks back.  everytime penny passed the bed she would talk about "my big girl bed"

we decided to quit torturing her and make the move.  we took her to pick out her own big girl mattress this weekend and she was overjoyed.  kept saying "i just so excited, i just so happy" and yelling "my big girl bed" over and over... video footage below :)

we then went to pick out her pillow and let her do the picking on that as well... she was just so happy to be part of the choosing :)

we werent totally ready with the bed itself but we gave her the option to sleep on just the mattress next to the baby and she jumped out.

weren't sure what to expect, but did NOT expect it to go so smooth. she kept laying in bed with her amrs by her side saying "i lay like this in my big girl bed" and "i so happy"

we read a book, gave some kisses (took some photos) and close the door.  not a peep for another 12 hours. 

she napped there the next day, and then we actually finished the bed the next night, so sunday night was first time "IN" the bed... again - no worries - she rocked it and loves it there so much.

she told me today after her bath "i like my bed. it fun in there"  love that girl

well that easier :)

some photos below.. will do a grand room reveal MUCH later - too much to do.  but the bed we did ourselves.  found one on craigslist for 10 bucks, paintd it gray, then spraypainted white through lace for the effect - and i LOVE it :

still more work to do - can't wait to share.

oh.. the "bumpers".. couldnt find rails that worked with the bed, so we just bought swim noodles and put them under the sheet between the mattress - works pretty well :)

i can't believe i have a big girl.  not gonna lie... there were some watery eyes.

kids say the darndest things :)

i may have mentioned before on this blog that penelope NEVER stops talking. like ever.  seriously never.

however.. she says the BEST stuff most of the time :)

for example:

i was working out yesterday (believe it or not) and since this doesnt happen often, i sweat like a cow.  penny is watching with mild interest from the couch with her laptop.  she looks at me for a minute then says: "why you face wet? mommy go swimming?"

lately, penelope has also been saying how "excited" she is for everything.  if it involves swimming, rides or playing with friends she typically spends about 5 mins repeating this mantra: "i so excited, i so happy"

and my new FAVORITE, she suddenly understands the "family" concept. looking at a photo of kris and i the other day she says. "thats mom and dad. that my family"

oh yes, tears appeared right there.  partically cuz she keeps calling us "mom and dad" over "mommy and daddy", but mainly because hearing the sweet little voice call us "family" is precious.

love that little girl :)

more "FIRSTs"

first time in big girl bed - CHECK

first haircut - CHECK

mommy getting sad her baby is all growing up - CHECK

not only did penelope get a big girl bed this weekend, she now has a big girl haircut to match.

made our first venture into the world of haircuts tonight.  she did pretty well!

was very excited before hand, got a little apprehensive during the wait, got REALLY nervous when they called her name.

before we get to that though... some before photos...

her hair had really started to grow.. just mainly in the back. needed to trim those dead ends and give her a fresh little cut so we can get some real big girl hair growth!

then we started the process... she was pretty nervous so we nixed the kiddo chair and i just held.. there was some nerves, some "mommy mommy mommy" but NO tears.  yep - NO tears.  so i call this SUCCESS!  her newly shorn hair curled up immediately and looks pretty damn cute.  and dont worry - still long enough for pigtails.

we have had quite a few successes this weekend... big girl bed and now haircute!

and what do we reward success with?  well ice cream of course!

as we are eating our ice cream at home after dinner kris said "i'm tired" to which penny immediately responds "eat some ice and feel better"

that's my girl :)

and finally.. what kind of mom would i be if i didnt take this creepy picture: