Don't Blink

Scene: Morning of the second day of school; I am waking Caden up.
"Hey buddy, its time to go to GinaMary's for daycare"
"No Momma, I want to go to school, to preschool!"
"Sorry buddy, your not big enough yet"
"Yes mom. I is big now....see" {Stretches legs out in the air to show me}
Fast forward 30 minutes; dropping Izze off at school (after leaving a pouting Caden at daycare as he watched his friends go to preschool and he didn't--MOM GUILT)
"Bye Fa-shizza, have a good day"
"Bye mom, see you after school!" {looks around to see who's watching BEFORE she gives me a kiss}
So I walk to my car and climb in and turn the radio on.
The song "Don't Blink" is playing.
And here comes the tears....they flow.....and flow...... and flow.

Kindergarten

Its offical, I have an elementary student in my family!

How did that happen????
Here were her two preschool picture.

And here she is today!!!!

Oh My

Today I had one of those moments with Izze that made me think: there will be an age when I will NOT want to hear my daughter say this to a boy.
Playing with her friend today Izze whispers to him in her best conspirator voice:
You be the horse and I'll pretend to ride you.
Deep breath mom. Deep breath!
I'm telling you if she was FOURteen instead of FOUR saying that in that voice; we would have a WHOLE different situation on our hands!

Kevs Kryptonite

Kevin is BEYOND ticklish under his arms.
Its to the point we can almost make a grown man cry.
This delights Izze and I to no end.We will spend countless minutes tickling dad and giggling like a bunch of fools; to the point that he almost gets mad. That just makes us laugh harder.
The best part of the whole ordeal is that when Izze laughs.........Izze farts!
So it becomes like a torture chamber full of gas and tickles.
Being a frequent farter myself, I am immune to most and just laugh harder.
Poor Kev. The abuse he endures from his girls.
Oh the simple joys of life!

I'm IN!

Mom You're my best friend!
Aren't those the best words ever?!
They melt my heart. Even if they DID come after a long list of others:
Matty and Hailey and Sydney are my best friends in my class.Nolan and Reagan are my best friends outside of school.Evie and Ava are my best freinds from dance and your class.My cousins are lots of my best friends. Caden is my best friend. OH at school I forgot that Marshall and Duncan are my best friends too.I have a lot of best friends.
Me: What about me? Can I be your best friend?
OH YES. MOM YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND!
So it came at the end of a long list. And I may have had to beg for it a little. But it came with a big hug and a smile so huge I forgot all that preceded it.
I'm IN!

No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

Its funny when you talk about something and within a day or two; maybe within hours or sometimes even with in minutes it comes up again. I swear this happens all the time.
So tonight as I sit chatting with some friends at swimming lessons; we are talking about the inappropriate songs we let our children listen to or the songs they learn from their friends. Well I guess I don't find them that inappropriate but they surely pass June Cleavers standards.
Fast forward 15 minutes to the drive home from swimming. We are listening to Taylor Swift. Gotta love TSwift she is so the opposite of inappropriate. I personally think even JC would approve {thats June Cleaver, not the big guy Jesus Christ...though I'm sure he's a fan too}.
And Izze says "Mom....what's the thing that she does on the matteress"
Um.....................What?!?!*I sit quietly and pretend I didn't hear*The song goes on and she's quiet, whew escaped that one. Oh shoot, wait...she sang it again.
"MOM...what's the thing she does on the matteress." Izze yells.
Well at least I bought some time to come up with this brilliant answer!
"Gymnastics dear. She does flips and jumps on it. Like the monkeys." Izze: "Well she shouldn't do that. She's not supposed to." "Your right Iz. You shouldn't do that {thing on the matteress}!"
Geez...who knew what a bad influence that Taylor Swift was, singing about jumping on the bed like a monkey!!!!

Drama Queen and her evil lil' Indian Brother

So Izze and Caden are sitting nicely in the chair watching a movieIzze steals Cadens bookCaden pulls Izze's hair Izze starts to SCREAMThere Caden sits with a handful of hair. Literally a handful! I have to step in now. I tell him that is naughty. I have him apologize to Izze and give her a kiss. All the while Izze is acting as though she may die, the fit of all fits, she may need a doctor, she claims she is now bald, she can never wear a pony tail again! I place Caden in time out.I return to the room and Izze turns to me as calm as can me "Can I have a treat" Like nothing happened. HOW does she go from being scalped by an adorable blond Indian boy who left her on deaths doorstep not 30 seconds ago to HUNGRY in zero point 2 seconds?

Oh Izze, you know how to break your daddys heart

Dad....I like the packers. *pause* Do I need a new family?

Space Aliens

Izze is a smart girl. She likes to tell stories. Sometimes this gets her in trouble. We are working on telling the truth, telling a lie and telling a story (or teasing).
Today her teacher came up to me laughing in the hallway here is our conversation:"So I hear Izze got LuLu from a space alien"***Are you confused? Because I was"First of all who is LuLu?""Her duck she has today""Well I suppose if she had it placed in her backpack without knowing, she may have thought space aliens magically left it there, though thats far fetched even for her."***They received small ducks for our recent fundraiser"No, not that duck, her stuffed duck"***pause for momentary confusion, and then the light bulb turns on"I think she meant 'I got LuLu from Space Aliens'.......
....... as in the restaurant. At least for today I know that she was not telling lies or losing her mind...to space aliens.

Old School Movies

As I'm fast forwarding through the previews Caden asks "Doing momma?"
Before I can answer him, Izze says "She's just waiting for it to load Cade"
Such a generation gap! Things I would have never imagined as a kid. Heck, we had to RENT our VCR to watch movies. Now they thought I was pulling out an antique when they requested Toy Story and I had to get the "Tube" style tv/vcr combo!

Izze-isms

Daddy: Izze momma has a friend coming over.
Izze: Oh, well, is she NICE?
Daddy: Of course she is nice.
Izze: Good. (Pause) Is she PRETTY?!?!?!

I don't think it would matter either way to Izze, nice IS pretty in her eyes, but how silly of her to ask such a thing!!!! Deanna must have passed her test because she played with her all evening and even took her to show off her room. They didn't come back for quite some time. Kevin finally went down to break up the party, turns out Izze locked D in her room!!! (The lock is on the outside). She musta really liked her!!!!! Ha ha ha. Poor and patient D! Thats my angel Izze, the one others see.......



Fast forward to today, to OUR Izze. The one she saves for parents and grandparents. Izze is going on much too little sleep, I am tired after returning home from our run and am TRYING to pee in silence.

Izze: (barging into my bathroom) Momma. I'm staying overnight at Nana's.
Mom: NO, Izze you are not.
Izze: YES, momma, I AM!
Mom: No Izze, that is NOT an option.
Izze: (hands on hips, and head swaggering, and most sarcastic voice I've ever heard!!!!) Well what about a tubby momma, is THAT an option???!!!

Oh jeez. I about died. I did let her take her mermaid tubby at Nana's it seemed fair. Though I woulda rather wash her MOUTH with soap.

Things to Remember....

When heading out to the mounains, be sure to take your rescue pack....JUST IN CASE!

Break down in tears for no apparent reason, when someone asks whats wrong just tell them
"Icecream would make me feel better"
Moms may roll their eyes, Grandma's however will make an immediate turn into the nearest icecream store.


"Fresh" Water never tastes just the same....
And really when it comes from Navajo, we shoulda known. After all, the Navajo we know is a "stud" and we tend to not drink anything he gives us!


No matter how many times you try it, the natural springs will still taste like arse, this one however was at least cold!


Really, when you see where a spring comes from, you understand just a little better why it tastes like arse.


At least a "Soda Spring" is carbonated by the carbonate acid and while still tasting arse-ish, is a step towards improvement.....


When headed up Pikes Peak, you may be thinking THIS should be your worst fear, but really you have NO IDEA.....


The reservoirs are beautiful pristine waters. I wanted to strip and go nakee for a swim. However, with a temperature of 50 the water was a TAD frigid! Still beautiful....


When negotiating with a terrorist, er I mean two year old, remember that candy is a good bribe to get them to look at the camera.....


On the way up, this made my knees weak, on the way down, I would have took the picture while hanging over the edge, and still had stronger knees then I did at the top!


By the time we reached the summit, I was sooo cold and weak, and worried over my mom lacking oxygen, that I couldnt bear to walk to the sign for a family picture. This nice family will do just fine!

Notes regarding the summit: Don't assume that at 21 degrees there will be snow or ice to walk on. Nope, be prepared to step in a giant FREEZING cold puddle of water. And to walk through mud? I've never seen such cold mud.

Don't assume you'll be able to look out over the edge. You may be sooo weak from the drives on the roads that are lacking gaurdrails and room for double lanes that you can't even leave the car.

If your with someone who is deathly afraid of heights, on the way up they may start to look green stop in the middle of the road and ask you to drive. They may be soooo freaken scared they wont get out of the car for your "chinese firedrill" but instead, make you do so while they crawl over the counsel. Then lay thier seat back and hide under the blanket until they are safely at ground level again. Or at least not alpine level!

Do be sure to breathe before you get there, because once your there, the oxygen is gone.

The ride down was pretty enjoyable even if you do get pulled over after the brake check. In case you didnt know "hot breaks fail", use low gears.

No matter how scary something was on the way up, its MUCH better on the way down.

And just because WE happend to see two rescue vehicles and accidents, does not mean its a daily occurance (or so they say). Turns out the woman working the gate has only seen one other trip this year, lucky us for witnessing two!

We were very happy to leave! Very very happy!


Mom didnt get the point of the picture was to show the ginormous rock.


Remember, zoom out is good too!

My momma the stripper.....

Izze: Momma goes to work there all the time.
Adult: What does your momma do at work?
Izze: Momma makes moniess for Sunny D!
Adult: How does she make monies?
Izze: Dancin' on the stage!!!!


And there you have it folks. If you ever wanted to know what I do for a living. My daughter can explain it well. Lucky for me the number of people she knows, is small. They include a daycare provider, family and some neighbors. Also lucky for me, somebody from each of those groups attended the event at the High School (momma's work) tonight, so they know that what she really saw, was the young dancers performing, and NOT her momma. She did see some moms do a dance, and some dads do a dance (Neighbor Bob included). So the story may get more interesting with time. But for now, she sticks to the basics.

And on the way out, she announced to anyone who would listen.
"Bob does fireworks in the sky at night! That is naughty."
Eh sorry Bob!
Thats what we get for the police making a visit after the fireworks
demonstration last weekend.

Three

Three is involved in many important people:

The Holy Trinity has three. Father, Son and the Holy Spirit

There were three stooges.

In time three is a lot of things as well:

Three represents the past, the present and the future.

It takes you three years to for from the ability to buy a lotto ticket to buy a beer.

But MOST importantly, today, three is MY BABY GIRL!

Three years ago today, the most stubborn, strong willed, intelligent, funny, beautiful little girl showed up in our lives and every moment since has been an experience we couldnt be with out!

Happy Birthday
We love you Izze girl!

Labor Day is TOMORROW

Once again. Its come. Labor day. For the past few years, I've taken the day to spoil myself some and to reflect on how big my girl is getting. Unfortunately, the bastards in our HR department swiped all of my time off and I will not be able to do that this year. So instead, I'll go to work, come home for naps and cuddles, and head to the gym when Kevin gets home. I'll grocery shop and plug myself into some lovely Greys. Then I'll fall asleep only to be woken to find that my baby is now THREE YEARS OLD!

How fast time goes!

Football season brings life lessons

We watched the season opener last night with my mother.

We all had a good laugh over the lessons we teach our children when watching football, especially the Vikings.

Important things we are teaching Izze:

Loyalty--- no matter WHAT game your watching, if daddy yell's touchdown, sound off the VIKINGS HORN!

Unconditional love ---even when your team SUCKS, you love them

Disappointment happens---again and again and again

Swearing is not appropriate---unless used towards a blind referee over a horrible freaken call, or a coach who goes for two points instead of one thus losing $50 in the family pocket

NEVER say "go packers"---if your parents over hear something that sounds like that, tell them you were asking for CRACKERS.

Noisy and distracting toys WILL get you banished to the basement

The best way to earn daddy's approval is to INSIST on wearing your Vikings gear when you wake up in the morning

From the mouth of babes

FUNNY STORY
Here is a conversation I overheard this morning.....
Daddy: Who's in charge here?
Izze: Izzes charge here!
Daddy: Who makes the rules?
Izze: Izze make rules!
Daddy: What does daddy get to do do?
Izze: Daddy does the work.
Daddy: Well then what does momma have to do?
Izze: Momma gets to sleep!

MOMMY LOVES THAT GIRL!

High Maintnance

All in a days demands......

Getting dressed "I want organge on"

Going poop "I want toes pretty"

Catching mom with a frappacino, sure it was made for her "I want sip"

A day with my girl.....

Growing up, mom alwasy took me to fun shows. We saw Seasame Street live, Barbie on Ice, Aladin on Ice (yes, steph and I were 15 years old, but loved it anyways), and Monsters Inc on ice (at age 23). Those are the ones I remember, there were many others.

Mom took Izze to her first show while I was on my cruise. Elmo Live. She loved it. Today, mom and I went with Chloe, Cam and Izze to see "Finding Nemo on Ice". What a great time! I love it as much as the kids. I got all weepy thinking what great memories we were creating. Watching her "take it all in". She doesnt know "nemo" but loved it anyways. I forgot that the Disney Crew (Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy) always make an appearance at the start and finish of the show. That in itself made me get all nostalgic.

2 hour show, during nap time, no food, and the girl was on the best behavior ever. She loved it. I'm not sure which was better: the show or watching her love the show. Either way, it was a GREAT day. And when I look at my little princess who's all grown up, I can't WAIT for the rest of the days we get to share........

When it rains it pours

Everything always comes in a bundle. We bought a house, dad sold this house, we are having a BABY!!!!!! Yep you heard that right! Its early, but I DID see a heart beat, which makes this little wee one's chances THAT MUCH GREATER of sticking around! YIPPPEEEE!

"Baby star" as we've dubbed him or her, will make thier apperance around October. The nickname is of course after the place the baby was concieved. The norwegian star. And of course, when you wish upon a star.....well you know.

Here is Izze sharing the news.




And a picture of our little shining star. The first shows the tiny heartbeat. The second is of course our bean itself!