Well we made it!

ok the picture is in here twice and I don't know how, but I'm too tired to figure it out, sorry.
She's two, she's two, she's two. I can't believe she's two.

She can say she's two, she can sing Happy Birthday and she can tell you she's a big girl.

It's hard to believe 2 years ago so was just brand new, all red and wrinkly. Including the wrinkles between her eyes.

Today she took cookies to school. Monday she'll be in the big girl room. We all went to Chevy's for dinner. Abbie didn't eat but she was good. There were 2 other birthday's there tonight too. The first time they sang she wasn't sure about it, the second one she though it was cool. When they came for her and Rick she was shy, but after they were gone she was totally digging the hat. I'll have to get pictures of that later. She colored and played with her baby the whole time.

We got home and did cake. She played with the icing on hers, but didn't' really seem interested in eating it so we cleaned her up and did pictures and bed time. Much less excitement than 2 years ago, but somehow I feel almost as exhausted :)

Daddy's 34 today too. It's a tough birthday for him since it's the first one since his mom passed. But he's off to race tomorrow in Wisconsin so at least he's got something to look forward to. Abbie and I are hanging out, maybe going swimming, but most certainly trying to stay cool.

Later.

oh here's a picture of the painting from 4th of July.

How old are you going to be

If you ask Abbie she'll hold up 2 fingers and squeal "TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" If you ask her dad he'll moan and say too old. Yep, it's that time, come Thursday they'll each turn another year older. Just about 8 hours apart. I don't think Abbie understands, but she's excited about the party.

She's also thrilled with the kitchen we got from her Grandma. I'll take pictures and post them just as soon as I remember to charge up the batteries for our camera. Ah the love of digital media :) She stood and played at her kitchen most of yesterday. And everything she made was delicious.

Speaking of delicious. We were at dinner for a friend last night and coming back she finished just about every liquid item in our car. She was screaming, yes screaming for a drink so I broke down and put some of my Sprite in her cup. I would normally NEVER do this, but she was so pathetic and considering the place we went to dinner is the next town in the middle of no where away there wasn't anywhere for a LONG time to stop. So I caved and Sprite she drank. With each swig she would say "mmmmm licious" Which translates to Yummy, delicious, that is if you speak toddler :)

She's getting so big. This week will be her last week in the "toddler" room. The room she's going to has a potty schedule listed. Never occurred to me to have a schedule, I just go whenever :) Abbie's doing the same thing, but in her diaper. I'm trying to decide what I'll stop buying first. Paci's or diapers. We were down to about 3 pacis, pretty good considering our high was probably about 18. Please, if you've ever been a parent to a baby on a paci, you know that's not enough :) We were running errands on Saturday morning and the last one we had with us magically disappeared at the Farmers Market. I have no idea when she ditched it or where it went. When she asked for it we calmly explained to her that it was gone, she threw it, no throwing and now no paci. She calmly explained to us she didn't care and there would be a new paci at the earliest convenience. Now let me translate that to toddler, for those of you who have never met a toddler.

I DON'T CARE WHERE THE HELL IT COMES FROM BUT THERE HAD BETTER BE ANOTHER DAMN PACI IN MY MOUTH IN ABOUT 10 SECONDS OR THERE'S GOING TO BE A SERIOUS MELT DOWN. please and thank you by the way.

Seriously, I'm convinced that's exactly what she was thinking. All I know for sure is that we were running late to drop me off to have lunch with a friend and I had to stop at Hallmark before I could meet her and yet there I was standing in line at the Walgreens with a pack of paci's in my hand. I SWORE I would not buy another package for Abbie EVER FOR ANY REASON and I actually was considering buying every last one they had and it didn't bother me in the least to be paying 5.99 for 2 of them. She's going to be how old? 2 and I figure she'll go to big girl school with one. I've been teaching her about being a "big girl" Here's how the conversation goes.

Say I"m a big girl
abbie "I'm a big girl"
me no crying
abbie "no crying"
me no paci
abbie "no paci" followed by a wicked giggle all without letting her paci slip from the clenched bite she's got on it! Did you know they make paci's for 24-36 months! Thank heavens because the 12 month ones she can fit all the way in her mouth, ring and all.

Anyway, she'll be 2 and I'm pretty sure she'll still be using a paci considering Thursday is just a couple days away. And I'm pretty sure I'll be done buying diapers before I'm done with the paci, much to her grandparents chagrin.

Pass the basket for the paci collection and I'll let you know what it's like to have a 2 year old soon.

OH MY

This was the charming response from my almost 2 year old as we sat watching the fireworks. We had a TERRIBLE electrical storm the night before and with every boom of thunder there was a wail from Abbie's room. She ended up sleeping with us most of the night. I am not exaggerating when I say terrible, our old sitters house was hit by lightning, seriously! There was even one crack that was loud enough to scare Rick!

We did relatively nothing for the 4th. Just hung out around the house. Until I got the bright idea to get Abbie some finger paints. I'd won a patio set at work a couple weeks ago and the HUGE box was still sitting on our porch. So I got some paints and Abbie went to town. I'll upload pictures tomorrow.

At first I was trying to be neat and putting the paints on a piece of cardboard like a pallet, but by the end of the painting session we were just squirting them on the board and Abbie was even dipping her fingers in them. At first I didn't want to "waste" the paint, but what a better way to waste 5 bucks! We really had fun and I highly suggest getting covered with paint even if you don't have a toddler. I was amazed how cool it was to squish paint in my fingers!

They are going to start letting Abbie visit the 2 & 3's room next week. It's just so hard for me to imagine that she's so big. Sitting at fireworks I vividly remember the 4th of July the year she was born. I was so over being pregnant and I was convinced I was going to be the first person to carry a baby for 20 years ;) It was disgustingly hot, it was 90 in the dark I think, at least it felt like it. When the fireworks started Rick and I walked over on the golf course, well he walked and I waddled and watched as we were chewed alive by mosquito's. I had no idea standing there that night that every 4th of July for the rest of forever would be so completely and totally different. Last year we took her to watch them, but she didn't even notice and this year she noticed, but wasn't sure what they were. She would say oh my each time there were colors in the sky, but when we'd hear the sound she'd say oh no. Delight and concern all at the same time. And she made friends with the people next to us. They had a Scion almost like her Grandpas and she was convinced they were hiding him in their car so she kept going over and looking. They were sitting by the tail of it with the trunk open and she just knew if she could get close enough she'd find him hiding just waiting to jump out.

Anyway in 15 days she'll be 2 and her dad will be 34, we've all come a long way and I can't wait to see where we are going.

ps, I did record her talking about the fireworks on my cell phone. I can not figure out how to send it to people so if you see me, I'll play it for ya.