More Nonsense

Momma: Please don't scratch my floor with that.

Izzy: But I'm old....... 

***

Driving home after picking Isabel up from daycare on Monday:

 

Izzy: Momma, I want a baby sister to come out of your belly

Momma: Out of my belly? But how is it going to get there?

Izzy: It already is in there!

Momma: Oh, really?

Izzy: Yeah! She'll come out in (after??) a long time.,,,,she'll come out on Thursday. 

Momma: !!

Isabel with the baby carrier that her "baby sister" is going to sit in. For now, her stuffed dog will have to do.

***

Isabel will be a flower girl for a friend's wedding soon and I was introducing the concept of her walking down the aisle all by herself

Izzy: I'll be walking down all by myself, Momma?  

Momma: Yes, but I'll be waiting on the other end for you

Izzy: It is for a wedding? Is it my wedding?

Momma: No, it's not your wedding

Izzy: When will it be my wedding?

Momma: when you're a big girl and find someone to marry

Izzy: I have to find someone to marry? I can't marry you, Momma? 

Momma: No, you can't

Izzy: I don't want to marry Prince Charming

Momma: no? Then who do you want to marry? A frog *snicker*? A DRAGON?? 

Izzy: No! Not a dragon! I want to marry.....a kangaroo. One that doesn't talk. I only want it to hop.  

A few days later, as she was getting dressed for daycare in her room, I hear her yell out to me:

Momma, when I am going to marry the baby kangaroo? That joey...thing...?

Oh dear....

***

Perspective

One of the things I like to do now that Isabel is older, is that when there's a little person's birthday party to attend, we will try to incorporate something "homemade" into the gift.

For little boys, that generally encompasses just a card, because I don't "get" little boys. There's nothing fabric related that I could think of that would potentially interest the kid. There was a good idea of making a cape and a mask, but I was too lazy. Perhaps next time.

(NOTE: Speaking of superhero capes-- just read this post about the U.S Cape Crusader Challenge. I am going to try and do it)

So on the morning of the party, Isabel and I will typically hang out in the reading/craft room of the house. I *TRY* not to coerce her to do things the "right" way, but....lets just say I have lots of room for improvement.

This time around, she just told me what to draw. And what colors to use.

And then she put on the finishing touches.

So here we have it...a picture of a house, with a car.

And on the back, a pond...with frogs. And a squirrel on the tree

 

And little Gavin in the pond...

Drowning
Swimming

 
 I felt compelled to tell the mother of the birthday boy that. Just so she knows, before she sees the card.

On another less morbid note, my butterfly bush was flourishing and attracting lots of butterflies

 Aren't they gorgeous? This is probably my favorite part of gardening --- the wildlife that it attracts. It makes me happy to see little bumblebees buzzing around the foxgloves and butterflies fluttering away

 

 Then I moved the bush (I didn't space it enough when I first planted it a few months ago) and it is flourishing a lot less. "Wilted" is a more appropriate word. But I will revive it back to its former glory.

Water Play

I found a water slide on clearance for $4 at Target. Sold.

 

 

It was perfect for a hot day.

   

I even had a few rounds on it myself.

 

 

 A happy girl.

Sleepy Times

Isabel had a friend's birthday party to go to yesterday. I always like it when it's a girl's party -- girl stuff are so much more fun!

I felt like making something as well to accompany the doll her friend was getting. 

I've always loved Pottery Barn Kids' Shaggy Dog's sleeping bag, and actually had aspirations to make one. I noticed that they came out with a mini-me version for their dolls, so decided to see if I can bumble my way through making something like that

 

Mine is about half the size of the PBK, to fit the Cabbage Patch doll that she was getting

Hello Kitty trying out the finished product

 

 To me, it is a successful item when Isabel asked if I can make one for her when it was her birthday. 

I want to try to make a different animal instead --- a cat, or perhaps a rabbit? 

More Randomness

In Costco - Izzy was in the shopping cart and I wandered a few steps down the aisle. When I got back to the cart:

Izzy: Momma -- you were in the lady's way. So she moved the shopping cart.

Momma - Oh yea? Did she say anything to you?

Izzy: No...she just smiled at me because I'm cute

***

In the liquor section of Costco:

Izzy: Momma, why are we in here with lots of bottles?

Momma: Because I need....something.

Izzy: Oh, o-kaaay...Don't go crazy.

***

Before getting into the car, I got distracted by some errant weeds in the flowerbed and removed them

In the car, I used some hand sanitizer

Izzy: What did you touch, momma?

Momma: Dirt

Izzy: Oh...I didn't touch anything. I was already in the car. Waiting.....for true love

Momma: ..........................!!!! 

***

Keeping with the princess theme:

Izzy: I don't want to be called Izzy anymore -- my name is Ariel. Because I don't like the name Izzy. So you have to call me Ariel now.

***
 
Words she mispronouces:


Forehead - few-head 
(she probably gets it from "fever", because you will check the forehead for a fever) 

Yellow - lel-low

Remember - be-bem-ber

Words that she pronounces normally now, but has stayed in my heart:

Bathtub - tub tub
Bicycle - i-ca-ble

***

Izzy: Momma -- you need to have a baby in your tummy so I can have a sister
Momma: Yea...no.

Random

 

Thanksgiving 2011

Hormones

Or perhaps I just need to see my child. (it's been a long week)...But there are times when I think I would actually live through those dark days again to have my child be completely and utterly mine

That voice. That temperament. My heart aches.

2 more days.

Things that come out of Izzy's mouth

My markers don't pay attention....they always go on the wall, cause they are not paying attention. But I pay attention..my markers don't

***

Her procrastinating techniques during bedtime:

Momma......I think that you need to help my fish go to sleep -- he's not sleeping...he keeps running around.

Momma...my pee's coming out

Momma...I'm scared of the dark in my bedroom (mind you, her bedroom door is wide open, with the hall light shining directly into it)

Momma...my poop's coming out

***

Izzy: Momma, I want to go to the park

Momma: No, it's bath time then bed time

Izzy: but it's not dark out yet

Momma: It will be soon...Look, I can see the moon.

(Both looks out of the window to see the cresent moon)

Izzy: That's not the moon, that's the sun....it broke.

Sometimes...

Izzy just really likes to sing...

Although she may not know all the words

I

miss

my

baby!!

Faux

We came home one day with the trashcan lying on its side. 

Momma: Oh dear, the trashcan fell over

Izzy: The trashcan fell over? Does it have blood?

Momma: No, it's not real

Izzy: It's faux?

Momma:...........

Flower of the Month

From the garden =)

The peony bush was bursting with blooms -- this is the first year after being planted.

Mmmmm...the smell of flowers when you walked into the kitchen!

 

 

Although I may have murdered the poor bush since I had to move it to a different spot. Fingers crossed that it survives!

 

Summer Sewing

The weather has been warming up nicely. Warm weather = light, flowy dresses.

Izzy is a bit of a hoochy-koochy with her dresses -- they have to be short. Like, short-up-till-there short.

Store bought dresses are "too loooooooong, mom!" Her go-pieces have been 3 tunics/dresses that I made when she was a toddler, so that makes me happy. But it does get slightly annoying when they are all used up and are in the laundry basket and it takes her an eternity to get dressed in the mornings then.

 

It's been a long time since I sewed anything. Stayed up till 3am last weekend to do so, and I have to say that it felt great! 

And when Izzy woke up the next morning asking if the blue flower dress is ready to wear, it makes it even sweeter.

(lesson learned -- always, ALWAYS consult with her on fabric prior. Else it'll be a battle to get her to put it on and KEEP it on)

 

 

 Oliver + S \Swingset tunic in size 4T, with the length extended about 1 1/2 inches longer than the pattern so it's slightly more decent when she wears it.

 

The button at the back is my favorite detail - found it in my button stash

 

 

Appropriately, Izzy wore it to the park to swing in her Swingset tunic. 

 

 

 

 

More dresses to come.

 

Weekend Notes

It was a long weekend here this past week.

 We had rehearsals for Isabel's dance showcase

Which was held near a common area that has ducks, so we had to go visit them

Her showcase was on Saturday. We used a ton of hairspray and bobby pins. 

She did very, very good.

 (And I am not saying that because she's my kid and that I'm partial...Matter of fact, that makes me even more critical of her performance).

No photos or videos allowed during the performance, so will have to wait till the "official" video is released for purchase so we can get ripped off $100 for a copy of it

The rest of the weekend was spent picking weeds flowers...

And picking paint for her bedroom

Found a dim sum restaurant in New Haven that I "bravely" ventured out to -- I may have overdone the ordering bit

We spent a little time in the garden

Hehehehe....yes, I'm a nerd.

I think the gnome is adorable. And there's nothing like a gnome for an English patch. Fits those Enid Blyton stories.

We found a "festibal" in the mall's parking lot.

 

Izzy was excited. And yes, we call it a festival. Because according to Izzy, "A carnival is a festibal, momma." Which I suppose is true, to an extent.

It is scary how quickly $30 goes in a place like this. 

  

She's rocking her new shoes that she got that morning. It has almost all her favorite colors (purple, silver and pink. Green is missing)

And the most important thing to note for this weekend...She has decided that she's not going to suck her fingers anymore because she doesn't want her nail polish to disappear.

 

I've heard her promise numerous times before that she's "not going to suck (her) fingers ever again!" so I didn't think too much about it. But she really hasn't in the past 4 days. Sometimes, I'll get the occasional request of "Momma, can I suck my fingers for three minutes?" and she'll count "1,2 and 3" then stop (so it's really more like 3 seconds) but she's really refrained from it.

The one thing that is consistent with her -- for all her "momentous" achievements, once she decides she's ready to do something, she does it completely without turning back. It was the same when she learned to walk, for potty training, and now this. She goes from 0 to 100 pretty much overnight.(although she did say this morning that she may suck her fingers again once the nail polish has rubbed off)

She's very, VERY stubborn. We've had a one hour showdown with her crying and screaming and no amount of bribing, threatening, scolding or cajoling convinced her to change her mind.

This was over a pair of pants.

I didn't want to back down either (perhaps I was trying to see what her limit was? Or perhaps I'm also very, VERY stubborn) but in the end, she wore something different from what she wanted, but it was also not the pair that I wanted her to put on.

She is absolutely someone who will stick to her guns for something that she thinks is right. This is the girl who will whine when it's time to leave the park, but 10 seconds later will be bounding ahead of me back to the car, picking flowers along the way. So thankfully, her stubbornness works alongside logic. Else I don't think I'll bring her anywhere.

So I think it is definitely true that a person's character is developed when they are really really young, if it wasn't already present when they were born. Either that, or I am a bigger influence that I could ever comprehend.

In Remembrance

My grandmother passed away last year. I was unable to be by her side.

One of her loves is her garden. And I promised myself that I will have a garden in memory of her. 

Remember my white picket fence?

It's time to toss it out and start anew.

After the months of digging through the dirt, I finally have a spot worthy enough for a dedication:

In remembrance of my grandmother and Izzy's great-grandma...

  

It reminds me of a little English garden -- something about the foxgloves and the brick wall behind it

  

Purple Salvia 

Foxglove - this one has a tinge of purple, and the other, yellow tones.

 

And of course, a hydrangea - this is of the original Endless Summer variety that was planted last year as a trial. It came back this year, much bigger, and there's quite a bit of flowers starting to grow - I am excited. It should have blue flowers, assuming the soil is the same -- the flowers change colors according to the pH of the soil.

And a little rock grouping - the ornamental stone with "Grandma's Garden" was brought over from my grandmother's garden when my mom came for her visit last year. I believe that I may have been the one who gave it to her -- it looks very familiar.

 

The brick wall is not complete -- I have one more trip to make this afternoon.

Puff the Magic Dragon

Sleepyhead

 

I think....that her right eye is slightly smaller than the left

   

Happy Mother's Day

My mind has been preoccupied with all things creepy crawly for the past 2-3 weeks. I even dream about them. Sometimes, I hate Mother Nature.

Last night, I finally got so sick of it that I refused to do anything house/yard related this weekend. Instead, Izzy and I had a stress-free day goofing around in our favorite store after our morning snack time at Starbucks

She walked away with sunglasses - I caved.

Sucker.

 

AND she claimed MY $2.50 straw bag (always wanted one of those, for some reason)when we got home after crashing a boyscout festival in a nearby town

 

Her dance showcase is in 2 weeks time

   

She did very well at class today (for a 3 year old)

The weather warmed up very nicely today (it was actually quite hot, especially when one sits in the middle of a field for an hour to watch a magic show)

Spring is starting to give way to summer

   

Other random Izzy photos:

Monthly grocery shopping at Costco 

 

She's really not much of a morning person. So she'll bring her blanket, pillow and babies with her into the bathroom while I get ready. I don't know why she just doesn't stay in bed, where it's infinitely more comfortable than the cold (and cramped) bathroom floor.

 

Happy mother's day to my mom and all the other pseudo mom-aunts. =)

I got a lovely gift of a liter bottle of diet Coke Lime (which I've already drank half of in the past 5 hours  -- I may not be able to sleep tonight) and candy apple pink hydrangeas from "Isabel".