terrible two's....

as i am doing the dishes, i notice lil' bug attempting to put her crocs on by herself... earlier today it was her boots (she refused help when I tried to correct right from left), then her black dress shoes (she loves the tapping sound they make everywhere she pitter-patters stomps)... i think what's terrible about two's is that this is when that precious lil' baby you've been coddling for the past couple dozen months really starts growing right before your eyes (the physical transformation from baby to toddler, to little girl), becoming more independent, needing mommy and daddy less and less (or so she insists until a meltdown of frustration overcomes her).... a few days ago Ryan went to check on our chatty (supposed to be napping) princess, only to find her clean diaper in hand and a crib and little girl covered in poo- literally smeared into her hair down between her toes and in every nook and cranny of her crib. She thought it was hilarious as we quickly went into cleanup mode (only time for a mental picture since neither of us had a phone or the camera handy to take a quick snapshot of this "not-funny-now-but-sure-to-be-hilarious-later" moment). It drives me bonkers that she insists on having her diaper off (often times right before she has to poop- maybe time to potty train?) and she is finally able to take her clothes off so needless to say we officially have a stubborn streaker on our hands (of course she is butt naked minus the headband and her shoes of choice- always a little diva). This stage of learning demanding her independence has taught me more than I realized I needed to learn about patience. Sadly (and shamefully), I never actually knew what made Job such a "patient" person in the Bible... so after being fed up one night with my tantrum-throwing-not-quite-two-climbing-her-way-onto-and-out-of-everything-diva, I took a quiet me-time-moment to open my Bible and find out what this patient Job guy was all about... needless to say- I have a walk in the park on my hands compared to his situation, and I have found myself constantly (literally a dozen + times a day) reminding myself of how incredible his patience level was as he was tested in Biblical proportions...  the terrible part about two is saying good-bye to my sweet baby girl, and hello to a little girl who is trying/fighting to find her independence in this little world of hers...

"i'm gonna take this bag out to the trash... what's the big deal?!"

our streaker stripped down and found a quiet place to read her daddy's engineer manual... this is just one of those pictures worth a thousand words i had to sneak (While I was making dinner, I found her here after I realized it was too quiet in the living room- priceless)

weekend wrap-up...

a look back at some of the highlights from last Thursday through Sunday....

Thursday... 90 degree weather in early April makes for a great day to go to the park! Rockin her Longhorn gear (thanks Aunt Tay!) we lathered up the SPF 50 and let it soak in for a few minutes before heading off on our walk to the park... of course we had to start off on the swings, since little bug squeals with delight as we neared the playground... after 5 minutes of pure excitement on the swings, we made our way to a shady spot on the grass to share a snack and have some play time (note- her favorite "toy" was the lid to her snacks- cheap thrills!)... I even let her play on the grass for the first time (her sensitive skin paid the price later with rashes, but i think she'd agree it was worth it... it was as if she was visiting Disneyland for the first time as she was in awe for about 30 uninterrupted minutes!)

Friday.... PERFECT day for Seal Beach with Kristi and Riley. Days like this make me truly appreciate my hubby making it possible for me to stay home so I can enjoy middle of the week days soaking up the beautiful Southern California weather with friends (not gonna lie, I feel a tad bit guilty at the same time). Some highlights include brunch @ Blackboard Bistro where the girls made friends with fellow diners... playground time with their favorite swings... some playtime in the shade (where my little lady decided to bully her older friend Riley- we are gonna work on friendly manners :-) ...ice tea break for the mommies while the two little ladies kick back in their strollers... and finally passing out on the car ride home

Saturday... A typical family weekend kinda day complete with family breakfast followed by dad working on mom's car, while mom cleaned house and gardened and little bug played, played, and played... and took a 2 hour mid day nap! After we cleaned up the house and ourselves, we headed over to the Pessa house for Charlie's famous fish tacos and some playtime for the little ladies Audrey and Jayme. Mommy is realizing that perhaps Jayme needs to have more friend interaction as she is a tad bit excited/aggressive with her little friends (I think she thinks they are like her baby-doll that she can knock around)

Sunday.... To top off our weekend, we headed out early to the Rose Bowl to walk in support of our cousin Jillian (over 6,000 people turned out to walk for a cure for MS!) Karen made sure the entire White family (i.e. Jayme included with matching hair accessory!) had team Jillian gear... opening ceremonies included a flash mob, tributes, and the start of a nap for Jayme... we didn't even cross the finish line courtesy of one of those "baby moments" (apparently when the child wakes up and wants to eat, the child wants to eat!) so we went to the car instead of the finish line... we finished the day off with lunch @ Panchos, a quick hug & hello to Auntie Age, and a 2.5 hour family nap!

mamarazzi in the house...

while having a father-daughter playtime moment (i was cooking dinner for these two goof-balls), i quietly started snapping pictures of their play time (what kind of mom would i be without my camera practically attached to my hip at all times?!)... to which ryan asks jayme (obviously intended for me) "can't we ever have playtime without mom snapping away???? it's like we have mamarazzi living in this house!" my response: "not if i happen to have the camera on hand! these are precious moments we'll never get back, and i want to remember them even when my memory starts failing me in 50 years!"

last week when dad wanted to be the one to get her up from nap time...

more like daddarazzi this time!

(mom is learning the bink needs to be left in the crib after naptim...it looks silly at this point) and daddy is learning you can't give her a "toy"...

if you're gonna take it away without giving her an appropriate replacement...

otherwise this is the result. (side note- we aren't evil parents who sat back laughing and taking pics of our crying child... she found other amusement within 30 seconds and was back to her happy self- without the bink and camera case :-)

pure joy...

after i failed as a fun mommy at the park the other day, we revisited the park the next day (daddy came along this time to ensure mommy didn't hold out on the fun this time)... annnnnnd this time i was prepared for the swings with my handy dandy de-germing wipes!

so excited to be at the park again

daddy had as much fun pushing her as she had swingin'

when she gets excited she clasps her hands (love it!)

check out those baby thighs! (i just wanna squeeze them- eek!)

nature walk time

visiting the local horsies

daddy went a little nuts with the fun

pure joy (daddy does the best stroller-coaster)

my two faves....

Ryan won't be too thrilled that I'm posting this... but I think its precious. He offered to put her down for a nap while I got some stuff done around the house, after a 1/2 hour this is what I found...

I don't know who looks more relaxed, but they both slept for 2 hours like that