This, That and the Other

Is it bad to be watching The View and making a blog entry all while on a conference call for work...or is it just superior multi-tasking? I'll go with the later.

My poor little blog has been somewhat neglected lately because of my "free time" being spent sewing... and I also think my brain has a limited amount of creativity and if I use it all creating a new lounge wear set for toddlers, there isn't much left over for an interesting blog entry. But, I am going to give it a go.

Things in the Team T household are going well. Brother continues to practice riding his bike. He hasn't gotten steering down to a science yet - but he balances pretty well on the two wheels considering how much his handle bars are being jerked around this way and that. He's also continued to practice his velocipraptor dance - and even motivated Little Bitty to try out a version of it - and it was priceless. I have GOT to capture these moves on video. I swear it would be funny to even non-child-obsessed people.

Little Bitty is a full-on two year old and we LOVE it. This age is hilarious. It's funny when she tries to be funny (like putting a shoe on her head or falling down on purpose with "WHOA WHOOOAA" sound effects), it's funny when she's serious (like when she thinks she hears the "man" who brings "pops" and she puts her little hand to her ear and her eyes get all wide), it's even funny when she's ornery (like when Brother looks in the direction of something that isn't hers but she might want at some point and she freaks, snatches it and yells "MINE!!", while bearing her teeth and snarling)... it's all just good stuff.

Tomorrow we are meeting up with my sister and her kids in "Chagganooga" to go to the much-hyped aquarium and then on to Alabama to spend a little more time with family. I'll post some pictures upon our return. It's not a big trip, just an overnighter. It's the second to last Fun Friday, so we're really doin' it up.

Oh and one request - check out the following shows... Burn Notice and In Plain Sight. I know they aren't as cool as Weeds or Lost or whatever else all the hip people watch. BUT - it seems that every time my husband and I find a show that we both enjoy and that has full episodes available online (think Las Vegas and Crossing Jordan) it is cancelled. Ok, with that - I feel that I've revealed a little too much about myself. I shall end here. ;)

When Little Bitty dresses herself...

Bloomers on your head? Check.

Bum hanging out slightly... yet enough to make a statement? Check.

* Notice she is totally proud and cheesing for me in the pictures, thinking - "Yep, I look good."

Mommy -O, Little Bitty - 1

If I sit in just the right spot on the hallway floor Brother and Little Bitty can each see me from their respective rooms as they lay in their beds. That is - if Brother sleeps with his head at the foot of his bed - which he is now doing. I thought this was a good plan, one that would allow me to do something productive (i.e. update my blog, configure a database, find out if LiLo and Sam are a couple or not) during our bedtime routine that seems to take up about a quarter of my life. So, now we have Brother upside down in his bed and me with a sore back from sitting scrunched over on the floor and a headache from squinting at my keyboard in the dark. And Little Bitty... she spent approximately 3.5 seconds in her bed. It didn't matter if she could see me or not. She instead brought every pillow, blanket, Backyardigan, doll, and book she could find from her room and made a nest-type-area RIGHT next to me. It wouldn't be soooo bad if she had then laid down and fallen asleep. But after a half an hour (or two hours - who can recall at this point?) of arranging afore mentioned articles - she was still wide awake - shouting, "MOMMY!!" every so often - mainly to taunt me to show that she wasn't in her bed.

Last I heard, her father was singing Old McDonald with her in the other room and had moved past the normal farm animals and was grasping for new animals that make noice... what does an otter say again?

Picture Post!

Ok - I have not had very many free moments since returning from the country a couple weeks ago. We do - however - have a bunch of fun pictures. I think I will just post them in randomness and let you enjoy. These are just from our camera (yes! we got a new one!) - my in laws and friends also sent some nice ones... but they've already seen all those - so I'll stick to the ones they haven't yet seen.

My favorite.

Weeee!

My little dude. Exploring the creek. Where we also swim - and sometimes bathe.
Daddy and Brother doing something I disapprove of - but they love - so how can I argue?! CHEESE.
CHEESE.
New b-day gift!
Mommy, Bitty, Aunt. Love.
Picking blackberries. They LOVED this... as you can tell by their faces. Little Bitty actually fed me one with a ladybug inside of it. Crunchy.
The rest of the family.

And away he goes...

This was Daddy and Brother a few days ago trying the two wheel bike without training wheels for the first time.

Yesterday Brother took off and rode around the block. I wish I had had a video camera with me because I haven't laughed so hard in quite a while. I think he was as surprised as we were as Daddy let go and he just kept going. After 50 feet or so, he put on the brakes jumped off the bike and proceeded to do a dance in the middle of the street that can't be adequately described in words. He was wearing spider man underoos (boxer briefs with matching tight t-shirt), his lanky limbs would alternately flail, tighten and jerk around - while he pointed in the air with two little velociraptor-like fingers. He did a lot of tip-toe running and prancing around... then he'd hoop and holler, laugh uncontrollably, sing a chant about riding a two-wheeler, and run back to his bike with his helmet-clad head bobbing on his skinny neck. He'd then repeat the whole riding and dancing routine again in about 50 feet. We finally made it around the block and came back inside so that he could start calling relatives to share the news.

The feeling of seeing your little child so proud of himself is wonderful. That's what I want for him in life - to always feel so good about himself that he will stop what he's doing and celebrate in his underwear for all the world to see not caring what anyone thinks of his dance moves.

My husband commented that some of his moves were obviously genetic. We all know who's side of the family they came from.

MAN! TRUCK! MAAANNNN! TRRRUUUCKKKK!

I think the one of the coolest parts of watching your kids grow is experiencing their language development. It is so unique for each child - and continues to change for at least 4 1/2 years (that's how old Brother is and he's still developing his speech). I assume it will continue to change. Otherwise, I guess he'll be 35 some day telling his wife that he needs to go "poo" and then he's going to take the "quickest bath ever so that he has lots of time to play, play, play!"

Little Bitty has been more consistent than Brother with what be considered the "average" time-frame for talking... and her annunciation is definitely that of a just-two-year-old. It has actually been really fun to watch because it is so different from our first experience; Brother - who was telling knock-knock jokes at 18 months. In fact, a favorite memory was when we met our new pediatrician for the first time after moving. She walked in the room and said to our little guy, "Hi. How are you?" to which he answered, "I'm fine. And you?" She laughed and asked "How OLD are you?" to which he answered, "twenty-one months."

So, Little Bitty has taken a more traditional route and it is fun to watch her try out new words and then repeat them over and over. She communicates just as well as Brother did - but in a different way. Yesterday she made it very clear that she was hoping the ice cream man would come.

Little Bitty (placing her hand to her ear): Daddy! Man! Hear! Truck!

Daddy: Yes, we'll listen and see if we hear the man in the truck. If so, we'll get ice cream.

LB: DADDY! MAN! TRUCK! HEAR!

Daddy: I know, sweetie. We'll listen for him.

LB (calling down the street): MAN!!!! TRUCK!!!!!

Daddy (so patiently): He'll probably come later. We'll listen for him.

LB (shrieking to the point of risking a sore throat): DADDY! HEAR! MAAANNNN! TRUUUCKCKCKCK! MOMMY! MAN! TRUCK! HEAR!!!!

And so the conversation went for 15 more minutes or so. You can just imagine her delight when he actually showed up a few hours later and we heard his song and truck coming down our road. Oh happy day. MAN! TRUCK! Bomb pops!

She was less impressed as he explained to Mommy and Daddy that we don't always have to scrounge for cash - he'll take checks - or even a Corona Cigar as payment.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE BITTY!

Our baby girl turned 2 on the 4th of July. We celebrated with cake, presents, fireworks and a lot of love from family and friends. She is amazing and beautiful and funny and spirited and loving and everything I could have ever hoped and prayed for in a daughter.

Here are some quick pictures from her little party we had at her preschool. We will have much more pictures from here in the country soon!