Bella has been super into pretend play lately. She is constantly playing dress up, pretending to be a princess, or a super hero, or a puppy/kitty/dinosaur/dragon/elephant/etc. Today, she put on one of my shirts and informed me that she was Mommy, and I was Bella. ;-)
She doesn't have a bed in her room anymore; a couple of months ago it morphed into a pirate ship. It has a "steering wheel", some paddles, some pirates, and even a parrot! It also sometimes flies. Haha. If I tell her it's time to get into bed, she gives me a look and says "What?!?!?" like she has no idea what I'm talking about. But, "Time to get into your pirate ship!" gets an enthusiastic, "Okay, first we have to swim through the ocean to get there!" and we proceed to doggie paddle our way towards her room. Hahaha!
We took her to the circus last week, and ever since she has been pretending to be an acrobat, a clown, a tiger doing tricks, and even the announcer. "Leedees and Gennelmen, please clap your hands for the amazing, tricky Mommyyyyyyy!!"
It's so funny to watch the stories she makes up as she plays. I need to record one, or something.
Her birthday is in two weeks. Her THIRD birthday. I can't even believe it. o.O
Friday, April 23, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Girl's Night
Bella and I had an impromptu Girl's Night on Wednesday. We baked chocolate cupcakes, ate fish sticks and applesauce for dinner, mixed up some fun colored frosting for the cupcakes and frosted them, and watched The Princess and the Frog while eating them.
It was so much fun! Bella especially loved putting sprinkles on her cupcake. ;-) And eating it, of course.
It was so much fun! Bella especially loved putting sprinkles on her cupcake. ;-) And eating it, of course.
My First Practical Joke!
Yesterday was April Fools Day.
I suck at April Fools Day. No, seriously... I have never been able to pull off a prank or April Fools joke, or anything of that nature. But Meanie gave me some ideas when she was visiting last month, and I just couldn't let them go to waste... :-D
First, I stole T's cell phone while he was sleeping. This was not hard, because he works nights and typically doesn't get up until noon or later.
Next, I used one of the songs from his iTunes to make a special ring tone. It took some googling (I am SO not familiar with the workings of an iPhone), but I got it done. Then I set an alarm to go off, with the new ringtone as the alert, at 5 pm... when he would be at work.
According to him, he was giving a brief or something like that, so basically everyone was in the room. While he was talking, someone's phone started to (LOUDLY) play "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" by Elton John. [tee hee] He started to yell at his Marines, telling them to "find whoever's phone is ringing with that gay ass ringtone and shut that shit off!" So, LCpl. L. comes back a minute later with the offending phone, and says, "Um, Cpl. Y., it was YOUR phone that was playing that gay ass song."
And everyone laughed. A lot.
When he came home, and told me the story, I laughed a lot too. And I'm still laughing. *Bahahahahahahahahahaha!*
I suck at April Fools Day. No, seriously... I have never been able to pull off a prank or April Fools joke, or anything of that nature. But Meanie gave me some ideas when she was visiting last month, and I just couldn't let them go to waste... :-D
First, I stole T's cell phone while he was sleeping. This was not hard, because he works nights and typically doesn't get up until noon or later.
Next, I used one of the songs from his iTunes to make a special ring tone. It took some googling (I am SO not familiar with the workings of an iPhone), but I got it done. Then I set an alarm to go off, with the new ringtone as the alert, at 5 pm... when he would be at work.
According to him, he was giving a brief or something like that, so basically everyone was in the room. While he was talking, someone's phone started to (LOUDLY) play "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" by Elton John. [tee hee] He started to yell at his Marines, telling them to "find whoever's phone is ringing with that gay ass ringtone and shut that shit off!" So, LCpl. L. comes back a minute later with the offending phone, and says, "Um, Cpl. Y., it was YOUR phone that was playing that gay ass song."
And everyone laughed. A lot.
When he came home, and told me the story, I laughed a lot too. And I'm still laughing. *Bahahahahahahahahahaha!*
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Spaghetti Squash
I've never been a fan of squash. But, I've heard such good things about spaghetti squash that I thought I'd give it a try. I looked through AllRecipes for inspiration (and to learn how the heck to cook a spaghetti squash), found a recipe I liked, and then changed it to something I'd like even better.
It was delicious- even after the second day of eating it for lunch! Plus Bella loved it, which is a major bonus.
Tong refused to eat it (hence why Bella and I got 2 days worth of lunch), saying, "It's not bad... but it's squash." Pbthbthbthbthbth.
Anyway, here's the recipe:
Spaghetti Squash Saute
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise
2 small chicken breasts, sliced thinly
1/4 lb carrots, shredded (I used baby cut carrots, because that's what I had)
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, shredded
3 Tablespoons butter/margarine
1/2 teaspoon dried italian spices (I used Mrs. Dash Italian Medley)
Salt & Pepper
Chopped parsley
1. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray, and place the two halves of spaghetti squash cut-side down. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until squash is tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
2. While squash is cooling, saute chicken with the italian spices and a little bit of the butter (or use olive oil, if you prefer). Set aside.
3. In the same pan, saute onions and carrots in the remaining butter until tender, adding garlic in the last minute or so. At the same time, shred squash flesh from the rind with a fork.
4. Add squash and chicken to onion mixture, cook until hot, stirring often. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.
It was delicious- even after the second day of eating it for lunch! Plus Bella loved it, which is a major bonus.
Tong refused to eat it (hence why Bella and I got 2 days worth of lunch), saying, "It's not bad... but it's squash." Pbthbthbthbthbth.
Anyway, here's the recipe:
Spaghetti Squash Saute
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise
2 small chicken breasts, sliced thinly
1/4 lb carrots, shredded (I used baby cut carrots, because that's what I had)
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, shredded
3 Tablespoons butter/margarine
1/2 teaspoon dried italian spices (I used Mrs. Dash Italian Medley)
Salt & Pepper
Chopped parsley
1. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray, and place the two halves of spaghetti squash cut-side down. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until squash is tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
2. While squash is cooling, saute chicken with the italian spices and a little bit of the butter (or use olive oil, if you prefer). Set aside.
3. In the same pan, saute onions and carrots in the remaining butter until tender, adding garlic in the last minute or so. At the same time, shred squash flesh from the rind with a fork.
4. Add squash and chicken to onion mixture, cook until hot, stirring often. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Spring Picnic and a Big Fall
We went to an Easter Egg Hunt/Picnic on Saturday, hosted by CCM. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of people showed up! My contribution was fruit salad. I spent a good 2 hours cutting up pineapple, tangerines, strawberries, grapes, and apples- and the end result was freaking delicious if I do say so myself [although, at least some people agreed because it was all gone by the end ;-)].
Bella had a blast playing on the playground, and picking up candy-filled plastic eggs. She was very excited to get to have hot dogs- she ate two of them! o.O Plus two mini cupcakes, which ended up all over her face and sweatshirt. They had games, most of which she didn't quite get... but she did take an egg from the egg toss, smash it with a stick, and start 'cooking' it right there in the grass. LOL! They had one of those big parachutes with the handles around the edge; she had fun both holding the edge and moving it up and down, and sitting under it. Then someone busted out the bubbles, and that's where she stayed for the rest of the day. She loves to blow bubbles, and chase them! She was pretty shy around the other kids, but the next day she wouldn't stop asking to go back and play with her friends. Sweet girl!
(click on the picture to see full size)
That afternoon when we got home, Bella took a tumble down the stairs. :( I was in the kitchen and heard a thump, and I looked at the stairs expecting to see a toy that had been thrown down... but instead I saw her rolling. o.O I ran up there as fast as I could, but she was going slow and managed to stop herself about halfway down, before I got there. Poor baby was so scared, but luckily she only suffered a busted lip and some little bruises on her arms and legs. I had a mild heart attack when I saw all the blood in her mouth, but I must have hid it well because she thought it was pretty funny. What a goofball! The best I could get out of her was that she was carrying a little box with her teddy bear, and slipped because she wasn't holding on to the railing. :( She has been extra cautious on the stairs ever since though, thank goodness.
Bella had a blast playing on the playground, and picking up candy-filled plastic eggs. She was very excited to get to have hot dogs- she ate two of them! o.O Plus two mini cupcakes, which ended up all over her face and sweatshirt. They had games, most of which she didn't quite get... but she did take an egg from the egg toss, smash it with a stick, and start 'cooking' it right there in the grass. LOL! They had one of those big parachutes with the handles around the edge; she had fun both holding the edge and moving it up and down, and sitting under it. Then someone busted out the bubbles, and that's where she stayed for the rest of the day. She loves to blow bubbles, and chase them! She was pretty shy around the other kids, but the next day she wouldn't stop asking to go back and play with her friends. Sweet girl!
(click on the picture to see full size)
That afternoon when we got home, Bella took a tumble down the stairs. :( I was in the kitchen and heard a thump, and I looked at the stairs expecting to see a toy that had been thrown down... but instead I saw her rolling. o.O I ran up there as fast as I could, but she was going slow and managed to stop herself about halfway down, before I got there. Poor baby was so scared, but luckily she only suffered a busted lip and some little bruises on her arms and legs. I had a mild heart attack when I saw all the blood in her mouth, but I must have hid it well because she thought it was pretty funny. What a goofball! The best I could get out of her was that she was carrying a little box with her teddy bear, and slipped because she wasn't holding on to the railing. :( She has been extra cautious on the stairs ever since though, thank goodness.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wisdom Teeth
So, I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled on Monday. Fun times. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be though! I was lucky in that none of them were impacted, so they only had to be pulled- no gum cutting or **cringe** digging out tooth fragments involved. Which is making for a fairly easy recovery, so far no swelling or extreme pain (*knock on wood*).
I originally wanted to do it awake, because I'd never been put under before and the whole idea freaked me out. But, because it was all four teeth, they would only do it with me being put to sleep- and in the end I'm glad of it! (I only say that because it went well.) It was the strangest feeling though, he told me he was putting the drug in the IV and told me to take some deep breaths. Breath 1, I was thinking "OhmygodI'mgoingtodie", breath 2 I was thinking about how the oxygen tube they put by my nose was cold and smelled funny, breath 3 I opened my eyes and somehow it was 40 minutes later, my sweatshirt and glasses were back on, Tong and Bella were standing in the doorway, and my mouth was numb as hell and stuffed full of gauze. We-eird! I'm almost positive I was dreaming while I was asleep, but I have no idea what about. I was pretty out of it until that afternoon- I only remember bits and pieces of the car ride home and I slept for a good 2 hours as soon as I hit the couch.
Bella has done really well with it all, and seemed to understand my simplified version of what was going on (Mommy has some teeth waaaaay in back that aren't supposed to be there, so the doctor is going to give her a shot to make her sleepy and take those teeth out, and it will hurt for a while, but then it will be all better). T told me later that Bella was super worried about me the whole time they were sitting in the waiting room. She kept asking about me, where I was, if I was ok, etc. I guess the nurses thought she was just the sweetest little thing (but who wouldn't? LOL). When they came back to see me, Bella ran up to the chair and gave me a hug as soon as I woke up. Later when we were at home, she came up to me, put a hand gently on my cheek, and said, "Ohhhh, Mommy, I sorry you have owies in your mouth. I go get my doctor kit and fix them for you?" And then today, T had to go back to work so I was tired and a little cranky, and by Bella's bedtime I was just beat, and snapped at her when she wasn't listening. She walks over to me, gives me a hug, and says, "It's ok Mommy, I understand you're tired." Gah! I practically burst into tears right there! How on earth did I get so lucky to have such an sweet, understanding, amazing little girl??
I originally wanted to do it awake, because I'd never been put under before and the whole idea freaked me out. But, because it was all four teeth, they would only do it with me being put to sleep- and in the end I'm glad of it! (I only say that because it went well.) It was the strangest feeling though, he told me he was putting the drug in the IV and told me to take some deep breaths. Breath 1, I was thinking "OhmygodI'mgoingtodie", breath 2 I was thinking about how the oxygen tube they put by my nose was cold and smelled funny, breath 3 I opened my eyes and somehow it was 40 minutes later, my sweatshirt and glasses were back on, Tong and Bella were standing in the doorway, and my mouth was numb as hell and stuffed full of gauze. We-eird! I'm almost positive I was dreaming while I was asleep, but I have no idea what about. I was pretty out of it until that afternoon- I only remember bits and pieces of the car ride home and I slept for a good 2 hours as soon as I hit the couch.
Bella has done really well with it all, and seemed to understand my simplified version of what was going on (Mommy has some teeth waaaaay in back that aren't supposed to be there, so the doctor is going to give her a shot to make her sleepy and take those teeth out, and it will hurt for a while, but then it will be all better). T told me later that Bella was super worried about me the whole time they were sitting in the waiting room. She kept asking about me, where I was, if I was ok, etc. I guess the nurses thought she was just the sweetest little thing (but who wouldn't? LOL). When they came back to see me, Bella ran up to the chair and gave me a hug as soon as I woke up. Later when we were at home, she came up to me, put a hand gently on my cheek, and said, "Ohhhh, Mommy, I sorry you have owies in your mouth. I go get my doctor kit and fix them for you?" And then today, T had to go back to work so I was tired and a little cranky, and by Bella's bedtime I was just beat, and snapped at her when she wasn't listening. She walks over to me, gives me a hug, and says, "It's ok Mommy, I understand you're tired." Gah! I practically burst into tears right there! How on earth did I get so lucky to have such an sweet, understanding, amazing little girl??
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Middle of the night snuggles...
I went to bed late last night (3am), because I was at the end of a really good book and wanted to finish it. When I crawled into bed, a sweet little voice perked up, "Oh, you comin' back, Mommy?" I asked Bella what she was doing awake, and she said, "Nothin'." Then I asked her why she wasn't sleeping in her bed, and she said, "Ummmmm, nothin'." LOL!
So then, instead of going right back to sleep, she started telling me a story. I'm guessing it was something she was dreaming about before I came in and woke her up. She told me about a big tower, where the walls were super tall, and the fan was so high up that you couldn't even reach it! And there was some yucky, sticky tape way up high on the ceiling, hiding behind the fan. So she had to climb up there, way up high to the fan, so that she could get the baby butterfly that was stuck to the yucky, sticky tape. But then she got stuck, and didn't know how to get back down! Luckily, Mommy came to the rescue and helped her, and she got down safe and sound. Then she went to the window to set the butterfly free, so he could go and find his family. His mommy and daddy were so happy! It ended up being a good day in the super tall tower. ;-)
And then, right before we went to sleep, she snuggled up to me and said, "Mommy, I so happy you're my fam-a-lee."
Awwwwwww, just melt my heart, why don't you! :)
So then, instead of going right back to sleep, she started telling me a story. I'm guessing it was something she was dreaming about before I came in and woke her up. She told me about a big tower, where the walls were super tall, and the fan was so high up that you couldn't even reach it! And there was some yucky, sticky tape way up high on the ceiling, hiding behind the fan. So she had to climb up there, way up high to the fan, so that she could get the baby butterfly that was stuck to the yucky, sticky tape. But then she got stuck, and didn't know how to get back down! Luckily, Mommy came to the rescue and helped her, and she got down safe and sound. Then she went to the window to set the butterfly free, so he could go and find his family. His mommy and daddy were so happy! It ended up being a good day in the super tall tower. ;-)
And then, right before we went to sleep, she snuggled up to me and said, "Mommy, I so happy you're my fam-a-lee."
Awwwwwww, just melt my heart, why don't you! :)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Disney Live!
I bought tickets yesterday to take Bella to the Disney Live Rockin' Road Show in April! She is so in love with Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald Duck, etc. right now, and she is going to love seeing them on stage. She was singing and clapping along with the video on the website when I showed her yesterday. I can't wait!
http://www.disney.go.com/disneylive/rockinroadshow/#/video/
http://www.disney.go.com/disneylive/rockinroadshow/#/video/
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
What's For Lunch?
Our conversation today, figuring out what to have for lunch:
Me: "Would you like to eat... pillows?
Bella: "Nawwww!"
Me: "Would you like to eat... a shirt?"
Bella: "Nawwww! I eat... chairs!"
Me: "Nawwwww!"
Bella: "I eat... park!"
Me: "Nawwww!"
Bella: (looks out the window) "I eat... birdie!"
Me: "Nawwww!"
Bella: "No, I not bite birdie. Biting gives birdie owies."
Me: "Yes, biting does give owies."
Bella: "Birdie lives inna tree. I not eat trees."
Me: "Uh huh."
Bella: "I not bite trees. They too cwonshee."
Me: (chuckles) "Yes, trees are very crunchy."
Bella: "Trees cwonshee like carrots. I eat carrots ever day."
Me: "You do like carrots, don't you."
Bella: "Uh huh. I not eat carrots for lunch though. I eat... jelly sammich!"
Me: "How about if we put some peanut butter on that jelly sandwich?"
Bella: "Ohhhh, ohhhhkay! I luff penah budder!"
Me: "Would you like some carrots with your sandwich, too?"
Bella: "Ummm, okay! I luff cwonshee carrots!"
I just want to squeeze her every time she says the word 'crunchy.' It is probably one of her top 10 cutest words of all time. LOL
Me: "Would you like to eat... pillows?
Bella: "Nawwww!"
Me: "Would you like to eat... a shirt?"
Bella: "Nawwww! I eat... chairs!"
Me: "Nawwwww!"
Bella: "I eat... park!"
Me: "Nawwww!"
Bella: (looks out the window) "I eat... birdie!"
Me: "Nawwww!"
Bella: "No, I not bite birdie. Biting gives birdie owies."
Me: "Yes, biting does give owies."
Bella: "Birdie lives inna tree. I not eat trees."
Me: "Uh huh."
Bella: "I not bite trees. They too cwonshee."
Me: (chuckles) "Yes, trees are very crunchy."
Bella: "Trees cwonshee like carrots. I eat carrots ever day."
Me: "You do like carrots, don't you."
Bella: "Uh huh. I not eat carrots for lunch though. I eat... jelly sammich!"
Me: "How about if we put some peanut butter on that jelly sandwich?"
Bella: "Ohhhh, ohhhhkay! I luff penah budder!"
Me: "Would you like some carrots with your sandwich, too?"
Bella: "Ummm, okay! I luff cwonshee carrots!"
I just want to squeeze her every time she says the word 'crunchy.' It is probably one of her top 10 cutest words of all time. LOL
Monday, February 8, 2010
Adventures in Potty Training
So, we have ventured into the messy territory of Potty Training.
I had been putting it off for a good while, because every time I tried to encourage Bella to use the potty she would have a major meltdown, so I assumed she wasn't ready. Not to mention that every time I attempted the "Naked" approach, it ended up with a puddle on the floor (or on the bed, or the couch...) and a diaper promptly being put back on her butt. :-P
But, one day when she looked at me and said, "I go pee now," and walked away to pee in her diaper in private, I decided enough was enough. She obviously had the capability, we just had to somehow get her over this Fear of The Potty. So, I filled her up with liquids, shut the two of us in the bathroom with some books and toys and her little potty, and waited.
After one hour, several drawings on the Magna-Doodle, a handful of books read, and a small amount of tears, SUCCESS! She peed on the potty! AND, she seemed really proud of herself afterward, which I took to be a good sign.
We repeated this for several days in a row, until she seemed to be reasonably over the Potty Fear, then started attempting whole mornings running around with no diaper. I was nervous, but it went amazingly well- she had no accidents at all!
The same could not be said for the next step- which was underwear and/or pants with no diaper- she would have an accident every. single. time. she wore them. No biggie though, just cleaned up the mess and tried again. And again. And again. *sigh* After reading the suggestion of a fellow Mommy, I took Bella to the store and let her pick out whatever kind of character underwear she liked (she picked Sesame Street, but Tinkerbell was a close second), and when I put them on her the next morning I told her to try not to pee on Zoe (the 'monster' on that particular pair of undies) because she doesn't like to get peed on. And what do you know, Bella made it to the potty almost all day (!!!)- until dinnertime, when she forgot she had no diaper on and peed all over the chair. As I picked her up to put her in a bath, she said to me, "Oh no, Zoe mad at me, Mommy!" At first I didn't hear the word 'Zoe', so I thought she thought I was mad at her! I said, "No, of course I'm not mad at you! It was an accident, and accidents happen sometimes," and she said, "No Mommy, Zoe mad at me!" She thought that Zoe was mad that she peed on her! :-( I assured her that Zoe was not mad, and that she knew it was an accident. So, maybe the whole "Don't Pee On [Character]" approach wasn't the best way to go about it, but there were no hard feelings in the end, AND we had a day with only one accident, so I'll call it a success.
Today was Day 2 in underwear, and it was definitely a success! She had no accidents all morning, so I decided to just dive right in and brave naptime. Her sheets are in the dryer right now, so obviously that didn't work out so well- but the rest of the day was accident free, which is AWESOME. Bella was really proud of herself for remembering to use the potty (almost) all weekend long, and even happier when she got to share some of Daddy's cherry-limeade as a reward. :)
Our next step is to conquer naptime and short outings, but I think we'll give her some more time to get used to pottying at home first to build up her confidence. ;-) My goal is to be completely daytime-diaper free by her 3rd birthday, which gives us around 3 months. Given the success of the past couple weeks, I am thinking (knock on wood) it should be a breeze!
I had been putting it off for a good while, because every time I tried to encourage Bella to use the potty she would have a major meltdown, so I assumed she wasn't ready. Not to mention that every time I attempted the "Naked" approach, it ended up with a puddle on the floor (or on the bed, or the couch...) and a diaper promptly being put back on her butt. :-P
But, one day when she looked at me and said, "I go pee now," and walked away to pee in her diaper in private, I decided enough was enough. She obviously had the capability, we just had to somehow get her over this Fear of The Potty. So, I filled her up with liquids, shut the two of us in the bathroom with some books and toys and her little potty, and waited.
After one hour, several drawings on the Magna-Doodle, a handful of books read, and a small amount of tears, SUCCESS! She peed on the potty! AND, she seemed really proud of herself afterward, which I took to be a good sign.
We repeated this for several days in a row, until she seemed to be reasonably over the Potty Fear, then started attempting whole mornings running around with no diaper. I was nervous, but it went amazingly well- she had no accidents at all!
The same could not be said for the next step- which was underwear and/or pants with no diaper- she would have an accident every. single. time. she wore them. No biggie though, just cleaned up the mess and tried again. And again. And again. *sigh* After reading the suggestion of a fellow Mommy, I took Bella to the store and let her pick out whatever kind of character underwear she liked (she picked Sesame Street, but Tinkerbell was a close second), and when I put them on her the next morning I told her to try not to pee on Zoe (the 'monster' on that particular pair of undies) because she doesn't like to get peed on. And what do you know, Bella made it to the potty almost all day (!!!)- until dinnertime, when she forgot she had no diaper on and peed all over the chair. As I picked her up to put her in a bath, she said to me, "Oh no, Zoe mad at me, Mommy!" At first I didn't hear the word 'Zoe', so I thought she thought I was mad at her! I said, "No, of course I'm not mad at you! It was an accident, and accidents happen sometimes," and she said, "No Mommy, Zoe mad at me!" She thought that Zoe was mad that she peed on her! :-( I assured her that Zoe was not mad, and that she knew it was an accident. So, maybe the whole "Don't Pee On [Character]" approach wasn't the best way to go about it, but there were no hard feelings in the end, AND we had a day with only one accident, so I'll call it a success.
Today was Day 2 in underwear, and it was definitely a success! She had no accidents all morning, so I decided to just dive right in and brave naptime. Her sheets are in the dryer right now, so obviously that didn't work out so well- but the rest of the day was accident free, which is AWESOME. Bella was really proud of herself for remembering to use the potty (almost) all weekend long, and even happier when she got to share some of Daddy's cherry-limeade as a reward. :)
Our next step is to conquer naptime and short outings, but I think we'll give her some more time to get used to pottying at home first to build up her confidence. ;-) My goal is to be completely daytime-diaper free by her 3rd birthday, which gives us around 3 months. Given the success of the past couple weeks, I am thinking (knock on wood) it should be a breeze!
