Thursday, February 19, 2009

What the...

I went to check on my sleeping beauty yesterday afternoon and saw this sticking out from the crib. Yikes!
I went to check out the sleeping position, and here you go: The owner of the disembodied foot! I know it looks uncomfortable, but she had a great nap, so I wasn't messing with anything.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Ride!

I originally went outside to video Bronwen's helping T.J. with a garden project, but naturally she wasn't in the mood to cooperate. Instead, she wanted to play in the sand with her dump truck while T.J. finished cleaning out the wheelbarrow. Then inspiration hit. I asked T.J. how dirty the wheelbarrow was, and he replied, "Not very." Since as of late Bronwen has been asking for rides--in the laundry basket, on towels, on laps--we thought it might be fun to...well, see for yourselves.

She was a tiny bit preoccupied when I turned on the floodlights. At this point the ride had been going on for a good 5 minutes, so the novelty had worn off a bit.



I especially like how T.J. suggests I get in front and walk backwards, holding the video, 7.5 months pregnant, wearing Birkenstock mules. Um. Yeah. I do try, though. I like how I tell her to say "Wheee!" and she says, "Wee." Also, T.J. mentioned how I pull a Costanza and refer to myself in the third person all the time. I actually do--"Mama is going to do this...Come with Mama to the potty....etc." I am trying to say "I" and "Me" more often, which is why I correct myself.



Sorry it's dark--it was almost dinnertime!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Wheels on the Bus

I have a link to the blog "No Time for Flashcards," an awesome site listing activities for young kids. I have been meaning to start some daily projects with Bronwen, and the Valentine was the first. That same day we made the letter F with feathers just because Bronwen was having such fun with her art project and didn't want to stop (I chose "F" because it is the first letter she learned, and she points it out all the time).

For the past few months, Bronwen has taken a decidedly enthusiastic interest in anything that has to do with buses, specifically yellow school buses. She loves the song "The Wheels on the Bus," does the motions, and waits each afternoon outside to watch the bus drop off the kids at the corner. I found an activity that had to do with making a bus, and on Friday, it became Bronwen's art project. I was going to use yellow construction paper, but I was all out (used the last page for the "F" wouldn't you know?), so we improvised. I think she liked it better because she got to paint again, and who doesn't love painting?

I did my best to draw a basic bus shape. Obviously I am not the artist of the family--Aunt Jana will have to help out when she comes down in May.

Bronwen finishes her bus by gluing on the windows, door, and wheels.Completed project! Please ignore the magnets. I think it turned out really great -- she isn't even 2 yet!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bronwen and I were working on a top-secret project for her Daddy. Here, Bronwen explains what she is doing:



Bronwen shows her paintbrush:Bronwen puts the googlie eyes on the heart:



I figured out that video-ing toward the windows was NOT the best idea, so I apologize for the bad video quality. When I finally figured things out, I began running out of memory space! Here Bronwen is decorating what will become the arms and backing:



Ta-Da! Finished Product:

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

This is what happens...

When you wake your Mama up at 4:50 in the morning.
She dresses you however she wants.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Chores

Bronwen does have quite a bit of responsibility in helping with various household tasks. Aunt Jana teases me mercilessly about the fact Bronwen loves to help clean, and now you all know she likes to tackle household repairs as well. One chore that she has been performing nightly is feeding the cats. She started back in maybe September or October--and has become so adept at it, we can pretty much open the cabinet, and she does the rest.*

Occasionally there are a few kibbles that are spilled, but trusty Bronwen will go back and pick up the pieces, putting them in the correct bowl, until everything is "all clean" again.







*Bronwen is not sold in any store. Sorry folks.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Daddy's Helper

The toilet paper holder has been getting looser lately, and I enlisted T.J.'s superior handyman skills to assist in remedying the situation. Little did I know that he in turn would bring his trusty assistant. I came from my shower to find the two of them, heads bent over the coffee table. I assumed they were coloring, but I was wrong. The were examining various tools, anchors, and screws from the toolbox. The next thing I know, Bronwen is hammering the anchors into the walls of the bathroom. I missed that by getting the camera, but this is what immediately followed:



After the anchors have been installed, T.J. has Bronwen utilize her trusty screwdriver and screw the plate into the wall.



When he says "This isn't working," it isn't because of his pint sized pal; it's because the anchors aren't holding in the wall. Bronwen was saying, "New" and I didn't understand that she was trying to leave the bathroom to run back to the coffee table to fetch some new tools. She was astute enough to know that they needed something different!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Bath and Buddies

T.J. thought it great fun to rig a camera from the shower curtain. Bronwen had a splendid time posing and playing. I included this picture because if you click it, you can clearly see how long her hair really is--except when it's dry, it curls up and looks like it hasn't grown in a year!
Here Bronwen is channeling Elvis with her shampoo-do. (She is holding a duck that her Aunt Jana gave her for her birthday. T.J. calls it "Mr. Special Duck" because he has a life jacket on...and what duck needs a floatation device unless he has some sort of special need?)"Bye-Bye!"
This picture has nothing to do with the bath, obviously, but I wanted everyone to see the awesome hat Aunt Jana knitted for Bronwen. It is the perfect color for her eyes! Mollie didn't even mind having to share her couch with Bronwen. Progress!