My favorite photo

I was going through my May photos and I gotta say, I think this one is my absolute favorite. This was Addie's second time on a swing... and she loved it. It was way better than her first swing experience... the one where she leaned a little too far forward and totally smashed her poor babyface against the seat.

And just for kicks, I'm linking up with my favorite photography blog Click it up a Notch. Seriously. This blog rules. I've learned so much since I first stumbled upon it. There are tons of super helpful tutorials. I highly recommend checking it out. Go, go, go!

Keeping busy

I don't know what gave me the idea that I had time to take up multiple hobbies, but for some crazy reason, I am totally obsessed with trying (and attempting to master) new things. Photography? Let's do it. Sewing? Why not? Fancy-pants baking? Yes, please. Gardening? Add it to the list.

Of course, I'm not really a pro at any of these things. In fact, I'm totally a newb when it comes to all of them. But, I am determined to become a Jack Jill of all Trades. I want to be one of those impressive women that dazzles everyone with her vast array of talent and skill. I want to make my own clothes and grow my own food. (Wait... am I thinking of becoming Amish?!)

I know. I must be insane. I have very little free time to dedicate to hobbies these days, but, eh... I figure I might as well give it a shot. You only live once, right?

I think the key to success is focusing on one hobby at a time. I don't want to get totally overwhelmed, after all.

 

Remember when I wrote about my expensive new camera and how I needed all the help I could get to master the new thing? Yeah, well... I'm still working on it but I think I've come a long way. I attended a photography workshop recently and I've been reading plenty of photography books and blogs. I turned my camera to manual mode about a month ago and I haven't looked back.

My pictures aren't exactly groundbreaking... but I think they're getting pretty darn good. I know I need more practice... if only my miniature models were a little more eager to pose for Mommy. Lilly loves the camera when I'm taking pictures of Addie, but the second I point the lens her direction, she's usually over it.

So... anyone want to volunteer for a photo shoot? I can't promise the pictures will be good. And I can't promise that I won't get overwhelmed and have a total caffeine pill induced freakout... but I can promise that I won't charge you anything. And I (kinda sorta) know what I'm doing. Kinda. Sorta.

In the meantime, I guess I'll keep taking pictures of my sweet Adeline. She hasn't learned to crawl away from me... yet.

Satellite celebration!

Today we are celebrating my mother-in-law. It is her birthday! I have to tell you, my MIL rules. She's always sweet and loving and she gushes over my two little monsters. We love her a bunch!

Unfortunately, we couldn't spend her special day with her since, you know, she lives in Tennessee and we live all the way over on the West Coast. So, we did the next best thing. We had a little satellite celebration in her honor.

The girls must have known today was a special day, because they both woke up bright-eyed and ready to party... at 7:30... IN THE MORNING. I, on the other hand, wasn't ready to play dress-up quite so early. I locked the three of us in my bedroom, flipped on some Disney Jr. and pulled the covers over my head. Every baby for herself!

Not too long after that, I managed to pull myself together and get going. We started things off with a mini dress-up party/photo shoot. Lilly proclaimed that she was "Tinkabell" and Addie, well... she was Addie in a fancy hat and purple tutu. Party time!

Getting dressed!

Do you have any idea how hard it is to convince two little girls to sit still (at the same time) and smile for the camera? Forget asking one of them to hold a sign. Thank God Lilly responds well to bribery... and it doesn't hurt that Addie hasn't realized that she has the ability to crawl away from me just yet.

My artist at work.

We also baked a cake following this recipe. Holy Moly. Too much deliciousness.

"Why is there a hole, Mama? Why? Why? Why?"

Lilly kept licking the powdered sugar and saying, "Yum! Tastes like strawberries!"

It would have been nice to spend the day with Jackie in person, but for the time being our California celebrations will have to suffice. Happy birthday, Jackie! We love you!

Princess Ears

This morning Lilly was digging around in her closet and she found some stick-on earrings. I walked in to check on her and she had two on one earlobe, one on the other and a few on her fingers. She was staring at herself in the mirror, in total awe.

"Hey Lilly, do you want to get real earrings... kinda like Mommy's?" (My earlobes are stretched so I suppose this wasn't the best example for my two-year-old.)

"Yes! Mommy! Yes!" She exclaimed. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as if she just caught a glimpse of what her future possibly held. "Diiiiiiiiamonds?!"

I wasn't exactly sure where to go from there. Aaron and I decided a long time ago that we weren't going to pierce her ears until she asked for it. Did this really count? Am I pressuring her into this? Am I the equivalent of one of those pageant moms on Toddlers and Tiaras? I am. I suck.

Eh... I decided to roll with it, anyway. She can talk. She knows what an earring is. She's totally up for it. This counts. I rule. I am the best mom ever.

I explained the piercing process and Lilly was completely on board... even if it meant getting a little pinch. I called my best pal Kat (who happens to be a manager at a certain piercing place) and asked if she would be up for a special visitor at work. She was. So, after lunch we headed to the mall to get Lilly her diamonds.

She had a hard time deciding which earrings were the ones for her. She kept going back and forth between an emerald birthstone and a pink flower. "Green! No... fower. No... Green! Hmm... fower?" She ended up settling on the pink flower. I think she made a good choice. Kat cleaned and dotted her ears and we got settled in for the main event.

The before shots...

Can you tell I was nervous?

Pow! Pow!

My poor girl.

No grudges here... I hope.

She took it like a champ. She sobbed for a few minutes, but once Aunt Kat offered to buy her whatever she wanted, she was all smiles. She even picked out her own set of aquatic-themed earrings. "Under the sea! Yes, Mommy! Yes!"

We also caught her staring at herself in the mirror a few times. She told us she looked like a Princess... "Show White" to be specific.

Oh, and I'll try to update this with an after shot... eventually. Shortly after we left the mall, Lilly decided to throw it into full-on tantrum mode and let's just say, Little Miss Princess Ears isn't up for a photo shoot right now. Hooray for me.

I blame her.

Nice Nutella beard, Lillybug.

My daughter is an enabler. She's the real reason I haven't been able to lose weight as fast as I would like. (It's not because I spend a lot of time drooling over homes on Zillow and projects on Pinterest, when I should be working out. Nope. It's all Lilly's fault.)

"One more, Mommy."

That's her favorite line. That's how she gets me.

Whenever I finish eating something (particularly something I shouldn't be eating... say a chocolate frosted doughnut with coconut sprinkled on top) she'll politely say, "One more, Mommy. Here, Mommy. For you, my mommy." Sometimes she'll even notice I'm not eating or drinking anything and she'll decide to remedy the situation. If she can reach it, she'll bring it to me. It is nice to have a little helper to refill my drinks, but it is also a little problematic.

When I tell that little sweetface no, bad things happen. She gets angry... like, really angry. I'm talking Incredible Hulk Angry. Lilly does not like to hear the word No... even if it is my self-control talking and it doesn't really affect her. If I say No, no thanks... or thanks, anyway... well, things get ugly. Tears, snot bubbles, karate kicks... violence.

So, in an effort to spare my sanity, I usually say yes. Yes, Lilly. I'll take another soda. And a doughnut. Thank you for offering.

... I guess I could always put a padlock on the fridge. Remind me to do that.

Let's talk Lilly

Life is rough when you're two and a half. Mood swings, meltdowns, temper tantrums. Hug fests, proclamations of love, lots of kisses. Toddlers are all over the map. Lilly is no exception. Life with this little lady has been a bit chaotic lately. She's all over the place. It's not insane (yet?) but it's definitely an adventure.

She says the silliest things. I haven't posted a good Dictionary of Lilly in a while, mainly because she doesn't really make up silly words anymore. She can pronounce most words (relatively) clearly. She does come up with insane phrases, though. Here are my favorites: 

Two times: I have no idea what she means when she says this. It is her reply to any question that starts with How or Why... I don't get it. Here's an example:

"Hey Lilly, why did you make that mess?"

"Two times."

What's even more weird is that, lately, she's been following it up with this phrase:

For The United States: Seriously. I have no idea how she came up with that.

"Hey Lilly, why did you make that mess?"

"Two times."

"Wait. What? How did that happen?"

"Two times! For The United States, Mommy."

Yeah. She's so weird. I love it.

I miss (fill in the blank) sooooo much: She says this about anyone. Grandma. Zadie. Addie. Daddy. Even me when we've spent the entire day together and I'm sitting right next to her. She misses a lot of people... all the time. 

Addie loves me sooooo much: Her little sister adores her... and Lilly knows it.

She's a riot. Another new thing is telling secrets. She has two of them and she shares them with us daily. Poopoo, Peepee is definitely her No. 1, followed closely by Shut up. Yeah, we're working on that one. She'll usually whisper, "Shut up," and then quickly say, "Oh! Sorry, Mama!"

Such a turd. Two times.

Chocolate birds' nests!

"Hey sweet girl... will you please (insert random request here)?"

"NO! Mommy! NOOOOO!"

"Lilly... do you want a treat?"

"YES! MOMMY! YES!" (Obediently complies with request at the speed of light.)

Yeah. I admit it. I bribe my daughter. I try not to do it all the time... only when it is absolutely necessary. That being said, Lillybug loves treats. Chocolate treats, sticker treats, popsicle treats, cherry tomato treats... let's just say, if I refer to something as a treat, she's in.

With Easter quickly approaching, I decided to make some special spring-themed treats for my special little lady. These are a little messy but I think that's part of the fun.

You'll need chocolate chips, a bag of those crunchy chow mein noodles and some egg-shaped candies. I used Cadbury mini eggs... they are ridiculously good. Oh, and I didn't bother with measurements. You'll need just enough melted chocolate to cover the noodles... so you can pretty much eyeball it all depending on how many nests you want to make.

Step 1: Melt some chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler.

Step 2: Toss in some noodles and stir until they are completely coated in chocolatey goodness.

Step 3: While still warm (but not hot! Don't hurt yourself!) spoon out a good amount and shape into a little nest.

Step 4: Form a little crater in the center and place your eggs inside.

Step 5: Allow to completely cool and harden.

Step 6: Devour.

Funny story: When we first started making these, Lilly was totally excited to help. She got kinda bored and left the kitchen about halfway through. I finished making them, placed them in the fridge to cool and cleaned up the mess. She ran back to the kitchen, looked around and said, "Huh?! No treats?! Mommy eat all treats?!" Haha.

Happy eating and Happy Easter!