You PEEPed

Our town's Center for the Arts hosted a Peep Show. Not that kind of peep... the marshmallow candy kind of peep. Our county arts council has had one every year for the last 4 years. I must confess we only went for two reasons: 1. Becca's Stars group had an entry and 2. it was free. But I am so glad we went. In hindsight, I would have paid. We did have to "buy" votes for our favorite peep entry but for $5 you received 10 votes and a button. The Arts Center was selling Peep Kabobs and other Peep goodies. I can only describe the show and Peep creations as whimsical. Room after room of peep made creations, just made us smile. It was a great Friday night with dinner at the local pizzeria after the peep show.

Becca's group entry (Lady Gaga and the Peeparazzi) and Peep Barbie


Todd Peep (a Raven's player whose name is Heap) and Spongebob PeepPants


Stink Peeps and my personal favorite: Mac and Peeps

The voting process (you put in 3 votes for your favorite: Cookie Monster) and the whimsy that followed.



Oh and the button said: I PEEPed to let everyone know you voted for your favorite peep entries! I can't make this stuff up if I tried.

Sometimes, I am glad we live in our small town. Our night was intimate and filled with fun. It's good to remember the perks, when I'm at my wits end dealing with other aspects of living in a small town :)

I'm actually behind on chronicling your life. Today was the BIG birthday party with Ashley. You have been 2 for three weeks and she turns 2 in three weeks. It was quite a day and a story for another post. However, you and I leave for Williamsburg, VA tomorrow, leaving Daddy with the pets at home. We are going to Busch Gardens where they opened a Sesame Street themed kids part of the park. We are going with Jessica and Ashley and her two foster brothers (ages 1 and 4).

I am insane. When planning and discussing this trip I didn't fully think through all the traveling we have been doing. But Jessica's cousin is coming to help us with all of you kiddos. Deep breaths.

I do know one thing, once we get back on Wednesday night, we are not going anywhere for a very long time. BUT... we do have a doctor's appointment on Thursday and Easter is next Sunday and Mr. Nick's (our neighbor) bull roast is the Saturday after Easter... but once May hits, we are not leaving this house. I promise.

Another Wedding and More Traveling

Whew. I am pooped. This past weekend we drove down to Charlotte, NC for a wedding just over the border in SC. This time it was my cousin getting married. We did the 8hr car drive on Friday and back on Sunday. We stopped at Cracker Barrel going down and then we stopped for lunch with Aunt Kaarn and Uncle Cliff on the way home. It was a brief but fun visit! You colored, ate a pretzel dog and showed off your "scary face" and it's always good to spend time with Aunt Kaarn and Uncle Cliff!

The wedding was beautiful. It was held in an old dairy barn that has been converted to a wedding venue. The family style southern meal was delicious! Dancing was suppose to happen outside, except during the cocktail hour, there was an enormous hail storm! It was absolutely insane! I have never seen such furocity from mother nature. The dance floor was left with a deep moat around it. The illuminaries were pulverized but this did not stop the rousing good time! Dancing was moved inside and everyone had a great night! You danced with so many people. You were a dancing fiend! Finally, you crashed and demanded your blankie. It was a quick, weekend trip but it felt so good to see family and interact with everyone who we don't see as often as we should.

Forgive my pictures for being all over the place. It's late and I'm tired. Organization is the last thing I want to think about right now. And on a side note, you were the best traveler out of all three of us. You were a champ. Thank you for leaving the bossy tyrant toddler at home.

Full-Blown Toddler

You had a birthday, turned 2 and all hell broke loose. I am not exaggerating. All of a sudden you are this bossy tyrant who wants to control everything. Case in point: you only ate old jellybeans and processed cheese slices for dinner. When I picked you up from Ms. Patti's today you were in a time-out for hitting and scratching a little boy twice your age!!! Last week we caught you out of your crib walking around your room when you should have been napping. We discovered that you actually can climb out and then back in. We have no idea how long you have been doing this. I immediately freaked out that you were going to break a bone or dislocate something that I made your father get my twin bed from college out of the attic. I thought there would be more protest on your part, but as soon as we put the bed in your room, all your animals and books were thrown in. You didn't even wait for sheets! You proudly state, "my bed!" and snuggle in. I couldn't get you to come downstairs, so we left you upstairs playing in your new bed. The crib has been given to the baby and is in our guest room along with your changing table. You now refer to the crib as "baby's bed." Clearly, there was never any real attachment to your crib.




We had a very lovely brunch to celebrate you and Nonni's birthdays last weekend. We went to a fancy garden room with walls of windows. You looked adorable, except for your greased hair from finding the diaper rash cream and smearing it all over your face / hair that morning. Charming. Your behavior was another story. Remember the bossy, controlling tyrant. She decided to join us for brunch in the garden room with window walls. I could handle the removal of shoes and socks under the table, the constant "no!" that graced every question. The shrieking? The flopping around the aisles? The running around the table? Toddlers are not meant to go out to brunch.





But you did very well on the after-brunch hike up a mountain to the original Washington Monument. We climbed the ancient tower and watched birds. You ran around the base and played on the benches. Hikes are ok for toddlers.



Alright, your behavior hasn't been completely unbearable. Wednesday morning, Daddy found you naked with your shoes on sleeping in your new bed. He was dumbfounded and sure you had peed in the bed. As he woke you up and went to take Aunt Clare's Sesame Street ABC sheets off , he realized you had not peed in the bed at all! In fact, you had woken up in the middle of the night (sometime after 1am and before 6:30am) taken off your zippered pjs, unfastened your diaper, got out of bed and WENT POTTY!!!! You put your shoes on (?!?!) and then crawled back in bed and fell asleep again. It is very impressive that you recognized the sensation to use the potty and then actually went! In the dark. We don't have a night light for you so this makes all those steps even more amazing. You already go potty every night before your bath. You are so excited to announce "I tinkled!" and then you must help empty the potty in the toilet. I am not pushing you into anything but we did buy Pull Ups for night time so you don't have to try and unfasten a diaper in the middle of the night. Maybe my dream of having you potty trained before your sister arrives, will be a reality. But if it doesn't happen, we will deal with two kids in diapers.

I have no idea where your motivation comes from. Sometimes you pick up and learn things so quickly, but then when I try and reinforce a concept, you intentionally stop trying. I was getting frustrated trying to teach you colors but then you picked up purple all on your own. I was focusing on the primary colors, but you wanted to learn purple! By the way, purple was the only color jellybean you would eat tonight. I give up. You have been two for two weeks and I call uncle.

Wisconsin in Pictures

I promised an update from our week trip to Wisconsin. Is it lazy of me just to post pictures???

We had to transfer planes in Chicago. I sat next to you on the first leg from Baltimore and Daddy had the second leg from LaCrosse. Daddy had the better end of that deal....



We flew into LaCrosse in a snow storm. The plane almost turned around due to bad weather. But when we got to the farm in Cashton, the snow provided much outdoor entertainment.



At the farm, before the wedding, you helped Grandma and Daddy complete a 1000 piece puzzle. You also had a "big girl bed" in the green bedroom. You went to bed ok, but we kept finding you in weird places around the room.




A highlight of the entire trip was the indoor pool at the hotel where we stayed for the wedding weekend. You would take any free moment to go "splash around."



The big event of the week was Alyssa and Jake's wedding. What a beautiful time it was! The only part when I became emotional was the first dance. You were so enthralled with the dancing, I couldn't handle the thought of your own wedding. Your little feet, your little hands, one day they won't be so little and you won't want to dance with Daddy or hold my hand anymore.






Finally, no trip to Wisconsin would be complete without a rousing card game and time with big Nora and her family, including the bride's mom and dad!!!