Quick Quotes

Josie, yelling down the stairs to Louie after walking past the laundry room that houses the litter box: "Daddy, you need to change Venus' Glitter Box."
(That box is a lot of things, but it definitely isn't glitter!)

Josie to Louie & I after seeing the post on Four Austins about Lyla sleeping in her big girl bed...all night...by herself:  "Why does Lyla sleep by herself? Why doesn't she sleep with her mommy? I sleep with you."  Me: "Well Josie, most kids sleep in beds by themselves.  You're one of the only kids I know that sleeps with a mommy or daddy."  Josie: "I will sleep by myself though...when I'm older...maybe like 40."
(Oh, Heaven help us! I thought maybe I'd get a night of solid sleep sometime before then...)

Some more "4th" photos

These photos were just posted on our neighborhood's Flickr stream from the Fourth of July parade & party.  Enjoy! :)

EWH_4thJuly'10-2647, originally uploaded by EWH_Foto.life.

Spectators :)

EWH_4thJuly'10-2651, originally uploaded by EWH_Foto.life.

Dad, Drew & a firetruck too! (Drew is an attorney in Lou's office & was instrumental in our move to East Walnut Hills!)

EWH_4thJuly'10-2683, originally uploaded by EWH_Foto.life.

Rockin the Radio Flyer

EWH_4thJuly'10-2691, originally uploaded by EWH_Foto.life.

The neighborhood parade

EWH_4thJuly'10-2798, originally uploaded by EWH_Foto.life.

Love this Austin family photo!

Porch swing nap time

EWH_4thJuly'10-2809, originally uploaded by EWH_Foto.life.

Quick Quote

Last night Josie and I read "I Love You Little One" before bed, which has been one of our family favorites since she was just a baby.  In the story, different baby animals ask their mothers, "Do you love me mama?" And each mama answers "Yes, little one...I love you forever and ever and always."  Each time when we read this book, Josie always ends the story by asking "Do you love ME mama?" And then it's my job to say back what the animal mamas all say to their babies.  I didn't expect anything different last night.  But Josie decided to switch it up! Instead of the usual: "Do you love me mama? Yes, little one," She turned to me and said, "I love you Big One!"  I guess if she's "Little One," then that makes perfect sense. :)

A few new things

Because I had a few of you ask, Josie's Birthday Wishlist from Amazon is listed as a link in the right column.

Also, many of you know I write for This Generation online magazine. I've added a link to my articles, including my latest "Top Ten Lessons on Moving" published this month. Enjoy!

In other news, I completely forgot to mention that Lou & I celebrated our NINTH anniversary earlier this month!

In more stressful news, I got bumped up to full-time at my consulting job. This is great news for my finances, but not so great news for my sanity. I'm still working from home (although I have WAY more meetings now) but I'm trying to keep Fridays off until Josie starts school at the end of August.  CLICK HERE to see what I'm working on these days.   (And yep, I am still teaching online classes for UC.)

Quick Quote

Carissa to me (spelling so Josie wouldn't understand her): "There's a d-e-a-d  m-o-u-s-e outside."
Josie (excitedly): "Mickey Mouse is outside?"

Goooo WonderPets YAY!

Here are two videos I took of Josie in her homemade "flyboat." She's absolutely obsessed with The Wonder Pets at the moment, which is fine with us because it's a pretty darn clever show.  Anyway, one day last week I was talking to my mom on the phone and Josie was busy tearing through a big box that a bookshelf came in. She grabbed a big tall piece of styrofoam and asked me, "What do the Wonder Pets call this? A mass?"  Then, she held it up to the box and I saw what she had in mind.  "Oh, the mast" I said.  With that, we were building our own flyboat.  Louie got home just in time to put on the finishing touches and this little beauty has been sitting in our living room ever since.  Here's they are on their first adventure...



And their second....

Another stinkin' quick quote...

Josie's newly-found obsession with the word "stinkin" has been cracking us all up around here lately. Here are just a few stinkin' Josie-isms:


"It's too stinkin' hot to go to the park today!"
"This yogurt is so stinkin' yummy!"
"Awwww...Venus is so stinkin' cute!"

Quick Quote

Josie's first "tall tale":

Louie: "Tell Mommy what we saw at the coffee shop"
Josie: "We saw a katydid...actually it was a giant katydid...actually it was as big as my hand...actually it was as big as Daddy's arm...actually it was as big as our WHOLE HOUSE!  Can you please say Wow-zers?"

(Josie's use of the word "actually" is pretty hilarious!)

Just the three of us

After a really busy "big family" weekend for the holiday, it was nice to have a "little family" weekend with just the three of us. Here are a few photos from our exciting adventures around the new house. Enjoy!

Two of the reasons we were excited to get a yard - handmade birdfeeders & windchimes.

This weekend's home project: tackle the flower bed full of weeds (and glass...and concrete...)

Putting the finishing touches on some late-afternoon cupcakes:

LOOOK! The birdfeeder is working!

An early morning trip to the zoo:

"Sarasota" the alligator and her friend the blue-tongued skink:

Hummingbird in action:

Hoping those sunflowers from gardening class will actually grow:

A delicious dinner after a long day...totally kidding...How cute is this? Josie opened the freezer, grabbed four frozen burritos and set the table for dinner.

And...as soon as youtube cooperates...I have some really awesome videos of Josie & Louie in our homemade version of the "Wonder Pets Flyboat"!

Improvisin'

Josephine has been making up songs since she could barely talk.  Here's a new classic that's sure to please.  She came up with this little ditty the first time she ate "Trader Joe's O's."  Apparently, she loves them. 



(I should mention, the next night she made another version of this hit called "You are my cooling rack, my only cooling rack..." while we were making cupcakes!)

Dancin'

Early one Saturday morning, Josie and Louie were on the porch eating cheerios when he yelled "Grab the camera, you gotta see this...." Enjoy!

Hopscotchin'

This video was taken a couple of weeks ago. Carissa made Josie her first hopscotch game, and I was pretty impressed with her sweet hoppin' skills.  It cracks me up! (And I'm pretty sure it will make you smile too.) Warning: as you'll see in the video...Her first hopscotch was quickly followed by her first hopscotch-induced double-knee "busty". 

Coney, Coney!

You might remember last year's unforgettable trip to Coney Island.  It was so much fun. Josie had the time of her life. AND it was definitely worth repeating - especially with Lyla by her side!  Here are some of our favorite pics from their adventurous evening at Coney Island.  And, if you took a minute to click on that link above and saw little Josie on the turtles last year compared to her on the turtles this year, then you'll probably see why Louie teared up as he watched her spin around on them. 

 

 

 

Check out my sister's blog

Hey folks - Head on over to FOUR AUSTINS to check out the pics my sister snapped over the holiday weekend. Enjoy!

Quick Quote

As some of you know, we're big time snugglers in this house. Couple that with our "attachment parent" tendencies and it should come as no surprise that one of us falls asleep with Josephine every night.  What you all probably don't know, is that she's very particular about her cuddling.  She cracked me up last night: I turned off her light, kissed her goodnight, snuggled up, and closed my eyes.  That's when she tapped on my forehead and said: "Um, mommy...will you put your head on the other pillow. And then move your arm a little to the left?" She then proceeded to completely position me like a doll exactly the way she wanted me. And as soon as I was in "the perfect position" she was asleep in seconds! 

Just a little freaked out

What better way to celebrate America's independence than with a little sparkle? Josie was in awe of these classics last year and wanted to try holding one this year.  DD sprang into action and our brave little lady gave it a try. Her face is absolutely priceless in these!

And speaking of being just a little freaked out, check out this sassy little pose she did for the camera. Where did this attitude come from? (Complete with tongue sticking out.) Oh heavens, I think her "almost 3-ness" is showing!

It's family time

So there's a lot to be said for just hanging out in your pj's well into the afternoon with a big bag full of sidewalk chalk...

I promise to get a hopscotch video uploaded very soon (now that blogger has an easy way again!) but for now I'll just tease you with this photo.  (Thanks Tio for the awesome hopscotch work!)

Nothing more precious than little Lyla Anne sitting in the sunshine...

TEA Party with Grandma - and apparently this is some darn good tea.

And if ever any of you needed any proof of Josie's undying love for Lyla, here it is. Exhibit A: Josie let Lyla ride her Rody all weekend!  (You can't tell but Josie's next to her on her new "hippity hop.")

Be sure to come back tomorrow (or maybe the next day) for all the photos from our big night out to Coney Island.  I am totally saving the best for last!

Who needs fireworks anyway?

Since the Fourth of July holiday is the whole reason we were able to get together in the first place, I thought I'd start with these photos.  I also love these because we are beyond-thrilled to be a part of a family-centered neighborhood. (Don't get me wrong, we loved the city but this is something totally different!)  Here are some pics from our neighborhood parade and BBQ/Pool Party.  We were amazed to see just how many young families live in our neighborhood, and we met lots of kids Josie's age that are sure to become buddies over the years.  And, what's more - we had my whole family there to share the fun!  Here are some of my favorite pics from the 4th! (Special thanks to Grandma Marilee for the matching holiday outfits & swimming suits. And to Grandma "Fifi" for the blackberry cobbler that was the hit of the dessert table!)

Awesome park (that we just discovered) just a couple of blocks from our house! And check out those festive outfits!

Two peas in a pod!

 Look - our neighborhood has trees! And families! And a local fire company that spends their fourth leading a parade of kids and then ceremonially throws their rookies into the pool! And did I mention all the kids?!

Pool Party!

My favorite pic of the day!

And, now for the sad part... (Please don't tell anyone in our neighborhood that we were "those people" who brought our sick kid to the BBQ.) Josie totally had a fever most of the weekend, which you can see above didn't slow her down too much. BUT it definitely caught up to her about an hour into the party when she literally passed out in her baked beans and then finished her nap on this shady swing with her daddy.

 Here's the many more holidays in East Walnut Hills!