June 2008 First Hair Cut

It was a long time coming! I finally had to trim Jane's bangs! She was a trooper, though a little skeptical of the whole process...

June 22 Happy Birthday Daddy!

The day after the party, we celebrated Daddy's birthday!
Happy Birthday Daddy!

Jane's Party!

We had a big, backyard party to celebrate Jane's second birthday. Cupcakes, BBQ, baby pools and beer! The birthday girl was FILTHY by the end, so it's a safe bet that she had a great time.

Kentucky June 2008

We took a trip to Kentucky to visit Big Lloyd in June. Jane and Merriwether had a great time riding ponies at The Kentucky Horse Farm. We had excellent visits with Big Lloyd and a 2 hour traffic jam allowed us see every stinking inch of Louisville.

June 18, 2008

(ever try to get a good picture of a 2 year old?)

Jane is TWO!

We spent the morning at the playground and then had a spaghetti dinner and gingerale cake to celebrate the start of the terrible twos!
(what you don't wear your birthday suit on your birthday?)

June 3, 2008

Happy Birthday to ME!

Jane had a great time helping me blow out my candles. Ahh--the relighting birthday candles were just an appetizer of what was to come in 15 days!

May 2008

We had a great time on our Florida vacation. We stayed in Yankeetown with Pete and Debbie and then spent some time in Clearwater. Jane loved chasing sea gulls, making sandcastles and swimming in both the pool and the ocean.

Playing Catch Up

I know. I know. I've been a bad blogger. But I do have an excellent excuse! I am going to do my best to catch up by spotlighting the big events since May!

Stay tuned!

Toddler Idol

Who can resist a bargain? Not our GooGoo, that's for sure!

This incredible toy has become Jane's absolute favorite, and can you believe it only cost twenty cents?!? And, it came with working batteries. And all of the buttons work, except for the microphone button which only works about 1/2 the time. Oh, let me tell you about the The Wheels on Elmo's Bus and The Elmo Pokey and my personal favorite the E-L-M-O
(I guess the YMCA had too many negative connections).
Thanks again GooGoo.


Andrew and I are going to buy Jane that drum set she has been asking for
but she'll have to keep it at your house!

She ate a smurf.

Just kidding!

The blue icing was from her friend Gwen's birthday cake. Jane went to her little friend Gwen's birthday party today and it was great fun. The party was held in the play room where Jane takes her Busy Bees class. I don't know who was more excited about climbing on the equipment, Janie or Daddy.

Choo Choo!

Jane has a new love for trains. She insists upon getting out the same "Little Train" book from the library every week. We got her this train set for Christmas, but today was the first day that she set up the track by herself. I was still instructed to "sit, sit" and supervise the construction.

Tuckered Out

We had a busy morning. First, Jane woke up an hour earlier than usual. Then, we had Busy Bees. Next, it was time to do some shopping. She fell asleep in the car on the way home for maybe 30 seconds. She seemed pretty lucid when I got her out of the car seat and plopped her onto the chair. Lucid enough to demand "tubbies" (Teletubbies) and her "apple lunch".
I was in the kitchen for less than 5 minutes preparing her lunch and this is how I found her.
Transitioning her into the crib took about 3o minutes, but she had a nice nap and woke up bright eyed and bossy-tailed!

Happy Mud Day, Mama

(psst: it's a movie, click the play button)
Oh, come on! This would make any mother tear up, right?
I had an awesome day! Andrew made a delicious brunch and I got flowers and chocolate among other things. He also took Janie to visit the neighbors so that I could (are you ready for this) shower in peace. We visited Goo-Goo and then had a dinner at Cafe Hon

(completed with a 2 year old tantrum for dessert).

But just hearing "Happy Mud Day Mama"
for the first time and the 100th time
(she's like a broken record)
never got old.
Today, I feel blessed.

Newells!

Toddler Translation: Noodles (specifically: spaghetti)

I'll admit that I am a lover of spaghetti. Andrew has bet me that I can't eat an entire half-gallon of spaghetti and to that I say, "Game ON". But my love for complex carbs has been trumped by my own daughter. Without a doubt, "newells" are her favorite meal.
And she eats them with gusto.


It seems like Baby Gretchen (that's the new baby's new womb name) is also a fan. Byron's mom has supplied the three of us with a vat of spaghetti fit for the Carb Queens that we are.
Thanks Earline!

It's all happening at the zoo

Hilary and I took the girls to the zoo today. It was a beautiful Friday in Baltimore and, as expected, the zoo was very crowded with field trips. As two elementary school teachers, we considered rescheduling, but everything went surprisingly well. We went to the Children's Zoo and Jane had a great time brushing the goats and seeing the farm animals. We also got to see the polar bears take a dip and more birds than I care to ever see again.
And what would be the perfect punctuation to such a glorious time?
Why ice cream sandwiches, of course!

Sisters...

It's a GIRL!


So healthy and so peaceful. She was just content to lay there and have her picture taken.
We are thrilled
(and Janie doesn't get it at all!)

Nothing in Moderation

Why wear one headband?

When you can wear three!

A First...

Yes, that's my girl...

holding an "Athletic Award" for finishing her "Busy Bees" Gym Class at the YMCA.

Janie had a great time in her Busy Bees class, such a good time that we signed up for the next session too. They have a two story indoor playground, similar to the ones at McDonalds. Janie was the youngest child to get to the top and the only girl who went down the green slide. Maybe the apple has fallen farther from the Roberts Family Tree than we thought.

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

I was looking through some pictures and found this one from one year ago today. Now, I'm all teary eyed. It's true what they say about the baby years, "The years fly by, but the nights last forever." Okay, now I'm blubbering.

Damn these pregnancy hormones

Daffodils

Spring has sprung!

Auntie Jen

Aunt Jen came and babysat last week. She and Jane had a glorious time. They wore sunglasses, sat in sun chairs outside and watched Elmo together. Really, what more could a nearly two year old ask for? Aunt Jen made quite an impression. Jane is now asking to go "see Jen's house".
I'm thinking an overnighter might be coming soon!

Fairy Tale Ball

Our local library has a program for young children called, "Mother Goose on the Loose". Each week, Jane and I go to the library and listen to stories, sing songs, dance and participate in "Ring Around the Rosie" until we are dizzy. This week, the library had a "Fairy Tale Ball" for the little ones. Jane got to wear princess clothes (courtesy of DeeDee's Costume Rental) and go to the library for a fun party. They had trio of string instruments play ball music, balloons, games, cupcakes and juice. Needless to say, Janie had a blast!

This is a picture of her and her friend Olivia in their costumes.

I love you, Miss Hannigan

Maybe I should take the hint.

Apparently our house is a mess.

Everyone's a critic.

The Next Generation

of playing peoples!

Jane has inherited two of the most valuable pieces of the Roberts Estate. She is the proud owner of the 1970's Fisher Price "Lift and Load Station" and the "A-Frame Play House". She is enjoying these relics as much as me, my siblings, and Merriwether has before her. As you can see, she has modified the Lift and Load Center slightly. I do agree that these loyal plastic employees muchly deserve an outdoor pool. After 38 years of loyal service, it's the least our family can do.

Also, not to exclude the McLoughlin's here, Janie is also sporting the
"Next Generation of McLoughlin Bed-Head".

Little Esther Williams

Thanks to an episode of "Little Bill", Jane got "toddler fixated" on swimming yesterday. So, we put on her "Beebee" suit and let her practice some strokes hoping that would quell her fixation. Well, now she's "toddler obsessed" with going swimming. She woke up this morning asking to incessantly go to the "poo". Looks like we are hitting the indoor pool at the YMCA today! Wish me luck!
(As an aside, my preggo brain almost title this post "Little Ethel Merman". But I should surely save that title for when I get a video of her singing "Every thing's Coming up Roses".

fat food

Jane has become intrigued by the cats. She calls them "RiRi" (Rikki) and "Mommy"(Tommy). Her favorite chore these days is giving the cats their "fat food". She also likes to offer her stuffed cats (as seen in picture) "fat food" many times a day. She also likes to offer me "fat food", but I assure her that I've got that taken care of!

"I deet!"

Toddler Translation: "I did it!"

Janie set the table tonight all by herself. All I did was hand her each item and she put it on the table in the correct spot. Okay, I folded the napkins too--I'm not suggesting she's a genius,
just way above average!

Fan-tastic

Let no one question our loyalties. We bleed purple around here.

www.littlemockingbirds.blogspot.com

Jersey Girl

We spent Good Friday and Saturday visiting Andrew's step father Joseph and his wife Susan in Tom's River, New Jersey. Jane was very taken with "Grandpa Joe" and "Sue" and wanted to hold their hands whenever possible. We went to the beach and the boardwalk, but it was way too windy and cold to get the full effect. We all had a great time and can't wait to visit again this summer! Happy Birthday Grandpa Joe!

Eggcellent!

We took the time to dye Easter eggs before leaving on our whirlwind Easter tour of New Jersey and Philly. We only had one casualty as an over zealous toddler (who shall remain nameless) grabbed the bowl of "boo" dye and it spilled on the dining room table.

Okay, so I've been busy...

you know--creating LIFE and everything!


Jane is going to be a big sister!
That's the big news around here and the reason I haven't been posting lately. I've just been very, very tired. Our latest creation is due September 22nd. This is a picture of our sonogram picture from 8 weeks. If you look very carefully, you can see...something. Truthfully, I have no idea what anyone can make from these pictures. We called Jane "Wilma" when I was pregnant, partly because her sonogram picture looked like the eye of a hurricane. Right now, Andrew is calling the baby "Stewart Gilligan" after Stewie on Family Guy. I am calling the baby "Roger" after Roger the alien on American Dad. Suffice it to say, Andrew and I watch too many adult cartoons.
D'Oh!