ah. Totally Random, but still cute

This week, tough to describe but mostly filled with the prospect of possibilities.  The very real possibility that potty training is going to quickly turn me having to figure out what to do with a brand new box of 100 count size 5 diapers. Anyone? And the prospect of my little one headed to a for real daycare/preschool for the first time.

I knew it was time for both events to happen, potty training and placement in "school", but both meant big steps for this little one that I just can't imagine her not being little anymore.  Our first real true "go" at potty training has been, knock on wood, a great success and I might be calling it a victory quite soon.  I'm so proud, and the idea of no diapers in my life is 99% a happy thing. 

And school. This girl, she's a smart one. She's strong willed. She's lively. She's bright. She's the life of the party. She has places to go and people to see... and school better watch out - because Josie's about to crash the party and hopefully thrive in her new environment.  It was a tough transition for me, going from an in home sitter to sending her out into the world at a true daycare - but I can't deny the incredible opportunities her new daycare will provide.  I want to quit my job and see if I can sign up, to tell you the truth!  The art, the gymnastics, the weekly topics, the sports, the science projects, the tie dye days... she's going to love it and I'm just so completely excited for her and this new experience for her.

Girls' Day

The before, pretty cute actually - if i do say so myself.  The bangs were getting out of control though.  So off to the salon we went.  Sadly "my" regular stylist was out of town this week, so we gave the kiddie cuts place a whirl.

Not entirely impressed with the kiddie place, but it was probably a treat for Josie to get her hair cut in a pink jeep and watching Dora the whole time.  But back to my stylist for the next cut.  Surprisingly, the kiddie cut place, a lot more expensive than I was expecting. I must be paying for those Dora dvd's ;) Lesson learned! Ah, and I must note - JJ kept calling the stylist a doctor ;) random yet funny. The flip flops, tank top and neon orange comb didn't strike me as doctor-ish, but ok.

Just a little off the back and the cute pixie bangs that I adore. I dream of how cute she'd look with a shoulder cut, just like all the little girls I saw in Paris with the side clip in their hair. Maybe next time. For now, I'm still loving the curls and being able to braid and ponytail it whenever I want.

And our special treat for the day, #1 for being good at the "hair cut store", but secondly and more importantly because she has continued to stay "clean and dry" (a potty training trick a dear friend just taught me) ... we walked down the street to the cupcake store.

I chose Salted Carmel and JJ chose Cherry Chip.  We both shared bites of each cupcake, leaving not more than a crumb or two in the end.

I like the idea of cupcakes for lunch on our special girls' day out.  Who needs a well balanced meal when you have sugar and sprinkles?

A Night on the Beach

I have to remind myself, not everyone has an incredible lake shore just a hop and skip from home - and take for granted how lucky we are.  Yesterday, as the temps topped out at 99 degrees and the heat index substantially higher, it was all we could do to keep cool.  Come evening, we were looking for something to do, something cool, and something fun. 

Only 20 minutes for us to go from our driveway to the lakeshore.  The lakeshore is always several degrees cooler and with the sun setting the sand was cool and the breezes off the lake were refreshing.

The beach was still busy with people, but thinned out enough that we had free range to roam as the sun set over the Chicago skyline. I'm absolutely positive the beach would have been packed, every inch, if we had arrived mid day.

We didn't even plan on swimming, although the lake water has finally reached swimmable temps, but played in the sand, collected and skipped rocks, and got our feet wet.

By the time we left, the sun was really closing in on the horizon, our feet were full of sand and we were ready to call it a night.  A perfect way to cap off one of the hottest days of the year.  I had hoped to get a family shot, perfect sunset orange hues and all... but alas my tipod mount has gone missing. 

We'll just have to come back again soon and do it all over again as soon as I find it :)



Oh Deer

Truth be told, I'm a little more likely to invite the deer hunters into my neighborhood before the season opens, to say I was a upset to find a deer had discovered my beloved garden last week would have been an understatement.  Close to tears, before I got a grip and assessed the damage.  Just when the picking was getting good, the deer realized the same thing.



My fence, classy, right?  Best I could come up with on short notice. And while I KNOW a deer can hop right over it and bee line right to my tomatoes again - in my head I have a little peace of mind thinking the fence will at least slow them down.  Oh, and deer spray - fingers crossed they stay away!!!!  All is not lost, although the deer ate all of my ripe tomatoes, all of my lettuce and all the leaves off my green beans.  Luckily, many more tomatoes on the vine and the bushes are growing sky high, and the beans are still there but naked of any leaves!

Ah, and the fence does a good job of keeping this one out too.  She likes to dig deep in that black dirt and get it all over herself and make a mess of the garden bed - necessitating a long long soak in the tub at night to get close to clean.  She's cute, I'll keep her.

Monkey See

I'm unsure what it is about being outside helping dad that so entertains Josie, but I'm ever so thankful for her curiosity to do so, and her sense to be right there to help.

I say it often, "monkey see, monkey do"... and in this case, at least with these two, it's so true.  Josie being the monkey, of course ;)  She knows dad's tools and watches him keenly as he works on, in this case, the rototiller (for me, my endless gardening endeavours, what a guy ;).   And of course I'd be lying if I wasn't also honest in saying it gives me a lot of time to get things done in the house for my lovely house guests arriving soooooon!  

And apparently her squirt gun needed some fixing too, she's clever and imaginative - no doubt.

Even dad's get "owies", how do you spell that? Luckily dad owies are fixed with kisses too.

Ahhh, and never have I been more sure, yellow was the right choice. :)

Helpers

Ahh, it's about time I got some help around here!  They're just the right height to wash the lower half of the car that is so inconvenient for me to bend over to get.  Not much else to report, trying to stay cool - it's definitely hot summer days in these parts.

Fourth - 2011

Our Fourth weekend, which I'm only now recovering from - was a blast!  Fond memories of my childhood and my dad lighting the neighborhood sky on the Fourth were brought back with the little fireworks we tinkered around with at our house. 

You know, the snakes, the smoke bombs - and yes, sparklers (under the strictest of adult supervision, of course!)

The kids thought everything was great.  This was Josie's first year seeing fireworks, and staying up past dark was a trick in and of itself.  But we of course waited until after dark and enjoy a few big fountains and "artillary shells", as they call them, and that was good enough for us.  Next year I think JJ will be big enough to go to the big display at the park.