Time Out.

Let me begin by saying that many days I feel like I've totally lost control -- of my two-year old that is.  My mom assures me that this is just because I am parenting a two-year old.  But scenarios like these leave me scratching my head (and biting my lip to keep from laughing hysterically).

Fawn:  "I want to kick mommy and go to time out."

Fawn proceeds to kick mommy in the shin (barefooted, so minimal pain inflicted).  Then he puts himself in timeout.

I try not to laugh, but hurry to snap this picture of him in time out:

A couple minutes pass, and Fawn removes himself from time out and comes to find me.

Fawn:  "I all done with time out mommy.  You want a hug?"

Belle:  "I'd love a hug."  Because even after being kicked in the shin, there's nothing I wouldn't love more than a hug from my sweet angel.

Boy's Best Friend.

Fawn's best friend truly is a our sweet dog, Hannah.  While Fawn knows he can butter Buck or me up by saying "you my best friend daddy/mommy", his devotion to Hannah is precious.  He's a bit rough with her, of course, as you could expect any toddler to be.  And the term "gentle" just doesn't seem to make sense to him.  But, he loves her.  And she loves him -- and she keeps coming back for more of his hugs and kisses despite his rough housing.  So, I wasn't surprised at all to walk out of the kitchen and find these two like this:

Best buddies cuddled up on the sofa.  Love it.

Chop.

For those of you who have seen me in the past month, this post is LONG overdue.  But, I finally did it -- finally grew enough hair to donate 10 inches to charity.  I chose Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program, but there are many worthy charities out there who use hair to make wigs for those in need.  I encourage you to do your own research and find the program that best aligns with you.

I have tried to grow my hair out multiple times in the past, but never got past the dreaded point that all women seem to have where their hair no longer grows -- just gets stringier and stringier.  So, multiple times I've given up and gone back to my standard haircut -- the shoulder length bob.  (I know, really daring.)  But between pregnancy hormones and prenatal vitamins, my hair really started growing over the past couple years, and I didn't want it to go to waste.

A few before and after shots:

 Obscenely long for a 29-year old.

No turning back.

(Did I mention that I let a TOTAL stranger do this to me?  My previous hair stylist quit this summer to become a preschool teacher -- so I had to brave this journey with someone new.)

That's a lot of hair!

SHORT, but easy (the day after -- Fawn and I hard at work on some banana bread).

Fawn Picasso.

Fawn loves to paint.  I concur with one of my mommy friends, though, that for the mom, painting is a least favorite activity.  Sure, I want Fawn to do what he loves, and I certainly want to foster creativity.  But, Fawn's two.  He has the attention span of an ant.  So, in my house painting goes something like this:

Fawn:  "I want to paint mommy"
Belle:  "Okay -- let's get the painting stuff out"

Fawn watches as I (1) spread a drop clothe out on the kitchen floor ("Mommy got the drop clothe" -- thanks for the commentary); (2) tie an apron on Fawn as to protect his pjs (this activity almost always occurs in the morning); (3) get out the paintbrushes, paints, and cups for each color; (4) move the easel from the playroom to the kitchen; and (5) get Fawn ready to go.  Needless to say, while this isn't cumbersome, it's not the quickest activity to set up.

The Fawn starts painting.  I have barely enough time to find my camera and snap a quick picture (see below) before I hear the two magic words of toddlerhood "all done."

I quickly wash hands/face/feet (the paint miraculously gets everywhere) and remove the apron.  Fawn is on to puzzles, Thomas, or racing cars as I repeat steps (1) through (5) in the reverse.  Whew.  Hope it was really fun, buddy.

Blueberry Pudding.

Yep, you read it correctly.  Blueberry pudding -- as in banana pudding with a twist.  I love banana pudding, but wanted to mix things up a bit.  A few years ago I started making this, and we love it.  Give it a try -- or experiment with your own winning combination.  The concept is this -- replace the fruit (banana) with another fruit, and the pudding flavor (vanilla) with a different flavor.  See what you come up with. 

The blueberries in the south are absolutely delicious for so many of the warm months, and they are one of my favorites.  What to pair with blueberries?  Lemon, of course.  I'm a sucker for all things citrus.  (Citrus and sour were the only ways I survived the horrendous morning all day sickness I had when pregnant with Fawn.)  Now go to town.  Choose your favorite banana pudding recipe (traditional Nilla Wafers and whipped cream -- or Chessman cookies with cream cheese a la Paula Dean) and substitute with your fruit and pudding flavors. 

A great spring and summer treat!

Spring Cleaning.

Have I officially turned into a middle-aged southern lady?  I hung this Easter wreath on my front door Saturday morning to kick off a day of spring cleaning.  Buck took Fawn to the farm bright and early -- which gave me a day to myself.  While my fantasy day would have consisted of: a latte at Starbucks with a copy of US Weekly or People in hand, followed by a mani/pedi and an afternoon of shopping, reality presented different plans.  Reality: four loads of laundry, gathering all of my donations for Junior League's Bargain Carousel, finishing Fawn's baby book, and prepping Fawn's new big boy room.  Whew!  But, let me tell you, it's amazing how much you can accomplish when you don't have two little hands creating a tornado in their wake. 

Bright.

For a kid who loves to be outside, Fawn hates bright sunlight.  Hates it -- especially when we are travelling in the car.  "Turn off the bright mommy" I often hear from the backseat when we are driving towards sunlight.  While the almost ever-presence of the Alabama cap helps Fawn with this issue, I recently invested in a pair of sunglasses for the little man.  "Invested" is a loose term -- I spent $5 to buy two pairs of sunglasses at The Children's Place outlet in Leeds.  I figured the second pair would come in handy when we inevitably lose the first pair.  (I am notorious for losing sunglasses -- Buck gave me a very nice pair of sunglasses for my birthday one year while we were in college.  I "misplaced" them in the KD house and to this day he has not let me live it down.)  Fawn loves his sunglasses, and loves that they have their own special place of honor in my car -- the sunglasses holder (as mine float around in my purse).  Thought you might like some pics of Mr. Cool in his shades.

Balaam and His Donkey.

Fawn's great-grandmother (Buck's paternal grandmother) gave us a children's Bible for Fawn's first Christmas.  We didn't get it out right away because Fawn wasn't sitting through long stories at the time -- but we've been reading it at night since Christmas, and Fawn loves his Bible stories.  We read a couple a night, and Fawn requests songs that he knows that correlate (Father Abraham had many sons; Sing Hosanna; Rise and Shine).  Very cute, and I'm hoping giving Fawn at least a basic understanding of the characters in the Bible. 

Last night we were reading about Balaam and his donkey and Fawn correctly pointed out that the depiction of Balaam is a very hefty man.  Fawn's comment: "Balaam too fat for that donkey mommy".  Not exactly the message presented, but at least he's interested.

PS -- In an effort of full disclosure, I have to admit that the simplicity of the children's Bible has been a wonderful review and reiteration of stories and even some tough theological concepts for me.  If you've got young children, pick one up and check it out!

Time Change.

I must say, despite losing an hour of sleep, I like springing forward much more than falling back.  (I would use "technical" terms here, but I have to say that I have no clue when we are in "daylight savings time" and when we are not.  I just change the clocks -- or rather make sure Buck has changed the clocks -- when the calendar dictates.)  Reason?  Better schedule for Fawn.  Fawn is getting up AFTER 7 (a true spring miracle), and napping at 1 instead of noon.  Falling back with toddlers is for the birds (who wants their day to start at 5 am even if you get an extra hour of sleep?). 

The scientific math:

Bad schedule for Fawn + extra hour of sleep = no fun for even a well-rested mommy

Good schedule for Fawn - one hour of sleep + extra cup of coffee = very happy mommy

We heart Railroad Park.

I have been hearing about Railroad Park for years -- how it was going to be built and transform downtown Birmingham.  Being a lover my hometown, I was so excited about the possibilities. 

In my former life as a full-time lawyer, I worked downtown everyday and I loved it.  Birmingham is an interesting city in that you can live in the suburbs literally only minutes from downtown and not even really know the fabulous city in your backyard.  I want Fawn to spend time downtown, I want him to know downtown -- and love it just like I do.  While there's certainly something wonderful about the community and peace of the suburbs, we are truly lucky that we can have the best of both worlds.

So what can you do with your kiddos downtown?  The most obvious answer is the McWane Center.  We also try to frequent the various "special events" (like the Magic City Art Connection) held in Lynn Park.  There are parades on holidays.  There's Pepper Place market from early spring to late fall (try coupling that trip with a trip to Urban Standard, which is surprisingly kid-friendly).  Make a lunch date downtown -- and park a couple blocks away so your kids get to experience walking through the city (Fawn loves to look at the big buildings).  While we're not quite there age-wise, there's the art museum.  Not to mention great libraries and hidden parks.  And now, for the last six months or so, Railroad Park, which has become our go-to downtown destination.

Fawn loves the playground, observing the trains, and simply running around like a wild-man.  Railroad Park shows the city at its finest.  It is one of the most spectacular views of the city -- absolutely breathtaking on a clear, blue day.  Railroad Park, you've exceeded my expectations -- and you are making our city better.  Not to mention, you are a great destination for a picnic with Buck on a beautiful 'bama day.  We'll be back soon!

Patrolling the Park with Daddy

After so much playing, it was time to eat.

Adult Dance Classes!

As I've mentioned previously, I have a wonderful side job teaching ballet at Steeple Arts Academy of Dance in Crestline.  It is a fabulous place, owned and run by a wonderful family.  It's where I grew up dancing and is one of the places I feel most at home and most at peace.

It's a fantastic place to send your children -- not only will they learn to love to dance, but they will be so excited to walk through the doors.  It's also a great place to go yourself!  Steeple Arts now has a great line-up of adult classes at night:

Mondays & Wednesdays 6:30-7:30 ZUMBA

Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 Adult Hip Hop

Thursdays 5:30-6:45 Ladies Ballet

 

I love the Thursday night Ladies Ballet class (that is when Buck gets home in time for me to attend....).  Hope to see you there!

Oil Change.

Reason number 1 why I get ripped off at car maintenance places: I am female.

Reason number 2: when I went to get my oil changed on Tuesday ($5 off ladies day -- always up for a bargain) I didn't know how to pop my hood.  Instead of asking for help, I tried to save face by whipping out my owner's manual and scanning the index for "hood".  The very kind attendant realized what was going on and helped me out -- with a straight face nonetheless.

Happy Driving!

John Deere Tractor Had a Farm.

I know in my short time blogging, I've already written about the song Old McDonald had a farm.  Here goes again (which should underscore 1. how much we sing songs, especially this one and 2. how obsessed Fawn is with all things farm).  Doc (Buck's dad) taught Fawn a new version of the song a few weeks ago, inserting Fawn's name in the song instead of Old McDonald's name.  Very cute.

Fawn must have picked up on the fact that it's perfectly fine to change words because he's caught a little creative bug of his own.  Now, when sung at our house, the song begins with:

John Deere Tractor had a farm
E I E I O
And on that farm he had a tractor
E I E I O
With a chug chug here
And a chug chug there
Here a chug there a chug
Everywhere a chug chug
John Deere Tractor had a farm
E I E I O

Happy singing farmers! 

Thank you Craneworks!

Fawn and I (accompanied by my mom) went to Big Machine Day at the McWane Center in February.  What a great event -- I have to give a huge hats off to the folks at Craneworks who sponsored the event and were so wonderful with all the little children explaining the machinery.  I knew just by the name of the event that it would be a huge hit with Fawn, but it exceeded my expectations.  19th Street was blocked off in front of the McWane Center and filled with all sorts of machinery -- cranes, excavators, a dump truck, a forklift, and a fire truck, just to name a few.  And, all were open for the kids to sit in and pretend to drive. Truly awesome event -- can't wait for next year.

All the kids received Craneworks hard hats upon arrival (Fawn really did love his hat, despite the slightly sad look on his face!).

Some fascinating knob.

Driving is tough work.

All smiles.

The horn on the dump truck was so loud!

This is definitely a "two grown-ups required" event.  You need one grown-up to tend to toddler, while second grown-up is designated "line stander".  While Fawn had an absolute ball, waiting in lines just isn't for him (he's two people!).  I tried to explain "taking turns" to Fawn.  His response: "I don't like turns mommy" (translation -- I don't like it when other kids have turns, I should get to do whatever I want, whenever I want, for as long as I want).  Great.

Again, a huge thank you to Craneworks!  You made a lot of little ones so happy at Big Machine Day!

Alabama cap.

Fawn loves his Alabama cap (do not call it a hat, it's a cap, for the record).  Buck's parents gave it to him a few months ago and he wears it basically everywhere.  Even to church.  I take the parenting mantra of "pick your battles" to heart.  If an Alabama cap is going to mean that I drop off a happy toddler in the church nursery as opposed to a screaming toddler, bring on the Alabama cap.

Found: Plain White Tees.

You know the kind -- for monogramming, appliqueing, and layering.  No pockets!!!  Target (Cherokee brand).  $8 for long sleeved and $6 for short sleeved.  Not as cheap as Walmart ($3.50 a pop!), but still better than Old Navy.  Run, don't walk!