Happy Birthday to Me!

yes, happy birthday to me! happy birthday dear me! happy birthday to me!

the best part about birthday's, according to bean, is cake. so, daddy and bean made a cake for mommy.
they put in the "grediants". they mixed it good. and they baked it.
they decorated it. bean tried tasting it when she thought no one was looking!

obviously once you decorate a cake it must be eaten. and bean loves her chocolate. she licked the plate clean... unfortunately she couldn't lick herself clean. there was chocolate on her face, arms, chest, tummy, legs, hands... you name it there was chocolate there. she didn't care, she had birthday cake and that was all that mattered!

when she got up in the morning i asked her if she got me a gift. she said "yes!" i asked her what she got me. she said "a book and a razor". what??

well, i did get a razor... in a way. my husband upgraded my phone. i now have a moto razr. of course bean did not know that was the phone i would pick....... or did she? hmmmmm.

this is my birthday. hubby is taking me out to eat and to see the harry potter movie. (yes, i read book 7. it took less than 3 days, it was very good!) i gotta go get ready!

Happy Birthday to me!

in case you have to know, i'm 33 today. bah!

Centennial Bean!

here it is- centennial bean! my 100th post! woo hoo! and sadly i have nothing interesting to say.... typical. sigh.

we have had another SUPER busy weekend. bean got to go visit her nana and papa. she picked tomatoes with her great grandma. (and she ate about 30 cherry tomatoes in two days... maybe more, i lost count!) papa tried to teach her to ride her tricycle. she picked wild flowers in the field. she jumped on a trampoline (or jumping room as she called it) for the first time. she batted a ball off a tee for the first time. plus a lot more. does it make you tired just reading that? it should. ;)

this is a picture of her riding home in the car. she has her all important doodle pro in her lap and her daddy's sunglasses on her head. (and a red mark on her forehead from falling on the trampoline- sigh.) does she look tired? of course not! how is it that toddlers seem to have a never ending supply of energy?!?!

i feel like i should have a cute little antidote about bean. my mind is completely blank at this moment.
maybe i'll have something better to say tomorrow, it is my birthday after all.....

Thursday's Theme: Fair

here is my shot of bean for today's theme- fair! we weren't actually at a fair (we are at a small town festival) but she is eating her very first funnel cake. i think that funnel cakes qualify as fair food, so here we are. :)

she worked really hard licking all the powdered sugar off those pieces of funnel cake. she did eat it, she just wanted to remove all traces of sugar first. what a turkey! ha!

so, do you have any fair pictures?? head on over to tracey's and share them, we'd all love to see them!


oh, mommee, my birthday is actually tuesday.... ;)

Bean at the Base

friday afternoon bean got to head out to the air base to pick up her uncle. the first picture is of bean seeing the two t-38's coming in. the second is... well, maybe awe (i'm not really sure). these jets are LOUD and FAST so that is probably what that look is about. she seemed to really like watching them land.

we were standing in front of the building waiting for him and a man said he would take us out to the planes. (yay!) so on the way out the man says, "this a son, brother, husband?" my sister-in-law says "its is my husband." bean quickly follows with "he's my uncle!" everyone thought that was just too cute!

so here is a shot of bean meeting her uncle out at his jet. she is yelling "hi uncle bill, hi!" she got to look inside the plane- grandpa lifted her up to look.

bean really had fun having her uncle there. we went to a wedding and she danced and danced with him. it was cute. too bad he couldn't stay longer, he had to head back sunday morning.

this was just part of the VERY busy weekend we had! and well, we are going out of town again this weekend too!

Thursday's Theme: Drip

today is thusday, which means its time for thursday's theme!

today's theme is drip. thus this delightful picture of my daughter with a giant drip of drool pouring from her mouth! hooray! HA!

you see we took her to the splash park for the first time yesterday. she was so excited- until we got there. she was terrified and began to cry. the drool just comes when she starts crying like that. of course i'm the mean mom that makes her go in even though she is crying. i knew she would like it if she just did it! i was right, of course. about 3 minutes later she was running through the water like a crazy person and loving every second of it. why all the drama when we got there?!?! i mean really! :)

i added a couple of bonus shots of her actually enjoying the water. she has asked twice if we could go back already. will we go back? of course! it is clearly fun and FREE so why not!

if you want to see more drips go visit tracey at picture this! you won't be disappointed, i'm sure! better yet, if you have a shot that is a great drip image, share it! :)

That's right!

she got a tattoo today when we went to "wacky wednesday" at this park in a near by town. it involved a craft (decorating your own bug house), hunting for bugs in the demonstration prairie, and of course, this tattoo. best part- it only cost $1!!!!!!!!! quick question though... umm, do temporary tattoos come with temporary attitude?? just wondering...... ;)

anyways, it was a great day. bean went with her cousins. they played on the play ground, made their boxes, found grasshoppers (which my sister is very good at catching!), and then played some more. afterwards, we took them to the splash park nearby and ate a picnic lunch. i'll have pictures of that tomorrow... lets just say i have a great one for tomorrow's theme (drip) and it probably isn't what you are thinking!

big weekend coming up. gotta pick up sister-in-law at the airport tomorrow and then we all go to the in laws for a family friend's wedding. plus, the softball tournament that my husband is in. plus, a little early celebration of my birthday. etc, etc, etc. you get the picture, i'm sure....

Best Shot Monday

hey, it's monday! and since monday is a day we can ALL use a laugh, i present to you... "bean with undies on her head!"

no, we haven't made any progress with the potty. we are still in full regress. but a new approach was necessary. we put undies on her to let her know how good they feel on. (and i put her on the potty whenever i thought she may need to go.)

well, lets just say it didn't go that well. she loved the undies and i thought that was a great sign. she was interested in the "big potty", another good sign. while sitting on the big potty she took the undies and put them on her head.... i don't know what kind of sign that is! ha!!

it turns out there were no signs. no, none at all. ten minutes after getting off the potty she peed in those undies. THEN about 10 minutes after that she pooped in another pair. this would be fine except that she didn't care. she didn't care that she was all wet. didn't care that she peed on elmo. didn't care that she made a big wet puddle in her playroom. i was expecting her to get upset... oh well. still not ready i guess. sigh.

anyways, enjoy these ridiculous pictures of bean on the potty with undies on her head! i need to go do laundry..... :)
go visit tracey for more great shots!!!

In an Effort to Save Our Sanity...

we have two new rules at our house. there is ALWAYS nap time at our house and bean eats what i make for dinner.

rule number one: 2:00 is "quite time". (giving nap time a new name has helped somewhat, believe it or not) she is not required to sleep BUT she must stay in her crib for an hour before we will let her out. i told her "i don't care what you do in here but we both need a chance to rest. lets have our quiet time so that we can play more later." so far she is cool with that. thursday was the only day this week that she didn't sleep at all (she played happily in her crib for about an hour and 10 minutes though). this is proof to me that she still does need a nap. it also means that i will continue to get my mid-day break. yippee!

rule number two: the entree i make for dinner is the entree she gets! bean is really good about veggies and fruits but wow, entrees are an issue. she needs to try new foods! so, i make 2 veggies she likes and give her some of what we are having too. i figure if she's hungry she will eat it. well, no, she is stubborn. but she has learned that if she eats the designated portion daddy will share a popsicle with her. i don't love this bribe (i actually hate bribes and i'm just waiting for them to backfire on daddy!) BUT she has eaten MEAT for two nights this week!!!! this is NO small feat, believe me! so hooray for bean eating pork chop and grilled chicken!

we will see how these rules go. the nap one should be fine, the food one..... well i'll keep you posted on that one! HA!

Thursday's Theme: Heat

thursday's theme is heat. so, i decided to show a few pictures that showed how we tried to "beat the heat" this past weekend went temperatures soared over the 90 degree mark!

first i give you bean eating a popsicle. she is wrapped in her cover up because she just got out of the pool. i love this picture!
oh, and i love those popsicles! they are lemonade bomb pops. three flavors of lemonade! yum!

then as an added bonus you get two shots of bean running in the hose. this is one of her absolute favorite things to do. it doesn't even have to be hot outside, if she sees a hose she will beg you to spray her! ha! it is pretty funny considering that she doesn't want you to get her head wet in the bathtub or the pool! hmmm.

that is what we did to beat the heat this past weekend. if you have any heat pictures to share head on over to tracey's and share!!

oh, and thanks to all you lovely people who leave such wonderful comments about my pictures. i really appreciate them! THANKS! :)

Mystery Rashes and Babies and Stuff...

here is a bean pic for you to enjoy. i know, she is lovely, isn't she? i just wish she'd make up her mind about napping. you see she thinks she only needs one every other day- that isn't really true. she NEEDS one everyday still. she is just trying to take control of the situation i think. i did get her to nap two days in a row now... oh god, does that mean she will skip two days in a row??? certainly not, right!?!?

anyways, i had a mysterious rash one year ago. guess what! it's BACK. sigh. i'm oh so itchy. still no idea what is causing it, although the doctor suspects an environmental allergy since i got it two years in a row at literally the EXACT same time. if i get it next year i get to be tested for allergies. ahhh, fun. i'm also being blessed with sinus pressure and congestion. sigh. oh and i'm so tired i think i may fall asleep sitting in front of the computer. bah!

mommee had her baby yesterday! everyone is doing great. i think the little guy looks a lot like his brother... but that is just me. i will see him in person hopefully tomorrow. i'm guessing that she'll have pictures up in a couple of days so that you can all oooh and ahhh over him. :) congratulations to mommee, daddy and big brother!!! bean is excited to have a new friend!

Best Shot Monday

ahh, monday....

bean went to the beach yesterday for a picnic. she really enjoyed looking at the water... and throwing rocks into it! he he! don't ask me what she was looking at in this picture, i have NO idea! i just think she is cute!

if you have any great pictures you want to share head on over to tracey's!

oh! and good luck wishes go out to mommee today- she's being induced this afternoon. baby #2 will be here soon! hooray!

Creative Bean

here are a few pictures of bean trying out her new finger paints! when i told her she was going to paint she immediately asked for a brush! ha! i told her no, these were special paints that you used with your fingers. she didn't seem to believe me at first....
so yeah, once she got covered in paint she really seemed to love it! of course she had to use all six colors so the final painting is brown, but you'll have that with finger paints! :)


her other creative spark came a couple days ago in the form of her own song. yes, she made up a song! it is called "the ant song". she ran around the yard singing:
"ant, ant, ant song! ant, ant, ant song! ant song! ant song!"
it was terribly cute (and funny-daddy almost fell out of his chair laughing). i told her it was a great song, and she yelled out
"yeah it is!!!"
:)

Thursday's Theme: Spectacle

Ahhh, today's theme is spectacle! and here are my "bean free" pictures to go along with the theme! (amazing isn't it?!)

first we have this awesome sunset before the fireworks began. it seems that that little cloud just above the roof line there was casting a shadow across the whole sky! pretty cool, huh?

secondly, i tried taking some pictures of the fireworks themselves. i've never attempted this before and i will say it is NOT EASY! these are two of the best pictures i got. i can't tell you how many "black" pictures i got from hitting the shutter too late!

these were bean's first fireworks. i can't say that she loved them BUT i can't say she hated them either. sadly, i think she was just too tired to care that much! ;)

if you want to see any more "spectacles" head over to tracey's and see what everyone else was up to this 4th!

Happy Birthday Little Bean!

Little Bean on her birth day- July 4, 2005.

6 pounds 15 ounces
20 inches

life is new and full of possibilities!


Little Bean on her first birthday.

21 pounds 1 ounce
30 inches

my goodness! look how much you grew in just 12 months!! you are walking and talking and ready to take on the world!


Little Bean on her second birthday

26 pounds 10 ounces
35 1/2 inches

you can run, jump, dance, and spin. you make up your own songs. you LOVE books. you amaze mommy with all the stuff that you know!





it has been an amazing experience watching you grow from that tiny baby into a wonderful little girl! mama loves you!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BEAN!

How to eat cake and ice cream.

now, these pictures don't show the whole mess. her shirt was covered in ice cream drips and cake crumbs when she was done... no picture of that. why? i was too afraid of what she was going to touch with that much chocolate on her! i got her all cleaned up and clothes changed and thought, "hmm, probably should have taken a picture of that!"

anyways, the first picture is of her licking the dripping ice cream off her arm. she is holding a piece of ice cream in that hand. for some reason she felt that this was the best way to eat it! the second is of her about to cram another piece of cake into her mouth. she really liked her cake and ice cream and declared that she wanted more.

oh and for any one who wanted to see the cake here it is:

just three layers (10 inch, 8 inch, and 6 inch). iced in white butter cream icing. graham cracker crumbs poured over the top. then lastly, decorated with shells and star fish. i was really impressed that it turned out that good... i mean i think it really looks like a sandcastle that has been sitting out in the sun and is starting to crumble.

thanks for all the nice birthday wishes for bean everyone!!

Best Shot Monday

phew! the weekend is over! oh wait, this week is going to be just as hectic! happy monday everyone!

this was a big, important weekend for bean, her birthday party was saturday. 2 years old! ahhh! of course she doesn't officially turn 2 until wednesday, but close enough. how did she get this old so fast?!?!?!

the day was BEAUTIFUL- sunny and around 80 degrees. the party was great fun. the food was yummy. my sandcastle cake was not the disaster i feared it would be.... you know it was a good party when the mommy throwing it had a good time!!

anyways, back to my best shot... ok, liar, my sister's best shot. my little sister manned the camera during the gift opening and got these shots of her. GREAT JOB, g!! i gave the camera to the right person- someone that knows that the zoom is their friend! especially when there are 4 other little girls hovering over the gifts! :)

so, do you have any great shots to share??? stop over to tracey's and let us see them!!
oh, and to those of you who saw my thursday's theme picture... sadly, i really don't have an "end" picture. i do, however, have pictures of her eating cake and ice cream with her hands at her birthday party... maybe i'll share that tomorrow. :)

Thursday's Theme: Begin

begin. that is a hard one!!!

this is what i came up with. this is a picture that i like to call "how to begin to eat a cupcake"! funny huh? :) this is the first time i gave her the cupcake whole, usually i cut it into a couple pieces. she was very excited about getting to have the cupcake "big" but she just wasn't sure how or where to begin!

i can't wait to see what everyone else chose to post for begin! if you are interested too, head on over to tracey's and check it out!

What?! Where did those come from?!?!

look at all those teeth!

ok, so tonight i'm brushing bean's teeth, which is no simple task seeing as she HATES to have it done. it usually involves her opening her mouth just wide enough for the tooth brush to get in and me holding her in some sort of head lock. yeah, its that fun.
i'm brushing as best i can. trying to get all the teeth before she shuts her mouth completely when i notice something. i put the brush down and tell her to open as wide as she can. yes, i did see what i thought i saw... an extra set of molars worked their way in on the bottom and i didn't even notice!! so i have her open again and look at the top... one part way in on the top too!!! how can a kid get three new teeth and a mom not even notice?!?!? wow. i really gotta pay more attention, or something.

Ahhh, a Cow!!!!!!!!!

i share this image because of the pure comic glee it inspires in me!

yeah, that is a big cow bean. you can touch it. here get a little closer.... ahhh, the cow is moving! ahhh!
HE HE HE HE HE!!!!!!

no really, she wasn't that scared. she just was startled when the cow decided to rub up against the board there... had an itch to scratch i guess!

oh... we took her to a historical farm. they do everything there just as they did in the 1880's. we had a great time! bean LOVED the animals. they had some fairly new lamb, piglets, and a calf. there was also tons of ducklings and goslings. it was one of the most fun things we have ever done with her. i highly recommend taking your toddler to a farm! :)

Best Shot Monday

hello monday, what have you got for us today?!?!

here are my best shots monday. now, they are heavily edited... silly me had my camera on the WRONG setting and all the pictures were too dark- like, i can't see her face at all dark! aaak! so i cropped and brightened a lot yesterday. sigh. i don't think these are technical masterpieces by any means.

these are pictures of bean in a bouncy castle at her friend's birthday party. she was afraid to get in it. the birthday girl's mom was very nice and got all the big kids out so that bean could try it. well, once she figured out what the castle was for- we couldn't get her out, even when the big kids went back in! she loved it. she didn't even want to stop when she bonked heads with the birthday girl (they were holding hands and jumping together). these pictures are just happy, joyful, and fun. they make me smile. that is why they are my best shot of the week.
did you take anything that made you smile? stop by tracey's and share it with us!!!