That's What They Said: Differences and Trickery

Amalia:  Mommy, do you have a penis?
Me:  No.
Baylor:  (to Amalia)  I have a penis!
Amalia:  Do boys have penises?
Me:  Yes, boys have penises.  Girls do not.
Amalia:  (apologetically) Ohhh, that happens sometimes.


Amalia:  (to Baylor while they are both sitting on the potty)  You have a good penis.
Baylor:  Thanks!  I like your shirt.
Amalia:  Thanks!  It's white.
Baylor:  I like your socks, too.


Amalia:  (having a pretend phone conversation with someone)  Just give me a call and we can talk it over.


Baylor:  The door to my dungeon is made of stones painted blue.
Me:  Ah, very cool, buddy!  (hoping to get him to draw actual stones)  What do stones look like?
Baylor:  Rocks.
Me:  (smiling)  Well, yes.  What do rocks look like?
Baylor:  Stones.


Bryson:  (after hearing how I'd been tricked by stones and rocks earlier)  Baylor, what are stones and rocks like?
Baylor:  They're the same!


Amalia:  Mommy, you look pretty today.
Me:  Aww, thank you, Mollie!
Amalia:  Not as pretty as D.W. (Arthur's sister in the Marc Brown books)
Me:  Oh, okay.
Amalia:  But you are still pretty.

Splish Splash!

The kids took a bath the other night and I decided to document it, as I hadn't done that in a while and things have changed so much since they both are freely moving about the tub.

Before her bath, or anytime she has to change her clothes I guess, Mollie likes to help take off her diaper.  Being an adorable nearly-two year-old, she does it the prim and proper way, undoing the velcro strips just like they should be.

Of course, she has to lift up her belly to find them first.  It is beyond adorable every time she does it!

Baylor always claims to prefer baths without Mollie, but looking at these pictures I struggle to understand why.  They look like they are having so much fun!

Before Mollie came along, our bath time was relatively dry, as far as the parents were concerned.  Then Miss Mollie, with her energy and silliness, entered our lives and well, bath time has never been the same.  

And I rather like it that way.

Great Concept ... Messy Execution

I swear, that could be the title of most posts about kids stuff.  But in this case, I'm talking about squeeze applesauce.  We got some a couple weeks ago at Costco and the kids both successfully ate it a couple times on their own. Of course, when I REALLY need him to eat it properly, he squirts it all over himself.  His shirt and shorts took the brunt of it.  Oh, did I mention we were in Meijer?  And did I mention it was the BEGINNING of our trip?  So he rode around the Plainfield Meijer looking like this ... 

And yes, he did get cold in the refrigerated section.

Still, I whole-heartedly believe that, with a little practice, he could get this down and not make another mess.  (I'm dreaming, right?)

Topless Time ... *sigh*

The other day, Mollie had decided she'd had enough with her shirt.  So she took it off.  I'll admit, she needed a little help when her right arm got stuck and I did help her, but most of it she did by herself.

I love this little girl!  She may be a stinker sometimes, but she's so incredibly sweet!

Then she decided to do a little cooking in the play kitchen.  Ah, what a sight!  (Oh, and I did not choose her shoes ... she did that.)

What a funny little lady!

Valentine's Day with Two Kids

Valentine's day is not typically one of my favorite holidays; I've had enough crummy ones to leave a bad taste in my mouth.  But with kids like mine, it's hard not to enjoy a sweet holiday like this one, and we spent most of our day saying our "I love yous" and snuggling.

Baylor enjoyed a little Lego time when Mollie was down for her nap, and he came to me, proud as can be, with a letter "I" he made!  

Then it was time for lunch and he requested French PB & J.  Knowing how messy that can get and how lightly-colored his clothes were, I decided to let him eat in the buff.  What kid doesn't love a little naked time?

Mollie soon got up from her nap and was all smiles as we enjoyed lunch together.

Yes, I made him wear a bib.  It still caught a lot of food, and it was easier for me to clean up.

Don't worry, he still managed to get jelly all over himself ... particularly after his bib turned into a cape.

Mollie thought that was applause-worthy.

She's such a funny bunny!

Since my husband had class, we spent Valentine's day dinner with my parents and sister.  My parents gave the kids and my husband and I some Valentine's gifts the day before (a Playdoh fun factory for b, an Olivia doll for A, and the Sound of Music DVD and soundtrack for us all to share), but my sister had a couple gifts for the kiddos to enjoy on the actual day.  She got Mollie this huge, nubby ball; Mollie is a HUGE fan of balls so it was a total hit!  And Baylor got one of those wire bead mazes, which he found fascinating.

Ah, one can never have too many balls, you know?

He was lost deep in concentration when he played with this new toy.

Mollie, of course, wanted to play too, but Baylor wasn't cool with that for too long.

So Aunt Christine hopped in and read the little lady a book.

We had lots of fun!

And the night was capped off with German chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting!  Baylor hoovered his like we never feed the kid.  I swear, we do!

All in all, it was a really great day!  (Especially as far as Valentine's Days go.)

Tasty Tuesday: French PB & J

Or, as Baylor calls it, "Fwench PB & J".

Anyhow, I digress.

Here's the recipe, if you can call it that.  It's basically two slices of my version of French toast with peanut butter and jelly in the middle.

French PB & J

2 slices of honey oatmeal bread (or whatever kind you like, really)
1 egg
a splash of milk
a splash of vanilla
a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon
reduced fat peanut butter
red raspberry jelly

Combine the egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a wide, shallow bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork.  Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Dredge each slice of bread through the egg mixture, thoroughly coating both sides.  Place directly onto the skillet, turning when the egg mixture on the bread is cooked (it should look light brown and separate easily from the skillet).  Remove from heat.  Spread a thin layer of peanut butter and a thin layer of jelly on one slice of toast; the thicker your application of peanut butter and jelly is, the messier your sandwich will be ... trust me.  Top with the other slice.  Cut in half and enjoy!  

I got the idea for this out of Woman's Day magazine, but they had you folding the bread in half and then cooking it up in oil.  I decided to just make French toast like I usually do and add PB & J.  It has been an absolute hit with Baylor!

Finger-lickin' good!

However, as I hinted above, this is a very messy sandwich for a two year-old.  The peanut butter basically turns liquid from the heat of the French toast and the jelly has nothing dry to stick to, so in the hands of a toddler it is a mess waiting to happen.  I knew this when he asked for it for lunch on Valentine's Day, and since he was wearing nearly white pants and a dapper little button-up shirt I decided to strip him down to his diaper and socks before he started eating.

Both his diaper and socks were covered in jelly by the time he finished.  He's talented like that.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this as much as Little B does!  Have a wonderful day!

Shirtless and Loving It

Baylor got some schmutz on his shirt the other night during dinner, so we had a shirtless evening at home!

First up, putting on Mama's flip flops.


Next up: trying to put on Amalia's sock whilst wearing the tummy time Boppy. A true art form.

Then I caught him in a moment of repose, listening to a little keyboard music.

Meanwhile, Mollie was thoroughly enjoying her shirtless time, thanks to excessive saliva production, on her play mat.

Having enjoyed a little music, the little man of the house decided to study the presidents a bit. I just love the way he says, "Jimmy Carter."

"Wait ... Baby Sister has a belly button, too?!"

Sometimes it gets a little cold with one's shirt off, so a blanket becomes necessary to retain a "nice and warm" level of comfort.

After taking in a good book and warming back up, Baylor got down to business, pretending Bob the Dog was going for a walk.

With the chicken quilt vacant, Mollie took her turn warming up.

Unfortunately, a blanket was not enough to keep Miss Mollie warm, so we got her dressed. Baylor, on the other hand, was sly enough to dodge getting his shorts back on after a diaper change and went pantsless for the rest of the night.

Not wanting his sister to miss out on any fun, he tried very hard to reattach the activity arch to her bouncy seat, but to no avail.

Oh well, another day.

Would You Do It?

Yesterday on Glamour.com, Joanna Goddard wrote about a German website called Naked People where you can actually see ... naked people. The people are initially clothed then as you click on them their clothes fade away. And they are totally naked. That said, it isn't pornographic ... it is just a bunch of normal people in the buff. Just standing there. It's a little weird and off-putting at first, but should it be?

I know as Americans we are taught to think of the naked human body as taboo, but should it be? We all have one. And should we be as ashamed of our own bodies as some of us are? The people on this site aren't perfect looking (some are far from it), but there they stand. Seeing them seem so unafraid to be bare in front of the world was slightly empowering.

So here's the question ...

If an artist put a call out to all normal people (i.e., non-celebrities) that (s)he was doing an exhibit like this on the human body ... would you do it? Not sure I would, but it's a thought.