Stickers.

Sesame is very into helping these days.  I pretty love it.  No matter what we're doing at home she is so eager to help.  In an effort to encourage this behavior, we have made every possible attempt to find little jobs for her around the house.  She loves laundry (we'll see when she hits age 13) and, as of late, tools.  She also finds paying bills hilarious.  No.  Really.  She laughs when I say, "Mommy is paying bills."  I have yet to discover why it's so funny, as it's one of my most abhorred household chores.  If only I could trust her to write the checks for me.  :)  

Anyway, one of the "bill tasks" she's been helping with is placing the return address stickers and stamps on the envelopes; because, really, who cares if they are all catty-whompus on the envelope?!  :)  We've also been using a sticker chart to move along the potty training.  So, stickers are pretty popular around these parts.

One day, after laughter filled bill paying, Momma failed to put the stamps in their home.  Which is out of reach of said small sticker-loving hands.  I returned from the mailbox to find this:

I can't say I blamer her.  I heart the liberty bell too.  If those stamps weren't worth almost 50 cents a piece, I'd wall paper a room with them. (Please do note the wall paper sarcasm - While the art would match my mauve counter tops and blue-gray toilets, I do not want them on my walls.) Anyhow, she quickly learned that the were "special stickers" as Mommy said.  "These stickers only go on mail."  "An bills" Sesame said. "Yes, exactly.  That's how the mailman knows he can take them."  She looked at me, grinned and giggled saying, "Da mail man likes bills toooooooo."  I have no idea where she comes up with this stuff.  :)  But she sure does make paying bills and using stamps a ton more fun!  :)

A Week = 100 Years

Doesn't it drive you crazy when your favorite blogs don't update for like, a week!?  What is THAT about.  [note: sarcasm]  I have decided that a week = 100 years in blog time.  Hence, the title of this post.  :)

We had a busy week.  A mighty busy week.  I had the 3-hour glucose test. (Yes, I failed the first one. Silly chocolate chip cookies...) and Sesame's friend, Saffron visited all day.  SO FUN.  I mean, honestly, look how adorable  they are:

Yeah, how many 2 year olds do you know that will snuggle up on a couch like this.

Apparently, the bathroom is the cool place to hang out as well.  Or it might have been dubbed the "store" while they were playing.  :)

On Tuesday we trekked to the outlet mall with Yia Yia and Aunt Becky - who were greeted at our home with this smile:

We shopped for several  hours rendering Sesame unable to even complete her snack.  That cracker, on her seat belt, had a bite out of it.  I'm fairly positive she fell asleep mid-bite.  What a trooper.  :)

Then Wednesday I spent most of the day cleaning and in the kitchen - which I don't mind doing.  Kitchen = food.  Yum.  :)  The down side to this time in the kitchen is sometimes I become extremely focused.  Like in a zone - singing and dancing - not noticing that Sesame has been extremely Ninja-like for half an hour.  Extremely Ninja-like.  Which  might then sometimes result in photos like this being snapped:

Yeah...Crayon on the new windows.  Score: 1 for Sesame; 0 for Momma.  At least Crayola was kind enough to make all their crayons washable.  And at least Windex was kind enough to clean the crayon off quickly.  :) We'll try harder next week!  :)

The Marker and the Eggs.

Wouldn't that be a fabulous title for a Children's book???  I even have an illustration in mind...  Moving on...

Over the long weekend Sesame reared her curly-mopped head and showed us exactly what two means.  There were no tantrums or hitting or screaming, but there were exercises in independence and curiosity--to put it nicely.  :)

On Saturday morning I ran to the grocery store and to complete some errands.  I asked Husband to keep an eye on Sesame to which he replied.  "sure."  He's not a morning person.  'Sure.' from him in the AM is the equivalent to my "Yeah, that sounds great!  Come on Sesame let's make Cupcakes!"  I left did my errands and returned about 45 minutes later.  As I trekked upstairs I noticed a black smudge above our light switch.  "Hmm...I thought...that's odd."  Then I noticed another.  And another with three tiny streaks - oddly the size of a Sesame hand.  As I arrived in the office I found a pile of papers with black magic marker covering their notes.  "HUSBAND!"  I yelled.  "What?"  he replied.  "WHAT HAPPENED?!  DID YOU KNOW SHE DID THIS?! THERE'S MARKER EVERYWHERE!?"  "Oh."  He replied.  I then gave him the Mom look, even though I'm his wife.  "I though I got it all"  he said.

The story he recounted goes something like this:  Husband falls asleep on the couch shortly after wife leaves.  Sesame finds a black magic marker.  Sesame decorates Momma's papers with said marker.  Sesame realizes her hands are dirty and wants them clean.  Sesame scoots down the stairs spreading small traces of finger prints along the stairwell wall.  Sesame wakes Daddy up and says: "Daddy, hands yucky.  Clean, please."  At least she was polite.  : )

Husband and I have a conversation about what it means to watch a two year old -- and sleeping is not on the list.  : )

Monday comes.  Husband has the day off (insert happy dance here!) and we have a grand time playing as a family.  I find my cell phone (I NEVER know where it is and when I find it it's usually not charged!) and discover I missed an important phone call.  "Husband,"  I say, "Can you keep and eye on Sesame for me?"  "Yes." He says.  I'm on the phone in our room chatting away, when Sesame walks in.  "Momma!" she exclaims, grinning from ear to ear, "Help in kitchen!"  I think, 'Oh how cute is she, wanting me to play in the kitchen with her.'  Then I realize she is holding not pretend eggs, but real eggs.  Like the kind chickens lay--you know--the ones you buy at the store and put in cake.  Not only is she holding them, but one is cracked open and running down her arm.  "I HAVE TO GO!"  I scream into the phone.  "HUSBAND!"  I yell!  "What?"  he says calmly. "SHEHASREALEGGS!HOWDIDSHEGETINTOTHEREFRIGERATOR?!WHATAREYOUDOING!?"

We had Sesame clean up the eggs, and help put away the trash, after which we talked about NOT opening the refrigerator.  Goodness gracious.  If I would have known my eggs were in danger, I would have put them on the top shelf!

What You Missed...

Confession: I miss my blog.  It's so crazy true.  I miss writing about the crazy antics that happen in our home.  I'm fairly positive only 5 of you really read each word, which is completely cool with me, but I miss sharing the chaos that is our life here.  So.  Since I have too much to do (much less now thanks to my dear friend Suzy!) I will waste only a few small minutes here to relay a few stories.

1.  I have learned that when a child is 21 months old you must be extremely specific  in your instruction/discipline.  I told her she couldn't climb on a stool.  Two minutes later she was dragging a chair into my kitchen to aid her ascent to the kitchen counter.  When I said "Sesame, Momma said No!"  She politely stated, "No, stooh." (aka no stool)  "Ah, yes," I thought "That really is what I said."  So I clarified and life went on, yay.

2.  Sesame LOVES bath time.  I mean, who wouldn't when bath time means sitting in warm water for half an hour filling tea cups, playing with soap and splashing about!  One day Sesame had an extra long bath.  I was teaching her about physics (don't hate, my husband is a rocket scientist and I would remiss if I did not teach her about what Daddy does) which involved creating a whirlpool in the bath tub.  Long story short, Sesame tried to create whirl pool which resulted in half of the bath water splashing out onto my shirt.  She giggle and loudly proclaimed, "Mommy aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall wet!"  I then decided a happy, giggly, almost 2-year-old makes anything easy to handle.

3.  I need to plan better.  Shock.  Dismay.  We haven't had a weekend home in an entire month.  I don't know how you working women keep a house, a job and a family going at the same time.  I have learned that my personality + work + staying at home + house work = MAJOR FAIL.  (The fail part being we have piles of clean laundry, dirty bathrooms and heaps of dirty dishes.)  I just need to let it go.  :)

4.  I hear Bible time.  The day goes smoother, life is happier and my attitude is a whole lot healthier when I have consistent time in the Word.  Amazing how following God's instruction makes life work!  Who'd a thunk it?!  : )

5.  Sesame was Einstein for Halloween.  (I told you husband was a rocket scientist!) That's right.  My girl will be no princess or fairy.  No silly pink tulle for our Halloween costumes!

Here she is ready to take on the 4 square court at youth group.

I actually made her lab coat from one of my old shirts.  And, get this, I didn't sew the sleeves shut.

Points.

I think my sewing skills might be on the up. : )

She even has the crazy Einstein eyebrows and moustache!  :)  Yay for silver eyeliner!

Let me draw your attention the lower left corner of this photo.  See that lovely little speckled trail.

That's pee.

I think the trick-or-treaters frightened my dog whilst we were away, because he welcomed us home with 

a pee trail.

A pee trail.

Yes you read that right,

A Pee Trail

from the top or our staircase, 

through the entryway, 

through the living room, 

through the dining room and

 through the kitchen.

Nice.

I used an entire can of Spot Shot to clean that one up.

It reminded me that we don't want another dog,

At least until we potty train Sesame.

Check out the mad scientist laugh!  : )

Her notebook was choke full with equations such as, the theory of relativity.  You know that one don't you?  Yeah, I didn't either.

Good thing husband was on that one.  : )

Wet.

There are two kinds of wet in our household.

The kind filled with happiness

and joy;

shouting and running a muck

in the backyard with an exuberant black lab

named Homer.

Then there's the kind of wet filled with

surprise.

Perhaps an expletive of "Holy Crum Why Am I Wet?!"

I would say

shock

gasp

scream

and, again,

surprise

best surmise this kind of wet.

You know, the kind of wet that occurs when you go to

fill the bath tub,

for Sesame's bath,

only to find out the shower head knob was left in 

the on position.

So much for only wearing one shirt a day.

: )

Ninja.

I'm sitting right there 

watching her, playing sidewalk chalk with her.

I turn around

walk to shut the garage closet door

and she looks like this.

Please, please.

Someone tell me

where my ninja daughter

finds axle grease to play in.