Sunday, June 07, 2009
Six Degrees of Jo
Six Degrees of Jo
As Jo nears two, some of my friends have asked what her personality is turning out to be. She is head-scratchingly hard to define. On one hand, she is extremely reluctant to be with new people (she clings to me), yet she is very dominant when she is with the people she knows. She is has a sense of humor. She is funny. But she can also be a tad on the mean side.
Perhaps instead of trying to label her, I’ll give you six stories of examples. (Keep in mind that she doesn’t talk yet. Well, she does say words, but only the family understands what she is saying).
Jo at the Pool
Last weekend we had a board retreat at Suncadia. In the afternoon, I took the girls swimming. Jo (who NEVER voluntarily goes to anyone if I am around) was jumping into the pool and I was catching her.
SherrySteckly stopped by on her way back from a walk. She had on khakis and a white shirt. I said to Jo, “Ha! You should go give her a big hug.” Jo turned, waddled over to SherrySteckly and wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her wet head into the folds of her crisp khakis, making it look just like she had wet her pants.
Jo in Kennewick
I took Jo to see my dad two week-ends ago. We stopped by my grandparents’ house. Jo hadn’t been in the house ten minutes when she ran over to a glass angel my grandmother had on a stand, picked it up and dropped it on the hearth. There was yards of carpet she could have dropped in on, but it was the hearth she picked, shattering the beautiful angel.
My dad kept insisting it was an accident, until at his house, she got into a cupboard, pulled out a dish, ran into the bathroom and threw it into the bathtub, shattering the dish.
Jo in her Pajamas
Jo often insists that she wear one of her bathing suits to sleep. Friday night, she selected her Dora bathing suit, and then went into her older sisters’ room, rummaged through their drawers until she found the perfect pair of Hello Kitty panties and put them over the suit. This outfit was premeditated and precisely executed.
Jo Bites
We have huge issues with Jo biting. She bites when she’s mad. She bites when she is trying to get attention, and apparently, she bites when she is bored.
Last night as the girls were watching a movie, I ran downstairs for something. Suddenly I heard Lex scream. Then I heard Jo at the stop of the stairs, “Bit, bit” she was saying.
“You bit Lex?”
Nod.
“Air”, she said as she grabbed a chunk of her own hair.
“You pulled her hair too?”
Nod.
“Pinsss,” she said and mimicked pinching an arm.
“Aaaannnd you pinched her.”
Nod.
Jo Copies
When it comes time to brush hair or apply sunscreen. We usually do the older girls first. Most always, they cry. Jo will watch them intently and we are done, say, “ma turn, ma turn!”
We head to her with the hairbrush / sun screen. She will put out her face for the brushing or the rubbing and then do a spot-on imitation of her older sisters crying.
Jo on the Escalator
Jo and I were at the downtown Barnes and Nobel yesterday and she was fussing that she wanted to go on the escalator. Finally I said, “OK, let me hold you.”
“No!” came her response.
She was standing right next to it, tapping it with her toe.
“I need to hold you before we get on.”
“No! Me do it.”
“You can’t get on without me holding you.”
“Peeeese?” (In very nice voice)
“Ok, hold my hand”
We held hands at the foot of the up escalator and I said, “One, two, three”
She jerked her hand away just as I got on and kept her feet firmly planted on the ground as I started riding away from her.
Now, there is no way I could let a 22 month old hang out by herself as I went up one escalator, ran across the store and came down the other escalator.
So I about faced and started running down the up escalator. In flip-flops! People around were laughing.
I would have spanked her but we both knew that one was squarely on me. That is what I get for trusting a two-year-old.
As Jo nears two, some of my friends have asked what her personality is turning out to be. She is head-scratchingly hard to define. On one hand, she is extremely reluctant to be with new people (she clings to me), yet she is very dominant when she is with the people she knows. She is has a sense of humor. She is funny. But she can also be a tad on the mean side.
Perhaps instead of trying to label her, I’ll give you six stories of examples. (Keep in mind that she doesn’t talk yet. Well, she does say words, but only the family understands what she is saying).
Jo at the Pool
Last weekend we had a board retreat at Suncadia. In the afternoon, I took the girls swimming. Jo (who NEVER voluntarily goes to anyone if I am around) was jumping into the pool and I was catching her.
SherrySteckly stopped by on her way back from a walk. She had on khakis and a white shirt. I said to Jo, “Ha! You should go give her a big hug.” Jo turned, waddled over to SherrySteckly and wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her wet head into the folds of her crisp khakis, making it look just like she had wet her pants.
Jo in Kennewick
I took Jo to see my dad two week-ends ago. We stopped by my grandparents’ house. Jo hadn’t been in the house ten minutes when she ran over to a glass angel my grandmother had on a stand, picked it up and dropped it on the hearth. There was yards of carpet she could have dropped in on, but it was the hearth she picked, shattering the beautiful angel.
My dad kept insisting it was an accident, until at his house, she got into a cupboard, pulled out a dish, ran into the bathroom and threw it into the bathtub, shattering the dish.
Jo in her Pajamas
Jo often insists that she wear one of her bathing suits to sleep. Friday night, she selected her Dora bathing suit, and then went into her older sisters’ room, rummaged through their drawers until she found the perfect pair of Hello Kitty panties and put them over the suit. This outfit was premeditated and precisely executed.
Jo Bites
We have huge issues with Jo biting. She bites when she’s mad. She bites when she is trying to get attention, and apparently, she bites when she is bored.
Last night as the girls were watching a movie, I ran downstairs for something. Suddenly I heard Lex scream. Then I heard Jo at the stop of the stairs, “Bit, bit” she was saying.
“You bit Lex?”
Nod.
“Air”, she said as she grabbed a chunk of her own hair.
“You pulled her hair too?”
Nod.
“Pinsss,” she said and mimicked pinching an arm.
“Aaaannnd you pinched her.”
Nod.
Jo Copies
When it comes time to brush hair or apply sunscreen. We usually do the older girls first. Most always, they cry. Jo will watch them intently and we are done, say, “ma turn, ma turn!”
We head to her with the hairbrush / sun screen. She will put out her face for the brushing or the rubbing and then do a spot-on imitation of her older sisters crying.
Jo on the Escalator
Jo and I were at the downtown Barnes and Nobel yesterday and she was fussing that she wanted to go on the escalator. Finally I said, “OK, let me hold you.”
“No!” came her response.
She was standing right next to it, tapping it with her toe.
“I need to hold you before we get on.”
“No! Me do it.”
“You can’t get on without me holding you.”
“Peeeese?” (In very nice voice)
“Ok, hold my hand”
We held hands at the foot of the up escalator and I said, “One, two, three”
She jerked her hand away just as I got on and kept her feet firmly planted on the ground as I started riding away from her.
Now, there is no way I could let a 22 month old hang out by herself as I went up one escalator, ran across the store and came down the other escalator.
So I about faced and started running down the up escalator. In flip-flops! People around were laughing.
I would have spanked her but we both knew that one was squarely on me. That is what I get for trusting a two-year-old.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Dave's Latest Project
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
A Video Birthday Card
Sunday, April 12, 2009
All Your Eggs in One Basket
Jo grabbed her first two plastic eggs, put them in her hands and wouldn’t let go. It made picking up the rest of the eggs quite a struggle. As she bent down, one egg would drop. She’d pick up the next egg, put it in the crook of her arm, reach for the first egg and the egg in her arm would drop. I must have told her ten times to put the eggs in her basket. She would put eggs three, four, five and six in the basket, but first and second egg had to stay with her at all times.
Meanwhile, Lex and Bek were running circles around her. Lex, however, started getting distracted by her toys. As she was finding eggs, she would exclaim, “Oh! My puppy purse! I’ve been looking all over for this!” and a few minutes later, “Oh! I love this book! I have to remember to read this book today.”
And lastly, Bek was doing a heartwarming job of helping her younger sisters find eggs, that is, until she pointed to the American Girl doll on shelf and instructed her younger sisters, “Look at the doll’s vagina and you’ll see an egg.” Technically she was right, but Dave didn’t appreciate the description of the egg placement he had found so cute last night.
Meanwhile, Lex and Bek were running circles around her. Lex, however, started getting distracted by her toys. As she was finding eggs, she would exclaim, “Oh! My puppy purse! I’ve been looking all over for this!” and a few minutes later, “Oh! I love this book! I have to remember to read this book today.”
And lastly, Bek was doing a heartwarming job of helping her younger sisters find eggs, that is, until she pointed to the American Girl doll on shelf and instructed her younger sisters, “Look at the doll’s vagina and you’ll see an egg.” Technically she was right, but Dave didn’t appreciate the description of the egg placement he had found so cute last night.
Monday, April 06, 2009
rambling
That is a photo Dave took of the girls this weekend in their Easter dresses.
I had to travel to Arizona today. Last night, right before bed, Lexie says to me, "I have a headache".
I took her temperature as I was walking out the door to catch my flight this morning - 102 degrees. Ugh.
On my lay-over in Portland I got a text from Dave "Little Lex barfed in my truck".
Poor kiddo has been sleeping all day. Oh, I don't like being away when they are sick. Dave sent me this photo to cheer me up. We did have such a fun time last weekend - meeting Kate, Stephen and Katie down at the market and having brunch and then walking around. We watched a street band for quite awhile and Jo danced with the best of them. I want to hire that band for my book release party - which - by the way - is on October 9. Mark your calendar!
To cheer me up, Dave also sent me some Lexie quotes. We both agree that her fever has made her especially chatty. Here they are:
“Daddy when I grow up I will be all the things I will be a mommy and a dinosaur scientist and a rocket star. And I will do karate chops in the gym but it will be my gym, my school gym but it will be at my work. For the karate chops.”
“Daddy as soon as I finish the granola bar I will go to be bed because I had so many yawns. Do you know how many yawns I have? Two yawns when I was going to potty and one yawn out here and now one more yawn when I tried to eat my granola bar. But if you have too many yawns that means you have to go to bed because you are tired.”
“Daddy I have to stop talking because when I am talking so much my head hurts more.”
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Bek Skis
Bek had her first day on the slopes. She takes after her parents - she has her dad's love of the mountain and her mom's love of gabbing.
Friday, February 13, 2009
One Year Anniversary
Dave texted me while I was at the gym last weekend and said, “It’s been one year since you got your book deal. Smile. ILY”
How sweet is that? Actually, it’s been one year since I got The Call.
Things are full steam ahead with the book. I’m in the final stages of manuscript editing and the marketing has begun. We’ve gone back to the drawing board (again) on the title. The publisher is circling around the title “Actually, I Am the Boss of You and Other Things You Can Say at Work”. I like it. I like saying it (much better than the title they had picked out previously).
We are working on getting the blurbs and the catalog page. Apparently, every book buyer gets a catalog before spring and fall and that is how they select what is going to go on their shelves. It’s quite fascinating. The catalog seems to be one part book description, one part marketing plan and one part picture book. Those are the three things the catalog page consists of – a description of the book, a synopsis of how much marketing it’s going to get and photos of the author and book jacket.
I used to make fun of my real-estate friends who had their photos on their business cards and now here I am, trying to sell a book with my smiling mug.
At any rate, the girls are doing fine and doing all sorts of things I know I should blog because you would laugh, but time seems even shorter than before.
I did however, get this link sent to me today and it made me laugh, so I will share it with you. (And secretly pray that Ellen someday invites me on to her show to schlep my book!)
How sweet is that? Actually, it’s been one year since I got The Call.
Things are full steam ahead with the book. I’m in the final stages of manuscript editing and the marketing has begun. We’ve gone back to the drawing board (again) on the title. The publisher is circling around the title “Actually, I Am the Boss of You and Other Things You Can Say at Work”. I like it. I like saying it (much better than the title they had picked out previously).
We are working on getting the blurbs and the catalog page. Apparently, every book buyer gets a catalog before spring and fall and that is how they select what is going to go on their shelves. It’s quite fascinating. The catalog seems to be one part book description, one part marketing plan and one part picture book. Those are the three things the catalog page consists of – a description of the book, a synopsis of how much marketing it’s going to get and photos of the author and book jacket.
I used to make fun of my real-estate friends who had their photos on their business cards and now here I am, trying to sell a book with my smiling mug.
At any rate, the girls are doing fine and doing all sorts of things I know I should blog because you would laugh, but time seems even shorter than before.
I did however, get this link sent to me today and it made me laugh, so I will share it with you. (And secretly pray that Ellen someday invites me on to her show to schlep my book!)
