"Oh I tried not to laugh!"

While visiting family over the holidays, Everlee was a little out of her nighttime routine and had to be subjected to sleeping in a pac n' play. She did very well with all the transition but she didn't always go to sleep has quickly as we liked. One night, Shane put her to bed around 9:00 and I became a little concerned when he never returned. I walked back to the back bedroom and tried to tip toe inside. I was hiding amongst the shadows, listening to Shane snore (mystery solved) when Everlee started saying, "Dadda sleeping aaaaagh, shewwww, aaaaaagh, shewwww." (Making snoring noises) I tried my best not to laugh and hope she would just go to sleep. She actually said this several times until I was rolling on the ground, clenching my stomach, tears running down my face, laughing so hard. My cover was blown. As soon as she heard me, she said in her high pitched voice, "Momma? Dadda sleeping aaaaaagh, shewwww." It still brings to tears to my eyes every time I think of that moment. It is always good to have a laugh as strong as that.

Kiss Me Goodbye!

I think as a parent you constantly worry about your child no matter the age. Whether it be their physical safety or their emotional well being. Even though Everlee is only 2 yrs.old I find myself worrying about whether or not she has friends, if she is a kind friend, do kids play with her at school, do they include her in their activities, etc. I know this worry may be a little premature but seeing it day in and day out as a fourth grade teacher, I think it is only natural to worry. I am happy to say my worry was put to ease when I picked her up at school right before the holiday break. As we were putting on her coat, a little boy named Michael came up to give Everlee a hug and planted a kiss on her cheek. It was followed by her entire classes lining up saying, "I say Bye to Everlee." It may not have been the most sanitary situation but it was so touching to see these little children express their feelings so openly. Not one child hesitated to get up, give her a hug, and a quick kiss on the cheek. I wonder what the world would be like if everyone was so so open and loving? Would the world be a more peaceful place if everyone was given a quick kiss on the cheek?

Orange you happy to see me?

Everyday I am amazed at how clever Everlee's little mind works. She is able to pick up things I would never even consider. I think this goes to show just how much we need to slow down and take notice of the little things. I can't remember a time I wasn't busy making a check list in my head. I wish I could spend one day in her mind, just to help me slow down and take notice of the valuable things around me.

Shane brought home a basket of grapefruits and oranges from a school fundraiser. We made a point of putting them in a large white bowl both for decor and to help us remember to eat them. Everlee was standing on her chair at the counter helping me make dinner one night when I heard her say, "Baby, Mommy, and Daddy." Followed by, "Ooooh, look at the baby." I turned and realized she was talking about the grapefruits and oranges. She said the oranges were the babies since they were the smallest and the graefruits were the mommy's and daddy's since they were bigger. She seemed at peace knowing the baby orange was with its mommy and daddy. Why hadn't I ever thought of fruit in that way? Maybe because I never took the time to think about it or make the association. I am glad she took the time to teach me how to look at the world through the eyes of a baby.....even if it was a baby orange.

Building our Gingerbread House

We started our first Gingerbread house tradition this year in December. I constructed the house and for the most part I let Everlee decorate the entire thing. I did lend a helping hand here and there especially when the house walls started to fall down. I guess the directions are serious when they say wait 20 minutes before decorating. What can I say? I was anxious and wanted to get started. Everlee really enjoyed placing the gumballs, skittles, gum drops, and mini m&m's on her Gingerbread House. She didn't quite seem to understand that you shouldn't chew the candy before placing it on the roof, door, or wall of the house. To be honest, our house was covered in a little spit before the night was over. I was surprised at how much Everlee loved her house. She would pull up the dining room chair every morning and night just so she could kiss her house goodnight or good morning. Every goodnight kiss also included a stolen piece of candy from the roof, door, or wall of the house. We kept the house around until it was almost completely bare. When it was time to bid farewell, we all kissed the house goodbye before depositing it into the trashcan!

Eating out of the palm of his hand

One of our very close friends, rachid, came to visit us from lake Tahoe. It was the first time he had ever met Everlee although they share the same birthday. Everlee had recently begun an obsession with cookies and frosting. Of course, two things her father taught her. It was before dinner so I had explained to Everlee she would have to wait for a cookie until after she ate. I made the mistake of leaving the room and leaving Everlee alone with Rachid. It is amazing how a two year old can take full advantage of a grown man and have him eating out of the palm of her hand in seconds. I came around the corner and watched the event unfold. Everlee grabbed Rachid's hand and pulled him over to the counter where there was a tray of sugar cookies. "Cookies, please." (actually ookie, peas) she says. Rachid gives her the cookie. Everlee proceeds to go to the drawer which is baby proofed ( opens it of course) and pulls out a cheese spreader followed by a trip to the refrigerator. Now, she needs Rachid's help once again. "Open, peas." Of course, he does what she asks. Everlee then proceeds to crawl into the refrigerator and pull out the tub of white frosting. She now has the the four things she needs: cookie, spreader, frosting, and a one man audience. She is able to take off the lid and cover her cookie with frosting not needing any further assistance from Rachid. I make my presence known. Everlee looks at Rachid as if it was his fault and he simply says, "What? She did it." Yes, in fact she did.

Bedtime Buddies!

Everlee never ceases to amaze me with her unique and brilliant personality. She isn't afraid to step out of the "norm" and do things differently. She definitely doesn't discriminate, especially when it comes to who or what she takes to bed each night. Here are a few items which have been a bit...unusual.

1. Mommy's two paddle hairbrushes
2. tennis ball
3. paintbrushes (large)
4. two pumpkins

5. Pots and Pans

Pumpkin for me, Pumpkin for you

(Sunday, October 10, 2010) After church on Sunday, we all went to the Pumpkin Patch Church to pick out our favorite pumpkin for Halloween. Everlee loved running around, touching big pumpkins, little pumpkins, green pumpkins, etc. She picked her favorite and carried it around the rest of the visit. She kept looking at us saying, "Heavy, Heavy!" Everlee was so sweet and made sure she picked out a pumpkin for Mommy, Daddy, and her baby doll who was waiting patiently in the car. She loved her pumpkin so much she took it to bed with her for almost a week straight. Who new a small little pumpkin could bring such comfort.

Put on your Big Girl Panties

Today was the day! (September 22, 2010) I picked Everlee up from school and they suggested we start trying Pull-Ups (the Big Girl Panties) instead of diapers. I thought she might be a little too young (Mommy isn't ready to let go just yet) but they were very encouraging and the extra help can only be beneficial. So, Everlee and I went to Walmart to pick out her Pink Princess Pull-Ups. She was so excited she even carried them into her room and we started to put them away into the basket together. Later that evening, she came out to the living room with two Pull-Ups and pretended to put them on. Maybe she was ready?

The following day I delightfully surprised to hear she went pee-pee in the potty. Her teachers were thrilled considering it was her very first day. I can't wait to pick her up from school today to see how the Big Girl panties went.

It was a nice thought.....

So I decided I wanted to do something nice for Everlee's teachers to show our appreciation because they are always so good with her and she just loves being at school. I decided we would make them cookies and it would give us the chance to do this together for the first time. I stopped by the local dollar store for a few Halloween items and decided to grab the cookie mix while I was there. Suddenly, I realized we didn't have enough eggs, they didn't have eggs at the Dollar Store (thank goodness) so I settled for the generic already frozen prepacked cookies. I was a bit nervous on how they would turn out but I was trying to something nice and work with what I had. Everlee and I headed home and she was thrilled with the idea of "Cookies". She loves anything cookie related. We preheated the oven, pulled out the cookie sheets, and she placed them on the sheet. At first she didn't quite understand the cookies needed to bake. She quickly shoved the first piece of dough into her mouth and aimed for the rest. It took some explaining but we finally got the cookies into the oven. Well, this was going to be a very productive Miller home afternoon so we started folding the laundry in the bedroom. In the end, the generic Dollar Store cookies ended up burning to a crisp. There was no way I was going to give this gist as an appreciation....but it was a nice thought! The next time I will just wait for the eggs and do it the old fashion way.

Brushy, Brushy, Brushy

I know this sounds like a silly song to sing while brushing your teeth but so far it has worked great with Everlee. I actually got the song from the movie, Grease. It has always stuck in my head so I just went with it. On September 16, 2010 Everlee had her first dentist appoitment and I was terrified her teeth wouldn't be clean enough. We do the best we can when it comes to brushing twice a day and getting the toothbrush to actually touch the teeth. There have been days where it is a knock down, drag out fight. (Exaggerating of course) But there have been days where it just wasn't going to happen...not even if I bribed her with a coookie afterwards. So I was delightfully surprised when the Dentist said her teeth were very clean, no cavitities, and the spacing was perfect for adult teeth. Toot, Toot (My own horn) I guess this is a lesson in not stressing over the little things. Everlee's teeth are fine, she is fine, and overall everything will be fine even if her teeth are not primed and polished twice a day, every day!

"I'm leaving on a Jet Plane......"

Everlee had the chance to experience her very first airplane ride as we jetted home to Maryland to visit family and to watch the Washington Redskins game. (September 10, 2010) It was a little hard to know what to expect so we sought the advice of our fellow friends who were frequent flyers with their little ones. They suggested new toys, books, snacks, drinks, etc. Anything to keep a very active 2 year old occupied. Well........the first flight was a little nerve racking. Everlee screamed for what seemed like forever but soon became content one we pulled out the trusty DVD player. Who said kids shouldn't watch TV? Not me. Everlee did a great job the rest of the flight home. She loved watching her DVD, smiling at the passengers, and crawling beneath the seats. It actually made it easier for us because another child decided to scream throughout the entire flight. At least, it wasn't our child. All in all, I think it was a very successful trip and something we would definitely do again.

Going Commando!!

I was enjoying a few quiet moments to myself while Shane and Everlee were out running errands, until the phone rang. Shane is on the other line and says to me, "Do you know what your daughter did?" Of course, a million things come to mind, a million "I'm two" things come to mind. Shane starts to explain to me that while at the grocery store he decided to give Everlee one of the free samples of cheese and pepperoni. So far, so good. He the describes how she is sitting in one of the shopping carts that is shaped like a car and she is in the driver seat in the front of the car. Again, so far, so good. Next, mentions that her leg is propped up on the cart. So, I start to think that there was a HUGE accident. Nope! Apparently, at some point in their trip, Everlee decided to take off her diaper. So, when her leg was propped up Shane noticed she was going COMMANDO! We think she may have been in this position for three different stores. Thank goodness she didn't pee!

Night, Night, Love you!

The night before Shane and I went to Charlotte for the night we were getting Everlee for bed when she whispered the sweetest words. She looked at Shane and said, "Nigh, Nigh Wuv Ou!". Translated as, "Night, Night Love You!" It was music to our ears. July 20, 2010.

Baby, Baby, Baby

This event may have happened a month ago but I wanted to make sure I had it down in writing. Since Everlee started taking a liking to baby dolls we decided to surprise her with her first doll. We went to Target thinking this would be a simple task and I was overwhelmed by my options. There were dolls you could take in the tub, with pacifiers, twins, changing stations, bathtubs, highchairs, etc. You name it, they had it for the dolls. We finally settled on the baby with the "Ba Ba" ( pacifier) since Everlee loves her "Ba Ba". We picked her up from school, her last day for the summer. She was excited to see the gift bag with plenty of tissue when she returned home. She quickly discovered the baby and started screeching, "Baby, Baby, Baby" followed by, "Ba Ba, Ba Ba". June 19, 2010.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

We were getting ready for formal night aboard our Caribbean Cruise this summer when Everlee decided to break out the cabins hair dryer. We thought this scene was rather funny because I had just finished drying my hair. She said she wanted to be, "like Mommy." She is only two and already concerned about her. Funny, since she hardly lets me brush her hair in the morning.

Don't forget the lotion!

Everlee has started to play with her dolls and loves to take care of them. She will often mimic what I do with her. The other night she was putting a diaper on all her dolls and decided to go for the lotion that we use after the tub. She pretended to put lotion on her hands and rub it on her dolls legs and arms. This is something that we do after the tub each night. It was so cute to watch her do what we do together. She even said, "Eeeewwwww", pinched her nose, and changed the dolls diaper too. I guess even Elmo dolls can make a stinky diaper.

Eeeewwwww with a Splish and a Splash

On June 14, 2010 we spent another blissful afternoon in the pool. Everlee and I were in the process of getting ready for a bath and trying to peel off the swim diaper. When the diaper was almost totally inside out ( and still on Everlee) I noticed there was quite a poopy mess. Everlee immediately started saying, "Eeeewwww, Eeeeewwww!" I quickly grabbed her, took her to her room, and tried my best to get the soaking diaper off without making a mess. But that didn't happen. It is almost impossible to get a pooped filled swim diaper off without getting a spot on the floor. Luckily, it wasn't much, I ran to grab the carpet cleaner and towel. When I came back to Everlee's room she had grabbed a baby wipe and was proceeding to try and wipe up the carpet. What a big little helper!

Once the mess was clean I asked Everlee to wait in her room while I passed off the dirty diaper to Dad. As I walked across the living room floor I heard a faint, "Splish, Splash." Everlee had already crawled into the bathtub and proceeded to start taking her bath. (The tub was already filled with appropriate temperature water.) Guess she was ready and tired of waiting.

All in a Days Work or Play

It is a miracle to watch Everlee every single day and night. It still puts me in awe at how much things seem to change from day to day. One day she is doing this and the next day it is that. She has been growing so quickly before my very eyes. I'm afraid to blink in fear that I might miss something. Here is what you are up to now:
* All Done- Every time you are tired of doing something whether it be brushing your teeth, having your hair brushed, eating, getting dressed you will say "All Done". Even if you have only been brushing your teeth for a second (literally) when you want to stop you will say "All Done."
* Uh-Oh- You love to throw food, toys, anything you can reach and say "Uh-Oh" as if it were a mistake when in fact it was on purpose.
* You love to be the center of attention (which we love to give you!) You love to clap your hands and say with confidence "Yea!" or "Yippee". You will do something over and over again to get the same reaction. I hope you always have this much confidence...especially in your teen years.
* You are obsessed with Elmo. Elmo dolls, Elmo shoes, Elmo's World. Every morning and every afternoon you want to watch Elmo's World. You could care less about the rest of the Sesame Street Show. You want to fast forward to Elmo's World. You will even go as far as taking the remote and trying to fast forward to your favorite part.
* You love the bathtub. As soon as we say "Tubby" you are running for your towel and heading for the bathroom door. Taking you out of the tun usually ends in tears. You love your toys, you love to splash, and you love to pretend like your swimming.
* You have started to be very specific when it comes to your choice of drinks. It is either milk or juice. You always let us know what your in the mood for. You love your chocolate milk and some days you like it hot and some days cold. You will point and whine at the microwave if you want it hot and say "cold" if that is your preference.
* You always know how to show us you love us. You will gives us lots of hugs and kisses. You love to blow kisses and say, "Mmmwah". This is something I started doing with you every night before you went to bed. I would always blow you kisses and say, "Mmmwah" as I was waling out the door. It touched my heart in a way you will never know the moment you first made this gesture back to me.
* You love to set up your "Little People" in their chairs and set them at the table.
* You love to climb into your own highchair and buckle yourself in. Once you are finished you like to out your Strawberry Shortcake doll into the highchair, buckle her up, put a bib on her, and put the tray into the proper place.
It is amazing to watch how independent you have become at such a young age. You love to mirror what we do with you. It is just another sign that you are growing up and growing older. Another reminder that we need to slow down, count the moments, and remember each passing second. Before we know it, you will be writing the same thing about your children.

What a good mommy!

On June 12, 2010 I noticed the house was rather quiet. I know I should have been over joyed by this moment of solitude but when it is quiet in our house it usually means someone is up to something. I headed into Everlee's room and noticed she had all of her dolls and stuffed animals on the floor surrounded by every single diaper from the changing table. She was being such a good mommy and trying to make sure each doll and stuffed animal had their very own diaper on correctly. She even went as far to make sure her Elmo doll had a Pampers Elmo diaper on. Always paying close attention to detail. This has continued for quite a few days, each day checking to make sure everyone is diapered and ready for the day. It reminds me of when I used to diaper my Cabbage Patch Kids. It looks like "Good Mommies" start young.

Damn that Cup

It has been a few days since this specific event occurred but I have found that life with a child always brings unexpected events. Your time is no longer your own and even though you created a "To Do" List for the day it might actually take several days to complete it. That being said......Just the other day Everlee had her friend Stella over to play in the pool. The girls were busy bouncing back and forth between the BIG pool and the dumping dirt into the blow-up pool. After several minutes in the pool Everlee became focused on a cup. A single "Stackers" cup. This specific cup is used to play a game called "speed stackers" (something like that). Everlee proceeded to take yet another random cup and try to fill the "Stackers" cup up with water. She was very intent on completing this task. What she didn't know was the "Stackers" cup has holes at the bottom. No matter how much water she poured in, it would never fill to the top. We watched her for several minutes, loving her determination, trying not to laugh. She wanted that cup to fill so badly. It was so funny to watch because she never knew the cup had holes at the bottom. (I'm laughing now) Finally, Everlee gave up, picked up the "Stackers" cup, and threw it into the pool as if to say, "Damn Cup!"

Don't forget the keys (another example of Everlee's brillance)

Everlee and I decided to go on a little shopping trip before hitting Kaia's 2nd birthday party. Everlee decided we must take along Elmo and her green baseball bat (plastic of course). So I grabbed Everlee, the diaper bag, the bag of items to return, Elmo, and the baseball bat and proceeded out the door. I didn't occur to me to make things easier and take two trips. I am SuperMom and I have arms of steel. Once I had Everlee, Elmo, and the baseball bat strapped into the car I went back to turn on the house alarm. Alarm was set, I was in the car, and we were ready to hit the road. I turned to Everlee triumphant and said, "Are we ready to shop?" She starred at me, pointed to the house door and said, "Key, Key, Key." It took a moment before I realized what she meant. I had forgotten the keys to the car. I was so busy it never donned on me to grab the keys. I'm glad my quick thinking almost two year old was on the ball. Glad she didn't forget the keys.

Hot Pants and Belly Shirts

This week (May 25, 2010) Everlee decided for the first time to pick out her own clothes. We were getting ready for school and I was attempting to dress her in the perfectly coordinated ensemble which I picked out the night before. Adorable purple leggings, a matching purple top, with socks to match. I have always been one to match everything. I love being matchy, matchy. It caught me by surprise when Everlee started saying, "Off, Off" the minute I tried to put on her leggings. Did she have something against purple? Was this outfit not cute enough? After several minutes of battling over the perfectly matching purple leggings I gave in and let her pick out an outfit knowing it would perfectly match like all the other outfits I had put together in the past. Boy was I wrong. Her choice consisted of a pink and white denim shirt (too heavy for the 80' weather but who was I to argue), hot pink shorts ( the pinks did not match), lace white socks, and Elmo crocs. She was quite the vision and I loved everything she picked out. It may not have been matchy, matchy but at least her outfit didn't consist of Hot Pants and a Belly Shirt. Maybe in a few years!

Not the best but hard to beat!

When Shane and I went on our Honeymoon to Maui, Hawaii we decided to be huge tourists and take the bus tour of the island. Our tour guide explained how almost every view in Hawaii was gorgeous, breathtaking, indescribable ( all true!) and it was difficult to choose a favorite. He advised us since they were all equally beautiful to simply say, "Not the best but hard to beat!" You may never find a better view but there is always a chance. Just enjoy the moment and enjoy each portion of paradise. This is a phrase Shane and I will often recite to each other and giggle.

This quote came to mind on Sunday, May 23, 2010 when we planned a fun filled pool day with a few close friends. How perfect it would be to sit by the pool, bask in the sun, heat up the HOT BBQ......quickly, we learned not everything goes as planned. Our sunny day quickly turned into drizzle, overcast, and cool breezes. Luckily, this didn't stop us from enjoying our BBQ and it surely didn't stop Everlee from her perfect day in the sun.

Everlee jumped head first into the little blow up pool we placed next to the adult pool. Hoping her own little pool would deter her from gravitating towards the larger pool. It worked. Everlee spent the next few hours splashing in the water, throwing dirt into the water creating a mud pool. Despite the mess she had her own portion of paradise. She loved having the pool to herself, playing with the toys, playing with the sand. The weather never once hindered her experience. Although, covered in goose bumps she never skipped a beat. The weather may not have been the best but watching Everlee covered in mud for a few short hours is truly hard to beat.

Watching Everlee covered in dirt reminds me of how my father would always say, "A child dirty is a child having fun!" This always reminds me to let her get dirty, no matter what, her having fun is more important than a few small stains

Independence Day (Not the 4th of July)

When I think of Independence Day I always think of fire works, the American Flag, the Declaration of Independence, hot dogs, white and red checkered tablecloths. It wasn't until today, May 20, 2010, that I witnessed an entirely new type of Independence Day. I picked up Everlee from school eager to take her home and get a little mommy and me time. She was playing outside on the playground and as we entered her classroom she went straight to the sink. Everlee turned on the water, washed her hands, turned the water off, grabbed a paper towel, and then proceeded to throw the towel in the trash. All without being prompted or reminded by her mother. I was in awe that she was able to do this all on her own. Crushed that she no longer needed me to help wash her hands unless to lift her to a sink out of reach. I don't know how long she has been doing this little routine but this is the first day I stopped and watched with my own two eyes. It is just a little reminder to always remember to slow down, step back, and allow our children a little independence. You never know what type of fire works you'll see that day.