burning off the bbq

In what seems to be an effort to hit all major bbq joints before he turns 30, Sean took us out to Lockhart to try Kreuz's yesterday afternoon after my mom got into town. It was good, but for very nuanced and passionate opinions on the topic of bbq in Lockhart and Luling, you can just talk to Sean himself -- that is not my job here.

My job is to post pictures of Josephine.

This one is from the playground at the Lockhart city park. My mother, who has far surpassed me in technological capabilities, took this on her iphone and sent it to me.

harnessing sustainable energy

Yes, the lights are solar-powered, but you know perfectly well that's not what I'm talking about.

She did a super job. I think Josephine's going through a border collie phase, craving purpose. She would opt for a herd of sheep over toys, any day.

Of course, in these pictures she's frowning because it's 100 degrees and gnats were bugging her, but trust me, she seemed way happier doing this than just playing. I wish I could get my little video clip to upload as proof!!


After cleaning the lights she refilled the bucket so she could clean out Sean's Father's Day present... a limestone birdbath that she's responsible for keeping full. :-) For a kid that's really enamored with birds and splashing, it seemed like a good fit for her to invest in her dad's garden in this way. (Carved by a guy in Austin, with free delivery! The Stone Planter Company... obviously he makes planters primarily.)

A job well done! A birdbath clean and full and 9 out of 12 lights washed off!

"magnadoodle"

Josephine's burgeoning vocabulary skills have been a pretty steady source of amusement lately. I enjoy the spontaneous thoughts like, "Eeen go car see Jeeess (Jesus).... Saturday." (Anyone have a good way to explain to a two year old that it's quite unusual to actually see him? I try telling her he's here, and that's why we pray, but she responds by getting really curious and looking in closets and around the side of the bed. And another botched conversation left her thinking he was up in the trees with the squirrels, when I was just trying to explain she could tell him anything she was thinking about. Advice welcomed.)

Her recent fascination with Jesus aside, I also like her insistence that Dad is "silly" even when he isn't doing anything to deserve such mockery. I enjoy her concern over " 'ere MsssKarie go?" when our normal checkout lady wasn't at the grocery store this Tuesday, and how delighted she got recently when I told her I'd tell Beth she said Hi. ("Ba go car see Bess-- Eeen say HIII!!!") I enjoy all her excited sentences, even the ones that are so excited that half the words don't quite make it down the chute--- she pauses for them though, and then when the next word does come, she says that one-- and before you know it a whole sentence is out there! True Italian style, it is indeed part verbal, part gesturing, and part a family member knowing her well enough to know exactly what she means--- but sentences are there, nonetheless. And it's fun.

Recently we were at Book People and saw a little magnadoodle, which we bought her. I couldn't remember what they were called, so for the next several days, I referred to it as the "blue thing" and the "magnet drawing board." It has a little handle, though, so she likes to carry it around to stores, and I adore how it is a fully contained drawing apparatus-- so it does go with us everywhere. In one store recently, an employee exclaimed, "I LOVE MAGNADOODLES." And both Josephine and I had mild epiphanies where we simultaneously grasped The Word For The Beloved Object. For the next five minutes SOLID Josephine talked about her magnadoodle, practicing this amazing word. I repeated it back several times and talked to her about it... mostly because I wanted to draw out the conversation. Her version of "magnadoodle" makes me truly, truly laugh. Out of all her fun vocabulary, this is my favorite word to-date.

I hereby present... magdiddiluh.

Click on the underlined word to see the video, which was taken June 8.

corn and cantaloupe

I wasn't around for this, but it seems-- as it is on my camera-- that Sean fed Josephine corn from the garden on June 12.

And a few days prior, June 8, he took a picture of her by the growing cantaloupe.

This would lead one to believe she was wearing the same shirt for four days straight. I assure you that was not the case.

This is for Natali.

Because this wasn't enough.

As of RIGHT NOW Josephine is 2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 2 hours and 2 minutes old.

There.

Call me lazy again, and I swear I'll overachieve until you're blue in the face.

As cool as I'm going to get.

I've done it. I've done something cool for my child, and I intend to reference this act of coolness straight through her teenage years. It is my insurance against the question, "Why can't you be like so-and-so's mom??? She's soooooo cool!"

I will reply, "But my dear child, I am cool, too. Don't you remember that time when you were two and I relocated your dresses so you'd have a fun little hiding space in your room? I even attached a string so you could pull the door closed behind you and gave you a flashlight."

Yes, I feel quite smug knowing that I have already won that argument.

I can just see her indignant condescension faltering, as the realization of my awesomeness renders powerless any potential rebuttal.

Yes, yes.

What a beautiful image.

I did not know the power I would feel after having done something "cool". But I see now that it is like earning a degree and having letters to add to your name-- no one argues whether you're still a doctor 10 years down the line. They just stand there with utmost respect.

Undoubtedly, that is what it will be like for her when she faces the CM* after my name.

*Cool Mom, of course

Total deference and admiration.

I'm certain of it.

(June 13)

sprinkler.

(June 5)

2day!

Josephine is 2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days old 2day!

We went swimming with a group of friends, and believe it or not, the little girl next to Josephine shares her birthday-- it is also her Two Day today!

average Sunday morning

In case anyone hasn't seen this video of a little girl in ballet class, please look and love!

"It's okay if your shoes aren't doing it. Don't worry, okay?"

I'm hereby adopting that line as my motto. Towards everything.

I'm always amused with we catch her in true style blog form. (Look at the last photo on the page I linked to, which is my friend's blog. Preeeeecisely.)

(June 4)

Bedford

We were all excited to hear that timing had worked in such a way that my maternal grandma was going to be able to make an unexpected trip down to Bedford (from St. Louis) on Memorial Day weekend. With Sean being swamped with work, Josephine and I left him home to recuperate and headed up to celebrate my grandma's 80th birthday (one month early).

It'd been a year since we'd seen her; last summer the Haigler girls headed up to St. Louis, and obviously with a toddler, there's such a difference in a year! So it was really great to visit-- I'm glad it worked out.

"Quite A Pair" would describe each of the last few pictures well:

First up, Josephine and her "Aunt Girl".... I can see how to a toddler the words "girl" and "Darla" would sound similar. Plus, Darla consistently wears sundresses and accessories around Josephine-- and that is the archetype of the ladies who, when Josephine sees them, she proudly pronounces a "GIRL" while pointing and showing me (in case I need a reminder what a girl ought to look like. :-/ ) Anyway, it's pretty cute. I hope Darla doesn't mind such a generic sounding name, when, knowing Josephine, it is meant in a very impressed and admiring way.

On the topic of names... I have been referring to my grandma as "Great Grandma" to Josephine. Since she calls me "Bah" and generally picks up on last syllables of people's names (Janell is "Aunt Nell", Grandpa is "Pa", Mama Jo was first "doe", etc.) it isn't surprising that she calls my mom "Bah", too, even though we refer to her as Grandma. Bah just equals Ma in her head, and that's the last syllable of Grandma. It might also be that she hears me call her Mom, and so she makes her substitution based off that.

Well, Josephine took this stubborn little quirk a step further while we were up there that weekend. The child who can repeat back all kinds of phrases and sentences-- rather than learning my grandma's name as "Great-Grandma," promptly started calling her "Great Bah." She did again today after seeing me uploading these pictures. So it is official. She now has three Bahs.

Aunt 'Nell and Great Bah... inseparable!

My dad loving Josephine's nightshirt, which reads, "My hedgehog is smarter than your president." :-) Courtesy of Mama Jo. (Note how when my dad knelt down next to her to take a picture, she knelt down too.)

Josephine and her grandma tickling the ivories, right before Josephine told me, "Bah, flew 'way." (Mom, go away). I've decided I'm not going to teach her "go away." I prefer to be told to fly away. Like an angel or butterfly. So I took one more picture and then fluttered along.

The remaining pictures are from my mom's camera (or maybe Darla's)...

At my Aunt JoAnn's house celebrating Grandma's 80th!

My Aunt JoAnn, purveyor of the butterfly wings, was ready for Josephine again, this time with a tiara and sunglasses. Josephine eats that stuff up.

(May 29)

her mother's sense of style

(May 28)

grandma and garden

My parents and Janell came down to Austin for a weekend in mid May. A treat as always! And the weekend before, Sean's parents were in town! So what you see below is Josephine on a serious grandparent high... nothing short of effusive joy when she talks about or see her beloveds.

A side perk: I'm always a little more fearless with getting stuff done on the house when my parents are around; Dad and I picked up a free water-conserving toilet (provided by the City of Austin) and we installed it upstairs. My first toilet installation! I rode that plumbing high into the following week and replaced a leaking hose bib by myself, too!

Our garden/yard looked its best ever this spring; here are a few pictures...

The plants are all a lot bigger now that's mid June, but the lack of rain has made things less green, so I think these are still my favorite yard shots from this year so far.

(photos from May 21)

"girl"

Can't say we've replicated the precision since this occurrence on May 16, but regardless, you've got to admit that's a pretty good drawing of a girl to her right!

When I asked about arms, she drew the things that looked like arms, and when I asked about shoes, the dots were added to the bottom of the picture. And while the resemblance to an actual head is... ummm... lacking, she was at least intentional about drawing it at the top of the body. :-)

Naturally, like most events in Josephine's life, this couldn't escape photographic documentation and subsequent broadcasting to the entire universe.

PS: As for the drawing on her left, it is clearly a genius interpretation of atomic chaos that would befuddle the most advanced theorists presently inhabiting this planet. Clearly.

splash pad

Josephine revisited the Pease Park splash pad for the first time this summer. We met up with Zanna and Sarah; Josephine was acting a bit shy about the water, so it was good that Zanna was there to warm her up to the idea by repeatedly pouring buckets of water on her feet.

They had a good time. Cute as ever!

At the playground afterwards...

(May 15th)