I'm Not a Horse, I'm a Hornless Unicorn (67/365)

Scene 3

MOMMY, ALICE, and IZZY are laying on ALICE'S bed in the dark, staring up at the ceiling.

ALICE: Mommy, let's pretend that the ceiling is the sky and we're looking at stars, ok? What kind of stars do YOU see?

MOMMY: Ummm, I see...

ALICE: Mommy, THAT one is a kitty cat.

MOMMY: Oh, well I see a smiley face over there!

ALICE: Oh, OH, now I see a dinosaur. And look, Mommy! There's a donkey!

IZZY: SQUEEEEEEE!

Mommy: I think I see one that looks like a diamond.

ALICE: I see a horse!! And now it turned into a unicorn, my favorite!

MOMMY: Well, that is...

ALICE: And look, that one is Daddy and Izzy and they are sitting on the couch and they are laughing at Grandma's face!! HA HA HA HA HA HA! That's so funny!

MOMMY: (through laughter and tears) My, that's one elaborate constellation!


She didn't say WHICH Grandma - you're safe for now, Cindy.

You Know It's Been a Good Day When (66/365)

• Your three year old can barely get out of the car with out falling over from complete exhaustion.
• Your three year old asks: "Can I go to bed now?"
• Said three year old doesn't stir when, an hour after tucking her in, her sister is put down for the night in the same room.
• Not even bedtime protests from a sleepy 10 month old can wake her.
• The house is nearly quiet by 8:30pm.

We spent the day, as we do most Sundays, at my mother and father in law's house. The day was full of playing pretend with Alice, Izzy showing off new tricks, dog soup, old 8mm home movies watched and recorded, corned beef and cabbage, and an impromptu dirt cake for dessert thanks to Annie. As always the food was good, the company even better, and hopefully fun was had by all.

Except that poor dog that ended up in Uncle Freddy's soup.

Remembering Mom - 7 Years Later (65/365)

Happier times: Mom and I, Summer 2001
Susan M. Rice
February 19, 1948 - March 6, 2003

You never said "I'm leaving"
You never said goodbye
You were gone before I knew it,
And only God knew why

A million times I needed you,
A million times I cried
If Love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died

In Life I loved you dearly
In death I love you still
In my heart you hold a place,
That no one could ever fill

It broke my heart to lose you,
But you didn't go alone
For part of me went with you,
The day God took you home.

--Anon

She Camped Out On the Living Room Floor (64/365)

No fort is complete w/o a flashlight, laptop, and a Disney movie.

Things Don't Always Run Smoothly (63/365)

10pm, 2am, 4am, 5am.

Those were the times Izzy woke up last night. I thought for sure that
she would easily give up her night time bottle now that she's eating
well during the day - night 1 didn't go so well. By 5am Alice was
awake too and I gave in and made a bottle.

Let's hope night 2 is much easier, though judging by the crying I can
hear from the other room I'm not going to bet on that happening.

Wanna Take Bets (62/365)

Anyone want to take bets as to how long it will be before the little booger starts walking?
I think it's going to be VERY soon - like NEXT WEEK soon.
She's already gone from standing for 10 seconds to 30+ in one DAY.
It really is all downhill from here.

This Is What My World Has Looked Like Today (61/365)

Ok, so it's not an entirely accurate representation, but it'll do. I started feeling like crap since yesterday after Cindy's doctoral defense, and it's continued on into today. I don't have nearly the headache I did when I was at Tori's house, but it's still there somewhat and it's driving me nuts. What's really been bugging me is the dizziness and sinus/ear heaviness. I'm betting they are all related and I'm nursing a sinus infection. Hopefully it won't get much worse than how it is now because I can semi function still so long as I take it easy and don't make sudden movements which cause me to get dizzy. So needless to say I won't be doing much staring at the computer screen tonight to write this post as its is making my head screwy as well.

I hope I feel better in the morning.

Oh, and BTW, Izzy stood for 10 seconds or so unassisted this evening!

Introducing Dr. Cindy Carlson Rice! (60/365)

AKA Dr. Grandma!

We're SO proud of you,

and SO glad we could share your special day with you (despite your protests).
Love you.

24 Years Ago The Littlest Bathje Was Born (59/365)

But he's not so little anymore. Happy almost quarter century, Fred.

Speaking of Changes (58/365)

Look what we Matt did today. Next step - bunk beds.

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes (57/365)

Lately I've been constantly reminded of the fact that my first baby is not such a baby anymore. When I was in J'ville last weekend, I looked back at pictures of Alice from when Izzy was born and I can't believe how much Alice has grown - no wonder she's growing out of her clothes as fast as I can buy them! She's engrossed with activity books and constantly wants to write her letters and do her alphabet dot-to-dot pages. The thing that has really been a daily reminder that she's growing up is, sadly, her attitude. There are some days when it's all I can do to keep my cool and not pull my hair out. You've heard of terrible twos, but let me tell you, they've got nothing on three. Today I actually sent Alice to her room for a punishment and for her to think about her actions and how she can be better. She's certainly retaining what I tell her in terms of how she should act, but I'm waiting for the day when she gets it and changes her first response to a situation. I know, I know, it could be a long time before that happens, but I'm hoping she'll surprise me.

Get Well Uncle Chuck (56/365)

Alice wanted to make a video to cheer Uncle Chuck up - hope you like Disney tunes.

And He Thinks He Doesn't Look Like He's Lost Weight (55/365)

Going from a size 50 waist to a 42 in a year is not too shabby if you ask me! Somebody get this man a cheeseburger!

You're doing great, hon!

The Eating Habits of a 10 Month Old (54/365)

Izzy has been having some problems eating lately. No I'm not referring to her lack of motor skills, she is, after all, crossing midline now. Nor am I referring to the fact that she got so messy at lunch this afternoon that I had to strip her and give her a good scrub in the tub. No I refer to the fact that I've been having to really work at her to eat her solids, where before she gobbled them up. I'm pretty convinced that it has more to do with the teeth that are barely under the surface than her Zantac needing an adjustment. We'll see what the doc has to say though as I'm going to give him a call tomorrow.

A Room With a View (53/365)

Photo courtesy of Matt and his iPhone. It didn't stay this pretty for long as the temperature crept to the just above freezing mark today, but it sure was lovely while it lasted.

Now if we can just get some nice big snowflakes during the day so I can take some shots like Jessica did (see her Facebook if you're a friend). I've been DYING to do that all winter! I mean if I've got to have snow, I might as well have fun with it, eh?

There's always tomorrow.