Hey girl, it's your birthday....

Two. Qiana is Two.

Two years since this little girl came into my life.

and she is perfect for me.

a funny combination of snuggle bug, silly girl, and diva.

Fun facts about Qiana;

She has really become interested in helping out. Helping clean messes, helping get her diaper and wipes, helping load and unload the dishwasher, helping put laundry in the dryer, and helping wash her body and hair in the tub.  In fact, sometimes she is unwilling to let any of these things happen unless she can help.

She has become obsessed with "yours" and "mine". She loves bringing people their shoes, phones, cups, blankets, food, purses, etc.

She is still not into independent play.  Good side: I never have to worry about her getting into things she's not supposed to. Bad side: I can't do anything without my little shadow wanting to be by my side "helping out".
Often times, when I am in the midst of getting ready for the day or cleaning I hear a "sit, sit"...meaning "mommy stop what you are doing, and come be with me"....try saying no to that.

She loves to color. Especially when I trace her hand. I have to trace her hand multiple times in one coloring session. She laughs everytime. Then she traces mine..She basically scribbles in between two of my fingers, and thinks she is so awesome.

She loves getting "pretty hair" and will make sure I do it in the morning before we leave.

She loves animals...I don't know how to deal with this. She loves visiting the horses and petting every dog we come across at the farmer's market.  She will never have a pet of her own..that's not my style...but she loves them.

She loves accessories. Loves hats, glasses, jewelry, purses, etc.

  She is now obsessed with movies. I have watched all the ones we have so many times!!  But she loves it. She loves to "nuggle" on the couch, piled with her blankets, and watch whatever movie she has picked out. Add in some snacks and milk and she is in heaven.

She has really embraced that terrible two thing and has started having such attitude with me, and has somehow added the dreaded "shut up" to her vocabulary. I'm assuming she learned it at daycare, cause I don't say it, but she knows how to use it and has such power behind it. So time-outs, lectures, and different word options are now part of our daily lives.  I'm sure my mom is loving this.

Although she has got some attitude, she can still be so tender hearted. When she gets in trouble she wants a hug afterwards and just needs me to tell her it's gonna be okay. I know she feels bad when she lashes out and I feel bad that she doesn't know how to stop herself yet.

She loves food, and it's not a problem getting her to eat, although most meals are consumed on the ottoman in the family room. I know it's not the best idea, but I just couldn't see us two eating alone at a kitchen table. Maybe when she's older.  Unfortunately for me, she's not the cleanest eater and I have to vacuum every couple days to get rid of the crumbs and debris.

When I get ready in the morning, she begs to sit on the counter where she can get into the drawer to play with my make-up. She likes to fix herself up like me.

She loves to read her books, although "reading" is mostly her flipping the pages and pointing at things. But we're working on it.

When she wakes up in the morning or after her naps, she just stands in her crib and calls out "Mom, Mom" (but with a slight Boston sounding tone).  When I go to get her she likes to point out that she has left her binky and blankets in the crib.

The girl loves her sleep. She takes either two naps a day for a couple hours each, or big nap for about 3 hours.  And at night she is often willing to call it night around 7:30, and sleeps until 7:15 in the morning.  Sometimes, I've tried keeping her up later at night or postponing a nap to suit my schedule, but when she's tired she will whine "bed, bed" and start walking back to her room.  Oh how I dread the day this will change.

She talks like crazy, but you can only understand about every 4th word.  Some words are clear as day, and then she goes on a crazy rant and you just have to laugh and nod your head.

Words she says:

Shoes

Sit up 

Sit

Bugs

Nana (banana)

Wa (water)

NO!

Snacks

Woah

Baby

Oh no

I uh ooh (I love you)

Mote (remote)

Milk

Help me

Night

Blanket

Emily (Em-ly)
Mom (kind of said with a Boston accent)
Water
Movie
Yo (Yo gabba gabba)
Phone

*addendum: words I forgot
move
windy
rainy
stir
hat
spoon
bathroom (meaning bath)
balloon
mine
swing
poopie
diaper
sorry
please
thank you
see-later (see a later)
pretty
go
outside
(These are the words she can say on her own, although she can mimic almost anything when I ask her to repeat it. )

She loves to give hugs and kisses. To me, to Emily, to family, to friends, to anyone I ask her to.
The girl is a lover...and a fighter.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

things that make you go hmmmmm....

Life has hit either a rut or rhythm, depending on how you want to look at it.  Nothing exciting has happened, but we are getting by each day with a smile.

The TV season has officially begun, and thus most of my nights are consumed with laughter, drama, and intriguing story lines...all courtesy of fake characters.  But I love it.  Without Tv, my nights would be pretty darn lonely.

After the 1st week, I have already eliminated a couple shows from the rotation (Nikita, and the defenders). And have voted Hawaii 5-0 my favorite new show...with a major crush on Scott Caan growing...

I am already loving Glee, and have been anxiously counting down the hours until tonight's Britney Spears episode...I have a feeling it's gonna be awesome.

One of my favorite reality shows, the Amazing Race, has begun and I have chosen my team to root for (the dr's), and have begun a loathing campaign against The biological mother/daughter team that is so boring and creepy, and the tattooed couple...who are just complete idiots.

How I met your mother was freakin fantastic last night when Barney thought he was black, and was singing all soulful with wayne brady and ben vereen...hilarious....oh and with the addition of "auto-tune"...just awesome.

The young tribe on Survivor was so stupid to vote out one of their guys so early in the game...but that guy turned out to be a real douche. 

Emily recently watched "the time traveler's wife" through a free HBO weekend.....I'm sorry to all women who thought it was super romantic...but we just didn't get it, and I thought it was super creepy.  If I ever found out that my little daughter was meeting some older man (who claimed to be her future husband) in the woods behind my house...I would not be too happy...just creepy.

I have always been more fascinated with baking rather than cooking. I like the exactness of it all. there is a definite recipe to everything. I like that. Recently, I have begun a quest to perfect the art of the cupcake.  Each Sunday I try out a new recipe, new flavor combination, and bring it to work on Monday for people to try.  So far it's been really fun, and I have had some real successes.
Flavors made:
Pina Colada Cupcake with Coconut Frosting
Red velvet with cream cheese frosting
Lemon Cupcake with Raspberry Cream Frosting
German Chocolate Cupcake with Coconut Pecan custard frosting
White Cupcake with Lavender filling, and Lime Zest Frosting
Chocolate Cupcake with peanut butter filling, and chocolate ganache topping
Peaches and Cream Cupcake with Vanilla bean Frosting. 
Chocolate Cupcake with Coconut Filling, and Coconut Cream frosting
Banana Chocolate chip cupcake with Nutella Frosting
and my most recent...savory cupcake adventure
Maple Bacon Cupcake with Maple Frosting, and Bacon Crumbles

Songs I am loving right now:
Bruno Mars: Just the way you are
Linkin Park; the catalyst
Trey songz: Bottoms up
B.O.B. feat. Rivers Cuomo: Magic
Nicki Minaj: Your love

I wanna coooollll rider, a cooooolll rider.....

It's Qiana's birthday month, and although her birthday isn't for another 10 days Clinton wanted to bring Q her present early.

isn't it the cutest thing. Clinton was worried that with the weather outside getting colder she wouldn't have a whole lot of time to play with it, so he brought it over early so she could enjoy it....and she loved it!

Her feet don't necessarily reach the pedals, but she is perfectly content walking it around everywhere. In fact she had to "ride" it all the way down to the haystacks, and it took me grabbing her to walk back to the house...if it was up to her we would have walk/rode that bike through the meadow behind the haystacks.

At one point she went inside to get her baby so she could have a turn at it.

 Q hasn't quite grasped the concept that baby doesn't have the same leg structure as a real person, and gets frustrated when she can't sit up. But then Clinton just opened up the seat, a place usually reserved for Q's rock collections,  and put the baby sitting up in there. That seemed to satisfy her.

This morning it's cold and rainy, but Q is still enjoying her bike...riding/walking it around the house. 

Looks like Clinton's gift was a hit! 

For the beauty, splendor, the wonder of my hair. Flow it, show it, long as God can grow, my hair

two years, two years I have been waiting for Q's hair to grow enough to actually do something with it....and her hair is finally coming in. It's gonna be awhile for it shows any real length...it is wayyyyyyyyyyyyy curly, and actually is longer than it looks, it just kinks right up. But her hair is starting to get thicker and really fill in on her head.  This pleases me, as it allows me to finally give her a decent afro (which I love).

Recently, we started putting her hair into a couple of pig tails...and she loves it. On days when I don't do it, she will point over to her hair things and say "hair, hair". She wants her hair pretty.

Then today she found her old baby headbands, and wanted to put it on...on my gosh, I was in heaven. I picked out her hair and made a decent afro, and she just smiled. now I gotta get some more headbands. 

 

She loves getting her hair cute....yep, she's my daughter. 

Just to have you.....back again

While most households may have been filled with the stress of putting together fantasy football teams, mine has been concentrated on getting my fall tv line-up together.  I'm always a little relieved when I have no conflicts.  It's finding happiness in the little things right?

Sunday:

8:00-Amazing Race CBS     sept 26

10:00-Brothers and Sisters ABC      sept 26

Monday:

8:00-How I Met Your Mother CBS    sept 20

         House FOX           sept 20

         90210 CW          started

9:00-Gossip Girl CW    started

10:00-Castle ABC       sept 20

           Hawaii Five-O CBS             sept 20

Tuesday:

8:00-No ordinary family ABC      sept 28

         Glee FOX                     sept 21

9:30-Running Wilde* FOX    sept 21

10:00-Parenthood NBC     started

Wednesday:

7:00-Top Chef: Just Desserts* BRAVO      started

8:00-Survivor CBS                     started

         America's next top model CW       started

9:00-Modern Family ABC               sept 22

         Criminal Minds CBS               sept 22

9:30-Cougar Town ABC               sept 22

10:00-The defenders CBS        sept 22

           Law and Order: Los angeles NBC    sep 29

Thursday:

8:00-Community NBC     sept 23

8:30-30 Rock NBC          sept 23

9:00-the Office NBC       sept 23

         Grey's anatomy ABC   sept 23

9:30-Outsourced NBC      sept 23

10:00-Private Practice ABC   sept 23

           The Mentalist CBS      sept 23

Friday:

9:00-CSI:NY CBS                  sept 24

10:00-Blue Bloods* CBS    sept 24

Saturday:

9:00-Chase NBC     sept 25

10:00-Law and Order SVU    sept 25

Don't need no hateration, holleration' In this dancery...

Bumbershoot 2010...and it was awesome!!  The weather was less than ideal, but the good company, good food, and good performances, made it totally worth it.  

On our way over we stopped in North Bend at the outlet mall, and I got some excellent deals on fall clothes for Q. The Carter's store had almost everything 50-60% off, plus I got another 25% off of the total purchase...yeah...it was amazing.  

That evening we headed over to this piano bar. michelle had been to the one in Seattle with her co workers, and so we decided to try it out. It was a slow night, but it was the only night we could go, but it was still really fun. We got a an appetizer and a dessert, and chilled with out water and sang along with the piano man. 

(shape of an "L" on her forehead..yeah someone actually requested that song!)

At one point the piano man asked if anyone wanted to come up and sing...of course our Emily jumped at the chance,,,and it didn't take much coaxing from me to get her ON the piano..

her first song was a little rough...she has some issues with her vocal chords, but she got up again and sang "a song for you", and totally killed it. We were no longer embarrassed to be with her. hahaha

Then this guy, Randy got up to sing...yeah all it took was for me to call him Rand-man, and he jumped on the piano as well...Don't worry, i try and use my powers of persuasion for good and not evil. 

Everything was good, until the piano man decided to basically play the whole Beatles discography...that wasn't so fun.

The next day, after we got up, did some shopping (I went to my first Whole Foods...and am now obsessed...that place is grocery heaven), 

we headed into Seattle and to Bumbershoot 2010....

Labor Day in Seattle and it was cold and rainy...gotta love it? Not when you are at an outdoor music festival...

They had a bunch of food vendors, and shop vendors all along with walkways...they had some interesting products. 

the food was delicious...michelle and I decided to try and be adventurous, so we got these salmon and cream cheese piroshky..i think they are russian or something...but they were delicious!!  and even though it was freezing, I still had to get a delicious fruity drink...like this black raspberry smoothie..party in my mouth!

Poor Emily and her Ideal protein diet...survived on protein shakes and cucumbers...not awesome.

and of course our favorite pasttime...people watching...here is a typical Bumbershoot go-er....enough said

Our first performance was a local hip-hop artist named Victor Shade. And if you can get past the crazy non-sensical outfit..he was pretty awesome.   

Then we watched this rock pop group called BOAT. Apparently, their shows are usually full of confetti, signs, kazoos, and humor. They were pretty entertaining. 

While walking around we also caught a little bit of this rock group's performance

Jeff the Brotherhood

Then it was time to get in line for the Mainstage concert.  It had been cold all day, but it wasn't until this point that it decided to rain...and keep raining the rest of the night.  

So we waited in line for an hour to get into the Mainstage...

While waiting in line, we had a bunch of people try and walk past us and skip through the line..so us, and those high school boys decided to form a barrier of bodies to prevent the skipping.  It was so funny though cause when somebody would try and get through, I would just stand there staring into space with a straight face and completely ignore them...michelle couldn't keep a straight face and was laughing...she could never be a spy.

Then we waited in the Mainstage arena for another 2 hours for the concert to even start...yep, that's how it done. with no assigned seating, it becomes a first come thing.

We tried to entertain ourselves the best we could, but nothing could distract from the cold...yuck.  

the crazy fans hung out for hours right by the stage, uncovered..we decided to sit in the side areas, slightly covered, and thus not completely drenched by the time the night was over.  

The first act was this new hip-hop artist signed to Jay-Z's label named J. Cole.  He's got a cool single out called "Who Dat"...pretty good.  

He was entertaining.

Next was Drake!!  Oh man, It was awesome.  He sang every song I wanted him to. And sounded super good. At one point he brought a girl on stage..yeah we were jealous. 

There were some pretty interesting people in the crowd..such a crazy group of people, but this lady and her STICK were by far my favorite!!  She was so fun to watch...

And finally it was Mary J Blige! At this point we had been in the rain for 5.5 hours, and sitting in the concert area for 4.5 but that didn't stop us from completely enjoying her performance! Plus, once we got up on our feet and started dancing I even got a little warm.  Oh it was just awesome.  She sang so many of her hits..even all the way back to "real Love"...and sounded just absolutely fabulous!!  Plus I re fell in love with "no more drama"...that song is my jam!!

Of course my camera died, before I could get any video of Mary..but trust me, it was amazing. 

After a very long, but excellent day we headed home...

Oh I love times like these.