Handsome

Gisele at age 2-and-almost-a-half

Jamie: "Miss Naima said Casey and Gisèle didn't take naps today {at school.} They brushed each others' hair with blocks instead."

Gisèle: "Casey's not my friend anymore."
Jamie: "Is Casey a boy or a girl?"
Gisèle: "Casey's a boy."
Me: "Why isn't Casey your friend anymore?"
Gisèle, matter-of-factly: "He pushed me."

One recent evening, Gisèle shuffled all the way from the bathroom to the kitchen - with her jeans and princess underwear around her ankles - just to show us how well she did tearing off the right amount of toilet paper. It was hard to hold in the laughter as we praised her, but reminded her she needs to stay in the bathroom until she's all done wiping, washing her hands, etc. She was so proud!

Practicing her new favorite phrase after everything I say: "What? What you say, Mama?"

I also have to add some praise for my girl - she has been wearing underwear full-time during the day for a while with no accidents. She has been wearing underwear instead of a pull-up at night for 2 nights now, and has been dry in the morning! Such a big girl!!!

Purple??

Gisèle, out of nowhere last night: "I like purple underwears."

*Note: She does not own any purple underwear. So whose does she like??

Bad Mother

Tonight is one of those nights that I have to tell myself that I am NOT a bad mother.

Gisèle is on her bed, still crying, after throwing fit after fit after fit tonight. Jamie and I just said her bedtime prayer with her, she and I crying all the while, and he's now trying to soothe her enough that she'll lay down.

She didn't have any dinner. After using the potty, she refused to pull up her pants or wash her hands - just lay down on the bathroom rug bare-bottomed throwing a fit. After that one ended and she was washing her hands, she purposefully flung soap - bright green suds - all over the bathroom to start another fit. Things built on each other until the refusal to tell me whether or not she wanted dinner before bed. I told her if she didn't choose, I would, and I had to stick with what I said.

I constantly have to remind myself at times like these that I'm not a bad mother. I'm not starving my child - I'm teaching her about consequences. And I have to remind myself that some other parents have a harder job - usually Gisèle is a joy, so I need to count my blessings.

It's just especially hard after a weekend like the one we had. She had a stomach bug, and threw up twice Friday night and once Saturday morning. She was feeling better today, and we had a great time playing in the backyard together. To be this exhausted, and then think that things were getting better... it makes it that much worse when everything goes downhill again.

I'm sure things will be better tomorrow. I'm ready to have my sweet girl back. Until then, I'll enjoy a quiet dinner with Jamie and thank God that our other child is currently smiling and cooing.

Roasted Broccoli

After one bite, I knew - this is one of my all-time favorite side dishes. It's easy to put together, and SO full of flavor!

Roasted Broccoli (adapted from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa)

2 bunches broccoli, cut into largeish florets
6-7 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled & sliced (I used bottled minced garlic - faster)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/3 cup parmesan (grated - not from a canister!)
1/4 cup (or less) toasted pine nuts
2-3 Tbsp julienned fresh basil

-Preheat the oven to 425, and cover a cookie sheet or sheet pan with foil (easy clean-up.)
-Toss the broccoli with about 5 Tbsp olive oil, the salt & pepper, and garlic, and spread out on the foil.
-Roast in the oven 20-25 minutes, until the broccoli has some brown bits and is crisp-tender.
-Transfer to a bowl, and toss with the remaining olive oil, lemon juice & zest, parmesan, pine nuts, and basil.

*Make sure to dry the broccoli thoroughly before tossing it with the oil - otherwise, it'll steam instead of getting nice and brown!
*You can leave off the foil and put your pan in the oven as it preheats to get a bit of browning on the underside of the broccoli, too.
*This would be good with some crushed red pepper mixed in if you like a bit of a kick.
*I think the same technique would work well for brussel sprouts or cauliflower - gotta try those next!

The Many Faces of Miles

And yes - the mohawk is completely natural!! I love it!

Gisèle's Vocabulary

Gisèle's vocabulary is amazing. She talks in complete, complicated sentences all the time, and sometimes it's hard to remember that she's 2 - not 4. She still has some cute little things she says, though, that make me smile:

"Mama, wanna play with my doors?" (Her "girls" that came with her Little People camping set.)

G: "I like formatoes!"
Me: "Gisèle, it's "tomatoes."
G: "Oh. I like tummy-toes!"

"Mama, where da missing peezles doe?" (trans.: "Mama, where'd the missing puzzle pieces go?")

She's obsessed with her princess books right now. She has Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and her favorite - Snow White. One of her favorite things to say - at any time, no matter where we are - is "Oh! Da witch is comin'!!" On the way home from school today (in the car with Jamie), she said "Oh! Da witch comin', Daddy! Da evil witch is comin'! Go faster, Daddy!" I LOVE that she is so completely into make-believe now!

{The top picture is Gisèle putting her baby doll and a teddy bear down for a nap. The picture below is her pretending to join them.}

Christmas 2009

"Dora Underwears"

Gisèle is on day 3 of wearing her "Dora underwears" to school! That's right - she's a certified big girl now. She's very good about telling us in public when she needs to go potty, and pretty good at home as well. She had 2 accidents yesterday at school, and 2 the day before. (One each day was because the teacher she had before/during nap time -not her normal teacher - forgot to ask her if she needed to use the potty.) All in all, she's doing very well! Her scrawny little butt is so cute without the padding of a pull-up. :)

One public-potty story: When Gisèle and I were at Target the other day, someone in a nearby stall starting peeing. Gisèle immediately exclaimed "Oooh, Mama - what dat?!" I quietly explained that it was someone else going potty, and the next thing out of her mouth was a loud "Good job - go potty!!" The questions kept coming, and I had to give her a play-by-play of the poor woman's potty experience - flushing, opening the stall door, washing her hands, drying her hands, etc. Never heard a word from the woman the whole time!

Cheesy Beer Bread

This is another one I found on Tasty Kitchen. It comes together very quickly, and has a wonderful flavor. I think it would be great served with some kind of grilled meat.

Cheesy Beer Bread

3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup grated Cheddar
12 oz beer
1/4 cup butter, melted
garlic and onion powder
parsley flakes

-Preheat the oven to 375.
-Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
-Mix in the cheese, then stir in the beer until loose and sticky.
-Place in a greased loaf pan, and pour the melted butter on top.
-Sprinkle with garlic and onion powders and parsley flakes.
-Bake for 1 hour at 375, then cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Bad Hair Day?

Just a quick post to show off Miles's hair before a bath... and after. :)