Just very busy!  I owe you all a post…a really long post.  And my promise is to have that for you this week!  To hold you over….the cutness….

I tend to blog a lot about all the good stuff in our life but I skim right over the top of all the not so pleasant stuff…..like the tantrums and misbehaving.  But trust me this stuff does happen and I’m at my wits end.  I know there are at least 3 people out there that read this and I hope that you can all help.

Here is the deal…Princess is very stubborn and things are getting kind of out of hand.  When I tell her I’m going to sit her in time-out or in the corner she laughs and thinks it is a game.  I thought maybe I should find a rug or a chair and have it be the time-out spot but I’m not sure if this is going to work.  I mean, the child puts her toys in time out!

Another thing that we are having a problem with is hitting.  She doesn’t really hit other kids but she hits me and her grandma and sometimes K-Man.  We discipline her…not that it helps a lot….then make her tell us she is sorry.  Here is the kicker though….she won’t say she is sorry!

I know a lot of this is the age but I’m so scared that my sweet little baby is turning into a brat!  If I offer to send cookies to anyone who gives me advice will that help?

I know that it had to happen eventually.  I just didn’t think it would happen so soon!  Friday evening we picked up Princess J’s big girl bed.  As promised we also took her shopping to pick out her own decorations…with my guidance of course.  I must say that I do love what we picked out and so does she!

Saturday morning…before I could change my mind….I took down the crib.  I didn’t stop to think about the very first time I laid my baby in the crib, until later.  I didn’t think about it Saturday morning, when I went in to pick my sleepy-eyed baby up,  that it would likely be the last time I ever take her out of a crib.  I just did it and threw myself into the set up and decorating.

We’ve had a couple of rough nights but I went and got a bed rail and that has made a huge difference.  All in all, PJ loves her new big girl room!  And mommy and daddy…well…we love that we can sneak in and snuggle with our munchkin.

Here are a few pictures.  I’m doing some more decorating this weekend and hanging things up but this is the start.  Oh, and as if having a big girl bed wasn’t enough, PJ woke up dry the other morning and proceeded to use the big girl potty! Don’t worry….I’ll get use to this big girl thing….

What is pink and green, has flowers and no sides…..

This is just going to be a post of funny things heard around our house at any given time of day.  Life with a 2 year old is almost always entertaining!

*Set the scene…Progressive Insurance commercial comes on….PJ says “Power to the people!” and shoots her hand up in the air.

*Set the scene….Subway commercial comes on…PJ says “Eat Fresh”

“Daddy…that not nice…say sorry to Mommy right now!  Kiss her!”

“Elmo bit me!  Bad Elmo!”

“Mommy!!  I poopin!!” (generally shouted from across the house)

“Zekie (the dog), that my mommy!  Don’t follow her!”

“You want chicken?  Or tacos?”

“Bye dumb dog!”

Other funny things to note….PJ has mastered the stairs and she darts up them at least once a night when I’m not looking.  She has also taken to sleeping with at least 2 sometimes 3 of her blankies at once.  When the phone rings…you better pray that you are faster then her because she has figured out how to answer it!  K-man and I tried to fix this problem by just hiding the phone but then we can’t find it when it rings.  Have a great weekend!

*How the child picks up these commercials is beyond me.  We have the tv on but she never watches it…I just assumed she wasn’t even paying attention to it!

Saturday night couldn’t have turned out more perfect for us!  The weather was great, the food yummy and the company the best!  Princess got spoiled of course, but a girl only turns 2 once!  K-Man was in charge of the camera most of the time so I didn’t get many pictures but I’ll post a few.

Monday we had PJ’s 2 year well child visit.  She weighs 28 pounds and is 35 inches tall!  Dr. A is very pleased with her growth and verbal skills.  We also got the green light to switch to 2% milk and start a vitamin with iron.  She also told me that it is totally normal for toddlers to be somewhat vegetarian.  The best news though is that we don’t have to go back for a year!

Here are some pictures from the party.  Enjoy!

My watermelon boat…I’m really proud of this!

Princess J’s cupcake cake….

Loving all of her presents…

Sleepy little birthday girl….

We love you sweet pea!

How is it possible that I have a 2 year old!  It doesn’t seem like that long ago we were all wondering if I would make it to the end of July.  It seems like just yesterday my feet and hands were swollen beyond recognition.  But…it has already been 2 years since the doctors performed the c-section that gave me my little girl.

Princess J….you are amazing!  I have loved every minute of the last 2 years and can’t wait to see what this year brings us!  Lets do a recap of the last year.

- You went from scooting, to crawling, to walking, to running
- You now have a very large vocabulary…that you use often to express your likes and dislikes
- You went from eating small chunks of table food to devouring everything in sight
- You can now reach the counter tops…so nothing is safe
- You climb with ease and have no fear
- You have mastered the stairs and sneak up them every chance you get

Likes:
- Chicken
- Elmo and Ernie
- Baths…but not hair washing
- Little People…or Peoples as J calls them
- cuddling with mommy and daddy at night to avoid bedtime
- your blankie and nukie
- dogs

Dislikes:
- Being told no
- Not getting your way
- Having to leave mommy and daddy all day
- Meat that doesn’t have sauce on it
- Toys that bite

Princess you have taught your daddy and I so much in the last year!  We thought that having a newborn was hard…and it is…but having a toddler is hard in a different way.  We just hope that we are doing everything the right way and we hope you realize how much you are loved!  We hope your birthday is magical and special and that all of your candle wishes come true little one!

I’ll leave you with one last thought….a then and now.  Everyone told me that time would go by fast.  Turns out this is one time that everyone is right.

This year we did something a little different for Father’s Day.  I still cooked K-Man his favorite foods and we still spent some family time together.  But my mom came down to watch the bug for us so we could go to the first annual John Wetzel Memorial Race.

John passed away in January this year and he was a very dear friend of ours.  We miss him very much and have enjoyed being with his famliy, also our close friends, to share his memories.

The race and tailgating was amazing.  There must have been 60 of us all sporting t-shirts in his honor.  It felt good to sit in the bleachers again and it brought back a lot of memories from K-Man’s racing days.  There is just something about the smell of racing the fuel and the taste of ice cold beer on a hot June day.  It was of course one of the hottest days of the summer yet and by then end of the night I was tired, sweaty and covered in dirt.  But every second of it was worth it and so much fun.

John’s brother drove the 61J in the feature parade laps.  It was a very touching moment to see the 61J on the track again.  The only thing that could have made it better is if John himself were in the driver seat getting ready to kick some butt.  We miss you so much John!  Your memory will live on forever.

If I post super cute pictures will you please not stone me for being gone so long?

That would be my adorable niece on the left!  She is 14 months and makes me want another baby so bad!  PJ loves her cousin.

We have been busy as always at our place.  We are preparing for the big 2 year birthday and adjusting our house to fit this soon to be 2 year old.  After much discussion we have decided it is time to switch to a big girl bed.  Our dc provider told me yesterday that PJ is sleeping on mat like the rest of the big kids now!  So I think we are going this weekend to get a twin size mattress and box spring.  I want my baby back!!

We are also working on potty training.  We are averaging about 3 times a week using the potty which I think is great!  PJ is starting to tell us when she needs to go which is a huge step in the right direction.

As much as I miss my tiny baby, the little girl that J is growing up to be is pretty amazing.  She is so smart and funny!  We have our moments when I really want to pull my hair out but I have to realize that she is just testing us!

The hot weather has arrived to our state!  K-man and I are going to look at pools this weekend.  We have a great public pool but K-man doesn’t get home until late and would just like to be able to chill in his own yard.  I’ll hopefully post pictures of a shiny new pool soon!