let them eat cheesecake

Claire and I went to visit my mom in Fayette this weekend, while Mike painted her bathroom. It looks totally rad and exactly how I pictured it 2.5 years ago when we first moved in! :) I will post a picture of here when I have a minute.

Claire had tons of fun playing with her 2nd cousins Jack and Sami (and the other boy "Nickel" aka Jack's friend Nick King)

Jenny and I had a girls date on Friday night. We went to this cool restaurant called Triumph Grill. We had drinks and 1/2 price apps and then saw "He's Just Not That Into You", which I highly recommend. I laughed, I cried, I was riveted. Afterwards, we went to the Cheesecake Factory for some lima beans...I kid!....for some cheesecake! mmmmmmmmm. Jenny was jealous of my hot fudge and I was jealous of her ganache. It was a fun girls nite and we vowed to do that more often. Then I left my cell phone in her call for the remainder of the weekend and finally got it back Tuesday afternoon, so if you tried to call me on my cell...

beef tips and egg noodles

Claire runs upstairs to get me on the computer

C: "Mom! Dinno's ready!"
E: "OK, I'm coming. What is it?"
C: " LUNCH!"

and scene.

Valentine's Day

Claire raked it in this year for Valentine's Day. Here's the lowdown
-cute felt totebag full of candy and Sleeping Beauty bubble bath from Grammy
-little stuffed bear and money from Great Grandma and Grandpa Stallone
-sweet card and more moolah from MawMaw and PawPaw Lowder
-Dora underwear and sweet tarts from Nana and Pop
-Princess stickers from Mama and Papa
Thanks everybody!

Mike took me to Iron Barley for some Schnitzle. I'm serious, and it was seriously good! Then we went to Cold Stone Creamery and snuck it into the movies to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". It was a very fun date night. Just what we needed on Valentine's Day.

Thanks for watching Claire Nana!

Wordle

Toilet Humor

Claire wanted to play a little role-reversal game this morning at breakfast. She told me I was Clairey and she was Mama. Here's how our conversation went:

"Mama": eat your pancakes sweetie
"Clairey": i don't wanna!
"Mama": honey!
"Clairey": i want something else!
"Mama": what else do you want?
"Clairey": Gummi Bears?
"Mama": No, we no eat Gummi Bay-o's for breakfast.
"Clairey": It's not fair!!
"Mama": OK - you can have some!

Wow! That was easy...and scene.

Then "Clairey" (this is still me acting like Claire people) has a freak-out because she really has to use the potty.
*"Clairey" jumps up frantically from the kitchen table*

"C": I gotta go potty! I gotta go potty!

*"Clairely" runs and sits on the potty. (i really did have to go pee if you must know)
*"Mama" follows me in the bathroom with a super bedside (pottyside?) manner.

"M": It's gonna be ok babe. ("Mama" holds my hand lovingly.) Don't push too hard.

AND scene. true story.

Life's not fayo.

Things have been pretty dramatic in the Lowder household lately. Full of piss and vinegar...almost literally. We're going gangbusters with this potty training and Claire's been doing very well overall. But I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that we didn't have some big, fat puddles on the floor...especially in the last couple of days. Just tonight she peed so much on the kitchen chairs that it spilled down on the floor and Mike looked over and thought she had spilled her cup of water!

Claire's 'DIVA' personality is really coming through lately too. She's so dramatic. Cindy and I were teasing her this afternoon that she better take us to the Academy Awards when she's nominated for her first Oscar!

One day last week she gave me The Hardest Time getting ready in the morning. She fights me during the entire process. She Hates taking her PJ's off. She Hates going potty. She Hates putting pants on, her shirt, socks, shoes...it's endless. She started getting really rowdy and hitting me, so instead of trying my old standard "Supernanny-Approved Time Out" and decided to try a new technique - really hitting her where it hurts - her toys. I told her I would take a toy away every time she hit. The first time it was her precious baby doll crib. "NO! Not the crib. Where are you taking it?!" I hid it away in the office where she couldn't get it. Claire smartly retaliated by, well hitting me again. Away goes the baby stroller. (See ya piece of plastic crap I've been wanting to get rid of anyway). Claire sees Mama means business and follows me downstairs and starts to calm down. But before we can get out the door she slaps me in a fit of pop-tart deprivation. "Bye-Bye Dora Backpack". Claire LOST IT. I mean, Meryl Streep would have been jealous. There was flailing, kicking, screaming....my new disciplinary technique must be working! :)

I have to physically chase her through the snow-filled front yard and wrangle her into the car seat. She was bawling and bemoaning the loss of her toys. She howled to call Nana on the phone. I needed a witness, so I was happy to accomodate. We called my mom on my cell phone and I put the call on speaker.

CLAIRE: "Waaaahhhhhh. Nannnaa Mama mumble took toys mumble put 'em in the offish. uuuuuuhhhhhhhhh!"
NANA: "Oh honey, Liz what is she saying?"
ELIZABETH: "Mama put her toys in the office because she was h-i-t-t-i-n-g me."
CLAIRE: "IT'S NOT FAIR!"
NANA: "Oh honey, what did you do to make Mama take your toys away?
CLAIRE: "I dunno. It's not fayo. hmph!"
NANA: "Mama loves you, don't be upset. Put a little sunshine in your day today."
*Claire looks outside to the overcast sky outside the car window*
CLAIRE: "There's no sun Nana."
*We drive past Lone Elk Park, where we sometimes see deer in the forest*
CLAIRE: "I don't see lions, or tigers or elephants or nothing! irreverant mumbling
ELIZABETH Hysterically Laughs until a little pee comes out!
ELIZABETH "Mom - did you hear that? We're driving past that park off Highway 44 and she doesn't see lions or tigers or elephants or nothing!"
CLAIRE: "...or monkeys or cows or nothing. It's not fayo."