Amsterdam - Day 2

Wow. I am TIIIIRED. We only did a few things today...

But first of all, I have to commend The UB for picking the best hotels EVER. This one is so damn cute you wouldn't even believe it. There are two beds - one just slightly bigger than the other - with white bed linens and a small stuffed brightly colored daisy on each. On the walls of our rooms are a great number of framed pictures of sunflowers. The breakfast this morning was wonderful. The first time in a new place is always just a touch confusing, so when we walked down into the basement and saw a woman in a small kitchenette and a room full of tables and chairs with a toaster at one end we weren't really sure what was going to happen; however, we were served medium-boiled eggs, multiple types of fresh bread, jam, coffee, tea, OJ,... anywho - it was fabulous! Can't wait for tomorrow to do it all over again.

We headed out and Brad put us on a tram going north. We walked and walked through the most beautiful streets I've ever seen (well,... Paris was cool, but it was a long time ago so I can't say I remember them perfectly) - the buildings are awesome (and tall and skinny as you all know) and the canals and bridges are endless. It is a sight that I don't care to get enough of. I didn't know where we were going, but eventually I saw a couple of people in front of a store front and I looked to see what it was. "Amsterdam Tulip Museum?" Brad's response was something along the lines of, "you ruined the surprise!" I loved it there. There were so many lovely things to buy and a great little room in the basement giving a history of tulips and how they came to be so important to Holland. Very cool.

We wandered on down the street and suddenly I saw a sign saying, "Anne Frank Haus" and again I was delighted and surprised. I don't know what to say about this experience. For those of you who have been there, you know that being speechless is a typical response. For those of you who have read the book you can only imagine. For those of you who haven't read the book, please do. You will become a better person. Oddly/sadly/proudly, I look forward to sharing her story with Kate someday.

At the end of the tour there is an opportunity to send a video of yourself to anyone you'd like. Of course we took this opportunity to send it to Kate to tell her we love her. I hope Grandma is able to play it for her.

Our next stop was the Rijksmuseum where Rembrandt's most famous paintings are located. It was incredible. http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/tentoonstellingen/rembrandt-400

And just a few steps away was the Van Gogh Museum. Again - some of the world's most famous paintings were here. What is there to say about that? http://www3.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?lang=nl

We quickly stopped at the hotel to unload our purchases of postcards and books and tulip pictures and then made our way to a 1 hour canal tour throughout the city. It was a great visual perspective and it was nice to hear about some of the specific history of the city.

And last - but CERTAINLY not least, was a quick walk through the Red Light District. Wow. Need I say more? It was slightly different than I expected, but if you are aware that prostitutes stand in windows and you can take your pick of them, then you pretty much get it. And by the way, the only prostitutes I've ever seen have been quite unattractive. These ladies were NOT the prostitutes I've seen before. It is legal, available and they're hot! Who would've thought?

We then had a slice of pizza in some sort of outdoor plaza and took the tram back to our hood. I quickly faded off and insisted that my day 2 in Amsterdam come to an end. So good night good people! I hope to have something fabulous for you tomorrow!

Amsterdam - Day 1

I don't know if it is appropriate to call it day one, when we didn't get here until late in the evening. Nonetheless, we manged to fit in a couple of beers and dinner. We've settled in to our fabulously cute European hotel (gay friendly, by the way!) and are watching American television shows on TV. So far I love it here. I knew it would be great when I was going through customs and the man said something I didn't understand and then, "that is a Dutch name, yes?" The best part being that he said "Bylsma" and I didn't even understand him.

Our departure from Istanbul was successful - we did a little shopping at the Grand Bazaar before we left and tried to spend up all of our Turkish Lira. Mid-afternoon we flew from Istanbul to London and then connected to Amsterdam. Is was cold here tonight - but I'm hoping that the days are a bit warmer.

So, I'm off to bed. I' am certain that I'll have a great deal to share tomorrow.

Istanbul - Day 3

Our time here has passed very quickly - and we've absolutely loved it. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 1pm and we'll be in Amsterdam in the evening. Thank you to everyone who has been reading the updates and sending emails! We love hearing from you so far away from home. We especially love hearing from Kate and Grandma - thank you so much for letting us know what you're up to. We miss Kate so much we cannot stand it, so knowing that she ate a good lunch and had a long nap is very comforting and sweet.

Today we overslept (too much fun at the Bath's last night?) - not that we had somewhere to be, but Brad wanted to take a ferry to an island off the coast of Istanbul and their departures are limited. Once he got online he found us a trip and we arrived on Büyükada of the Princes' Islands in the Marmara Sea by mid-afternoon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCy%C3%BCkada).

This place was packed with people - and it being Sunday it seemed like a lot of local folks were out enjoying a beautiful Sunday just like us. There are no cars here, so the only means of transportation are foot, bike or horse-drawn carriage. The instant we got off the ferry we encountered MANY Turkey ice cream stands. The next thing we encountered was a HUGE line - for what we did not know. We set out to find a place to get a horse-drawn carriage, but before we could find that we decided to rent some bikes. We ordered a lunch to go and packed up our things for a bike trip around the island. We had a map, but didn't really know where we were, or where we were going. We did know that there was a beach somewhere and we wanted to find it. The streets here were very narrow and filled with carriages, bikes and walkers. The houses were built into the hills and were incredible.

After not too long I noticed something was amiss with my front tire. Sure enough - there was a screw stuck in it. I told Brad and decided we should turn around so as to not be stuck with a flat tire on the opposite end of the island. About a 4 minute ride from the rental location the tire went completely flat, and so, we walked. We figured out that the huge line was for the horse-drawn carriages and debated if we should do that, or head back to Istanbul to see the whirling dervishes. I told Brad that we can go to Mackinaw Island some day and do the carriage thing. This is our last night in Istanbul and we had to see the dervishes.

The whirling dervishes are incredible. They are part of the Mevlevii Sufi order, founded by Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, a mystical brotherhood of Islam. The dervishes represent a spiritual journey and the whirling includes both prayer and turning, along with Sufi music. It was really incredible. These young men spin around like nothing I have ever seen. Meaning no disrespect, I don't know how it is possible to twirl like that without falling down, throwing up, or hurting yourself and/or others. I took some great pictures and video and look forward to sharing them.

One thing to note, the performance took place in a beautiful train station. After the show I realized that this train station was the original destination of the Orient Express. How cool is that?!?

After the show we had dinner and then took a tram back to our neighborhood. The tram was PACKED with people out on the town - mostly young men. There is apparently something interesting about a blond, fair-skinned woman here and it was very uncomfortable tonight cramming myself onto a train filled with young men. Brad and I laughed the whole way home.

And thus - another day in Istanbul. As this was our last full day Brad had big ideas about packing it all in tonight. I had big ideas about packing it IN, so he's out down the street smoking a huka, which is a traditional tabacco water pipe available in all of the coffee and tea houses here. Alas, I missed out on this experience.

Good night everyone! It is late here and we have too much to do before we depart tomorrow to waste anytime sleeping in. The next time you hear from me it'll be with the title, "Amsterdam - Day 1." Fun!

Istanbul - Day 2

Another day in Istanbul and we're starting to feel like we get it. It is a different world, but we now know how to get around using public transportation (thanks to The UB) and we know what to expect when ordering food. What else do you need to know?

This morning we took it easy. We were a bit run down after the traveling and the non-stop walking action yesterday. Our first stop (after another wonderful breakfast) was the Underground Cistern (aka, Basilica Cistern, www.guideistanbul.net/yerebatan.htm) which is an underground holding cell for water built in 532, providing water to the grounds of castles/churches/mosques in the main square. It was dank, moist, dreary and magical. It has 336 columns in it - all very huge and tall, two of which have the head of Medusa at the base - about the size of a Mini Cooper. I told Brad this place should host a haunted house, assuming, of course, that they celebrate Halloween - or something like it. Oh, and there are huge carp swimming around in the water the size of Kate.

After this we took a tram thing to the Bosphorus Strait (http://www.about-turkey.com/tourism/bosphorus.htm) for a boat ride. This strait divides the Istanbul between Europe and Asia (we're staying on the Asia side) and connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. The boat took us up the Europe side of Istanbul and down the Asia side. It was a beautiful trip - and gave us an interesting perspective of this place. We saw castles and incredible homes, as well as cement apartment buildings piled one on top of another. After the boat ride we ate some corn on the steps of a mosque and then took another tram over a bridge to Europe. Brad went over there last night for the rock show and told me that it was super cool, but I didn't really believe it until I saw it. It was fantastic! Old and ornate and masses of people walking, shopping, eating. We had a great dinner on a little side street and chatted with a young, friendly Turk. We shopped a little and had Turkish ice cream (called Dondurma). A magic ice cream man served us, doing tricks with the ice cream. We were delighted. Turkish ice cream is a cold gooey solid that you have to bite to eat. It was great (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dondurma). Check out the link - it provides a picture of a man holding a large clump of it.

We just now came in from a visit to a traditional Turkish Bath. Whoa. While laying naked on a hot marble round table I thought, "THIS is an experience!" For those of you who have never done this before, a play-by-play is below. I'm certain you don't want to hear this, but after I get home I plan to look back on this to remember the crazy, shocking details. PLEASE NOTE: there are some gruesome details here. Beware.

1. Brad and I arrived at about 9:30pm (they are open from 6am to midnight daily) and signed up for a bath. He signed up for the "Traditional" and I signed up for the "Luxury" - which was the same as his with the addition of a 30 minute oil massage. We departed, both of us not having a clue as to what we were about to experience.
2. I walked into somewhat of a long, narrow, women's locker room. A woman handed me a sarong-type piece of fabric and directed me to an unused locker. I think she told me to undress, wrap the fabric around me, put on some rubber sandals and pointed me toward the baths. The room was PACKED with woman of all ages and of all levels of nudity. I was in a bit of confused shock, but did what she told me to do.
a) one thing I haven't mentioned about this culture is that there is no such thing as personal space, managed lines or what we would consider civility when it comes to moving through a crowd. Please keep this in mind as I tell you that I had to literally push my way through this locker room to the baths.
3. I pushed open a huge wooden door to a BEAUTIFUL marble, round, domed room with a huge, round marble table in the middle. All types of naked women were everywhere (some were wearing thongs or bikini bottoms - I soon realized that these were the women employed at the Bath). I had to observe for a moment, but figured out that the process was to lay in the middle of the hot marble table and relax until it was your turn. I was sweating instantly (from the heat, I assumed, but maybe also from my state of confusion and bewilderment).
4. It was very busy, so I sat next to a fountain on the outskirts of the room and waited until a large, bikini-bottomed clan woman whom I will call Olga for the purposes of this recollection told me to "sit!" And trust me - I did what Olga told me to do (please note that there is no way on earth this woman's name was Olga, but I felt that name gave you the most appropriate visual).
5. She pulled my sarong off of me and laid it on the table like a beach blanket. Olga said, "Lay!" I laid. All of us being bathed laid around the circumference of the table, head-to-foot. I laid there sweating it out until she came back - probably about 10-15 minutes.
5. All of a sudden Olga showed up again and started scrubbing me with a loofa-type wash cloth. When she wanted me to turn she hit me on the back. When I didn't respond (not knowing why I got the slap) she said, "turn!" I turned. When she wanted me to sit, I sat. You get the gist. She scrubbed me with the loofa, then rinsed me by pouring a bucket of water over my head. "Lay" again, and next came the suds! I don't know where they came from, but I was covered from head to toe, front and back, and then more rinsing. Next she ordered me over to the bath (where the spigot is located) and I sat on the ground while she sat and washed my hair. When she was finished she said, "Done!" and sent me on my way.
6. Because I signed up for the Luxury bath I headed into the massage room, where there were 5 massage tables in a row. I received a great rub down; however, the culture here does not call for quiet, mediation-like circumstances when receiving a massage, so there was chatting and cell phones, etc. - but all of it intriguing since I couldn't understand a word.
7. When it was finished I headed back to the locker room and threw my clothes on as fast as I could. There is only so much open nudity The Gooch can handle.

When I met UB in the lobby I think we both didn't really want to discuss it (I'm scared of offending someone due to my lack of understanding of this culture). We took a walk and stopped for a cup of coffee/beer to discuss our experiences. As it turns out, the men don't get naked. They get a private dressing room and keep their sarong on throughout the bath. And afterwards they even get a private shower. Huh.

So, that's that. It is likely too much information. Maybe you've read this far - maybe not. Regardless, I'm headed to bed a pool of my own cleanliness and massage oil. What a day.

Istanbul - it is a very cool place.

PS - UB just found Major League Baseball on TV. And I thought we'd escaped it for a few days... maybe in Amsterdam.

Istanbul, Day 1

Although I am sitting in a hotel room in Istanbul, Turkey, it is hard for me to believe and understand where I am right now. Prior to this trip, not only did I not know where Istanbul was, I didn't know a thing about it, and certainly never imagined visiting here. Getting here was a blur and I hardly remember the 3 flights and 4 airports we visited to get here - and we haven't yet been here 24 hours.

We arrived late last night and came directly to our hotel. Although we didn't get much sleep (and that's 2 nights in a row now) I wanted to get an early start on our day. Our hotel offers a free Continental breakfast - which I assumed was of the bread, jam and juice/coffee variety. Brad and I were both shocked to see a huge spread of food, obviously catering to people visiting from all over the world. You could have chosen from scrambled eggs, toast and OJ or olives, honeycomb and strong tea. It was a delight.

After breakfast we hit the streets, which are narrow, cobblestone and FILLED with men trying to sell you leather bags, shoes, pastries, lanterns, tea and coffee. It is such a delight to the (shoppers) eye that I was unable to walk without holding on to Brad. Our first stop was The Grand Bazaar. We wandered and wandered through the streets/halls of the Bazaar. It went on and on with no end in sight. I can't imagine how long it would take to see it all, and we assessed that we probably only saw about 10%. Next we walked to Hagia Sophia which was absolutely incredible. It was first built in 537 and reminded me of the cathedrals I've seen on a previous trip to Europe; however, the Islamic twist adds a whole new spin on the wonder of it all. It was incredible. We then walked just a few minutes to The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) where thousands pray every day. We were outside for the noon call to prayer, which was incredibly beautiful and mezmorizing - nothing like I've ever witnessed before. We visited The Blue Mosque in the afternoon and had some mixed emotions. All visitors must remove their shoes and their knees must be covered. Additionally, all women must cover their heads (scarves are provided) for those women who pray here are not allowed to pray in the same section as the men. All in all it is a beautiful place to visit, and a place that really made me remember how far away from home I am.

The next place we visited was Topkapi Palace . I've been to a fair number of palaces in Europe, but this topped them all. I'm not sure, but it could be because of the Harem. Wow. Those sultan's had a lot of nerve (one of them had 300 ladies!). Also held at Topkapi is the skull and arm of John the Baptist (or John the Prophet, as he's called here), a foot print of The Prophet, and (The Prophet) Moses' staff. Brad and I weren't sure if these things were real, but we decided that either they are real, or those folks have convinced hundred's of thousands of people they're real; either option impressive. I would add that the baths in this palace were pretty cool. Apparently they were very concerned with hygene in the 1400's. Good for them.

At this point I was getting very hungry and tired, so we had dinner and then found a barber for Brad - who was intent on getting his hair cut here. I sat quitely while he enjoyed a haircut and a shave. Well done! Then we enjoyed a coffee - yes, Brad, too! I have settled in for the night and Brad is heading to Europe (the Europe side of Istanbul) to see our friends (Steve Albini and his band) play at a rock club over there. I am exhausted and am looking foward to a good night's sleep.

Maybe this is too much detail, but for a number of reasons I wanted to share our time here. For one, I don't want to forget. We will see and do a lot over the course of our days here and I want to make sure it doesn't leave my head. I also don't know if I'll regularly get a chance to sit and write this way, so when I get my chance I plan to use it. This said, I'm struggling to stay awake. It is nearly 10pm here (which means it is noon in Boise). I do hope that Grandma and Kate are enjoying a lovely lunch just prior to a long nap. We do miss our Kater Tot!

A Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day was wonderfully relaxing here at Team Gootch. McPhee watched Kate while Brad and I went to a great brunch. Later in the afternoon I took a nap when Kate did and in the evening we went out for dinner with McPhee. It is only right, since she's a mom, too. At one point in the day #2 said, "It is Mother's Day - why are you folding laundry?" I still folded it (I'm the best one at it in the family, to date), but it felt somehow nicer having been questioned. It is funny to think that because I have Kate I was honored yesterday. Isn't the honor mine? Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the sweet treatment, and I'll look foward to it again next year. Oh - and later this week when we head for Istanbul, Turkey. YAY! Grandma arrives in less than 24 hours. If you don't hear from Team Gootch until the end of the month you now know why. Maybe an update here or there along the route, but likely not until we return. So enjoy the rest of the beautiful month of May! I know I will.

Tubby Time

Kate recently received some new spongy letters and numbers to add to the fun in the tub. Last night we figured out they stick not only to the side of the tub, but to her, too.

Tricks

Enjoy some more of Kate's latest tricks. Is it rude to treat your child like a circus act?

It is May, and clearly that means that it is time to put on the shades and trot around the neighborhood. Kate has grown to LOOOOOOOOOVE being outside - to the point that she will throw tantrums when I don't agree that it's time to go out or when we have to come inside. She will often head for the coat closet, yank it open, locate her coat on a hook and pull on it while screaming. She also likes to pull every shoe off of the shoe rack and when she finally gets a hold of one or two of her own she brings them to me. Yesterday she decided on her own free will (when, by the way, did she get one of those?) that she needed to wear her sun glasses out and about. She usually fights wearing these (I can't see why) so I was shocked. And here we are - me enjoying the tulips that I planted last fall and her enjoying the sound of rubber (soles) on pavement (sidewalks).

Horsing Around

At last, the delightful birthday gift (Mini) from Jason, Katie and Bailey has come into his own at the Team Gootch headquarters. Kate finally likes him for what he was intended. At first she just liked petting him, eventually she enjoyed listening to his whinnying and clopping from afar (and dancing to the clomp), but finally she likes to ride him, whinnying and all. She can even - sometimes - get up there by herself. Also enjoy this display of some new tricks (for your information, the bee says, "zzzzzz," the cow says, "mmmmm" and the dog pants). This video may be perceived as a little long, but there is a treat for you at the end. Hugs.

Mischievous Mouse

There is no doubt that things are rapidly changing around our house. With the recent posts you've seen new hair styles and heard about new words and activities. Today; however, Kate took it to a whole new level. She has an infatuation with bottles and tubes of personal care products (lotions, soaps, hair gel). One morning, as we both were stumbling over her in the bathroom, #2 suggested that we give her some empty bottles with which to play. They hold her attention for a few minutes each day. Success!

Today she caught on to the fact that #3 needs a bath. Kate took an "empty" bottle of body wash and poured the last remains over ATD's back, rubbing it into a nice lather. Oh - and by the way - the carpet and the wall got a little shampoo while she was at it. And it begins... the craziness I only read about on other people's blogs.

How many more days until Grandma gets here?? 28!

Kate's Biggest Fan

Some of you out there enjoy this effort at blogging, some of you probably think I'm on the nutso side of things. At first I created this so that everyone (Grandmas!) far away could see what Kate was up to (and I needed an outlet for all of the pictures that I take), but let's be clear... now I do it for her biggest fan of all - herself.

This video was taken while watching the post, "Elmo and my Other Monster." If only all of us loved ourselves this much, the world would be a better place.

Kate on the Town - without Mom

Last week Kerry watched Kate for the morning due to our terrific sitter being unavailable. Our friend Bailey joined us for the day due to no school that day. The Joey Cooper family and the Triplet family joined them at the park for some good times - and both of them shared their photos with us. Thank you!

(from left to right: Courto, Joey, Kate, Bailey, McPhee, Leona. Narration by the Triplet's Mom, Julie)

Elmo and my Other Monster

Who knew that buying a little stuffed Elmo would bring on visions of the Terrible Two's? Today I finally found a little, plain, cheap, stuffed Elmo. Every time we're at a store with toys I look to see what Elmo's are available and almost always Elmo has some sort of gimmick. He might be wearing a diaper, or holding a pizza, or his limbs stretch in every direction, or his body is rock solid (why would that be appealing?). Today we found a $5 Elmo with no gimmicks. Kate fell in love the instant she saw him on the shelf. I handed him over to her (she ahh'd with delight), as well as Cookie Monster (another ahh); however, when I started to take them away she easily let go of CM and clung to Elmo. The cashier had to scan Elmo's tag while he remained in Kate's grasp. On the way home she chit-chatted to him almost all the way. She ended the car ride by saying, "E, E, E, E, E, E" in the softest, most loving manner. She came in the house holding Elmo by his giant eyeballs and showed him to ATD, then carried him around until nap time. After her nap we ordered a pizza and she carried him around until it was delivered. When I put on her bib for dinner she held out her 1 free arm to be picked up and placed in her highchair, but she clung to Elmo with the other. I pried him away and sat him on the table, facing her. She SCREAMED as though someone had placed her on an open flame. I placed him in a chair as though he were going to eat with us. She SCREEEAMED. I gave in. Elmo sat in the highchair with her and she carefully placed a piece of sausage in his mouth saying, "mmmmm!" (see video). It sat there the length of dinner. Apparently he didn't care for it. When bath time came I knew we were going to have a fight. OF COURSE she felt that he needed to go in the tub with her. I fought this one, much to her (tantrum) dismay. I sat on him so she couldn't see him and eventually she calmed down. He is now hidden away and am debating about whether or not he comes out tomorrow. I mean, when I go off to work in the morning is it really fair to make the sitter fight these battles? If I were her, I would say no (but not to my face). So, for now, I think Elmo is going into hibernation. I'm sure he'll emerge soon enough, but maybe only for special occasions. Special Occasion Elmo. They haven't thought of that one yet, have they?

XOXO

One more new thing - that quite possibly is the BEST new thing Kate will ever do, and that is kisses. Real, normal people kisses, on purpose (versus those sloppy, open mouthed baby kisses that were still pretty great). There are even lots of little smooching noises and laughter after the kiss is complete. For a while I was the recipient of these delights, but recently she saves them only for #2. As you might imagine, he is in love with these kisses, and I am jealous.

The Latest and Greatest

Life is getting very fun at the teamgootch household. Kate has changed so much lately that watching her development is entertaining, to say the least. Of course, by "entertaining" I mean to say that it makes my heart swell with love and pride and admiration on a moment-to-moment basis.
Detailed here is what we've been up to:
-Kate has officially grown enough hair for pigtails. It is a dream come true (for me). Thankfully I had Kerry (Nanny McPhee) watch Kate on Friday while I worked and she tried it for the first time. Now I can't stop.
-Friday our friend Bailey (see "Katie and Family" link on left) came and spent the day with us since she didn't have school. It was super fun to have her hang out with us. When she arrived at our house Kate had just woken up and was obviously excited to have an audience for dancing and showing off. Kate liked having Bailey here as much as Bailey liked being here. THANKS FOR COMING, BAILEY!
-Kate has all of a sudden started using sign language. I've been encouraging her to do so for some time, but admittedly, not with 100% consistancy. About a week and 1/2 ago she just started busting it out! It is so nice that (in some situations) she can answer my questions or communicate what it is that she wants (versus grunting like an animal). She currently signs the following: more, eat, drink, all done, and please.
-Kate has started using a lot of new words, but even just a few new words seems like a lot in comparison to the 4 or so she had before. She now says: Annie, ball, coat, cool, go and "E-I-E-I-O". Momma and Dadda have sort of fallen off the list lately...
-Kate and I started swimming lessons this week. It is a month-long class, one morning per week. Kate (I) loved it - especially since the morning started with me NOT dropping her off in the daycare at the YMCA. Then we went to the locker room, which had fun drains on which she could stomp her feet. Next we had the pleasure of going through the showers (a requirement for getting in the pool). Kate's never been in the shower (and hardly has even seen one - by design, since I think once she understands we have them at our house she won't want a bath anymore) and squeeled with delight when the water came shooting out at us. Then we got in the warm pool and she laughed and squeeled through the entire lesson. Until, the part came when I was to lay her back, cradle her and look up at the ceiling while singing "Twinkle Twinkle" at which point the excitment got the best of her and she started falling asleep. Yes, in the pool. After the lesson I took her into the wadding pool, which is filled with small children, balls and a fun dragon slide. It is so shallow that she can stand on her own and the water comes up to her chest. Even though her teeth were chattering and she had goosebumps, she was so excited she could hardly stand it. Back in the locker room she discovered the best time to wander away from me was while I was dripping wet and trying to change out of my suit and into clothes. I'll have to figure out something better for next week, as she OF COURSE headed off to an open toilet to see what that was like (as if she doesn't already know from the countless times she has stuck her hand in one of ours). Needless to say, she fell asleep in the car on the way home. I don't know who had more fun...
-When asked Kate proudly points to the following body parts, followed by excited clapping: foot, leg, belly, hand, lips, nose, ear and hair. Sometimes we get lucky with eyes and arm. Oddly, when I hold her coat up and ask for her arm she sticks it right out, but when asked to locate it she tends to point at her ear and then claps. I join her.

My Pretty Pony (Tail)

Who says my baby girl doesn't have hair?

Happy Easter!

We were warmly welcomed at Peter and Kerry's for Easter Brunch today, along with Mike, Courtney and Joey. Everyone made a ton of food, we dressed our kids up in their cutest, we blew bubbles and pretended to have an Easter egg hunt. Kate loves her plastic Easter eggs, and loves to walk around holding her Easter basket, but she didn't quite grasp the concept of HUNTING for them in the out of doors and placing them IN the basket. Maybe next year?

Anyway, as do most crazed mom's, I took a ton of photos/video hoping to catch the cutest picture/video ever. In the days leading to Easter I considered leaving the tags on the Easter dress I bought last year - I mean, a dress with matching sweater, socks and bib (not seen here) is worth a lot on Ebay - NWT! Alas, I decided she should wear them, especially after I pulled them out of the closet and was reminded of why I bought it all in the first place. I hope she never grows out of this dress.

In spite of playing outside, eating Kerry's sugar cookies, and being 15 months old, she stayed clean and sweet and adorable all afternoon. Now she is happily napping after all of the good times with our friends.

Family Music Time - "ROAR"

Tonight after dinner Brad played and played on his guitar and Kate and I danced and danced all around the living room. I think this should become a ritual in our house - especially since all of the swaying, jiggling, bouncing and laughing seemed to wear Kate out into the perfect mood for crashing into bed at the end of the evening. I know I feel like crashing into bed at the end of this evening,... although that seems to be an obvious statement. After all, I chase after a 1 year old day in and day out. I know that most people probably wonder what could possibly fill our days - home alone together all day, every day (except for my 3 mornings at work now), but trust me - you would be amazed! Today she pushed the plastic dog food bin up to the pantry shelves and started climbing on up. Yesterday she put her hand in a toilet at least 10 times. The day before that she ran the bathtub water in our master bathroom and managed to soak herself all the way down to her toes (from OUTSIDE the tub). One day last week she opened the front door, stepped on out and ran down the sidewalk (wearing no shoes or coat). And these are just snap shots of the mischief and dismantling of our home that happens daily.

I know the Grandma's out there are laughing at me - I can hear you! The joy of it is that Grandma B will be out here soon to watch her, alone, for 10 days while I go off with #2 to do things like drink wine, sit quietly, sight see, walk upright, have a conversation and maybe not even put my hair in a ponytail - all on a different continent to boot. We'll see who's laughing then, Grandma! I've heard people say, "you're leaving her for how long?" My response is, "not long enough!"

This said, obviously I'm infatuated with her, she is the center of my universe, and I will be yearning to see her pink face and fluffy white head of hair upon my return, but a grown adult needs to be a grown adult! And I shouldn't have to spend EVERY day of these first few years hiding #3's food bowls, locking the toilet shut (so even I can't get in it in a timely fashion), locking ourselves in the house so that none of the convicts escape, and tiptoeing around during the light-sleeping-queen's naps! And for pete’s sake - she'll be in her own home, with her own things, with someone much more capable of caring for her than me (and more capable of breaking her of all these terrible habits I've allowed her to develop). That said, join me in wishing away the month of April! Istanbul, The Netherlands, London, I am an adult, hear me roar!