Happy Birthday, Dad!

It's my dad's birthday today, and he's far away. We thought a picture of Evie might make him feel a bit closer on this special day.

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday, dear Dad!
Happy birthday to you!

Wordless Wednesday

Hot in the City

It was a zillion degrees in St. Louis today. And so very, very humid. You could even say it was oppressive. Of course, I chose to run errands.

Evie and I had a lazy morning, but headed out around 11:00 to vote. IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY. Then we went to a just-us-girls lunch, and Hobby Lobby. I had a new idea to use squeeze bottles to decorate sugar cookies, and I needed to buy a couple to try out this method. Hopefully it will be easier than the pastry bags and tips I normally use. We'll see next week, when I make cookies for Chris to take to work.

Anyway, getting Evie in and out of the car seat in this heat made me tired and cranky. After I got her down for a nap, I had to clean my disgusting bathroom. Seriously, it was really dirty. And bathroom cleaning always puts my in a good mood, right? Ha!

So, I was crabby. I also had a headache.

But then Chris came home. (I know, you're waiting for me to say he did something sweet to make me all smiles again. Sorry to disappoint, but he didn't.) He asked me what the sign in the yard was for. What sign???

Evie and I went out to take a look. This sign is what made me happy again! A little thank you on my lawn for helping with VBS at church. Not only did I get rewarded when I actually volunteered by talking to Cute Little Surfer about farting, but I also got the added benefit of having a hot day in August made a little brighter.

And a storm blew in tonight, cooling things off. All is well.

Shine On!

Is it terrible that my baby girl, only eighteen months old, is addicted to lip gloss?

Of course I am the one who started this infatuation. A quick scan of my purse reveals two lipsticks and a lot of lip gloss.

A-LOT-OF-LIP-GLOSS.

Cherry ChapStick Lip Balm. Avon Flavor Savers Strawberry Lip Gloss. Lancome Juicy Tubes Jelly Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss in Daiquiri. Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm and Moisturizer. L'Oreal Infallible 6 Hour Never Fail Lip Gloss in Sangria. Lip Smacker Watermelon Travel Mini Lip Gloss. The Medicine Shoppe Medi-Chap Lip Balm (Regular Flavor.) L'Oreal Color Juice Sheer Juicy Lip Gloss in Candy Apple. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. No-name Vanilla Sugar Lip Balm. Limited Edition Strawberry Banana Blistex Fruit Smoothies with SPF 15. Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Champagne. Bonne Bell VitaGloss O2 Moisture Stick. Smackers Wavy Watermelon F'Lip Juicees. Bubble Yum Grape Flavored Lip Gloss. Plus some crap in the shape of a flip flop from the dollar bin at Target.

This is in addition to all the lip gloss I have stuffed in every nook and cranny and drawer at home. And the Vaseline I slather on my mouth every night. I can't stand the feeling of dry lips. Uh-oh, maybe I have a problem? But this isn't about MY addiction, it's about Evie's.

The positive thing about her love for lip gloss is I am able to bribe her. When she rubs her lips together, points to her mouth and says "Uh! Uh! Uh!" I know that's the sign for "I need a lip gloss fix right now!" So I use it to my advantage. I can say "I'll give you lip gloss if you finish eating your lunch," or "You can have the lip gloss if you help me pick up your crayons." I can even use it as a threat, as in "If you don't get away from the computer, you can't use the lip gloss any more today," or "If you don't sit down on your bottom in this cart, you have to give the lip gloss back to me."

So maybe this obsession isn't such a bad thing. I'll think of it as another weapon in my Mom Arsenal.

Now, please excuse me. My lips feel kind of dry.

**Want to join the Blog Train? Click on over!**

All Aboard!

As a blogger, I must say I L-O-V-E comments. It's my way of knowing there are actually people out there reading what I write, and it creates a sense of community with my fellow bloggers.

Kelsey over at My Sweet Life is starting a Blog Train! Basically, you use Mr. Linky to add your most recent post, and you comment on the post directly above your own. I'm going to participate, as I will be able to meet new bloggers and GET COMMENTS of my own!

Check out the Blog Train details here and here.

Choo, choo!

Just Don't Call Her Generous

I have a "thing" about telling Evie she's pretty. Because I have such a hang-up about my looks, I want to teach her beauty is more than your physical appearance. So when I tell her she's beautiful (about a million times a day,) I also tell her other qualities she has that I admire.

Me: Evie you are so beautiful! And smart. You are smart. Smart means you know a lot.
Evie: Smart!
Me: And you are also kind. Kind means you are nice to other people.
Evie: Kind!
Me: And you are so generous. Generous means you SHARE with others who don't have what you have.
Evie: No! No! No!

Still working on the sharing thing...

The Naughty Ninja

Today, Chris called Evie a "naughty ninja." The nickname works, actually.

She is stealthy. We'll look away for a few seconds, and there she is, somewhere she doesn't belong. Maybe she's standing on a chair at the kitchen table. Maybe she's playing in the dog's water. Most likely, she's in front of the computer.

Evie is really drawn to the computer. She loves the buttons and the mouse. She loves the pictures that come up from our screen saver. She loves talking to Grandpa on the web cam. She loves listening to Almost Everything is Boinga over and over and over.

So she can't help herself. The minute she sees an opportunity, she goes for it. She climbs up on the chair and pushes buttons on the keyboard like a madwoman. If she can't get on the chair fast enough, she'll settle for just standing on the ground, stretching to get her hand on the mouse.

As of this post, our computer is still intact. For now. What a naughty little ninja!