Three things happened centered around Gramma coming back yesterday:

1. We made Gramma a cake.  I let it sit on a rack to cool and when I wasn’t looking, Miss Katie helped herself to some.  Little stinker.
2. As we arrived at LAX I witnessed my first paparazzi frenzy.  There was a guy and a girl with a baby trying to get into a taxi and there were hoards of photogs everywhere.  I couldn’t tell who it was and wasn’t about to make my husband stop the car to satisfy my curiosity.  However, once he dropped Katie and I off to run in, we saw yet another mob.  This time it was a young guy trying to get through the crowd and I could see my mom on the other side of the mob.  We just waited for them to pass us, then Katie ran over to see Gramma.  I think I was the only one pointing my camera at someone other than the celebrity.  I went on TMZ this morning to see who it was and it was none other than Zac Efron.  Here is the video… (mom is in the blue shirt at 0:16) 
3. Since Mom is in town, we asked her if she could watch the kids last night so we could see a movie.  We put baby down, and Katie and Gramma were going to sleep.  We finally left at about 9:45 and how sad are we… we turned the car around after about 1 mile… we were just too tired to sit through a movie.  We had already eaten a late dinner AND cake, so we couldn’t even go out for dessert.  Plus, we don’t drink, so there really wasn’t anything to do.  Pathetic? I think so.

It’s that time of year… the newest Jib Jab video is out! I had trouble putting it in this post, so you’ll have to go here to see it. Brilliant.

For the past three years my mom has gone back east while her husband teaches summer school.  Well, this year she’s coming home early to take care of some things. 

Yay for Katie… she and grandma have a very special relationship!  Katie still re-tells the story of how we picked up Grandma from the airport last year.

Also, yay for me… she can take my girl off my hands for a few hours at a time so I can spend time with baby and/or clean up around the house without having to keep tabs on her whereabouts.

Christmas 2005

Has anyone else heard this ’story’? 

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8809383&ch=4226713&src=news

This Mercedes woman sounds like an idiot to me.  Give it up… if my kid kept running towards a crowd and didn’t listen to me, then she’d get a swat on the butt too.  A ticket? Gimme a break.

I know you’re all wondering… what happened to Jennifer? She came back from her vacation, posted some lovely pictures and now she’s missing in action. 

Well I’ll tell you where I’ve been.  In the bathroom with my Immodium AD for FOUR DAYS!!  Even baby has been sick, so I’ll be back in a few days, once we’ve both had a chance to recover, and after I’ve cleaned the house, because, let me just tell you, the dishes and laundry don’t do themselves.

Ps, if I’m going to be sick and not eat for four days, I better darn well lose more than just one pound.

We leave tomorrow morning for our vacation!  The past several weeks have been spent planning and preparing for this year’s road trip.  Today was spent running last minute errands: oil change, pedicure (WHOO HOO!!  I think it’s been about 3 years since I’ve gone to have one done professionally!), dentist, car wash, etc. 

There are so many fun things we have planned including a visit to Alcatraz, a DUCK tour of San Francisco, Fourth of July at Lake Tahoe, and a tour of the Jelly Belly factory, just to name a few.  Of course I will be posting some pix when I get back.  So don’t forget about me in the meantime!  I can only imagine what my Google Reader will look like when I get back.

xoxo

Now that we are more settled in our new place and baby is on a schedule, I’m ready to get Katie into some summer activities.   She loves being around other kids, and certainly loves to perform.  Just last night at Target, she held court in the accessory department with a crowd of about 5 watching her sing into a little microphone and dance around.  As she ended each song, she would shout ‘HEY HEY!’ and then bow.  People walking by would clap and say she should be on American Idol.  My little performer.  Andrew suggested we put out a little hat for tips.

I signed her up for a ‘Storytelling, Singing & Dancing’ class that starts in 2 weeks - a few days after we get back from our vacation.  It is for one hour each week for 5 weeks.  This girl LOVES to sing and dance, so I think it will be perfect for her.  Also, I lucked out and the classes are held about one block from my house, so we can walk to and from (thus saving gas and parking fees.)  If you are from California, you know we drive EVERYWHERE, so walking the block will be a new experience for us (and GREAT excersise!)

Once those classes are over, I enrolled her (just this morning!) in swimming lessons.  It would have been nice to get them before the vacation, but that is okay.  She’ll still have one on one time with both me and Andrew in the pool/lake this coming week.  She is like a little fish already and LOVES to be in the water, and can get around pretty good with just her floatie jacket on.

What are your kids doing this summer?

Ever since Katie was about 6 months old, she has had this shrill scream.  Well it has turned into a scream for attention for the most minute things, such as not being able to reach something, or not getting something she wants and happens SEVERAL.TIMES.DAILY.  I have learned to tune it out, as I can’t come running everytime she can’t reach a darn crayon.  I knew at some point, she would actually BE hurt or something would be wrong and it’s not the crayon.  That day is today.

I was on the phone trying to do some business, and I heard her getting frustrated with the Swiffer.  She had been trying to help me clean the floor, and so I was letting her go to town.  The phone rang, and I was talking for about a minute when I heard her getting frustrated and yelling.  The yell, surprise, surprise, turned into THE SCREAM.  I let it go on as I was on the phone and just walked away, so I could actually hear the person on the other end.  The scream progressed longer than usual, so when I went to check on her, I see that her finger is caught in the hole at the swivel base of the Swiffer.  OOPS!  I got off the phone real quick, and got that little finger out of the hole.  Katie was now in hysterics.  I ran her finger under cold water then carried her to the couch to hug on her while she was sobbing.  Once the sobs dwindled down, I tried to explain the whole ‘crying wolf’ thing to her… that from now on, if she wants Mommy to come to her when she is hurt, she must save ‘the scream’ for those times only.

Who knows if she’ll actually understand.

We were taking my mom to the airport today and she sat in back with the kids.  Everyone thinks it’s so cute how Grant sucks on his little thumb (I know, “It’s cute now, but wait until he’s 6 and still doing it!”).  Sometimes we will do the whole ‘Are you sucking your FUM’ bit to him.

Well, today, Gramma had a slip up on her words and out came ‘Are you *ucking your Sum?’.  OOPS!! Andrew and I both turned around at the same time and said ‘MOM!’.   

Good thing Katie didn’t pick up on THAT!  Just what I need is her saying the F-word.  Gramma would have been in even bigger trouble!