Time out for Mama

I came home for lunch yesterday, a rare occasion lately since work has been, well, work lately. While I was home Becky threw a crayon. Yes, mama picked up a crayon off the floor and threw it on to the table, about 4 feet away. In front of Ally. Ally watched her throw the crayon. So mama had to have a time out for throwing. Ally then picked up a crayon and threw hers too, so she had to join mama in timeout.

Mama was so upset and embarrassed. Of course I took pictures and promised to blog about it.

I just love the way Ally is looking up at her, like why are you shaking mama? Don't you know its not any fun to be in timeout? Or maybe she was thinking "mama, why did you throw the crayon, you know I like to imitate you! Then I threw the crayon and now we're both in timeout" Either way the whole incident was priceless.

PS - it wouldn't have been such a big offense, except the night before mama flung teddy across the room to the bed. I know being a mama is tough work, but we agreed that it was important to model good behavior for Ally and limit throwing things until she was in bed or not at home. Then the very next day Becky threw the crayon. I guess I should have given her a timeout the first time and not a second chance.

PPS - I just viewed this post with Ally and asked her to tell me what happened. She said "mama throw... Ally throw... timeout... mama sad". Until then I forgot that a toddler would interpret laughing so hard tears come to your eyes as sadness and not happiness.

Cupcakes

Becky has been out nights a lot lately, so Ally and I have been spending the evening time together, just the two of us. It is really fun to have some one on one time. I do sometimes wish it wasn't the evening, since its not my best time of the day - I am pretty tired and wiped from work, and from getting up to go to the gym. The past two weeks I've been to the gym every day during the week, 4 out of 5 times at 530AM. So by 600PM I find I am pretty tired. But anytime I get to spend with Ally is a pretty good time and I am grateful for it.

One night we baked cupcakes. Ally's favorite part was getting to eat the sprinkles, and she was so adorable avoiding the camera. She kept swinging her head and then her hair would fly around her face and she would laugh and laugh. I think the pictures I took capture the fun. I was rewarded with my efforts with the dead on smile shot.

Before bed Ally ate a cupcake. Yes I said ate a cupcake. She rejected frosting, but she ate the cupcakes, I had to document it to show Becky (and everyone else).

The remains.

Thanks for Great Aunt Martha for the cute shirt Ally is sporting in these pictures.

Happy Valentine's Day

We gave Ally an Elmo balloon for Valentine's Day. We're not sure who likes it more Ally or the cat Carl. Ally sure liked showing it to him. Today she keeps talking about balloons and even drew one with her crayons and insisted we stop what we were doing and look at her picture of the balloon.

She also likes to point out the eyes and nose on the Elmo's face.

Brushing Teeth

Its kind of nice to have one part of toddler personal hygiene that you think is pretty easy. For us that is brushing teeth. For the most part Ally has always let us brush her teeth. Lately though, its "Ally do". So we started brushing teeth at the sink and as long as we hear the swish swish and not just sucking noises we know she is doing a pretty good job.

She looks so intent.

Open wide - gotta get those back ones.

I think she is still cute...

Even when she is crying:

One night Ally decided she wanted to unlock the door. So she pushed her step stool all the way through the house to the back door. But when she got there she could not make the key fit in the lock. (Maybe because our lock is a lever on the inside, there is no hole for the key to fit into.)

But no amount of explaining from us helped.

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut

Dinnertime.
Ally decides to run to the pantry. She digs around until she finds a nearly empty can of mixed nuts. She runs to her chair and it's the only thing she'll eat. Okay.
She eats a few peanuts. Then she decides things just are not right.

So she pulls out anything that has "skin" on it - the almonds and the hazelnuts.

Leaving just the peanuts and cashews...

Which she ate hungrily and triumphantly!

Poppy Dave - you have found your mixed nut friend for life!

Like mama, like daughter

Yesterday we went for a walk to the park. It was pretty warm here for this time of year, so mittens were not mandatory. Besides its hard to eat fruity cheerios with mittens on. Lately Ally has taken to walking with her hands in her pockets. Becky and I were commenting on how cute she was and I was congratulating myself on bringing the camera and taking a picture of her. Becky wondered aloud where Ally got the idea to walk with her hands in her pockets in the first place.

A few minutes later I snapped this picture. I guess now we know the answer to Becky's question. Like mama, like daughter.

Baking

We've started baking with Ally. She loves to work in the kitchen. Recently we made yummy "morning glory muffins" they have carrots and cocunet and apples and raisins and walnuts. So good.

Mama supervising the stirring

Ally trying to decide if she wants to taste the raisins.

Yummy batter - if only her mouth were big enough to fit the spoon!

I just love Ally's haircut, and this is just to brag on how cute her short do is!

We made cookies a few weeks later and Ally begged to play with the egg. Its so funny becasue she loves to play with eggs, but continues to refuse to eat them.

Oatmeal

This week Ally tried oatmeal. I wish I could say it was not Sesame Street related, but it is, "Abby Dabby Oatmeal" to be exact.

She Loves to Sing

Ally adores singing. She spends her time in her crib once she has woken up singing, before she falls asleep singing...she lives for singing time at the one playgroup we go to...she loves it. Anyhow, this video was taken in December of her singing the ABCs. What cracks me up about watching this video is how enthralled Ally is at watching herself on the video screen while she is singing.

Anyway...enjoy our short movie of Ally's singing debut. Next stop...American Idol?

Soup

Ally has discovered the joy of soup. But only if it has Elmo noodles.