Okay, so I'm really behind these days blogging -- and in everything else in my life.  It's not that I don't think about it, not that I don't want to do it,  but, well, you know how it goes.  Funny thing about that life stuff- it just keeps plowing along.  Sometimes I'm driving that big yellow plow but lately, I've been caught up in the swirl of rocks and snow and debris spinning around the concave blade, spat out on the side of the road until another plow follows in it's wake.

(Jeez, you'd think I was from Maine ambushing you with a snowplow metaphor like that.)

Anyway, the Pickle did manage to turn seven in January in case any of you are wondering.  I baked another silly cake, this year dipping my toe into the process of fondant.  It was a spa theme and for the first time, we had the cake at our house instead of the community club house. She originally wanted a rock and roll party, but I figured if we were going to have 20 girls in our tiny little house, perhaps the theme should be a bit more-- calming.

I finished my eight-month coaching class a couple of weeks ago.  I'll be starting another one in a month or so (not as long as the first one) as I meander my way towards certification. Certification is not required in coaching but it's definitely an important element IMHO.  The way I see it, if I am helping somebody change their life, wouldn't it be great if I had some extensive training to help them do it and a governing body (in this case, the International Coaching Federation) to say, "Hey, not only is Regina legally allowed to do it, we actually think she is qualified to do it!"  I'm working on a website that I hope to have live in a couple of weeks.  I'll keep you posted.

Pepper is a magical three year old.  She's full of life and creativity and enthusiasm and self-expression.  I actually love three.  Both the girls have navigated it well, avoiding most of the temper tantrums and stalwart willfulness and embracing the fun and the explosion of learning and putting themselves out there into the world.  It's a delicious time for me.  I try to drink it all in as much as possible.

That's me in a nutshell.  The fog that's covered my brain for months is starting to disperse and I'm wanting to return here and write more.  I hope I will.  I hope those of you that have been out there also continue to come back here too.  I like meeting up with you once in a while.

And now we are three

Here is the cake:

(Hard to believe it was homemade, huh?)

That caused this face:

(She still has a blue ring around her mouth)

The Pepper turned three on Saturday. It was a day filled with presents such as this awesome set of bongos that Pickle came up with all by herself:

There was also a double doll stroller, play kitchen toys and a stuffed dolphin.

Then it was off to lunch at Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger --- which ironically, has some of the best vegetarian fast food in the city. Following that was a trip to the local toy store to see The Great Zucchini perform. This guy is the Pied Piper of children's performers. We could never afford to have him for a birthday party but the show was small and he found out beforehand that it was Pepper's birthday so he made a big deal of it as if it were her own party. At the end, she shyly walked up to him and said, "Thank you Mr. Chini for coming to my birthday."

Next stop: Chuck E. Cheese. My eyes are still bleeding, but the girls love it. We only hit it about four times a year which is pretty good since we live less than two miles from the place.

FYI, Saturday visits...bad.

Then we were off for the annual picnic at Pickle's school where she won:

The cakewalk.


Because really, who doesn't need four pounds of cake in the house at one time? Add to that, we have a small party at Pepper's daycare tomorrow with, yup, cupcakes.

You can have your cake and eat it too, it just makes you really, really nauseous.

Hippo Birdies Two Ewes.

My Pepper turned two this past week. Her birthday itself was a relatively quiet affair except for the infamous elevator incident which I will post shortly. There was pizza and a couple of presents and dinner with Daddy at the hospital. Sunday was the main event – a small party with just a few friends and a couple of kids, but Pepper’s first very own birthday party nonetheless.

I wasn’t convinced she understood that the party was for her until she woke up on Sunday morning and walked into the dining room where Pickle and I had starting setting the table and had hung several Elmo decorations. Bleary-eyed and stumbling half-awake, Pepper wandered into the room and with an air of awe simply said, “My party?” When Pepper told her it that yes, it was for her, the smile that broke out across her face said it all.

And what a glorious afternoon it was for the Pepper. There were three “big” girls and a boy her own age to play with and follow through the house. They played and ran wild, the adults ate and ate and ate and we all enjoyed not having to organize anything for them to do. There was one simply craft- glitter glue and sticky jewels and foam hearts and stars on little paper boxes; just enough to bridge the gap between lunch and cake.

The cake was a simple affair- chocolate – deemed by the Pickle as the only type of cake appropriate for a birthday. I could have bought a much prettier cake from, well, just about anywhere, but then I wouldn’t have had an excuse to make my favorite butter cream frosting. Elmo, Zoe, Big Bird and Cookie Monster appeared on the cake, courtesy of our “Chutes and Ladders” game and there were lots of sprinkles. Perfect for a two year old. When we started singing ‘Happy Birthday” and she knew it was for her, you would have thought we were crowning her Miss America.



The great thing about being two is the complete focus on the present and not on the presents. We waited until everyone left to open them and while the Pepper enjoyed them, it was the people and party that made her day.

The only real downer of the whole weekend was Monday morning when she woke up and toddled back into the dining room. Most everything was back in its proper place, except for a couple of the Elmo decorations, which I thought I’d leave up for a few days to help ward off the post-birthday let down. Still the disappointment was written all over her face when she looked around at everything cleaned up and said, with a complete understanding that it was all over, “my party”.

Here she is modeling her sporty new backpack: