'What is it Papa Stinky- Butt?'

Ami took my phone. I asked her where it was. She kind of looked for it. I said, 'Where is my phone, Stinky- Butt?'
I called it and we found it...
A few seconds later she picked up a book and brought it on the bed.
'What is it Papa Stinky- Butt?'

'I wuv dis beah!'

I stamped a pooh bear out of play doh for Ami as she was making me little logs that looked like long fangs. She said, 'oh! A care beah! Thank you Mumma! I wuv dis beah!'

"It's 72 degree inside your head- all the time!"

I stepped outside today to go to Amelie's gymnastics class and thought I was in Heaven.

72 delicious degrees hit my body and traveled in my mouth and through my lungs.

I said to Mike and Ami, we can do ANYTHING today!!!

I want to live some place where the weather is like this- all the time.

So, we went to gymnastics and Ami ran around. She played on the slide, the tumble trak, and walked on the beam. There were 6 plastic bowling pins set up at the end of a long velcro strip. She was supposed to log roll down and knock over the pins. As Miss Dawn was showing her how to do it, Ami soccer kicked the pins over.... I picked them up, she kicked them over again. Miss Dawn said, "It's like both her parents play in a rock and roll band or something."

Haha, I told her it wasn't MY fault!.. It kind of is.

They went up to the pit then down to the balloons.
It was a good time.

Miss Dawn gave her end of class stamps of Cookie Monster and Elmo.

On our way to the car she found some flowers and decided to frolic :)

This week I don't have to let Max out and I'm just not knowing what to do with myself. I base all my plans on going to King George at 12 and play w the dog until 1.

We drove up to the bank teller and Ami shouted, "Ice cream!!!"

Haha... I love this kid. I told her this was the bank, not McDonalds. After I put money in, I had a great plan to get lunch downtown at Soup and Taco for some vegetarian tamales and papusas. I would use my birthday gift certificate and get Mike some papusas, too.
We got there and AGHHh... I forgot they're closed Mondays. Instead, we decided to sit outside at Sammy T's. No one else was out there at the time, and luckily the ladies who later sat down didn't smoke.

I got my usual bean and grain burger, Ami got a grilled cheese. She ended up sitting on my lap which I totally embraced. It's not often she's snuggly. The perfect weather reflected our little moment.

After lunch, we ate some Sammy T's frozen yogurt. Just to let you know, this picture DOES NOT reflect her excitement.

When we were all done with downtown, we hopped in the car to make our way to the grocery store. During the ride, I was listening to the new song the Crypts wrote last night. Ami kept saying, "Again!" after each ending until she went to sleep. It was a few times.

This is me tickling the ol' ivories on Civil Servant Cyborg- the song we were rocking out to. I recorded the video on my phone the same time we recorded on the Mac. I was hoping it'd help me visually but nope.

It may, however, turn you on. So be aware.

I suggest hit play and close your eyes.

My mom sent me this picture when we were at band practice last night. They made a house out of the box her big girl car seat came in. They decorated it and ate in it :) Ami is eating spinach.

I dropped Ami off at Nina's house so I could go to work and right before I left, I took this video.

After work, I picked her up and went home. I was met by Mike who said there was going to be pizza waiting when I got home from open mic. Rad.

I uked it up at open mic and left as quickly.

I opened the apt door and saw Jenna on my couch watching House and a very pretty armoire.

Saturday breathed a heavy sigh.

Yesterday kicked my ass and even though the humidity was through the roof, today seemed much more subdued.

This morning Ami and I kissed Papa goodbye and left for the Farmer's Market to buy groceries.

Boy was it crowded. Crowds always get me and when it's hot and I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing, the anxiety just heightens.
I couldn't think so I ended up only buying bread and cheese.

There were 2 more bread vendors than the regular 1 which was good to see. There were also 2 natural lip balms/candles, etc, than the usual 1.

We chatted with Lin who said Soon was on a trip to his 55 year class reunion. Wow. She said every reunion less and less ppl show up.

I got out of the hustle as soon as I could, almost fainting as we approached the car.

We went home to put cheese away, I got the chocolate chip meringue cookies out of the oven and in the tin, ready to go to the Y for Nina's show. This is the class I used to teach with her. I really wanted to see their progression and their beautiful faces. It's been a few months and I recognized just a handful of the kids there.

Ami is just ridiculously patient, especially for a toddler. She waited and watched Nina's class performing in their show and only mentioned once, "I twy?"

I think always in the back of her mind she knows there is later, there is time, there is more, which is remarkable and something I need to learn sometimes. I know there is a better way to express this, I just haven't found it yet. I DO know she's pretty Buddha-riffic sometimes.

This is her 'writing' during the show...

And here is after... playing around.

Even though I knew it was hot and disgustingly humid out, I had promised Ami we'd go to the playground. It was deserted, the slides were hot, and in the background we could hear the kids having fun at the water park across the street. Water bottle in sight the whole time, I couldn't bare it for too long. She didn't seem to mind that she couldn't go on half of the entire playground but Ami understood for the most part I was having a hard time.

Now we're home. We rode out a thunderstorm. I barely thought about and rolled up my car windows in time. Ami and I were a third way up on the steps leading to our apt when the rain started pouring. I'm going to make tea in a bit, watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and fold laundry. That's kind of awesome.

D.C. Adventure Time.

Our D.C. Smithsonian Adventure was really really awesome. I love spending time with ppl I love and having adventures.

We ate the lunch we brought at a sculpture garden where Yoko Ono's Wish Tree is planted. But there was no wishing, my friend, as the tree was in winter recovery, I think.

Yes, my stupid finger is in the way. Besides that, Ami was running around the mall... chasing me, chasing birds....

She and I have been reading 10 Little Rubber Ducks the past 3 nights and there is a spread of a whale that spans two facing pages, so she knew they were big... she just had no idea the actual size so she was so enthralled by it.

She was just so intrigued by everything.

"What name? What this, Craig?"

Ami saw Craig holding the hissing cockroach and really wanted to hold it. Gayle, the bug volunteer (who, btw, I totally wanted to be... she was in a white lab coat like the other volunteers but she had sparkly bug jewelry running along the breast of it... so freakin cool), was so nice and gentle, enthusiastically trusted us and let Ami hold the hissing cockroach, a grasshopper, then a millipede.

The millipede, however, was too tickly and weird for her so Craig held it while she pet it.

She thought the whole trip was awesome and amazing. We all came out of it fulfilled.

The Baby Sister Adventure!

I'm actually going to start this day yesterday at dinner. I WISH I had gotten a picture of Craig and Ami interacting but I DIDN'T. AHHH. Ami really wanted to sit next to him. She looooooves Craig.

She loves these kids, too. She was having a really good time as were Mike and I.

Fun times.
Gabby, Bean, Larry and The Buffalo.

This was actually this morning at the Imaging Center.

Ami is drawing... Papa is watching and drawing Big Bird per her usual request.

We brought her with us because we knew she'd behave and we knew it was important for her to be there as we found out more about the baby by actually seeing it.

Baby is one whole pound of perfection!!!! Perfect little four chambered heart, perfect little liver, perfect little kidneys, perfect little lady parts.

Baby Ollie!

Ami just loves getting in the laundry basket at Max's house. It's one of her favorite things.

As you can see, she's sitting in the pirate hat. She later spilled her oatmeal on it.

"Mama, I spill. I spill, Mama."

I got to finish sewing Bean's name onto his blanket. I was going to finish the border and sew it together, but something's wrong w the sewing machine... Agh. That's so frustrating.

I asked Ami if we should make Ollie one (possibly baby sister's name) and she enthusiastically said, "Yes!"

I asked her if we should make Ollie a monster blanket and again, with such enthusiasm... "Yes!!"

Awesome.

"I playing Mama! I playing!"

We went to the water park again! This time Ami had some interaction with her surroundings... :)

... including another kid! She went over to him and said, "Hi, big kid!"

They are clearly similar in size, ha ha.

"I playing, Mama! I playing!"