August 24, 2003 - The Reward

The summer when Erin was 2 1/2 was a big one for her. It was the summer that we worked on getting her potty trained and out of diapers. She was in daycare, and I'll be honest... her daycare teachers did most of the work. But she took to it pretty quickly. Helping her along was the reward that we'd offered her: We told her when she no longer wore diapers during the day that we would repaint her room any color she wanted and she could get a "big girl bed" instead of the toddler bed she'd been sleeping in. It worked like a charm. By mid-August, she was no longer wearing diapers, and we'd picked out a beautiful new bedding set for her. We matched the paint colors to the bedding, and Jim set to work painting her room. It was a lovely shade of purple, and the dormers above the windows were painted a light green. We also bought her a pretty white daybed with a trundle (although it's not in this picture). Her new room was just beautiful, and Erin was very proud of it. I even have a video of her dancing around her newly painted room. In it, I ask why we painted it, and her answer (as she twirled around) was, "Because I wear panties!"

January 16, 2008 - Furry Friends

When we first brought Mia home, she and Molly were far from BFFs. Molly was mostly curious about this new supposed (assumed?) playmate, and Mia was flat-out hostile towards the 80-pound monster that kept barking at her. The claws came out a lot (literally!), and there was much chasing around the house. For a few days, I'd worried that we'd made a monumental mistake. But within a week, things started to change. Molly and Mia started coexisting quite nicely and seemed to enjoy each other's company. There were a few moments where I'd come upon them lying next to each other or grooming each other. And then there was this. Who ever thought that we'd see this between them? Wow... At this point, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and figured things would be OK.  Interestingly, and as a side note, Mia's coloring has changed rather dramatically since those early days. These days, her back is much darker, with more black fur covering her. Funny... Either way, she's sure brought a lot of humor and enjoyment to our family!

January 23, 2010 - Selling Yum

This January, Erin once again was faced with selling Girl Scout cookies. She, like many Girl Scouts, got very excited at the prospect of going door-to-door hawking her wares (or, at least taking orders for them), and set herself a rather lofty goal of boxes that she wanted to sell. On our first day out, she sold over 60 boxes! She got to meet new neighbors, and while she was rather shy at first, by the end, she had a groove going, and she was full of smiles. I think this is a great experience for girls. It helps them build confidence and learn how to speak with adults, and even strangers! By the end of the sale, Erin had sold over 150 boxes of cookies, which was a record for her (by a long shot! The last time she sold, I think she didn't even reach 40 boxes.) I can only imagine how many she'll sell next year!

March 17, 2002 - Oh, YUM!

It's never too early to introduce a child to the wonders of  the ice cream sandwich! At least that's what we thought when Erin tried her first one in 2002. She was only a year and a half old, but her palate was already mature enough to recognize the subtle flavors and textures of this delicacy. And just in case she decided she didn't like it,  Uno was right there next to Jim, ready to catch the rejects.

July 20, 2007 - Goose Egg

Picture this... A beautiful summer day in New Jersey. My mom came up for the day and we went for a lovely walk in a local park. We came home and Erin and Molly spent some time cooling off playing in the sprinkler in the back yard. Everything was going great until Erin bent down to pet Molly and Molly decided that would be a great time to jump up. Yep, you guessed it. Molly's rock-hard noggin hit Erin's not-so-hard forehead, and an instant goose egg appeared (along with howling, inconsolable tears). Not fun. Poor kid... She was a good-enough sport to give me a half smile when I took a picture of it, but I really felt for her. Ouch.

November 19, 2009 - Like Mother, Like Daughter!

Like me, Erin has really come to enjoy photography and taking pictures, and she was very excited when her Girl Scout troop decided to earn a badge called Camera Shots.  Our troop worked with the photography teacher at the local high school and not only got to take pictures themselves (on good old-fashioned FILM cameras, no less!), but also got to develop the negatives into black and white prints in the school's darkroom. It was a fantastic experience for the girls, and Erin just loved it. Pretty soon, she'll have her own POTD blog, I'm sure!

August 18, 2004 - It's a Dog's Life

Labs can be notoriously lazy dogs, especially as they get older. By the time Uno was 12, he'd spend most of his days lounging in one favorite spot or another, sleeping away his days. On this particular day, he decided the perfect place for a nap would be the spot that Erin had recently vacated to go have lunch - right in the middle of the toy village she'd been playing with (and had hoped to return to shortly). Once he was asleep, though, there was no moving him, and Erin had no choice but to wait until he roused himself before she could start playing there again. He was cute enough, though, that it was easy to forgive him.

May 12, 2001 - Julliard, Here I Come!

It's never too early to start, right? As soon as Erin could sit, one of her favorite perches became the piano bench. I was still playing some at the time, and she'd hang out with me while I practiced, and always wanted her turn at they keyboard. Who was I to deny her that? She'd bang at the keys, playing her own kind of tune, and was rather proud of herself for it. This was actually the picture I sent out as her 7-month picture (I did one a month for quite a long time!), and I think I'll always remember it that way!

January 1, 2005 - Dimple Chick

On the day Erin was born, I noticed that she had a dimple in her left cheek that didn't have a mate on the right cheek.  (It kind of went, "Ten fingers, check. Ten toes, check. One dimple, check. Other dimple, hmmm...") I remember wondering that day if the dimple would stay there or disappear as she got older. It's stayed! It's such a cute aspect to her appearance, and shows itself whenever Erin smiles or chews. I love it! It's so playful looking, and adds a devilish little extra something to her already adorable face. I'm hoping that it stays with her forever, but if not, at least I have quite a few pictures of it as a reminder!

May 7, 2008 - The Sweet Smell of Spring

When we moved into our house in New Jersey in the summer of 2005, the previous owners told us that the wild-looking thing in the front yard was actually a wisteria vine that would bloom for a few glorious days each spring. It sure didn't look like much in July and August, that's for sure, but we gave it the benefit of the doubt and left it pretty much alone all through the winter. Sure enough, in April, we began to see buds on it, and by the first week of May, it was in full bloom. The thing was incredible, both in it's glorious blooms and intoxicating fragrance. I've never seen so many happy bumble bees in my life as what we saw buzzing around it for the short time it bloomed. Sure enough, though, it's bloom time was incredibly short, and before we knew it, our lawn was littered with fallen lavender petals and the vine went back to its wild-looking appearance for another 11 months. What can you do? It sure was nice while it lasted!

March 18, 2006 - Happy Birthday, Pop-Pop!

Yesterday was my father's birthday! While we lived in New Jersey, we always got together to celebrate birthdays, and his big day in 2006 was no exception. On that night, we met at our favorite Thai restaurant near Doylestown and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. As a surprise, our friend Joan had made Dad one of his favorite cakes (chocolate flourless - a TO DIE FOR confection!) and had dropped it off earlier in the day. When it was time for dessert, our waitress brought it out to him, complete with lit candles. We sang him Happy Birthday, and Erin helped him blow out his candles. It was the perfect end to a fantastic evening! Happy birthday, Dad! We love you very much!!!

May 5, 2002 - Toot!

Anyone who thinks the recorder is really just a plastic child's toy obviously hasn't heard some of the gorgeous music that has been written for it.  My mother has played the recorder for quite a few years now, and has a number different kinds (soprano, alto, etc.). Erin was still in diapers when she started "tooting" on my mom's recorders, and she was thrilled that she was able to make sound come out of it! This spring in school, Erin's taking recorder lessons as part of her music program, and is playing on a recorder that my mom bought her last year. She's doing great! When my mom's here in a few weeks, she's bringing hers as well, and the two of them will be able to play two-recorder duets together for the first time. I can't wait to hear them!

January 22, 2010 - One Lump or Two?

Our bed is a pretty popular place for the furbabies to hang out. We actually keep a sheet on top of the comforter to protect it from Molly's hair (oy, does that dog shed!) and from the cat's claws.  Mia has decided, though, that her favorite place to snooze is actually under that sheet (and sometimes under the comforter as well), with the outline of her body the only indicator that she's even there. On this particular morning, both pets decided to keep me company upstairs, and each made herself comfortable in their respective spots. It's kind of like Where's Waldo, isn't it?

August 1, 2008 - It's Just a Matter of Time Until You're Mine

It took a while, but Mia eventually realized, during her strolls along the kitchen counters, that there was a fish up there. It was Bob, Erin's Beta. Once Mia realized that poor Bob was there, we couldn't keep her away from him. In fact, a few times, we came home to find Bob's tank perilously close to the edge of the counter, and I doubt he managed to move it there himself. No, it was the Puss' doing. Sometimes she would simply crouch down next to the tank and stare at the fish, as if willing him to jump out of the tank and into her mouth. Well, life is certainly full of disappointments, isn't it? Our first move was moving the tank to a shelf where Mia couldn't reach it. And then when we moved, Bob went to live with my friend Jamie. There will be no more fish-temptations for Mia. Bummer.

February 24, 2007 - Oops

My friend Carolyn has always bought Molly the best toys. She's the one responsible for the wonderful cheeseburger that was Molly's favorite toy for over 3 years (before it literally fell apart from all the love it had received).  Another great toy was the green monster toy that squeaked. Oh, how Molly loved her little green monster. Loved it so much, in fact, that she slowly chewed off all of the poor thing's feet, one at a time. Hmmm... It was right about this time that we realized that we had a power-chewer on our hands. The soft, cuddly, squeaky toys just wouldn't cut it for this pup of ours. No, we needed the industrial-strength, breaks-your-toes-when-she-drops-it-on-them type of toy. Oh well. At least most of them don't have feet to lose.

June 14, 2003 - Barbie Time

Once Erin discovered Barbie dolls, she had found a new obsession. At my parents' house one weekend, I trudged up to the attic and found some of my old Barbie toys and dolls from when I was a kid (yes, my parents had kept them - guess they knew they'd come in handy some day!). Among them was the Barbie Airship, which had been one of my all-time favorite toys when I was little. Although it was obviously kind of dated (we're talking circa 197x, here!), Erin immediately dove in and started playing with it. She also had some of my "vintage" dolls to dress up in their groovy '70s fashions. It was really fun to see her enjoying the exact same toys that I'd spent hours playing with when I was little!

November 24, 2002 - Caught in the Act

Ah, another one of those pictures that Erin will kill me for one day.  At two years old, Erin was still firmly ensconced in her diapers, but had begun to learn that doing her business was private stuff. So she'd occasionally sneak off when it was time to produce something. At home, it could be under the dining room table or she'd leave the room for a few minutes. But at my parents' house, where doorways were closed off or blocked (for the dogs more than for her), it was harder to find some privacy. One day, we were all in the kitchen and she disappeared. Let's face it... In the kitchen, there are only so many places one can hide! We found her in the pantry, with the door closed, crouched down next to the tub of dog food. She was quite surprised to have been found out, but sure enough, she'd gone in there to do her thing. Oh, and that sweatshirt she's wearing? The front of it said: "Warning: I am two." Truer words were never spoken.

June 30, 2009 - Girl Time

When my mom came out for a 2-week visit last June, we knew we'd have a great time, but it turned out to be so much better than we'd expected! We had two wonderful weeks to spend time together, just us girls, and we definitely made the most of it. We did day trips to the San Diego Zoo and went whale watching (OK, so maybe that wasn't the best idea - LOL!), and watched some fantastic sunsets at the local beaches. We also had a lot of days that we didn't so much at all. More than anything, we laughed - a lot - and really just enjoyed our time together. I'm very excited that Mom's coming back out in a few weeks, and look forward to more laughter!!

October 31, 2001 - A Happier Kind of Pumpkin

By the time Erin was a year old, she was much more into Halloween, and her second stint as a pumpkin went much better than the first. We had told her about Halloween and that she'd get to wear a costume, and her daycare center had a big parade planned for all of the students. Erin was happy to get all dressed up (except the hat... she's never been too fond of hats), and was thrilled when Jim and I arrived at her school to watch the parade. It was really cute. She was still too young to go trick-or-treating in town, but the parade was enough for her. Our adorable little Punkin!

July 31, 2004 - Flower Girl

Erin was very excited about being a flower girl in her cousin Sarah's wedding in 2004. Her dress was custom made, and she felt like a princess in it. The day of the wedding, Erin was in awe of the entire thing - the ride to the church in the trolley car, seeing Sarah in her gown, walking down the isle with her favorite bridesmaid, seeing the cake at the reception, everything. I don't think the smile left her face all day. When we got to the reception, she and Sarah finally got a moment to be alone together before everyone else arrived, and I managed to get this shot, which is probably my favorite of the entire day. I still have it framed in our living room, and it always makes me smile to look at it.

February 24, 2005 - Snowbeast

Portia was my mom's dog through and through. A long-haired Akita, she was an adorable little fuzzball of a puppy who grew into a large fuzzball of a sweetheart. As a youngster, my mom took her through training and got Portia certified as a therapy dog, work that they both found very rewarding. While it lasted. See, unfortunately, Portia soon developed, well, issues that kept her from doing some normal things, like walking on hard floor surfaces or even coming inside (both things that are kind of required for therapy work, no?). She continued to be a sweet dog, but lived most of her adult life completely outside, coming in only during the most violent of thunderstorms. She made holes for herself in the ground under shrubs and hunkered in there to keep warm, but during snow events would come onto the patio for meals looking like something out of a scary movie. No worries... She lived a long and relatively happy life, and is still sorely missed.

October 31, 2000 - Not Into It

Take a not-quite-3-week-old infant and add one ridiculously cute pumpkin Halloween costume. What do you get? An incredibly unhappy not-quite-3-week-old infant.  I knew the risks, but just had to do it. I was really hoping that Erin would at least tolerate it long enough to get a cute picture of her first Halloween. But no. All I was left with (besides a raging headache from her verbal protests) was this one, lone, picture of her obviously not enjoying the moment. Oh well... Amazingly, I have very few pictures of Erin when she wasn't happy, smiling, and obviously enjoying life, so we'll just treat this as proof that she wasn't always like that. Oh, and the good news is that each Halloween since then has provided us with lots of pictures proving that Erin actually enjoys dressing up in costume. Or maybe she's just learned it's all about the candy.

February 8, 2003 - Tickling the Ivories

Not every 2-year-old gets to start piano lessons on a vintage Steinway grand piano, but Erin sure did! Each time we would go to visit my magnificent former teacher, May Harrow, she would sit Erin on the bench of her beloved piano and give her a mini-lesson. These lessons included important things like how to hold her wrist (she never used the technique she'd used on me, which was to poke the underside of my wrist with a pencil point), curve her fingers, or where to hit each key to get the best sound, but Aunt May always made them such fun for Erin. And then she'd let Erin just play, which was fun for everyone! I'm so grateful that Erin was old enough when May died that she'll remember her, because the memories of them together are simply priceless.

December 23, 2006 - MY Stick!

On our visits to Ann and Peter's when they lived in Baltimore, one of our favorite things to do was to take the dogs to the local park to let them run and play. Molly and Lucy, seen here, could be let off their leashes and have lots of doggy fun - running, sniffing, and just doing what dogs like to do. On this brisk December morning, one of them found a huge stick, and they both obviously thought it was quite the treasure. They pranced all around with their find, neither willing to let go first. Aw, how cute. They knew how to share!

July 7, 2007 - Crabby

You know how you can sometimes look at a picture, even if it's not a great one, and remember the entire story behind it? Well, that's the case with today's Dose. This picture was taken the morning we left on our first Royal Caribbean cruise. We had flown into San Juan, Puerto Rico, the day before, and stayed at a funky hotel in the city. The next morning, for some reason, Erin was in a really cranky mood, as girls get into sometimes. At breakfast, there was no pleasing her. She wanted a bagel, and they didn't have any. The eggs were made in a way she didn't like them. The juice had too much pulp in it. Oh, yes, it was fun. Anyway, I looked over on the terrace of the hotel's restaurant and saw this sign, which just fit the morning to a T, and had Erin pose under it. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll see it read, "Life's a beach. Watch out for the crabs!" Once Erin saw the joke in it, her mood quickly changed. Good thing, too. I'd hate to have left her behind.

October 12, 2002 - Cyber Girl

People are frequently amazed at how technologically savvy Erin is for a 9-year-old. I mean, the kid can find her way around a computer better than some adults I know! She has her list of kid-friendly websites that she visits, has no problem using the online versions of her school textbooks, and can even do basic research on the web by herself (and is fascinated by what she can find when she looks for it). She's even had her own email address for a few years now. Granted, it's not surprising that with us as parents she's as comfortable with it all as she is, but we also got her started early! Just before her 2nd birthday, we set up an old computer for her at a "desk" of her own, and loaded it with age-appropriate games. She took to it immediately, and mastered the mouse in no time flat. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before she starts her own blog. Oh, wait a minute. She already has...

February 21, 2009 - Fast Friends

When people ask me about our move to California from New Jersey last year, one of the first questions they ask is, "How did Erin handle the move?" I'm beyond thrilled to answer that she really had no problems at all. Sure, she was sad about leaving her grandparents, friends, and school, but by the time we got in the car to drive here, she was more excited than anything else. When I picked her up on her very first day at her new school (which was the day after winter break), she came out beaming, walking with another girl. "Mommy, this is my new friend, Megan," she said. Day one, new friend. I can still feel my sigh of relief. Megan is now one of Erin's closest friends, and practically a member of our family. She and Erin have shared countless adventures together (like this trip to the San Diego Wild Animal Park), and I hope they'll remain friends for a good, long time. 

May 5, 2005 - Joy Slide

On our Disney cruise in 2005, Erin eyed the water slide with more than a little trepidation. She'd seen it on our first cruise the year before but had decided not to do it. This year, she looked at it with part fear and part anticipation. Her first trip up the steps took her a long time - she really wasn't sure it was going to be for her. At one point, she came back down, deciding to skip it altogether. But then she got up her nerve, got to the top, and (literally) took the plunge. Although her eyes were squeezed shut as she approached the bottom, she climbed out with a smile on her face. She was hooked. After that, it was slide, slide, slide. She must have gone down that thing 30 times that afternoon, and each time she loved it more. Even now, when we book a cruise, one of her first questions about it is, "Is there a slide?" But of course!