I wish I could see the Muppets.

Portrait.

In January, my kind friend visited us at the beginning of her third trimester. About the second day into her trip, Eva made the [...]]]> Are you worried your ego might be overly inflated? Do you feel you need to be taken down a notch? I have the solution – spend some time with a two-year-old.

In January, my kind friend visited us at the beginning of her third trimester. About the second day into her trip, Eva made the following comment:

EVA: (Pointing to my friend’s belly) It is BIG!

KIND FRIEND: I have a baby in my belly.

EVA: You need to take it out.

ME: ….

While I stood around uselessly with my jaw hanging, my friend and Eva had a meaningful conversation about how the baby needed to stay in her belly for another three months.

Fast forward two months and several pregnant friends later, and Eva asked me this question yesterday:

EVA: Mama, do you have a baby in your belly?

ME: No, Eva, I don’t.

EVA: Oh, there is not a baby in your belly. It is just big.

ME: ….

Please, come visit us. We’d love to insult you.

Until then, you’ll have to excuse me. I need to go read up on turning your kid’s comments into teachable moments… before the next comment is aimed at a stranger.

PS: February pictures are up!

So forget the holidays and look at these pictures I took yesterday!

It cracks me up that [...]]]> Sometimes: when you haven’t updated your pictures in a month… and your holiday cards went out in January… and you spend all your time working on other people’s WordPress websites… it’s just too much to get caught up.

So forget the holidays and look at these pictures I took yesterday!

It cracks me up that among all of the blurry cell phone pictures I took, two look like Eva was posing for The Sartorialist: Playground Edition.

Aside from the grown-up looking posts (they are an illusion of photography), there was quite a bit of imaginative play going on behind the scenes – which I can’t get enough of. Take a look at where Eva was traveling at our new favorite playground.

Grandparents, et al., I will get the holiday pictures up. Someday.

ALLEGRA: Eva, [...]]]> Two weeks ago we purchased the new Muppets movie soundtrack. I already have most of it committed to memory. One week ago we took Eva to see her very first movie. Guess what that was? This week we are having dance parties to “Me Party” and we have a new topic of conversation:

ALLEGRA: Eva, are you a girl or a Muppet?

EVA: [in a grave whisper] A Muppet.

MATT: Is Mama a girl or a Muppet?

EVA: Mama is a grey Miss Piggy.

ALLEGRA: Okay. Is Daddy a boy or a Muppet?

EVA: A Muppet.

And then there’s poor Kermit, who just joined our Muppet family yesterday. Let’s hope he survives the experience.

Now, Eva did not understand this question at all. She probably still doesn’t know what happened last night, except that our street was filled with kids in costume, [...]]]> If you asked Eva any time in the last month, “What do you want to be for Halloween?” Her answer was, “A queen.” Said with grave solemnity.

Now, Eva did not understand this question at all. She probably still doesn’t know what happened last night, except that our street was filled with kids in costume, which was awesome, and our neighbors had a fog machine in a pumpkin, which was scary.

Because Eva does not understand Halloween and was actually just referring to the name of her favorite song, Dress Up Queen, I took some creative license with her request. I give you, the Queen of Hearts:

While I was searching for a queen costume, I found this hat, and discovered I needed to be the Mad Hatter.

I also found a White Rabbit hat. Matt stayed in his suit after work, dug out the bow tie that goes with his tuxedo, and grudgingly obliged. Poor Matt, forced to wear crazy hats once a year.

I found great meaning in all of our costumes. Matt, like the White Rabbit is very busy, always running off to meetings. Eva, like the Queen of Hearts throws tantrums while I pardon people in her wake. And I, like the Mad Hatter, find life can be a never-ending tea party.

(See also: the self portrait leaf dance video, where Eva can see herself in the camera while I take the video.)

Why go to Home Depot [...]]]> I am having a hard time keeping up with my errands this month. Who wants to go to the grocery store when there are leaves on the ground?

(See also: the self portrait leaf dance video, where Eva can see herself in the camera while I take the video.)

Why go to Home Depot when there are so many things to see in your yard? Like the tiny helicopter seeds in the Japanese Maple and the willow tree in the back yard that “swings” when the wind blows. And this amazing tree in front of our house:

I think Eva best expressed the awesomeness of this tree when she said, “WHOOOA! The tree turned to red leaves!”

Note: I wrote this post last week. Since then, we took a spontaneous Friday night trip to Home Depot (this is the excitement of the suburbs, people). And I finally made it to the grocery store on Sunday during Eva’s nap. But not before I found the back of the freezer – and I think it’s good to do that once a year.

And I have to say, fall in the suburbs is pretty great. [...]]]> Fall is my favorite season. When I hear the first real cold front is coming through and temperatures are going to drop, my heart speeds up. I love pulling out sweaters and socks, and teaching Eva to say, “It’s jacket weather. Yay!”

And I have to say, fall in the suburbs is pretty great. Especially when you have a two-year-old to help you stomp through leaves.

It wasn’t enough that the girly world suck me in. The equally jaded Uncle Austin was in town, and is now also under [...]]]> And I thought succumbing to pink was the end of the girly invasion. I give you the cutest thing ever: a leotard, tights, and tiny ballet shoes. Upside-down, of course.

It wasn’t enough that the girly world suck me in. The equally jaded Uncle Austin was in town, and is now also under the spell of ballet.

Joking aside, ballet is the perfect activity for a two-year-old. It involves music, funny stretching, hand motions, a teddy bear dance, and movements that mimic animals. Eva was enraptured for 35 minutes.

And the best part? No Mamas allowed! 35 minutes to sit and read. Or obsessively watch the video monitor. (Austin and I might have chosen the latter.)

I put a few more pictures up in the photo gallery, and if you’re the kind of person that likes to decipher Eva’s speech, watch this video on YouTube.