It turned out TWOrific

I finally finished the invites for Zoe's TWOrific birthday party. I have been kicking around the idea of this butterfly/garden party for months now. I've purchased all the decor and plates. I settled on the card design in December.

I'm really good at having a vision. I know exactly what I want, even if I've never seen it before. Just ask my mom about the joy of my wedding reception centerpieces. She's more of a pattern girl. I'm more off-the-cuff.

Which is probably why I have so much fun planning Zoe's birthday parties. Ask N about the joy of months of talking, talking, talking about how great, oh how great and fun, lots of fun this party will be. How cute she'll be with all her little friends and the butterflies and the games, oh the games we'll play.

Imagine my frustration when I sat down to do the invites, only to discover the idea of the flowers that came from my new card making book, were hard. REALLY HARD. Like origami sometimes doesn't make sense when you put it into written directions hard. Fortunately N thinks like those people who write origami instructions and whipped out the first little petal as my template.

Then had to show me 5 more times "how do you that again?"

Without further ado, the finished product.

With 8 little 1.5" x 1.5" pieces of origami. Per invite. Times that by 20. That's 160 of those little bad boys. Pretty soon I'll be packing leftovers for N's lunch in foil shapes to keep up on my new origami skillz.

All the frustration and folding, hours of folding, were totally worth it. It's going to be a great time with all her little friends and the games and the food and the cake, shaped like a butterfly.

Sometimes I just can't stop myself.

The family who crafts together stays together

Zoe will be turning 2 in 13 days. We are having a garden party. I'm think I'm actually more excited about it than Zoe. Then again she has no real understanding of birthday parties, so I'm cutting myself some slack.

In my overzealous attempt to be Mother of the Year, I decided to make her invitations. Did I pick something easy and fast like last year? No. I picked a design I've never done before and it required origami.

Apparently I was drinking when I made the design.

I also decided to wait until the last minute to begin the mass production of cards. That means instead of having a couple weekends to make the cards while Zoe napped, I had to do them yesterday while she was awake.

If you've ever tried to do something that looks fascinating and interesting, then you know I had a helper.

After a couple meltdowns about not getting to play with the machine RIGHT NOW, we learned a good lesson on taking turns. She got a couple tries to use the machine and then mommy got a couple tries. Without help.





I love that she helped with her birthday invitations. I think this will be a tradition from now on. Although I will be sober when picking a design.

Now if I could get her to do laundry and the ironing we'd be set.

The newest Imagination Mover

Yesterday, while we were getting paper out to make her birthday invitations, she found my helmet. Inside were N's night driving glasses.

Instantly Zoe was in love. She felt like one of the Imagination Movers.

She's trying to make Wobble Goggles the newest trend.

I think she makes them look good.



You can only wear the Wobble Goggles for so long. They do have special powers. I think she puts them on her head so I won't put any hair accessories in. She is very clever.



And very stylish.

She has friends in low places

Zoe is a very social girl. She loves to be out among people. Last night was the rescheduled Christmas program from my nephews. Beforehand we grabbed some dinner. On the way into the restuarant, there was a teenage boy sitting outside. Zoe walked closer to him, tilted her head and just looked at him. Oh, the flirting starts young.

I am a little nervous about preschool. I caught a glimpse of it with Connor's class last night. Connor got to be an angel. His preschool class did a set of 5 songs, some with bells, some with hand motions. One little girl in particular led the group. Through the chorus of Jingle Bells. 3 times. The teacher finally had to "sing" louder than the girl to get them on track or the song might've looped for the entire evening. It was adorable.

My older nephews, T-Dog and MJ, do a musical. They both had speaking parts. MJ played a jock. T-Dog played a kid who lost the first round of the spelling bee. Which is ironic because he is an excellent speller. However, I think he was some kind of surfer dude because his word was Yahway. He kept saying "yah" "wAAAAy." Much like the turtles in Finding Nemo. Then they both turned into wise men for the nativity at the end.

T-Dog is a little shy, but Zoe is totally in love with him. When he was on stage, she would scream. That's why we were in the foyer for the show!

When we went up to MJ after the show to tell him how great he was, he was hanging out with his older friends. Namely girls. We totally wrecked his game. When I whispered to him that I was impressed he was dating 6th grade girls, the blush on his cheeks was priceless.

Instead of continuing to ruin MJ's game with the cougars of his school, we decided to head home. All that running and screaming in the foyer really made me tired. Not to mention Zoe's running and screaming.

I was not too tired to hear about Zoe's day with grandma. They went to the mall, where Zoe flirted with the security guard. He apparently had no idea that was what she was doing, so Zoe started screaming at him. Fearful of being escorted out of the mall, grandma took Zoe to the department store to look at some appliances.

As they were walking the aisle Zoe stopped dead in her tracks. She had met a friend. A little girl. Looking back at her from the new front loading dryer window. Amazingly she looked exactly like Zoe.

Not one to make that reflection lonely, Zoe went up and kissed her new friend.

Apparently she doensn't need a sibling. Just a mirror.

And some santitizers. For those times you have to kiss that baby in the dryer on display at the mall.

Obi Won Cuff-Nobi

For about 6 months I've experienced some slight soreness in my shoulder. It would come and go, so I didn't think too much about it. I mostly felt it while cradling Zoe before bed. I just assumed it was because she's growing and I still hold her like I did when she was 3 pounds. That's bound to cause some pain. I wasn't willing to give up the cuddles for a little shoulder pain.

However, over the holidays I was home more due to snow and we played the Wii. Namely Lightsaber Duels. It's a game where you're Star Wars characters and you fight it out. You have to use a controller in each hand. Which I totally stink at. One hand in your lightsaber, the other is The Force. In my ignorance, I totally beat N. The force was with me!

The shoulder paid dearly for my Jedi ways. It has been hurting constantly for three weeks. So much that I can't sleep on that side anymore. Aleve is too weak and they don't make wireless heating pads. So I called the doctor.

Official diagnosis: impingement syndrome.

Basically the muscles and tendons in my rotator cuff are inflammed. Because the rotator cuff is surrounded by bone, that inflammation has no where to go. So it causes an intense burning sensation all. the. time.

Apparently when you're a Jedi Master, such as myself, you feel the force.

Through your rotator cuff.

Now I have to go to physical therapy to learn proper Jedi techniques. Because the Force will rise again.

Daddy's little girl

Dancing with daddy at Amber's and Chris's wedding.

We're going streaking

Last night N was home because all the colleges in town were cancelled. After 40 or so roof collapses, they decided to cancel all schools. Apparently for the two weeks of Christmas break no one could get on the roof of the college to clear the snow. Whatev.

Anyway, he was home with Zoe and I last night. I love to watch them play. She laughs harder, she remains close to him, she looks to him when she thinks something is funny to see if he's laughing too. She will chase him, imitate him and sneak up on him to scare him. She loves her daddy and her playmate.

We were all on the floor and having a pillow fight. Technically I was getting pelted with the pillow and N and Zoe were laughing hysterically. As Zoe took a moment to catch her breath and watch a little of the news, N pants her.

Within 2 seconds flat she was on the floor stripping out of them. Within another 2 seconds she was holding her shirt saying "off." I had no idea she felt so restricted in her clothing. As she ran around the house I fully expected to hear "we're going streaking!"

Thankfully it was bath night and I just started the bath water a little earlier than normal.

I just hope she doesn't get any ideas while she's in the nursery at church.

Or at the store.