Extreme Copy-Cat

(FYI: I fixed my video in the post below.)

I think I have mentioned a couple times how much Mallory is two steps behind me doing everything that I am doing… and I do mean everything.  I have been battling a cold (for months it seems) and when I go to the bathroom to blow my nose she is following me getting a kleenex.  If I grab a second one – she does too!

I was chatting with my mom in emails today about this new menu calendar she showed me.  Calendars and I are like BBFs!  : )  So of course this totally got my attention and I went into action and started trying to make my own… because you know I don’t have enough calendars in my life – how about another!!

Anyway – her calendar would require me to get to the store and get the materials and I just don’t get to stores very easily… and I wanted it NOW!  : ) 

So I just printed off my favorite free printable calendars and did the ‘ol write out my menu with a fun pen.  : ) 

Then it lead me into thinking… I should take pictures of my meals and make my own recipe cards!  I just got a brand new fancy camera for Christmas and I should really get to learn it and this might help my need for a creative outlet.  Blah blah blah blah…

None of this has to do with what I want to post about.  : )  I wanted to tell you about my copy cat daughter who drives me crazy girl!  I was telling my Mom about my meal planning/recipe making and how I just wish my kids would let me have an hour (just an hour) in the kitchen to create/make supper every night with out having Mallory copying my every move and Max not humming and twirling his hands and feet demanding a steady stream of food to be placed on his tray… he really would just like the steady stream of food to placed directly into his mouth, but I make him pick it up off his tray and feed himself.  Evil, I know!  ; )  It keeps him occupied for a few moments, however he is perfecting this so called thing as self feeding that he is humming and twirling every few minutes until the next dump of food hits his tray.  And he is so over baby food – he wants the real food!

Then there is Mallory who has to have her Baby Maxwell in her Baby Maxwell’s high chair and she has to feed her Baby Maxwell everything that I am feeding Max.  Plus she needs a sample for herself.  Plus she is moving around the kitchen two steps behind me doing everything I am doing.  I peek in the oven to check on what is cooking – she walks over to the oven and pretends to look in.  I grab a spatula to stir she is “momma, I need a spoon.  momma I need to stir too.”  AHHHHHH!!!!!! 

So I was telling my Mom about this and she emails back and says “They do grow out of that phase but of course I’ve never seen one quite as copy-catty as she is so it might take a while.  I can see her having the invisible friend that has to eat supper with you”

Then I tell her about my trip to the grocery store on Monday…

When we went to the grocery store Monday morning she had to push her own little cart (which I was fine with because it keeps her from touching everything and running off) and she kept looking behind her saying “come on kids” and waving her hand… because I kept turning around looking at her saying things like… come on girl.  Ya comin kid.  Then she had to go to the bathroom (for the second time, I might add) and I grabbed Max and the diaper bag and started walking and she is not coming and trailing behind.  Mallory, come on!  She comes and she is carrying an imaginary bag and says… I had to get my diaper bag!

Then after we get to the bathroom (for the second time) she refuses to go!  (She needs to do #2 – she will love me when she is 16 reading about this!)  I am so frustrated because we just abandoned our carts for the 2nd time and I have to lug Max back to the back of the store in some po-dunk store so we are tripping over pallet jacks and boxes (we shopped locally and small town grocery stores are something else – no restrooms so you have to use employee restrooms)  and having to squeeze Max between these pallet jacks in his carseat plus he is on the verge of being done with having to sit in his carseat and just wants a nap… to have her NOT GO!

So I give her the warning that we are not coming back in here.  If she needs to go – she best do it now.  She doesn’t.  We fumble our way back out to our cart and she immediately starts hollering about “My butt hurts” and she is grabbing her butt and doing the I-gotta-go-potty-dance.

So she doesn’t technically talk about imaginary friends – but she does an awful lot of pretending/talking/imitating to things/items I can’t see.  : )

Oh and here is one of my recipe cards I made.  I even made up the recipe… granted it wasn’t too creative or fancy, but it is a start. 

You could totally use parmesan cheese instead of gouda too.  But I had left over gouda from this recipe.  Molly is one of our friends and she is an amazing cook!

Mally’s Interview = 2-1/2

Now that Mally can talk and understand I want to do interviews with her.  Ask a bunch of questions and see how her answers change over the years.  Plus I’m finding that going back to watch these videos are so fun. 

She is not a good interviewee!  She is very much in the copy stage so she has to do everything I do.  She had to have her own ‘camera’ and had to tape me and ask me the same questions.  So it wasn’t my ideal interview… but this is exactly how she is right now.

It is a really long video – just a warning.

Here is my Mally Rae at 2 1/2 years old.

Popcorn & Twix

Last night we had our first movie night with Mallory.  I have never put a movie in for Mally so she isn’t all that familiar with movies.  Heck, it is very rare that Jesse and I will watch movies.  Anyway, I thought last night would be fun and something special to do with her. 

I talked about in the morning before I went to work with her… tonight after Daddy is done with work and we eat supper… we are going to put Max to bed early and You, Me and Daddy are going to watch a movie and eat popcorn!  Her response = yay, lets do that now.  : )

She was very excited, and was sure to let everyone know, that it was just her, mommy, and daddy and Max had to go to bed.

Jesse and Mally left to go get the movie and the snacks while I put Max to bed, picked up toys and set the “theater”.  I don’t have very exciting theater items – something I need to keep a watch out for.

We rented the kid movie, Rio.  For snacks we had gummy worms, popcorn, and a Twix candy bar (specially requested by me).  She ate and ate and ate and ate!  I finally had to hide the popcorn for fear she was going to turn into a kernel!  And she actually sat and watched the movie and giggled and seemed to understand some things that were going on.  During the last bit she wanted to snuggle on the couch and she was trying to make a nest – she was getting tired. 

Then this morning she wakes up and opens up our door and I was sleeping hard so it kind of scared me to hear her come in so I sat up and see that the lights are on out in the living room/kitchen area.  Why are the lights on?  Mally tells me “Max is awake.”  Did you turn the lights on?  She says, “yeah, I couldn’t see Max.” 

I get up and I go straight into the kids room to get Max up and Mally is following me and she is in there with me and I notice something in her hand and it looks like a piece of wood and I can’t get my eyes to focus and see it.  She is just kind of holding on to it.  Mally what is in your hand?  I forget what she tells me, but I think Jesse says… I think it is a candy bar!

We don’t know what she really did… but I think I have a feeling… She got her stool out of the bathroom put it down in the kitchen near the light switch, turned on the light, then must of seen the popcorn bowl from the movie party, moved her stool over to the counter, reached the bowl and started eating popcorn while looking around, spotted the left over Twix bar I didn’t eat (which is shocking because I don’t leave a Twix bar laying around uneaten), and ate it… then Max must of woke up and she went in there and turned his light on by climbing up his crib, then came to get us.

She has never gone out to the kitchen before when she wakes up.  Her first stop is always our room.  I guess I need to make sure all the special snacks are up a higher level and out of her reach now!  : )