Just a few random conversations with my random kid...
In the bathroom at The Cheesecake Factory (and by the way, this was the FOURTH time I'd taken her potty since we'd been seated, all at her request)...
Me: Ari, you are doing such a good job going potty today and keeping your Pull-Up dry.
Ari: Mommy so happ--Mommy so proud of me?
Me: Yes, Mommy is so proud of you. And Mommy is happy too.
Ari: *leans in for a hug*
At the mall...
Me: Ari, who do you want to ride the carousel with you?
Ari: Momm--Daddy!
Me: Ooh, I was so close...
Ari: I have a secret to tell you!
Me: What is it?
Ari: (whispering in my ear) Butt!
Me: Um...
Ari: *dissolves into giggles*
A few seconds later...
Ari: I have a secret to tell you!
Me: (warily) OK...
Ari: (whispering in my ear) I love you!
Me: *melts*
While changing her Pull-Up...
Ari: Why you putting new one on top?
Me: (realizing I had forgotten to take her old Pull-Up off first) Oh, oops, Mommy messed up.
Ari: Let's go downstairs and tell Daddy that Mommy's a goofball.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Still pretty lovely
So today was Mother's Day (as you probably know). At church, they handed out single roses to all the mothers, per usual, and I snagged an extra one to take to my mom too. Ari managed to "break" mine, so now I have a really short white rose. I managed to keep my mom's rose away from Ari, so I was able to deliver it intact.
Lunch at my parents' house was delicious--Dad cooked up an Iranian feast for us, and there was banana bread for dessert. Dave, Jess, and Micah came over later in the afternoon, and it was fun to hang out with them for a while. Micah even bestowed a couple hugs and kisses on me, which was really sweet. After they left, Dad, Tony, Ari and I went for a 45-minute walk on the bike trail. When we came back, Tony, Mom, and Pete played Wii Bowling while I struggled to get Ari to eat. We finally headed home right around Ari's bedtime. She'd missed her nap (second day in a row, oops), so she fell asleep in the car. But even though she woke up when we brought her inside, she went right back to sleep.
And now, the Celebrity Apprentice finale is already underway, in its 3-hour glory. I still love this show, but... a 3-hour finale? Is this really necessary? I might complain, but we all know I'm going to watch it anyway. But probably not until tomorrow night. Tonight feels like a good night to curl up on the couch with a book. Which is precisely what I'm off to do. As soon as I add these pictures...
Before heading to my parents' house, and snapped a few quick pictures out in the backyard. I took this first one, and obviously, I gave no thought to the background or the lighting. Just proof of why photography is not my thing. But I still think it's cute. The reason he's clasping her hand over his heart is because that was his way of keeping her finger out of her nose.
Tony suggested we move the photo shoot out into the grass, which was a brilliant plan. Our method of distraction this time was a dandelion.
Apparently the dandelion was a little too distracting. (Like her dress? It was a gift from Tony's mom.)
Then, of course, we had to get a few mother-daughter pictures.
The best of the bunch...
Though this one is a close second. We had declared the photo session done, and I was thanking Ari for cooperating. I didn't even know Tony took this until later.
And now I'm really done. Word to you mothers. ( <-- I twittered that this morning, as my super-cool way of saying "Happy Mother's Day," and it still cracks me up.)
Lunch at my parents' house was delicious--Dad cooked up an Iranian feast for us, and there was banana bread for dessert. Dave, Jess, and Micah came over later in the afternoon, and it was fun to hang out with them for a while. Micah even bestowed a couple hugs and kisses on me, which was really sweet. After they left, Dad, Tony, Ari and I went for a 45-minute walk on the bike trail. When we came back, Tony, Mom, and Pete played Wii Bowling while I struggled to get Ari to eat. We finally headed home right around Ari's bedtime. She'd missed her nap (second day in a row, oops), so she fell asleep in the car. But even though she woke up when we brought her inside, she went right back to sleep.
And now, the Celebrity Apprentice finale is already underway, in its 3-hour glory. I still love this show, but... a 3-hour finale? Is this really necessary? I might complain, but we all know I'm going to watch it anyway. But probably not until tomorrow night. Tonight feels like a good night to curl up on the couch with a book. Which is precisely what I'm off to do. As soon as I add these pictures...
Before heading to my parents' house, and snapped a few quick pictures out in the backyard. I took this first one, and obviously, I gave no thought to the background or the lighting. Just proof of why photography is not my thing. But I still think it's cute. The reason he's clasping her hand over his heart is because that was his way of keeping her finger out of her nose.
Tony suggested we move the photo shoot out into the grass, which was a brilliant plan. Our method of distraction this time was a dandelion.
Apparently the dandelion was a little too distracting. (Like her dress? It was a gift from Tony's mom.)
Then, of course, we had to get a few mother-daughter pictures.
The best of the bunch...
Though this one is a close second. We had declared the photo session done, and I was thanking Ari for cooperating. I didn't even know Tony took this until later.
And now I'm really done. Word to you mothers. ( <-- I twittered that this morning, as my super-cool way of saying "Happy Mother's Day," and it still cracks me up.)
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Lovely
This weekend has shaped up to be rather lovely so far. Friday was a beautiful day, so when I got home from work, Tony, Ari and I spent a little time enjoying the great outdoors.
My little monkey loves the monkey bars.
She also takes her climbing quite seriously.
I forget how, but we somehow bribed her into taking a couple pictures with each of us.
I like this shot--I think it's cute the way she has her leg propped up like that.
I didn't know Tony was taking this picture, so I don't know why I'm all frowny. More than likely, Ari was rambling on about something and I was going, "Huh?"
Today, I got to sleep in, and then got to be lazy for the most of the morning. Truthfully, I wasn't feeling all that well, so that was part of the reason for my slothfulness. In the afternoon, we all headed to The Cheesecake Factory for a late lunch. We got a gift card from my sister and brother-in-law for Christmas, so we figured it was about time we went there, and Mother's Day was as good an excuse as any. Neither of us had ever been before, and we were both more than impressed with the place. For one, it was gorgeous. And the menu was massive--way too many choices. And then the food... the serving sizes were huge. I ate half my meal and took the other half home--and I could easily make 2 lunches out of that. I purposely didn't force myself to finish because I had to save room for dessert. I mean, you can't go to The Cheesecake Factory and not eat cheesecake, right? To be honest, I'm not a big fan of cheesecake, but I figured if I got something that was heavy on the chocolate, I would like it. So the Godiva Double Chocolate Cheesecake it was. And... wow. Prepare to drool...
Let me assure you that it was every bit as good as it looked. The waitress stopped by when I was about halfway done with it and offered me a box for it, and I turned her down. There was no way I wasn't going to finish it. I don't even want to think about how many calories that sucker contained.
When we were done, we spent some time walking around. The Cheesecake Factory is in the midst of a nice little shopping area, so we strolled around and just enjoyed another beautiful day. It was mostly overcast, but warm (if not a bit muggy) with a nice cool breeze. Ari enjoyed wandering all over the place, making it her personal mission to find benches, and walking on the little curbs and stones that held in the mulch around the various little trees.
After that, we headed to the mall. My grandmother gave Ari some money, and we decided to do a little shopping for her. She's pretty much outgrown all her 24m/2T stuff, and the hand-me-downs we've been getting from friends are tapering off, so she was in dire need of some new clothes. We made out pretty well, I think--we managed to get her 2 bathing suits, a cover-up, a couple pairs of jeans, and several pairs of shorts and T-shirts. Plus, the cashier was nice enough to ring in a 15% off coupon for us.
By the time we were done with that, it was time to let Ari ride the carousel (yes, there's one inside the mall) and then time to head home and get her ready for bed. I enjoyed a short walk outside while Tony took care of getting Ari a snack and starting the bedtime routine. I got back just in time to sing her a song and tuck her in.
I'm off now to relax with a book for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is Sunday, which is always a crazy day anyway, with church and all. We're going to my parents' in the afternoon, so maybe I'll end up with more pictures to share by the end of the day.
And before I go... Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends out there!
My little monkey loves the monkey bars.
She also takes her climbing quite seriously.
I forget how, but we somehow bribed her into taking a couple pictures with each of us.
I like this shot--I think it's cute the way she has her leg propped up like that.
I didn't know Tony was taking this picture, so I don't know why I'm all frowny. More than likely, Ari was rambling on about something and I was going, "Huh?"
Today, I got to sleep in, and then got to be lazy for the most of the morning. Truthfully, I wasn't feeling all that well, so that was part of the reason for my slothfulness. In the afternoon, we all headed to The Cheesecake Factory for a late lunch. We got a gift card from my sister and brother-in-law for Christmas, so we figured it was about time we went there, and Mother's Day was as good an excuse as any. Neither of us had ever been before, and we were both more than impressed with the place. For one, it was gorgeous. And the menu was massive--way too many choices. And then the food... the serving sizes were huge. I ate half my meal and took the other half home--and I could easily make 2 lunches out of that. I purposely didn't force myself to finish because I had to save room for dessert. I mean, you can't go to The Cheesecake Factory and not eat cheesecake, right? To be honest, I'm not a big fan of cheesecake, but I figured if I got something that was heavy on the chocolate, I would like it. So the Godiva Double Chocolate Cheesecake it was. And... wow. Prepare to drool...
Let me assure you that it was every bit as good as it looked. The waitress stopped by when I was about halfway done with it and offered me a box for it, and I turned her down. There was no way I wasn't going to finish it. I don't even want to think about how many calories that sucker contained.
When we were done, we spent some time walking around. The Cheesecake Factory is in the midst of a nice little shopping area, so we strolled around and just enjoyed another beautiful day. It was mostly overcast, but warm (if not a bit muggy) with a nice cool breeze. Ari enjoyed wandering all over the place, making it her personal mission to find benches, and walking on the little curbs and stones that held in the mulch around the various little trees.
After that, we headed to the mall. My grandmother gave Ari some money, and we decided to do a little shopping for her. She's pretty much outgrown all her 24m/2T stuff, and the hand-me-downs we've been getting from friends are tapering off, so she was in dire need of some new clothes. We made out pretty well, I think--we managed to get her 2 bathing suits, a cover-up, a couple pairs of jeans, and several pairs of shorts and T-shirts. Plus, the cashier was nice enough to ring in a 15% off coupon for us.
By the time we were done with that, it was time to let Ari ride the carousel (yes, there's one inside the mall) and then time to head home and get her ready for bed. I enjoyed a short walk outside while Tony took care of getting Ari a snack and starting the bedtime routine. I got back just in time to sing her a song and tuck her in.
I'm off now to relax with a book for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is Sunday, which is always a crazy day anyway, with church and all. We're going to my parents' in the afternoon, so maybe I'll end up with more pictures to share by the end of the day.
And before I go... Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends out there!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Sometimes I get lazy and just call her "A"
Oh, Ari... that kid of mine. I'm telling you... she is all girl. On Tuesday night, she was the picture of angelic perfection... all giggles and silliness and a ridiculous amount of adorability. The three of us hanging out that evening was like a Hallmark commercial or something. Then last night... I couldn't win with her. No matter what I did, she moaned and whined and cried and carried on dramatically, usually ending with the plea, "I want my Daaaaaaaaaddy." She's got this mood swing thing down pat already... maybe I should just be proud?
Anyway, in the interest of amusing you all and reminding myself that she can indeed be insufferably cute, instead of just insufferable, here are a few Ari anecdotes...
She's really using her imagination lately. She is constantly telling us there's either a "big giant" (I know she gets that from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) or a "monster" lurking around, and then she starts some kind of game... either we have to hide, or we have to make food for it, or we have to be really quiet, etc.
A few days ago, she was pretending to be a snake, and walked around saying "Sssss" all afternoon. Last night, she was a duck, and she invented this suspiciously-frog-like hop and jumped around the room like that, yelling an obnoxious "quack-quack." I'm kind of waiting for her to pretend to be... oh, I don't know... something HUMAN.
Another favorite "game" of hers lately is that she likes to announce that she's going to pick me up. She'll walk up to me and grab me around the knees, and I play along by lifting myself up on tiptoes and pretending to be so impressed with her strength. A part of me feels a little guilty for deceiving her, but then another part of me assumes she knows I'm kidding and is just playing along. If not... well, then it certainly won't be the last time I lie to my kid, right?
Speaking of her strength, though, she is surprisingly strong for a 2-almost-3-year-old... at least, in my opinion (and it's pretty well-established that I'm a pansy, so...).
Exhibit A: We were playing around the other night, and she decided she wanted to play her own game. We were both standing and she was holding on to my hands. In a take-charge voice, she said, "Now, sit down," pulling down on my hands to help drag me down. I squatted down obediently, waiting to see what part 2 of her game was. As calmly as could be, she said, "And now I push you" and proceeded to throw all her body weight into a forceful shove, football-tackle style. I was barely able to catch myself, and of course I couldn't help laughing, which as everyone knows, is the Gold Stamp of Approval on anything a kid does. She tried to get me to play the game again, and I gave in only to show a friend of mine who was standing nearby and wondering what I was laughing at (she hadn't seen the whole thing). Ari tried a third time to get me to play, but I declined.
Exhibit B: Someone (might have been me, who knows) taught her to play that classic I-got-your-nose game. She plays quite enthusiastically... meaning that she literally grabs and yanks your nose, as though she thinks she's really supposed to remove it. If you're not prepared, it can be a painful shock. Actually, it can be painful either way. And if you say, "Ow!" that only makes her chuckle harder.
On a cuter note, though... One time when she took my nose, I put on my best sad face and said, "But Ari, how am I supposed to give you Eskimo kisses if I don't have a nose?" She considered my words for a moment and gave it back. And the next time we played (which was days later), as soon as I took her nose, she put her hands up, palms up, and innocently said, "Howma s'posed ta give you Eskimo kisses iffa don have a nose?"
Ari woke up yesterday morning while I was getting ready. She often does that, and I usually ignore her--not to be mean, but I figure maybe if I pretend not to hear her, she'll drift back to sleep and let Tony sleep a little longer. No such luck yesterday, though, and he eventually hauled himself out of bed to go to her. I heard them have a little conversation about her going potty, and I thought I overheard her say, "I want to give Mommy a kiss." When they entered the bathroom, however, I played dumb... I just greeted her with a smile and kept getting ready. A few seconds later, she was hiding herself behind Tony's leg and moaning something in a mumbly voice. He asked her to repeat herself, and she sadly said, "Mommy's not giving me a kiss."
Needless to say, I swooped down on her and barraged her with so many kisses, she's probably sorry she said anything.
The other night, Ari walked up to me and calmly said, "I need to talk to you."
Amused by her choice of words, I said, "OK... what do you want to talk to me about?"
She proceeded to make a slew of weird squawking sounds, and finished up by barking like a dog. I'm still not sure what that was all about.
Several minutes later, she returned, informing me, "I have a secret to tell you." You could understand, based on our previous "conversation," why I'd be a bit concerned, right? But I leaned toward her and she whispered in my ear, "I love you." When she pulled back, she had the biggest grin on her face.
Naturally, I replied with, "Well, I have a secret to tell you, too" and whispered my own "I love you" in her ear.
Not to be outdone, she cried, "I have another secret!" This time, it was "I love Daddy."
"Well, you should go tell him that, then," I suggested. She eagerly scampered off.
I later asked Tony if he had sent her to me to say "I love you" and he said he didn't. Which made the whole exchange even better.
Anyway, in the interest of amusing you all and reminding myself that she can indeed be insufferably cute, instead of just insufferable, here are a few Ari anecdotes...
She's really using her imagination lately. She is constantly telling us there's either a "big giant" (I know she gets that from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) or a "monster" lurking around, and then she starts some kind of game... either we have to hide, or we have to make food for it, or we have to be really quiet, etc.
A few days ago, she was pretending to be a snake, and walked around saying "Sssss" all afternoon. Last night, she was a duck, and she invented this suspiciously-frog-like hop and jumped around the room like that, yelling an obnoxious "quack-quack." I'm kind of waiting for her to pretend to be... oh, I don't know... something HUMAN.
Another favorite "game" of hers lately is that she likes to announce that she's going to pick me up. She'll walk up to me and grab me around the knees, and I play along by lifting myself up on tiptoes and pretending to be so impressed with her strength. A part of me feels a little guilty for deceiving her, but then another part of me assumes she knows I'm kidding and is just playing along. If not... well, then it certainly won't be the last time I lie to my kid, right?
Speaking of her strength, though, she is surprisingly strong for a 2-almost-3-year-old... at least, in my opinion (and it's pretty well-established that I'm a pansy, so...).
Exhibit A: We were playing around the other night, and she decided she wanted to play her own game. We were both standing and she was holding on to my hands. In a take-charge voice, she said, "Now, sit down," pulling down on my hands to help drag me down. I squatted down obediently, waiting to see what part 2 of her game was. As calmly as could be, she said, "And now I push you" and proceeded to throw all her body weight into a forceful shove, football-tackle style. I was barely able to catch myself, and of course I couldn't help laughing, which as everyone knows, is the Gold Stamp of Approval on anything a kid does. She tried to get me to play the game again, and I gave in only to show a friend of mine who was standing nearby and wondering what I was laughing at (she hadn't seen the whole thing). Ari tried a third time to get me to play, but I declined.
Exhibit B: Someone (might have been me, who knows) taught her to play that classic I-got-your-nose game. She plays quite enthusiastically... meaning that she literally grabs and yanks your nose, as though she thinks she's really supposed to remove it. If you're not prepared, it can be a painful shock. Actually, it can be painful either way. And if you say, "Ow!" that only makes her chuckle harder.
On a cuter note, though... One time when she took my nose, I put on my best sad face and said, "But Ari, how am I supposed to give you Eskimo kisses if I don't have a nose?" She considered my words for a moment and gave it back. And the next time we played (which was days later), as soon as I took her nose, she put her hands up, palms up, and innocently said, "Howma s'posed ta give you Eskimo kisses iffa don have a nose?"
Ari woke up yesterday morning while I was getting ready. She often does that, and I usually ignore her--not to be mean, but I figure maybe if I pretend not to hear her, she'll drift back to sleep and let Tony sleep a little longer. No such luck yesterday, though, and he eventually hauled himself out of bed to go to her. I heard them have a little conversation about her going potty, and I thought I overheard her say, "I want to give Mommy a kiss." When they entered the bathroom, however, I played dumb... I just greeted her with a smile and kept getting ready. A few seconds later, she was hiding herself behind Tony's leg and moaning something in a mumbly voice. He asked her to repeat herself, and she sadly said, "Mommy's not giving me a kiss."
Needless to say, I swooped down on her and barraged her with so many kisses, she's probably sorry she said anything.
The other night, Ari walked up to me and calmly said, "I need to talk to you."
Amused by her choice of words, I said, "OK... what do you want to talk to me about?"
She proceeded to make a slew of weird squawking sounds, and finished up by barking like a dog. I'm still not sure what that was all about.
Several minutes later, she returned, informing me, "I have a secret to tell you." You could understand, based on our previous "conversation," why I'd be a bit concerned, right? But I leaned toward her and she whispered in my ear, "I love you." When she pulled back, she had the biggest grin on her face.
Naturally, I replied with, "Well, I have a secret to tell you, too" and whispered my own "I love you" in her ear.
Not to be outdone, she cried, "I have another secret!" This time, it was "I love Daddy."
"Well, you should go tell him that, then," I suggested. She eagerly scampered off.
I later asked Tony if he had sent her to me to say "I love you" and he said he didn't. Which made the whole exchange even better.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
A few more pictures of that kid
Just a few more pictures from last week. This one is from my mom... Ari and Mahmon Bazorg were playing the piano together.
And a few from my sister-in-law Jess... Ari and Micah playing together...
And a 4-generations shot where we're all smiling. Too bad we're not all looking in the same direction, though. That's what happens when you've got more than one camera pointed at you.
These last 2 pictures were taken by me, specifically at Ari's request... she climbed up on the stool and said, "Mommy, take my picture!" How could I say no?
Yes, she insisted on having her hands in her mouth for this one...
And that's all I've got. It's a gorgeous spring day, so I think I'm going to go take a walk while Ari naps.
And a few from my sister-in-law Jess... Ari and Micah playing together...
And a 4-generations shot where we're all smiling. Too bad we're not all looking in the same direction, though. That's what happens when you've got more than one camera pointed at you.
These last 2 pictures were taken by me, specifically at Ari's request... she climbed up on the stool and said, "Mommy, take my picture!" How could I say no?
Yes, she insisted on having her hands in her mouth for this one...
And that's all I've got. It's a gorgeous spring day, so I think I'm going to go take a walk while Ari naps.
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