Chowderfest, the Superbowl...

...and an adorable toddler, and a mommy who is in desperate need of more time... for things like writing blog posts...

Last weekend was Chowderfest.  Last year we went with MiniM.E. and it was fun to be downtown with a lot of people, but there were long lines and we only got to taste a few chowders.  I wasn't really thrilled with the experience.  BUT, we decided we would go again this year... and hope for a better experience.

We planned to be downtown right as the festival started and it was a great plan.  We had already tasted 3 chowders by 11:15!  We had everything mapped out but we had to take a duck detour which pushed our schedule back a bit.

Waiting outside Ben & Jerry's for ice cream "chowder"

Intently watching...

Yay! Ducks!

But we ended up tasting about 6 chowders and managed to squeeze in a much needed Druther's stop before we headed home.  MiniM.E. even took a cat nap while we relaxed for a bit.

Sunday was, of course, the Superbowl.  I'm not into football... Bob isn't really into football (though he did a good job pretending)... but MiniM.E. really seemed to get into it.  Or maybe she was just into the TV being on.  I'm pretty sure she said "wide receiver".

Trying to score the best seat in the house

Resigned to sitting in her own chair

Intently following the game

Our littlest football fan (not MINE, our friends')

Other than that, it's still winter... not a lot of snow, but enough cold to keep us inside....

Look what I found in the "baby" box!

Pantsless reading: a new favorite pasttime

Attempting to fingerpaint

Except that Mommy made it, and it was more like J-ello than finger paint... fail...

Window clings!

Snack time! I'll just help myself...

MiniM.E. has been posing for some adorable photos.

And we've been keeping busy by going to playgroups.  MiniM.E. finally seems to notice that there are other kids to play with.  Or at least other kids to steal toys from...

And we went to the mall...

This was our whole trip.  Really.

And to another mall, with a playground.

And... MiniM.E. has a new teddy bear obsession.  Mostly the tan one, but lots of times Two Teddy Bear has to come too.  They come everywhere.  To swimming, to bed, to lunch, in the car, to the grocery store.  It's pretty cute.  Though I'm not sure about the reason for the tan one... I don't even know who gave it to us.  It came in a ceramic mug with footprints on it.  I think it was from the military?  Or it had a tag with a flag on it... Anyway, point being, it would be cuter if it was a bear with some sentimental value.  Oh well.  Still cute.

Lastly, I have a couple pictures of my super cute kitties.  HUGGING.  Because what's cuter than cats hugging?  Not much.  Except MiniM.E.  But after all, before MiniM.E. my cats were my babies.  So here are some pictures of my other babies.  

Some Warmer Weather - FINALLY!

Last Thursday we ventured to the Tiny Tots Tearoom because we just needed to get out.  Being cooped up in the house for three and a half days was driving us both up the walls.  Me, figuratively, MiniM.E., literally.  While being in a room filled with toys that may or may not have been cleaned in the last year with children whose noses were leaking so much that you could track one down by the drips of boogers she left behind as she toddled around wasn't so appealing, MiniM.E. seemed oblivious to the germ infestation, and I had to tell myself that with a child who has "night night piles" on the floors of establishments such as Target that germs are just a part of our everyday lives.

We had a good time playing with all the balls and making phone calls from the princess castle.

MiniM.E. drove a school bus then decided she was done, but rather than walk out the open back, she tried to climb out the window.  Way to think outside the box.

Mostly, MiniM.E. liked to drink chocolate milk in the cafe area, but whatever, we were out of the house and she was happy.

Friday we went out to meet our playgroup friends at a frozen yogurt place, Plum Dandy, downtown.  It was a reward for MiniM.E. for going myself for taking MiniM.E. to the doctor.  I was worried about the 15 month appointment all week, and MiniM.E. did not disappoint.  The second we walked into the office she started screaming and aside from a 5 minute fussing hiatus, she didn't stop until she was fully clothed and we were walking out the door.  Needless to say, the doctor was far from impressed with MiniM.E.'s extensive vocabulary (the only words she uttered were "no" and "home now!") and was rather unimpressed by her fit and strongly suggested that she was spoiled.  But other than the embarrassment of a screaming toddler, she is healthy.  So I suppose that counts for something.

Frozen Yogurt went well.  MiniM.E. played with her friends and I got to vent about the doctor's visit with my friends.

Other than that, we've still had to keep ourselves cooped up inside because of the weather.  Which has brought out some interesting developments in MiniM.E.  Like the newfound desire to be pants-less:

And the need for all her stuffed animals to wear diapers:

I also realized why it is AWESOME that MiniM.E. has her own shower.  A whole extra room to play in!

Finally, today, the weather is letting up and even though it's damp and cloudy, its in the 50s and we got to go outside!  MiniM.E. was SO excited to get back in her swing and go for a walk.  AND, today Gram came to visit for a couple days (which is awesome for me because MiniM.E. isn't napping and I'm still writing a blog post in the middle of the afternoon) and MiniM.E. loves the extra attention.  And the Elmo balloon!

BBBRRRRRRRR!

Seriously?  It's really cold out.  Like so cold that I go out to start my car - in my garage - and I come back in thinking I might lose my fingers.  (Ok, slight exaggeration.  BUT it is cold.)

Needless to say, we have NOT been out to play.  In fact, I've bundled up the baby to take her out a few times this week (only after pre-heating the car for a ridiculous amount of time- like so ridiculous that I will probably have to buy gas twice this week) and I've felt like a crazy mom: sprinting into stores with my toddler half in and half out of my jacket while trying to pull down her ever-riding-up pant legs and keeping most of my fingers in my fingerless gloves so they won't turn blue and break off on the ride home.  It's SO cold that MiniM.E. has even asked for the heat to be turned on.  In all seriousness: "Heat ON!"

We tried to get out as much as we could this weekend in preparation for the cold week.  We stopped by our new favorite downtown Saratoga hang out, Druthers.  MiniM.E. really loves it there since they have an outdoor patio with fire and we love it because we can drink beer outside with our toddler.

not sure about that face... too cold?  did she just drink beer? ... ? 

We also went to our friends' house for dinner.  It was really nice to get out of the house for dinner.  And it went surprisingly well seeing as we haven't taken MiniM.E. anywhere where she had to go to sleep before it was time to go home in a long time... She almost fell asleep at 7:15... but graced us with her presence for another hour

"What? No, I wasn't trying to sneak a snack..."

"...because this sticky rice is SOO good"

"...but seriously, stop eating and pay attention to me..."

before dozing off.

Sunday the deep freeze was starting to set in so we ventured to the Children's Museum at Saratoga.  Note to self: A weekend day, particularly a freezing cold weekend day, in the middle of flu season, is probably NOT the best day to visit a Children's Museum.  I was more than a little disgusted... though such is childhood... putting dirty stuffed animals that thousands of kids have touched, sneezed on, snotted on, stepped on and sat on into your mouth.  Awesome.  That said, MiniM.E. had a great time.  We will definitely be going back.  On a warm, sunny, non-infectious disease prone day.

chilling in the boat on the pond at "Congress Park"

Playing with disease infested extremely dirty seasoned snail (or whatever that is)

Trying to hide in a cage in the "Vet's Office"

Making a giant bubble (fail).  At least there was soap somewhere in that place...

Ball maze disassembler extraordinaire

Much needed apres-museum coffee break

After which we had to brave the frigid temperatures so MiniM.E. could see the ducks.  Again.  Even though she saw them the day before.  They must have remembered us and our pretzels kind and gentle faces because they waddled right over.

Which brings us to our week thus far.

MiniM.E. is learning to feed herself, so I've been keeping busy with a lot of laundry.

She's also taken up coloring, so again, I've been busy magic erasering her play table.

"ooooo... pretty colors"

"I'm NOT going to color on the table when you stop looking. Promise."

can you picture the sound effect here?

She's been snacking a lot (rarely at the table, though I caught this photo), so I've been spending a lot of time cleaning up egg, bunnies, puffs, and tomato seed that become ground into the carpet.

See, snacking evidence: egg on the cheek.

And we've been playing inside.

Reading:

Sliding:

Bouncing and spinning:

And we even braved the cold to go out for coffee.  Where MiniM.E. rearranged the bagels

And was a little too hug-happy.

... I'm looking forward to spring.  Or at least above-freezing temperatures.  Hope you're all keeping warm!