The Big 2

Josie is 2! Hard to believe. She had a lovely birthday party with the California family and the Minnesota family briefly by phone. A video of Josie begging for birthday cake, although you have to listen closely ("Want some birthday cake!!"). You can see she is her mother's daughter the way she puts away a *huge* piece of cake.

Josie, these are not appropriate role models

Josie had her first trip to Disneyland. Cousin Emma is *obsessed* with "Princesses" which is the word that they use to describe all manner of female heroines from Disney movies nowadays. If you wait like 2 and a half hours you get to go in and have some one-on-one time to sit and chat with the "Princesses" (today, Cinderella and Jasmine - maybe both of them were actually Princesses, now that I think about it...).







I hate to be totally predictable here, but objectively speaking, these are not the women that I want Josie to look up to. I mean, when they sit and chat about the strategy involved in becoming a "Princess" (assuming that one can become a non-quotation-marks Princess only through birth or marriage, we'll leave that one aside), I would imagine it's like "sing well, be sweet (and just a little stupid), have huge eyes and a tiny waist" and that is the entire plan. So neither the ends nor the means are really something that Josie needs to aspire to.







However, the women who are actually in the costumes in these photos might actually be good role models. These are young women who have to wear a crap load of makeup, wear ridiculous outfits (Jasmine has a really raw deal) for hours and hours and be sweet and patient and kind to little children all day. Children who have waited two hours in line (which must seem like WEEKS when you're three) just to see you. Children who, at times, are probably not very nice. And they're probably working their way towards a degree in education from Cal State Fullerton or something.







I'll be sure to explain all of this to Josie tomorrow.







For now, PHOTOS!

Thar She Blows!!

Breakfast ABCs

So this is the first time we've videoed Josie since like her birthday last year or something, but I figured out how to get the video onto the computer and how to get the video from the computer to the blog. Well maybe I figured it out. Is it here?

Eddie Vedder Agrees: Josie is Cute

This morning Cory decided to pop into a music store in Carlsbad this morning with Josie in tow. Also shopping for new music: Eddie Vedder. Cory being the swift thinking fellow that he is, asked Mr. Vedder to sign a copy of Eddie's soundtrack from Into the Wild.

Cory: "Excuse me, would you mind signing this?"
Eddie: "Sure, no problem. Cute kid."
Cory: "Thanks!"
Eddie: "No problem" (walking out the door)
Cory: (to Josie) "Say bye to Eddie"
Josie: "Bye Andy!!"

Celebrities take note: Josie is unimpressed.

Josie + One = Ack!

So the big news which I'm sure you've heard from us directly (if not - guess what!! :) is that we have a baby on the way, due to arrive mid- to late-July. They say it's a boy. We've tried to explain to Josie about the baby, that she'll have to share our love with her new baby brother, that she will no longer be the only apple of our eye, that she'll probably get less attention and will likely have to give up a number of toys as well as her personal space, but she hasn't seemed to catch on yet. She does get that there is a baby in my belly - she points at my (large) belly and says "Baby!" But she also points at Daddy's (not as large) belly and says "Baby," at Pop-pop's concave belly and says "Belly," and even her own belly and says "Baby!"

She does like to give my tummy kisses. She's very sweet. I think she's going to be a great big sister.