Snowy Day

We shoveled, went sledding, built snow men, ate snow, made snow angels and finished it off with hot chocolate.

No pictures of Sophie because I was both baby-wearer and photographer today. But Sophie giggled the whole time.

Mia - 3 Years Old

Mia, when did this happen? When did you transform so completely from a toddler to a little girl?

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

October 2010

December 2010

When I came home at lunch time on Monday January 3rd, I felt like I was sitting down with a new little girl. The experience was so concrete, I went and noted the date.

You speak in complex sentences about what you did and how you felt about it. You eat with your utinsils and carry your own dishes to and from the sink. You use manners, saying "please" and "thank you" regularly and showing disappointment when someone forgets to say "Bless You" when you sneeze. You're taller and you have outgrown all your 2T clothes. It just amazes me. You sit still (most of the time) for music classes and story time. You get your self dressed and use the bathroom by yourself. All of these things you've been able to do for some time, but they are now much more reliably part of who you are and how you operate in the world.

My favorite things though are all the things that make you unique. I love how you shimmy and wiggle when you play the keyboard. Your style of speech is also fun to listen to. You rarely use contractions, so we hear statments like "I do not!" rather than "I don't!" You sing lots of songs and like it when we take turns being quiet while we listen to one another sing solo. You still grin and hide behind me on occassion.

You are so proud of your art work, your new shoes, and your relationships with a few key people that you talk about regularly. You enjoy swimming and gymnastics and are eager to try ballet. You started school in September 2010 and feel special going every morning to the same school that Zoe attends.
We celebrated your third birthday with a few friends and your sisters at our house. You are so happy to be three and have loved all the activity.The party was an "under the sea" affair, and you got to hold a small sea snail. You were very proud of yourself for touching and holding some of the sea animals.And, of course, we had a chocolate cake to celebrate at your request. You were so excited to help pick the flavors and colors, and I loved making it for you.

Happy Birthday Mia! I love you!

Mom

Sophie - Ten Months Old

You celebrated the start of your tenth month today by standing up in your crib. That's pretty exciting stuff in our house. Now, you need to master the art of sitting yourself back down, and even better, going back to sleep after such a big effort!

This was another month of hitting milestones. You hold and drink from a sippy cup with more ease. You starting getting teeth with two out in full and two more in the process of bursting through. You are not at all a fan of this process, and I don't blame you one bit. You can pull up, crawl with greater mastery, and you are showing early signs of waving purposefully. We also started brushing your teeth this month, and you love being in the bathroom with your sisters and their toothbrushes too.

You also got pretty sick this month with a nasty cold that left you in limp spirits for nearly a week. You lost a few pounds and generally felt lousy. You've fully bounced back now and are your typical happy, playful self.

Lots more new foods on the menu: beets, cantaloupe, honeydew, eggplant, veggie burger, grapes, green bell pepper, whole wheat pasta, corn, olive oil, kiwi, grits and mushrooms.

This month we celebrated dad's birthday and New Year's. You dressed up fancy with your sisters and had a blast.

Looking forward to many more celebrations, Sophie!

We love you!

Mom

Ya-Ya Sisters

Jewelry making + head dresses + dress up + polish =

And, as usual, in our house volume seems to matter. There was no shortage of rings, necklaces, anklets, and bracelets on each fashionista.

Mia was trying to show off some jewelry while also holding up three fingers to let us know she was turning three next week. Hard trick to do at the same time.

Sense of Style

You picked out your clothes today and kept saying how beautiful you felt. Indeed, you felt so special in this outfit that we agreed to capture it on film.

Mom, this partially reminded me of the time that I came downstairs wearing a black barrette, black sweater on backwards, and a pillowcase safety pinned around my waist as a mini-skirt. I too felt special, but you would have none of it and sent me back upstairs to change. Ring any bells?

Nesting?

I thought nesting was a pregnancy thing.

We've recently made....

Corn bread
Banana walnut bread
Sugar cookies
Chocalate candies
Cinnamin pecans
Rice Krispee treats
Almond biscotti dipped in chocolate

That is not including the soups, lasagnas and sauces we've put together or the heavy duty toy/clothing weed out that's been going on. If only I could find this kind of inspiration for some of the projects on my desk!

Zoe Speak

Zoe: The Law of Gravity says that what comes up must come down, but that's not true. Balloons go up in the sky and bags get stuck in the trees.

(As an aside, there is an old mylar balloon stuck in a tree at the end of our street. We can't reach it to take it down because there is a construction fence under it. We talk about this balloon every.single.day. We've agreed to ask the construction workers if they can use their ladder to get it down.)

School Choices

I don't have much to say on this yet except two things:

1. I absolutely hate it. Figuring out which school to go to at what time with which kid is going to drive me batty.

2. How come I get so freakin emotional every time I see kids in the classroom when we do the school tours? I am a loon.

I look forward to the day when I can write an intelligent, decisive post like so many of my friends have about their choices that they feel so solid about. Please let that day come before applications and tuition advances are due.

Mia Speak

Mia: I like the vanilla, and the chocolate, and the fruit. I need New Years Eve again, but I don't like the grapefruit.

(Translation: We split a few desserts at the restaurant on New Years Eve. Mia had a blast and wants to do it all over again. However, she was surprised when she bit in to a piece of grapefruit expecting something sweet and getting something sour instead.)

________________________

Mia: I want to make lollipops.

Mom: I'm not sure I know how to do that. Do you? We'll have to figure it out.

Mia: You just get some lillipop, and a blender, and you push the button.

_______________________

Mia: I need to go to the doctor and get a shot for my boo boo.

Goatie the Fish - Update Edition

It was a harrowing ride in to school this morning...me driving with one hand on the wheel and the other holding Goatie the Fish's heavy vase...both girls helpfully pointing out that his water was shaking and that I need to drive carefully. Small bumps in a driveway and a car pulling in front of us caused panicky squeels. The one mile drive was a long one. And yet, we prevailed! Goatie the Fish is back at school safe and sound! It's going to be a good day.

Change for Sophie

Change is a comin', oh yea...

Happy New Year 2011

Fancy Nancy Lives On.

This year, the Willard Hotel wasn't having caroling, so instead we started our evening at the National Christmas Tree. After looking at the trains and trees, we headed off for our very fancy dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill. The girls had their "fun bags", felt fancy in their outfits, and all went well.

The funniest part for Scott and me was when another waiter came to our table and reminded us that she had served us last year. She remembered where we sat, that Sophie was awaiting her arrival, and both Zoe and Mia. Very impressive!

Happy New Year!

Ice Skating

Way to go Dad! That can't be easy on the back. Luckily, both kids went around the rink without dad at least once.