Visiting with Oma and Papa

Oma and Papa surprised Leia and Annie today with some new "chompers." Leia Rose loved her shark chomper more than any other toy. He was used so much that his spring broke and he was no longer usable. So they bought an alligator (what Leia had asked for!) and a porpoise and let Leia Rose choose. And so began the battle with Leia over disrespect. She actually crouched behind a chair crying because Oma didn't bring the toys from Florida for her to borrow. (She was crouching because I told her that she wasn't allowed to say so.) I was disgusted with her for not being able to be grateful for what was given. But then again, she's only four years old.

Meanwhile, Annie loved her porpoise. Can you guess what she wanted to do with it?

But Annie always returns to her old standby: the peekaboo puzzle, . . . complete with little holes perfect for little fingers to poke inside! : ) Annie's favorite item to retrieve is the cow through the barn door. (And actually, Annie is really into putting her pointer finger through things. We have this cute little butterfly book that Aunt Cassie gave Annie. Annie loves it! Currently, though, when I read it, she's less interested in the finger puppet and more interested in the hole in the opposite page that she isn't supposed to be paying attention to. She literally sticks her finger through the hole in every page. I'll need to video that soon.)

Leia Rose really had some special time with Papa today. And everyone laughed when Leia Rose said, "Papa your tummy is so sittable!" (As evidenced by this picture.)

And here is Leia with Papa and "gentle tickle guy."

Oma was very excited to see Leia Rose read The Acorn. But to be honest, she had mostly memorized the book and she was not interested in doing the hard work of reading in front of Oma. Leia's just not that confident about reading yet.

But perhaps the cutest thing Leia Rose said today was, again, in regards to a misinterpreted word. : ) She said, "Do you want to see some of my ballet? Here is my arrow-vest!" And Leia proceeded to do a wonderful arabesque. So cute!

The only issue I had today was with Leia in regards to respect. I'm sure it's because we let her stay up too late last night. But she would continually say thing like, "I want to read with Oma, and not you." Not that she isn't allowed to feel this way, but quite honestly, she isn't allowed to say it. Or Papa offered to teach Leia thumb wrestling and she just disgustingly wandered away. Totally not allowed!!! Or insisting that Oma return to her storage unit 40 minutes away to retrieve vintage toys from there.

The issues I had with Annie today were with teeth brushing (big surprise) and teething. Annie was really miserable most of the day, poor dear. She was especially excitable in the afternoon. And as for teeth, Mom suggested not brushing Annie for a week so she would forget the routine. Well, if Annie got a cavity, I would never forgive myself. But I will consider trying brushing each day and pulling away before she cries. (You see, I have to hold her so tightly and press so hard and work for so long that no wonder she's uncomfortable. It's a vicious circle.)