The Gates Go Up

Here was the view from the bottom of the stairs this morning, with Leia Rose shouting, "Mamma, Annie's at the top of the stairs!" and me coming back with "WHAT!?!" Brian thought I was watching Annie. I thought Brian was watching Annie. You get the picture. For quite a while, Annie was having fun climbing ONE stair, and coming back down. No problem. Then yesterday she was spotted trying TWO. Still, no problem. But 14 stairs? Now it's a problem. : ) As Oma said (something like), "Let's prefer not to think on what might have happened, but focus on everyone ending up safe." Enough said. Gates are going UP. [Luckily, Annie has perfected a wonderful "shimmy down" move that gives her great ease in going down the stairs during her (now supervised) stair-play. How many more safety mistakes can we make?!?

Christmas 2

Lots of joy was had by all today as we opened up gifts in honor of Jesus' birthday yet again. : )
And here is Leia Rose's reaction to . . .
. . . her new "Build-A-Saurus"!
Oh Annie was SO ready to have a go at the blown glass grapes ornament Oma gave to her (in commemoration of her favorite play-food love), . . .
. . . but we couldn't let her have the real breakable grapes ornament, so she ended up with her favorite from the play food yet again. : )

And Leia Rose got her own special Barbie Ballerina ornament to hang on the tree forevermore!
And since Annie was so fond of Leia's step stool in the downstairs bathroom, now she has one of her own!!!
Annie got a really great Christmas mousie book that had both pop-ups AND flaps! Happy, happy!!! One of Leia's favorites of the day was a kitty cat ornament that sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in meows!!!
Oma got Leia Rose a special book of age-appropriate knock-knock jokes, . . . Leia Rose laughed at every single one (whether she understood them or not). : )
Santa got the whole family a box of fifty different flavors of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans to try all together. We would give one to each person (after dinner, of course) and then we'd all taste that flavor at the same time. It was so much fun! Here are all of us considering whatever flavor ensued. We let Annie participate too (but not the coffee flavor, or the spicy flavors) by crushing the jelly bean first, so as not to pose a choking hazard. Annie LOVED this game! : )
And after our jelly bean exploration, Annie was a total mess! I mean, she had a blue mouth, a self-made tye-dyed shirt, and half-chewed jelly beans in places where you couldn't even dream, . . . but I was just so glad that she was able to participate with the rest of the family!
And right before I took Annie up for sister bath and bed, I cleaned her up a bit and found a pile of half-chewed jelly belly jelly beans right on top of Annie's own jelly belly, . . . so I kept saying "Jelly belly! Jelly belly" while I did some jiggling of Annie's sweet jelly belly. : )

Oma & Papa Love

Oma and Papa were really worried that Annie would be a bit afraid because of how long they had been away. Not so! Yes, it took a bit for Annie to warm up, but when Annie leans over, and opens her mouth for one of those special, baby sweet kisses, it just melts our hearts!

And just how Leia Rose has her special "tickle guy" with Papa, Annie found her Papa game today! It's called "soft, soft, soft," and Papa just lightly runs his fingers down Annie's torso while saying the word "soft," and after a minute or so, Annie is so tickled and happy that she does her little happy dance. It was so cute! (There's a video at the bottom.)
And here is the picture of the very first, baby-open-mouth-kiss that Annie gave to Oma today. Oma was so very happy! (I was holding Annie, so my picture angle wasn't too good. Sorry.)
And, can you believe that Leia wanted to sit with ME after dinner today?!? Mamma was so happy! Lots of times when Oma is here it's all-about-Oma days! : )

Waiting for Oma & Papa

Perhaps you could simply focus on the adorable big sister/little sister hats in this picture? Never mind that Annie is topless (because she got into Leia's glitter glue) and as a result scratched herself with her just-a-tiny-bit-too-long nails one huge six-inch scratch on her torso. And never mind that Leia Rose was in "Little Lord Fauntleroy" mode as she was making her belly button talk (see the video), . . . and as I wrote this post I got that outfit and put it in my quilting pile. The end of that small joy, Leia. Sorry. But wearing an outfit meant for a newborn (and for Julie Ann's doll clothes, no less!) that sports your sternum and midriff just isn't conducive to appropriate household dress.

On an Annie note, though, today Annie said, "La, . . . Ma" for "I love Mamma." It was really cute. And on the brighter side of Leia note, Leia Rose said a really nice thing today right after Annie went down for a nap: "Mamma, I just adore that word: 'Annie'. . . . Mamma, what does 'adore' mean?" Ha!

Oh my, what a picture! And check out the four big colored globs of dino putty each with a fossil sticking out of it.
"I'm feeding my new pet dinosaur."

Eventually, Leia Rose shaped up clothes-wise, and it was time to wait for Oma and Papa!!! Leia Rose has been waiting for this for I don't know how long (and Oma and Papa are only staying two days), so we decided Leia should be allowed to stay up for the occasion. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long because Oma and Papa arrived promptly at 8:30!!!
Leia Rose suddenly exploded into wild mode, here she's showing off her "arrow vests" (arabesques). : ) She also kept going for a running/rolling slide on the floor and "bonking" into Papa on purpose. I finally had to explain how that can affect Papa's balance (which he often has trouble with), to which Leia Rose replied, "but he's just so bonkable!" Leia Rose and Oma spent the rest of the evening doing dinosaur puzzles before going up to bed and to sleep by 11:30! (Yikes! That was Leia's latest night ever! And by the end, even with all of the enjoyment of Oma doing her nighttime ritual, Leia was heard saying, "My eyes are tired and my talking is tired." At 11:30? Heck yeah!)

Tales from the Work Folder +

The day after Christmas was spent just as it should have been: with the whole family in our PJ's the entire day, just playing with toys, laughing together, watching The Muppet Christmas Carol, and eating less-than-nutritious take-out food. Leia Rose was especially enamoured with Miss Piggy's reaction to "Figgy Pudding" which she mistook as "Piggy Pudding." (See video at the bottom.)

Leia Rose played with so many of her toys today, but the one thing that she really wanted to do was to use her new "Santa Crayons" to color a special picture for her Oma and Papa who are coming tomorrow night. [Yes, Leia Rose is wearing clothes for a 3-month old. I can't stand it when she does this, hence the small number of pictures today. When she's dressed like this, I call her "Little Lord Fauntleroy."]
Today, I finally sat down with our little budding artist and had her explain each piece from her work folder for the last month. (Oh how negligent I have been!) She had some really special things to share with us, as well as some fabulous ornaments for us to hang on our tree! For example, here is yet another one of my very favorite pictures of our family. This one really made me laugh out loud, . . . because Leia Rose portrayed Brian with two-day stubble, . . . and bald! Ha!
This one is "a picture of space with galaxies."
This is a fish made from recyclables.
And I wish I could make the drawing stand out a bit more for you in this picture. At the bottom it says, "This is a picture of me and Daddy, and an outside door to my secret clubhouse."

And look at these FABULOUS Christmas ornaments that Leia Rose made at school!!! We hung them all on our tree today! (These are the things that I know I will treasure for my whole entire life. And, boy, was it hard to write the name and date on that candy cane!) : )

Leia Rose was especially proud of this dot-to-dot with capital letters. : )
Here is the special Menorah that Leia Rose (and class) did each day of Hanukkah. I wonder if friends and family would think that this kind of cultural/religious thing would upset me? (Considering the importance I put on Catholicism & a parochial education from K-12.) Here let me just say how happy I am that Leia Rose is getting a true multicultural experience at Artgarden. Truthfully, it's the only multicultural experience she'll have for another 12 years or so. And there's something about this particular age that creates a love of other cultures, while not being courted by their religious beliefs. I have very fond Montessori memories of insets of the Star of David, and Dradle games, and gold coins, etc. at Christmas time, . . . and I really feel like this early exposure led to my enjoyment of other cultures. Further, it seems to have cemented the strength of my own Catholic Faith and the knowledge of differences. Now, you start getting into the age of reason (gradeschool) and you run the risk of a child questioning matters of faith. So starting with Kindergarten, it's Saint Thomas More all the way. But as for now, hopefully we are laying the foundation of love for each child of God, no matter what their faith.

Christmas Morn Ctd.: Family Favorites

The first family favorite was a Santa gift of popcorn. And I'll tell ya', when Annie got a hold of that butter popcorn, watch out, because she had a huge handful in both hands and was eating it like there was no tomorrow! This was a great gift for the three of them because Leia LOVES the cheese popcorn, Annie LOVES the butter, and Brian LOVES the caramel!
The second family favorite of the day was a (last-minute) Santa gift for Daddy and the girls. It's this little Charlie Brown Christmas ice skating rink with figures. When you press the button and put the figures on the ice, they skate around. Everyone loved this and went back to it multiple times during the day, . . . especially Annie who loved watching the skaters, . . . and then sucking on them. *sigh*

Christmas Morn Ctd.: Leia's Favorites

Here is Leia's reaction to her stocking! She is so happy because Saint Nicholas heard her prayer at Mass and brought her this little ($1) doll with a blue dress that she saw at a store a few weeks ago. You can also see a Reindeer Webkin.
If you ask Leia Rose to name her favorite gifts this Christmas, she names these two things: "My Tinkerbell costume and Clara." Just like Sarah with Annie, Clara (although named by Leia) was one of my favorite dolls as a child. She came in a cradle with a mattress, blanket, pillow, and baby bottle. And the bottle is very special because when you put it in Clara's mouth and turn it to the right, Clara's eyes open. Turn it to the left, Clara's eyes close. I have yet to see another doll that works this way. By the way, I can't tell you what joy I get out of giving my favorite childhood toys to my girls. (I give one to each, every Christmas.) And funny enough, I feel a certain amount of happiness for the toys themselves because I really like to believe what they say in Rudolph that "a toy is never truly happy until it is loved by a child." And these toys get a special bonus: to be loved by two generations of children!!!
Here is Leia's reaction to the kitty that came in the "Littlest Petshop Hotel," she sticks out her tongue. : )

Here is Leia's reaction to opening . . .
. . . more of her beloved Dino Putty!!! Only Santa could have gotten this gift! (Because Mamma was unable to find it anywhere, . . . in fact, only one place online had even heard of it!) This is one of those really inexpensive, hours-of-fun type of toys for Leia. Play Doh has the same effect on her. : )
Leia is certainly more into fashion at an early age than I was! Because another requested Santa gift this year was a pair of pink crocs.
Here's another favorite that made it on her bed by nightfall: dinosaur sheets!!! These were from two people (because they were from Company Kids and very expensive): Great Grandma Betty and Mrs. Revuelta (my very special friend who was once my Spanish teacher in high school).
Yet another requested Santa gift: Dinosaur slippers. (And these babies are Robeez!)

Here is part of Leia's most requested Santa Claus gift: Calico Critter Furniture (to outfit her 100% bare Calico Critter Townhome). Here is Mamma working with Leia Rose on setting up the first Calico Critter room (the nursery), . . . [We are in the play yard to keep Annie OUT this time, instead of in.]
And here is Daddy taking his turn with the Calico Critter Furniture setup. [But the long story is that I didn't last long at this activity. Quite honestly, I can't remember ever saying this before but, . . . I absolutely HATE this toy! (I was disgusted that Leia asked Santa for this to begin with, . . . how many dollhouses does a child need. Answer: one. We have four. That disgusts me.) The Calico Critters themselves are cute enough, but the house is WAY overpriced, and made of cheap plastic. And the rooms (which you have to outfit separately) in addition to being overpriced as well, have an insane number of teeny tiny accessories. Example: a soap the size of a pin head, a toilet paper roll with holder and pin to hold it in, and a toilet seat cover. I hate them. I just hate them. Oh how I wish that Santa opened these packages and simply included the furniture only, and arranged it in the house for Leia!

And here is Leia's and Brian's reaction to all of the teeny tiny accessories that go to the kitchen. I am unable to put the sound into words, but it goes something like "Oooooaaaaahhh!"