My Little Book Worm

I already mentioned that our present opening came to a halt so the kids could read for a bit. Well, the trend continued.

And continued
And continued.
When given the option to ride along with Daddy for a run to Starbucks (which usually includes a treat for himself), B chose to stay home and read. When his favorite shows were on TV, he chose to sit and read. I am not sure how much he comprehends the books, but he just keeps turning the pages. He asks for help with new words, both in pronunciation and definition, so I think he knows what he is reading. Either way, I am happy that his obsession is one I can really appreciate and love to feed.

Good Thing I Like My Washer and Dryer

I always expected my daughter to want to play dress up. I really had no idea when it would begin. Well, it has arrived.

Here, she is sporting her lovely new outfit from Grandma and Grandpa that she opened on Christmas Eve.

A few moments later, she opened a UO Rose Bowl T-Shirt from Martha and John. It went right on top of the beautiful pink and rhinestones.

Moments later, she opened up an adorable mermaid t-shirt from the Kona-dwelling family members. You guessed it. It went right over the top.

Ahhhhh

Christmas Day

Thank you to our lovely hosts for Christmas Day, Aunt Martha, Uncle John and Bella. All were very patient with our less than quiet and rather messy crew of merrymakers.

Lots to discuss sitting on the stairs...cousins enjoying the day together.

Once they were done opening presents, they got tired of watching the adult gift exchange and returned to their spot on the stairs.

Finally, as we prepared to leave and the three cousins donned their pajamas, they decided to make several laps around the foyer rug in order to help facilitate their long winters' naps (better known as crashing in the car on the way home).

Christmas Morning

We didn't capture many images of our Christmas morning around the tree. B was in a constant state of motion. G paused here long enough to smile about the candy in her stocking. Both were very excited about opening presents and wanted to just keep going going going...

UNTIL they opened a few books from cousin A and her parents. All present opening came to an abrupt stop. I think we have two book worms in the making.

Christmas Eve

What happens when you say, "No presents until you pose for some pictures."?

What about, "No presents until you smile for some pictures."?

What about when you say, "Take a nice picture with your grandparents, or no opening presents."? Then your parents make goofy faces until you really smile.
What happens when you've had a great evening including church, a big yummy dinner and lots of presents to open? You crash on the couch with Nany!

Crazy Pajama Day

The last few days leading up to Christmas break were fun dress up days at school. The kids were overjoyed to be able to wear their PJs to school. They also liked the idea of Mom getting out the colored hairspray so that they could take part in Crazy Hair Day at the same time. Each of them got a bit of Red and Green to help get into the festive spirit.

Silent Night

Well, for about two minutes....

We celebrated our fifth Christmas with our play group this week. The first year, we had dinner at our house and had a lovely time. As the kids got older, we celebrated in different ways. Daytime celebrations. Moms' night out. The idea of trying to feed a bunch of toddlers dinner, and keep them out of trouble, coupled with new babies, etc. was a bit overwhelming. This year, with the help of one very nice Dad in the group, we got together for dinner and presents in the evening. The kids did a nice job of playing together with little or no drama. They waited nearly 2 hours to open gifts with few complaints. The kids drew names and got to help pick out gifts for their friends. It was nice to see them wait patiently while their friends opened their gifts one at a time. What a blessing to be surrounded by such a fun and supportive group for so many years!

These are the Moments

How many of you out there can say that you got to see your Great Grandmother on a regular basis? I know that I can't. Neither T nor I had all four living grandparents in our lives because we lost grandfathers before we were born. B & G are blessed to have a good relationship with all four grandparents. They also have weekly visits with Nany, my Mom's Mom. She was never the get-on-the-floor and play kind of grandmother. I remember that the rules at her house were more strict than the rules at my house as a kid. She would ask before placing a sharp knife at my place at the table - even after I COULD LEGALLY DRIVE A CAR!! When my mom was first expecting a baby, my parents were told that her parents were going to be grandparents, not babysitters. I appreciate this sentiment, but it also kept our relationship at arms length a bit, especially while I was little. However, as a librarian by trade, the one indulgence we got at Poppa and Nany's house was BOOKS. The rules and expectations have softened a bit with the next generation. When B & G visit her each week, she has games ready for them to play, even if it is just a round of hide and seek.

Well, this past visit, she had a new surprise for B. She had her local library mail her a stack of kids books. She came and spent the day with us and the books came, too. She sat at the table after lunch and gave B a wonderful treat: she read to him one of her all-time favorites.

I am not sure if B appreciates just how special this time is with his 97 year old GG. Being that he didn't enter the world until his parents were in their 3rd or 4th decade and his grandparents were in their 5th or 6th decade, the likelihood of B's own children having this same opportunity is pretty slim. For now, we'll just keep those weekly visits going and keep a warm smile on our faces and in our hearts while we watch them enjoying their beautiful time together.

Let the Festivities Begin

Today we gathered with J's parents and sister's family to begin celebrating the holiday. The kids waited not-so-patiently to begin opening gifts.

The first round of gifts included the key elements to a good parade: a penny whistle, a recorder and a tambourine. Since we had a dry day and the proper gear (and the penny whistle proved to be a bit more shrill sounding than our ears could take in a confined space), we headed outside for a parade around the neighborhood. The kids loved it (and the grandkids did, too).

We missed cousin A for our adventure this time, but rumor has it she is bringing her parents for a visit in January.
As my kids have been saying all day, Merry Christmas! Go Ducks!

Peace and Quiet

As we were all getting ready for bed last night, a sudden quiet fell over the house and I got nervous. Very nervous. Quiet usually means mischief in our house and not the silly kind, but the, "call the plumber" kind.

"Where'd they go?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hmmm. Not in her room."

"Found them."

I love not only that they were both reading, but that in his big bed, they were curled up together, sharing a pillow.

Change of Heart

Today we said a bittersweet goodbye to B's Tuesday basketball class. Bittersweet because for many weeks, he dreaded going. He cried on the way there and also when I dropped him off. He always have a great time once they got going, but it took a long time for him to remember that he did, indeed, enjoy this class. One of the main reasons he loved it so much were the two fabulous coaches, Sydney and Frank. After a couple of weeks of tearful times at drop off, Coach Sydney took the initiative to just grab B by the hand and get him running. He'd instantly forget that he was sad and would enjoy the rest of the class. Coach Frank was always providing silly comic relief, making jokes that the 3-6 year olds thought were funnier than anything. As today was the last day, parents were encouraged to stay and watch the entire class. The kids got a special treat at the end of class which included trying to keep balloons off the floor and certificates of completion. And as they did each class, they ended with a big, loud cheer.

Though G wasn't officially in the class, the coaches always let her join in the class cheer.

Little Man - Mommy Date Night

B and I got dressed up for the local parks & rec dinner/dance tonight.
We finished the evening with a little dessert (and hot chocolate) at a
24 hour diner like I always did in high school. "Isn't this the best
date ever, Mom?" Melts my heart!

Sushi - Preschool Style

I think I have talked of this hit before, but I don't have time to cross reference if I have. Anyway, today G helped make her lunch - PB&J sushi. Thanks to babysitter Annie for introducing us to this very creative spin on a classic.

Step 1 - Roll out the bread

Step 2 - Apply layer of Peanut Butter

Step 3 - Add Jam or Jelly - flavor optional

Step 4 - spread thin layer

Step 5 - Roll

Step 6 - Cut into several pieces

Step 7 - plate and wait for Mom to stop taking photos so you can eat your lunch!

G has become a picky eater. That being said, she ate this entire "sandwich" in about 5 minutes.

Now that is cold!

I am HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY that we are not digging out from a snow storm (yet). I can handle the wind and cold. Our fountain, not so much. If nothing else, it looks really cool.

Naughty or Nice?

I don't think we are alone this time of year when we use the idea of nice behavior being rewarded with presents under the tree and bad choices leading to a lack of gifts. We actually visited with one Santa this year who told both kids that they weren't on the nice list (yet) and that they had to step it up in order to get a coveted spot on said list. I do think these discussions have helped B be a bit nicer to us all, while the entire concept is LOST on G! Oh well.

One little wrinkle that I can't figure out is that the two times B has talked with the big guy, he has asked for dinosaurs for Christmas. Not an unusual request for a four year old. HOWEVER, he never plays with dinosaurs. We have a few dinosaur items (coloring book, stamps) that he thinks are fine, but nothing that is a must have or must do. Ever. For some reason, when he's feeling on the spot, he pulls the idea of wanting dinosaurs out of thin air. It's isn't a big deal because the elves in this family still have time for shopping, but I am baffled.

One of THOSE afternoons

G just got up from her nap. She has pretty much been in tears since I got her out of her crib (30 minutes ago), which leads me to believe she should go back for more sleep. So far, she has cried because the TV is off, the Christmas lights are on, Daddy is at work. We sat for a bit and cuddled. She cried for most of the cuddle, but we cuddled anyway. She calmed for a bit (a few minutes), even laughed at B. Then, she wanted a snack. When I finally realized she was asking for Teddy Grahams, I let her have 4 of them. She then cried because I put them on a plate, instead of in a bowl. Before realizing she wanted Teddy Grahams, I asked 3 times if she wanted some toast. No. No. No. When she saw my toast, she cried because she, too, wanted toast. Then she cried because it wasn't ready yet. Once it was ready, she asked that I put butter on it. I buttered it and placed it on her plate, to which she cried, "Noooooo budder!!" Now, while I type, she is crying, "I want Daddy!" over and over and over again. This is what I hear whenever she doesn't get her way. If I knew what her way was, maybe she would get it (except for the TV). Recently I heard a radio DJ give advice to a new father. He said, if you have daughters, you should learn to stand in the middle of the room and cry for no reason. This way you will fit in. Right now, I think he is spot on.

I DID IT!

Here we are. Day 30. Do I have any cute pictures to post? Nope. Any major life altering revelations? Nope. Soap Boxes to stand upon? Nope. Just a pat on the back to myself for actually getting (more than) 30 posts up this month and a renewed commitment to posting on my blog. Thanks to the few of you who are still checking in (Hi, Mom and Dad!). I do this mostly to keep myself sane but it is also fun to know that people check it out every once in awhile.

A little comparison

B's a bit more comfortable around strangers.

And his hair is a lot longer.

He's grown several inches, too.

I was having so much fun reflecting on the changes in B since our last trip to Disney, that I almost missed a more important change. I know that T continues his journey toward living a healthier life. He is at the gym (at 4:30 am) 3 days each week. He makes healthy food choices every day, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. I know his clothes are a smaller size. But in my eyes, he's always been the most beautiful person, so I have a hard time noticing the physical change he's made. These photos, however, are a great reminder.