Christmas, Part 1

We had an amazing Christmas this year. Santa was very good to us. We had a nice day at home but we'll be at Dee and Pop's this coming Sunday to take in (what we hear is) a way bigger haul than what we had at our house.

the front of our Christmas card this year

coming down the stairs

Santa ate his cupcake!

dressing Baby Jill

Daddy and Jill

Mommy and Jill

with Marie

with Marie and the kitty keyboard

a duet

Thomas and the train set

at the park

Two and a Half Years Old!

Today my baby girl is 30 months old. She continues in her verbal streak, speaking in complete sentences, and even using adverbs correctly. I'm so proud! She is constantly making us laugh with her serious thoughts and curiosity. Some of her favorite sayings/questions are:

• "Tell me BOUT ____" (baby monitors, floating away, tipping over, when I was in your tummy, etc.)
• "But I don't feel happy anymore" in response to "Why did you ____" (cry, kick, hit, yell, etc.)
• "I yove you, Mom" in response to doing something she knows she's not supposed to do

She loves to go shopping with me. She's a champion shopper, whether she's in the cart, stroller, or just walking. She's a favorite at the grocery store. She also loves to go to Starbucks to play on the iPad with Steve. When she goes in everyone says, "Hi Jill Baby!"

We are continuing to enjoy our Children's Museum membership, and Story Time. We're taking a break from tumbling right now, but we start dance and soccer in a few weeks.

Jill stopped taking naps at the end of November, and that has really opened up our free time. She now goes to bed at 6:50 and is asleep by 7:20. Then we don't hear from her until after 8 the next morning. It's GLORIOUS!

We had planned for her to give her pacifier to Santa, but she didn't want to, so we've got to work on that too. This morning she asked for a big girl bed, so I know that's on the horizon, but I don't want to do that too soon. I'm not looking forward to her being mobile in her bedroom.

We're still working on reading and rhyming, and she is doing superbly. She loves it, and mentions wanting to go to school every once in awhile, but we're in no rush.

Enjoy these pics and video of our new 2.5 year old!

painting with Daddy

the masterpiece

first pedicure

very serious

all done (fingers too)

new tutu

the really big gingerbread man

Merry Christmas Eve and our Santa Visit!

We had a great Christmas Eve, continuing our tradition begun last year wherein we stay home and hang out together, making treats for Santa (and ourselves). This year it was reindeer cupcakes. They were supposed to have tootsie roll ears and white m&m eyes, but we skipped those because no one likes tootsie rolls and the milk chocolate m&ms didn't come in white this holiday season. They were still very cute and fun to make, for all 3 of us. Poor Jill did NOT go to sleep easily that night. She fell asleep instantly, just like she always does, but woke up twice before I could leave her room. She was totally scared of Santa coming in our house, and it was an hour and 20 minutes later with repeated promises that he wouldn't come in, and that Steve and I would retrieve the presents from outside that she finally went to sleep. She's too much of a thinker!

stirring

licking the frosting...as she licked she'd say, "nom, nom, nom"

blue-eyed Rudolph cupcake

loving the cupcake, and the spaghetti she had for dinner

after bath, ready for Santa to come

Our Santa visit was pretty fun this year. We booked a slot at the Children's Museum and Jill was very excited. We went into the room where an elf read us a story, and then it was Santa time. G. and her family were with us, and she hopped right up on Santa's lap. Jill on the other had was scared and didn't want to do it. I told her she didn't have to, but that I was going to sit next to Santa, and she came right up there with me, happily. Not so happily, the picture is blurry. I tried to take her to another Santa but she freaked out, screaming in fright when it was her turn to go, so we didn't do it. Oh well, maybe next year!

checking out the candy cane

us and Santa

looking so grown up!

Jill and G.

sitting on the steps of the Three Bears' House

For Roxanna, Because You Asked

We've been keeping really busy this month. That may change now that we're done with Story Time and Tumbling, but we do begin Story Time again in January, along with Dance and Soccer! (We're taking a break from Tumbling because someone whose name rhymes with "hill" was not behaving herself and taking it as an opportunity to show off and disrupt. Since we've been doing for 9 straight months without any change to the routine, I thought she might be bored. We're doing "Parent and Me Dance" for which I'm crossing my fingers in hopes that it's not too heavy on parents dancing. We'll see. I'm looking forward to "Jill Dances By Herself at Age 3.") Jill is going to do soccer every Saturday with Steve. She gets to do it in the Sounders' practice facility, which is a beautiful sports complex not too far from home.

Anyway, here's what we've been doing to fill our time.

We decorated for Christmas. I always think this will be fun for her, and it's...not. It's heavy on adult only things and takes a long time and then there is the whole "look but don't touch" rule. Silly. She does like the decorations, but I'm unable to put any presents under the tree because she wants to open all of them now. I guess I'll be up all night on Christmas Eve wrapping them.




Then we took Steve to the Children's Museum. He loved it. Jill loved it. Then we went to Dick's for Jill's first fast food/milkshake experience. We all loved it. Don't let her face fool you. She DEVOURED that stuff!









We have done LOTS of art projects. I need to get photos of them. We've also done a fair amount of playing outside in between the weeks of rain we're getting.

look at those big brown eyes on that girl!

Strawberry Shortcake watercolors

bike riding

examining with the magnifying glass

happy scientist

my favorite picture of her lately

On Tuesday we picked up some T.oys for T.ots and donated them at Station 37. Jill was a champion shopper and donater...just don't ask about the tantrum she threw in Tar.get when we told her she had to ride in the cart or how she told us before we left home, "I not going! I staying home! Dey not need toys!" Niiiiiiice.

checking out the babies...incidentally, every time the camera flashed, those creepy Ba.by Ali.ve dolls would all start moving and yammering.

donating

That brings us up to today. Today was a big day around here. For weeks now Jill has been talking about how she's going to give her pacifier (chupo, at our house) to Santa to she can give to a baby who needs it. (Jannica, in this case the baby in need is Baby Ah-mee-yi-ah.) She told Santa in her letter to him, that she wanted him to leave her a teddy bear to hold instead of her chupo, because she's a big girl now and doesn't need it. I thought it would be fun to make a Bu.ild-a-Be.ar, so we talked to Santa and he sent me an email saying he thought that was a good idea. So, today we went and made Mimi the ballerina kitty. We had SO MUCH FUN! Then we went to Pt. Defia.nce to see the animals. It was one of the most fun days we've had in a long time.

with the kitty skin

warming the heart

making a wish

Mimi and Jill

riding the carousel

shark teeth

lemon shark

tiger cub

walrus snuggling

Up tomorrow is our visit with Santa, or as Jill says, Santa's helper because she's already questioned how there are so many santas in so many locations. To watch her message from Santa, click the link below:

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/Acuy6SBQ3XEDr1PKqFzJrQ

WinterFest, Swansons, and Station 10

Jill and I met G. and her mom at Swansons to visit the camel, donkey, and reindeer on Thursday. Aside from Jill getting to feed Curley the camel a tiny bite of bread, it was a little bit of a letdown. We had a very long ride for a small amount of fun, but we made the most of it. Jill really loved the little sleigh and kept driving me to exotic locations like the beach!

rocking in the big chair

Moe the miniature donkey was a troublemaker! He kept biting Curley!

feeding Curley

one of the reindeer, either Dasher or Blitzen

Jill and G. in the sleigh

Afterward, we stopped to pick up Daddy and take a tour of Station 10's app bay. As it turned out, Jill was most interested in the phones, opening and closing the doors, and dancing in the space where the ladder truck is normally parked.

Jill and Daddy in Engine 10

Finally, here is Jill dancing with a junior high school band at WinterFest. We went to the Children's Museum, heard live music, and had to go upstairs to check it out. She then HAD to dance along with them. It was hilarious!