Christmas

Christmas was a lot of fun in our house. The mini, of course, was the main focus of attention, and we mostly did video, but we did manage to get a few pictures.

Showing off her new pink nightgown and robe.





Dress-up in her new mermaid costume.





Girls just wanna have fun - in a pink Barbie jeep!





Yay! A big pink dollhouse from Santa!





Secrets with Santa

Definitely a Princess

Took the mini to lunch with a girlfriend and her two lovely daughters the other day and afterward, as a reward for her good behavior, we went to Starbuck's for hot chocolate, then to Pottery Barn Kids to play with their toy sets. She played first with the dollhouse that is taller than she is, then with the puzzle table, but what held her attention for at least 30 minutes straight? The kid-sized vanity table, complete with a plush "make-up" kit. She had so much fun primping in the mirror that I just had to take pictures! I definitely have a frilly pink princess on my hands - and she's just so darn cute!

Gonna Be A Bear

I got this on e-mail today. It totally sums up life sometimes and I thought others might enjoy it, too!

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In this life, I'm a woman. In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. Yep, I could deal with that. Before you hibernate, you're get to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that, too.

When you're a girl bear, you birth your cubs (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake up to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.

If you're mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them, too. I could deal with that.

If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS you to have hairy legs and excess body fat. Yup, gonna be a bear!

Proof Positive

Well. I now have unassailable proof that I'm preggers (as if the morning sickness and random exhaustion weren't enough). We found out several weeks ago and I've been feeling poorly enough that I haven't blogged in a while. We had our first ultrasound on Thursday and there was a little blur with a heartbeat low down in my belly. The mini is so excited that she's going to be a big sister! I have officially removed all of my regular clothes from my closet and am currently in the process of washing and hanging my maternity clothes. And of course, we're now converting two different rooms - the guest room will become the office/guest room and the current office will become the nursery. At least we have a few months to take care of things.

State Fair

So we took the mini to the fair today - an event she has been looking forward to since last year. She had an absolute blast. We figured we go, spend 3 or 4 hours, and then get home for naptime. We got there at 10:18 this morning. We left at 7:15 this evening. Needless to say, the mini was asleep almost before we got out of the parking lot. It was a full day, but a fun one. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a chance to go.


Mezmerized by the baby ducks.






Petting a duckling.






Lap bunny. This rabbit was the personal pet of the lady with the ducklings. She let the mini into the "restricted" area to sit on a chair and hold her own rabbit. I thought that was really nice of her and it made the mini's morning!






Feeding alpacas.








Milking a cow. I think we might have another farm girl in the making!








Riding the carousel.









Riding a real pony!







All by herself on the big slide!





End of the day exhaustion.

Learning the ABC's in a Different Way

practicing a "t"






double "e's"






making an "i" with her left hand and telling me that she's only make 1 of them. Too cute!






After picking the mini up from school today, we decided to have a girl's lunch at Wendy's. Over french fries, she asked me:

"Mom, how do you make an 'A?'"
"Do you mean with my fingers?"
"Yes."

So we practiced our sign language alphabet. She's getting really good at it! We've been using very basic signs with her since she was about 6 months old, and she understands them, but now she's working on her own finger manipulations. I'm so proud of her!

School Days

School started last week. I have pictures of the mini's first day, I just haven't taken the time to download them off my camera yet. As she did last year, she took one look into her classroom, then promptly forgot all about me and made a beeline for her friends. I got nothin' -- no love, no hugs, no kisses. If it weren't for the fact that she tells me several times a day that she loves me and reassures me that "You're the best, Mommy!", I think I might get a complex.