Being five is so much fun. It is so interesting to watch her wheels turn and to see how she interprets the things going on around her. Ella has never been one to point out someone's color. Maybe it's because we don't talk about it at home. I'm very careful not to describe people using their race as the first identifiable trait - not because people aren't a color, but because that isn't the most important part of them. Maybe it's because she has five cousins who are a different color. I think it's pretty awesome that she will never be stigmatized by the thought that different is bad. She'll never have the opportunity to think that being different is wrong in this house. She'll never know a life where there weren't two colors in her family. This week she wanted to tell me a story about ...
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Sweet Treats
For Valentine's Day this year, I wanted to make homemade treats for the girls to share at school. There is nothing wrong with store-bought cards and I know that someday, I will have to give in and allow iCarly or Spongebob love notes. Until then, I figure I better take advantage of my littles' lack of concern and make something crafty instead. Since Sophie isn't quite two yet, hers weren't as big of a deal. I printed simple cards on our color printer and had Ella go through and write her name on them. Aside from opening an untold amount of lollipops and stealing the scissors, she wasn't much help. She was, however, awfully cute to look at during the process! The other plus was only having to create nine little treats for her friends! That made this little craft super cute AND super ...
Cold
Saturday was freezing. Like 38* with a wind chill of 22* freezing. Cold and windy. It never let up. It was, however, gorgeous. The sky was unbelievably bright and no matter how much we tried to convince them otherwise, these two refused to stay inside. We bundled up in pajamas, sweats, boots, mittens, hats, gloves and pink puffy coats. Sophie fell down a few times and was so puffy that she couldn't stand up on her own. We bounced and ran, played with the dog, went on a walk and climbed into the Magnolia trees. All in the span of 30 minutes. Because it was cold. And these littles were ready to get warm almost as soon as I got their coats buttoned! ...
Valentine’s
Valentine's Day was low key at our house this year. That is just the way I like it! The girls wore pretty shirts from Tootlebug's to school -- I loved all of the mismatched pink and polka dots. Yummy. Of course it took about ten tries to get a decent photo of the two of them, only I'm not sure I would even call it decent. At least they are both in the frame and nobody is crying. That's success as far as I'm concerned! Ella made us this pretty Valentine's heart at school. Isn't she doing great with her printing? I love that she throws that extra line in her E -- that's my favorite part. We used it as the centerpiece on our dining room table. We had this yummy chicken & rice for dinner. Score 100 points for putting V-Day dinner in the crock pot before leaving for work. SD ...
My Little Artist
Tuesday night Ella's school invited the parents to come for an art show. Each student, grades pre-K through 5th, had a piece of art displayed in the halls of the school. Every grade had a different theme and Ella's class made collages. Her's was called "Fireworks". She is such a worry wart and had talked to me all week about being nervous that she wouldn't win. Fortunately, each student gets an award on their piece and hers was Michelangelo's Award for Artistic Greatness. She was pleased as punch. The older grades did have ribbons for first through sixth place and honorable mention, but luckily Ella's class didn't participate in awards. I'm glad she got to escape the winning/losing battle for one more year. We had such a good time walking the halls of her school together and ...
the Family Circus
Last Saturday, just like the last weekend of every January, we loaded up and headed downtown for the circus. We are always lucky to get tickets from my in-laws for Christmas and it never disappoints. It's funny to me how we can go the entire year without mentioning it, but as Christmas nears every year Ella asks when it is and if we're going. Since Sophie is almost two (and still free!) we decided to take her along this year. I was certain that she would be entranced because of the animals and would sit completely still. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she is WILD. She did enjoy it a lot, especially when the elephants were in the ring, most of the small animal acts or when there was a parade with lots going on. She was less than impressed with the individual acts (trapeze, acrobats, ...
The Day After Aftermath
The day after Christmas is one of the days I look forward to most. There is still a Christmas tree and there isn't anywhere to go or do that you don't want to. There is candy for breakfast and you can wear your pjs and strew your toys all over the house without getting into trouble. Don't get me wrong, I love the excitement and magic of Christmas morning, but the relaxation of the aftermath is pretty fantastic. A few years ago we started celebrating with my parents the evening after Christmas. This year, they came over bright and early to deliver a very special gift for the girls. There was a TON of squealing and jumping up and down and cheering when this Hello Kitty paper came off. I think Josh was a little upset that the jumping capacity won't allow us to participate. Heck, I'm ...
Our "Merry Christmas" Morning
When we last left off, this is what things looked like around here. For whatever reason, after the girls went to bed on Christmas Eve I started to panic about what my photos would look like. I hate using the flash, I was worried about things being blurry without it, my video camera would be on the tripod so that was out. I think I just like to worry in general. I decided I should shoot Christmas morning in manual mode. For the first time. I sat down with my camera manual and figured it out. Sort of. Granted, many of these have a smidge of blur and they are far from perfect -- they are MUCH brighter and prettier than any of our previous Christmas celebrations. So, I'm trying to have no regrets and just go with it. Now onto the big day! I woke up at 5:30. I made coffee, pigs in a blanket ...