Bye Bye 2008

It seems like every blog Mama reads has some posting bidding farewell to 2008, so we'll jump on the bandwagon.  Adios 2008!  

Year-End Giving

As a late Christmas present, Mama and Daddy gave each other a new camera.  The old one took great pictures, but was so slow!  We are hoping that this one will be fast enough to keep up with CJ and all her activities.  It's definitely smaller than the old one, which is taking a bit of getting used to.

To give the camera a little test, CJ and Mama met some friends at OMSI to get in one last donation - the full price of a family membership is supposed to be tax-deductible.  Plus, CJ loves visiting and it is a great place to spend a rainy day.

Bye Bye Snow, Hello Mr. Squirrel

Now that we can see the birdhouse again, CJ and Daddy filled up the bird feeder and guess who was back?  That's right, Mr. Squirrel came to get his fill.

Peacock Lane

The snow is melting and we finally made it out of the neighborhood today.  We ventured over to Peacock Lane to see the holiday lights.  Every house on the block is decorated.

CJ claimed this was her favorite house.  It had two of the huge blow-up decorations (yes, that is Santa under a palm tree drinking a coconut drink) as well as tons of lights of all kinds and colors.

Merry Christmas

Here's CJ enjoying one of the candy cane cookies we didn't have ready for Santa.  She slept fairly well and came into Mama and Daddy's room around 6:40.  Then she went back to bed so Santa would come.  She finally went out into the living room to check around 7:30 and then there was no stopping her.  Merry Christmas everyone.

Update on the White Stuff

The birds aren't going to find any food or warmth at this bird house.

Looks like a record snowfall with almost a foot of snow as of a couple of days ago.  White Christmas guaranteed.

The snow mixed in a little rain today, allowing us the opportunity to build a better snowman - even taller than CJ.

Christmas Eve

CJ is so excited for the holiday.  This is the snowflake she made at school for Mama and Daddy.  She opened a couple of gifts tonight and put out the cookie plate for Santa (sorry Santa, Mama didn't read the fine print on the Candy Cane cookie recipe about having to chill it for 4 hours so we'll have to make those tomorrow).  Let's hope she gets a good night's sleep.

We Need a Real Sled

Mama tried calling all the local stores she could think of for a sled, but no luck.  Everyone was sold out - even REI!  So the other day we ended up using Mama's ancient Boogie Board.  It worked ok, but didn't really slide on the snow.  Today, Daddy put together his own version of a sled and we took it for a spin.

Oh, Rats!

CJ woke up saying "Oh, rats! Oh, rats!  We forgot to celebrate my birthday."  Apparently she remembered our brief discussion of her half birthday.  So, we made blueberry muffins and she blew out a candle.  Happy half birthday.

Wheeeeee!

Arctic Blast

The two news channels in town have been reporting on the arctic blast almost non-stop.  We thought we'd get away from the news and enjoy the white stuff, but CJ didn't have much in her this morning.  She and Daddy were supposed to make a snowman and she was pretty excited about it.  The powdery snow didn't fare well for a snowman or snowballs and shortly after we went outside, CJ wanted to go back in and remove all the snow clothes.  We managed to convince her to go for a walk with the bribe of a chocolate milk, but Daddy ended up carrying her most of the way.

Mama picked up the newspaper and thought it was quite funny that Chelsea Cain had a story in it about taking her 3-year old daughter out for fun in the snow and how short the experience lasted.  {I'm hoping they will add the story to the link, but it isn't currently showing up}

Later in the evening we were getting ready to walk the puppies when the wind really picked up.  It had cooled off and the snow that was coming down had become more icy.  It looked harsh compared to the morning, but CJ said she wanted to go.  Everyone got dressed and we expected that one of us would turn back with CJ after we got a house away, but she loved it.  She had a blast throwing the snow while little B would jump and try to catch it in her mouth and CJ was stopping every few feet to make snow angels.  Unfortunately we didn't have the camera with us, but it was cute.  Maybe she will end up liking the snow after all...

R Chuthers

Don't know who R Chuthers is?  Well, CJ likes to give hugs and state "oh, we love R Chuthers".  When she got up this morning, she came into bed with Mama and we snuggled with "R Chuthers".

We've Got Flowers

The paperwhite bulbs we planted before Thanksgiving are starting to bloom.  They are about 20" above the top of the bulb.  We have another one we planted a bit later and we are still waiting for that one to burst.

Cabin Fever

Mama must have had a case of cabin fever today, because even though it looked like this outside when we left our house:

 

she drove CJ to school.

Mama generally doesn't drive in snow but, this was an exception.  We put together some of the baked goodies for the teachers and CJ ended up having a fun day that included a snowball fight, while Mama tried to run a last few holiday errands before another snowstorm heads in this weekend.

Bake-O-Rama

Our snow day has turned into a snow week, so we've been doing a lot of holiday baking in the kitchen. Since the peanut butter blossoms, we've also made marbled chocolate fudge, 

sweet and salty nuts (Mama's favorite)

and spritz cookies with our cookie press (thanks Grandma and Grandpa R).

Early Christmas?

When CJ and Mama got home from some errands today, they saw that the package truck had left this huge box on the porch.

It was CJ's new car seat. She was excited - it's mostly pink and it has two cup holders!

Now we just have to get it installed in the car...

Letter to Sana

CJ dictated her letter to Santa for Mama to write this morning:

Dear Santa,

What is on your list for me to have for Christmas? I have a few ideas.

My Daddy is going to love your red coat and red hat.

I would like a toy kitty with a little bowl (with food) and a little bottle.

Love everyone.

Fountain of Youth?

Ok, it is the frozen fountain of youth, but the snow seems to make Big B feel young again. He spends most days moving from one sleeping spot to another, but the last few days he's wanted to cruise around the yard digging in the snow with his nose. It reminds Mama of the old puppy days.

Snow Day

What do you do on the rare snow day when you are 3 years old?

Wake up and don your boots to check out the first few flakes:

Bundle up to walk your puppies and swing by Starbucks for an eggnog latte and a chocolate milk:
Redecorate the tree, and help your Mama make peanut butter blossoms. Yum.

Not a bad day. It's only 22 degrees now, so our inch or two of snow should be sticking around a while.

Movin' on Up

When there is nothing else to do, CJ keeps herself busy by rearranging the ornaments on the tree. She figured out that she could reach higher if she used her step stool. Notice the clumps of ball ornaments that have moved from the bottom of the tree to the middle?

Gingerbread

CJ had a lot of fun (and a lot of sugar), helping with the gingerbread house. She thinks it looks perfect.

Not A Big Fan

Today Mama noticed a scrape on CJ's knee. CJ explained that she had fallen the night before, while walking the puppies with Daddy. She went further, stating that "I'm not a big fan of the boo-boo"!

Sick Day

CJ's had a cough on again and off again quite often this winter, but it really kept her (and Mama) up last night so we kept her home from school. She wanted to stay in her pj's, but obviously you still have to accessorize...

They Are Growing

We finally remembered to check on our paperwhite bulbs and they have grown! They were actually starting to bend because they were touching the shelf above them. We pulled them out of the dark and now we are waiting for some flowers to appear.

There's a New Decorator in the House

CJ loved putting the ornaments on the tree. She didn't even want to wait for Daddy to put the lights on. After she went to bed and he finished the lights, he tried to rearrange the mass of ornaments hung at her level. Today she found the boxes and put all the other ornaments on herself. Check out the red balls on the bottom.

Jingle Bells

Ok, the video is awful. We don't have a flash on the camera when using it in video mode. But here's a sampling of CJ's singing and her holiday excitement. We visited with Santa at the mall this morning and there were no tears. But, she won't tell us what she asked Santa to bring for Christmas. I guess it will be a surprise.

Tree Hunt

CJ enjoyed this year's tree cutting much more than last year. There was no snow, but a little frost on the ground. She did great walking up and down the steep hill until we found the perfect tree. As with last year, she was intrigued by the mushrooms growing under the trees. This year she had a game "squashing the mushrooms" and yelling that out each time she stomped on one with her boots. And, once again, she enjoyed her candy cane in the car afterwards.

Zoo Lights

CJ's been amazed by Zoo Lights every year we have gone, but this year she was the most animated. When we arrived, we heard all sorts of Oooh's and Aaah's and "Oh my Goodness". It was cold, but dry (last year we had a few snowflakes) and even though it was crowded, it didn't feel like it as we walked around checking out the lights.

When we were done, Mama asked CJ what her favorite part of it was - the baby elephant, of course!

Pink Sky

We were taking the dogs out in the backyard, when CJ noticed the pink sky and wanted to take a picture of it. We've been trying to make the most of our time outside every day without rain.

Balloons Floating in the Sky

CJ wanted to draw while Mama was researching booster seats on the computer. She put together this picture for Daddy and told me it was of balloons floating in the sky. Looks great to me.

When I Grow Up

Tonight CJ came up with a new list of things she wants to be when she grows up:

- A doctor
- A dentist
- An artist
- An eye doctor
and
- A doctor doctor

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Here's CJ presenting Grandma with her handmade stepping stone this weekend. She had so much fun making it.

40 Inches, With Boots On

That's how tall CJ is, according to this nifty gadget at the children's museum in Bellevue.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here is CJ, prepping the cash register for some serious Black Friday shopping. Thanks to Aunt A & Uncle P for hosting, cousins O and B for sharing their toys and Grandma W for putting us up.

Slave to Fashion

We usually try to buy better shoes, but Target had these sparkly silver shoes and CJ wanted them and needed something a little dressier so we picked them up. Don't think they are the best fit and she's even mentioned that they hurt her feet a little bit, but she wants to keep them and they are generally the first pair she reaches for when getting dressed. What a girl!

Reindeer, with Pacifiers

The other day, CJ and Daddy pulled the holiday lights out of the basement and they found the reindeer antlers. They used to be something we used to torture the puppies, but apparently have found a new owner. She's getting very excited for Christmas and hoping for snow. She still remembers that it snowed last year on Christmas. I haven't figured out how to tell her the likelihood of that happening again is pretty low.

Loose Lips

Don't trust her with your secrets. Tonight Grandma W called and CJ asked to say hello. Before long, she was telling her how we spent the day at the car dealer (more to come on that one) and that we got Grandma xxxx for Thanksgiving (or her birthday, which happens to fall right after Thanksgiving). Shhhhh.

Switched at Birth?

Mama REALLY thought CJ knew who Obama was. She recognizes which signs and bumper stickers are Obama. Then you have her election night efforts to stay up to see him accept the nomination. But, we happened to have the tv on this week when a news story about Diddy came on and she screamed out "Obama". Mama doesn't really see the resemblance...

Multi-Tasking

Here she is helping Mama plant paperwhite bulbs, while at the same time applying her "makeup" (chapstick).

Grilled Cheese, at last.

Tonight CJ ate half a grilled cheese sandwich. Ok, she dipped the bites in her milk first and pretty much just finished it because she knew Mama had a cinnamon applesauce waiting, but still... This means we might have a new option (besides quesadillas, pb&j's, or pizza) on the kiddie menu when we go out to eat.

Easter in November?

Last year (as in 2007), we went to the Children's Museum for Easter and CJ had a blast with all the activities and collecting Easter Eggs. They were great eggs and each was filled with stickers. We pulled out a few stickers and then put the eggs away. They made an appearance for Easter this year as a decoration, but I think she forgot that they held a treasure of stickers. The eggs went back into her closet. Today she decided to pull them out. She couldn't open them so she came into the kitchen to ask me to open one. And then one more. After a third, I told her that we were done opening them. I continued to make dinner and then realized that it had gotten too quiet. I went to her room to see where the 3 stickers had ended up and I found this scene:

She had opened every one of the eggs! I asked her to show me how and she proceded to step on a closed egg until it cracked open. I have to appreciate her resourcefulness, don't I?