Bedtime

Few things are as wonderful and bonding for our family as reading books at bedtime and our nightly routine. There's always a negotiation period to decide how many books shall be read and then there's the unavoidable debate over which books shall then be picked. Usually Daddy reads one and Mommy reads one but lately our 2-year-old has taken it upon herself to re-"read" one of the books to her babydolls as well. Man, there is just nothing like being a parent. It's one of the most indescribable wonderful feelings ever.
PS~Thanks aunt Vetti for these great new jammies.

Our new ATV

About a month ago, my hubby bought us a new ATV so that he and I could go riding together in the forest near our house. This week we finally got that chance (thanks grandpa for watching the kiddos!). I hadn't ridden with anyone that way before, as my companions were always on the same ATV as I was. I hadn't had the opportunity to ride alone before. I always had fun but now that I've ridden this way, I see what all the fuss was about. I had SUCH a good time that even though I brought along my camera, I forgot to take pictures. I only got this one, while I was waiting for him to check the trail (a long winding downslope) for downed trees. There was more than a foot of snow in some places and we made loads of first tracks, had to traverse off the trail to avoid obstructions, and had a blast. Now I can't wait for our next chance to go again.

Fun Learning

Quite a while ago, Daddy helped teach our little girl her colors by playing Candyland. Of course, at first she didn't get the whole "game" part, but was happy to choose cards and tell us what color it was, then try to find a space on the board that was the same color. Recently she has grasped the "game" part of the package and is becoming quite the Candyland connoisseur. She also works on matching by playing Memory & Picture Dominoes. Our latest upgrade to this fun learning process is attempting to teach her numbers. To do this, we're using Chutes & Ladders. We put little dots on the spinner so even though she doesn't recognize all her numbers yet, she can count dots to know how far to move her player.
The hardest part about C&L is that the path is less defined (the path covers the entire board) but she seems to be getting the general idea - so much so that Daddy lost to her last night. She squeeled with delight and danced around when she realized that she won. Mommy was very proud of her because believe you me, there is NO WAY Daddy loses on purpose at ANY game.

At the Hop

I was mid-process of making tuna fillets for dinner last night, listening to music and hearing the kids playing and daddy acting as referee when suddenly there was no noise from the other room besides music. Any mom knows that when the kids become quiet, something is brewing, so I stepped away from the kitchen for just a moment to investigate. Here's what I saw:
Don't they make cute dancing partners? Isn't it nice every once in a while to be pleasantly surprised?

Christmas in January

Somebody has GOT to tell those roses at Great-Grandma's house that it's JANUARY. It's just not natural I tell you. Other than that peculiar observation, the day with Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa turned out out very nice. Even though we couldn't make it for the huge gathering in December, there were still eleven people there. We had some snacks, a yummy dinner and got to open presents again (always a hit with the kids). Our little girl had a fun time being the one to hand out gifts and even managed to carry one to her uncle that was twice her size. These were my two favorite pictures from the day. The rest are in the smilebox photoalbum.
So it seems we've finally finished our Christmas celebration....just in time for planning our annual valentines day trip.

New Camera

Our little girl got a camera for Christmas from Nana & Grandpa. Although there's quite a learning curve, she's figuring out that the camera takes a minute to actually get the shot and you've got to hold your hands rather still or the shot is blurry. Still, of about 100 shots, 30 or so turned out so that's not a bad ratio for a beginner I figure. You have to take into account that family (cousins mostly) and friends helped her take some shots too. All the same, there's 30 pictures I wouldn't have otherwise had. It kind of gives you an inside look into her world when you look them over, which is neat.
PS~thanks to Daddy, I have a new camera too so even though my new one is waterproof and shock (translate-drop) proof, I'm extra happy my 2-year-old has her own now.