An Addie report

So I don’t want to leave my last post up all weekend – that is kinda a bit of a downer trip. And J. and I decided that we need a little diversion and are heading out of town for the weekend.

Plus, I have to brag a little about Addison since it feels like I do an awful lot of complaining about her and her astoundingly stubborn, excuse me, her independent streak. We had her parent-teacher conferences yesterday, and apparently Addie is quite the little angel at school. Her teachers had nothing but great stuff to say, we are talking – gushing here. Granted it is only preschool and I don’t think her teachers have a bad thing to say about anyone, ever. But still, she got almost all “fully mastered”s in her development skills and her teachers wrote this about her:

“Addison is a happy, self-confident girl who truly enjoys all aspects of her day at school. She is open, curious and interested in all activities and experiences offered to her. She is a fun and creative friend, making her a very sought after friend. She is kind and inclusive, but never gives herself away. She is bright an aware of all that is happening around her. We appreciate all she brings to class and are so happy she is here.”

Awwww…thatta girl!

It is amazing to see her emerging as her own little self. She surprises me daily with something she knows or says. And even if what she says isn’t always correct, she manages to keep us laughing.

This morning at breakfast Em was being silly and eating her hard-boiled eggs like a puppy (at least I think that is what she was trying to do) and she bit into an egg and kind of did a “grrrr” sound, like she was ripping the flesh right off of the egg. Addie shrieked with laughter and said –

A: “Emma, you’re a cannibal!”
(J. and I both looked at each other in shock. How did she know that word? And she was using it almost in the right context, too!)
M: “Ad where did you hear that word? How do you know it?”
A: (grinning from ear to ear) “I don’t know.”
E: “Oh, I think I know! From our pirate book. They talk about cannonballs in it.”

Ahhhhh! Cannonball. Of course. J. always calls Addie “cannonball” when she is barreling through the house and acting all rough and tumbly, too. That makes sense, although “cannibal” certainly could have worked as well.

Happy Friday!

This is the face that greeted me afterschool yesterday. She decided to leave the paint on her face to “show Mommy.”

Silly girl.

If 3-year olds controlled the fashion world ~ Wordless Wednesday

More WW.

Special Friend Day ~ Theme Thursday

They announced at Addie’s school last week that they were having a Special Friend Day today. Everyone got to bring a special person to spend the day with them at school.

So I asked her who she wanted to bring.

At first she said:
A: “Mommy!”
M: “Ok! I would love to come.” (And I would! How fun to get to see what goes on there and to get play at her sweet school all morning!)

And then she said:
A: Mommy and Daddy!
M: “Well,  I think it says you can only bring one. But we can ask Daddy and maybe if he doesn’t have any meetings he can go.”

So we did. And he didn’t. And it was decided that he would be her special friend today. She has been looking forward to it all week and was telling Em’s friends and the Moms yesterday that “my Daddy is coming to school with me today!”

I’m so excited that they get to spend some special time together just the two of them. And I made him promise to take pictures of everything and I just sent them on their way…

So I’m off to go enjoy some special yoga class time by myself.

Make sure to stop over to Stacy’s today to see more special moments!

Addie-tude ~ Best Shot Monday

I know someday her iron will, independent spirit and stubborn streak is going to serve her well. And, yes, I do want her to grow into a strong and liberated young woman…

But, whew boy!

If I hear “I wanted to do it, Mama!” one more time before she dissolves into yet another fit of tears…I may just throw myself off of the top of that jungle gym!  (AND, she is now big enough to open the car door from the outside by herself. How on earth did that happen?)

I mean, just look at this Addie-tude! I think this photo pretty much says it all. She is a 3-year old girl on a mission!

And I wouldn’t change one tiny piece of her for anything.
Find more photos that say it all over at Tracey’s new spot today.

Kitty Love ~ Wordless Wednesday

She withstands a lot of torture…

…but gets a lot of love, too. Sweet kitty.

More WW here.

When I grow up…

We were lying in Addie’s bed reading books the other night and Em and Ad decided that they are both going to go to the University of Michigan, and they are going to go at the same time so they can be there together.

(So which of our relatives would like to take them in for a few years so we can get in-state tuition? Even then…times two…aye!)

And Addie wants to be a fireman (firewoman?) and Emma wants to be an “ambulance doctor.”

Look what great public servants we are raising! Although to be fair, Em also wants to be a teacher, a ballet teacher and an astronaut, and I’m sure it will change again within the next 24 hours.

Speaking of professions, while we were walking to pick up Addie from school today, Emma had her American Girl doll (Elizabeth) and we discussed parenting styles…

E: Mama? Don’t you think I am such a good Mommy to Elizabeth?
M: Yes, I do. Where did you learn to be such a good Mommy?
(Oh, come on! Of course I was fishing here…tell me you wouldn’t have said the same thing!)
E: From you!
(See! Absolutely the right answer! Good girl, Em.)
M: Hmmm…well, I’m not always such a good Mommy.
(Guiltily thinking back to about 5 minutes earlier when I was very impatiently trying to herd Em and all of her crap out the door!)
E: Yeah, well sometimes I have to yell at Elizabeth too!
(Fantastic. Yes, maybe this week isn’t going as smoothly without J. as I had imagined.)

But at least Emma isn’t drawing pictures on her homework of me like this! (You have to read the description below the picture – I’m still giggling over it!)

And, I know.  These photos have absolutely nothing to do with the post – they are simply gratuitous pics for Daddy.

We miss you!
xoxoxo,
-Your Girls

How do we get the candy? ~ Best Shot Monday

Technically, this was a horrible shot. That was indeed a very plaid sofa behind the girls. So I tried to tone down the colors by editing the photo and making it black & white. Plus the lighting wasn’t so great and it was what I imagine it would be like to be a member of the paparazzi at a Hollywood movie premier, with about ten moms and dads jockeying for position, trying to take photos, flashes going off left and right.

But all of that aside, I cannot stop looking at this photo and just smiling. My two princesses, (it was a Princess-themed birthday party for Addie’s little friend) anxiously waiting for someone to just bust open that pinata!

Such concentration and seriousness! How can it not be my Best Shot Monday for today?

Winter Wonderland ~ Theme Thursday

Well, I guarantee our take on Winter Wonderland will be quite different than most of the other Theme Thursdays for today.

Instead of playing “king of the hill” on top of snowbanks – we frolic in great, heaping piles of leaves and at best hope for maybe a rainy day or two.

And this is our version of the “snow angel” –

We can visit the snow (about an hour away) whenever we choose, but…really, why would we want to?

Considering it is almost impossible to get them to wear long sleeves, I think these California girls would agree that snow is waaaay over-rated!

In case you ever wondered…

I always have non-Californians ask if our trees lose their leaves in the fall.

Um…this is our front walk/yard. It is usually a nice green lawn (or during the very summer months – a yellowish/green).

So yes…we do lose our leaves. Our ash tree usually drops its leaves in November, but weird weather this winter has the poor trees all mixed up. It is bizarre to sit and literally watch the leaves fall off of the tree.

By the bagful.

Every time Addie walked outside last week she would say, “Oh Mama! It is fall! Look at all the leaves falling off of the trees!”

Of course her older, much wiser sister corrects her instantly. “NO Addie, it is actually winter. We just live in CAL-i-FORnia!”

It didn’t stop Addie from jumping in the leaves last week though. (Note: This was taken the day after the gardener cleaned up the yard and he bundled up two big barrels plus 15 bags of leaves. We swept up another huge pile, and you can’t even tell right now that we have picked any leaves up at all!)

And Bear had to take a turn, too…