A wonderful evening with Addie

There are some days when it seems that Addie has had just the right amount of sleep, food and star alignment, to allow her to just be happy to be in my presence, instead of on my lap. And when this happens in the evening, it's an even more special treat for me.

This particular evening was even filled with lots of smiles and laughter. I kept trying to tell her that her pacifier was yucky anytime she tried to put it in her mouth. And when she switched to the toothbrush, I made my protests even more dramatic. The results were worth it. I love it when my Addie smiles!

After sitting in the living room finally lost its appeal, we played tag for a while. It's one of Addie's favorite things to do. She has had no problems walking away from us (Ellie used to always stay by our sides) and I probably only encourage it by teasing her asking, "Hey, where are you going?" She responds by walking a little faster and with a little giggle.

Another favorite game to play... Addie LOVES to hide behind closed doors. She'll walk into the bathroom, giggle, and close the door and wait until you ask where she went. Then she giggles before opening the door and jumps out as though to say "Here I am!" It's perfect. She's perfect. And yes, I'm sure the overalls help.

Little Sister Quote of the Day

Not quite a quote yet, but I think it still counts.

Addie: Eh?
Mommy: What do you have?
Addie: Eh.
Mommy: Oh! What a pretty head band. Do you want to wear it?
Addie: (head nod).
Mommy: (putting the head band onto Addie's head) Oh, how pretty!
Addie: (walks over to Ellie, sticks her head down and into Ellie's face).
Ellie: No, go away Addie.
Addie: (stays).
Ellie: No, go away! Please go away.
Mommy: I think she just wants you to say how pretty her head band is and then she'll go away.
Ellie: Oh! How pretty! So pretty Addie!
Addie: (HUGE smile and walks back to Mommy).

I LOVED how she wanted her big sister's approval. LOVED IT.

Living in a multi-lingual family

In Spanish class, Ellie was asked what language her parents speak. Her response?

"My daddy speaks Spanish. My Mommy speaks French. And I speak Spanish."

Huh. Who knew?

Wordless Wednesday

Big Sister Quote of the Day

Ellie: Mommy, did you know dat when Addie grows up, we will be friends forever?

Wisdom from my 3 year old

Ellie: Mommy do you want to know someping? Did you know dat I'm growing up ree-ah ree-ah fast? And tomorrow I will be married. Hey! I have an idea! How about you be nice to me today and let me watch a movie!?

Growing Addie

Just look at how big my baby is getting! With the exception of her being so Mommy-focused, little Addie has been such a joy to be around these last couple of months. Her cuteness replinishes our energy. Her adorable coos and ahhs make us smile. The ease at which she goes to sleep still takes us by surprise, but is often exactly what we need by the end of the day. But she's growing so fast and is so interested in learning.

It's still a little strange to see her as a little girl instead of my little baby, but she is so smart - just like her big sister. One of her recent favorites is singing Itsy Bitsy Spider. Look at how well she does!!!

I think one of my favorite things about this girl is her hair. God, I LOVE her pigtails!!! Ellie didn't have this much hair until a much older age and by the time I got a picture of her in pigtails, she was already pulling them out. With Addie, her younger age has made it easier to have daily pigtails. She sits and plays with the water in the sink while I make her hair super cute. There might not be anthing cuter than toddler piggies.

For a couple months now, Addie has been very proud of her ability to spin. She'll often walk up to you, stare you in the face and then start spinning until you acknowledge that you see her. Adorable. Combine this with the Ring Around the Rosie song and you have one very proud little Addie.

For the most part, Addie's smiles have been replaced by a focused little girl taking in the world around her. She hasn't been full of smiles lately but she's certainly gaining her own personality. She loves to make funny faces.

And speaking of funny... Addie is also starting to develop her own list of things she thinks is funny. Ellie is top of the list still, though now it's a little different. Even Ellie has a harder time getting Addie to laugh, but put a video of Ellie in front of Addie and she can't stop laughing. I was going to delete this video because of Ellie's attitude (nothing quite like doing exactly what she asks and then being told "no, don't do that") but Addie loves it. She laughs and laughs and even does a little bounce whenever I show it to her. So I guess we're keeping it.

Tid-Bits

We have a book that counts down kisses - ten kisses on the toes, nine kisses on the feet, etc. When I read it to Addie, she head-buts each page. She thinks kisses mean "present your forehead for a kiss."

Addie LOVES her coat and mittens. She often gives you attitude if you suggest taking them off and when you put mittens on her hands, she claps them just like her Mommy does with her super-fuzzy mittens.

I love that when at the airport, Addie would walk up to a person (any person really) and expect them to lift their legs to allow her to go under like a tunnel.

I love that Addie wanted to help put up blue tape on the walls when we were marking spots to touch up in the rental property. She'd put the tape on, then when we were done, she went back and took them all off, one at a time, and handed the pieces to me. So much for progress.

I love how Addie likes to play hide-and-seek. She often walks into the bathroom, gives you a mischievous look before deliberately closing the door, locking herself in. Repeat over and over again.

Random quote of the day from Ellie - "Did you know energy comes out my butt and into your tummy? Did you know dat? See? (farts) Now you have energy in your tummy to let me watch a movie."

Random twisted quote of the day from Niffer to Michael - "The more like me I can make Ellie, the more likely she'll find a guy like you to marry."

Ellie: Why are you laughing?
Mommy: Because you're cute.
Ellie: No! I'm gorgeous!

I love that right before her bedtime, Addie leans in for kisses and hugs from everyone. Ellie insists she gives her hugs and kisses too. They're already so close.

Ellie has recently decided to increment the number of pony tails she wants every time I fix her hair. Today we're on 6. It's getting challenging.

Wordless Wednesday

Big Sister Quote of the Day

Ok, it's more of a quote relating to the love she has for her entire family, but it still counts...

Ellie: Hey look! Dat light has a rainbow on it.
Mommy: Oh, yeah. That's because there is fog on your window.
Ellie: There is anoder one!
Mommy: The fog makes the lights look like they have rainbows.
Ellie: And da rainbows stink of Addie, you and Daddy.
Mommy: Aww... the rainbows make you think of us?
Ellie: Yeah! Da rainbows stink of Addie, you and Daddy... and me too!
Mommy: You too, huh?
Ellie: Yeah because I love Addie, you and Daddy... and me too!

I may be wrong but I'm never uncertain

Daddy: Do you know which one is red?
Addie: (confidently nods her head)
Daddy: Which one is red?
Addie: Da! (confidently points to the blue)

Mommy: Do you know which is the chicken?
Addie: (confidently nods her head)
Mommy: Where's the chicken?
Addie: Da! (confidently points to the cow)

Mommy: Do you know which one is big?
Addie: (confidently nods her head)
Mommy: Which one is big?
Addie: Da! (confidently points to the mouse instead of elephant)

Niffer is a Landlord

The Mister and I decided that we needed to take advantage of the low loan rates and get ourselves a rental property. It's part of our grand scheme to take over the world... ahem... retire. Check out this gem!
The original owner (from 1977) still lived there until about a year ago when she moved to a nursing home. It was like a museum... with the original luxurious orange shag carpet, except for where it was pitted with black valleys of disgust. It also had original harvest gold appliances and toilets, with lots of authentic finger prints and waxy grime. It was love at first site. We had to buy the place... wouldn't you?

Ok... Ok... To be fair, I haven't shown you the best part...
... THE VIEW!!! Be honest... You wouldn't have been able to say no either.

After a new coat of paint, new carpets, flooring, toilets, sinks, appliances, lights and blinds (not shown)... You know, the basics... I think the place turned out pretty darn good! Instant equity. And the best part? We already have a renter! Score!


And did I mention it has a view???

Look Ma! I'm crafty!

A whlie ago, I bought these two fellows from my favorite Etsy shop. I quickly came the conclusion that I had to learn how to make these little guys for two reasons. 1.) If I bought all of the ones I loved, there would be no gnomes for anyone else to bring to their home and 2.) There would also be no money in my bank account to bring anything else to my home. But, please... feel free to give her your business. They're adorable!

And here is my first Niffer-made gnome. I. MADE. HER. Can you believe it??? Not bad for my first try! My little fellow looks older and wiser than the Etsy ones, and her flowers are huge... perhaps a gnome's flowers grow with old age? This wise soul taught me a lot about the ways of the gnomes. She loves to pass on her knowledge to anyone who is willing to listen to one of her stories of her many adventures beyond the garden.

So... Why has Niffer decided to learn how to make these little gnomes? I have no freakin' idea. There is just something about the wee ones that make me smile. They seem to give me a hint of magic in my life. I like them. I look at them and I have to smile. They make me happy. Enough said.

So now I'm making more. I'd love to make them and post stories about fantastic cute little gnome adventures like the Etsy seller has in her shop, but then I'd be nearing the point of blog-overflow. Regardless, I may end up with a whole colony of little Niffer gnomes who live in my purple Niffer glass bottles and old Niffer steamer trunks (two other obsessions of mine). Or perhaps you may end up with one showing up at your house some random afternoon. They might make occasional appearances here. Who knows. All I know is I'm bringing more into the world. Life is good.

UPDATE: Sadly my little old gnome passed away last night. Merlin got to her. May she rest in peace.

Wordless Wednesday

Snow in Nifferland

After visiting Grandpa Lou and Grandmommy Jeanne, we returned to a winter wonderland! Ellie was excited to play in the snow and though she was disappointed that she couldn't have a snowball fight (the snow wouldn't stick together)...
... But she was thrilled when we suggested making snow angels... her first! Can you see the pride?

Addie, on the other hand was more interested in simply wearing her coat (she loves that thing) and mittens. She spent the time taking them off only to request for them to be put back on. She's a silly one.

Teaching the new generation

Every Niffer LOVES churches. And by "every" I really mean me. Big or small. Old or new. As long as it has character, Niffer is a happy camper. This love for churches must not stop with me! I need to pass it on so that generations to come can enjoy this magic.

And so you can imagine my excitement when BOTH of my girls could experience the magic I speak of, while visiting the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. (we were visiting Grandpa Lou and Grandmommy Jeanne).

Upon first entry, Ellie informs me that "It's kind of like a castle. Can I be a princess?" So she and I explored the chapels in the basement, following pathways and stairways to see where they led. We'd find special chapel rooms and I'd lean down to tell Ellie, "WHOA! Look at this room! This room is special. It's so pretty that we should be very quiet." Then we'd stop to appreciate how pretty columns were, or windows, or even candles, before moving on with the next part of our adventure.

Once we made it upstairs to the main part of the cathedral, I couldn't help but be swept away by my Addie, who was being swept away by the massive beauty she saw before her. Imagine being a 2 foot little girl and walking into a cathedral that is hundreds of feet tall (ok, to the top of the tower, sure... but it might as well be that tall to the ceiling... remember we're talking little Addie here). And you could tell that she took notice of it. She stood in the entrance and looked as far up as she could, at all the beautiful stained glass windows and pointed with an excited coo. When I said "Yeah, aren't the windows pretty?" she pointed again as if to say "But did you see that? That's MORE than just PRETTY." She spent the next 20 minutes or so pointing to different windows, columns and flags, all with an adorable coo to make sure you saw the same thing.

The three of us took turns pointing to the stained glass windows we liked the most. I found a purple and blue one that was stunning. Ellie found a green one that was her favorite and Addie seemed to like the ones with lots of bright red accents.

There we were, the four of us... my husband, my daughters and I (Ok, Grandpa Lou was there too), appreciating the beauty around us. It was a perfect Niffer moment.

Big Sister Quote of the Day

At the airport Addie was super tired and as a result she suffered from ants-in-my-pants syndrome. She just couldn't stay still and was on the fussy side. That is until Ellie told her to put her head on her lap. Addie put her head on Ellie's lap and just relaxed. Ellie rubbed her hair and quietly said "Poor sting. My little sister. Poor sting. My little sister. I very much love you!"

I'm nearly certain I heard every passenger within hearing distance heave a great big sigh. Or was that just me?

And we're back!

Well, we made it back in one piece. I suppose technically we came back with more than we left because Addie now has two more teeth and Ellie has a tattoo.

So... some highlights of our trip to see Grandpa Lou and Grandmommy Jeanne? Hmm... Already I feel myself forgetting so many. Over all it was a good trip, as good as one could expect given the fact that we were traveling with two young ones.

We went ice-skating, which was a complete failure... no, wait... that was just my back talking. Oh, sure the girls had a blast, but we learned that it is HA-ARD! After a single lap both Daddy and Mommy were exhausted from practically holding up the girls. We'd have to squat for Ellie, who hung onto our arms for dear life. Our backs feel 20 years older already. And Addie? OH BOY! Did she LOVE to ice-skate. If you can call it that. She had her boots on and just stood between my legs with her feet gliding on the ice. She had a blast. All in all it was a success and a lot of fun.

I was able to break away from the girls two nights. One night I drove up to see a beautiful Mommy friend for a quick coffee, only it turned out to be a full-fledged dessert date. Apparently it was a very big deal for her to get out of the house so she was going to make the most of it by treating us to chocolate fondue. Not that I complained. I had a great time. The other night Daddy and I went to dinner with some other Mommy/Daddy friends. In both cases we talked about nothing other than our children. Go figure. This is the life of a parent.

Sorry for the boring post... In my head I have witty comments about the trip, but they seem to be stuck in there for now. This is what happens when I don't have internet access for a week.

The morning after we got home, she couldn't stop pointing to things in her room. It was as though she was saying "See that? That's MY bed. And see that? That's MY chair. And see that? That's MY window! Do you recognize this place? Do you see!? It's MY room!" I right there with you, Addie. It's good to be home.

Happy New Years!