Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Great Dinosaur Debate
Dinosaur: Hi Ellie!
Ellie: Hi toy dinosaur!
Dinosaur: I'm not a toy. I'm a pet dinosaur.
Ellie: No, you're not. You're a toy.
Dinosaur: No, I'm a pet dinosaur. I'm just really small.
Ellie: No, you're just a toy.
Dinosaur: No, I'm real. See?
Ellie: You're not real. You're just a toy because I'm talking for you.
Dinosaur: You are?
Ellie: Yep.
Dinosaur: Oh.
Ellie: Hi toy dinosaur!
Dinosaur: I'm not a toy. I'm a pet dinosaur.
Ellie: No, you're not. You're a toy.
Dinosaur: No, I'm a pet dinosaur. I'm just really small.
Ellie: No, you're just a toy.
Dinosaur: No, I'm real. See?
Ellie: You're not real. You're just a toy because I'm talking for you.
Dinosaur: You are?
Ellie: Yep.
Dinosaur: Oh.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Hay is for Horses
Ellie: Hey!
Daddy: Is for horses.
Ellie: Hey!
Daddy: Is for horses.
Addie: Hey!
Daddy: Is for horses.
Ellie: Hey!
Daddy: Is what horses eat.
Addie: Hey!
Daddy: Is for horses.
Ellie: Hey!
Daddy: What do horses eat?
Ellie: Hay!
Addie: No, carrots!
Daddy: Is for horses.
Ellie: Hey!
Daddy: Is for horses.
Addie: Hey!
Daddy: Is for horses.
Ellie: Hey!
Daddy: Is what horses eat.
Addie: Hey!
Daddy: Is for horses.
Ellie: Hey!
Daddy: What do horses eat?
Ellie: Hay!
Addie: No, carrots!
Friday, March 09, 2012
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Butterflies
Butterfly Pavilion - I have to say that finally, after a few years of trying, we now have the hang of it. It's all about the sunshine. If it's sunny out, the butterflies are in abundance. They're stunning! It seemed that everywhere I looked there was one begging me to photograph it. 
And Ellie is getting the hang of it too. We told her that butterflies land on those they know are special and kind and to tell a butterfly that you are that type of person, you need to sit really still. Apparently that's all it took for this butterfly to realize that Ellie was special. Seconds after she sat down, he came to say hi.
Poor Addie. She tried. She really did try, but in the end it's more fun to dance around and play than to beg butterflies to land on you.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Our Adventure
The girls got some money from Pappy as a Valentine's Day gift and so last weekend we decided that it was burning a hole in the girls' pockets. So, off on an adventure to spend it we went!
We decided to ride the bus into town to the toy store and from the start I knew our adventure was going to be a success. The day was warm and the girls were playful.
The girls walked along the curb of the sidewalk, improving their balancing skills. Seeing our little Addie do this...
...brought back memories of when we did the same thing with Ellie not so long ago. Isn't it funny how certain photos just DO that to you?
Life is good, especially if you add a little bit of whimsy to the day...
... but too much whimsy is a bit more difficult to handle... hehehe... look at the focus on Addie's face!
The bus... can anything else in a toddler's life be quite as cool? I think not.
Once down town, of course we had to stop by the balloon man. Addie loved her dragon... all the way up until she saw Ellie's unicorn. Sigh... note for next time - they WILL get the same balloon animal.
Isn't it funny how sometimes the best part of an adventure is the journey? Our destination was the toy shop and we did make it there and the girls bought a bunch of "pet" lizards, but it's not the part of the day that I remember the most. I remember how thrilled the girls were to ride the bus just like Daddy does when he goes to work. How grown up they both felt!
We decided to ride the bus into town to the toy store and from the start I knew our adventure was going to be a success. The day was warm and the girls were playful.
The girls walked along the curb of the sidewalk, improving their balancing skills. Seeing our little Addie do this...
...brought back memories of when we did the same thing with Ellie not so long ago. Isn't it funny how certain photos just DO that to you?
Life is good, especially if you add a little bit of whimsy to the day...
... but too much whimsy is a bit more difficult to handle... hehehe... look at the focus on Addie's face!
The bus... can anything else in a toddler's life be quite as cool? I think not.
Once down town, of course we had to stop by the balloon man. Addie loved her dragon... all the way up until she saw Ellie's unicorn. Sigh... note for next time - they WILL get the same balloon animal.
Isn't it funny how sometimes the best part of an adventure is the journey? Our destination was the toy shop and we did make it there and the girls bought a bunch of "pet" lizards, but it's not the part of the day that I remember the most. I remember how thrilled the girls were to ride the bus just like Daddy does when he goes to work. How grown up they both felt!
Monday, March 05, 2012
Niffer's Library
For as long as I can remember I've fantasized about having a special room for just me and my husband. I always imagined it being full of plants with lots of windows to let the warm sunshine in. My husband and I would just feel more comfortable in the room than anywhere else and we would each sit there (him drinking his coffee and me drinking my tea) doing whatever it is we like to do, but just being close to each other.
There was a part of me that never thought I would have this special room...
... but I do now! It's nothing like I imagined it being. It isn't full of plants and it certainly isn't bright and sunny, but it's even better. And it's perfect for Michael and me. We are now proud owners of a REAL library of our very own and it's everything I never imagined a personal library to be. It makes me think of the old libraries you see in old castles and palaces in Europe, only this one is just the right size for us. And it's ours. I sit in the corner and work on my gnomes, and Michael sits at the computer playing his games. Life couldn't get any better and it certainly can't get any cozier.
You might be asking yourself "A library? What does she mean? And how? And why?" Let me answer a bit aobut that... My mom stumbled upon a garage sale where the lady was trying to sell her grandfather's old library of books one at a time. My mom's heart broke at the idea of all these wonderful books being separated and bought them all on the spot. There are full collections of people like Voltaire, Guy De Maupassant, Walter Scott, Alphonse Daudet, Dumas and Shakespeare, to name a few. All of them are beautifully bounded antique books ranging from 110-150 years old. The photos above probably show 1/3 of the books (the rest are behind these) and though not all of them are in great shape, there are some amazing books. She bought them for a couple hundred dollars and ended up giving them to us. Upon looking online, it looks like these books could be worth quite a bit more (enough that we need to get them insured), but I'm not going to tell you the number here.
So my mom hauled these books over and we were swamped in piles of old books that made our house smell like a real library. And Niffer was happy. We bought ourselves some shelves and arranged our boring office into a library. My grandma's dressor (one of my most cherished things I own*) now sits proudly between two cases of beautiful books (Michael's grandma's anniversary clock does too). I'm sure my grandma is happy.
I just gotta take a moment to give you a better appreciation for the treasure that has been given to us. Look at these gems. These are some of the Voltaire books, and they're all like this - beautiful gold enlayed covers. They're absolutely gorgeous and we just had to display them. No worries... my little Book Worm gnome is there to protect them (that and the fact that we keep the room dark and the sun out.
My special room may not be what I had originally thought it would be. It's not filled with plants or sunshine, but it's filled with something even better. We find ourselves sitting here often and thinking "I like this room. I like it a lot." It's perfect. It makes me happy. And it smells good.**
* My other beloved pocessions include an old steamer dome top trunk from my other grandma and a beautiful bedroom set from Michael's grandma. Perhaps someday I'll turn them into perfect nooks too?
** I wonder if my girls will grow up to think about our little library whenever they smell old books. Wouldn't that be grand if the smell made them think of our perfect corner of the house?
There was a part of me that never thought I would have this special room...
... but I do now! It's nothing like I imagined it being. It isn't full of plants and it certainly isn't bright and sunny, but it's even better. And it's perfect for Michael and me. We are now proud owners of a REAL library of our very own and it's everything I never imagined a personal library to be. It makes me think of the old libraries you see in old castles and palaces in Europe, only this one is just the right size for us. And it's ours. I sit in the corner and work on my gnomes, and Michael sits at the computer playing his games. Life couldn't get any better and it certainly can't get any cozier. 
You might be asking yourself "A library? What does she mean? And how? And why?" Let me answer a bit aobut that... My mom stumbled upon a garage sale where the lady was trying to sell her grandfather's old library of books one at a time. My mom's heart broke at the idea of all these wonderful books being separated and bought them all on the spot. There are full collections of people like Voltaire, Guy De Maupassant, Walter Scott, Alphonse Daudet, Dumas and Shakespeare, to name a few. All of them are beautifully bounded antique books ranging from 110-150 years old. The photos above probably show 1/3 of the books (the rest are behind these) and though not all of them are in great shape, there are some amazing books. She bought them for a couple hundred dollars and ended up giving them to us. Upon looking online, it looks like these books could be worth quite a bit more (enough that we need to get them insured), but I'm not going to tell you the number here.So my mom hauled these books over and we were swamped in piles of old books that made our house smell like a real library. And Niffer was happy. We bought ourselves some shelves and arranged our boring office into a library. My grandma's dressor (one of my most cherished things I own*) now sits proudly between two cases of beautiful books (Michael's grandma's anniversary clock does too). I'm sure my grandma is happy.
I just gotta take a moment to give you a better appreciation for the treasure that has been given to us. Look at these gems. These are some of the Voltaire books, and they're all like this - beautiful gold enlayed covers. They're absolutely gorgeous and we just had to display them. No worries... my little Book Worm gnome is there to protect them (that and the fact that we keep the room dark and the sun out.My special room may not be what I had originally thought it would be. It's not filled with plants or sunshine, but it's filled with something even better. We find ourselves sitting here often and thinking "I like this room. I like it a lot." It's perfect. It makes me happy. And it smells good.**
* My other beloved pocessions include an old steamer dome top trunk from my other grandma and a beautiful bedroom set from Michael's grandma. Perhaps someday I'll turn them into perfect nooks too?
** I wonder if my girls will grow up to think about our little library whenever they smell old books. Wouldn't that be grand if the smell made them think of our perfect corner of the house?
Friday, March 02, 2012
Playing with Daddy
Wow... We might actually be getting to the point where Addie gives us lots of laughs with the things she says... This entire week has been about her - Usually I have more stories about Ellie! Alas... Here's another that made us laugh...
Mommy: I need you to go play with Addie for a while please.
Daddy: Addie, I'm here to play with you!
Addie: No! I pay wif Mommy!
Addie then proceed to run into the closet. She slid the closet door closed behind her, waited a moment, and then stuck her arm out so you could only see her arm and pointing finger...
Addie: Not jer toys. Do not touch Daddy!
... And proceeded to closer herself off in the closet, waiting for Mommy to return to play.
Mommy: I need you to go play with Addie for a while please.
Daddy: Addie, I'm here to play with you!
Addie: No! I pay wif Mommy!
Addie then proceed to run into the closet. She slid the closet door closed behind her, waited a moment, and then stuck her arm out so you could only see her arm and pointing finger...
Addie: Not jer toys. Do not touch Daddy!
... And proceeded to closer herself off in the closet, waiting for Mommy to return to play.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Cheering Mommy Up
Addie: Was wrong?
Mommy: I'm grumpy.
Addie: No. You're appy!
Mommy: No, I'm grumpy.
Addie: No, you're appy!
Mommy: Grumpy!
Addie: You're appy!
Mommy: I'M GRUMPY!
Addie: No, AP-PEEEEE!!!!
This went on for about 5 minutes. In the end, she won the argument. After all, she's so gosh darn cute... as much as I tried to stay grumpy, this girl's persistancy won me over.
Mommy: I'm grumpy.
Addie: No. You're appy!
Mommy: No, I'm grumpy.
Addie: No, you're appy!
Mommy: Grumpy!
Addie: You're appy!
Mommy: I'M GRUMPY!
Addie: No, AP-PEEEEE!!!!
This went on for about 5 minutes. In the end, she won the argument. After all, she's so gosh darn cute... as much as I tried to stay grumpy, this girl's persistancy won me over.
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