Silly Faces and Snow Days

Enjoying the first BIG snow storm at our first house: January 26, 2014.

I know I haven't published anything in a week, and you all have probably been coming back thinking that maybe I did but neglected to post a link on Facebook, but that's not the case. For the past seven days I simply haven't had any writing mojo. At least not for anything "serious" or "educational," which is what I originally planned to write last week. I have half a dozen unfinished drafts waiting for me to work on in my Blogger dashboard. This is why I don't write professionally.

In high school, the only reason I ever finished any of my writing assignments is because if I didn't I risked a big fat red F on my report card, which would have got me grounded at home, after a stern lecture about how disappointed my parents were in me. Most of the time I didn't care for the topic and managed to strongly suggest this to my teacher in my work but still be so grammatically perfect and on topic that I got an A+ marked on the paper. Often, though, I'd get this look when she handed the paper back to me. Worth it.

Not this look, but you're welcome.

This is going to be a short post. Today we are planning on venturing out into the icy wilderness after lunch to do some shopping for the Usurper's birthday. For the past two days it has been snowing, relentlessly. Your Future Overlord enjoyed rolling around in our front yard while her daddy shoveled the driveway. We even took her baby sister out for a little bit, but we have not left the safety of our own lawn borders all weekend. Cabin fever is starting to set in.

The eldest had the stomach flu last week. It was horrible. She didn't eat, and even getting her to drink something different (generic Pedialyte) was a chore. Today her appetite has come back with a vengeance. She has eaten FOUR bowls of cereal on her own, and is sharing her daddy's cereal with him right now, as I type this. I might have to readjust my dinner menu in order to feed a small army if she keeps this up.

The animals get crazy when held captive for too long.

We found ways to keep ourselves entertained while the blizzard of the century (I exaggerate) swept through. I learned a tremendous amount of patience while dealing with a super whiny, sick, vomiting three-year-old. Most of all I learned to remember that every experience my children have is a teaching moment, and that I should exploit the opportunities that arise to their fullest potential.

This weekend my eldest learned "left" and "right," with the help of the L and R I Sharpied on the bottom of her ballet shoes. After her illness passed, she displayed another tremendous leap in comprehension and listening skills. She learned the difference between a pentagon and a hexagon, with a lot of persistent repetition on my part. She again exhibited her amazing mighty math powers (Team Umizoomi for the win) when she informed me that her baby sister was walking around with two bowls, totally unprompted. Oh. And her daddy taught her how to make snow angels.

This week is going to present us with new challenges. Primarily, this Saturday we are having the Usurper's FIRST BIRTHDAY party! Exactly one week from today she turns one year old. She has come a long way from the tiny bundle of stubborn that had to be evicted from my belly a week after her due date. I've learned that finally there is someone in this house who enjoys the same foods as I do, such as salad! My husband hates salad. The eldest won't even try it. But my baby will stretch across the table to steal a leaf out of my bowl and gnaw on it happily. It's about time!

I watched her start crawling in this house. We struggled through a brief stint with food allergies that she seems to have overcome. She took her first steps for me on Christmas Eve, and now she's racing her sister up and down the hallway. Most recently she has learned to point and ask, "Uh dat. Dat." She still hasn't learned the inquiring inflection yet, but that's normal as I remember. I've watched her develop her very own personality that is totally different from her sister's, such as a desire to lay her head on my shoulder and just cuddle for about ten minutes when she wakes up from her naps, before she's ready to get down and play.

It's hard to believe that in just 12 months time, the sassy little monster that started off her life journey like this . . .

3 days old: February 6, 2013.

. . . has now sprouted into this even sassier, bigger monster who wants to kill me for taking her out in the snow.

358 days old: January 26, 2014.

Couple that with the fact that this time last year her sister was only just beginning to understand the concept of presents, and how fun tissue paper can be.

February 9, 2013: courtesy of Aunt Mandy.

And now . . . she's putting on her own snow pants.

February 26, 2014.