Just chillin'

We took advantage of the sunshine this afternoon and went to the park to play outside for a little while. The late day sunlight was perfect for taking some photos. Of course, I can never get ENOUGH shots. But Grace's patience and tolerance wear out long before I get all the photos I want!

Daisy liked the fresh air, too.

I could tell Daisy wanted to roam and explore,
but she came back as soon as a I called her. Good dog!

Girls' night

I had the wonderful treat of spending a Saturday afternoon and evening with these two awesome little girls. They were great friends to each other - sharing, using kind words, and taking turns. I think they played with every toy we have at our house in addition to having a tea party, eating dinner, doing a craft, watching Finding Nemo, and "doctoring" each other.

Grace pretending to be sick so she could be "doctored".

Even Daisy got in on the action....
actually, I think she was trying to get away from it,
but Dawson and Grace decided to go under the table with her!

I have a lot to be thankful for...

...but this young lady is my #1!

Roar!

Grace wore this cute coat and hat from Aunt Suze to the "Funtastic Flute" concert at Severance Hall this morning. When she put it on she declared that she was a baby jaguar (like on the Nickelodeon Diego show) so I took advantage of that to get her to go outside for a couple of pictures. She allowed me only two - one roaring and one serious - and then she walked away saying, "We done, Mommy". Boy, that child has a mind of her own!
Yes, we got those bangs cut today after the flute concert!

Almost 3 1/2

Grace will be 3 1/2 next Tuesday. How did my baby go from

thisto this?

Seriously...when did that happen? The three years since we took that first photo over Thanksgiving weekend in 2007 have flown by. My baby is now my little "big" girl. She walks the fine line between still being my baby and being a preschooler who exerts her independence and a desire to try to do everything by herself. I love listening to Grace talk and watching her learn to do new things. But, I also love those times when she climbs in my lap to cuddle and tells me, "Mama, I don't want to get bigger". (She has started to call me "Mama" sometimes, and I kinda like it!)

So, at 3 1/2 Grace:

• wants to be a nurse when she grows up. I didn't even know she had an understanding of what types of jobs people do. And, I didn't know she knew what a nurse does. But, when I asked her she said "they help people who are sick".
  
• loves to hear her own voice echo. She will shout or just make funny sounds in places where her voice is amplified. If you are ever in a public bathroom with us, you will see what I mean.
  
• has become fascinated with puzzles. I can't say she is very good at them, but working on a puzzle is something that keeps her attention for a long time and I see improvement each time she does one. Although they are only 24 pieces, they are great for concentration, problem solving, matching, geometric and spatial reasoning, and pre-reading skills.
  
• can spell her name, tell what street she lives on (and that is HARD - our street name has three words to remember), and what city we live in. I am never going to lose her, but it sure makes me feel better knowing she can help someone find me if it ever happens!
• makes up nonsense stories when she is in the bathtub, playing on her own, or trying to delay bedtime. And, every story ends with "the end"!
• is a little monkey who tests my nerves by climbing and jumping on her bed, the couch, the stairs, the jungle gym at the park....pretty much anything!
• remembers everything! It amazes me sometimes how she tells me what direction I should turn the car, identifies family members in photos even if she hasn't seen them in a while, retells the details of stories we have read, sings the words to songs, and shares information she learned at school like what the American flag looks like or what and optical illusion is. But....Miss Stubborn will not tell you ANYTHING if she doesn't want to. No amount of coaxing or bribery will work. She just says, "I'm not talking now" or "Mommy, be quiet"..
  
• is a little diva and show-off when she wants someone's attention. Then, she will try to make funny faces, tell a joke, create silly words, or repeat something you said or mimic something you do. It is not funny! But it is funny to know that she is trying her hardest to bring the attention back in her direction.

Fired and finished

Grace proudly showing off her finished pottery.

I asked her who she wanted to give the mitten to as a present and she said herself! Sorry, family, I guess its a "keeper"!

I might regret this in January

Look what Santa is bringing Grace for Christmas!

I found this cool kid-sized drum set in a local store. It is made by a company called First Act and their "Discovery" line is created specifically for kids ages 3-9. They use colored shape stickers to help kids learn which drum to hit as they figure out tempo, notes, and rhythm through games and songs. I like that they aren't a toy - the drums look and sound like an adult set....just a lot smaller. But I am a little worried about the "noise" that is going to be filling our house in a little over a month. :-)

All fired up

Kellie and I took our creative preschoolers to All Fired Up! a paint-your-own pottery place near us. I remember my mother taking us to "ceramics" when we were kids and our creations adorned the walls, shelves, holiday tables, and Christmas tree for years growing up. In fact, I even have this celery dish that I made back in 19** (yeah, I am not revealing the year). Let's just say it is OLD!Dawson is a patient, careful artist. She seems to enjoy experimenting with color and I admire her drawings and ability to color within the lines for being just 3 years old. Grace, on the other hand, isn't as meticulous with her artwork. I see the skill slowly developing where she is starting to have more patience and focus, but generally music and movement are more her speed. So, I figured this outing was going to be perfect for Dawson and a good opportunity for Grace to practice and grow. I was hopeful that she would sit still for a little while and not go through the place like a bull in a china shop! And, I was really looking forward to spending a little time creating something beautiful with my daughter that we will have for years to come. We chose a mitten Christmas ornament and a plate shaped like a large, round ornament, figuring the girls could use any colors and make a design on the empty spaces. It was interesting to watch their different techniques. Grace preferred to mix all her colors on her paintbrush and Dawson carefully washed and dried her brush between colors to keep them all neat and distinct on her work. (Look at the photos...you can see what I mean!) I'll admit it was HARD for me to resist "helping" Grace. The control freak in me really should have bought her own piece to paint! But now that I look back at the photos, I can see that Grace's painting style really is just an example of the exuberance she shows in every aspect of her life. Her personality is colorful and I can see that she wants to jump right in and experience everything all at once! I should let her help me be more like that....
It will be fun to see how the finished products turn out next week after they are "all fired up"!

Halloweekend

It was a fun-filled Halloween weekend that included trick-or-treating on both Saturday and Sunday, a bonfire at our friends' house, and baking jack-o-lantern cupcakes on Sunday to take to Kellie and Dawson's house.Grace has been cooking with me a lot lately so she knows how to add and mix ingredients, but I was surprised that she was able to handle the electric mixer on her own. It is pretty heavy!

These are the finished product!

Kellie hosted a bunch of people on Sunday evening for dinner and trick-or-treating in her neighborhood. Grace seemed so much happier and more confident having a friend to ring doorbells with!

My favorite part of the entire weekend was watching our two princesses holding hands and enjoying the holiday together.

Even the police gave out candy.

I have never seen that before!

The princess gave up walking and got a ride back to Kellie's house.

And, by the end of the evening, my little Snow White was ready to trade her fancy dress and sparkly shoes for these comfortable pajamas Nana and Ba sent her. It think she is going to have wonderful dreams in them....