Yet More Holiday Cheer

Yet another idea stolen from a friend, Marie receives an ornament every year. This year, the choice was obvious.

My FAVORITE gift that both Marie and her cousin Annie got this year, the princess crown headpiece from Clare's. Found on the sale rack too!

Enjoying passing out gifts while on her millionth piece of candy.

At the Festival of Trains on Christmas Eve.



Still more trains...

Jenkins Christmas

Not able to eat supper but Aunt Becky's ice cream Sundae went down easy!

Hanging out during a walk in the snow.

Toddler Tobaggan Time

Playing with Cousins

We had a lot of family time on Monday and Tuesday. Here are some pictures of Marie doing a few of the many activities. She had so much fun playing with her cousins. Every time she woke up in the morning or from a nap, she immediately asked for them, wanting to know what was going to happen next!

Whall Christmas

Opening gifts from cousins

Putting her new camera to good use on her uncle

Loving the wrapping more than the contents


Enjoying time with cousins

The Whall Family was lucky enough to spend a quick weekend with the rest of the Whalls.

We went downstate Saturday and had a wonderful pre-Christmas celebration together. The drive back upstate was a little rough but worth every mile! You can see from the photos how Marie was just thrilled every single moment she had with her family. It was a wonderful way to start a wonderful week! Thank you, Whall family!

Deep Thoughts...

Marie has had some deep thoughts of late. A re-occuring question is, "Why does Santa fly so way way up there?"

Today she drew an 'M' while coloring. She looked at it and I saw her eyes light up with pride. She was so thrilled that she could draw HER letter.

She had an opportunity to meet Santa today. She decided that he was too big for her to sit in his lap and we didn't push it. She wouldn't look at him until he gave her a coloring book. This got her to turn her head and she thanked him. Santa was in a big green chair on a red carpet. There was "snow" scattered all over the carpet to make it look festive. Marie surveyed that and emphatically told us, "Someone made a MESS! Somebody needs to get a broom and clean this up!"

When we asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she told us "PRESENTS!" I have had so much fun all day asking her what type of presents. Her delightful replies were: Paper towel, green ones, apples.

Ahhh...the fun-ness of 3!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like..

Marie hard at work decorating the tree. I was torn...should I leave the ornaments clustered on 4 branches at the bottom of the tree where she lovingly placed them or should I re-arrange after she went to bed? Fortunately, the dog started attacking the ornaments so I HAD to move them. Good boy. When we finished decorating and admiring our work, I asked Marie if she had fun decorating the tree. Her reply was to ask if we could do it again.

The snow on our deck...Jim fashioned a "snow gauge" to show you all how much we have been blessed with.

Crashed in the big girl bed with friends HoHo and Panda to block out the world's stresses.

Almost-3 Cuteness

Playing in the white stuff with Daddy. They go out after dinner and both come in very tired and ready to crash. Sometimes they enjoy the antics of Cody too! He leaps and jumps into the air every night. LOVES to play in the snow and catch snowballs!!!

Early Birthday gift from Aunt Abigail - head attire and a million little stickers. Momma spent one nap sorting all the million little stickers into separate ziploc baggies so they didn't get dumped onto the floor EVERY day (there are over 20 little baggies, btw). Needless to say, as usual, Marie had a wonderful time with Aunt Ab. I was talking with my Uncle Tom the other night on the phone and told Marie that I was talking with Aunt Ab's Dad. She gasped audibly, "OOOOHHH!!! I want to play with Aunt Abigail!!!!" Thank you, Ab, for the million little stickers!!!

More Birthday

After her birthday nap, Marie and I brought her "big-girl bed" into her room and got it ready for the big night. We had the bed sitting out for a few weeks, hoping to make it not so exciting for when we started using it. Jim and I had talked with Marie about the bed for a while and she seemed mentally ready. Tonight was the night!

After moving the bed, we played and had a "tea party." Anytime there is more than one cookie and a drink, Marie promptly dubs it a tea party. Sounds great to me. She got phone calls from lots of family wishing her Birthday Greetings. The menu she selected for dinner was Mac and Cheese (not the box) and chicken. She had also requested popsicles but we forgot those. We got her a special birthday plate and that is what she is using. After dinner she opened her presents and from then on, it was Play-Doh ice cream factory time. We played with that for a good hour and Jim had to explain to her why she couldn't take it to bed with her at the end of the night.

To the exacty day of her birthday, she has begun the "Why's." "Where is the doggy?" "Outside." " Why?" "Because I put him there." "Why?" "So he can play outside." "Why?"

Very cute...for now.

Birthday at School

Marie turns 3 today! She was so excited about celebrating her birthday at school. Her teacher has a wonderful birthday ritual that Marie told us about many times. The children sit in their circle and in the middle is a candle representing the sun. The "birthday child" holds the globe. The parent (me, fighting not to cry) tells a little bit about the child's first year. When the I was done, Marie walked around the sun holding the globe, representing her first year. The children sing a little stanza about the earth moving around the sun and then we talk about her second year and so on. Marie was so excited; she kept practicing at home how she was going to walk around the sun and also thrilled that Jim and I would be at school with her. After the sun-earth part, they children sang "Happy Birthday" and she got to wear her crown. Then she picked a friend to pass out napkins and one to pass out the snack with her. It was so fun to see her think through her choices.

She had informed me a while back that she wanted to bring popcorn balls. I thought, "Great! How healthy." I had never made them before. I can't believe how much sugar and corn syrup is used to make a popcorn ball! They are h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e for you!!! And rather sticky to make, I might add. The teacher made sure all the students knew to recycle their plastic baggie and to throw the napkins away in the compost pail.

At the end, as the school day got underway, Marie did a little dancing to celebrate. She had a little bit of a hard time seeing us go but the teacher told her she got to help feed the class rabbit today and that helped.

Thanks to my buddy for covering my class so I could participate!

Acclimated

I swear on me Grama's grave, they were watching "Clifford the Big Red Dog" together.

Why Not?

"Will you be my new family?"

SaMeet Cody!!! (Love our fancy walls in the basement???)

We are crazy. Or spontaneous. Why not? Marie woke up Sunday saying she wanted to go see puppies. We have been talking about dogs for a while but Sunday she was really into them. I decided to take her to PetSmart just to watch the dogs get groomed. I didn't know that PetRescue brings their animals on weekends. I contemplated a puppy for about 30 seconds and then inquired about the calm, quiet large dog. Found out he was housebroken, fixed and very very mild. Called Jim and well...he is on a 2 week trial. He has barked once in 3 days and that is when the mail carrier knocked on the door. Marie fluctuates between loving him and wanting nothing to do with him. Thumbs...not very pleased at all. Jim is, of course, in Heaven. They take walks multiple times a day and today I learned that Jim has bought a frisbee to play with. Glad we got another pet for Marie : )

The Girls eating dinner together as their parents renew "Supper Club"


"I LOVE KATE'S PIE!!!"



We had a blast Saturday with our friends coming over for dinner and hanging out for a while. It had been a long time since we had a supper club - way overdue. We had a blast. It was good to just sit and visit. Times like these show us how far Marie has come. She was so scared and reserved at first. Now she is walking around, talking to everyone and playing. She is definately coming into her own. Today she looked at me and said, "I like to talk." She sure does!

Tag - I am It!

I am not quite sure how it works but evidently I have been tagged. I was always tagged as a kid...not the fastest, you know??? Anyways, I am supposed to answer the following:

8 Favorite TV Shows
GlobeTrekker
Grey's Anatomy
Friends Reruns
Boston Legal
Extreme Home Makeover
American Idol
NCAA Football
NFL Football


8 Things I look forward to
umm...
holding my son
going to South Korea to get my son
bringing my son home
seeing my daughter with my son
watching my daughter and son play together
tomorrow
tonight
and seeing my husband with my daughter and son



8 Things on my wish List
a clean , really clean, like the floorboards and heating registers clean, house
one perfect day on Kailua beach
skiing out West someday...
a really good bike ride on the single track Vasa on a perfect autumn day
waterskiing this summer on the lake
Xmas with my brothers,nieces and nephews
whalewatching off the coast of Cape Cod
snorkeling


8 Things I did yesterday
sent a position paper to my boss on a contraversial topic - again
started a Sudoko
bought my niece's Xmas gift
graded final exams
planned the menu for our dinner party tonight (General Tso's, green beans, egg rolls and sushi)
took a nap
read a story to my darling daughter
woke up late!

8 Favorite Restaurants
ha ha ...that is cruel...here is what they USED to be
Hannahs (downtown Traverse City)
Pearl's (Elk Rapids)
BELTLINE BAR in Grand Rapids
crab shack in Savannah GA, "where the elite eat in their bare feet"
the Cuban restaurant and Thai restaurants in LA my brother takes me to...love you!
Omellette Shop (downtown TC)
Grecian Isle in Brighton - yummy gyros
PIZZA HOUSE IN ANN ARBOR - CHIPATIS!!!! YUM!!!


8 People I will Tag ai yi yi...ummm... Holly Marie? Beth? Bogens? Who else reads this? Any Bethany Board folks or family...I don't KNOW 8 PEOPLE WHO BLOG!

Rules 1. Post the Rules on your blog 2. Answer all of the six items listed 3. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a message on their blog

Dress Up

Trying on some slippers Nana Whall sent for Ty

"Aren't I pretty in my garb?"

What do you do when it's snowy? Get out the dress-up basket. (My apologies to those who recognize their jewelry on Marie. Many items have ended up in the dress-up basket that were not given to us for that intention. But we still enjoy them!)

Yes, we dug into the dress-up basket. It is a collection of necklaces, hats, purses, shawls, etc. that no longer had use but were still awfully fun. Marie enjoyed trying on the different things. She wasn't a fan of wearing hats but was very into the jewelry and purses. However, my favorite part was when she said to Jim, "Marie dressed up like a princess, Daddy. A princess like YOU!"

Terrible Almost 3's???

No new pictures this weekend. That is because there were few photo ops available. This was our toughest weekend in a long, long time.

Not sure what is going on in her wee mind. Thursday and Friday she didn't have preschool so Thursday she stayed home with Aunt Becky, cousins Annie and George. This was marvelous and she hasn't stopped talking about it. (Evidently, Annie stood on the couch and Annie is too little to talk yet.) Friday, she went to daycare at her preschool. That was rough. For Marie to be in her school building but not in her regular routine...she just doesn't work that way yet. The caretakers weren't her usual friends and did not know how strong-minded and structured Marie is. For example, she wants to take her pants completely off when she uses the bathroom. The lady helping her Friday tried to talk her out of this. HA! What was she thinking??? An outburst ensued that I was lucky to walk in at the tail end of. Additionally, Marie fell asleep ON THE FLOOR as she wasn't in the nap group. So when we came home Friday the first thing she and I did was just sit in our big chair together with our blankie and stuffed animal friends for a good half hour. That was the last moment of peace for a while.

Saturday she woke up after a very fitful night a different kid. Is she sick? Is she almost 3? Is she too tired? Testing limits? Should we soothe? Should we stick to our limits? Does she need comforting cause she's not well? All we could tell was that maybe her tongue could be a little irritated, she felt hot on and off and her back molars are STILL almost cut. She would alternate from fine to complete meltdown all day. One moment she is sitting with Jim, watching football, happy as can be. The next she is crying/tantruming because her sleeve got wet. Sunday was the same but just a little less so. We still aren't sure if she is going to school tomorrow or not. Jim will have to make a game day decision on that.

Oh... and Michigan lost to Northwestern. NORTHWESTERN!

Family Day

Some Daddy and Daughter Time

Hamming it up for the camera...

Ready to go out in the snow!

Modeling Some Seasonal Duds

We had a nice relaxing weekend, that is, after the leaves were off the front yard. Jim spent over 2 hours blowing the leaves and I spent a good chunk of time raking. Marie's specialty was jumping in the piles, of course. Thankfully, the leaves were taken care of on Saturday as it started to snow Sunday morning and hasn't stopped. There is now 2 inches of the white stuff on the ground.

Last night Jim called me up to Marie's room to see what they were doing. Marie had a spread a blanket next to her crib and placed one of her bears on it. Jim asked her, "Marie, what is the blanket for?" "That's where my baby brother will sleep," she replied. She went on to tell us that she would sit in the hall and read a book to be near him in case he was scared. Today we looked at his pictures on the computer and she wanted to know when he was coming home. Early indications are that she is adjusting to the thought of him okay!

It Has Arrived

Thumbs shamelessly sleeping on the sheep rug in front of the fire

Morning...Noon...4PM (top)

I wish I could take a picture now at night. There is over an inch on the ground.

Thank you Jim for spending over 2 hours on the leaves yesterday!

BOO!

Marie enjoying the "Teddy Bear Rug"

Marie had a stellar week starting with news of her baby brother on Wednesday. She also received some great surprises this week. The first was the Boo! Box. The Boo! Box has been making the rounds of her email buddies from Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Virginia and back to Michigan when it arrived on our porch this week. It is box filled with sweet and treats sent by a friend. Marie's friend in Virginia, Shoshannah, sent it to her. Thank you!!!

The other surprise she received in the mail was a few boxes from Uncle Jeff. They contained some ottomans, footstools and a rug that he had in his storage unit! Marie particularly loved the rug and immediately named it the teddy bear rug. Thank you, Uncle Jeff!

Princess Halloween

What a day! What a night! Today, I picked Marie up at school at her regular time. Normally we go right home for nap. Today we had to drive around for 45 min till Marie's doctor appointment. She had her 3 yr old physical and the doctor was thrilled with her. But, it took an hour and we didn't leave for home till 2:30. She was exhausted and badly needed her nap. The visit ended with a nice, intramuscular immunization. She cried and cried from that moment until we were almost home. Plopped her right into the crib at 3 and woke her up at 5 to go T or Ting. She was still so tired. She had a massive meltdown because I dared to flush the toilet for her! So thoughtless!

This is her just as we left...you can see she is still on the sleepy side.

Getting the hang of it. Every piece of candy was thoroughly investigated after it was placed in the pumpkin basket. We managed to limit her to a piece of licorice and some smarties afterwards. She won't miss that Snickers bar that she contributed to her parents!

With some older buddies.

"I got this Halloween thing figured out!"

All in all, she had a blast. We treasured every second of it.

Update tomorrow on the Boo Box Marie received this week!