Flynn's Dedication

My princess in her AMAZING dress thanks to Grandma.

Grandpa R praying for our little man.

Hamming it up!

Convos with Toddlers

Before I talk about the hilarious, awesome conversations I now have with my toddler, let's bask for a moment in the awesomeness of the fact that I can HAVE conversations with my daughter!  Real, honest to goodness conversations.  It's amazing, beyond amazing.  She tells me what excites her, what delights her, what frustrates her, what she likes and doesn't, what she wants to do and what she is done with.  She asks me questions, she requests my help and my presence, she expresses affection and love, fear and joy.  Her voice is small and sweet and incredibly beautiful.
So now on to the funny stuff!
Elli picked out a pair of pink sparkly sunglasses recently and loved them.  She asks to wear them and then wants everyone else nearby to wear theirs too.  She goes back and forth calling them "dasses" or "asses".  Yup, you see where this is going.
On the way home yesterday she gave me a running commentary "Elli asses.  Mommy asses.  Daddy asses.  Fwinn no asses."

Getting Serious: Fun With Toys!

Elli & I have had so much fun lately as we discover her toys together.  We have been pulling out toys she hasn't played with in weeks or months & reintroducing them.  It usually begins with me getting out the toys & beginning to play with them on my own.  She starts by watching out of the corner of her eye, then coming closer to see what I'm doing, then joining in.  Lastly the most important & best part, I fade out & she takes over the play.
I can't describe the amount of joy I get from watching her play.  Watching her discover, build, learn & enjoy.

We had a tea party one day with Lightning McQueen & Mater.  It was fantastic!

We started out by building towers with the blocks from one of her puzzles & I demonstrated different ways to use the blocks.  This turned into making "trains" with the blocks, then with anything she could find.  

She saw me feed some cereal to the baby, when I was done she took the spoon & bowl & proceeded to feed her kitty.  She even washed it's face when she was done!

This is my absolute favourite.  We were buying groceries & she spotted this crocus plant (or "fowa").  She picked it up & carried it around with her & begged to take it home.  For days she watered it every day, carried it around the house, sat it beside her while she played.  She even wanted to share her juice with "fowa".  It was adorable!!

My Daughter

My daughter who eats salsa with a spoon.
My daughter who calls puddles "bubbles" because when she stomps in them she it bubbles.
My daughter who kisses me, her brother, the dog, her Dolly and her Blankie good night.
My daughter who loves jewellery & Lightning McQueen equally.
My daughter who learns new words almost hourly (today was applesauce).
My daughter who can eat cereal & soup with a spoon with basically no mess.
My daughter who loves her brother so much she won't leave him in one room while she goes to another.
My daughter who still wants to cuddle & snuggle every chance she gets.
My daughter who makes my heart melt completely just by being present.

Renewed Convos with Preschoolers

I didn't realize until the other day just how much I miss talking with my preschoolers.  I seriously had the best conversations with them!  So I was excited to hang out with a friend's little guy while we all had a play date.  He was building a motorcycle toy he got for Christmas and having a little trouble.  Staring at the instructions he mutters:
Him: Why do these silly instructions keep telling me to do things I just can't do?
Me: Oh, honey.  Just wait until you're older and putting together Ikea furniture.
Him: I can't do that!  I'm not.....Ikea Man!

Love it.

Getting Serious: Update

Well I've had my Command Centre for a few weeks now & I am very pleased with it.  It is working so well to keep me organized, focused & on top of things.
I'm especially loving my Clean Home 4 week rotation list.  Crossing things off this list each week is giving me such a sense of accomplishment, I really feel like I'm getting on top of the housework I continually was putting off or forgetting about.
I'm also loving my daily checklist in my Home Organization Binder.  I'm keeping track of my water intake, diet, devotions, and workouts.  I'm aiming for three of my Contigo water bottles minimum each day, as well as three fruit/veggie servings each day.  One 20 minute workout & one sit down devotion time.  I'm nowhere near that right now.  For the last month I'm averaging one workout & one devotion time each week, but 5-7 days a week on my goal for water & 3-5 days a week for my diet goal.  Not a bad start, it really is helping me be more mindful & aware of taking care of myself, body & soul.
In the New Year I'll be starting my monthly deep cleaning rotation as well.  :)

Getting Serious: Fine Motor

We've been having so much fun focusing on fine motor lately since physical space is limited in our house & it's been -40 Celcius lately!

Elli & her favourite cousin playing with playdogh.  It was the cutest thing watching them together, Immi gave Elli all kinds of instructions, "Roll it like dis!  Pat it!  Like dis!" :)

Decorating her personal Christmas tree with her necklaces.

Another great Pinterest idea, pipe cleaners & a colander!  Interestingly enough, she ONLY use the blue pipe cleaners, hmmm, a favourite colour emerging?