How Long Has It Been?

It's been a long time. Lots of growing up has been happening, so quickly, especially with Annea. She's doing lots of signs, sometimes to communicate, mostly after we sign things for her. She especially likes birds, and the sign for birds, and the other day I was sweeping the floor and stated that the floor was dirty--Annea made the sign for birdie. She's getting it! She likes responsive yelping, she yelps and then waits for someone to yelp back, over and over. She doesn't crawl, but is getting better at going from a seated position on the floor to lying on her tummy, so it's got to be a matter of time now, although... she does scoot imperceptibly on her butt, while in a seated position, so she may just be a butt-scooter. She's starting to notice when the girls snatch things away from her, will cry or fuss when someone walks by whose attention she wants, and is starting to let us know she's got needs and desires. Most of the time she still goes with the flow, even missing a nap doesn't phase her too much. Her sleep has gotten less fabulous, for me, at least. We all got a gnarly cold this winter, and she hasn't slept for long stretches since then, I'm hoping as she gets healthier I can re-teach the self-soothing, or whatever it is that I'm supposed to do to get some sleep.

Adessa's having a blast in school, and has started to fill me in on all the social goings on in her class. I'm listening raptly in case it's true what they say, start listening now and they'll keep talking throughout their childhood and adolescence. We're already worried about her peer group. She has made friends with a little girl in her class who is always in trouble, a loose cannon. Calvin thinks it's our valley, we need a whole new city and school, but I am hoping she will naturally gravitate more to kids we like better. Any thoughts?

Eliana has gone through a stage of grieving, that's what I'm calling it, as there was about a month after my mom died where she suddenly decided that no one in our family should ever leave our house. She didn't want to go anywhere, and didn't want anyone else to go anywhere, and if we were going out and she saw she couldn't stop us, she wanted the whole family to go, even to pick up a grocery item or run a quick errands. (Need I tell you that errands are never quick if all five of us go?) After lots of frustration and hugs and talking about the need to do things individually, like work, and leave the house, and say goodbye, she hasn't been bothered by the leaving any more, thankfully. Eliana can be quite dramatic and animated, and would happily play allllll day. I overheard her playing by herself, one of her girl horses had a boyfriend named: "Shining Armor."

So! We have more fun adventures coming up and I wanted to give a quick update, we'll have more to report, soon.

Christmas, New Years, and In Between!

Eliana singing during her Playschool Christmas Program. She knew the words and motions and performed earnestly. She was so animated and proud of herself and not at all shy or sad (wailing crying) like she sometimes is when there's attention on her, which we worried she might be. So great!

The Christmas Pageant, Eliana's first acting job, where she debuted as a "Wise Girl".

Gingerbread house decoration with Jayden and Elijah.

The Lewis Family on the Holiday Lights train. This was very fun for the girls and made for some fabulous photos.

Despite lots of preparation and warnings, Eliana was still initially scared of Santa's walk-by on the train.

Eliana, after receiving a candy cane, decides Santa might not be that bad.

Mom, Annea, and Santa. (She looks downright underwhelmed!)

Daddy with the girls in front of the Holiday Lights train, glowing after a successful ride.

Our special Christmas (Eve) breakfast.

Christmas Eve Morning, opening presents with our little family. Calvin worked on Christmas Day, so we celebrated ourselves as though it were Christmas on the Eve.

Christmas Day Morning at Abba's house, Eliana sports her new wings.

Baby girl cousins, propped together and indifferent about it, Christmas morning.

Auntie Lolo on Christmas morning

Abba Christmas morning, not feeling great but hosting nonetheless.

Annea turned eight months old, December 29th!

New Years celebration, Santiago, Chile style (7pm), and Julie's 3rd birthday, at the Stewarts.

My beloved, posing with me on New Years. I thought we were both smiling, but later discovered this...moment in time.

Cute Annea at New Years, before the PJ part of the evening.

Annea and Emma, future friends, celebrating their first New Years Eve together.

Alex and Cassiel came to visit, and we got to see lots of them. I love that distance is not keeping the kids of the dear-but-far-away-VIP's in my life from being friends with my girls.

The girls and I visited the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose with my cousin Misha. So fun! We ran into Nathan and Jessica and Lillie and Isaac, too, and had a blast. I forgot my camera, but did get this shot back at home before washing up for nap time. The girls got to paint their own faces. Adessa assured me that the sunny-side-up egg looking thing on her forehead was a flower and stem, not bird poop.

Festivities

At the beach, on Thanksgiving morning.

...with Auntie Lolo!

Eliana helping Daddy cut down our tree, a douglas fir named "The Hulk".

Adessa helping Daddy cut down the tree.

The big girls monkeying around at the Johnson's Farm. I should have taken pictures of the abundance of marshmallows that the girls put into their hot chocolate, which is now irrevocably part of the christmas-tree-hunting tradition.

Annea, so happy that we got our tree.

At St. Nicholas night with our most faithful attendees, Kim, Gwen, and Julie!

Annea and Adessa weren't fazed by St. Nicholas, but Eliana was terrified, whether it was of St. Nicholas or of having people looking at her, I'm not sure. Needless to say, I started to feel cruel as I kept shoving her toward him and into the picture, and finally gave up as her wailing got ever more persistent. She is out of frame but off to the side crying loudly.

Christmas headwear, as we put the tree together.

There are more pictures that may end up here if I don't put them in the Christmas photo/card thingy. Stay tuned!

Halloween, '12

Halloween was pretty great. Girls had low maintenance, albeit funky costumes that they were delighted with. We got in all the important things, carving pumpkins, Adessa's school parade, and trick or treating. Love them holidays!

Morning of Halloween.

Eliana, the sweet pea, keeling over Halloween morning.

Adessa at school, watching the parade go by.

Adessa and Eliana on parade with Adessa's kindergarten class.

Annea Halloween night.

Grandpa giving Annea her first Trick or Treats.

Trick or Treats with Auntie Lolo. Yay!

Getting ready for some trick-or-treating with the Mom's group.

All the kids (almost, or can it be...all of them?) pre-trick-or-treat.

Our spooky pumpkins.

Me playing dress up, though not on Halloween. A high alpine climber! I'm ready for K2 or Everest! I'm wearing a sleeping bag, really.