I'm picking out my own outfits these days. Sometimes it takes us awhile to get out of the house because my mom does not seem to understand what's hip.


Does my dad look like Bill Clinton?

You wouldn't know it by the look on my face, but I am quite at peace with personal hygiene. Just wanted to clear that up since my parents seem to have a reputation for disliking all things related to soap and haircuts.

I RAN AWAY WITH THE CIRCUS!! Well, I went to the circus, anyway. The Moscow Circus was in town and played at our beautiful downtown theater. Daddy got us front row seats so I wouldn't miss any of the action. I was pretty mesmerized for all of it--although the "hanging people" (trapeze artists), clowns and dog were highlights. Mom, Dad and friend Kate all thought it was pretty awesome, too! Here I am walking around the lobby before the show and checking out the theater before the show started (and we had to put our cameras away). Other pictures are from the website.

Today was a fabulous snow day! Played hard all day today--and I was not alone. Friends came over with skis, sleds and adult beverages and our house became The Lodge for the day... with people coming and going on runs down our street. Kids were called off all sled runs mid afternoon as it got pretty crazy out there, but my mom had the time of her life.
Below are a few shots of our street, me stockpiling my snowballs to throw for the dogs (and then get inconsolably upset when they chased it and smushed it) and in our backyard by the creek...

One more--I just can't get enough of the babes in bubbleland.

Seen here with my Gamma Sister Ione partaking in the very best activities life has to offer: bubble baths, art and babydolls. And here I am with Baby Linden. I LOVE visits to my Gammas!

Counting and reading. Go Winnie!

FUNKY!

This is where you can find me these days. I'm in my circle-moon-wags-the-dog-airplane-boy-girl phase.

SNOW DAY!

It's been a special time having Grammy and Grampa here. Who else could teach me how to draw Wags the Dog (above) or hop like a kangaroo (below)?

Have you ever tried pouring water from a cup to a bowl and back again 3200 times? You should. It's a total riot.

Happy Elf!
Yummy food for my kitchen! (thank you gramma and kookoo!)
Best. toy. ever. (thank you uncle brian and aunt wendy!)

How did I get through two full years of life before being introduced to the root beer float? Criminal, I tell you, criminal. (and if you think you're getting a bite of this Daddy, you've never been more wrong).

Seen here at toddler open gym at a local gymnastics studio. Do you see how far off the ground I am here? I was very. very. proud. AND! I jumped off. Yup, all the way down. By myself.
and to all a good night....

Here I am with some of my fav folks in Eugene...awaiting the reading and viewing of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas at Cole's house the other night. The book is SO much better than the movie... what were they THINKING? No, really, I liked both. The movie is way better if you yell, "DOGGIE! SILLY DOGGIE!" every time the Grinch's dog is on screen. We think we'll make this an annual event-- anything involving books, movies, friends, distracted parents and cookies is worth repeating year after year after year, right? Right.

Took a hike, climbed a tree, came home and made macaroons. You'll notice that I can now help cook thanks to my new stool. So, in other news: my doctor had the nerve to say during my 2 Year checkup yesterday that I'm a teeny bit off the charts in my, a-hem, roundness, so the dreadful fallout of that is that I only got to sample a little bite of these treats before mama took them to a party. What do the charts know? It's COLD for pete's sake--I need the extra layer!

My new stool designed and constructed by my new Best Friend Forever, Mr. Nic (Cole's papa). Now, for those of you wondering why it is that I would prefer this to, say, a lollipop or a teddy bear or a trip to Disneyland, listen carefully 'cause I'm only gonna cover this once: Countertop Access. Sink Access. Top of the World Feelings that truly have to be experienced to be believed. So come on over and I'll let you stand on my new stool... for three and a half seconds until it's MY TURN! Thank you, dear Nic. Oh thank you.

Have you ever had one of those days? You know the kind: when everything just makes you want to scream NO! and those pesky dogs are always under foot? The kind when dropping your fork makes you hostile towards the world at large? Yeah, you know the kind. The kind where, when all is said and done, all you want is to do is get your favorite sun hat, snuggle down with a book called "Do you have a hat?" and answer YES! I HAVE A HAT! every time it asks. If you've never tried this book on one of those days, you should. It makes the world right again.

It's beginning to look a lot like solstakkuhmas! Dad cut down an evergreen that was growing too close to our house, so had to come down, anyway. Mom hung the lights and set up this fantastic little Dicken's village beneath that I can't stop admiring. We also wrapped a tree in front of our house in white lights... We put the ornaments on our Solstice tree, hung our Christmas stockings, set up the Menorah, and managed to thoroughly confuse all sense of holiday awareness and order I had managed to amass over my first two years of life. What I'm figuring out is that lights are good and we're heading into a month long celebration of winter. I can roll with that.