A verry merry holiday

It's sad that you spend months preparing for one day and Christmas ALWAYS goes so quickly. We went to Aunt D's on Christmas eve and spent the night at my parents so we could wake up on Christmas morn with the fam.

Vi had fun playing with Aunt D's 90lb golden retriever, Casey. She was so patient with Violet's enthusiastic (bordering on annoying) attention. Every few minutes she'd run over to her and point out her ears, eyes, teeth and nose and then squeal with delight at her new furry friend. Vi also enjoyed her "dinner" supplied by another of Aunt Shawnie's brilliant recipes and she was pretty worn out after eating 2 bagels topped with sun dried tomatoes, garlic and cheese and two cookies. We put her to sleep in her pack n play and enjoyed a lovely dinner of lasagna. (Vi was too sleepy to wait up for dinner).

After driving to Grandma and Popop's house (with Vi hammin' it up in her car seat at midnight) we all snuggled in for a calm winter's night...that is until Nana got up 5 times and watched her Christmas story on a loop on high volume all night. ;) I really don't believe Vi got a sound sleep - but it was fun to wake up all together on Christmas morning!

Grandma made it a very special day with a yummy Christmas breakfast and dinner (needless to say SHE didn't have a very relaxing holiday...sorry mom). Violet and Abel had fun playing together and coloring and then opening a mountain of gifts from everyone. Vi also found time to chase Poncho (their oversized cat) and entertain the crowd while dancing to a rather scary singing santa.

Despite a meltdown caused by a pair of purple, princess shoes during present time - Vi had a wonderful Christmas and she can't wait to celebrate again with the Downies!

After taking a good nap today (and catching up on what she missed in sleep the past few days) Vi greeted me and Rich with a "Hi Guys!" when we went to get her. She never ceases to make me laugh...

Merry Christmas, Viley. Your second Christmas was a memorable one. I hope the third one is just as fun (minus the meltdown) and hopefully you can help me decorate cookies next year (while watching Little Women and sipping cocoa).

Merry Christmas!

'Twas the night before the night before...

Christmas Countdown

Glasses

Move over Harry Potter, there's a new nerd in town.

These blue glasses are Vi's new favorite toy. She will not go anywhere in the house without them. Thanks, Grandma G. ;)

Snow day

A few things seen and heard around the house lately:

1. Vi loves to play her computer games. I found this cool site that has games easy enough for a 20 month old. It's fun until after 3 seconds she hits the control key and any other key and a pop up comes on the screen and freezes her play. The "MOMMY!"'s ensue. So basically, my original thought that this could be a diversion for her when I need to get some work done is completely shot. But I love watching her get excited that SHE just made the train say 'choo-choo' or a fish swim by pressing a "button".

2. Now that Vi is enjoying the computer - she and Rich have letter time. Rich says a letter and Vi finds it on the keyboard, strikes the key and then smiles proudly as she sees the end result on the screen. The other night they were sitting on the couch together and every time she found the right letter and successfully made it render on the screen she'd look for me (in the kitchen) and scream, "I did it! Found the X!"

3. Along with this new computer obsession is the obsession with her keyboard. She drags it around with her like a new puppy and pulls it behind her by the 'corn' (cord).

4. Vi has always loved her cell phone, but it's recently turned into an infatuation. She walks around with it in the crook of her neck (while also pushing her doll in her stroller and balancing her purse on her other arm) and she has a conversation with either Grandma, TT or Lauren and it usually goes something like this, "Hi (insert name here)! Upstairs...(pause)...ummmhmmm. Coloring...ummmhmmm. Hannah crying...ummhmmm." Then every few seconds or so she breaks into a deep, fake belly laugh. It's hilarious.

5. Saying her prayers has become a new nightly ritual. She always reminds me that we need to pray by interrupting our nightly song by saying, "Bless Daddy!" and then looks at me like - okay it's your turn. We ask God to bless all of her family and friends (by listing all of you separately!). She then insists that we sing one more song and it begins again. "Bless Daddy!" Friends and family...consider yourself extremely blessed. ;)

Being cheeky

Walking down the stairs today...

...hand in hand.

V: Step
L: Vi, you're such a big girl!
V: Good girl.
L: Well, sometimes. You're a BIG girl.
V: Viley, big girl.
L: Right
V: Big Viley
L: Right
V: Big Mommy

hmmm...

Letters

Vi knows most of her letters now and has fun running back and forth from the living room to the fridge to grab the letters we ask her to find. It's a great game because it's good practice for her and I get to sit on the couch. ;)

New faves

Vi's new favorite toys are a baby stroller that I got..ughm...on the side of the road on "big" garbage day (and proceeded to scrub down with Clorox) and a little stuffed fox christened, Foxy.

Convenience items

Yesterday was a sad day. It was the day I realized my 'go to' snacks on the go no longer cut the mustard. Said snacks = rice cakes and apples. At one time a rice cake would cure all ills, hunger pangs in the middle of a grocery store, a slow short order cook, the long ride home from a busy toddler time class, etc. Today the rice cake takes a certain second chair to ANYTHING. Vi takes two bites and sets it down and says, "SNACK!"

Apples are a different story. I noticed something was up when she started randomly handing me pieces of half chewed apple skin here and there over the past week. Yesterday she sat on my lap at church and proceeded to bite her apple, spit out the skin, and place it atop the rice cake sitting on the empty chair next to us (and yes, that rice cake was minus two bites). I think I was just curious because I didn't stop her from doing it until the entire rice cake was covered with nasty, masticated apple skin. (I'm sure the people behind us began questioning my parenting skills at that moment).
Later in the day we went to a cider mill and of course Vi was eating another apple. As I was shopping I could hear her walking around the shop saying, "Up here." She was discarding the fruity remnants upon anything she could find (until Rich started to follow her around and collect them). Finally we convinced her to begin to EAT the ENTIRE apple. We'll see how long that lasts.

I'm hoping Vi changes her mind about her two old favorites. In the meantime, I'm going to have to find a few more convenient, healthy snacks to get us through when we're on the go.

We had fun trick-or-treating at the museum with friends this morning, playing outside in the freakishly warm weather this afternoon, and trick-or-treating with a scary bunch from Artisan this evening.

We had one pooped golfer on our hands by the end of the day.

Great round...

Catch you guys at the 19th hole.

Awesome

Not sure where she heard it, but as of this evening this is Vi's favorite word.

R: Here, play with this (as he handed her a produce bag at wegmans).
V: awesome

R: Viley, look at the train!
V: awesome

L: Did you have fun at the store?
V: I sit cart. train. horse. water. cow (as seen on the mural of the wegman's countryside)...awesome.

Is this a conspiracy? Where did she learn this word!?!?!

And so it begins...

Recent conversations

R: Vi, see the pictures we took when we took a stroll through the misty cemetery?
V:(pointing at the computer screen to a picture of crucifix on a headstone): Jesus. Bellybutton.

V: Daddy? (where is daddy?)
L: Daddy's in the shower.
V: Shower. Daddy. towel. bellybutton.

L: How was your nap?
V: Good. sleep.
L: Did you have a dream?
V (nodding): Horsies. butterflies. purple. blue.

L: We're here!
V: Store.
L: Ready?
V: Viley. Sit. Cart.

R: Vi, how old are you?
V: 2
R: What's your name?
V: Viley
R: Where do you live?
V: Rochacha
R: What's your favorite club?
V: nine iron