Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Wishing for snow

I hope you enjoy this little gem from yesterday afternoon when it was 70 degrees in January. Tomorrow we're supposed to get 2 inches of snow, so this little lady's wish just might be coming true very soon!



Bonus shots from our oddly warm (and super muddy) evening:




Monday, January 28, 2013

The countdown to February

So the Christmas lights in our front yard are still burning brightly, and I repeatedly write "2012" instead of "2013," but the truth is that it's nearly February.  We're knocking on the the coldest part of Winter here in Cincinnati - made brighter and cheery by a certain blogging-mama's birthday and the half-birthday of a certain kindergartner who can't wait to call herself 5 and 1/2.

But, it's still January and for all the single digit temperatures, stomach viruses and general post-holiday funkiness, we've managed to have a pretty awesome (oddly busy for winter) month so far.

With that, here are some of the top moments (courtesy of my iphone) from the past few weeks.  Enjoy! (And please excuse the fact that this post is all over the place!)

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Let's see, so Bea's super adorable. And looking more and more like Josie every day (and like her mama so I hear):

One of our daily routines involves 4:30 tea as our transition from my work day to family time. (Anyone interested in what the typical day looks like for us?)

Like I said, Bea's adorable:

I started taking Wednesday morning classes with Beatrice back at the CFEC. Josie grew up in this place, so it really feels good to be back (especially when I never ever ever thought I'd be blessed with that opportunity):

Speaking of blessings:



Grandma had a birthday. Josie made this card and wrote the following on the front - cracking us all up!
"Hope and Joy to All. With Love and Happiness."

A lazy Friday night:

Hosting some friends and their littles over for dinner:

Celebrating Katrina's birthday and the pure fun of older cousins!

One of my top ten faves. Because they're hilarious in this "throne" we found at the Mariemont Inn.

Bea, Did you eat the yellow crayon?

In the words of instagram: #hideandseek #allthelivelongday  (A new favorite):

Josie and Bea are so unbelievably cuddly and loving (except when they're not, which is almost never):

And then we got the stomach bug.  All but Josie! We were pitiful.



And Josie shines on!


Then we caved and got flu shots. And then I caved and made up for it with giant donuts before school that morning.

And we had still moments.

And playdates!

And a second pass through the 300-page "Where The Mountain Meets the Moon" (which is a lovely read aloud and beautiful story of celebrating gratitude):

Oh, I should mention that this is seriously how the mornings start. The sun rises right into our bedroom window. It's a gorgeous way to greet the day as the kiddos stumble in.

And we played dress-up (always, lots of dressing-up):

Anyone recognize this? It was Josie's 1 year Halloween costume!



Bea is obsessed with all things bathing (a total 180 from her sister).  It's hard to get dinner in her before she starts stripping down and runing upstairs to pour oatmeal in the tub, yelling "bath - tiiiime!"





January mother/daughter book club. February we will be hosting. EEP!

The trend toward overall wellness continues and is picking up speed.  Here the girls are making vegetable soup - over two separate occasions.






Josie continues to enjoy piano lessons. Bea continues to want to be just like Josie.


Some random silly fun:





A wound-up Josie who announced before bathtime one night that she needed some time to do some yoga and meditation. She did not want to be disturbed, but I did get a few pictures of what was a really lovely thing to watch.


Josie asked me to photograph her here in front of the greenhouse because she felt like a fairy in the sunshine. Yeah, I can see why!

Back to the CFEC. Another week, another crazy maze class:

Baby, it's cold outside! (Looking down 4th street near the block where we used to live.)


Watching Romeo & Juliet rehearsals at the Cincinnati Ballet Academy after class:

Daily cuddle time:






Thursday, January 24, 2013

Quick Quotes

Just a couple little quick quotes, and things I need to log here so I don't ever forget them:

A few weeks ago, Beatrice had this HUGE burst in language development. It was right after Christmas and loads of extra time together and with cousins, so we're thinking that had something to do with it. All the sudden, she went from these broken little syllables (that we totally understood but others couldn't) to these very deliberate attempts to communicate in full thoughts.  One particular day, I was working away in my office and she pushes open my door and then just stands there (as if to take a deep breath and concentrate), makes eye contact and says (slowly and with clear intention): "Hi Mommmmmeeeeee."  It's a hard moment to capture here on the blog, but it was a really magical little developmental leap to witness.

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If you've spent much time with the girls, you know Bea runs around calling Josie "JoJo" all the time.  It was the little moniker she chose for her big sister and it totally stuck.  One recent evening, Bea was running around the kitchen saying "Cho-Chooey" over and over, then giggling like crazy. She was cracking herself up, so we were all laughing too,  but we could not figure out what on earth she was saying.  Finally, she points at Josie and goes: "Chooey."  And with that, Josie just about exploded with joy and now demands that Bea show her new "trick" to everyone she meets. (Which reminds me, I need to get those little darlings on video for you all soon.)

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So I realize these are both Beatrice quotes, but nothing is springing to mind as recent direct quotes for Miss Josephine, which is odd because she frequently cracks us up with her precocious comments, deep insights and well-beyond-her-years vocabulary.  (I'll be on a personal mission to capture a Josie gem soon.)


Monday, January 21, 2013

School shots

A couple of photos from Josie's school that her teacher forwarded me that I couldn't resist sharing.


Josie's Kindergarten Class (all 6 of them) gathered around "The Kindergarten Tree" -



Josie sharing a discovery with friends:


Josie's experiences at school fill us with so much joy and gratitude!!