Leah and Zoe!

Making Gorgeous

Leah has definitely taken to painting. We were warned not to give her
more than one color at a time because she'd just mix them. But not
our orderly little one, she keeps each brush with it's proper color.

Apparently, I describe her art as gorgeous pretty frequently.
Every time she wants to show me her lastest work she tells me,
"Mommy, I make gorgeous again!"

"I Love the Toilet!"

Leah loves a lot of things these days. Today she loved her
"blueberry muffin cupcake," honey, her freckle, and the toilet.
It was a good day.

My Engineer

Taking charge of the train play with Grandpa.

A Great Look

Leading Her Granddaughter Astray

She would never have allowed ME to splash in the tub like this.
Hmmph.

"Mommy take a picture!"

Leah intentionally puts herself into "cute" situations, and demands they
be recorded. Usually, I'm happy to oblige for the sake of the blog audience.
Here she's pretending to nap in the laundry basket.

A Future Grandmaster?

Leah loves chess. She knows the names for all of the pieces
and she "plays" Daddy. Of course, the queen is her favorite piece.

Untitled, 2007

Redefining Millinery

Celebrating the New Year

Totally unrelated to the post . . .
This morning Peter asked Leah how old she was. She replied, "Two!"
Then I asked, "How old is Mommy?" Leah replied, "Eighteen!" (Big cheer from Mommy.)
Peter then followed-up with, "How old is Daddy?" Leah didn't miss a beat before answering, "Old."
(To be fair, Leah counts: 1, 3, 7, 18. So Mommy was as old as Leah's numbers allow.)
*************************************************************

We brought in the New Year with Caroline and her parents.
Both girls and their dolls, Cecilia and Baby Doll, had a good
time contrary to what these pictures might indicate.

Safety Obsessed

Santa asked me for a favor. He wanted me to take Leah to the
toy store (pre-Christmas) to make sure the planned tricycle would
fit her long legs. It seemed like a simple question to answer, but alas,
it was not. Leah didn't want to sit on the tricycle without a helmet.
She kept repeating, "I need a helmet." Finally, the sales staff convinced
her that she didn't need a helmet to sit on a tricycle in the store. She
sat down and immediately started saying, "I need a seat belt." Luckily,
the floor model had a seatbelt. We hooked her in, and she enjoyed the rest
of her "fitting." Santa came through with the trike and seatbelt. Mommy
and Daddy provided the helmet.

Now I constantly hear, "I need my helmet."

I feel a bit manipulated.

The Twelve Plus Days of Christmas

I'm worried that Leah is going to think that Christmas presents
always come in multiple waves. They certainly did this year.
After making a stop in KY, Santa delivered this trike to Houston.
Leah definitely attributed her good fortune to the fact that both
sets of grandparents have chimneys. Mommy and Daddy do not.

Enjoying the attention that accompanied her new wheels.

I knew it was a big hit when she woke up the next morning, and
the first thing she said to me (while still in her crib) was, "Santa
got me a trike! Mommy and Daddy got me a helmet!"

Coffee Date

Leah was excited to have coffee with our friend Shannon and her
daughter, Ellen. There is nothing like sharing a tasty soy beverage
with friends. (Safety glasses also add to the experience.)

Cozy

Watching Sesame Street with Grammie in bed -- cozy.

Being joined by Aunt Elizabeth -- even cozier.

Any Birthday Will Do

Leah was super-excited to celebrate Mommy's birthday while we
were in Kentucky. As long as she gets to wear a hat, sing the song,
and eat a cupcake . . .

The two of us preparing for the big evening. (Don't worry. Peter made
me a fabulous cake. Here I'm just working on Leah's dairy-free cupcakes.)

The big moment. Notice the safety-glasses.

Handy Girl

Aunt Elizabeth gave Leah a tool kit and cleverly packaged it in a
Hello Kitty purse. It's been a big hit, especially the safety glasses.

Tonight she was playing with Peter and the tools when she asked,
"Daddy, what is this?"
Peter replied, "It's a wrench."
Leah repeated, "Daddy, what is this?"
Peter replied, "A wrench."
Leah said, "A wrench?"
Peter volunteered, "Actually, I think it's a monkey-wrench."
Leah looked doubtful and responded, "I'll ask Mommy."

(This made Mommy's night, especially after Mommy said that it wasn't a
monkey-wrench and was proven correct by the internet. But Mommy's not
gloating or anything.)

"Helping"

Leah was very helpful while Grammie and I stufffed dates.
She thoroughly enjoyed covering them (and us) in powdered sugar.

OVER STIMULATED!!!

Leah selected Aunt Heather to help open her presents.

The birthday cake "simulator" was an early-favorite. We had frequent birthday
parties for the rest of the trip. Sadly, it was the last present opened that
morning. We tried again in the afternoon but it ended with a total meltdown
and bed at 6:30. The upside was that she got to open presents and stockings
for several more days.

Reindeer Games

The blinking nose was a hit.

Leah quickly got into the spirit on Christmas morning.