Life's Little Adventures!

We have been so busy lately!

Thankfully, a lot of Paprika's activities are winding down for the year. She finished her swimming lessons last week. She had been going 4-5 times/week since May...so it's been a big change for us. Her ceramics class ended last Tuesday. So, now besides school, she is extra-curricular activity free. Whew! I know she will miss her activities, but I am thankful for the break.

We have been busy doing lots of outings. We've been to the Aquarium. To the park. Flying kites on the beach. A trip to Candycane Lane to gaze at Christmas lights. Mr. M has been taking the girls on some trips solo while I stay home with the baby. Some activities we have all been doing together.

I've been leaving the camera home a little more, and then even when I do take pictures, I've been less quick to transfer them over to the computer. It seems like there are just fewer hours in the day now (I wonder why!) - life with three little ones is an adjustment, and I know we'll get our bearings, but right now it is all just a little overwhelming. Good, but overwhelming! ;-)



Last week Mr. M took the big girls to the Aquarium. I stayed home with the baby, and I know it was the right decision. It is still hard for me to walk. I knew the baby needed to nap, and she naps best when she's being held by me. So, I stayed home and held her for her nap...which means that I can't do much else besides stare at her while she's sleeping. :-) I know these days are short and soon enough she'll be crawling around after her sisters, so I am enjoying these fleeting moments while they are here.



The girls had a blast at the Aquarium, as I knew they would. I know I set my expectations high (sometimes impossibly so) and feel guilty if I am not providing every possible wonderful experience for them. Having a new baby has meant that I have had to let go of some of my expectations I set for myself, even if just temporarily, and just let things be. If Paprika goes to school in mismatched clothes, so be it. If Ginger goes without a nap for two weeks straight, then it's not the end of the world. I know I don't have to be everything for my kids...even though for some reason, I expect that of myself all too often.



I have a ton of pictures of all our adventures and I know I'll get around to posting them sooner or later. But for now, I will leave you with these from the Aquarium. I have three little girls (and a puppy!) who need my attention at the moment and so other things have to wait!

Oh yes, and I still have all my Christmas shopping to do, too! Thank goodness for shopping online. Now if I can just manage to do it one-handed while holding a nursing baby...that will be a trick! ;-)

Almost 2.5

Little Miss Ginger, you are almost 2.5 years old now (officially so on the 18th of this month). You are quite a character, and your personality is so big...every day we learn more about you, and every day you show us how bright and funny you are.

You are now a middle child...and as such, I worry about you. Worry about you getting enough attention. Worry you will feel slighted somehow. But quite the opposite, you take center stage wherever you go. You are a huge ball of energy, smart as a whip, and eager to be as good or better than your big sister in everything you do.



When you were about 1 year old, I was worried that you didn't have enough words yet. Oh boy, did you ever prove me wrong! You talk like you're 5 years old, have every song you've ever heard memorized, and you have one big sense of humor. Wherever we go, people comment on how expressive you are, how much energy you have, and how smart you are (like when you counted up to 50 in front of a group of strangers when you were barely two). When we read books at night, Paprika usually reads one page and you "read" the next to us. You can't wait to be big, but I love it that you are still so little.

You love to pick out your own clothes, and are so picky about what you will wear. Your favorite things to wear are your sister's big shoes, butterfly wings, and any kind of tiara or headband you can find. You never want to take a nap, never want to sleep, and you can usually be found running (or climbing) from place to place. You eat very little, and we wonder how you can possibly go go go the way you do. You want to engage with everyone around you and you love making people laugh. You make us smile every day and we are so glad that you're our girl.

Love you so much!

Love,
Mom

One Month Young!

Today little Pavenzia turns 1 month old! I took her to the pediatrician this morning to get her checked out. She did great!

She is 10 lb.s 5 oz. (82nd percentile) and 21.3 inches tall (60%) with a 38.6cm head (84%). She is getting so big! Her clothes that were swimming on her weeks ago are now too small. Good thing I bought her a big wardrobe of 0-3 month clothes. Doh!

Life with this little girl is pretty awesome. She is starting to be awake a lot more and wants to interact with us. She is generally a very happy little baby, and she is so curious about the world around her. I can't believe she's been here for a month already. Time is flying.

Jingle Bells

I don't know about you, but the closer we get to Christmas, the more I feel like quieting down and getting cozy.

Mr. M and I had a big discussion this year about how we were going to get a "real" tree this year. Our "Old Faithful" fake tree that we bought on a whim back in 2006 - the one we threw in the back of the Target shopping cart when Paprika was just three months old...the one that was on clearance for $9 and we said would be our "temporary" tree...well, this year that one just wasn't going to do.

We decided that THIS year we would really step it up. We looked for a place to cut down our own tree (like Mr. M did in his childhood). And if we couldn't find that (which we couldn't without driving two hours), then by golly, we would at least make our way to a Christmas Tree lot.

So, the plan was that on Saturday we would all bundle up in our long sleeved shirts and possibly a hoodie (if the weather dipped below 70 degrees) and brave the winter weather down at the Christmas Tree lot.

But...on Friday night, the girls decided to take matters into their own hands. I had already set up Old Faithful when they were at swimming lessons. And when they got home, their eyes got so big and they said, "This is the MOST beautiful Christmas tree I have ever seen. Daddy, wait until we decorate it...you won't want to trade it in for a big tree then."

So, that night Mr. M went out for drinks with his buddies. I was in my room nursing the baby, when I peeked out to discover two-year old Ginger decorating the tree all by herself. All of the decorations were clear across the house in the family room, and she was taking each decoration one by one, and walking all the way across the house to put each one carefully on the tree. By the time I saw her, she had put about two dozen ornaments all along the bottom third of the tree. ;-)



So, I woke up the baby, and all four of us (me, Paprika, Ginger, and the baby) all decorated the tree together. The girls wanted so badly to surprise Mr. M with their amazing tree decorating skills. The whole time we were decorating the tree, they kept saying how they had never seen a tree more beautiful or special, and that when Daddy saw it he would be so proud of them.



Ginger was the director of the whole decoration extravaganza. She was telling us where to put this or that, and it was all very intentional on her part, including the garland only on the top half. Paprika let her do it, and even reached up to put the decorations up high where Ginger couldn't reach. And in the end, have you ever really seen a more beautiful tree? (If so, don't tell the girls!) ;-)



I am sure I don't have to tell you that Old Faithful is here to stay. At least for this year. The girls already have a little tree in their room, and truthfully, our 1200 square foot cottage can't hold much more than two little trees. I like that our girls see this tree with wonder. I like that no matter how many times we move (this is our third house in 5 years), that some things stay the same. I love that Paprika looked at the Christmas lights on this tree her very first Christmas, just as Ginger did two years ago, and now our newest babe does, too, on her very first Christmas.



I love that our girls get bundled up under blankets and ask me to read them stories by the light of their magical tree. And tell me that they will wait right there for Santa and that maybe he'll decide to come early this year.



How could any other tree bring more magic than that? As you might have guessed, we didn't visit a Christmas tree lot the next day. Didn't chop down our own tree. Old Faithful is here to stay.

On Saturday, we bundled up the girls and went for a ride in our own sleigh (you may call it a Toyota Sienna, we're calling it a White Christmas sleigh)...and drove around and looked at Christmas lights. Then we went to the mall and went to the one sit-down restaurant in our neighborhood that you can go to with three kids ages 5 and under...Islands, or "Surfing French Fry Restaurant" (as Paprika calls it).

It was our first night out at a fancy restaurant (as Paprika also called it) since the new baby was born. It went off without a hitch, the girls were so good...mostly. Ginger got her finger caught in the window next to our booth and almost amputated it. She started screaming, then Paprika started crying because she thought that meant we had to leave the restaurant, and all that noise woke up the baby. So there were a few minutes there that were a little less than perfect. But then all quieted down, and we had a great meal, walked through the mall, and got back in the sleigh to oohhhh and ahhhhh over more Christmas lights.



When we were at the mall, we asked the big girls if they wanted to see Santa, and they said no! (There wasn't even a line!) Paprika has never been a fan of those mall Santas. I think she senses something is up with them. Whether it's shyness or what, I don't know. But I don't mind it anyway. The magic of Christmas is so much more than waiting in line at the mall to see a man in a red suit. I think it's little things. Little things like finding the magic in a little bitty Christmas tree...and just being together.

Learnin' Games!

Ever since I made that Candyland Sight Words game from Pinterest, I have been on the hunt for other board games to make. I wanted to figure out a clever spin on Chutes and Ladders, but it turns out that doesn't really exist (at least not that I could find).

With Paprika having all last week off school, and Winter Break coming up, I wanted to figure out some other fun, educational board games to try. I scoured the internet (okay, mostly just Amazon) and found some really cute games. I thought I'd buy them for the girls for Christmas, but who can wait that long? Plus, with Mr. M off work this month, this is a rare opportunity for us all to play together. So, I dove in and bought a few...

(And in case anyone's wondering, I didn't get paid to write this and I bought these games myself! Although, if people want to send me free stuff, I am not opposed. Ha!)



The first one I bought is Sum Swamp! It's a Math Game- basically, it helps kids with Addition and Subtraction. Paprika does not like Math, but LOVES this game. Already she is really improving with her mental addition and subtraction after just a few times playing it. A definite recommend. (But if you buy it, make sure to keep your two year old away from it or else half the pieces might get lost before the second day of ownership...I'm just sayin'!)





Paprika was having a hard time figuring out fractions and the difference between one half, one third, one fourth, etc. I realized that what she needed were some pizzas (or pies) cut up for her to visualize it better. But I didn't feel like buying a gazillion pizzas, so I thankfully stumbled across this game called The Pizza Fraction Game instead. It was a hit (even with 2 year old Ginger!)

It actually has a bunch of games you can play with the pieces, so it's the kind of game that can grow with your child. Right now we're still working on halfs through one sixths...but it can go all the way up to more complex fractions.



The third game I bought I haven't actually opened yet (will probably save it for Christmas, since we are still playing the other games a lot). It's called Money Bags and helps kids learn about money (the difference between dimes, quarters, pennies, nickels, how to make change, etc.) We hardly ever handle real money anymore...so I think that's why it's been harder for Paprika to grasp the different coin values. Hopefully this will help. I'll keep you updated!



Finally, I am considering buying this game called POP for Sight Words to help Paprika with her sight words recognition. It looks kinda simple, but gets really good reviews. I am not quite sure what the point of it is, but to a five year old it is probably fun, right? I might have to add it to the Christmas wish list.

Have you tried out any of these games? What did you think? :-)