St Nick

Happy St Nicholas Day to one and to all! We awoke this morning to some special surprises in our shoes!

Isla could hardly wait to unwrap hers and immediately wanted to eat her "lollipop" (candy cane).

 Emma seemed to think her ornament should go back IN the wrapping paper and I think Graham was wishing he were back in bed. (Let's just say "tranquil" would not be the word I'd use to describe our morning!) 

 The goods:

 

Graham got these 2 lovely ornaments. We couldn't help but wonder if the one on the right had anything to do with the little "incident" documented here. 

 I got this adorable one that I think might be vying for the position of all-time favorite! Someday I would love a tree adorned with exclusively food and cooking-related ornanments. 

 Isla got this owl...

 ...and this snowman. She said the snowman was her favorite and he even joined us grocery shopping this afternoon.

 Emma got a giraffe and a penguin and let's just say they aren't spending much time on the tree.

 Hope St Nick left some fun in your shoes!

Emma: 15 Months

Have I mentioned that I just cannot get enough of this child right now?! I'm feeling the need to place myself strategically near some extra colicky babies, just for the sake of birth control because this girl is too cute and I'd clone her if I could.

At her 15 month appointment, she weighed 23 pounds, 4 ounces (50-75%ile) and measured 31 inches long (50-75%ile). Her head was 18.4 inches (50-75%ile). Her weight was in the 25%ile at her 9 month appointment so we're having no issues there! She eats more than the average adult female so if she keeps this up, we'll be making a quick transition to 2% milk!

 

Emma has such a fun personality. She's a people-person, entertainer and snuggler all in one. She is very social yet my gut tells me she's an introvert. She's very affectionate and loves to make you smile and laugh. If you sit on the floor, she'll be in your lap saying her sing-song "Hi" right in your face within seconds. She learned to blow kisses so often times she'll send one of those your way. And she's a goof! One day I walked into her room to find this:

I know I said last month that Emma officially began walking but now she's REALLY walking (as in finally choosing it over crawling) since November 20th. It's like she woke up that morning and said It's Tuesday. Let's do this! and boom, it's like she never crawled. I'm pretty sure she just waited until she knew she could fully succeed. Now there's no stopping her! Her favorite thing to do now is walk around carrying things such as a ukulele (which she sure is HERS), a water bottle, Kleenex, whatever she can get her hands on. She's become the ultimate multi-tasker is always doing something as she strolls: blowing her nose (which she perfected today), blowing kisses, or patting her belly (which one must always do when naked apparently).

Shortly after perfecting her walking skills, she figured out how to go from her hands and knees to a standing position (without using any furniture to assist). On November 28th, she climbed up on Isla's bed for the very first time. Cool!

 

Speaking of beds, the girls love to snuggle at bedtime. I've been tucking them both under Isla's covers for prayers and kisses (read: giggles and more giggles). It warms my heart every time! They adore each other though they have their moments (increasingly more so this month).

Emma started taking some really long naps this month (2 hours!) I think in preparation for the transition to one nap. If we have a morning activity, she can push through wearily and take one mid-day nap but as long as I can keep her on two naps, I'm gonna do it!

 

Isla is really into wrestling her sister. Emma is not always so keen on the idea and someone usually ends up crying. They have begun to fight and squawk a bit over toys and their personal bubbles. They play very well together at times but also enjoy their space. Emma knows how to push Isla's buttons and she does so liberally (and intentionally - the stinker!) Emma has also thrown her first tantrums this month. Ummmm, how did we get to this phase already!? And I'm talking, face-to-the-floor-crying tantrums. I often ignore her when she's throwing the fit and wait until she's calm. Sometimes when I come back to get her, she immediately resumes her position and begins screaming again as if to say I'll show her! Whoa. I'm the mother of two daughters alright!

Emma is SO smart! She understands pretty much everything I saw and will retrieve things or point to things when asked. She doesn't have a huge vocabulary yet but has started saying "Yeah" which I find ridiculously adorable.

 

Emma's separation anxiously has heightened. I mean as in I-can't-even-go-on-the-other-side-of-the-check-out-stand kind of heightened. She wails and bawls her eyes out every time we shop, that is, until I give her a banana. Bananas cover a multitude of wrongs in her world!

 

We've gone on a bit of a bread fast and, wouldn't you know it, her veggie intake is improving. Her favorites right now include kale chips and broccoli. I noticed a 4th tooth (upper right) today so that's making life a little easier in the chewing department! I finally got her to eat some cheese though she only does it when she's really hungry. She loves meat and also really likes mandarin oranges. And bananas. Did I mention bananas? Of course, she would eat only carbs if it weren't for her dietitian mother who insists on variety.

My youngest has taken to cleanliness (hallelujah!) Without any coaxing or training, I've caught her scrubbing the floor, walls and her cousin's belly on numerous occasions with a used Kleenx, a paper towels or toilet paper. She likes to do laundry too.

 

I'm pretty sure this is the BEST age because I am just loving it!

Decking the Halls

 Though we may have gotten our tree in less than 40 minutes round trip, it took us about 4 days to get anything on it.

 The girls had a blast going through the ornaments and hanging them on the tree. And so far, they are all still in one piece!

 Emma found the stocking ornament from my very 1st Christmas and kept trying to put it on her foot.

This picture makes me smile - I love our living room at Christmas!

Tree hunt

 We got an early start on things this year and went out to fetch us a Christmas tree on the day after Thanksgiving. "We" (meaning exclusively Graham) briefly entertained the idea of chopping down our own tree in the wide open forest. Personally I loved this idea because it meant a trip to the Alderwood REI ON Black Friday followed by a hike down the mountain side in the pouring rain (classic NW day - see above), carrying two kids and a Christmas tree. I mean, what could possibly be more fun than that? 

Yeah, so we didn't do that.

Instead, we donned are rain gear and drove approximately 2.6 miles down the road to McClendon's Hardware to grab a pre-cut beauty (three years and counting!)

 We settled on the 2nd tree we touched - perfect! 

 

 And just like that, we had a tree!

**Hey Babe! Remember that time, before we had a mini-van, when you CARRIED our tree home?**

 

Minivans are swell, don't you think?

Ducksgiving

  Soooooo, how many people really like turkey anyway? Like jump-up-and-down-I-can't-wait-to-have-some-on-Thursday kind of like it? Not us. Graham and I have been itching do an alternative Thanksgiving menu - glammed up versions of the traditional components - for a while now but the opportunity never presented itself. But this year we were invited to my parents the weekend before Thanksgiving for a little celebration with the immediate family since we couldn't be there on the actual day. When Graham and I volunteered to cook, my mom happily handed us her kitchen. And we went crazy (like any couple who hardly sees each other who is given the opportunity to cook a huge feast with built-in babysitting the Saturday before Thanksgiving would do).

We selected turkey's next of kin and made Duck a l'Orange for our main course. Not many people can say they've butchered a whole duck but Graham now can! Well, it was dead when he started but he had to cut it into all it's pieces. Honestly, I almost lost my lunch shopping for the beasts (we had two) - let's just say that Asian grocers don't always package their meats in the most appealing of fashions. I did go with the head-less, beak-less, eye-less option but still, the other guy was right there literally watching me grab his brother as I fought back a heavy wave of nausea.

 

Anyhow, let's talk about happy things like bread! We replaced rolls with a less traditional but three times as delicious Rosemary Flatbread with Blue Cheese, Grapes and Honey. Seriously awesome.



Instead of green beans, we had Kale with Garlic and Bacon. It's a proven fact that everything is better with bacon. And it was (though we didn't use as much as the recipe called for). We did use 4 full heads of kale though. I love how you can eat SO much of that delicious stuff without realizing it when it's sauteed.

We traded in mashed potatoes for Grandma's Crushed Potatoes, fingerling potatoes seasoned with toasted cumin and coriander seeds and turmeric. And duck fat. I'd been saving the duck fat from our bird nicely in an almost half-full mug. I turned my back (which one should never do when cooking with Graham!) and it was nearly empty. Gasp! And delicious.

For some reason I neglected to photograph dessert. Probably because it was a pie and I don't really like pie. (I know, all you Croziers are disowning me right now - how could I say such a thing!?) Graham requested a Sweet Potato Pie and it was pretty darn good if I do say so myself. For a pie of course. All in all, our meal was yummy but I think we can do better. The duck was too classic for my taste which I guess makes me a duck snob. The breast is definitely best! But we had a blast cooking without having to entertain children at the same time and mostly we enjoyed time with family.

 

Let's not forget about the diners!

Emma was a duck fan

Oh yes and we drank a Cotes du Rhone since we were dining on French fusion (sort of).

Grandma and Lilly

Silver, Josh & Ben - we had the WHOLE family together which was awesome!

And my wonderful parents!

I love my family - thanks for a fun, relaxing weekend!

Isla: 39 Months

Dear God,

 

Thank you to whomever you gifted with the GENIUS idea of "OK to Wake Clocks."

They have saved my bacon.

 

Amen.

 

I'm not sure what to say other than Isla is in transition with her sleep habits! There are many moments where I wonder if someone has stolen my girl and replaced her with the energizer bunny. She wakes at the crack of dawn and can go all day without a nap and then well into the evening before she finally gives in to sleep. Sometimes I think it is time to drop her nap and then other days, everyone around us KNOWS without a shadow of a doubt that that time has not yet come. So, thanks to her new clock, we've instilled boundaries around sleep. Or more accurately: "sleep." Isla must wait until her clock glows green (7:15 AM) before she comes out of her room in the morning and then I set it for 1 1/2 hours at nap time. It works ~63% of the time but I'll take it! My alone time this year is precious and infrequent and so these boundaries are much needed. For both of us!

The best part about the whole clock thing is that she always, always, always carries the clock downstairs with her to show us that it's glowing - makes us smile! Feel free to ask her about the clock when you see her next. She LOVES to talk about it!

 

I've lost track of how many house guests we are hosting at this point in time but Isla's "friends" come and go frequently. Sometimes they are pregnant. Sometimes they need to nap. She has quite the imagination and she is such a social creature!

 

She wants to go to school SO badly and asks us all the time when she gets to. We are considering preschool next year but in the meantime I try and occupy her with her "preschool book." She's learning to identify numbers and letters and group objects together. She loves it and will spend almost an hour "doing school" with me!

 

Isla loves heaters. I'll find her snuggled up in front of one with a Better Homes and Garden Magazine and a blanket, just like someone else we know. She also likes to sit in front of the one in my room in the morning, claiming it helps make her hair "soft and curly."

 

Isla's leadership skills continue to develop and flourish. I tell her often "Isla, you are going to go places!" She usually responds with "Where!?"

 

The other day she was asking me where heaven was. I told her up in the sky and she gave me a look of brief concern before she confidently informed me: "No it's not. Because that's too high for us to reach." Oh, ok.

 

After she's been in trouble, I sometimes ask her if she's ready to obey. Her latest is to announce that she's "going to obey on Saturday!"

 

Then there was the conversation that went like this:

Me - "Isla, you need to wash your hands."
Isla - "I want to use hanitizer!" (hand sanitizer)
Me - "No, we only use that when we don't have soap and water."
Isla - "Why?"
Me - "Because that's what the doctor says."
Isla - "What does Jesus say?"

 

Oh and the other thing I should probably mention is her love of getting dressed. She is very particular about her outfit choices. She hates coats (she wears them for the 7 foot trek from the front door to the car only to toss it on the van floor once she's climbed in...) and would probably wear dresses or skirts every day if she had more that were cold weather friendly. A couple weeks back she came across Emma's Halloween costume and was proud to report "It fits!"

Thanksgiving 2012

 It was a Crozier year this year! And our gathering was "small" (read: we only filled TWO large tables!) After some reminiscing, I think we determined it was Graham's first Thanksgiving off in 5 years so we made the best of the whole day. First just the 4 of us went for a walk along the Kirkland waterfront with Peppermint Mochas in hand. Then I went for a short run (just for good measure) before we loaded up and headed for Graham's parents.

 Our wonderful host and hostess

 Emma perfected her walking skills on Tuesday and so she spent most of the day walking around the house carrying things (cool new trick!) 

 Isla invested her time in a special new puzzle until Grandma pulled out her nativity scene. That was a real hit and she is getting better at telling a slightly accurate Christmas story.

 

 Graham can't for the life of him keep from squinting when someone snaps a picture of him. So, we decided not to bother even having him open his eyes anymore. Trust me, it's better this way.

 Uncle John made the very best part of the Thanksgiving meal (according to Isla): the rolls! She had three! When I told her no to having a 4th, she went and asked cousin Stew. Smart girl!

Cousins! Poor Canon was feeling a bit under the weather but put up with his cousins poking and prodding his face for as long as he could.

I think it's fair to say Emma LOVED the apple pie! She could not keep her hands off of Olona's plate.

 

Look at our thankful tree - we filled it! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!