Snowy Day

Now, I know this doesn't compare with what is happening on the East Coast with your fancy blizzards and all (and I never thought in a million years that I'd move to Chicago and consistently get LESS snow than in NJ), but we did get a nice snowfall yesterday.

Eliza and Mac went out to shovel some snow.

Eliza quickly realized she'd gotten the raw end of the shovel vs. broom deal.

So they swapped, but after a few seconds of toiling...

...she wised up completely and resigned her position...

...for the much more rewarding task of making snow angels.

Then she proceeded to eat about a pound of snow (only safe in fresh snowfall, before the dogs come a walkin'). Afterwards, she came back inside for some hot chocolate, most of which ended up on her face, and a new movie to watch, "Sleeping Beauty."

A Video Christmas Card

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Halloween Part II

First up, in case you don't feel like browsing through the ten million pictures from Eliza's birthday party in the last blog post, Eliza's Gramps created this great collage. Click on it to enlarge.So, for Halloween proper, Eliza went out to her Mimi & Papi's house in the suburbs to trick-or-treat properly (i.e. at houses, not stores, like we have to do here in the city). She opted for a more casual princess look, with her hair down this time:

Late afternoon spooky shadows!
Getting the bag ready for treats!
She loved all the Halloween decorations that people had put out.
Trick-or-treating with Daddy and Papi:
And as a final added bonus, she got to jump in the huge leaf piles along the curb. She also helped hand out candy inside and got to eat a hot dog for dinner. So, overall, I'd say she had a great Halloween!

Halloween Parade!

Today was the Halloween Parade at Eliza's school. Fortunately, the rain stopped for almost the duration of the parade, starting just as we got back into the school. Eliza is Princess Presto this year, from her current favorite show, Super Why (although Angelina Ballerina is creeping up the ranks). We paraded around the block and it was VERY windy, as you can see from her hair.





Back inside, she posed for a quick pic with good bud and fellow princess, Chloe. Just a hunch, but I think she was getting hungry.
Back inside the classroom for group shots, which is, as Kerri said aptly so long ago, like herding cats. Eliza decided she had had enough. She said she wanted to twirl instead, but I think what she really needed was some food. Huge stacks of cupcakes were at the ready.
Definitely click on this one below to enlarge. Her face is priceless.
I need a tissue!
Are we done yet?Stay tuned for more pics after she goes trick-or-treating at Mimi & Papi's house on Halloween!

Also, I haven't posted anything about Eliza's birthday, but she had a grand ol' time and fortunately Aunt Mary took about a million pictures, which you can see here.

All Hail the Big Girl Bed!

We have arrived! A day long talked about and long anticipated....Eliza has her big girl bed! The agreement was that she could get one (with Dora sheets, of course) when she could poop in the potty (that being the hurdle in the potty training process). She delivered, so to speak, and got her reward.

First up, a quick video of her first look at the bed.

And now a few stills of what one can do with a big girl bed:

Be a cheese dog.
Lie back and relax with one's wand.
Get comfy with a book.
Find one's favorite part in said book.
And, of course, snuggle in.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday, Daddy! (for those who don't know, Daddy is traveling to NYC during the week, so can't be with us on his actual birthday)

She's not getting a cupcake on Daddy's birthday. But if she did, it would probably look something like this:

Diamonds and Trikes

Just a few quick pics...

Since returning home from Florida and her triumphant turn as Princess Penelope, Eliza has been clamoring for a crown and wand of her own. I finally obliged, but the only non-Disney Princess (ugh) crown I could find also came with earrings and a beautiful necklace. So Eliza likes to channel her inner Zsa Zsa, especially first thing in the morning. B/c what goes better with footie pajamas than sparkly jewelry?

Her other big news is that she got a tricycle! After only three times out, she is actually really good at pedaling and even likes to "go fast like an airplane." Here she is working hard...
And loving life!!!
Hope everyone had a happy Mother's Day. Ours was lovely.