A 92nd birthday party *and more*

I was going through some old pictures on my computer, and I realized I never posted this set. A few weeks ago, we went to a birthday party for my Grampa, at my aunt's house. He turned 92 years old.

Ari with my parents...



Ari insisted on helping Grampa open his presents...





Then it was time to sing "Happy Birthday"...



...and time for Grampa to blow out the candles.



I made a couple attempts to get a picture of Ari with her great-Grampa, but couldn't get both of them to look at me at the same time...





My mom and her dad...



Me and my silly daughter...

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One last photo, completely unrelated to the rest...

We did a little shopping last night at The Children's Place. With sales and coupons (they let me use 2 coupons at once--score!), we paid less than $40 for all this loot.



The jeans are 4T (and thank God for adjustable waist pants), but she is almost outgrowing her 4T shirts, the little weed, so all those tops we bought are a girl's size small, AKA size 5/6. It's such a strange thought to me, to be shopping in the "girl's" section rather than the "toddler" section.

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Ah, I knew there was something else I wanted to post. I took this video of Ari last night, showing off a trick the babysitter taught her so that she can put her coat on by herself. The way it starts off cracks me up. She is such a little ham...

Ariana 1-30-10 from Sariana on Vimeo.

Free to a good home

Well, my dear little daughter had a busy, busy day yesterday. Here's the rundown (in rough chronological order)...

1. She colored on the hardwood floor with a Sharpie, hiding behind the couch as she did so. (Thank God that Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is indeed magic.)

2. She got a hold of some stamps and plastered 20 or so on the underside of the desk. (I don't even want to think about how much money that is.)

3. She peed her pants while playing outside with Daddy. (Um... how exactly do you clean pee out of a pair of boots?)

4. She stole the kitchen scissors... but was caught by Daddy before she was able to cause any destruction. (I don't even want to know what she had planned...)

5. She peed her pants again while we were out and the babysitter was here, this time standing on top of the toilet and thus getting the toilet lid cover wet as well. (Yes, yes... she was THAT close to the toilet and still peed herself.)

6. When the babysitter put her in the shower to clean her off, she managed to spray water up over the top of the curtain and down the wall (which we discovered when a guest in the downstairs bathroom told us there was water dripping down the window). This was all happening right as we got home around 8:15.

7. As I dressed her in clean clothes, I discovered the empty box of Disney Princess band-aids on the counter. I never did get a clear answer as to where they all disappeared to, though I did find one or two on the floor later.

8. With the help of a friend, she carried 2 cups of water upstairs. One got spilled on the carpet at the top of the stairs. I caught her dumping the other one into a basket, which meant, of course, another puddle on the carpet.

9. I also noticed that she had pulled the snowman candle out of her window and out of the outlet. (With all the water she was playing with, it's a wonder she didn't electrocute herself.)

10. I made her come downstairs, and got her set up munching on some Teddy Grahams in the dining room. Several minutes later, she came to me with wet hands, and when I went to investigate, I discovered she had filled a Pringles can TO THE BRIM with water. (At this point, I banned her from getting water from the fridge door on her own EVER AGAIN.)

11. No more than 10 minutes later, she peed her pants AGAIN (the 3rd time, if you're keeping count).

By this time, it was way past her bedtime, so I gave her the world's fastest bath and put her devious little butt in bed. Once I did, I joined Tony in our room, where he'd already flopped on the bed. We just exchanged a look, shaking our heads and smiling, and I posted the following on Twitter/Facebook:

"Free to a good home: 3-year-old girl. Very cute, mostly housebroken. Answers to the name Ari."

The babysitter (Ari's regular sitter, not the one from earlier in the evening) commented on FB almost immediately, and I replied with a comment of my own, listing all the things Ari had done. Tony filled me in on what I'd missed while I was at work, and by the time I was done typing, I was dying laughing. I'm sure there's probably more stuff we're not even remembering. Or maybe just haven't discovered yet.

Good thing she's so cute.

Fat lip

My darling daughter has a fat lip, thanks to me. I was helping her step out of her Belle dress the other night, and she started to step before I had it fully down to the ground. Right as I was in the middle of telling her to wait, down she went, straight to the tile floor. I really can't fathom how she didn't injure or knock out any teeth. I guess her poor bottom lip cushioned them really well. She's a trooper, though. She may have inherited my clumsiness, but she's inherited her Daddy's tough-guy persona.



But despite the ugly lip, I love this picture of her... her giant blue eyes, the way her curls frame her face. If it weren't for that injury, this would be a pretty good picture.

Coloring and conversations

Ari and I colored last night. Can you guess who colored which picture?

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A few recent Ari conversations...

Ari: Who dances?

Tony: Well, Mommy and Daddy dance.

Ari: I dance too. I dance cool. I like when the music is loud and then I spin around and dance. And I dance cool.

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On the way to the babysitter's, I had the "Glee" soundtrack on, and in my rearview mirror I saw Ari's head bopping around...

Me: Hey, are you dancing? *starts bopping my head around like hers*

Ari: (seriously) This dance is only for little kids.

(When I told Tony about this later, he said she said the same thing to him the other day. Maybe it's her way of "getting back at us" for all the things we tell her are for grown-ups only?)

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Conversation during the last couple minutes of our drive to the babysitter's house (on a different day)...

Ari: Oh, I guess I see something!

Me: What, baby?

Ari: Pretty colors!

Me: Oh, I see them too. That's because the sun is coming up. You know how the sky turns pretty colors when the sun goes down?

Ari: Yeah.

Me: Well, it does the same thing when the sun comes up. And that's called sunrise.

Ari: Why does the sky turn pretty colors?

Me: Because... well, because God made it that way.

Ari: Oh, I see a pond!

Me: Yup, I see it too.

Ari: Why do ducks live in a pond?

Me: Because they like it there.

Ari: How come there's no ducks there now?

Me: Oh, because it's too cold.

Ari: No, it's not, it's warm.

Me: No, baby, I think it's too cold for them right now.

Ari: No, it's not. They're warm.

Me: OK, if you say so.

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And... one last Ari conversation... except this one isn't necessarily a funny one... just one that got me thinking...

Ari wanted to watch "Lilo and Stitch" a few nights ago. She and I have watched it together once, but a couple months ago. When Lilo's sister first appeared on screen, Ari asked, "Why is Lilo's mommy mad?"

Without really thinking of the implications of my answer, I jumped in and said, "Oh, that's not Lilo's mommy. That's her big sister."

I should have seen Ari's next question coming: "Where is Lilo's mommy and daddy?" (For those who don't know... *spoiler alert*... Lilo's parents died in a car accident. It's Disney--don't act surprised.)

I hesitated only a moment before deciding on the most direct and honest answer. "Well, they died."

And then I held my breath and waited for the repercussions of that answer.

Her response was to point at the screen and yell, "Lookit that monster guy, he's so funny!"

I glanced at Tony and said, "Wow, I got off that easy? Awesome."

I know as she gets older, I won't get let off the hook as easily. But if she had kept questioning, I don't think I would have avoided her questions. I might have stumbled a little, trying to phrase my answers appropriately, but I would find a way to tell her the truth, in simple terms. I guess I look at it this way... she's going to learn about death sooner or later. Anything we can do now to ease her into some sort of understanding about the concept of death can only be helpful.

I keep forgetting how quickly she's growing up. She amazes me almost every day with the things she remembers, the questions she asks, the adult-like phrases she uses (like last night, when she said to me, "OK, Mommy, here's the deal..."). I guess I keep thinking that I still have years before I have to handle tough questions with her... and more and more, I'm realizing that's not true. I need to start thinking a little more about how to answer her, so I'm not caught off-guard.

Shall we dance?

Yesterday afternoon, we had our first dance lesson (Tony's Christmas gift to me). When we got there, we immediately met the 2 who run the place--Karrie (who seems to double as the receptionist/secretary also) and Todd (who seems to be the owner). There was an elderly couple just leaving as we got there, so Todd introduced us to them. As the man reached to shake my hand, he murmured, "Oh my, aren't you pretty." Heh.

Oh, I remembered to take a picture of my outfit...



We filled out a couple short questionnaires first, with questions asking why we wanted to take classes, what we wanted to learn, etc. Todd chatted with us for a few minutes when we were done with the forms, taking notes on the things that we said. He said it was so they could get to know us better and help personalize our classes so that we would get the most out of them. Then he let Karrie take over, and we headed to the dance floor.

Right before we entered the room, she told us that the man always escorts the lady onto the dance floor. So Tony offered me his arm and we stepped onto the floor together. She asked us what we wanted to start with and we both just fumbled for an answer. I told her flat-out where I was coming from... I have never, ever danced. (I don't count slow-dancing, because really, that's just hugging and shuffling around a little.) And neither of us have ever taken a class.

She went through a couple short exercises with us, to get us used to some of the movements involved in dance, and then we started with the waltz. She showed Tony his steps first, then showed me mine, then brought us together, having us simply hold hands. Then after we had practiced like that for a while, she taught us about connections. She had us "hold" hands by pressing our palms together, with our fingers pointing straight up, and using the pressure we were putting on each other's hand to take our cues from each other.

Next was the rumba (the "Latin dance of love," she said), which, to my surprise, is the same steps/pattern as the waltz, just to a different rhythm. With the waltz steps under our belt, we caught onto that one pretty quickly. Then she had us work on our "frame"--in other words, actually holding each other instead of just standing palm-to-palm.

We ended with a little bit of salsa. I found myself having more trouble with that one. Not because the steps were necessarily any more complicated, but because we'd spent the entire lesson doing essentially the same movements, and now I had to do something different. That's definitely the one I need to most practice on. Before we left, we set up our next private lesson for Monday.

I was so nervous going into this. I know, I know--I'm lame. What's to be nervous about, right? But, really, I am so uncoordinated, and like I said, I have never EVER danced. I had no idea what to expect, and I had no idea how I would be. I mean, for all I knew, I just wouldn't get it, and would flub the whole thing up. And not that I'm saying I'm a natural or anything, but I think I held my own. Sure, I messed up (yep, stepped on Tony's feet a couple times), but for the most part, I felt like I was getting it. I did well with feeling the rhythm of the music, which makes sense, I guess, given my musical background. It's just a matter of getting my feet and the rest of my body to cooperate.

I pretty much spent the whole time grinning. Partly because I was nervous and self-conscious, which tends to make me giggly and silly. But also because it was just such a blast. It was so fun to be doing this with Tony, both of us total beginners and learning together. And when we finally got to the point where he held me in his arms... I kind of melted a little. I've always imagined ballroom dancing would be such a romantic thing to do... and it was. Even when we screwed up, it was still just SO much fun.

And the best part was that Tony had just as much fun as I did. I mean, fine, this was his idea and it's not like I forced him into it. But to hear him say that he loved it and enjoyed himself... that just made it all so much better. I can't wait for our next lesson. And yes, I am totally going to practice at home in the meantime. Because I'm a cool nerd like that.

Ari in review

I had the idea to do a 2009-in-review entry, pulling stuff from my Twitter feed, but holy cow, I didn't realize I talked so much on Twitter. A year's worth of tweets is way too much to sift through. But as I was reading back through some of my old tweets, I realized that a lot of them were things Ari said to me. And she's pretty random. So this entry is courtesy of my wacky kid. (And now, I have this stuff all in one place, instead of having to dig through Twitter to find it.)

January:

Me: "Ari, who's your favorite mom?" Ari: "Daddy." Me: "Hey! Who's your favorite mom?!" Ari: "Uh...a kitty cat?" (followed by a devilish grin)

Me: "Ari, it's bedtime. Go to your room." Ari: "Chop chop." (I'm so proud of myself for teaching her that.)

February:

Me: "Be careful." Ari: "I am. Lookit. See? I not falling." ... 5 seconds later, she fell. Would it be wrong to say, "I told you so"?

March:

Ari: "I got you a present." Me: "What is it?" Ari: "Maybe it's a snake in your bed."

Me: "Ari, don't hit me with your brush." Ari: (soothingly) "It's OK." Me: "No it's not!"

April:

Ari: "I have makeups." Me: "You have what?" Ari: "I have makeups." Me: "You mean hiccups?" Ari: "Yes. Makeups."

Me: "Ari, you are a noisy little human." Ari: "No, you're a noisy human. But I love YOU!"

Me: "Ari, you're pretty." Ari: "YOU'RE pretty. You're my cute girl. I love you!"

Ari: (after removing every. single. magnetic. letter from the fridge) "Who's going to pick up all these letters?" Me: "Um, YOU are."

May:

Ari: "I love you, Mommy." Me: "Aww, thanks." Ari: "Can you leave me alone now?"

Me: "Ari, I love you." Ari: "OK."

June:

Ari patted me on the head and told me, "You're the best doggy ever."

Ari just told me to look at her and when I did, she said, "Eww, I don't want to look at you!" And then she laughed. And is still laughing.

July:

At bedtime, Ari said, "Don't remember me!" I assume she meant "Don't forget me"? Either way, it's cute.

Me: "Ari, you are a nice girl." Ari: "I'm a VERY nice girl!"

Ari just told me, "You're my best buddy." Then, 2 seconds later, she said, "Wait a minute....you're not my best buddy" with an evil grin.

August:

One of the best ways to wake up in the morning is to the sound of a little 3-year-old voice whispering, "I love you the most."

Ari: "Mommy? Mommy?" Me: "What?" Ari: "Nevermind." (Repeat twenty thousand million times.)

September:

Ari's right hand is looking for her left hand, which is sleeping. Or so she tells me.

I'm watching "The Wedding Singer" with Ari. She just looked at Adam Sandler and said, "That boy is a great singer."

Ari: "Mommy, I want to tell you something. Earlier, I stepped in the box with the blanket & I'm sorry." Me: *laugh* Ari: "And that's funny."

October:

Ari (while watching football): "Did you see those 2 boys fall down? That was funny. Whoa, look at that throw! Wow, it was really fast!"

Ari: "Who got you that flower?" Me: "My friend Dawn." Ari: "Why?" Me: "Because she likes me." Ari: "Why?" Me: "I have no idea."

Just finished my dinner and Ari told me, "Good job, Mommy! You're the best daughter ever."

Ari: "Sometime can we ride on a pirate ship?" Me: "Where are we going to get a pirate ship?" Ari: "We can buy one!"

Ari is looking for her lost sock by yelling, "Sock! Oh so-ock!"

Ari: "Do you know what I'm thinking?" Tony: "What?" Ari: "That Mommy loves me." Tony: "Aw, does Mommy love you?" Ari: "No, the doggies love me."

November:

Me: "Ari, you're a nut-burger." Ari: "No I'm not!" Me: "Yes you are." Ari: "Yes I--no I'm not."

Me: "Thanksgiving is a special day where you eat lots of food & talk about what you're thankful for." Ari: "I'm thankful for my doggies."

Ari: "Yesterday I sat next to my friend Megan. Can you say Megan?" Me: "Um... Megan." Ari: "Good job, Mommy!"

Ari's explanation for her boo-boo: "I fall down later, I kinda tripped a little bit. But don't touch it because it very, very hurt."

Ari: "Mommy, have you ever been to a volcano?" Me: "Nope." Ari: "Maybe sometime I can give you a ride in Daddy's car and we can go to one."

Emma (to Ari): "Is Nick your boyfriend?" Ari: "Yes. I like him all the time."

Ari: *snuggles up to me* Me: "Are you tired?" Ari: *sigh* "Yes. I had a busy day."

December:

Me: "Ari, want to go shopping?" Ari: "Yes! Maybe we can get me a blue dress." Me: "Why blue?" Ari: "To go with my blue socks in my drawer."

Me: "Ari, I love you." Ari: "Aw, shucks."

Ari: "I don't like eggs." Tony: "Oh, they're really good." Me: "You should try them sometime." Ari: "But some people just don't like eggs."