Christmas with Tony's family

This is going to be a long one--get comfy.

So, Christmas. We left on Tuesday after I got off work and arrived at 1:30 AM. I slept most of the way. So did Ari, which was a blessing. And she went right back to sleep when we got there, which was another blessing. We stayed with Tony’s grandmother (Nan) as usual.

Wednesday was Christmas Eve, and we slept in, and then kind of lounged around the rest of the day. Tony’s cousin had a little party at her place in the evening, so we hung out there for a couple hours.

Then Thursday was Christmas. Nan always fixes a big breakfast and everyone on that side of the family comes over. This picture was the 2nd or 3rd "shift" since not everyone can fit at the table at the same time.



After breakfast was gift-opening time, which was fun chaos. I hope I said "thank you" to everyone who gave either us or Ari a gift--it was hard to keep track. Ari made out like a bandit--tons of toys, some clothes, a good variety.

Moi, chock-full of Christmas spirit. Ho, ho, ho...



Our niece, Taryn. Isn't she gorgeous? She still calls Ari "Baby Ari," which I think is so cute.



Taryn and Ari, with Aunt Suzie...



Tony's mom gave us a belated anniversary gift--a photo snowglobe engraved with our names, the dates, and the phrase "10 Years of Love." It's so pretty.



An attempt at a New Year's card picture. This was the best shot out of 3, and I still don't like it. So we're going to use a slightly older picture from Thanksgiving.



Tony with his sister Traci's 2 kids, Michael (who looks like he should be Ari's sibling) and Taryn.



Aunt Traci and Ari, with her finger in her nose. Lovely.



Uh... I'm not sure what this was all about...



Intently reading a Christmas card...



I thought this picture was funny--all the kids, completely focused on their new toys.



Ari, playing with the zipper on her new hoodie...



This is the best picture we got of Nan. The Clorox and Downy was a gift from Aunt Margie (well, our aunt... Nan's daughter)...



Ari giving Grammy (Tony's mom) a thank-you hug. I love this picture.



Ari's cousin Michael. Check it out--they have the same hairdo, the same blue eyes... doesn't it look like they should be siblings instead of cousins?



After present-opening time, we headed over to another one of Tony’s cousin’s houses--a cousin on his dad’s side. We had a nice time there. Oh, I should mention here that Ari did such a great job with the relatives. Last time we visited Tony’s family, it took her a long time to warm up to everyone, but this time, she was outgoing and friendly and charming, freely handing out hugs and kisses to anyone. It was really sweet, and I know that meant a lot to Tony’s family, since they don’t get to see her much.

Friday, we went to the mall in the afternoon--met Tony’s sister Traci there, and let Ari and her cousin Taryn burn off some energy in the play area. We wanted to check out a Verizon store, too, but discovered that there are none in that town. We found out there was one in a nearby town, though, so we decided to go there on Saturday.

And why did we need a Verizon store, you may ask? Because... well, let me backtrack a little. Tony’s been drooling over the new Blackberry Storm ever since he first heard about it months ago, so he decided that was going to be his Christmas gift. (My parents usually ask us for a gift list or they just cut us a check, so he took the money.) The more he talked about it, the more he got me interested in the whole idea of a Blackberry, so I mentioned a couple times that I wanted one. I didn’t want anything big and clunky, so I looked around online and decided on the Blackberry Pearl. He didn’t react much when I talked about it, so I wasn’t sure how sold he was on the idea of both of us having one. But the day before we left to go visit his family, he spilled that he was planning on getting me the BB Pearl for Christmas. He had wanted to get the new phones before we left, and even had this elaborate plan for how he was going to surprise me with it, but we got busy and he didn’t have a chance to get to the Verizon store. So while we were at his family’s, we found ourselves a Verizon store and, a couple hours later, he had his BB Storm, and I had this...



I know, huge picture, but it's really tiny--only about 4" long. And yes, I got the pink one, because I am such a girly-girl. It’s adorable, and I love it.

Saturday afternoon, we drove about an hour west to go to a big family reunion for Nan’s family. I’ve met most of those people before, but it was years ago, so I barely remembered anyone. The reunion was held in the basement of a church, so there was a nursery full of toys to keep Ari occupied. We didn’t stay too long, but it was good that we were able to make an appearance. They have a yearly reunion every June, but it’s always a Sunday, and since Tony’s a pastor, Sunday is a working day for him, which means we never go. We figured out, actually, that the last time we were at the reunion was before we were married.

Saturday night, we went bowling with the family. Ari had a great time--she thought bowling was the coolest thing ever. I helped her throw a couple balls (it was duckpin bowling, so it was the small balls), and other than that, she helped by either walking up to the line with me to "help" me throw the ball, or pressing the reset button for the next person in line. She was up way past her bedtime, though, and we paid for it when we got back to Nan’s--it took her over an hour to settle down and go to sleep, which is so unlike her. But in a way, it worked to our benefit, since we were facing another long car ride the next day.

Ari and Taryn at the bowling alley. Another favorite picture...



Tony's cousin Hanna, with an uncooperative Ari...



Again, not sure what Ari's face is about. My kid is weird.



Grammy and Ari...



Showing me the prize that Daddy helped her win (a mini superball)...



We slept a little later than we intended on Sunday morning, so it was a mad rush to pack up and then load the car. We had a late brunch with Tony’s mom, brother, and sister and her kids at Denny’s, and then we hit the road. The drive home was uneventful. Ari fell asleep almost immediately, and I kept myself entertained with my Blackberry. When we stopped for dinner at the slightly-more-than-halfway-home point, I took over driving. Ari napped a little more, then woke up about an hour away from home, moaning that her ear hurt and her butt hurt. Of course, there is no reasoning with a 2-year-old, so in spite of my sympathies and explanations, she kept whining.

We made a quick stop at my parents’ house on our way home last night to pick up one last gift for Ari. I swear, this kid probably thinks that Christmas is a week-long event, based on how spread out her gifts have been. And we still have a couple friends who have told us they have gifts for Ari. She’ll probably be sorely disappointed to learn that Christmas is a one-day deal.

While we were there, we tried to have my dad take a peek at her ear (since she’d been complaining about it the previous night, too), and you would have thought we were killing her, the way she carried on. My dad didn’t get a good look, so who knows what’s going on. I hope she’s not getting another ear infection, poor kid. I used to get them all the time when I was little, right up into my teenage years, and I’m hoping she doesn’t inherit that from me.

And so now it is Monday once again, but another short week. I have Thursday and Friday off, so I’m looking at a nice 4-day weekend. So far, I don’t think we really have any plans, which will be nice. Maybe we can finally go out for my belated birthday dinner.

Christmas with my parents

Last night, we had Christmas with my parents, since we’ll be with Tony’s family on Christmas Day. It was a really nice night—we had a great dinner (with appropriate Christmas music playing in the background) and it was just a very relaxed evening. I forgot the camera, so we broke out Mom and Dad’s new digital camera, set it up for them, and then used it. So, yay, I have pictures.

We were trying to get Ari to say “cheese” and look at the camera at the same time. As you can see here, she was saying “cheese” and I was pointing at the camera, trying to get her to look that way. FAIL.



I helped her show off a few gifts for the camera…



Ari got a giant box of clothes… really cute stuff…



And of course, she wanted to help me open my gifts, too. I think her favorite part of Christmas is just opening the gifts—once they’re open, she’s not too thrilled with the contents, but starts looking for the next thing she can unwrap.



Among my gifts was…



(It’s the first season of Pushing Daisies, if you can’t tell.)

I think this might have been Ari’s favorite gift. This sorry excuse for a smile is what we get all the time now. Maybe we should just stop asking her to smile.



I like this shot…



Tony and Ari… and the infamous “cheese” face.



A family shot, with someone not cooperating…



Oh, look! Ari’s looking at the camera! And smiling! And… she has something green in her teeth. (It’s a Swedish fish, in case you were curious.) And it’s blurry anyway. Oh well. We still have time to come up with a good shot for our New Year’s cards.



Like I said earlier, we’re heading down to visit Tony’s family for Christmas. The plan is for us to leave tonight after I get home from work, especially since tomorrow’s forecast is calling for freezing rain and sleet in the morning. But I’m not sure entirely sure how that’s going to happen, since none of us are packed.

More than likely, I’m not going to have internet access while we’re gone. Oh well. I was internet-less for longer than that when we went on our cruise, so I can make it.

Anyway, I should go ahead and wish you all a Merry Christmas now. Try not to miss me too much, OK? Be strong… I know it will be hard, but you can survive.

Of boots and Noah *EDIT for pics*

As if we didn't get enough snow on Friday, today we're getting another 4-6 inches. We even cancelled church this morning due to the weather. I am so sick of snow... and it's only the first day of winter.

But one person who loves the snow is Ari. We've bundled her up a few times to take her outside to play in it. Of course, her winter gear consists of boots, which is a somewhat-new word to her. When she says "boots" it comes out sounding like "boobs," so I've been gently correcting her by saying, "No, Ari--say boots... booTs," putting emphasis on the T.

Last night, when we were getting ready to go outside, Ari was naming all the things I needed to put on her. She pointed at her boots on the stairs and said, "Boobs. Boobs. No, Ari, say boots. Boots."

Good to know she's paying attention.

And in a totally unrelated story... Ari has a Noah's Ark Little People set that she loves to play with, which includes, with all the animals, a Noah figurine. We were watching TV yesterday, and when Santa came on the screen, she pointed and yelled, "Noah!"

I told her it was Santa, and she just gave me a blank stare. Ehh, I suppose it's a good thing she doesn't know who Santa is yet.

And that's all I've got for today. I've got freelance work to do, along with regular work too (since I left early on Friday), so I'd better take advantage of the extra time I have today and get to work.

---

*** EDIT *** (because I'm a dork and forgot to add these pictures...)

Getting ready to go play in the snow...



I was trying to get a picture of her entire outfit and she was having none of it. Can't say that I blame her, though.



OK, now I'm done. I promise.

The "Why?" stage (and other stories)

It's been a while since I did an Ari update, so here goes.

I'll start with the "negative" stuff first. Little Miss Thing has learned how to backtalk. For example, sometimes when I tell her to do something, she'll reply, "I am" (which actually comes out "I yam" and is, I have to admit, kind of cute). She's also, within the past few days, started retorting, "Ari talking" when I jump in to correct her about something. I'm pretty sure she's picked this up from us, because when she interrupts us, we tell her "Mommy and Daddy are talking--you need to wait." The other night at the dinner table, she was being goofy, so I told her she was silly. She replied, "Daddy silly!" and I agreed that yes, Daddy was silly too. Then she looked at me and said "Stupid." I fought to keep a straight face (while hearing Tony hiding his laughter beside me) as I explained that "stupid" is not a nice word.

So needless to say, we've been having lots of little conversations lately, about rudeness versus politeness, stuff like that. I'm not sure how much of it is really sinking in, but it makes sense to nip this kind of stuff in the bud. A part of me thinks she knows exactly what she's doing and is being bratty/mean on purpose, while another part of me realizes she may simply be experimenting with new words and not really understanding what they mean. And still another part of me wants to laugh half the time. I know she's testing, and that there are times where she honestly doesn't know that her attitude is wrong, so I'm doing my best to view these instances as teaching opportunities, rather than taking them personally.

And she's showing signs of understanding. One thing I've done with her for a while is that when I give her an instruction, I'll end with "Do you understand?" to see if she was listening. Lately, all she'll do is parrot back, "Understand?" But last night, she actually caught herself, more than once, and replied, "Underst--Yes, Mommy."

Seriously... the infant stage? was so much easier.

On a still-annoying-but-in-a-funny-way note, she has learned the word, "Why?" and boy, does she use it. I read her a book the other night, and when I was finished, we had the following conversation...

"Mommy, why Olivia have to go asleep?"

"Because it was her bedtime."

"Why?"

"Because little girls need to go to bed at night."

"Why?"

"Because it's the law."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't follow the law, you get arrested."

"Why?"

"Hey, I don't make the rules, kid--I just enforce them."

Yeh, OK, I'm obviously not taking the "Why?" question very seriously. But at least I'm not just saying, "Because I said so." Not all the time, anyway...

Speaking of reading, this child loves to read. I know I've mentioned this recently, but I'm going to keep going on about it, because it makes me so proud. Her current favorite books are "Olivia," "the car wash book" (a collection of Golden Books, one of which is "I Love You, Daddy" which has one page with a picture of a car wash... but the entire book is "the car wash book"), a potty book my mom got her (guess where she likes to read that one?), and "Five Silly Monkeys." Oh, and also, this completely-stupid Care Bear book. I love Care Bears as much as anyone (I grew up with them too), but the words in this book are so lame. I have a pretty high tolerance for children's books, but this one pushes me to the limits. I may have to accidentally-on-purpose lose it.

She's started grabbing our hands to lead us places. I know every kid does this, but she never really has, until now. It's really quite sweet. Last night, when I got home, she wanted to show me her new kitchen set (which Tony had put together for her that day). So she said, "Mommy, come see Ari's kitchen" and grabbed my hand to take me there. We went through that routine at least 2 or 3 more times, because whenever I walked away from her (to talk to Tony or whatever), she'd come fetch me again. It's hard to say no when you have that sweet little hand clasping one or two of your fingers.

She's started to say "thank you" on her own every now and then--and she usually says "thanks" which is so cute, yet so grown-up-sounding, coming from her.

She asks for boo-boos to be kissed and fully believes in the magic of Mommy's kiss. One time she pinched my arm by mistake and when I spontaneously yelped, "Ow!" she immediately leaned down to kiss it better.

One morning, she woke up while I was getting ready for work. I heard her talking, so I poked my head out of the bathroom to say hello to her. "Morning, sweet pea," I whispered, not wanting to wake up Tony.

She was sitting up in bed, hair rumpled, just staring at me. Then she cocked her head to the side, and softly and simply said, "Come in, Mommy."

She makes it so hard to leave her some mornings.

Birthday #32

So, it was my birthday on Saturday. It was an OK birthday--not the best ever, but not the worst ever, either. I'm sure it would have been better if I'd been feeling healthier, but I could feel myself starting to get sick, which put a definite damper on my celebratory spirit.

Tony and I had originally planned (like, a week or so ago) to leave Ari with a babysitter and go out to dinner or dessert, just the 2 of us, sometime this weekend. But with all 3 of us being sick now, that will have to wait.

Oh, and I got a coupon from Coldstone for my free birthday ice cream... don't let me forget to use that, you guys.

Anyway, back to my actual birthday. We went to my parents' for lunch, and to celebrate mine and Dave's birthdays together (since his is the 21st). My littlest little brother Pete had just gotten home from college, so that was another bonus. My parents gave me a CD, a necklace/bracelet set, a Kohl's gift card, plus a check. Tony picked out cards from him and Ari, for a total of 3 (yeh, he got me 2 cards from him). He told me what he'd wanted to get me as a gift, but said he wanted to let me pick it out. I've been going on and on about wanting a Chi hair straightener, so now I need to figure out exactly which one I want.

We left Ari at my parents' house to nap while we headed to the church to set up for that evening's Christmas dinner. The theme for the dinner was "Dinner and a Movie," so we set up a big screen with a projector linked to a DVD player, and played "Rudolph," "Frosty" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." I don't think anyone (except maybe a handful of kids) really paid attention, but it created a nice "atmosphere." When the movies were over, we sang a few Christmas carols (led by yours truly, and Tony, who graciously offered to help me out since I wasn't feeling so hot), played a little Christmas trivia, and called it a night.

Later that night, I spontaneously snuggled up next to Tony for a hug. He hugged me back, and said "Happy birthday." For some reason, I looked up at the clock, and saw that it was 11:12 PM.

"Whoa," I replied. "You just wished me a happy birthday at the exact minute I was born."

Kind of a cool way to end the day.