Wednesday, January 10, 2018

L&A Years 4&2 Week 28: Dreaming of Ski Racing - 1/4/2018

Leia woke up one morning and started off a wonderful new independent streak.  She showed up in my room at a gloriously late 7:15 AM and announced that she had gotten herself all dressed (without Mommy watching), made her own bed, put everyone's cereal bowls out on the breakfast table, and even poured all our cereals for us.  She said she'd forgotten to brush her teeth, and could I please help her with that.  I was completely stupefied.  She usually just comes right up to get me the second she wakes up.  It was so amazing how independent and helpful she was trying to be.  And more amazing is that for the most part, she's kept it up every day since.  Well, still not really brushing teeth, but she's been pretty consistent about making her bed and getting out the cereal bowls for sure.  Leia had so much fun playing with Kira all weekend.  They really played so well together, with no fights or tiffs, especially the day we went to the KidsZone Museum.  It was so fun for her to have a buddy to run around with there.  It made her really independent most of the time, so I was able to play with Arwyn, who didn't really have a special friend.  Leia woke up one morning this week and told me all about her great dream from the night before.  She said that she was racing in a ski race and she had beaten Mikaela Shiffrin!  It was pretty cool that she's already aspiring to that as a 4 year old, especially one who's never even skied through gates!  It's also funny that she seems to be taking after me as far as having lots of crazy, vivid dreams that she can remember each morning.  So Leia threw me a doozy this week.  One day in the car she asks me, "Mom, why did Santa bring us presents?"  "Well, once a year on this special holiday Santa likes to bring presents to kids who are good."  "But Mom, we weren't good!"  My jaw dropped to the floor, and I had no idea how to even field that one.  I mean really, has Santa ever not come through?  All those threats for the coal in the stocking, but I've never heard of it.  I think she was really disturbed by the whole thing because right before Christmas, she was absolutely convinced that Santa would not be bringing any presents to her little friend at school because the girl had been being really mean to Leia for weeks.  But when Leia showed up to school the next week, the girl had indeed gotten presents, and so had all the other misbehaving kids.  The whole thing just didn't add up to her.  That girl is just too smart and intellectual for her own age!

Arwyn has been really excited about birthdays for the last few months, so even though there wasn't a party, she was super excited when I told her it was her half birthday.  She's never really been too communicative about her age before, but now she tells anyone who will listen that, "My birthday is two and a half!" or "It's my two and a half birthday!"  It's so cute.  She is still getting super excited every time she sees an "A Arwyn," which is apparently a very prevalent letter because she seems to say it every 2 seconds when we are out and about.  Leia gets really jealous that there are so many A's, and since it's technically a letter in her name too, she also chimes in to claim it: "A for Leia!"  We had another fun family ski day on New Year's Eve, and Arwyn was really happy to be out.  She's gotten enough miles under her belt that she's feeling much more comfortable with being on the Magic Leash now, and insists on us using it most runs.  I've seen her change directions many times before, but she doesn't seem to want to do it when she's flying down on the leash.  She mostly just goes straight and then you have to pull her back in and grab her before she flies off the side of the run!  When we were in a natural half pipe, the terrain would keep her turning back to the middle though.  Arwyn also had so much fun at the KidsZone museum, and she threw a total tantrum when it was time to go.  I kept trying to tell her that we can come back now that we have a pass, but there was just no reasoning with her.  Leia also threw a fit when it was time to leave, but her fit was because she really wanted to buy the butterfly mask that we saw there.  I told her she'd have to just save her money, and finally appeased her by going to back to see how much it actually cost.  We ended up making masks at home that night, which was fun for everyone.  Arwyn continues to get mad and try to dig her nails into my cheeks or neck.  It's kinda like a scene from a bizarre horror film.  She'll ask to be held, happily looking at me and playing gently with my face, putting her hands on my eyes and nose.  And then she goes dark, and what started as gentile turns vicious as she decided to squeeze too hard or dig in with her nails.  And if I protest, she just gets upset and tries to hurt me even more.  So annoying!  I hope she grows out of this phase soon!


Password = Leia


Sister Sister Time 12.29.17 from Katharine Transue on Vimeo.
We learned a great song about bonding with your sister on one of Leia's favorite princess shows.  These two love to sing the sister song, and they are so good with playing together and having their own sister time.

Riding doubles on Cody the Moose!

Password = Arwyn

Riding double on Cody The Moose, and telling him to "He-ya, Cody!"

Fun first day doing art, dressing up, and even playing with microscopes at the KidsZone museum with our brand new season pass!  Thanks MumMum!

Arwyn doing her favorite thing: climbing!

Big sister helping little sister get dressed up.

Leia and Kira in their princess gowns and riding hoods.


Seriously, I don't think these two could have had any more fun!


Learning to use magnifying glasses and microscopes.




Back for more art.

What do you see in there Leia?

Go show 'em you're a tiger, show 'em what you can do!

The infamous butterfly mask that turned a fun morning into tears and heartache!

Do it yourself masks are always better anyway!


When we left kicking and screaming, the idea of making a mask was not at all appealing.  Once the paints were out and I had them all cut out though, they were really excited.

They even got over the fact that the watercolors ran a little; didn't let it ruin their pretty creations!


Eyeing her helpless snowball target...look at that sinister face!

Fun times playing in the snow.

The three amigos!  Watch out, I think they're all hiding snowballs!

It was surprisingly good snowball making snow.

Even Arwyn could almost do it.  Well, she can definitely throw it!

Wow, talk about a comfy, inviting chair!

These two persistent young ladies did the states puzzle all by themselves!

Danielle served us some live lobster for New Years, so cool!

Josh's athlete found him on google!

Whoops, found this one too!

Fun making a little chocolate reindeer and slay scene.  Thanks Biby and Ryan!

Family ski day on the last day of 2017!

Leia had fun skiing and riding up the chair with Kira.

Oh geez, sorry Arwyn, can you even breath or see?!?

Password = Arwyn

Arwyn's gotten enough ski miles under her belt to feel much more confident on the snow.  She's started to use the Magic Leash now, and she loves the freedom so much that she insists on it almost every run!  She hasn't quite figured out how to turn yet (well, sometimes she can, but mostly she doesn't want to), so you have to pull her back and grab her before she skis off the side of the trail!

Loving her new Chewbacca pjs!




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