These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Luc's "what I'm interested in":

-Making and creating things (a.k.a.- crafts with Grandma)
-Experiments
-Magnets
-Practicing writing his letters, learning to spell words
-Memorizing lyrics to songs and singing
-Lego

Aria:

-101 Dalmatians
-Moana
-Make up
-Dresses/skirts/"dress up"
-Nails painted
-Bows in her hair
-Jumping in puddles

No More Teething!

Aria's last 2-year molars came through and we didn't even realize it.
Her second top molar came in about 2 weeks ago. I went to check on it this weekend to see how far it's come and then decided to see if her bottom ones were on their way. What a shock! One is almost all poked through and the other's point it out. I guess these didn't bother her too much because she's been sleeping fine, not too cranky (any more than normal), and her nose barely ran.
I'm so happy not to deal with baby teething anymore. Our philosophy for the kids has been to allow them to keep their pacifiers until they've cut their 2-year molars. After that, they can use a stuffed animal, lovey, or in Aria's case, a Dora doll, as their comfort object. We don't see a physical need for pacifiers once they no longer need something to soothe the teething discomforts.
So now we start the many ways to get Aria unattached from her pacifiers. On her own, she can go all day without it if she's kept distracted. But once she gets upset over something or goes to sleep, she wants it.
Instead of dragging this out with poking holes in them (which I don't like to do because I get scared if they fall apart when she's sleeping, she'll choke), only allowing them in the car or when she's sleeping, and then transitioning out of those phases, I want to just throw them away, deal with a few days of her looking for them, and then be done. But she's doesn't transition as well as Luc did on these kinds of things. And she also has a fiery spirit. Her fits are monstrous. Am I willing to deal with those instead of dragging it out?

Aria,

I waited for this day to come for many, many months. Now that's it's here, it's as bittersweet as I knew it would be. I'm happy, yet a little heartbroken all at once.

Since you've turned two, you've gained an independence about you. You've also eased out of that leech-attachment to Mommy. No longer all afternoon and evening are you begging me to hold you (actually you prefer to walk all the time on your own now). You don't scream in horror when I put you down for a moment. No more can I get you to sit on my lap while you eat your dinner. And when you wake at night, it's simply for a drink of water or a pouch, then you're back to sleeping in your crib. You don't even need me to pick you up anymore; you don't even ask for it. You're now content with sitting in your crib as I walk out of the room to get you your midnight snack. It doesn't scare you anymore; you know I'll come back like I say I will. It seems you actually prefer your comfy bed now over laying with me on the couch. -that part I do not mind, because I get a little more sleep.
But I do miss our hours of cuddling.

Can you slow down a little bit, please? You're growing up way too fast for my liking.

-Mommy

Luc,

You made me extra proud of you last night.

Before bedtime I was looking through your school folder one last time and noticed the little envelope for money to give at chapel the next day.  You were standing there with me and I thought I'd nonchalantly ask you if you wanted to give some coins to the poor for chapel tomorrow. I half expected you to say yes and ask for money from my wallet, but you walked right into the kitchen to get your chore jar. I opened it for you as you opened the envelope, and I handed you the six quarters that were in the jar that you had just earned this weekend (from helping empty the dishwasher, cleaning the toilets with Daddy, and carrying the sofa cushions in and out of my trunk). You proceeded to take each coin, one by one, and put it in the envelope. As you were doing so, I mentioned you didn't have to give all your coins, just wanted you wanted to give. But you said you wanted to give them all.

At bedtime, you told me you wished the envelope were bigger so you could give even more money (when you had it to give).

There's a part of me that's waiting to see how you'll react in a few days or weeks when you look at your chores jar and notice the money gone. I'm wondering how you'll react when you realize you gave all your coins away and they're not there to spend on a new toy. I'm happy to know that the lessons we're teaching you by giving our used clothes, toys, books, etc. to others in need, and you helping Grandma buy cans of food for the poor at Christmas time, have made an impression in your mind and heart.

And even though you wanted to give more money to the poor, I hope you know that in God's eyes you gave them millions of dollars because you gave them all that you had.

I love you,
Mommy

Aria's Birthday Party

 Aria's party took place a little late after her birth day.  -This year, Christmas was over the weekend and so was New Years, so it had to be pushed back to the following weekend. At 2, she doesn't know the difference. When she's older, we'll have to see how that works.

Aria loves Peppa Pig! When it's on TV, she's absorbed completely. So we decided to make that her theme this year.
We kept her party small, just family. I also made it super easy on myself and got some sandwiches catered and also got the cake made by Wegmans. They have a cute Peppa Pig picture to put on top, and that beats me trying to ice any cake, any day!

 I did some low-key, last minute party decorations:

 Aria got so excited everytime I put something up, she had to go around and touch each picture.

The super cute Peppa Pig cake:

Her precious princess dress (thank you cousin Kendall!)

 It started to snow heavier when the party was about to start, so the grandparents were a little late, and Uncle Dave came later in the afternoon (we celebrated Grandma's birthday at dinnertime).

 

The night before Aria's party, I was prepping some side dishes and Luc realized he hadn't made anything for Aria. He wanted to make something at Grandma's that day, but I guess he forgot. We told him to color her a picture, but he insisted it had to be more than that. Frederic got home early, and since I was too busy to find something on Pinterest (that we actually had the materials needed already at home), we suggested he go to the store and pick out a little gift for her. Frederic brought him over to Toys R Us and searched for her gift. Without wanting anything for himself, he left with a Peppa Pig purse that you can color. As Luc stated: "Because she loves Peppa Pig, and LOVES coloring!" And she loves to be a girly-girl, so this was a prefect present for her indeed. And she loved it.

Aria had tons of fun ripping open her presents:

And before the cake was even set down on the table, she had already blown out the candles. So we had to relight them so I could get pictures of her blowing them out:

 

And coloring with Bonne-Maman; because this little girl cannot go a day without coloring:

Even though Aria was fighting a bad cold, and we got about an inch + of snow, she loved her little party!

Aria is 2 Years Old!

Height: 34.0 inches (62 %)
Weight: 25.0 lbs (26 %)
Clothes Size: 24 months-2T
Shoe Size: 7

Aria Loves:

-Play with cars, especially Luc's remote-controlled cars
-Clean anything with a napkin
-Tease her brother
-Give Squeeze hugs
-Go on bike rides
-Feed herself
-Playing with hair
-Going down the slide by herself
-Sitting on the swings
-Kicking and throwing balls
-Coloring! "Color, Now!"
-Singing
-Twirling
-Dancing
-Picking out her own outfits and choosing her shoes for the day
-Getting her nails painted
-Copying everything Luc does
-Holding hands with Luc in the backseat of the car
-Jumping on Mommy & Daddy's bed with Luc
-Taking her socks and shoes off in the car
-Anything and Everything Christmas: the lights, the Christmas trees, ornaments, etc. She wants to touch it all and asks if it's hers and if she can take it home.

Aria does pretend play more and more. She takes care of her dolls, plays with toy animals but doesn't get further than saying: "Hi!" and the other answers, "Hi!" (sometimes they kiss afterward), and pretending her loved stuffed doggie is a real dog. She will lay it down on her lap and tell it to "Sleep doggie!", make sounds like it's eating from a bowl, and pet it while saying, "Good gurl, doggie." (like she does with Cali).

Aria can say and point out most body parts: everything on the head, belly, belly button, feet, toes, legs, arms, hands, fingers.

She is learning her colors, though she refuses to say the word "yellow". Right now, she's stuck on everything being called Blue.

Aria is very good at saying Thank you, Please, and Excuse me (after she farts, or if I'm talking and she wants to tell me something). I'm hoping she sticks with this and it's not just a phase.

She calls a blanket a "meemee". She has no words for her pacifier. She just says, "Where it go?"

Favorite Thing to Say: "What's that for?"
Favorite Foods: Eggs, hummus, pouches, veggies, black olives, corned beef, Almost anything.
Least Favorite Foods: not into peaches right now, chicken nuggets.

Favorite TV Shows: Lion Guard, Little Einsteins, Peppa Pig, Shimmer & Shine, Dora & Friends

Favorite Things:
-Her doggie. If she wakes up in the middle of night and it's lost in the covers I hear, "Mommy. Where doggie go? ...Where doggie goooo?"
-Dora doll. She has played with this poor Dora's hair so much it now looks like dreadlocks. At first I was going to attempt to brush it out. Now it's too late. 
-Having her hair tied up. Sometimes I take her hair tie out at night and she insists I put it back in, or she will keep asking for "Hairsss. On."
-Water. Outside, inside, where it's not supposed to be. Spitting it out from her sippy cup to play with it, finding the tiniest puddle, splashing in the tub, insisting to wash her hands, etc. She loves the water.

Goofy Face!

We're in Trouble:

Let the Terrible Twos begin! Well, they already did before her official birthday. The full-blown screaming, crying, forcing out the tears to make a point, throwing herself on the floor, kicking, and hitting has erupted. Yay.

Aria has discovered how to climb out of her crib. I put her in her crib one afternoon because she was having a tantrum and I couldn't get anything done with her pulling my yoga pants down. Next thing I hear, thud and running down the hallway, accompanying a cry. She did not get hurt dropping down from the crib, good thing. That night she wanted to be held and I was going to let her cry it out. By the time I made it back into my bed she was running down the hall. She seems to only climb out when she's having a tantrum, which is good. She doesn't fight going to bed or naps by climbing out. And she won't climb out if she wakes on her own. We don't think she's old enough to be in a toddler bed. And I honestly don't have the energy to fight with her all night by walking her back to her own bed whenever she gets up. We were planning to turn the crib around since the back is a little higher. But I'm sure she'll figure out she can still climb out the side. I placed her changing pad under her so if she does drop down, she'll have a soft landing. I also bought a sleepsack. Which, in a way, is good for two things. One, to help prevent her legs being able to stretch over the railing. Two, keep her warmer at night which will help her stay asleep. Her room gets so cold at night, it often wakes her up. And she still hates to be cold. Hopefully, this will buy us some time before transitioning her bed.

Aria is still very attached to her pacifier. Even though she has her doggie and Dora doll that she grabs for comfort, she still always searches for her pacifier. Our general rule was to get rid of it when she was 2 years old and had all her teeth. Since she had all her teeth expect the 2-yr molars by 17 months, we thought this plan was going to work out perfectly. Ha! She just had her first molar cut through the other day. No sign of the others following anytime soon. So now we're determining whether to let her have the pacifier to help her get some relief when the others poke through, or just throwing them out. I'm getting to the point where I'm tired of making sure I have a pacifier with us at all times, cleaning them constantly, and searching for them on the floor of her room in the middle of night. And since she's a feisty lil Irish girl, the tantrums and screaming when she isn't allowed to have them anymore is going to be intense!

It's taken a little "training" but I finally got Aria to respond to I love you! When I would say it at nighttime she would respond with "bye-bye" and a wave. But I kept telling her she needs to answer with "Love you" and now she finally does! And of course, it's the cutest, most heart-warming words out of her mouth.

This little girl has the most contagious laugh in the world. She's caring and snuggly as ever. As well as determined, opinionated, and feisty. She's picking up comedian skills from Luc and trying out her own skits to make us laugh. Facial expressions included. She keeps us on our toes everyday, and every night.

Happy Birthday, Aria-Boo!

Christmas 2016

Christmas Eve we waited around the house in the morning, took a little bike ride/walk and then waited some more for the late afternoon for Frederic's parents to come over for dinner.
With prepping dinner the day before, I was not running around Christmas Eve, which actually felt pretty good.

Aria helping me cook. "I cookin!"

Luc played his new Guess Who? game with Bonne Maman until bedtime.

Aria loved her dress up Maddie doll. So much so, that when we went downstairs to give Frederic's parents their gift (a snowblower too heavy to bring upstairs), we left Aria upstairs to keep playing. Then she came downstairs to us and her face and hands were covered in chocolate. Little booger didn't even try to unwrap the Dove chocolate, just bit through the foil wrapping and started sucking the chocolate out. This girl cannot be left alone with chocolate.

Before Luc went to bed, he and I took out a carrot, poured some milk, and Luc counted 5 cookies ("because I'm 5 years old!") for Santa. Luc then decided the other reindeer should have some carrots too, not just Rudolph, so he split it in 3 pieces.
Before Frederic's parents went home, we gave them the 5 cookies for Santa because Luc had counted out how many were leftover in the container. And we were so stuffed from dinner and dessert, we didn't have any room for cookies. I wrote out a little note from Santa to the kids next to the empty cup, and plate filled with cookie crumbs. Luc was beyond excited when he saw this Christmas morning. I wish I knew he was going to react like that and record it. His smile was huge when he saw the note from Santa!

Christmas morning was chaos of Luc pushing through to open every gift he had, and helping Aria open hers. When the kids were done, Frederic and I opened our own gifts.

After we cleaned up, got dressed, and got our heads together, we headed to my parent's for Christmas day.
Aria went down for a nap and while she was sleeping we opened all of our gifts.

Aria opened hers when she woke up.

I'm so sorry this picture is blurry; it's too funny how well she does the singing face. I took an awesome video of her singing along in the mic.

Christmas was crazy and a little stressful. And me being sick didn't make it completely enjoyable either. There's part of me that is insanely happy it's all over with and part of me that's sad that it passed so quickly. We decorate and prepare for so long in advanced and it's over in a flash.

Frederic was so excited to get a cigar box and a bunch of cigars I hide inside:

One of my favorite gifts this year:

And re-gifting my old 1980's Fisher Price tea set and food, and American Girl doll bunk beds to Aria was fun:

Merry Christmas from the Hairsons!