Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Scarlett made the cutest little pine cone bird feeder at preschool.  She was very proud of it.  We hung it outside and have been watching to see if birds will come to it.

Indoors & Outdoors

Indoors:
Where it's nice and warm! Where she can fingerpaint and wear tank tops in the dead of winter.

Outdoors: 
It snowed! Unfortunately we had left her gloves at preschool. The snow threw all of Texas into a frenzy, and Target was sold out of gloves. I sent her out in my gloves which just didn't work. She stayed out there for about 5 minutes. It really was freezing!

A Picture Really Is Worth a Thousand Words

If I was entering some contest or something like that which required me to choose one photo that best represented my child's personality.  This is the picture I would submit.

Scarlett is so full of life.

She's dramatic and extremely animated.

She loves being around other people and kids.

She's constantly talking.

She's already into shutting her door to keep me out.

She's incredibly observant.

In many ways, she's wise beyond her years.

The other day the phone rang, I answered it, realized it was a telemarketer, and hung up. She was watching and asked, "Wrong number?"

She's very loving. Always kissing, hugging and babying.

We were in the car the other morning about to head to preschool.  I was mainly talking out loud to myself and was naming off everything we had in the car to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything. "We have your lunch, your backpack, your nap mat, your coat...."  To which she interrupted, "Mommy! We forgot your purse!"  She was right.

She's fiercely independent. 

She put the entire outfit on she's wearing here. Flip flops (it's January and there's snow outside), some new white leggings that go with a completely different top, her bathing suit cover up, her favorite sunglasses and headband, and her new umbrella.

So for some reason, seeing this picture that Chris captured with his phone, to me, just perfectly sums up my dynamic baby girl who will turn 3 in 3 short months.

3 going on 13. 

And I love her so much sometimes I think my heart could just burst.

Roller Ball Game

We received a Wii for Christmas, and Scarlett is always asking to play "that roller ball game" now.  My sister had the idea to take the girls out to a real live roller ball game. I was unsure if they'd like it, but it was a lot of fun! This will definitely be something we do as a family every once in awhile now.

 Just look at that form!

Blurry

Christmas has come and gone, and it was all in a way, a big giant blur. And I'm exhausted.

It all began for us on the morning of the 22nd when Santa visited our house. He came early of course, because he knew we were about to travel all over the state of Oklahoma. Scarlett was none the wiser. She was just thrilled Santa came and brought her a choo-choo train and ate his cookies and drank his milk. Her mother, on the other hand, is not negotiating where she spends Christmas morning next year. We will be home. At our house. And that's that.

I did not take very many pictures. I have a point and shoot. See, you don't blame me, do you?  Santa did not bring me an SLR. He says when I go back to work full time, I can have all the cameras, and clothes, and Uggs I want.  But until then, I just get the to delight in the fact that I get to be home with my daughter.  Um, thanks Santa.

First we ventured 4 hours away to my husband's little old home town, Spiro. Then on Christmas morning we drove another 3 hours to my little old home town.  And I realized there, that my sister and I were watching our babies open presents and stockings in the same house we opened presents and stockings growing up.

 

And two days later we drove another 3 1/2 hours back home. Now we are facing endless laundry and boxes and boxes of toys that need to be taken out of impossible packaging and put together.

Christmas was wonderful. My heart is full. And I'm very, very tired.

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