Painting Sunday

Estelle got busy painting on two canvases today...the first was her face. She found an old Bonne Bell lip smacker of mine and went to town. She ran into the living room telling us to, "Look!" I had to grab the camera since I have almost the exact same photo of myself when I was her age, after I'd gotten into my mom's purse and found her lipstick.

Later in the day, we got out the finger paints and made an abstract, if not artistic, mess. She was very proud of her masterpiece.

What you say?!

Just had to share that the music craze continues. Estelle constantly asks for "drums!" in the car, which is her nickname for "Wipe Out"...yes, the oldies tune that repeats the same annoying drum line and melody over and over again. She pretends she's playing the drums by beating on her legs and the back of the car seat.

Her other favorite is "Hit the Road, Jack." Seriously. She sings the whole chorus, including finger wagging on "no more, no more, no more, no more." Funny. That's just what I want to say when she asks for the same songs again and again.

Hide and Seek

One of the her favorite games lately...she and Darien had quite the ingenious hiding spot on Saturday. I never would have guessed where they were...

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

What a wonderful couple of days! It's been full of family and laughter...not to mention late nights for Estelle, but she's eaten it up. Santa's big delivery was a baby doll and stroller, but Estelle was far more taken with one of her stocking stuffers -- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse underpants. (Speaking of being a big girl, the last week has brought a couple of big changes. The crib has been replaced by a "big girl" toddler bed, which she totally digs and sleeps all night in! And today we started with underwear.)





We were at my Uncle Mike's house on Christmas Day, and he has a drum set. The kids love it, but Estelle was especially digging it. Here she is with my Uncle Dwaine, who was assisting on the base drum. Check out the video --she seriously rocked out and also listened intently to others who played. Bryan and I try not to read too much into a 2-year-old's behavior (since one day's obsession is often forgotten the next), but it's hard not to see the contrast between the the lack of interest in the baby doll, and the attentiveness showed toward the drums. We may have a rocker chic on our hands.

Stage Fright

Last weekend, the daycare held its annual holiday program. Estelle had a minor meltdown when the curtain opened. This recording of it is a gem -- sure to reappear at her high school graduation and other life events. (I apologize in advance for the quality of the video -- after she started to cry, I forgot I was recording for a moment.) She was a trooper though and kept the formation...I was just thankful she didn't launch herself off the stage. I had to fight back a distressing urge to run up and rescue her. If that instinct only deepens over time, I'm in trouble.

O Christmas Tree

We decorated the tree tonight and Estelle was in awe. She loved hanging ornaments, though she hung them all on the string of lights rather than the tree branches. She especially loved the snowman ornament in the photo, calling it "Frosty." Once it was on the tree, she kept giving it kisses. I'm loving Christmas this year!

Can't we swim now?

I swear that was the look that Estelle gave me when she walked out of her room this evening with her swimsuit "on." I had to share.

Enter to win

Here's a shot of the fam at the daycare's Halloween party. Estelle was a very cute giraffe, but didn't last long in her costume that was really more appropriate for outdoor temperatures.

When asked about his "costume," Bryan said he came as Will Smith, but needed to find a way to make his ears stick out.

A tantalizing prize (my leftover Halloween candy) goes out to the first blog reader who can guess what I was dressed as. Yes, it was a little obtuse, but I'm obsessed with developing "costumes" out of what's available in my home, and all this required was a little chimney soot, my oldest wornout and torn sweatshirt and a few twigs to stick in my hair.

(And, btw, is anyone else disturbed by the inappropriate mermaid costumes out there for 4 year olds? Sheesh.)

Morning at the Museum

Today we went to the Children's Museum with Kim and Thomas. They're featuring some fun exhibits right now -- both Curious George and Sesame Street are there. But Estelle and Thomas seemed to enjoy the aptly named "Habitat" gallery the most, where they had slides, caves and ramps to run around on.

Waterpark mania

We went up north for a friend's wedding this weekend...I convinced Grandma, Darien and Regina to come along and they watched Estelle while her dad and I attended the festivities. We stayed at a hotel with a waterpark and the kids had a blast. Estelle was pooped by the end of the weekend...actually, we all were.

Estelle v. Asphalt

She got going too fast this weekend, trying to catch up to Darien, and did a face plant on the asphalt. She cried a little (okay, maybe a lot), shook it off, and did it a second time! Poor little face!

Handstand Preview

This is Estelle's newest craze...I can't wait until she actually tries to kick up into a real handstand!

Saturday at the park with Darien

It was sprinkling and overcast, but Darien and Estelle still had a blast at the park today. They didn't even need to be on the equipment -- just chasing after each other on the grass was good enough. Occasionally, Estelle would turn around and cheer on the youth football game ("Go! Go! Run a ball! I try it, mama?") I told her to talk to her dad.

The Return of The Climber

Can't even turn around and Estelle is climbing on some new object or surface these days. This was a supervised climb in grandma's garage. She looked so proud of herself for climbing to the top of the ladder.

Gymnast in the Making

It was the last gymnastics class of the session today, and they held a little award ceremony at the end of class (complete with "Eye of the Tiger" playing in the background). We're definitely going back for next session. She looooooves "ma-kicks," as she calls it. This morning when I asked if she wanted to go, her eyes widened, she gasped audibly and said, "Kick-a bubbles feet!! (I kick the bubbles with my feet)" (Another fun activity during each class).

She is particularly fond of the beam and swinging on the bars, but not so much for tumbling....sounds familiar!

Friday Night Lights

Estelle went to her first high school football game last night. She was all about being in the stands, even though her dad and I presumed she'd just run around in the grass (though I suspect it was more about climbing on the bleachers). She did pay attention and tried to clap when her dad clapped.

Happabirday!

Yesterday was Estelle's birthday (or, "Happabirday!" as she likes to say). We had a nice party with dinner and cake -- she looked truly delighted when everyone sang "happy birthday to you," a phrase she often sings after we read one of her favorite books (Curious George and the Birthday Surprise).

Speaking of cake, can you just take a look at one earnest mom's creation -- I seriously need to get a hold of myself.

I don't know why I do it...I get an idea in my head and I MUST make it happen, at the expense of sleep (and aesthetics, in this case). Take this cake for example. I decided that Estelle must have a Clifford cake. But his character is not easy to find...unlike, Elmo...or Curious George, for that matter...two other characters she ALSO loves. At any time, I could have abandoned the Clifford idea and ordered an Elmo cake from the grocery store. Alas, the idea in my head took over. Unfortunately, Clifford was the one who suffered. At least it tasted good and Estelle did recognize him, despite his malformations. Check out the video clip.

Here are a few more cute photos from the party...you can see more by clicking on the link to Flickr on the right.

Who needs mommy and daddy?

Especially when Estelle has Grandma/Darien/Regina, my cousin Kelly, and Darien's fish to entertain her... We spent our first weekend away from Estelle to attend a wedding of a dear friend from grad school. Though I worried about leaving her, Estelle did absolutely fine without us. She stayed a couple of nights with my mom, and then Kelly watched her at our house for about a day so my mom could head out on her vacation (which explains the fish staying at our house).

Kelly snapped some cute photos of Estelle watching the fish (and a hilarious video which I'll attempt to upload).

EP - the next generation

It was so fun to see some of my high school friends recently -- Amy just had a new baby, Madeline, and we all got to meet her and catch up. It's a blast to see each other's kids -- it was a bit of bedlam trying to get them to sit still for a picture.

Pool Pals

Estelle went to the pool with her friend, Annika, last weekend. There's a great play area in the zero-depth pool with slides and swings and waterfalls, but it was just a little too much water in the girls' eyes. They had a better time sitting at the edge, playing with tupperware containers. So many fun things to do in the summer....so little time to blog about it!