Forget Toys...

my children are obsessed with books. Actually, any type of print rich material will do -- books, magazines, art, how-to manuals, bits and pieces of postal mail, and on and on. A great example of early literacy in action!

And so, our first (embarrassingly over-due) family trip to the library occurred this past weekend. Anders and Jorja were absolutely stunned -- so, so many books at such accessible heights -- oh my!

Our gorgeous 4 blocks and 1 pedestrian bridge from our house library.



Jorja getting eye-to-eye with a selection of books.



Anders whizzing by headed to another shelf of books.



Ah-ha! Anders discovering the joy of pulling books from the shelf -- All By Himself.

Lazy Afternoon

Doin' what we do best -- lounging in bed with the sun streaming in through the windows.

A Place to Romp Around

G, A, J, C, and I love the outdoors. This past weekend we spent some time exploring one of our local parks. We had intended on making an appearance at the playground, but with so many trees, rocks, puddles, and insects to discover, we never did.





Anders finds time to relax after our afternoon at the park.

The View From Inside

With all their height nowadays, the kiddos are able to stand at our bedroom windows and watch the world go by. Their continually expanding "Awesome Things to See From the Window" List includes school buses, construction trucks, cats, squirrels, airplanes, dogs, people, trees, snow, bikes, birds, and cars. Basically if it moves, it's amazing. Who needs toys when you've got an ever-changing view from inside?

The Great Outdoors

The kiddos and I did laps around the house this afternoon -- headed in different directions. These laps included...

finding figs,



touching moss,



playing with Chloe,



hanging out by the front gate,



and gazing up at our enormous pine tree.

My Babies Aren't Babies Anymore

Don't Anders and Jorja look rather grown-up?



Except when someone smears yogurt in their hair, ahem, Anders.





Or when someone reads books without their pants on, ahem, Jorja.

Lil' Miss Tolerant Chloe

Chloe, our rescue dog from the streets of Watts, is one amazing pooch. Not only is she a fabulous distraction for the kiddos ("Where's Chloe? Who wants to hug Chloe? Who can find Chloe? What does Chloe eat? Why is Chloe insert verb here?") and an efficient post-meal vacuum, she is also an exemplary model of tolerance. Maybe we could all learn a little something from Chloe?

Anders and Jorja find absolute joy in "dressing" Chloe.

Snow -- Part 3 When You Ain't Got a Sled

Presented with another day of snow, the little ones and I decided to travel the neighborhood via sled, ahem, wagon. Insert Winter 2009 Shopping List: sled, mittens, insulated boots, and a Winter Warmer Hip Flask. Jorja spent the majority of her time insisting her seat belt be removed, Anders spent all of his time insisting that the wagon keep moving faster and faster, and I huffed, puffed, deflected neighbors' "I bet you'd move faster if you took those wheels off" comments, and cursed myself for not wearing footwear with some semblance of traction.

Snow -- Part 2 With Mittens

This time around I managed to cover all twenty of the kiddo's fingers. While embarking on a "Let's Riffle through the Children's Closet" nightmare adventure, I found two sets of infant thumb-less mittens. I brought them out, slipped them on, and the kids happily pranced around the house (and later the yard) without the use of their thumbs. And in those thumb-less mitten-wearing moments, the fur-bearing animals of the household breathed a sigh of relief in knowing they were in the midst of a fur pulling hiatus.

Snow

Prior to throwing one of my potted plants onto the sofa, tossing my watch into the poopy diaper pail, and repeatedly hurling sippy cups at the dog, the kiddos spent a bit of time romping around in the snow. Jorja blazed around the snow with the confidence of a seasoned outdoors-woman, while Anders spent the first 10' thoroughly upset because the tips of his beloved alligator boots were covered in snow. Insert Gailyn here as she swoops in and teaches Anders how to stomp the snow off his boots. Armed with his newly acquired boot stomping abilities, Anders was able to navigate the snow knowing full well he could make his alligator boots "reappear" at any point in time.

Jorja zooms around the snow with ease.


Anders gripping Gailyn's fingers.


Anders and Gailyn post-boot stomping practice.


It seems that one of us isn't as prepared as EVERYONE else for the snow and freezing temperatures. A hat certainly would've been comfy.