It's finally the end of the year. Since I'm already late getting this out, I'll skip over the introduction and get right to it.
Ellen started out the year learning how to read and wearing pull-ups. She ended the year still increasing her vocabulary and leaving pull-ups behind. Ellen can recognize more and more words out in the wide world. She saw the word "Jeep" on the tire cover of a jeep while out driving around and said "that says 'Jeep'. But why is it here. Jeeps don't need roads." Jada asked why she should say that. Ellen replied that she remembered it from her A to Z automobiles book from the library that she read this summer. She's quite brilliant, that one. We also made what we hope to be our final move for Ellen to be rid of diapers/pull-ups as she stopped wearing pull-ups at night (12/12/05). She made it a only a few days at a time, but she's working on it. Just before New Years, she got up the courage to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night on her own. We were so proud of her. Finally, Ellen's full-on tantrums are actually getting farther apart, but when she has them, they are doozies. The one for this month (tantrum of the month?) was quite good. Ellen got a Snow White head band for Christmas, and Jada took it off of her before she did it herself. This was obviously the worst possible thing that could happen to Ellen at this point in time because she completely lost it. Since it was nap time, we put her in her room, but she wouldn't stay so we put up the gate without singing, hugs, or kisses. We told her that she could get the gate off if she got into bed and quieted down. However, as is the case with kids, she wants things her way on her terms. The usual screaming and yelling was interspersed with the listing of demands (or the airing of grievances, but she was too late for Festivus): give me hugs and kisses, let me turn on the light and pick out an outfit to change into, let me go to the bathroom (she had just gone before she went into her room), take off the gate, and bring me a tissue! "I only have 2 things to do, but you have a lot of things to do for me!" At one point after screaming for a while, she said, "I'm getting hot so I'm going to pull my shirt up, and I'm going to leave it up until you come and put me to bed". Later she said "now I'm getting cold, but I'm not putting my shirt down". This made me laugh so hard, tears came to my eyes. Phoebe was already in bed at this point, but couldn't get to sleep. Phoebe closed her door. She started yelling, "I love you" while Ellen was screaming. Eventually she calmed down and got to bed. I took off the gate and hoped for a nap. Needless to say, neither of them napped that day.
In the last year, Phoebe has grown quite a lot. She had left her booster seat behind this month. She started the year in diapers, and now she is only in pull-ups with the occasional training panties thrown in. She also has been using the potty fairly consistently since the end of summer. I can't remember the last time we had to change a poopy diaper. She has a constant running commentary on her life. "I tickle you." "I am looking one way and then the other way." "I smell the cookies! They smell good!" "I peed, let you know." "I'm ahmost outta pullups, let you know". She can't possibly be any cuter. We sang Christmas carols each night, and "Deck the Hall" was her favorite. She knows the whole song and likes to sing it at random along with other carols. One night after the girls had gone down for bed, I was practicing guitar and trying out some of the carols. While playing "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing", we heard her singing along in her bed. She's also created her own song. It has a fairly random tune, but usually rolls into "twinkle, twinkle little star". It goes a little something like this: "I love you and you love me and I love you and you love me " and then some more words which we can't quite make out combined with a little bit of the alphabet song and Twinkle Twinkle. And finally Phoebe got a Sleeping Beauty purse, or as she says, "Sleeping Booty".
Ellen was excited to attend her first birthday party of the season-they seem to stretch on endlessly from now until March. She commented on the party theme "since the invitation is a fairy, then it will be a 'fairy' party." It seems that she is picking up on patterns that she sees. Ellen had two meltdowns during the party (the first when she was not going to get to pick her favorite color of wand out of the two colors offered-pink and purple, then when she was going to have to sit in the middle during a game of "hot potato.") Regardless of the tears, she felt the party was a success, and she enjoyed it. That might have had something to do with the cupcake she wolfed down, but who knows!
This being December, it was time for the annual baking of the Christmas cookies. This year both girls helped with cookie preparations. Jada mixed up the sugar cookie dough and then rolled it out. We put the step stool next to the counter and Phoebe climbed up first. Phoebe was excited to choose the cookie cutters and then learn to push them down into the dough. She was also very excited to see her dozen cookies go into the oven to bake. When Ellen had a turn, she was like an old pro. She remembered how to slide the cookie cutters back and forth to get the cookies loose enough to pick up. She was also great at getting the dough out of the cookie cutter and then onto the pan without breaking the cookie. The next day each girl was given a plastic knife, cookies, and a different color of frosting (Ellen green and Phoebe yellow.) In the same time it took Phoebe to frost her three cookies, Ellen completed seven and then just watched. Each of the girls ate a cookie a night until they were gone. Ellen's four extra cookies were divided between her preschool teachers.
Ellen had her last solo zoo class this month. This time it was for the penguins. There were only 4 kids in the class this time, so it was easy to do things and the kids got more time at the tank and to do art. We got to see penguin bones, and we tried to walk with our plastic eggs perched on our feet like the penguins do. After her birthday in March, Phoebe will be able to go too.
We put our annual Ornament Party together for kids only again this year. We had a terrific turn-out with several folks from our child-birth class, my Goddaughter, and some of Jada's school friends. It seemed like everyone had a good time. We let the kids decorate some cookies of their own after a while of intense ornament making. And we made sure that all new ornaments were taken home with the artists.
Ellen finished off her ballet class this month, and Phoebe finished off her art class. Ellen has really enjoyed her class. She can't get enough of ballet books. We had hoped to get her to a performance this month, but we couldn't find one that would work with our schedule or her moods. So instead we checked out every Nutcracker book from the library as well as Tchaikovsky CD's. Phoebe's class involved her trying a variety of new media. She made two ornaments out of clay and after they were fired, she painted them herself. The most interesting story from this session occurred on the last day of class. While using foam paint on a mirror that was placed on the floor, Phoebe lost her balance and fell over onto the mirror. She kept her hands and head up while she rolled through the paint. The funny thing is that her hands were already coated with paint, so she really only saved her face and hair. We even had to clean the paint off of her shoes.
During the week leading up to Christmas, Jada had a packed calendar of events. The first free day we were stuck at home due to a Sunday snow and then ice that covered the ground for a few hours in the morning. We made plans to visit a recreation center's open gym time to play on Tuesday, but our friends woke up late so they just came over to our house. The next day we headed over to the rec. center again. Sadly, the gym was empty of toys so the girls ran around for about 20 minutes with a different friend. The highlight of the week was our second annual trip to the Ladybug Theater at the Smile Station for their Christmas play with our friends from our childbirth group. This year it was "Mrs. Claus and the Sandman." Apparently, Mrs. Claus was a little stressed out this holiday season and needed to take a nap. The favorite part of the play for the girls was a dance by "Mr. Mittenface," an oven mitt with the face of Santa Claus. The joke around the house is to dance around and say "doty doty doe!" After the play our group of friends decided to meet at Mike's Drive-in, a great location for kid-friendly food. Ellen and Phoebe enjoyed corndogs, fries, and even a couple bites of chocolate shake for Phoebe. An interesting side-note: we read a lot of books about the original Christmas story. After the girls were dressed for the play-Ellen in a pretty sweater with pants and Phoebe in a dress. Ellen said that Phoebe was Mary and she was Joseph. Phoebe carried around her baby which she called Jesus. They posed for a family picture.
Finally, this month is all about the Christmas. Ellen and Phoebe were so excited. They could barely contain themselves. We had Laurie, Pete, and Jada's mom and dad over for Christmas Eve dinner. Laurie and I attempted to play Christmas carols as a duet with flute and guitar, but our music was in different keys. Then we had the big ham and pie for dinner. Then a quick round of gift opening. Grandma and Papa provided a couple of sure hits. Grandma provided Polly Pockets to both the girls while Papa did Polly's for Ellen (plus a Cinderella 12" doll) and a a butterfly outfit for Phoebe. (She had asked for butterfly clothes when she had talked to him on the phone. She wanted "butterfly shirt, butterfly pants, and butterfly socks. And if I had wings on my pants that would really flap."). Laurie made the girls great books about our camping trip this summer. The next morning, we put the gate up on the door to the front room so the girls couldn't get in to see the presents. Then we had a lovely breakfast of eggs and Cinnabons. (Mmmm. Cinnabons) After that, I set up the camera and let the girls walk in. Santa left a whole table full of books and puzzles for the girls. Plus a bigger picnic table, to replace the one that they've now outgrown, from Nana and Bapa. Everyone gave them such great presents. They really enjoyed them all. It was very pleasant morning. Ellen was so excited to give her presents, that she rushed back behind the tree to dig hers out to give to me first. (a strap for my guitar plus a pick holder and capo from Phoebe) Jada had gone with them both to buy the presents with their own money. She said they were so proud to be able to do it themselves. The evening was spent at Mike and Carrie's for dinner. All in all, it was a pleasant day.
The week between Christmas and New Years was again full of parties and playgroups for Jada and the girls. They finally made it to the rec. center on a day they were set up. The girls love the tricycle with connected trailer. Ellen gets on the tricycle, Phoebe grabs a doll from the tub, then climbs aboard and they circle the gym for quite a time. The most interesting game of the morning was when the girls and their friend Sam set up shop in the playhouse selling babies (dolls.) Ellen would not sell a baby without remembering to "scan" it. The same day we headed over to Grandma Janet's affter nap time to play with her granddaughters. All four girls played quietly in the room for almost an hour. Ellen and Phoebe really look forward to Kendra and Katie's visits to Oregon. The next day Grandma had the girls so that Jada could have a day hanging out with Laurie. Originally this was going to be a ski trip, but the weather had not cooperated, so they spent the day shopping. The following day some of Jada's friends from her previous school came over for a brunch. The most remarkable part of the morning was the fact that Ellen and Phoebe ate enough for 4+kids. They enjoyed the quiche, sausages, pancakes, and piles of fruit. Seriously, everyone wondered where all the food went. Our last vacation weekday was spent at a craft party hosted by a parent of one of Ellen's classmates. Both Ellen and Phoebe made necklaces and ornaments. Then they frosted a cookie and piled it high with candy.
New Years Eve day was fairly uneventful. We had the Casey's over for dinner which was fun for us all. We called Nana and Bapa at 10pm PST (midnight CST). Then it was early to bed for all of us. However, we got startled awake by the fireworks in the neighborhood at midnight.
All in all, 2005 was a full year with lots of progress and lots of fun. We had a great year, and we want to thank everyone for everyone who participated in our lives to make it that much better.
Journal Entry: January 4, 2006