This morning Danijela spotted the bubbles next to her toothpaste. Mommie promised bubbles after brushing. Tata & I were busy doing things when we noticed she had pulled her potty into the living room on which she sat to blow bubbles ... hum ... okay.
She was happy to let me capture her fabulous bubble making. Actually, she was a bit over enthusiastic as she kept rushing the camera to make sure I got it! I seriously had to fend her off. It is complete luck this shot is not 100% blurry.
Reece & Danijela spent a good amount of time jumpin' in her bed. One day I'll get a picture of Danijela performing her full body free fall without using her arms. Once again I seriously have no idea where she learned this. She is not one bit hesitant and giggles all the way down.
It was sunny, beautiful and absolutely freezing cold outside yesterday. We trekked to the mall to get physical. I recall when I worried she'd get knocked over by the older kids. Now she is "one of them." Why are children oblivious to hurting one another? It really is a strange phenomenon.
Yesterday we went to the aquarium. Danijela was excited & wanted us to follow her. We gladly obliged as she quickly trotted about saying "Mommy look!" She took a tiny tumble which put a damper on her disposition for a bit. She also became strangely possessive of a container of raisins & apricots. Seriously, she would not let us hold it as she tried to maneuver stairs & hallways holding it. We really had a sweet time together.
The girls likes shoes. She especially likes to try on Mama's shoes (gosh my feet are huge!). Not sure why she chose the stinky sneakers this afternoon. Her Tata helped tie them around her ankles. She actually requested me to take a picture! I think at this point she was saying "I go shopping." She can get very animated & uses her hands like this often.
Today Danijela was busy playing when I asked if she would stand so Mama could take her picture. She immediately agreed & proceeded to pose for me. Seriously, this is the pose she held without prompting. She was very deliberate in her actions. I actually wasn't quite sure what to do with that other than be totally endeared to her.
Later she was running back & forth between Tata & Mama showing off her sunglasses when I asked her to stop again. She gladly obliged. I'm sorry, but isn't she the cutest?
All weekend long we only experienced lots of rain & cold. I think our good luck is changing. I just walked out on the deck & found ice forming on the patio table. Yuck!
At her request Tata placed Danijela & her baby dolls on our bed. She called me ("Mama come!") to see her sleeping babies. She had placed them on their tummies & was patting them softly. She even asked me to take a picture with her baby doll! Now that is a first.
Need to keep a closer eye on that funny girl. Friday I walked into Danijela's room as she was busily stashing puzzle pieces in the diaper hanger. Next thing you know she asks Tata for his wedding ring (& he gives it to her!). Not surprisingly we spent time searching for it. If you are interested, we found it under a red Elmo cup -- like she was performing a magic trick.
We call him the Godfather. Danny's uncle celebrated a birthday on January 6th. This is one reason we traveled to Austin. Happy birthday, Lili! This is also the day before the family's Orthodox Christmas celebration -- hence all the Christmas attire at the party. These are his grandchildren (minus one).
Danijela sat on the front porch in this baby doll chair yelling for "Devra" (don't ask because I have no idea what prompted this). She did this while Tata & Mama packed the car for a our trip back to Austin. She then decided we must take the chair with us. I'm not certain how long she held it like this, but it was significant. I honestly thought she was going to fall asleep with her head propped against it.
Wednesday Chrys was sharing how she discovered Oliver has four new teeth! I know Danijela's teeth come in more slowly than most kiddos, but I honestly don't even know what she is suppose to have. The irony? Thursday morning Danijela is digging around in her mouth acting rather strange. What do I discover? At least one new tooth making an appearance.
I remembered today I had a flashy pen to present to Danijela. It has red & green glitter floating inside & flashes when you push down on it. I turned out the light so she could see it light up when she was drawing. She wanted to keep the lights off so this is the best image I could muster.
Danijela loves to go shopping. Tuesday we actually met friends @ Northpark. I'm by no means a shopper in the true sense of the word. As a mom, however, I've come to appreciate the mall for toddler exercise & entertainment. These are images captured in December at the same mall when Danijela had a brief episode of wellness!
Notice her sleeve. She constantly pushes her sleeves & pant legs up. I have zero idea why, but it is a big deal to her. This is an improvement from always wanting to be sans clothes altogether.
Sundee & Reece spent some time in the 'hood today. We missed Reece's 1st birthday party & hadn't actually spent much time together given the holidays and sickness in our household. He is such a little man now walking & exploring everything. What a smile that boy has.
The card that landed in your hands reminded me of you because of its whimsy & color. The printed text I found a little lame (sorry Hallmark). I found another card's text I liked, but that card was too plain. So, I wrote it in your card (sorry again Hallmark).
One summer warmer
One spring lighter
One winter deeper
One autumn richer
One amazing year
Oh sweet Aubrey. Tracy & Aubrey came over yesterday to hangout. Man, where does the time go? Aubrey has grown into a little lady. She was apprehensive at first (as was Danijela), but quickly started walking, talking & playing. All the activity paid off. Both girls crashed at naptime which was an enourmous bonus for two mommies!
Sam received a cool Fisher Price digital camera for Christmas. He shared & let Danijela play with it. I'm positive she didn't have a clue what she was doing mechanically, but she definitely knew what it was (imagine that!). She was "taking pictures" and requesting Kelsey to take her picture repeatedly. She's gone from turning her back on my camera to smiling. Now you can see my new challenge.
The images are of rose windows and wet-on-wet painting (votives). I didn't manage to get images of the votives at all ... much less lit. Thank you, Kelsey, for taking the initiative. I can attest to the fact that all votives were lit on the table for Christmas dinner & were lovely.
Melanie & I purchased this nativity scene for the girls. It came pre-wrapped in separate, numbered boxes with accompanying text for each figure. I will say it is not indestructible. Gabriel fell from the kitchen table and his head went rolling across the floor. Nothing a little super glue couldn't fix. Melanie found it at Life Way Christian Stores for $14. Well worth the cost.
However, as the morning progressed she was definitely overwhelmed with the gifts. Not sure how, but we'll definitely find a way to simply next Christmas.
