Valentine's Day Photos

So I realize the day has come and gone, but we still have our heart work out because mama hasn't changed it yet.  No problem for Emma who has been really enjoying the heart marshmallow work.  Wanted to share a few pictures of her- and I ask you, how can you not just absolutely love this kid?

I forgot to post this earlier, but in a moment of inspiration I remembered those large tissue paper flowers that I used to make as a kid.  Actually, for some reason they are etched into my brain in association with Holly, Melanie, and Nancy and Whalom Park.  Not sure why.  Maybe we bought them there?

We had been experimenting with watercolors on salt and paper and coffee filters (Ada is WAY into watercolors these days- I'll post some of her collection soon), and I remembered those flowers.  I folded a bunch of filters into an accordion, wrapped a green pipe cleaner around the middle, cut some ruffles and unfolded.  Then we dyed some water and dipped. I let them dry upside down in the shower and then we had beautiful flowers for the table without spending any money- love it!  Next time I think I'll have Ada just paint or use a dropper because the dipping method went too quickly and kind of mashed up the leaves.  We just fluffed them up when they were dry, but still.

Sorry, don't know how to rotate...

Alas, here is the last of the pics of the girls working on cards.  If you look closely you can see the photo cards we looked at as they were working.  Ada ran out of steam pretty quickly on this project.  It is becoming clear to me that she is more of an artist than a crafter.  More on that later.

Ada Dancing... as promised

Our little Ada has recently been enamored with all things ballerina.  It might be because there were some leotards in a batch of awesome hand-me-downs that came from Tony's cousin that are finally fitting her.  She wears them so much that I had to hang a special set of hooks in her room for her "ballerinas" and her tights so we wouldn't keep finding them all over the house.  Usually the first thing she does when we get home from school is go put on her ballerina.  FYI- do not try to call her Ada when she is wearing her tutu or leotard because you will be corrected, "I'm not Ada, I'm Ballerina".

For the record I think ballet is super cool and athletic, but I have never done it, talked about it apart from reading Angelina Ballerina to her a handful of times... she has done this on her own.  She gives "classes" to me and Emma and usually we need correcting on our moves, but she is pretty encouraging.  A good little teacher:)

Some nights we for some reason or another need a little dance party break.  Usually it's so I don't start drinking vodka directly out of the freezer, but last night it was a request from Ada.  You will see our kitchen in all it's 5:00 crazy including the roll of toilet paper Emma had just brought in from the bathroom.  Don't judge!

We almost always listen to:
Michael Franti- Say Hey
Feist- 1234 (Sesame Street version)

Enjoy!

Three year old Ada

Ada is three years old.  She goes to Montessori school and we try our best to use some of those principles at home so we try to talk about her birthday in terms of the times the Earth has been around the Sun with Ada on it.  Somehow it makes her existence even more amazing when put in those terms. 

That's a long way to go!

And indeed, our little Ada has gone far and done many things in her relatively short life, and she has taught me more in that time about myself than any shrink, and about living/ learning than any school could have.  She literally changed my life.  I think we are the luckiest parents in the world most times, but that doesn't mean I don't get out of my head crazy mad at some of the things she does.  She is 3 after all!!

I would like to point out one little glorious moment that happened the other day after we got home from school.  She took off her boots and hung up her coat only to exclaim, "Mama, pee pee!"  So I told her to run into the bathroom and go.  On her way out she said, "Mama tank* you cleaning the potty.  That was so nice."  Yes- she noticed that I had cleaned the bathroom when she was at school, and she thanked me for it.  Are you kidding me?  I love that kid.  

*tank is spelled according to how Ada speaks these days.  I try to do the right thing and not dwell on how cute some of the things sound when said incorrectly, but man is it cute!!