Dollhouse

I have been on Maternity leave since the end of October. While I have had a lot of amazing quality time with my girls I have also had a lot of well... time. I needed a project.
Meanwhile Charlotte's plastic dollhouse had broken and I wasn't interested in buying another one that would do the same. Christmas was coming, and I have really had a sense of wanting to do instead of just buy. So I did the math:
Extra Time + Christmas + need a project+ 2 girls = lets build a dollhouse
I forgot to factor in that I am not at all crafty and haven't really worked with wood since a puppy dog napkin holder in Junior High, and oh yeah Jake would add that I also tend to get in over my head with almost everything that I start. So mid-November I found a dollhouse "kit" online. I ordered it from a man named Frank who lives in Utah that puts together these kits himself. Below is what came in the mail along with 10 pages of instructions.

WOW... in over my head much??? Seriously what in the world had I done? In my head I think "kit" meant snap together. This was going to take wood glue, nails, actual tools... I was not prepared for this. But I jumped in, how hard can wood working be anyway, right.
Finally a practical application for Abstract Expressionism (support for the wood glue to dry)
I worked in the basement (because Charlotte never goes down there) on the ping pong table. I would take Claire with me and we would chat, and she would nap, nurse a little. It actually was quite a lovely bonding experience for us, turn out she is a pretty great listener.
This is the point that I had the basic structure completed, and I got to add the fun details.
I love the roof. I took tin snips and cut the corners off of each of these shingles prior to individually hot gluing them on. Along with hot gluing my fingers to the roof more than once. I really started to enjoy this experience. The smell of wood glue reminded me of my grandpa, and the slow unraveling of creating something became magical. I soon became a tad obsessed. I couldn't wait for Charlotte to go bed, so that I could sneak down to my secret workshop, listen to Christmas Carols, hang out with Claire and create.
Fast forward a month ...
We spent Christmas in NY. But the morning we left we got Charlotte up and told her that there was a surprise for her in the living room.
This dollhouse has crown molding, a vaulted ceiling with loft, glass in the windows along with shutters... basically the dollhouse is nicer than our house. Although we do have glass in our windows too, so its close. Charlotte had really wanted a "pink and purple" dollhouse (remember the letter to Santa) but I just could not do it. After clocking in this many hours building this dollhouse, to paint it pink would have made me sick, so I found a deep plum that I could live with. Jacob asked me after I told him there would be no pink on it, who the house was actually for? Clearly he didn't understand.
I also had a friend ask me if I would say it was from Santa. That I also could not do. That little elf man wasn't going to get credit for this one. He can get credit for the Touch n Brush, but this dollhouse no way.She loved it, although we had to leave it almost immediately after to head for NY. I am sure there will be hours of play ahead of us. Not just for Charlotte and Claire but for my grandbabies as well!

Nutcracker

When we were up in Wisconsin Jacob and I took Charlotte to an Art Museum in Oshkosh. During the holidays they decorate each of the rooms to look like a scene from the Nutcracker Ballet. She is all into Ballerina's lately so we thought it would be fun.

It was lovely, in a "ohh that was nice, but probably wont ever go back type of way". This is mostly due to the fact that 3 year olds aren't really into looking at old stuff that they cant touch, and there weren't any actual ballerina's just decorated rooms. Bet she will love it in about 60 years. We did get to read the story

.... which was perfect because this weekend we got to go and see the actual Nutcracker ballet at the local University. This one had real live ballerinas and sugar plum fairies and dancing chocolate from Spain .... oh so much cooler.

We went with our good friends the Beachy girls and once the ballerinas headed into the Land of Sweets, Amy pulled out candy canes for the girls to suck on. Brilliant. Wish I would think of these things, but that is why I just go places with people who do.

This is the best picture I got with the girls. Yep after about 40 tries, a picture where you cant even see Charlotte's face is the best one. What did mom's do before digital cameras!?!?


PS. Charlotte has been unsuccessfully trying to twirl on her toes in front of the mirror ever since.

Christmas Tree

Downtown St. Louis has horse-drawn carriages that (for a fee) will give you a ride around town. Charlotte goes bananas every time she sees one wanting to get on, and we always say maybe someday... well that day finally came. The park near our house has a Christmas light show and you can ride in a horse drawn carriage as you look at the show. She was giddy.


Claire is actually in this picture but you cant see her because she is under 5 blankets (poor new-born baby!)
After we then headed over to the local tree lot to pick out our Christmas tree.
Jacob is my "light man", he is really good at putting the lights on. Growing up in a family that pretty much just throws them on the tree I had no idea regarding the art of lighting a Christmas tree. He wraps it around the trunk and gets is deep and even. Perfect. I however am the "put Christmas away in January girl", and well...
Fortunately Claire helped him out.
We decorated some Christmas cookies while Claire and daddy figured out the light situation.
And magic. I am a huge fan of a colored Christmas Tree. Pretty much the more color the more Christmas in my book.

Charlotte wrote her first letter to Santa that we mailed (we actually had to mail it due to the fact that her preschool let her know that letters have to have a stamp on them or they wont go anywhere- that's it no more education for her. I want my 44 cents back). She is very clear about what she wanted in the letter.

1. a princess barbie
2. a pink and purple dollhouse (stay tuned for future post) and
3. a Touch and Brush.

Yep you read it right, a Touch and Brush. If you have watched any TV in the last 6 months you know what that is. And I know it has been on TV for 6 months because every time it comes on TV she will drag Jacob or I or whoever she can find to the TV to show them the amazing innovation that is Touch and Brush. Info-mercials must have built in kid magnets in them.
Claire however, just wants some eyes that work for Christmas.

Big Sister

So one of the questions that I have been asked a lot lately is "How is Charlotte, now that she is a big sister?" I wondered that myself quite a bit before Claire was born, after all Charlotte is almost 4. Her world was all about her for a really long time, and I wasn't sure how she would do once she had to share that world.
It has been 7 weeks and she has ROCKED IT! I am so proud of her and can't believe what an amazing big sister she has become. The minute she gets home from pre-school she runs into the bathroom to wash her hands so that she can hold Claire, then she will sit still and hold her for a good 15 minutes. Not bad for a girl with a 10 minute attention span. Her new favorite activity is reading books to Claire at night before bed, she talks about how the toys, clothes, towels, bassinet etc. that used to be hers are now Claire's. She helps give her a bottle, a bath and a snuggle. If Claire gets fussy or an outright angry cry starts, Charlotte shows increadiable calm as we try to figure out what is wrong. If Jacob or I have to help Claire and she has to wait for her snack/toy/attention she will be patient.
Warning super sweet cheesey story ahead: When we were in Wisconsin Jacob and I thought it would be good to take Charlotte out alone without Claire for some time all by herself. We left Claire with Baba and Grammy and headed out for a little date. I made a comment to Charlotte about how fun this was that we could spend some time with just her and she replied, "Yeah, but we are missing Claire, this would be more fun with her cause she is our family."
I had a post a while ago regarding the thumbsucking, and our desperate attempts to get Charlotte to stop sucking her thumb. Well, we finally got to paint our nails! We have gone 7 weeks without so much as a suckle. However, it wasn't the pretty pink sparkly nails that finally did it. It was a small comment that I made about how I didn't want Claire to see Charlotte suck her thumb, or she might do it too. The moment that Claire was born Charlotte went cold turkey and hasn't touched that juicy left thumb since. She is taking her job as a big sister very seriously. Here is to the hope that someday I can use that again so that she won't smoke.

Thanksgiving

Claire had her first expedition to the great white north for Thanksgiving. She was fabulous in the car. She was easier to travel with than our dog. The 3 year old however, oh so much more difficult than both combined, you could even throw in a goat and the 3 year old would still win. Here we are at Jacob's favorite restaurant Friar Tucks. We have NEVER been to Wisconsin with out eating here at least once. Charlie enjoying the deep fried Cheese... Claire enjoying the plastic nook. Jacob watching Football with his girls And Thanksgiving wouldn't be perfect without a carnival grade cotton candy maker that Abbie rented.
Its a long story.
Yummy?????Charlie literally shoving the jello into her mouth. Carrots didn't get shoveled in with quite the same intensity. See you later plastic Dora sippy cups, hello fancy pants glass. Breaking the wishbone with Baba... someone is really wishing for a "pink and purple dollhouse" from Santa. Hope you get it Baba. and then on the way back stopping in Madison and hung out with my brother Adam and his fiance... yep I said it, the little boy that would pee in the sandbox is getting married. amazing.

a month of firsts

First doctors appointment...

as you can see this was a non-shot appointment.
First H1N1, so we dont get the baby sick...



First time meeting a lot of relatives...




First bottle (Charlotte got to do the honors)...

First sister snuggle...
First bath (yep, she loved it...)

Really starting to LOVE this crazy little face!
as is she :)