Holiday Time Fun

Having time off this week has been awesome. It's great getting out with the big R. She's so even-tempered and fun to be with. The other evening at the grocery store I had one of the most fun grocery shopping times with a kid, ever. We were just goofing around, but it was highly pleasant. We saw very attractive looking candy and other tempting items, but we had already agreed ahead of time that she would be getting one treat (kiwi, in this case) that was not sugar-laden, and that was it. And just that she remembered it throughout the tempting store...well, that's better than I can do sometimes. What a kid.

On Tuesday Rosalie and I went with friends to see A Year with Frog and Toad, the musical at Seattle Children's Theater. She was a little nervous on the way there because she had not been to that theater before, but she acclimated quickly once there. Through the middle of the second act she caught on to clapping after a song was over. I think before that she was just so mesmerized by the show that it didn't occur to her to clap.

After the show, the actors sat on stage to answer questions and sign programs. Rosalie stood in line for awhile to have her program signed. Then she asked the actor if she could borrow the pen, and signed her own name on the program as well. You know, since that's what we're doing, here.



After she came to show me the program, she got back in line, waited until her turn, and told the actor, "Thank you." That was all.

Yesterday we went with Owain, Jimmy, & Heather to see the gingerbread houses at the Sheraton. If you haven't seen them, they are pretty awesome (sorry no pics; lots going on in there). Architects pair up with chefs to create a mighty enchanted village of confection. This year the theme seemed to be train stations.

We were so excited to be standing in glitzy downtown that we decided to walk around awhile. Outside Westlake Mall they had a holiday carousel set up. So we went for a ride! It's Rosalie's first time on a carousel horse. What a brave kid.



So today, back at home, we built our own village. In the morning, we constructed the houses and started decorations. I remember the last gingerbread house being a pleasant experience, but this was even better. We were cooperating in a way that I didn't even have to muster patience for. She just did her part, and I did mine. And she had the ability to wait--and even nap--until the other houses were dry enough to start decorating.

After nap, Michael came home early and worked with the resident Gingerbread Designer to decorate the rest of the village while I practiced cooking for my culinary school project. They did such a lovely job!





She points out her favorite house.


Also, notice in the picture above that Bear received some winter pajamas for Christmas.

Also, here's a belated rendition of Rosalie singing Jingle Bells, although Jingle Bells could apply to any wintertime fun, right? Not just Christmas?

Flower Girl Writes Letter to Santa

This just in: After weeks of no blog activity whatsoever, a terrible abundance of cuteness has washed over the Livingston/Klatt household.

Last November, Aunt Melanie and (now Uncle)Jason got married, and they asked Rosalie to be the flower girl. I took pictures of her home dress rehearsal before the wedding, and at the wedding itself I deleted all the pictures. It was a devastating error.

I was on the phone with Stacey last night and lamenting the photo loss, when right afterwards I came downstairs only to find that, coincidentally, Rosalie had fashioned a ring out of an old "ring pop" lollypop base and a gift bow:



She told me that I could be the bride. Oh! She wanted to practice being a flower girl again! Me: "Well...would you like to put your dress on, too?" Why yes, she did. Here are some shots of our post-wedding dress rehearsal.








By the way, she did a wonderful job at the actual wedding. She took her job seriously but also smiled at the guests around her as she scattered petals. The ring bearer, also about 3 years old, was slightly less focused, but he made it down the aisle just as adorably. They were great.

Apparently at school she told all her friends that she was marrying people.

Anyway, back to the present: this morning, I asked Rosalie if she wanted to write a letter to Santa. She broke into a joyful smile and ran over and tackled me in a hug. I took that as a yes.

We worked on her letter together. She was interested in writing the letter herself, so she would tell me what she wanted, I would tell her what letters to write down, and she did so. She also illustrated her list.



You are probably thinking, "I wish I had a close up of those pictures she drew." Here you go.



She wrote that she wanted a kitten pillow, books, a game, and markers, especially with a red marker. I love this list.

By the way, the game she wants is "Hoot Owl, Hoot," a "cooperatib" game. So often nowadays she says words accurately, so it's so lovely to have a few kid interpreted words still around--such as "magniks" for the refrigerator. Her pronunciation of the letters L and R are getting so good.

Another slice of fun: She's been into helping us do fairly sophisticated jigsaw puzzles lately. I came home today with a new puzzle with a picture of open paint cans, and I was excited to work on it--she was too. It is really cool that we have, you know, a PERSON here! Someone we like.