More Christmas!

Christmas eve at my parents' house was followed by a gathering at Tom's brother's house. Iris and her cousin Will were pretty excited to get more presents! And the best part: a special appearance by Santa! It was a hit with Iris after a brief moment of shyness. Believe it or not, I thought Santa was real until 5th grade and recall being teased when I challenged the kids who were telling me the truth. I would like to thank my parents for encouraging the delusion by renting a Santa every Christmas eve.

Christmas Eve

Apparently two years is all it really takes for a child to understand that Christmas and Santa = PRESENTS because we are still hearing about it days later. Thank you everyone for the thoughtful gifts. Iris is enjoying them and I think I am having as much fun as she is playing with dolls...I would share the age at which I stopped playing with them on my own, but that would be embarassing.

FanTAStic!

Forgive the photography -weird lighting. But what an adventure Iris has this morning at the indoor park! Each and every time she got off the slide she yelled "FanTAStic!" and she would run to hug Tom and then demand to go again. $4.50 well spent.

Birthday Party

Had a great family gathering for Iris's 2nd birthday! Thank you everyone for coming to celebrate and for the fantastic gifts. Uncle Seth made a cardboard playhouse for Iris that basically covers our entire living room and required a borrowed truck to get it to Minneapolis. Dear U.J. Iris LOVES her amusement park. She has named all of the little people. And dear Seth: definitely you win the award for most creative gift. Iris LOVES her playhouse.

Two years old...

Our girl is two today. She has a rare cold and stayed home with Dad today, but her spirits were good and she was excited about cupcakes and other surprises. Thanks to Cheryl for the cute gifts - love the book! We seem to be sleeping through the night now most nights and having more words is definitely helping decrease the tantrums. Life is getting a little easier these days. We love you, Iris! Happy birthday!

TEXAS!

A BIG THANK YOU to my girls in Texas for the fantastic weekend! We had a great time hanging out with my friends from UT and their daughters! (And also to Jennifer expecting a boy very soon!)Thanks for welcoming us into your home, Chantel and Rich and of course, Malaya! Sorry about the voice...next time I come (March?!) I am crossing my fingers for REAL Texas weather.

Chuck E. Cheese

A VERY exciting evening at the ever popular arcade and showplace to celebrate Iris's friend Evie's birthday. The girls are just one week apart. Iris enjoyed discovering all the non-game options (running away from her parents, using a broken telephone, drinking numerous glasses of highly sugared lemonade) while her friends actually used the game tokens. We left with one purple plastic bracelet, a tired Iris, a horrible virus that leaves me without a voice today (the day before I leave to see friends I haven't seen in years!) and to complete the night, a speeding ticket Tom got when speeding up for two seconds so as not to miss his turn lane.

Thanksgiving

This picture of Poquito snuggling with Iris's dolls... I did not pose him. This is where and how I found him that day.

Perhaps Iris will have her dad's culinary talent...she sure enjoyed helping him prepare Bellini's!

Almost 2!

Iris was so excited to host an Almost 2 Party for her friends Anna and Inez. What a bummer that Inez was in the emergency department vomiting! So, rather than Iris, Anna, and Inez, it became Iris, Anna, Kate, Maddy, and Evy when my neighbors came over! Fun was had by all, except Inez of course...and hello to Maggie in Connecticut! We missed you!

Swimming with Jonathan

Iris was quite the entertainer at the pool today! While calm, compliant Jonathan happily let his mother carry him around the pool and actually swim, my child was busy running from pool to hot tub, hot tub to pool, screaming "LIKE IT!!!!," refusing to towel off, running up to strangers waving "HI!," and most embarassing, yelling "NAKED!!!" at the "senior ladies" who were changing in the locker room after their pool exercise class. We did little actual swimming.

Queenie

Grandpa H calls Iris "Queenie." Here she is (and she chose this outfit herself) enjoying dress-up (thanks, Isabelle, for the great dress-up clothes!)

Cheaper than the Arboretum

The original plan for today was to hit the MN Landscape Arboretum but with a chance of rain (didn't happen), the $9 admission price, and 45 minute drive, Tom suggested the conservatory instead.

Finally

Back at the park on a fantastic fall day! Iris and her friend, Evy (who lives across the street) loved the tire swing until a 4 year old boy without parental supervision (they were home sleeping!) jumped on and scared them. Iris told him "Boy off."

Butterfly (and friends)

One inherited butterfly costume, many adorable toddlers, way too much candy = one exhausted Iris who went to bed at 10:30 on Halloween night and 6:30 the night after.

A Shout Out to Texas Friends!!!

Thanks, Jennifer, for this great sweatsuit! Cheers to UT! I am so looking forward to our trip to Austin, coming up soon! Miss you guys, see you in December.

Potty Time!

Success! After months of rejection, Iris tried the potty again this morning. She cheered for herself.

Pumpkins

Who knew that choosing a pumpkin patch was such an overwhelming decision! When I googled my options, about 20 farms popped up! Did we want a giant jump tent or pony rides? A petting zoo or a corn maze? I don't know! We opted for a place with a jump tent (a huge hit) and $5 pony rides (didn't even last 15 seconds before screaming NO NO" We finally had a nice sunny fall day after two weeks of rain and (worse) snow.

Anna's Here

My friend Kristin and I have decided to do some babysitting swapping. Its really perfect because Anna and Iris are just ten days apart. And our favorite Thai place is just 5 minutes from Kristin's house! Saturday night it was our turn to have Anna over. Iris was so excited she kept yelling "Anna's here!" After playdough, books, baby dolls, and a snack, Iris did suggest to Anna that she go home, but Anna is so laidback she didn't seem to be offended.

Bell Museum

A fun family trip to a natural history museum. Iris got to pet a snake!