Apparently there's a trend developing...

 I wonder if there are tryouts for the toddler version of Flashdance?

Sayin' the darndest things (Jelly Book vol 4)

Here's another Jelly Book entry...

* * * * *

Gianna is obsessed with the moon.  She talks about it constantly and when she spots it (even during daylight hours in the faintest silhouette) she yells, "MOON!" and then proceeds to distinguish whether it is a full, half or crescent moon."

One evening the big, beautiful, yellow harvest moon was rising in the Eastern sky.  She gasped when she saw it.  "A FULL MOON!" she exclaimed.  And then she said, "It's HUMONGOUS!"  (Thanks, Sesame Street, for your word of the day.)

* * * * *

I couldn't wait to show her the full moon this past Sunday.  We showed it to her at my parents' house and when we got home she stood in our driveway and gazed upon the very bright moon with adoration.   It was cloudy but the moon was still visible and the wispy clouds were whizzing by. I noticed her head following the fast-moving clouds.  Her eyes widened and she looked up at me,

"We spinning!" she whispered.

* * * * *
Gianna pointed out a spider the other day and said, "Look, an arachnid."  Well, she says 'arachnic'  but it still cracks me up that she knows the term. (An arachnid is an insect with 8 legs - i.e. a spider....just in case you don't happen to watch Sesame Street. :) 
* * * * *
Iain brought Gianna into the living room following her nap.  She was tickled about Max's (dog) new haircut.  "He's so tiny!" she squeaked.
She hadn't really noticed me in the room yet and once she did I said,
"Gianna come say hi to Mommy."
Her response:
"I don't wanna talk right now."
(I guess we're getting little adolescent glimpses sprinkled throughout toddlerhood.)
* * * * *

About a month ago, Gianna began a new routine when she goes to Time Out.

Once she arrives at the designated spot, I usually ask her,

"Do you know why you're in Time Out?"

She's ALWAYS can name the offense that sent her there.

Once I walk away, she uses the most precious voice she can muster and says,

"Mommy. Mommy?"

"What, Gianna..."

"Really, Mommy?  You sure? You SURE, Mommy?"

"Yes, I'm sure Gianna."

Melts my heart - but not enough to release her from serving her time. :)

(I really have to get it on video - without her knowing.)

* * * * *

Me;  "Gianna, would you like to come help me in your room?
"Gianna:  "Ummmm......maybe not."

* * * * *

There are words that Gianna used to say beautifully six months ago, that she is now having trouble with.  It's interesting and pretty funny.

She has an oversized doll named Penelope.

Now she can only seem to call her Pimpully.

We have discovered the best way to get a quiet ten minutes in the afternoon or evening is to give her a popsicle.

Now when asked if she'd like a special surprise she says,

"Oh a popsasticle!"

Apparently the extra syllable is impossible to remove.

This morning she asked for a hammaburgen.
She used to say 'hamburger' quite easily.

* * * * *

I told Gianna we were on our way to the park to see Benjamin and his Nanna, Ms. Katie.

"Katie from church?" she asked.

"No, not that Katie, Gianna.""Katie doctor?" she asked again about our friend in med school.

"No, not that Katie, either."

"Oh, a DIFFERENT Katie." she finally surmised.

"That's right, Gianna. She IS a different Katie."

"LOTS of Katie's!" she exclaimed

:)

* * * * *

Our  neighbors (The Griswold's, as we call them) put up there massive collection of outdoor Christmas decorations in mid-November - included a life-sized Santa sleigh.

Figuring she'd be curious, I thought I'd introduce the Santa concept.

"And do you know what Santa will bring on Jesus' birthday?" I asked.

"EGGS!!!" she excitedly replied.

Seems like we have a little 'splainin' to do.

Full of....

...THANKS!

Thanksgiving Project with Auntie

My dear friend, Anita, was my maid of honor at my wedding.

She has been a most precious and faithful friend over the span of over 25 years.

Anita (or Auntie, as Gianna knows her) lives in Houston and came in town for the Thanksgiving holiday.  She called ahead to say that she had a gift for Gianna and a project that the two of them had to finish making together.

Auntie's sachel of goodies mesmerized my little munchkin.

She brought Gianna her first pair of children's scissors (we're going to hold off on thanking her for that one! ha), glittery flowers and nifty set of crayons.

Gianna was SO excited to participate in this crafty endeavor.

"More projeck!" she kept saying.

Anita decided to turn Gianna into a little Indian for Thanksgiving.

Here they are working diligently on her costume. 

And here's the finished "projeck".....

....stylin' little Indian girl, wouldn't you say?

Any guesses as to what she's doing here?

Thanks for teaching her that Indian call, Auntie.

She hasn't stopped yet! :)

(You can expect a lengthy phone message with that special little yell, Auntie!)

We really can't thank you enough for spending time with our little girl, for giving her such a fun experience and for loving her like one of your own nieces.  You have to know that you're on the top of our list of blessings we are thankful for!

Ernie & Bert

A few weeks ago, Gianna started really having fun in the land of imagination....including an introduction to imaginary friends.  Her first two she already knew --- Ernie & Bert, of Sesame Street fame.   Riding in the car, pretending to hold their hands, making room for them in her chair....the whole bit. 

Just before this little fantasy play started, I happened to find these little hair clips that a girl I know makes.  What great timing.  I just thought they were clever and cute.

 

A new baby...

...COUSIN!

Iain's brother just became a daddy for the first time.

Their little bundle of joy is the most perfect addition to our family.

We are so happy and proud to welcome our very first niece.

And now Gianna gets to be a big cousin.

We hope we get to meet little Madeleine soon.

We would just hate to miss out on that 'fresh from heaven baby love!'

* * * * * * * * * * *
Now we just have to work on making Madeleine the big cousin....

....and Gianna a big sister.

Prayers welcomed!

The BIGGEST Little Fan

We are BIG Laurie Berkner fans in Lewis Land. 

I discovered her music about six years ago while babysitting, and unlike a lot of muchkin music -- it has never gotten on my nerves. For about a year now, Gianna has been watching Jack's Big Music Show which often features the music of Laurie Berkner.  And for about a year, Gianna has been asking for her on a daily basis.  When she was just learning to talk, she'd summon Ms. Berkner's music by calling, "Button!"  Now she just says, "Mommy, wanna listen to Laurie Berkner?"

 Well, my little Laurie Berkner fan got quite a thrill this past weekend.

Her mommy found Laurie's fan page on Facebook and discovered that The Laurie Berkner Band (who plays mostly in the northeast and west coast) had added another concert date to their schedule....in Austin, Texas!

We bought tickets and planned on making a little family trip out of it - until we realized a scheduled outtage at Iain's job would be prolonged and he would be unable to make the trip. :(

That wasn't going to stop me though!

I called one of my dear high school friends living in Houston and asked her and her adorable four year old daughter if they wanted to join us for a girl's weekend.

Even though they weren't familiar with Laurie Berkner, they said yes.

Thankfully my husband though ahead and bought an extra ticket.

It really worked out beautifully.

G and I drove to Houston on Saturday to spend the night with Deborah and Katelin.

It was so precious to see these little girls interact with each other. Both are only children so they each got a rented sister for the weekend.  They actually could pass for sisters, too.

Don't get me wrong, there were times when Gianna pushed the envelope like a typical two year old and Katelin tattled like a typical four year old - but overall they were pleasant and precious.

I got some matching turtle necks for the girls...

...and added a little 'groupie love' on Gianna's.

Even though G was nap-less by the time the show started, she mustered enough awe and excitement as she gazed upon the empty birthday-party-themed stage for the first time.

When the show began, I think Gianna was a little caught off guard.

The awe and wonder was priceless.

Each time there was a quiet moment and Laurie was talking, my spirited little two year old shouted requests of her favorite songs... 

And let me just say, that Laurie Berkner is not only a creative, dynamic, gifted musician and performer ~ but she has UNBELIEVABLE stamina.

When I watch her videos on Nick Jr., I'm always impressed that she sings, plays the guitar and dances for two or three minute stretches.

Watching her in concert was AMAZING! 

For 90 minutes straight she sang, played and danced (like serious jitterbugging!) with no intermission.  Kudos to Laurie.  She earns every bit of her paycheck.

I cannot say enough good about this lady and her talented band and crew.

They certainly provided this little girl and her mommy with a wonderful weekend and special memory to treasure.

* * * * * * * * *

We went back to Houston after the concert and spent another night and morning with our sweet friends.  On Monday they took us to Pump it Up where Gianna wore herself out before we got on the road to go home. 

We are so grateful to the Dennings for their warm hospitality and their precious friendship.

Even though it wasn't the family trip we planned, it turned into an unpexpectedly wonderful time with our treasured friends.

The Fortress

A couple of weeks ago as I was preparing for a garage sale (ugh), my friend Michelle helped distract Gianna.  They built a mac-daddy fortress out of blankets, pillows, furniture and the like.

Gianna was thrilled with her 'castle' - as she dubbed it.

Even Max was pumped about his new cave-like abode.

They played and even picnicked in this new castle. 

Gianna had the bright idea of using her borrowed princess castle as the entrance.

I was impressed by her ingenuity.

I think she was too.

Airport

Gianna and I went to the local airport which had just been rebuilt since the hurricane.

What an awesome place for a toddler to hang out!!!

Lots of walking, riding on elevators, plane and copter watching....

 ...and a long-awaited reunion with my brother who'd been working out of state for a few months.

 I need to remember to make another visit there - just for the fun of it.  Good way to kill a morning and occupy a busy munchin!

For the birds...

In an effort to avoid some of the challenging behavior we've been experiencing in Lewis Land lately, I've been trying to sprinkle our days with little adventures for Gianna.  I happened to have a bag of almost stale cheerios so I took her to the Civic Center to go feed the birds.

Gianna got so tickled by the birds... 

...until Mommy threw the first handful of cheerios in the air.

All we heard was enormous swooshes of collective wings flapping of the 3,000 birds that came in a split second!

There were ducks, pigeons, seagulls - which all may as well been vultures as they came running after us looking for more food. 

I felt like we were in the middle of a Hitchcock movie.

Gianna was a little nervous - and frankly, so was I.

Who knew cheerios would be such a hit?

Once we ran out of food, we quickly left the hungry birds and walked along the lakefront.

Gianna had the playground to herself.