It's Not All Birthday Parties and Road Trips

Mama cleaned out her photos on her iPod this week and realized that life this winter has been about more than birthday parties and road trips and Lion and Giraffe (Harper might disagree on that last point).  

Sometimes, it's nice to snuggle up in your jammies with a good book

(Luke does a great job sight-reading the words in the book and is even starting to be able to recount the plot, much to Grandma Casey's Scholarly Delight!)

Sometimes you find amusement in saying "I'm Grandpa!" with a bubble beard on your chin

Maybe there's an adorable Thanksgiving Breakfast Party at school...with a turkey hat

And a fortune-crescent-roll for Mommy and Daddy

And you go to your friends' house for Thanksgiving dinner and you get to help make the sweet potatoes

And you  play with the big kids

And you are SO EXCITED to be with your friends

Or Daddy goes away on business, and a guy comes to do a home repair and you must be ever vigilant in protecting your home, keeping a watchful eye on things and reporting Mama's offer of coffee to said handyman to Daddy forthwith

Maybe there were new Santa Jams to model

Or a later bedtime was successfully achieved by offering to clean the floors

There were fun times at school parties - when your brother got to come to your class

On a particularly frigid Sunday, your parents bundled you in your snow gear and took you to the park

You rocked it

Both of you

Towers were built from recycling

Barracks were built for superheroes

Gumby and Pokey were given a brick castle

Meetings (?) were held

 Lucky jammies did not positively affect the NFL playoffs for the Green Bay Packers

 You did not lose sleep over it

 Troops were aligned

 Meals were made

 Babies were tended to (and given a vocabulary lesson?)

You were "jus' makin' this little thing I'm makin'"

Swimming!

"Horsies [were] lining up for milk!"

Uncle Joe's birthday largesse enabled the purchase of many ninjas and samurai to go with your superheroes.  You renamed the Batcave the "Ninja Batcave," as it provides room for "Batman and ALL of his friends"

There were sieges

And battles

Spray bottles requested and kitchens cleaned

There were lazy Sundays

And silly Saturdays

Superhero invasions

And all around nice times together at home

The Ballad of Lion and Giraffe

Shortly after Harper's birthday, a package arrived for the kids from Aunt (Aimee) Slater.  They each received a bucket of stuffed endangered animals from the World Conservation Society - Harper getting "jungle aminals" and Luke getting "sea cweatchers." There was much excitement!

And as much as Luke enjoys his "hermit cwab, frog, and blue tank fish," Harper is head of over heels for 2 out of her 3 animals - the lion and the giraffe, named, Lion and Giraffe (if you ask her their names, she checks their tags and says, definitively, Lion and Giraffe").  Why poor elephant is getting the ol' cold shoulder, Mama would like to know (elephants are her favorite).

Within mere DAYS, Lion and Giraffe were doing everything with Harper.

Getting ready for stories with Luke...

Reading stories with Mama

Reading stories with Daddy

Reading Frog and Toad to them (Lion, lower left corner)

She's teaching them (and "New Elmo") good hygiene

 When Wally visited, Lion and Giraffe had be with him

She does not sleep without them (or many other stuffed animals, it would seem...)

 She often sleeps ON them...

"Say hi to wion, Mommy!"

She watched the Inaugural parade with them (Civics!)

They do art

 "I am drawin' a tail for Wion

....and Wukey." (?)

 She had Luke help her "make a bed" for Lion out of bristle blocks

HUG BREAK!

They hitch a ride in their bucket on Baby Goldfish's stroller for a walk to "the pretend park"

She offers a floor show for them with breakfast

See-food Breakfast Special!

 They came for Harper's most recent haircut - and joined us for lunch after

 Diner!

This picture alllllmost captures the dreamy look that comes over her when she is nuzzling them.  Or, as she would say "hugging thems [sic]."

 Chip and dip party in the tent!

Mostly, there is a lot of this: 

She dotes on them, and is constantly surprised and delighted that lo and behold, Lion and Giraffe are here!  SO SOFT!