Catching Up

We've had a pretty packed few weeks, so forgive me for taking several posts to update. Also, I may not go in exact chronological order. All I can promise is cute pictures of the girls and the occasional humorous anecdote, widely separated by dry explanations and image descriptions. Excited? Great. Let's begin:

First off, this is my first update from out new laptop. I'm still getting used to the size of the keyboard. It's surprising how little differences seem big after using the same computer for 7 years. Anyhow, that's my excuse for any typos or similar errors. The computer has a touchscreen monitor, which is cool for Natalie playing games. But the mouse (which I use almost exclusively) is a bit finicky and is always selecting, clicking, changing pages and so forth without my meaning to. Urgh.

It's been a nice week. The girls really enjoyed Christmas and have been occupied with their presents every since. I just started back up at my Ceramics class once a week, and Natalie always really looks forward to Micah's parents coming over to watch them while I go. Friends are finally coming back from their Christmas trips, so Natalie's playgroup and preschool coop have both started back up again. We're going to be doing an additional preschool with another group, which I am exited about. In our current group meeting on Wednesday, Natalie is the oldest. The new group will meet on Wednesdays will be with 2 of her best friends, and she will be the youngest, so she can have some more mature (or at least articulate) peers to model. I'm quite glad because we now have something that gets us out of the house every day: Preschool Monday and Wednesday, Playgroup Tuesday, Ceramics Thursday and Yoga on Friday. I feel so trapped when I'm bored at home without anywhere to go or anything urgent to do, so for me it's a blessing to feel busy. I'm much more productive this way- even with tasks around the house. It's like, when I know I have all day to wash the dishes, I won't bother until 9pm. But if I've got a lot on my calendar, I feel more motivated to get stuff done so I can be prepared and available for the things that I want to do.

I have been working hard and failing at documenting the many, many times that I turn a corner and witness a scene like this one:

Natalie still loves to wrestle Angela. She's always pulling Angela on top of her, rolling around with her and dragging her from here to there. Angela loves it. Until she hates it and is terrified and cries. But mostly she loves it.

The main thing I wanna share is that Natalie is...uh....er....

...ready to live long and prosper? No?... 

Natalie turned three years old!!! We had scotcheroos because we are too cool for cake.

When she opened up the wrapping paper on her birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins, she exclaimed, "It's a Mail box!" and then moved on to the next present. It was hilarious. She was confused as we tried to explain that the gift was INSIDE the box, and when she found the art supplies inside, she was even more stoked.

She was well outfitted with games, adding to her Chutes and Ladders Christmas gift from the Agles a new squirrel game from Chere, checkers from us and this game. She loves playing Hi Ho Cherrio (Thanks Grandpa), though she struggles to accept that you just have to take what the spinner lands on, you can't just point it at the action that you want.

Angela says, "Nice game. I'm coming to eat it.''

She got lots of other fabulous gifts. LeAnn got her, "Mama, Do You Love Me?" and it's wonderful. Natalie always asks me now if she is my dear one. She also likes imagine naughty things and ask what would happen if she did them (to hear that I would be angry/sad/upset, but that I will still love her).

Micah was really adamant about me photographing this my little pony playdoh toy from Chere. Not sure who enjoyed it more :)

 Natalie is growing more imaginative. She enjoys playing dolls and stuffed animals and talking for them and I like to listen to her acting out her little schemas. Mostly, she acts out stories we've read or twists on things that we do daily. It's so interesting and often hilarious to hear her versions of simple things like eating a meal and going shopping. She loves making art and ''helping'' me in the kitchen and playing outside. She's also into princesses.

She got to start primary this year. YAY!!!! 2 Sundays now, and her teacher says she fits in just great. She loves it and told me all about what she learned about when I am putting her to bed at night. She said a very nice prayer tonight for family home evening, in which she expressed gratitude for games (twice) and for our home, and for Jesus.

Natalie had a lot of fun on her actual birthday, but I'll probably detail that later. Right now I have to go to bed because I have a crazy headache and I'm crazy exausted. Angela has been waking up and experiencing Cryfests of Exquisite Misery, in which she wakes in the night and screams hysterically for an hour+ for no apparent reason and will not be calmed by any reasonable tactic. She's getting plenty to eat during the day and evening, I've tried pain medicine for possibly teething pain. Micah says that she wakes up and cries out of mommy bed lust because sometimes in the morning after I nurse her I let her snooze a little longer in our bed. I say she's just been spoiled by Micah rocking her to sleep when she wakes up at night. We leave her to 'cry it out' after she refuses several comforting attempts, but it's not helping. All I know is, she better get over it soon because we are all soooooooo tired.