Sweet Vivian

Here's a nice recurring moment: Often when I am reading to Stella and Vivian at night, Vivian climbs onto my lap. Fortunately, for some reason, this usually does not bother Stella and does not result in an "I get to sit on Mommy's lap" battle. One of the blessings of the four year age gap, perhaps. But the really sweet thing is that Vivian then takes my hand, wraps it around her body or demonstrates for me with her hand on her own stomach and then says, "Do this with your hand." She wants my arms wrapped around her body as I read. This sometimes makes reading a bit challenging (last week she had to hold the book because she wanted both my arms around her) but is so nice because I do love to hold my girls tightly.

A few things

We had so much fun sledding this weekend. The girls going down together was my favorite thing although at one point, Vivian said, "Now I am going to go just with Mommy" and so I made a deal that I would go one time just with Vivian and Stella had to wait for us at the bottom of the hill and then I would go one time just with Stella and Vivian would have to wait. Stella was pretty mature about it and Vivian and I headed up. We got on the sled and had a great run. Of course, when I said that it was now Stella's turn to go with me, Vivian said, "But I don't want to stay all alone" and I did understand that. I mean she is only three (as she often likes to remind us). But I also felt like that was the deal we made and it really would not be fair to Stella not to honor it. So I told Vivian she was going to be the photographer and I gave her my phone and set her up next to a tree and told her to take a picture of me and Stella going down. Then Stella and I ran up the hill. About halfway up I turned around and Vivian said to me, "You don't have to run." She was totally fine to stay alone. Which was pretty amazing. I did tell Stella that at Vivian's age, there was absolutely NO WAY she would have stayed alone like that. Vivian even managed to get a picture or two though not quite of me and Stella -- as well as a video. Pretty impressive. Also impressive is how well Stella is doing with piano. She had her third recital yesterday and she really isn't even so nervous anymore. She played "What I Was Born To Do" from BRING IT ON and did a great job. She was so happy that Steven and Clara came to hear her. In biggest family change news, Ranny left to go back to the Phillipines last week. We are now babysitter-less. Hopefully we will find someone to help out soon but, in the meantime, I am kind of enjoying spending 99% of my time with the girls and saying no to absolutely everything else. Though it would be nice to be able to get to the gym. We've been interviewing babysitters during the hours Vivian is in school so I have no time at all to get there. I'm thinking maybe somehow I can get myself to go at like 7am but that is unlikely...

Vivian loves ballet

Vivian just started taking ballet. This week was her second class. When we arrived at the ballet school she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I am so excited." She loves the dressing room, the clothes, and seemingly everything about the class. This is not a huge surprise because she walks around on her toes all the time. I don't mean on her tiptoes but like actually on her toes. It is a bit disturbing. But I digress...After class she asked me hopefully, "Do I have ballet tomorrow?" Today we went to see Clara in "Sleeping Beauty". Vivian sat on my lap in the front row at the State Theater. She didn't make a sound except early in the ballet she whispered, "I've never seen this ballet so I don't know when the witch comes." She was hypnotized up until Clara's part, then she got a little restless and she ended up sound asleep on my lap by the end of the first act. She woke up in the middle of the second act and resumed watching. She was a little bored but perked up significantly when Little Red Riding Hood appeared. Mom told me that when she heard that she (mom) was getting tickets she said, "I can go because I didn't make a beep at the Nutcracker." Another cute Vivianism of this week: She put this Hello Kitty necklace on me one day this week. She told me that I couldn't sleep in it and when I was putting her to bed, she realized I still had it on. She reminded me that I couldn't sleep with it. However, she told me, "You can wear it in the sun." Eventually I realized she meant that I could wear it outside of her room where the lights were on. Lights = the sun. Because her language and expression is so amazing, it is just such fun to have a conversation with Vivian. She also delights in being funny and constantly cracks me and Stella up. The other day Vivian and I were walking down the street -- or more precisely I was walking and carrying Vivian. We heard a load honk from a bus or truck and Vivian looked at me and said, "The bus farted." We then laughed hysterically -- that amazing child belly laugh for a long time. Vivian laughed so hard she made herself burp which made us laugh even more.

You're never too young to be lostalgic

Watching the great film, Santa Paws. Vivian points to the TV during a seemingly sad-ish scene in an old toy store and says, "That place is lostalgic, right?" I replied, "Yes" with a small smile (I think a smile she can identify as my thinking she said/did something cute -- a word she hates to be called). Vivian smiles back and says, "I can say lostalgic because I'm three."