We've got work to do!

This is the first year Lilie has been really excited about Christmas.  So we've been enjoying things like tree decorating, making cookies for Santa, and counting down the days until December 25.

We keep track with three different tools: an advent calendar that has small chocolate treats in it, a wall hanging that depicts a teddy bear's house (we move the bear to a new location each day as he 'looks for Christmas'), and the countdown calendar we used when I was a child (construction paper, each sheet reflecting a number from 1-20*).

That's quite a bit to do in the morning, yet each day Liliana seems to forget about it.  She'll climb onto her stool at the counter, take a swig of milk, and glance around.  It's only when she catches sight of the chocolate advent calendar that she'll brighten and blurt out, "Daddy! We've got a lot of work to do! We've got check my chocolate and move the bear!".


* Why only 1-20?  I don't think I've lost any days from the calendar...  Can anyone help me out with that?  Mom, did we only get angsty starting around December fifth?  I can't find any precedent for a 20-day advent calendar on the interwebs.  Is the calendar incomplete?  Were those days best left unremembered?

SHTEVANS!

We were driving home from church today, and Katie wanted to hear about Lilie's experience in the children's class.  Liliana was munching on the candy cane she'd picked up on the way out of church.

"Did you hear a story today, Lilie?"

"Yeah." Crunch crunch crunch.

"What was it about?"

"'Bout Jesus."  Snap!  Crunchcrunch.

"Really?   What happened in the story?"

"Um," snap crunch crunch crunch.  "Some shtevans went to see God."

We drove for a bit in silence, considering the implications of this.  The candy cane crunching continued from the back seat. 

Katie tried first.

"Stevens went to see God?"

Crunch crunch.  "No, mommy - shtevans."

"Stefan went to see God?"

"NO... shevans!"  Lilie strained forward in her seat, clearly frustrated, as she reiterated her point.

Suddenly it hit me.

"Lilie, was it shepherds who went to see God?"

Lilie strained forward and drew in a breath, ready to correct us again.  Suddenly she stopped, wrinkled her brow, and collapsed back into her seat.

"Yeah.  Shepherds." Crunch crunch crunch.

Reading

We caught Lilie in the act of reading to all of her (many, many, many) stuffed 'friends'.  We wanted to catch it on tape.

She's reading from 'Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot'. 

Gems

We were horsing around in the living room, wrestling and playing while Grandma watched from the couch.  Lilie took a break from the action and started piling things on top of Grandma: a pillow.  A blanket.  A stuffed animal.  Toys.  Shoes.

"What are you doing?" asked Grandma as Lilie capped the pile with a pillow across her face.

"I don't want you to see what's going to happen next."

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Lilie had talked her mommy into buying some vanilla wafers for her after a pit stop.  Katie asked for a cookie and Lilie gladly shared.  The first cookie only whet her appetite, and a few minutes later Katie asked for another.

"Jeez Louise, mommy, you're gonna eat all my cookies!"

For the record - she did share another with her mommy...

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Katie recently taught Lilie how to sit 'criss-cross-applesauce'.  It's a catchy phrase, you have to admit.  Tonight, Lilie chanted it on the way back to Illinois to drop Grandma at home.

"Criss-cross-applesauce.  Criss-cross-applesauce."

Lilie chanted it when they stopped at a gas station to tinkle.  She chanted it on the way into the house.  She chanted it while they climbed the stairs to the bathroom, and she chanted it while she tinkled. 

Lilie was chanting it, standing on the step stool as she reached into the sink to wash her hands.  Katie was struggling to help her get her pants back up when Lilie stopped chanting abruptly.  She turned and cradled Katie's face in her hands, pulling it inches away from her own.  Lilie locked eyes with her mother and spoke low and slow.

"The one who says that never returns."  It was so random and simply hilarious! 

Recital 2011!

Liliana's hard work at tumbling was on display yesterday at her recital.

She did great!  Hardly any stage fright, and if you watch until the end, you'll see she was convinced that the crowd loved her (which I'm sure it did).

The Bennett family drove all the way from deep Illinois to attend the recital, which was a really big deal.  They spent the night on Friday (we went to see the holiday night lights at Rotary Park in Wentzville) and Saturday (Brian won some Blues tickets and invited me to go).  I managed to run into their car on Saturday when we were leaving the house, too, and they didn't even beat me up - thanks Bennetts!

I will apologize about the editing and the camera work; there was a surprisingly large crowd at the recital.  When I wanted to get Lilie in the frame, it meant zooming in quite a bit.  You might want some Dramamine before you watch the video!  The pics are from the professional session the kids attended a couple of weeks before the recital.

Mmmmm. Bacon.

Katie was visiting home for lunch with Lilie and Grandma.

"Mommy, can you stay with me after lunch?" Lilie asked.
"No, honey, mommy's got to get back to work and make the bacon." Katie replied.

The lunch and conversation continued until it was time to go.  Lilie pitched a fit, insisting that her mommy stay.  She ended up in her mommy's arms, pleading her case.

"Honey, I'm sorry - I've got to get back to work."
Lilie lay her head on Katie's shoulder and whined, "Making the bacon takes forever."
"Darling, it's only four hours.  After that I'll be right back here with you."
With her head still tucked under mommy's chin, Lilie offered an option: "Just put the bacon in the microwave and come home."