Making Up Songs

Today on the phone my grandma asked me if Emma is interested in music. I realized that the answer to that question might need to be addressed on this site- for posterity.
It amazes me how musical she is. Not in a prodigy sort of way. If that were the case I am sure that the piano would be used for more than just plunking and random song creation. Emma hasn't composed any sonatas or piano concertos or anything like that.
However, she does on occasion sit and sing songs while playing. She is in fact composing new songs every time, but sadly they are not recorded.
And she does not limit her song creation to her fleeting moments at the piano. Just yesterday morning- or was it this morning?- while she was feeding the dog Emma was busting out a classic song. I so wish that I could remember even a few of the lines. She was rhyming and singing about the dog and herself. She uses some techniques from songs we hear on the radio or (yikes) in the Frozen songs. Things like adjusting the intensity, volume and actual notes. It is pretty cool.
(It reminds me of my singing days as child. I have a vivid memory of sitting on the exercise bike in the creepy basement near the laundry space and belting out totally random tunes. I wondered what my family thought, if they could hear me, and was only a little embarassed when they teased me about my singing.)
We have talked about making music lessons a priority for the girls at some point. Piano and guitar are instruments we have here so that would be easy. But I wonder what Emma would choose if she had the chance to explore different instruments?  And voice is an instrument.

Annika also seems to have a musical bone. She reminds me of Boo in Monsters Inc.- in cuteness, pigtail likeness and the humming/singing characteristic.  I do not have memories of Emma singing much without intelligible words. but Emma talked earlier. Anyway, Annika has been able to hum Happy Birthday for awhile now. Tonight at the dinner table Annika started humming Happy Birthday,  which reminded me that it is Aunt Jan's birthday today. I asked Emma if she wanted to record a birthday video message for her. She was very eager so I recorded her singing Happy birthday while annika smiled along. Unfortunatley she did't hum while Emma sang. Stage fright perhaps.

Some of the best musical moments also involve Daddy. He is great at random singing songs about what is happening using familiar tunes mostly. Sometimes the tune is original.  Emma joins right in- most of the time- and the two of them laugh and sing. I love those moments. And it is clear that they do, too.

Fanny Pack Sister

I had to take Annika to work with me on Wednesday. It made my bosses day. "I love this baby! She is the best baby in the world."
so anyway, I am almost done teaching when Julie comes down obviously looking for something. she asks me if I have any extra pants for Annika, which of course I do not. Is this my first time packing a diaper bag or what? Julie tells me that Annika leaked through a little but she thinks they have spare pants her size downstairs. No biggie!
So i start cleaning up forgetting that my daughter is roaming around in the offices when i look up and see Virginia heading my way along with Little A.
Mommy: (laughter)
Virginia: (laughter) isn't this great?
Annika: (stops, gives a weird half smile and observes my response)
Mommy: oh my goodness, that is too much! Look at you, Annie, with no pants on. You are too cute. (laughter)
Virginia: she said no to the extra pants. All she wanted was her fanny pack back on. (laughter)

There are no photos to go with this post unfortunately. It would have been priceless. so instead my words will have to paint a mental picture.
Annika is wearing a bright green short sleeve shirt. Her hair is half up in an off-center, floppy do. She is wearing white socks with her dirty white Robeez. You can kind of see her bulky cloth diaper with blue flower wrap underneath the adult-size dark blue fanny pack. It hangs loosely in front like a cat's jungle pouch and is weighed down with something. the straps are dangling almost to the ground on both sides of the pack. Every once in awhile Annika's hands rest in the open front pocket. she wears an impish grin alternating with a contented gaze.

Virginia: she wanted to put some rocks and tree cookies in there. (Chuckles)
Mommy: wow, look at your collection. That is really something. (endearing laughter and a hug)

Annika wore the fanny pack up until the moment I strapped her into the stroller and tucked her into my fleece sweatshirt. Thankfully she did not put up a fight at that point.

sleep tent

Who knew that preparing for a plane trip could be so much fun?  I set up the travel sleep crib so Annika could see it and maybe remember it come sleepy time in France.  and I also wanted to see how easy it was to set-up; very!

Emma: can I go in?
Mama: I don't think thats a good idea.
Emma: aww.
Annika: gibberish

The next thing I knew, Emma was in the tent, too.
Emma: she wanted me in here.

I have to admit that it certainly seemed that way.

Annika: all kinds of happy gibberish. Plus- "that, that, that, " while pointing at things she wants in the tent with her.

Emma: here, Annika, we are making this a little baby house.
She added some water (in bottle form and then had to promptly wipe up some droplets), a book, plush toys and plastic toys. Annika still seems content. When I asked Emma to unzip the crib Annika whined a bit.
Emma: see, she wants it zipped up.

Bleak Winter

I wish I could say that this posting will be the start of a new era- keeping up with this blog!  But I will not make promises I cannot keep.

My only guess at why I have not written since November is the weather. This winter has been an absolute nightmare. I should not really be complaining. The winter before was when we were in the throes of colic and potty regression. That was a different kind of nightmare. The dark days of this winter were literally due to the large number of cloudy days. No sun is bound to make things dark and dreary.

Besides the lack of sunshine, we were confined to the great indoors a majority of the winter because it was too cold to go out. School children were in their classrooms for weeks at a time. Emma and her friends had a rough transition to a new set of teachers (Miss Beckie stayed the constant and positive beacon) while also having to remain inside. The outdoor classroom is a magical place that allows for the release of excess energy that can lead to unusual behaviors inside.

Miss Beckie asked me to lead music every Tuesday from 12-12:30 in exchange for Emma staying late on Mondays without a fee. It has been really fun and I think Emma loves having me in the classroom regularly. It is that part of the week and day that I am guaranteed and enthusiastic hug!

On the days that were warm enough (we are talking even 20 degrees or less if the sun was shining) Emma and I longed to go outside and play in the snow. But it became apparent very early on that Annika had different ideas. After one trip outside where snow may have come into contact with her skin (in December) she cried as soon as she saw her boots or snow pants being moved from their semi-permanent location in the entry way. I am not exaggerating her crying.  If the boots ended up on her feet her cries turned into howls. It was amazing. I did try powering through the crying and pulling her in the inner tube sled one day when it was just us two. No amount of enthusiasm on my part could convince her of the fun she was having. That lasted 5 minutes and I am sure the neighbors thought I was torturing her. Maybe I was in her eyes, poor thing. So we limped along and only went out if there was someone to watch Annika inside.

Sue at the nature center reminded me that bringing snow inside could help increase the desire for outside trips. I can't believe that I did not think of that myself- even though I did it with the preschoolers at the nature center. Duh!  So one day while I was making dinner I laid a towel on the floor and brought in a tub of snow. I pulled some measuring cups out of the drawers and tried to get her excited. But as soon as she saw me carrying the snow, Annika started to whine cry and ran in the other room. She tentatively walked close to it after several minutes but cried when I touched it myself.  Emma discovered the tub not long after and was really excited. She had a great time playing with the snow, but not even that was enough to entice little A. That was the last time we tried that.

Once we got closer to spring according to the calendar I tried again to take Annika outside. I let her wear her Robeez and calmly explained when her feet got wet that that is why we wear boots when there are puddles and it is cold outside. So we calmly walked back inside and I grabbed her boots. She immediately started whining but I persevered and just kept calmly stating facts: your feet are going to be so toasty and warm in the boots; now you can splash in the puddles and your feet will stay dry; oh this will be so much fun.

Out we went and she actually stopped whining once we reached the sidewalk. Then she actually smiled a bit and after a couple minutes was confidently strutting up and down the sidewalk, tromping in the shallow puddles. It was magical!  When she tired and began to whine a bit we went right inside. Better to quit while we are ahead.

And that was the genesis of her desire to go outside. Of course winter had other more nefarious plans- there were many days when it was too cold still to venture out. But at lunch time one day Annika pointed out the sliding glass door and grunted happily. She was asking to go outside! so we did for a couple minutes.

Since then spring has still been losing its' battle against the cold convictions of winter.  But the sisters have enjoyed a few days outside together- the first two days of spring actually. Those were a couple of heartwarming, if not ground warming, days. Annika tries to do everything Emma does and finds her so funny.  I wish I could remember the statements and specific interactions. That should be reason enough to blog more regularly!  Emma did take a notebook outside and wrote (phonetically sounded out) some of the spring things she saw around her. I am saving it and adding the page to this beautiful stamped, bound nature book Grandma sent to us awhile ago. It is the start of the family special nature moments book. ahh. Spring get her already so we can explore!!

Happy Halloween

Nothing like snow falling outside to remind me of warmer times- like Halloween! Which actually wasn't that much warmer. It was rainy, windy and cold. Emma's witch hat kept blowing off so she finally gave up, and the witch shoes that she was so excited to wear were quickly replaced with cozy rain boots.
Emma really wanted to be a scary witch- dressed all in black with no face make up or fake warts. I made her dress and cape- she picked out the patterns at Jo-Ann Fabrics. We had to search at least 3 stores to find just the right broom. She wanted the broom that was just like the one at school with black stitching and a short handle.

Before Halloween Emma was coming up with ideas for what Mommy and Daddy should be for Halloween. "You should be a hot dog and Daddy should be a hamburger, " giggled Emma. That was probably the funniest idea.
Next she came up with this. "Ha ha, Mummy, " she laughed by accident one day. "Hee hee. I just said Mummy. You should be a mummy for Halloween Mommy. I could put a sign on you that says Here is my Mommy who is a mummy. or my mummy is who my mommy. hee hee." She thought that was quite clever. So I cut an old sheet into a very long strip. Steve helped wind me up and Emma completely approved.
Both girls looked great in their costumes. I made Annika's monster suit as well.  The four of us went to 3 houses all together, including Karen and Tom's across the street. Then Steve took Annika home and had fun watching Susan give out candy. (Apparently that is a whole another story!)

Emma and I headed out into the wind and filled up her sack. I actually scored some candy along the way from sympathetic adults who applauded my self-costuming efforts. I wasn't going to say no! Once we made it almost completely down the street and back up the other side, Emma started asking me to stay at the end of the driveway. She wanted to walk to the doors by herself. I don't know if that was motivated from the growing up part of her or the jealous part. She does like her candy. :)
We had a fun time and Emma enjoyed telling Aunt Susan and Daddy all about it when we got home. Trick-or-treating wasn't over for another 30 minutes or so; Emma loved opening the door and passing out candy. In fact, "no! I want to do it!" was heard until we finally took the hint and stopped opening the door first. :)

Of course sorting and eating the candy was a must!  She still hasn't eating it all yet and it's December! She was so sweet and shared some of her haul with us adults.

 I almost forgot that I surprised the family with a spooky dinner. Then knew that I was making a smitten kitchen dish but they didn't know that it was mummified until I pulled them out of the oven. Emma loved it! Actually we all really enjoyed the meal. (But I let my childish side out when I put them back in the oven under the broiler to crisp the dough strips and burned some of them- so I stomped upstairs and got all whiny. Not my best but I acknowledged that when I came back down. and we could all laugh at silly mommy.)

Visit this link for the awesome, delicious pot pies. I made it vegetarian and didn't miss the meat. I only wish that I had rolled the dough much thinner before cutting the strips so i could have avoided the super thick, somewhat doughy layers that led to my broiling, burning, tantrum episode.  pancetta-white-bean-and-swiss-chard-pot-pies

Up and Running

Well, Annika may not be running but she is finally walking!  She has been mastering the bipedal skills for about 3 weeks now. She loves to come into the kitchen while we are cooking/working and go through the cupboards. The honey stick is a favorite chew toy for those sore gums. She has gotten one molar (the bottom left) and is working on at least one more. And all the while her huge front teeth are still coming in; we assume that they aren't done growing yet because the left top-center tooth is still longer than the right! :)

Annika is loving to read these days and will pick out the books she wants read. She can be quite forceful if you start reading a book she is not interested in. Sometimes Emma will read to her and sometimes Annika will let her. Those moments are precious.
Annika is not really talking yet. We think she might actually mean Daddy when she says dadda, dadda.  Babba, Babba could mean Emma or Mama. But Chloe or doggie is definitely panting noises. Elephant sounds are popular- Annika makes them when she sees elephants or hears us say elephant and she loves to hear us trumpet, too.  She can roar like a lion or tiger and says the most adorable "ow" for cats/kitties. When I ask her to get something like a toy she can and I just about fell over the other day when I asked her to sit so I could put on her boots (that she "asked" me to put on) and she sat.  Her asking consists of holding something and grunting "ahh, ahh, ahh." 
She can do some hand signs like milk, more, please and bread and candy/sweet. Yeah, it isn't good that she will sign candy but not thank you! :0
So that's the update on little A.

Cat-tastic Celebration

Make a wish!

Happy 6th birthday, Emma K.!  What a whirlwind of a weekend. Such fun and sweet moments to treasure. Not that there was an absence of poor choices or behavior that was the direct result of being overwhelmed, over tired and disappointed. It's hard to be little!

Saturday the 19th we woke up and had chocolate chip pancakes, as requested by you the night before.  You were so excited about your birthday that the humdrum of a mostly regular Saturday was too much.  You wanted to open the three boxes that had come in the mail and waiting to open the gift bag from us was excruciating.  Once you got to open the bag you were very disappointed to find only a poncho. "That's not a present!"  Reading the card and the horse and pony experience promise for that afternoon wasn't enough to break the disappointment spell. But you did almost smile!
Waiting until after lunch seemed impossible.
 We carved pumpkins, which you loved.  "I'm going to draw the faces on all the pumpkins. Daddy you can cut both of ours out. Mine is going to be scary."  When I told you I was going to do a cat face you said, " that's not spooky for Halloween." You helped draw the cat face on my pumpkin using the image from the iPad as a guide.  I had to redraw it on the other side because your attention to small detail was too tiny for me to carve.  So you drew daddy's pumpkin face and your own.

Scooping out the insides was gross but you did it anyway. "Look at how much I got this time! Mommy can I please use that fork? The fork works good."
Lunch time came quickly and you could hardly focus on eating from all the anticipation. Then we were off to the stables!  La Fleur stables is about 30 minutes away and we got there with time to spare. There was a horse in a corral right by the van.  You got right out and walked to the fence and were fascinated watching it trot and harrumph long the fence opposite.  We went inside and were happy to be out of the blustery, cold.  You liked looking at the framed horse and rider pictures on the wall. After waiting a bit we were taken through the mysterious double doors that led...to...the indoor stables and arena!

Grooming and not quite at ease yet.

We walked down the long stable hallway to the tied up ponies.  Annika was interested in the horse faces pressed up to the bars on either side. You pointed out horses you liked and asked what their names were. The young girls explained how to groom the ponies with the different brushes. You were shy to begin with and asked me to go with you to choose a brush and get

Riding the pony was neat. Your feet almost touched the ground.

started.  You lost your shyness quickly and liked grooming the ponies.  After a bit the ponies were untied and we followed them down to the arena. There you asked for your bike helmet and waited your turn to ride a pony. The other pony was hooked up to a small cart.
You had no trouble getting on the pony by yourself!  And your feet almost could touch the ground.  You were reluctant to show even a smile but never said that you didn't want people to watch you.  You rode the pony two different times and liked it a lot.
At first you didn't want to ride in the cart even after the girls said you could sit on the seat and not on their laps like the younger girls in the group.  But at the very last possible opportunity you changed your mind and climbed in.  It went pretty quickly and you liked it. You said you liked riding the pony better.  And that was without a saddle!  The pony names were Mouse and Minnie.

Apple Jack, the quarter horse, with one happy Emma.

We went back and you helped groom the ponies before they brought out the big horses.  Apple Jack was the quarter horse and Sport was the thoroughbred.  We followed to the arena and you waited your turn to ride. You went on Sport first and insisted that daddy help you get on.  Sport cantered around the arena, which is pretty quick for a first ride.  You loved it and couldn't always keep your smiles hidden.  It was so much fun to watch you.  I could easily imagine you taking lessons and becoming a horse rider.

That was so fun and fast that you didn't want anyone to know how much you liked it.

After riding you did more horse grooming and you and the other girls were quite surprised by how large of a poop the horse dropped.  Then it was time to go home. In the car we asked you if you liked the experience and what your favorite part was. "It was good. I liked riding the big horses."  It all sort of came apart when Annika started crying and wouldn't stop. "Stop! You are ruining my whole birthday!"
Tom and Karen stopped by before dinner to give you their presents. You showed them the pictures from the horse and pony experience and were quite pleased to be able to share it with them.  Aunt Susan came for dinner and we enjoyed homemade macaroni and cheese with peas.  You also showed Aunt Susie the pictures of your day. Aunt Susan's cheesecake with fresh raspberries was phenomenal. You helped decorate the top of the cake with some fun supplies Aunt Susie brought with her.

Decorating that delicious cheesecake with Aunt Susie.

Then came the plethora of presents. Both sets of grandparents and great grandma's plus Aunt Susie and some other random boxes were filled with clothes, toys, and even money and makeup (lip gloss). You were right in your element. You said some pretty funny things that I am kicking myself for not writing down!
You went to sleep happy and woke up the next morning just bursting with excitement for your friends party. It was a long wait but we all survived. We arrived at the Dane County Humane Society and found the room to be much larger than we expected as well all decorated!  Frannie was the first to arrive and slowly your friends showed up. Frannie, Tesla, Violet, Rosie and Ellie, Meghan, Daryn and Soren, and James were all there. Plus Miss Beckie came with a lovely bouquet of flowers! The cat visitor names Max was first. He could sit on command! Everyone got to pet him once before his owner took him away.

Then the group was off to see  behind the scenes; you were always the line leader. You saw loads of cats; you wanted to take them home.  And so many cute dogs enjoyed tasty morsels that you and your friends dropped down the feeding tube into the kennels. There were also smaller pets like gerbils and feathered friends, too.  Back at the room we had some juice and you and your friends colored cats or dogs.

Not a cat but it will have to do.

The best part was coming up! The leader took us all into a small room where you got to hold a corn snake, guinea pig and rat.
Okay, maybe the best part was coming up- cake and presents! You decided that a cookies and cream custard cake from Culver's was a fine substitute for vanilla cat cupcakes with custard on the side. (I still feel guilty that I didn't make them!) The cakes were a huge hit with everyone and you blew out all 6 candles in two breaths I think. Your friends know you well and got you presents that fit your talents and hobbies- lots of art projects. Then it was time to clean up and go home. You were sad that it was over but also very happy.
Since it was late(r) in the day we let you pick a restaurant for the last birthday celebration meal. We went to Monty's and had yummy food but no dessert. Instead you had some cheesecake when we got home.

You are such a great big sister! Here you are helping your sister navigate the Earth and Sun set-up.

Was the birthday fun really over then? No! Annika and I came to school on Monday for your birthday celebration at Toad Hill. We kept the Emma-isms very brief but shared some pictures of you doing fun things through the years. You walked around the sun 6 times and Annika crawled on the sun!  Then I hung around for a little bit while you showed me some work, and I read a pumpkin story to your friends. Before I left I made sure that your teachers knew what to do with the special snack. I made individual parfaits for you and your friends with the berries and yogurt of your choice- vanilla yogurt with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Plus there was a bag of granola for sprinkling on the top and some chocolate graham cat cookies. We brought three pieces of cheesecake for your teachers.
At the end of the day you were sad because the cat cookies were not served. But we took them back the next day and you got to share them with your friends.
Such a wonderful celebratory weekend for such a wonderfully sweet and beautiful girl! We are proud of you and love you so much. Happy 6th birthday, Emma K!