Ainsley's Stories

"Put these girls in the picture!"

This morning, when I went to get Ainsley out of bed, she said, "Not yet!" This morning, like many mornings of late, she's been deeply engaged in the stories she's created for her babies.

This morning, Ariel was dying and Hoth Luke Skywalker was kissing her back to life. All Ariel's friends (Mermaid Barbie, Butterfly Barbie, Weird McDonald's Happy Meal girl toy, Cinderalla, Big Cinderella, Walking Ariel, and Snow White) were all gathered around Ariel in concern. I was sent away so she could finish her story.

A has gotten VERY HUGE into playing out stories with her babies lately. It's cracking me up...and it makes me so happy to see her engaging so creatively.

Ainsley's World

I mentioned in our Christmas post that Ainsley has started taking pictures with the camera.  I thought you'd enjoy seeing some of her handiwork. She's had three sessions: one was when Aunt Alysse came to visit...the second was to prevent a morning of crankiness...the third to assuage a busted lip.

Aunt Alysse: Close Up

Momma Lovin Xander

Toy and Game Closet

Fat Beebee Torture

Make Faces, Momma!

"I take picture of the ceiling!"

Fuzzy Sadie

Make faces again, Momma!

Sippy cups

Xander!!

Big Sarah is crazy!!

Christmas with the Stewarts

Christmas Eve

She wouldn't show us the
band-aid without opening her mouth.

Big Sarah came over to visit on Christmas Eve. We intended to share gifts, frost cookies for Santa, eat pizza, and watch the Empire Strikes Back.  It'd been a few days since A & X had seen Big Sarah, so there was mandatory running around and playing. In the midst of the shenanigans, Ainsley fell and busted her lip. The only thing that would soothe the whining beast was a Princess band-aid and free reign of the camera.

Ainsley has recently discovered the joys of taking pictures. I'll probably toss together a blog post about it in the future. You can behold her handiwork here though. I love this picture she took of Xander.

This is the face Xander makes
at Ainsley.

We had so much fun, we barely had time to get the presents from Big Sarah and the Christmas Eve presents opened. Big Sarah got Xander a bunch of fun animal stuff and Weebles. Ainsley got Princess Princess Princess stuff, of course.

Once we got the cookies decorated, Ainsley picked one of each cookie to put out for Santa. At the time of setting out the cookies and milk, A was into a hardcore game of puppy.

Puppies panting over
Santa's cookies and milk.

Once the children got all nestled snug in their beds, we got to work finishing up Christmas fixings...and I put together the overnight French toast casserole. The tree and presents were so lovely I snapped a few pics.

Christmas Day

Ainsley and the Princess Collective

The Chrismas melee began later than I expected; apparently shenanigans with Big Sarah tuckered them out. A and X slept in until almost 9:00--well, A slept in, X quietly played in his crib. Ainsley was really excited about presents; Xander was indifferent. Santa presents were first. 

I got her to look at me by
saying, "Is Santa on my head?"

Since the ToysRUs Big Book came out, Ainsley has been asking anyone who will listen for the princesses and their castle. Santa found an awesome sale on the Princess Collective on Target's Black Friday sale (what? Santa can outsource!). Grandma Fitzgerald and Pawpaw provided the castle. As she was opening Santa's present, Ainsley was insanely cute. "OOH! Oh my gosh! I've always been wanting this!" We mete out freeing the princesses all day today. She got Ariel straight away (walking mermaid is her favorite). Then she would get princesses for good behavior, skyping with family and cleaning up her room to make space for the castle. 

Xander and the Busy Box

The Princess Collective has already had many adventures--most of them naked. They're hanging out in Noah's ark naked. They lay around naked. The Princess Collective is kinda slutty. It's currently sleeping in a bed next to Ainsley's crib. I had her tuck them in...and she had to hug and kiss each of them goodnight. It was adorable.

Xander was cagier and didn't tell Santa what he wanted. Luckily, Santa knows that Xander loves puzzles and brought him a busy box. He found the busy box pretty exciting once we got it opened. But really, he was more interested in the DVD of How to Train Your Dragon that Grandma McGhee got him. He's been big into dragons lately.

How to Train Your Dragon
is engaging.

His favorite thing, however, ended up being the light saber candy toy that came in Sean's stocking. He loved it. So, Momma's gonna hit Meijer's after Christmas sale to see if they have any left over. Doubtful, but I'll check. Of course, the moment that X showed interest in it, A had to confiscate it. Notice the look of despair on his face when she took it...and the joy of getting it back.

After presents, we ate the casserole...and it was DELICIOUS. We then did some Skyping with family and then came naps. I cooked a ham for dinner and we ate. But mostly, the kids just played with their toys, and Sean and I rested; I'm still in my pajamas (mission accomplished, Sarah!). It was difficult to make the decision to not travel on Christmas anymore. We do enjoy being with the family on the holidays, but after the wonderful Christmas we had, I know we made the right decision.

My view of Christmas morning...lovely.

Putting up the Christmas Tree

This year while Xander took his nap, Ainsley helped me put up the Christmas tree. She was moderately excited to get going. As Sean brought in the Christmas bins, she was indifferent.

"Licking" the lights. Weirdo.

As I put the tree and lights up and Sean shopped Black Friday, she was moderately more interested, but still pretty indifferent. She'd take moments to help me by getting branches out of the bin...or pretending to eat the lights.

FROSTY BREAK!

Break Time!

Sean made a lunch run and returned with Frostys for Momma and child. We had a yummy time eating our treats and taking the break. However, after the Frosty break, once the ornament bins opened up, it. Was. ON. She couldn't stop digging around.

Special Ornaments

Deciding what to hang up

Last year after Christmas, Sean and I went ornament shopping. I'm all about creating a tree that has ornaments that mean something to us on it. So, Sean has a ton of Star Wars, Star Trek, and Indiana Jones ornaments.

I have ornaments with pictures of the kids on them and a set of golden bulbs that hung on my Grandma McGhee's Christmas tree since I was a little girl (I used to lie under her tree and just touch them...the reminded me of gold coconuts. She gave them to me last year.).

Loving the Yum Yum.

For Ainsley, I grabbed some M&M ornaments, as she has an undying love for Yum Yums. This year, I think she needs a Little Mermaid ornament.

At this point, all of Xander's ornaments are Baby's 1st. Not sure yet what to get for Xander beyond that. Probably Sesame Street. Or grapes maybe.



Lessons The Kids Teach Us

Showing her the ropes
Feel free to covet my Christmas PJs

As I've expressed to many of you, one of the biggest lessons that my daughter is teaching me is to let go of my ideas about control. I spent a lot of time talking to Ainsley about the ornaments we were hanging up, and why we put certain ornaments in certain places. Of course, I have a system for ornament hanging and general tree decorating. I thought it'd be helpful to teach her my way...but she was too excited to listen, of course.

The red icicle branch
OK, I Get. It

So I let her go and do her thing. We have these icicle ornaments red shiny, red glittery, green shiny, and green glittery...about 12 each. Ainsley's "thing" was to put all the red shiny icicles on one branch. It took everything in me to not tell her she was doing it "wrong." Instead, I decorated the rest of the tree and secretly rearranged the branches later.

These are not the princesses
you're looking for...

As I opened the ornaments we purchased last year, we discovered some Disney Princess ornaments that Grandma and Grandpa Stewart picked up for her. I put the hooks on the ornaments, turned my back, and she was GONE.

She'd grabbed all the princesses, climbed into an empty basket, and pretended she had NO idea what I was talking about when I asked her what happened to the princesses. She still hasn't put the princesses on the tree.

And Then Xander Woke Up

WTF?

I was really excited to show Xander our handiwork. He was pretty nervous about the tree at first. He approached it as if it may have jumped out an bit him.

After a while, he became more interested in the sparkly, dangly things that he could pull off the tree. Very exciting indeed.

Bossy McBosserson

Ainsley's reaction to Xander's attempts at helping to hang ornaments was pretty hilarious. She got her serious boss on if he did anything she felt was inappropriate.  Xander, per usual, ignored her bossing. This picture here of her bossing him has to be in my top 10 pictures of Ainsley. So. Funny.

What?! I love this tree.

It took us a while, but we finally got everything put up and started to get a little Christmas tree enjoyment in.

Mostly enjoyment manifested in taking ornaments off the tree, running around, then putting them back on...or making me put them back on. Then the under the tree shenanigans began.

The best way to touch ornaments
is with your feet, natch.

I both love and hate the Christmas tree. I love to see it and I love the mood it sets in the house (which is why it goes up immediately after Thanksgiving). I hate that my hardcore OCD manifests when I put the tree up.

I admit I was better this year...more willing to chill. Maybe in the next year or two, I'll be able to just enjoy it. *fingers crossed*

Happy Holidays!

Sleeping Babies

So, I started this thing a couple weeks ago. I started taking pictures of the kids asleep before I went to bed (or once, when I forgot, when I woke up before them). I thought I'd see how long I could go. Then I though I could share the pictures, sort of like a 365 Stewarts sleeping. I'm not diligent enough to add everyday, so I'll just do it every so often. 

*side note* As I worked on this blog post, I discovered something WEIRD. Even though they're in different rooms, they're often in the same position when I take the picture (which, in most cases, occurs within 2-3 minutes of one another). People have asked me if they're twins before...but this is too weird.

November 6: Flanked with Babies

November 7: Stretched Out Stewarts

November 8: Lovin' Babies

November 9: Ainsley as Scarlet O'Hara, Xander as Pillbug

November 10: Babies Hiding Faces 

November 11: Tuckered Out at Grandma and Grandpa's

November 12: Even MORE Tuckered Out at Grandma and Grandpa's

November 13: Home at Last...and Ridonkulously Tired

November 14: Babies with Babies

November 15: Contortionist Sleepers

November 16: Fetal Position Stewarts