Sledding.....

The title of this blog post is a little deceptive.  You would think that Minnesota in January you would have no problem finding snow to go sledding.  But, how incorrect you are.  This year has been one of very little snow...maybe only a few inches total.  Therefore, many weekend days have been spent outside running around in the bare yard.  Not that anyone has really minded though. 

The problem with no snow is that Tabitha can't go sledding.  Okay, not that we were going to go sledding down a hill yet or anything (what sort of mother do you think I am?!), at least sledding in the sense that we can pull her around the backyard. 

So in lieu of snow in the backyard, we've resorted to "sledding" in the kitchen....diaper box and all.

My little toddler

So, what's new with Tabitha you ask?  About a month ago she moved up to the "Pooh" room at daycare.  The Pooh room is for the toddler ages 16 to 29 months (approximately).  While that may not seem like a big age gap it seems like it right now.

While you have to be a proficient walker to enter the Pooh room, that's about the one thing they have in common.  In Tabitha's case, the rest of her classmates are all 2+ years old already and they are all about one head taller than she is.  It means she gets a lot of attention from her teachers, but it also means that the rest of classmates think that she is their doll to take and do what they please.  While it's cute at first, Tabitha does get annoyed.  There's no doubt about this girl...she likes her independence and is not about to let someone a year older than her do whatever they want to her. 

In addition, most of these kids have more than the three or four words that Tabitha possesses in her vocabulary.  Just because Tabitha can't talk doesn't mean that she can't follow directions.  She is very good about listening and following directions about 85% of the time (I would say that's good for a toddler).  It still amazes me what she understands.  I can ask her to pick up her books and she will.  I can ask her to put her cup back in the kitchen and she will.  Yesterday I was teaching her how to do laundry (she's really good at putting things in her laundry basket).  Her teachers even comment on her listening skills.  Let's hope that she keeps this up!

All in all Tabitha loves her new classroom, and in a year, when she's ready to become a "Tigger", I'll be looking at all of the younger kids and wondering what happened to the time when Tabitha was that age!

Why kids need pets

My aunt sent a great email the other day titled "Why kids need pets".  It had a ton of cute pictures of kids and their pets.  So, here's my version of that email:

Someone to check for dirty diapers when you are three days old

Someone to make sure you don't fall off the bed

A napping buddy

To play with

In case you need another nap

Someone to practice your fishing skills on

Someone to help watch for squirrels

Box buddies

A pillow

This is how Tabitha feels about Fred and about cats in general! (Thanks Julie for the shirt!)

Miss Independent

As I watch Tabitha learn and try new things, several things have dawned on me:

Learning how to brush her own teeth. Trust me...
she does not like to give up on this one!

1.  Kids keep trying.  I find it amazing to watch Tabitha learn new things.  Perhaps it's her personality, but it seems true with a lot of kids...they just keep trying until they learn something.  I think that as adults someones we try something once and if we don't succeed we automatically give up on it.  Kids are completely opposite...most of the time they keep working on something until they learn it.  I suppose if they didn't we would never move past the infant stages in life.  But I wonder what happens between childhood and adulthood that makes us give up more easily.  Watching Tabitha reminds me that I should never give up on things.

2.  Kids move to their own beat.  As you know by now Tabitha loves to dance.  She dances to anything and doesn't have a care in the world about what she looks like when she's dancing.  Sometimes at church she claps her hands after a song is done.  Tabitha likes to do what makes her happy.  She doesn't care if she looks silly or if it isn't quite right.  Once again, I wonder what happens to make us change....from the kid that moves to their own beat to the adult that has to be like everyone else.  I hope that Tabitha remembers it is okay to be herself, and I hope as a parent that I can help to nuture her interests in things that make her happy.

Pulling "Ali" the alligator around the kitchen.

Dancing (part 2)

James was able to capture a bit of Tabitha's dancing on camera....yes, it is just her feet, but it is quite fun.  As you can tell she's a fan of Kelly Clarkson.

Dancin'

For the past few weeks, we've made it a habit that after dinner we go down to the basement. Tabitha has some toys down there, and right now it's a nice cozy place to hang out. In the meantime, we'll turn the TV onto the music stations for a little background music....sometimes it's the toddler tunes station, sometimes it's the holiday music station, and sometimes (if James is in charge) it's the rock station. Nonetheless Tabitha loves her music, so she'll get into the groove and start dancing. It's fun to watch and of course she encourages us to dance with her too.

This picture was taken one night after daddy and Tabitha had danced up a storm...there were tired!

Happy New Year to everyone.  Tabitha resolves to dance more this year!

Tabitha's 2nd Christmas

It's hard to believe that we have already had Tabitha's second Christmas.  I now understand why people would always say that the time goes so quickly.  It's seems not that long ago that it was Tabitha's first Christmas.

Tabitha had a fantastic day yesterday.  While I was thinking that she would grasp the concept more of opening gifts (instead she liked to just put them back under the tree!), we still had a great time. 

Here's a recap of Tab's Christmas weekend:

We started Christmas Eve off at the zoo.  As you can see, Tabitha is dressed appropriately with her zoo shirt on!

We then got dressed for church.

We prepared for Santa to arrive.  After everything was just right, Tabitha went to bed.

Tabitha awoke to lots of presents under the Christmas tree!

Time to open gifts!  Tabitha still didn't really get to tear at the wrapping paper, so mom and dad had to help a lot.  Many times she also insisted on putting the gifts back under the tree. 

When she had opend her last gift she gave Fred a big hug and a kiss.  We think that she liked her Cabbage Patch doll and the craddle for it; however, at the time she insisted that it was meant for her to sit in.  So, for the time being, mom and dad decided that because it requires adult supervision (in case she keeps crawling in it) that this gift would be put away for a later time.

Tabitha also got to do a lot of other fun things on Christmas Day, she....

-Skyped with her grandparents from Indiana.  You have to love the technology because even though they are many miles away they got to watch Tabitha open her Christmas gift from them and play with it.

-Tabitha played outside.  Instead of playing in the snow and making a snowman, she ran around in the grass and kicked the soccer ball in the 40 degree weather.  I reminded her that this rarely happens!

-Went over to her Minnesota grandparents house for dinner and opening Christmas gifts there, too. 

-While at the grandparents house her Auntie Abby called from Prague wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.  Again...amazing how wonderful technology is that we can talk with our loved ones halfway across the world!

All in all, it was a FANTASTIC day for Tabitha!