This is my child.

This is my child eating Smart Balance with her bare hands.

And she's clearly enjoying it. Not throwing her arm up to cover her mouth, and not shrinking away from the offending edible item in front of her while pursing her tiny lips, saying, "nooooo."

 So, yes, I let her clutch onto the container and dip her little fingers into it. According to the nutritionist which we were sent to, Smart Balance has as many calories as butter, so if she wants to lick the Smart Balance, it's okay.  More power to her. 

Licking the Smart Balance with her fingers was a last ditch effort on that particular day to get some high-calorie foods into her. I had tried smearing it on tiny pieces of home-made bread.  That was a big old no thank you. Then I had tried giving her tasty crackers from Trader Joe's to dip herself.  Yep, rejected again.  So when the child discovered that she could dip her own fingers, and then proceeded to grab onto the container and clutch it close to make the process that much easier, I let her. I told her to go for it. Eat your heart out. Not many of us have the green light to eat in this way, but she does.

After our appointment last Thursday with the nutritionist, I went directly to the nearby Trader Joe's and bought items such as ricotta cheese, peanut butter cream cheese, almond butter, ranch dressing and full-fat mayonnaise. I've made peanut butter balls, double-strength milk, home-made whipped cream, and egg salad.

She has eaten blueberries. And tomatoes. 

 So if this sweet, fiercely picky girl wants to lick the Smart Balance with her dainty little fingers, she has my every blessing. 

In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.

But in my jungle, the little lion toddles around, and throws up her hands and roars. 

 

Much to the delight of the magic fairy princess.

Yesterday I dug out a pair of Anna's sandals that Mimi bought for her when she still a crawler. Unfortunately, by the time she started walking, her foot shot up in size and she missed the chance to wear these sweet little things (size 4 1/2) and went straight to a size 6. I wanted to see how they fit Eliza and they were a little big. Since Eliza was practicing wearing her "new" shoes, I reached into Anna's closet and showed her a new pair of shoes that she would wear in the summer. Even though they're two sizes too big at the moment, she had to wear them all day. 

Who says you can't wear summer shoes in. . .  February?

We've had so many snow days this season where we've been stuck inside for most or all the day, and one of the ways Anna gets through it is to play in her forts. This entails requests from Anna such as "I want to stand up in it" or "I need it very dark so I can nap" or the most interesting so far: "I need a pig house." 

So Steve and I find ourselves working to meet these requests and using various tools like the vice grip or the chip clip to get the blankets to stay put. By the way, the pig house is not featured in these photos. Which is unfortunate because we worked the hardest on that one and it came out awesome.

{this moment}

 {this moment} is a Friday ritual inspired by Soule Mama.
A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Finally! The sled I bought on Saturday, that I had meant to buy before the first snowstorm of the season, was put to good use. And did we have fun! This first snowstorm ceased around lunchtime, having dropped maybe 6-8 inches on top of at least 2 1/2 feet of snow from previous storms. I decided to take the girls out at this time. We very much needed fresh air, and Steve very much needed a rest, after climbing upon our roof and spending at least an hour shoveling from up there. (No ice dams for us, thank you very much). 

So I bundled the girls up, threw Eliza on my back, and told Anna to hop in the sled. I took them for a walk around the neighborhood as Anna giggled away, holding tightly onto the sides of the sled and telling me I was her reindeer and she was Santa.

Even little Bubba-Baby figured out how to have fun in the snow. At first she just sat in it, not wanting to touch it. Then she gave it a taste, and it clearly passed the test, because the next thing I knew, she was throwing the snow in the air over and over again.

And wait, the fun isn't over yet! Eleven more inches are expected between the wee hours of the morning and tomorrow afternoon!

I'm back! Sorry to all my readers (I mean, my mom). Nothing in particular besides dysfunctional organization was going on. Today we are experiencing another snowstorm. It's supposed to be a big one, a snowpacalypse. But I finally bought us a sled last Saturday, so when there's a lull in the snow, I'm bundling up the big girl and taking her out.  I can't wait. But in the meantime, the snow is pounding us and we are keeping refuge in our warm home.

Here are a few precious photos from the past two weeks for your viewing delight:

This was taken the morning of the January 18th snowstorm. Anna was excited about playing Candy Land with Dada and having a snow day.

Baby Girl loves sitting on the potty seat, just like Big Sis.

Anna just looked at this photo and said, "Who is that wearing my beautiful sun hat?"

Sweetness.

My girl is quite the little fish.

At Aunt Tricia's, sitting amongst all the skis.

Tucker Terrific and Anna sharing a moment. Both girls adored that cute doggie.

And finally, today is Eliza's 15-month birthday. Happy Birthday, my little peanut.