Winter...

...is apparently NOT ready to let go yet.  Last weekend we had a spring teaser, but in the last 36 hours a foot of snow has fallen and now everything looks like this:

We do like to play in the snow, but we can't do that all day (not yet, at least).  So, what to do with a small child on a snowy day when you don't want to drive anywhere?

How about couch jumping? (I am probably going to regret this one.)

Step 1: Assessing the jumping cushions.

Step 2: Preparing to make the fall.

 Step 3: Falling (please note the safety bear, it is critical to a safe and fun jump)

Step 4: Roll around giggling before clambering up to do it again!

This was entertaining for at least 15 minutes! Big win!

p.s. Jamie, who wasn't home during the couch jumping, expressed dismay over the visual in Step 3 as it looked very dangerous to him (I believe the exact quote was "whoa, it looks like she could break her neck!)  For anyone else likewise concerned, let me reassure you that my prose includes a small degree of hyberbole for dramatic effect. In reality, Aspen's "couch jumping' is like doing a gentle baby forward summersault onto padded cushions.

Spring...

... is not here yet. But, we did have a teaser this weekend with gorgeous blue sky, sun, and 55 degree weather. Needless to say we spent all Saturday outside (or as sprout would say "OUTSIDE!) . Alas, another snow storm is coming, but Saturday was a harbinger of things to come and eventually we will all be lounging in the back yard sans snowsuits again.

Speaking of lounging, that was how we started the day.

Which led to some fantastic hair.

 Then we spent some time sifting dirt (always an important part of lawn maintenance).

After that it was starting to heat up enough that we could ditch the jackets and chew on sticks. What was that? You don't chew on sticks? Huh.

After some masticatory cogitating we sprung into action making soup!

Which turned into a very muddy soup (because water makes everything more fun). It's a good thing we're so tidy because that could've made a mess!

p.s. As far as I am concerned half the joy of having children is getting to do ridiculous "kid" things with them, so much of this really is "we" (Except for the sticks. I opted out of that one.)

Bear Obsession

This girl is OBSESSED with bears.

The first thing she does in the morning is bring her bears to Grandma (who is visiting) for story time.  

In fact, much of her day is spent bringing bears to people to insist they hold them. I have cooked dinner with a bear under my arm, I have lined bears up at the kitchen table, and I am rarely on the couch without a bear. However, I have put the ixnay on bears in the  bathtub (not for lack of trying on Aspen's part though!)

Here she is bringing bears one (or two) at a time to daddy.

This is what the end product looks like.

Just the other day Nana sent her a bear in the mail.

Heaven!

p.s. I know I haven't posted in a while, but I am turning over a new leaf, I promise! 

Soup anyone?

We will be travelling for the hollidays so we gave Aspen her Christmas present early (it seemed sort of silly to drag it around with us). Her gift? A wee kichen!

The head chef planning her menu, she is world reknown for her soups!

Checking the oven, the little cabinet next to the oven also opens.

The soup master showing off her trade secret...salt and pepper shakers! 

Carefully washing the pepper shaker in the sink.

Voila, another (salty) soup masterpiece!  (She really really really likes the salt and pepper shakers.  Jamie was pulling out books to read her tonight in her bedroom when she suddenly made a jail break.  Running out into the living room she scooped up the salt shaker and gave her soup one last dash, plus an extra stir, before mean mommy carted her back to her bedroom.)

In other happenings, earlier in the month Jamie was gone doing field work, leaving me some big shoes to fill solo. Aspen did her best to try and help with the shoe filling.....

Lastly, we need to quadruple out library because Aspen loves, loves, loves books
!

The only downside is sometimes it takes her a while to find the right one.

Making pita (and other fun)

I actually like baking quite a bit (especially bread), but I don't get motivated to do it as often as I would like. However, lately I have been including Aspen in on the fun and it has been a great source of motivation. She likes dumping ingredients out of measuring cups and spoons and she really really really likes stirring.  Last weekend I decided that we would have falafel for dinner with homemade pita so she got to try kneading for the first time.

First we must assess the situation.

Next we apply some good old fashioned elbow grease!

It is always important to take a break and admire our handiwork (both in the dough and on the cutting board...she really loved playing with the flour)

Finally, we eat our delicious pita!

When downloading the pictures from the pita making I came across these two videos from a few weeks ago. We had taken out our comforter to fluff it and Aspen quickly decided that a comforter makes the best toy ever!

Fluff attack!

Peek-a-boo never gets old at our house.

Last, but not least, Halloween!

Here is Aspen in her costume.

And here is the whole trick or treating gang!

We're back!

I've been lazy about blogging lately (obviously!), but I have been missing it. For the last month I have created several blog posts...in my head.  Unfortunately, the longer the break I take the harder it is to get started again because I feel like I need to cover everything we've been doing since the last time I blogged.  Well, this time I am ripping off the bandaid and just jumping in, no rehash needed...right? RIGHT!

If you were to ask Aspen what she has been up to she might say this: 

"I are doing stuff! Important stuff!"  

Sometimes that stuff is digging in dirt:

Other times that stuff involves eating imaginary soup....upside down! 

Often that stuff involves finding the perfect rock in a field of flowers (note the rah rah tightly clutched in her right hand).

But it is all very, very important!

p.s. for Becky regarding storing versus using...Jamie and I have dug out some of our old toys for Aspen to play with.  This is a dinosaur and a Teddy Bear Story figuring that I had as a kid.  She loves them!

Grosser than gross

You know what's gross?

Cat vomit is gross.

You know what else is gross?

Toilet bowl water is gross.

So what is grosser than gross?

How about your child chasing the cat until it vomits in self defense (much like a lizard losing it's tail).  Upon seeing the vomit, said child stops chasing the cat and starts shoveling the warm vomit into her mouth like a gourmet meal. We never imagined we'd being fishing partially digested chunks of cat food out of our daughter's mouth.  Not even ten minutes after that disaster, what do we hear? Oh, nothing but the dulcet tones of a toilet bowl being splashed in (bad mommy forgot to close the bathroom door).  After dashing into the bathroom daddy discovered that our lovely daughter was ecstatically waving her hands in the water and then sucking the drops off her hand.

GROSS, GROSS, GROSS!

Aspen's Defense

"Mommy, I'm not gross!"

"How can I be gross when I have a sticker on my finger?!?"