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Thursday, December 22, 2016

(57 Months) - 4 Years + 9 Months




"Asher really likes sharks. They're his favorite spirit animal."  

Went to the movie theater to see Moana.

Mimi and Papa in town for Thanksgiving.

Really in to Wonder Woman and superheroes.

"In two minutes I have to go outside and save the world!"

Very curious about Santa. And Jesus.

"Is Santa hibernating right now?"

"I think Santa is nocturnal."

Putting rainbow stickers on her face. "I'm Indian."

In the Christmas spirit. Advent!

"I'm a Christian."

Running laps through the living room/kitchen: "My heart is working! My heart is working! I'm gonna have to tell Daddy that I found my heartbeat this morning."

"I would not want to eat a person. Especially my cousin."

"I wish I could just go up to the moon and knit!"

"I'm gonna try something different. I'm going to change my socks EVERY DAY."

Thursday/Friday snow days two weeks in a row! Francie and Daddy are "snowmies."

Francie: "Daddy, I want to get Santa new snowboots for Christmas."
Alex: "That's so sweet of you. But why do you think he needs new snowboots, are they worn out or something?"
Francie: "No, but maybe if he grows out of them."

"My body says it wants syrup now."

"My eyes are allergic to water."

"Does 'on sale' mean that you don't have to pay?"

"I've already been four-and-a-half for a reeeeeeally long time."

Francie: "I'm gonna marry Max. And Logan is going to marry me and Max."
Mama: "Oh wow, you're gonna be a ...
Francie: "A big family!"
Mama: "Well I was going to say 'polygamist,' but yeah."

Francie reading with Papa.

Space shirt.

Mimi's hairstyles are better than Mama's.

Moana in Turkey Day! Cheers to the non-traditional.

Playing "hotel" with Mimi.

Getting our Xmas tree in Helvetia.

Youngest holds the saw.

Sooooo muddy,

First year with Santa ALL. BY.HERSELF.

Advent!

WLHS football championship with Daddy.

Playdate with (Charlie and) Iris, at Maplewood Coffee.

Tis the season to read all of Mama's saved holiday books.

Advent visit to Mama's work at Waterhouse to bring flowers to the residents.

Mama Date - The Original Pancake House!

Snow Day, round 1.

Eating her mac n cheese lunch in the snow by herself. She's her daddy's daughter.

Another Snow Day with no school for anyone at our house.

Headed sledding.

We could hardly get her to come inside. Except when bribing with hot chocolate.

I spent my Snow Days kinda like this.

But I got out for some fun, too.

Second round of Snow Days.

More snow angels.

Snow fort at the park, built by "teenagers."

Flamily walk.

Alex pulled her here, but a neighbor also strapped his dogs to the sled and she got a free ride uphill.

Allie and Francie in the snow fort.

Advent craft.

Mama's new letterboard, sporting Francie-quotes, of course.

Menne Annual Cookie Party!

Dash, Jack, Max, Francie, Logan and Finley.

Menne/Close cute kiddos.

BFF's Mila and Francie.

First OFFICIAL sleepover, when the Hubbard parents were en route home from New Orleans.


Monday, December 12, 2016

(Stuff Jo Made) - Gratitude Tree




I am not sure where I got the inspiration, but this year kicked off our first annual "Gratitude Tree." Initially, I bought a fancy branch/tree thing from the craft store to make our tree. But then I remember that we're on a tighter budget, and, can't I find real branches in my yard anyway?!? I used a vase we already had, sand that I collected this summer from the Oregon coast, and found some branches in our yard. I dug up a bunch of clothespins, found decorative scrapbooking paper, and traced/cut out several leaves. Although we were not successful at discussing daily all the things we were grateful for, it certainly did make for a nice November tradition. I am always looking for ways to model and teach our daughter kindness, compassion, gratitude, etc., and this seemed like one good avenue. It was something she got excited for every evening at dinner (although she seemed most excited to just practice her writing, and less excited to actually listen to what Alex or I had to say about our own experiences and gratitude).

Some of the things we said/wrote on the leaves:

- an hourly wage that justifies working weekend days
- Daddy love
- nice Mama
- Beebee's help and support
- Pantsuit Power
- many years of good health
- young wisdom
- a job that matters
- best friend Mila
- a wonderful therapist
- sleeping in
- the love in my life
- days with my Little Bear
- park, sleep, friends
- cafes and writing
- our castle
- human connections
- family support to attempt to write daily
- egg sandwiches
- friends and movies
- Me Time
- friends, forts, and Daddy
- bacon
- Mama Days
- playdates and family dinners
- my voice





Wednesday, November 23, 2016

(56 Months) - 4 Years + 8 Months




This last month included a lot: a visit from Stacy and Vivi, and then other WR friends Gretchen and Amy and their kiddos; her first viewing of MJ's "Thriller," and also the dance scene from the movie 13 Going On 30; Halloween parties galore, dressed as an astronaut; Presidential debates and the (surprising) election and the aftermath; many play dates, mostly with Mila; a visit from one of Grandma Nancy's BFFs in the Bay Area, Gina; a visit from the Franzke Fam; a few viewings of Frozen; hanging out with the Mennes; writing nightly "gratitude leaves"; spending a half-day at work with Mama; several good Daddy Saturday's including a full day at the Unified soccer tournament; and a Wonder Woman obsession.

For whatever reason, I didn't write down as many things that she said this month. I'm sure it is, at least in part, related to how caught up I've been in politics. So for posterity's sake I will again include some of those quotes or anecdotes here, too.

At the playground on the teeter-totter with friends, some boys ran up and said, "we're superheroes, we'll save you!" To which Francie responded: "we don't need saving."

"I'm the decider!" she exclaims this evening, her towel wrapped around her post-bath body like a judge's robe. "And tomorrow Hillary will be President!"

Francine, the morning after the election, comes to my room after eating breakfast with her daddy: "Trump won," she says, kind of sadly or stoicly.
Me: "I know."
Her: "That's sad. And scary."
Me: "Yeah, it is."
Her: "But I'm brave. We're brave."

And later: "Bravery is when we do something even though we are scared."

Sitting at the dinner table, I'm telling Alex about an article I submitted to ScaryMommy.com, even though I was rejected last time, and then about the first American author who won the Booker prize, and how his book was apparently rejected more than a dozen times first. "Speaking of Elsa," she interjects, brilliantly, "... her long braid ..."

To Josie: "You can't have that. It's my dad's iPad. He uses it for going poop." #truthteller



WR 2.0: Vivi, Francie, and Kennedy

Vivi, Kennedy, Francie

Stac (and Gretch) reads to Vivi, Kennedy, and Francie, none of whom stayed in the bed long enough to constitute a "sleepover."

Francie and Vivi, crowned, for a day at the Children's Museum.

Stac, Vivi, Francie, and Jo

More WR friends: Amy, Evan, Peter, Francie, Vivi

Vivi's face = priceless

Frozen fever

Uh, but seriously, where did they learn that?

BFF's 4eva

PreK school photo

Francie got to go with Rachel to pick Logan up from "big kid school" before his Halloween party

VHFLC preK/daycare friends Addison, Francie, and Anders

VHFLC Halloween party - my family is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Photo boothing

Cutest astronaut ever

She trick-or-treated the entirety of our street, Logan Court, and 53rd; she got to choose "4.5" pieces of candy, like her age (but of course I let her have about double)

"Look, it's the president!"

Halloween through the years: baby bear, strawberry, puppy, marshmallow, astronaut

Our first annual "gratitude tree"

Likes to pretend she is Wonder Woman, and we even cut an old dress into her "bra"

She went to work at Cornell Estates with me one Thursday because she didn't feel well enough for school (or so she said)

Close Ladies take a stab at Pantsuit Nation

Just a few Wild Feminists watching the election result coverage

This is what a feminist looks like

Wise little Bean

Playdate with Max (and Finley)


BFFs Francie and Mila at the Hubbard's house

Coaching Unified soccer with Daddy

This month, it's all about Wonder Woman

Franzkes! They spent the day and then a date night taking awesome care of our girl

Breezy and Francie

Breezy, Josie, Gus, Francie, and Jo (early 5th bday present for G-Man)

Daddy-Daughter Day

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