But I want Pretty Pants!

Everything I've read about the personality of three-year-olds terms this year as the year of, "I can do it myself!" and "Hey, I have an opinion now!".

Nowhere is this more evident with Anna than when it's time to get dressed.  You've seen the "pretty pink skirt" now in several photos.  This came with a pair of ballet-themed PJs and she wears it pretty much over anything (yes, she has worn it to school on more than one occasion).

On Sunday, as I was trying to get us out the door to the grocery store, Anna became adamant that she wear a "pretty" pair of pants.  In this case, the pants in question were shorts with hot pink, yellow and blue flowers.  Now, yes, these are pretty pants, but not when it's 40 degrees outside (an point which of course fell on deaf ears...).  After arguing over this for 10 minutes, I had an epiphany - why do I care what she wears to the store?  Truly a "pick your battles" moment.  I considered it a win when I convinced her to switch from the pretty shorts to "pretty" leggings with blue, pink and purple birds - which are now about 3 inches too short on her, as you can see in the picture.

She topped off the leggings with a maroon, orange and green striped sweater, hot pink shoes, blue socks (hey, a match!!), a purple headband and, of course, the pink ballet skirt.

I'm sure Amy Chua would have lots to say about my letting Anna decide on her clothes, but it made for a much more pleasant and fast exit of the house.  And really, considering the fashion scene that is Publix, what was I worried about in the first place?

Housebound!

Well, we're still housebound thanks to the ice and snow and it's questionable if we'll be able to get out tomorrow. Some people up here are attempting to leave - if you've never been to our house we live at the top of a very big hill, which is currently a solid sheet of ice. So these crazies who attempt to drive down are just that - CRAZY! If I was at the bottom of the hill I'd be worried about a car coming through my living room window.  And, so what if you get down the hill - how are you going to get back up?!?  We're keeping our chins up and trying to take advantage of the extra "family time" together.  When this stuff is all gone, it will be back to the grind and how much fun is that?!?

Anna Sledding (Sliding?)

What a fancy sled!  It's the South, you make due, right?

Iced In...



Big Girl Bed

For the last two months, Anna has been inquiring about when she would get a "big girl bed".  She really was pushing the size limit on the crib, but I was hesitant to mess with her sleeping arrangements, afraid she would all of a sudden stop logging her afternoon naps and 11 hour nights.  But, I knew I couldn't put it off any longer, especially since the crib will have a new occupant in March.

So, big girl bed time was upon us.  We let Anna pick out the bedding she wanted (I crossed my fingers and toes that she would pick something I wouldn't have to veto - I mean, have you seen some of the color choices out there - yeesh!).  Luckily—and with no coercion I might add—she settled on a super cute blue floral/butterfly pattern and we were off.  The bedding arrived quickly, unlike the bed and mattress.  Delivery schedules are a real test for a three-year-old's patience.

We (Jason) painted the top half of her room a sweet blue and we were lucky that the green already on the bottom half worked perfectly with the new bedding.  Her room looks like sky and grass and Jason says the colors remind him of a fairytale :).

All of the final touches aren't up yet, and she needs a new dresser...right now her old dresser (and hence, clothes) are in the future nursery and she asked, "Is this my room, too?"  I've told her not to get used to having a two-room suite.

Needless to say she loves her new room and has slept soundly in her big girl bed.  Jason and I were awakened the first morning by the pitter patter of little feet and a small voice in our bedroom at 6:45 a.m.  The next morning I heard her wake up on the monitor at about 7 and when Jason went to check on her at 7:20, he reported she had turned on her light and was reading to her fairies and Barbies.  That works for me (hope she keeps that up!)!

Hot-lanta?

Not so much today, or this winter for that matter.  We've been hit with the Great Blizzard of 2011 - ok, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but Atlanta is officially shut down today due to the crazy snow and ice we were doused with over the last day. 

Lucky for Anna and me this meant Jason couldn't leave (what with the airport being closed and all).  Ironically, though, he had jury duty scheduled for today so he dodged not only work travel, but his civic responsibility as well...

Anna has been giddy all day because eating snow is among her favorite activities...who needs snowmen and snow angels?  Here she is, decked out for the snow - snowman pants and ballet skirt (of course!).

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2011!

We stayed close to home this New Year's Eve, celebrating with Anna at 7:30 p.m., and then Jason and I had to hold our eyes open with toothpicks until midnight. 

Anna "toasted" in the New Year with sparklers, a super-mini-fireworks display and sparkling grape juice (she looked at us very skeptically when we handed her a plastic champagne flute and said, "I don't want wine!"  Once assured it was grape juice, she gulped it down, proclaimed it good and wanted more.)  After the sparklers were gone, we took a short night stroll through the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights.

When we got back home Anna said, "Mommy and daddy, thank you for having such a good holiday for me!".  So sweet!

Hoping everyone had a fun, safe celebration and passing along best wishes for 2011.  We know it's going to be big for us!