2015 underway....

Trains still rule supreme in 2015

Is anyone else in a mild state of shock that it is 2015?  No?  Just me?  Well alrighty then.  While on the one hand I'm still grappling with the fact that the mid-90's were 20 years ago, on the other I'm delighted the blow has been softened by a relatively dry and sunnier-than-usual January.  With the holidays falling where they did, we didn't have to reenter the school/work grind till the 5th so had the added bonus of a gentle start to the year, including a Christmas break finale of tubing (want a serious work out?  Go tubing on the day the tow rope is closed and with a 3-year-old who wants to be towed up by parent-power).

It's been a very chill month (Seahawks hysteria aside) without a ton to report.  Lily has turned into little Tootie Ramsay thanks to her beloved Heelys.  I'm now so used to seeing her glide by it feels unusual to see her actually walking.  When not cruising around she is back in ballet as well as in an after-school cooking class that I find absolutely brilliant.  For a very reasonable fee, every Thursday she stays after school for an hour and a half and makes us dinner.  That's right - we pick her up and she has a mostly seasonal/local (it is Seattle after all) dinner for four, ready for the oven.  Not only does this make our lives easier, the meals are actually delicious and the pride in her eyes is worth every penny x4.  I've always been a tad horrified by the concept of "Home Ec" but this I can really get behind.

Guess which one is sick of my picture taking?

In other Lily news, she lost another tooth on MLK Day (her first-ever lost tooth was also on this holiday; I guess mid-January is an auspicious time to honor Civil Rights leaders and new teeth?).  The morning started out terribly - she came into my room very upset that she had twisted the tooth ALL THE WAY AROUND and it was now "stuck."  I let her know that she was on her own - I have my limits and freaky backwards teeth are among them.  She spent the rest of the day futzing with it and then worrying she would swallow it in her sleep.  To make matters even worse, she told me she suspected "Daddy is the Tooth Fairy" since "he knows cursive."  My tooth aversion ensured there was no way I was a suspect.  I told her she had a good thing going - why rock the boat?  As luck would have it, that night she came in at 2am, excitedly waking me up to let me know it had fallen out.  What to do??  I had no cash....and a doubting daughter...no choice but to stay up and wait till she was asleep and leave a congratulatory note about her tooth, telling her she should show her parents in the morning and then leave it the follow night for me, her Tooth Fairy.  Seems to have done the trick - daddy was dead asleep so no way could he have written it.  She followed instructions and was delighted to find money the next day.  Since then she's lost one more and no Fairy doubts in sight.  To be clear, I'm not advocating lying to kids....but I also know that when belief in magical things ends, so to does a chapter of sweet innocence that I'm just not ready to say goodbye to. 

In Matteo-land things are as silly as ever.  His new favorite thing is to be "break-danced" and dragged around the house.  One involves him lying on his back while we take a leg and spin him around.  The other is exactly what it sounds like.  He literally wants us to take a limb and drag him across the floor like a sack of flour.  He finds this HILARIOUS and begs for us to do it again and again and again while he lets loose with his maniacal laugh.  When he's not busy playing the part of a Swiffer, he's busy being jealous of Bob.  Yes, you read that right.  Sweet Bob, who we got in part to be a friend and companion to our kids is now inspiring jealousy.  Why you ask?  Well because he has the audacity to sit on our laps, that's why!  While Matteo *should* know that no one will ever take his place, he seems to view Bob as a rival for all things cuddles and immediately demands attention if Bob is sitting in the chair or on the couch with me.  Honestly kiddo, I love our furry friend, but you'll always and forever be my favorite little man.

So what've they been saying this month? 

Matteo, cracking open Trader Joe's Donut Os: I like donut Os because they have sugar!  It gets all over my face and I lick it off and it's so fun!

Lily, on Matteo whining:  Matteo thinks he's the king of everything - the king of whining, the king of diapers and the king of #2!

Matteo: observing the fog: Look how FROGGY it is!  I love the FROG! (for the record, I, too, referred to fog as "frog" as a child)

Me, to Matteo's teacher: Um...do you know why Matteo has been coming home with his pants on backwards every day?
Teacher: We're having him put them back on himself
Me: That explains why they're inside out, too

Lily: I don't understand the big deal with lattes
Me: They help you wake up and get rid of headaches
Lily: Oh! So it's like a potion!

Matteo: I really miss you sometimes daddy
Chris: Good
Me: Sad!
Chris: Well...it's nice to be missed

Lily: (insert hysterical laughter)
Me: What are you watching?
Lily: CAT VIDEOS!
Me:  And so it begins.....

Matteo:  Hey!  You're not yucky anymore!  You took a really big shower and showers get people allll CLEAN
Me:  Thanks?

Lily: Mamacita!  Hey, mamacita!
(for reasons unknown, this is apparently my new moniker)

Me, observing a crazy 'do: You look like you've been in a fight
Lily: Hey!  That does not help my day!

Up next: February...another Seahawks Super Bowl (no, there will NOT be another kid party here...I learned my lesson last year) and our annual winter escape.  Can't wait!

Our beloved Kingfish closed this month - we played hooky and got one last lunch in. 
Waited 2 hours for a catfish po'boy and it was worth every minute.  First Q in SF and
now this - it's the end of an era!