A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Well, actually just within the last month...But why not start this blog entry the same way Tessa begins all stories lately?! They must be getting older, because we decided to show them Star Wars for the first time. Jonah keeps talking about "Dark Vader and the Storm Trippers" while Tessa goes on about the Wookiees and Chewy. At any rate, we present our goofballs, one month older:
 |
| Preschool pickup bench picture. She wore the crown all day at school. |
 |
| Check out these preschoolers! |
Sleep: Both of the kids have rediscovered their love of stuffed animals. Tessa's crib is more animal than crib these days. She will sometimes delay going to sleep asking for another animal. Jonah has started having many more animals join him in bed too. There were a few days that he would take all 8-10 animals out of bed with him and bring them around the house, but now it's down to a few. They've both been all for sleeping in, which means waking up Tessa for school most of the time.
Eating: They're still usually very good at the table, though occasionally still complain about what's for dinner. They still love desserts and we're finally getting to the bottom of the Halloween candy bags. They also like to be involved in the making of food, especially cookies! They genuinely, honestly, truly baked 8 kinds of cookies, start to finish. They were SO proud to share them with the people they love.
 |
| We had TONS of fun enjoying amazing free sushi at the new Clintonville Fusain |
Personality: We still have a couple of goofballs on our hands. Jonah has been almost entirely agreeable with getting dressed this month. He prefers pajamas, and often changes back into them as soon as we allow. Tessa still has an occasional tantrum but on the whole is still our fairly constant comic relief. Really, they've been quite easy-going and agreeable on the whole.
 |
| Little besties playing at Little Skippers Play Cafe. After, we hit the Indian buffet across the street and even with just one parent it was easy peasy and Jonah said it was his favorite lunch ever. |
 |
| They LOVE getting mail! |
 |
| Tessa loves a selfie, so of course we had to master the classic bathroom selfie! |
Play: Jonah and Tessa still are each other's best friends. They love playing with their Paw Patrol pups (they've now completed the set), trains, animals, and Legos. Tessa will happily play with her Duplos while Jonah assembles his larger sets.
 |
| Loving their reusable sticker sets from Aunt Alana |
 |
| Jumping Jonah at Skyzone for a friend's birthday party. |
 |
| These two and the treats... |
Milestones: We're still working on the potty training with Tessa. She is really very good when not at home, but at home she could care less and sometimes seems to take pleasure in pooping in her diaper. We'll get there, slowly but surely. Jonah continues to improve his reading and math skills. He is getting better at subtraction with our Disney trip countdown!
 |
| Jonah is getting the grip of forming letters and planned drawings, like this one he made our letter carrier. |
The kids got sick twice this month. I guess that's what you get when it finally gets cold and you've got two in preschool. Of course we all got it both times. They took it like champs.
This year we decided both kids were old enough to see The Nutcracker. It was magical to take them to see what Mommy and Aunt Alana (and about half the family) did as kids and they LOVED seeing Ainsey and Jillian in the party scene. When the house lights dimmed, Tessa got pretty freaked out and we had to step out for a few minutes, but then they were both fully engaged and happy as calms.
 |
| But first, dinner at The Crest |
Piccadilly hosted their annual holiday party. The kids really liked decorating cookies (they may never tire of that it would seem), crafting ornaments, and listening to Captain Captain of The Shazzbots. They were thrilled to hear him play "Peanut Butter."
We had a warm and wonderful Christmas celebration at Mimi and Poppy's. The kids loved the idea of santa coming down the chimney and trying their cookies and leaving presents. They delighted in giving and getting gifts, playing with their new toys, eating festive meals, and spending the whole day together.
 |
| Jonah has become a big fan of Uno Attack! |
 |
| Proud cookie chef |
 |
| They waited SO patiently for everyone to gather and eat to go into the living room. |
Although Chanukah had passed, we had a fun-filled cousin-fest of a party at the Banks' house. Those cousins sure love each other!
Grandma and Grandpa were so kind to time their visit with New Year's Eve, so we could have a fun weekend to play together and Mommy and Daddy could go out without kids. But first, we had a celebration together at home with a Netflix-induced countdown, noisemakers, hats, and bubbly juice.
Of course it wouldn't be a new year without a party at the Smiths' house. We loved gathering around the fire, eating good food, sharing stories, playing trains, and of course enjoyin good music!
We love visiting the Lincoln Theater for PBJ and Jazz!
Cousin Abby is engaged! She came to town to look at wedding venues and has a little ice cream party for the family. Jonah was still getting over being sick, but Tessa and Mommy went. She still gets a little shy when she gets to a family party, but it didn't last. How cute is she in this Aunt Mary high chair?!
AND FINALLY, I leave you with a little teaser. We are in the final weeks of Disney vacation countdown and it seems like every day there is something to get excited about! Last week, our Magic Bands came, and we wore them and "played Disney World," which meant playing "It's a Small World" and pretending to be ride operators and park guests. Can't contain the excitement! Love the hype!
