Party Time

Adelie won't officially turn 1 for another week and a half, but that didn't stop us from celebrating her birthday this morning.  I had started planning a monkey themed party for our little monkey.  However, when I told Staley about the party theme, she informed me that Adelie wanted to have a leaf party because Adelie likes leaves.  And it's true.  This past fall Adelie was enamored by the leaves on the ground, working hard whenever we were outside to get to (and try to eat) the leaves.  And so, in the spirit of compromise, Adelie enjoyed her monkey and leaf party today.

There were leaf decorations with a monkey twist...

Our tropical fireplace jungle

Monkey themed food...

like banana muffins, jungle fruit, tropical punch,...

and, of course, monkey bread.

There were games...

The older party goers tried to put pictures of Adelie in chronological order...

while the younger ones went on a banana hunt.

Although Adelie seemed to prefer the wrapping paper, there were plenty of fun presents to open.

And, of course, no birthday party is complete without cake.

Monkey cupcakes (in leaf colors) and Adelie's cake

When Staley turned one, she gingerly touched the icing on her cake, decided she didn't want to get messy, and asked for a cracker instead.  Adelie decided to take things in a different direction.

Double fisting

I'm just surprised she didn't get any in her hair.

Adelie got to enjoy the attention of her cousins and relatives.  She got wrapping paper, and the presents that came with it.  There are new birthday cards in our card basket for Adelie to empty all over the floor.  And the icing on the cake was...well, the icing on the cake.

All in all, it was a wonderful day.

A fun birthday party for our little monkey.

She Says...

This morning we were running errands and Staley kept cracking me up with the things that she said.

My van was disgusting from this snowy, salty, forever long winter weather.  Every time Staley was getting into or out of the van, I reminded her not to brush up against it because it would get her coat dirty.  We went through the automatic car wash this morning.  After we were through, I exlaimed, "Hooray!  My van isn't disgusting anymore."  Staley replied, "Now I can rub my arm on the van again."

I told Staley that we had to go to Party City as one of our errands.  She told me, "I know how to get there."  Then she proceeded to give me the directions.  "First you go left and then right and then the middle.  Then you go north and east and west."  And lo and behold, we did make it to Party City.  :)

I strapped Staley into her carseat and then walked around to get into the van.  As I climbed into my seat, Staley was screaming about her straps being too tight.

Me:  "I do not appreciate the screaming.  There are plenty of better ways to tell me what's wrong."

Staley:  "Oh, I wasn't screaming."

Me:  "Well, then what would you call it?"

Staley:  "I would call it asking like I was screaming."

First Steps

For a few weeks now, Adelie has been taking a few steps from one person to another if we help her get her balance.  But today, Adelie pulled to stand on the chair in the playroom and then took 2 independent steps to me.  Later she did the same thing in the basement.  And so I'm making it official.  Adelie has taken her first steps.

Lessons from Staley

Lesson #1:  The Grammatical Use of Numbers

"I'm a little tired and a lot hungry.  I'm 20 hungry and only 1 tired."

Lesson #2:  Being Flexible, yet Persistant

Staley to Liam:  "I'm Ariel.  Do you want to be Prince Eric?"
Liam:  "No."
Staley:  "Do you want to be King Triton?"
Liam:  "No.
Staley:  "Do you want to be Flounder?"
Liam:  "No.  I'm Buzz."
Staley:  "Okay.  Do you want to be a mer-Buzz?"

Lesson #3:  Dressing the Part

Me:  "Staley, what do you want to wear today?"
Staley:  "I'm not Staley.  I'm Jasmine."
Me:  "Okay, Jasmine.  What do you want to wear today?"
Staley:  "I'm Jasmine so I need to wear pants and a bathing suit."

I loved the description.  But because it was 20 degrees, we did eventually settle on something else.  :)

You Know Winter Has Been TOO Long and Cold When...

...you decide that 36 degrees and sunny is the perfect weather for a morning trip to the zoo.

Getting up close and personal with the giraffe

Always ready to join in the fun

She Says...

We had used up the roll of toilet paper in the bathroom so Staley was getting another roll out from under the sink.  She looked at me and holding up the new toilet paper roll, she said, "I got another gallon of this out."

Zach teases Staley quite a bit, and she's started to understand when he's teasing her.  The other night, she told him, "I'm going to tease you."  She looked around the room and, seeing his flashlight, said, "That's my flashlight."  Zach responded with, "No it's not.  It's mine."  They went back and forth until finally Staley said with a smile, "Oh, I was just teasing."  About 15 minutes later, Staley was using the bathroom and suddenly said, "Oh no!  How did I get poo poo on my shirt?"  Alarmed, Zach rushed in to see what had happened and with a big smile, Staley told him, "Oh, I was just teasing."  I must admit, she got him pretty good.

The other night at dinner, Staley and I had this conversation.
Me:  "I want you to eat 6 more peas, and then you can have some fruit."
Staley:  "How about 2 peas?"
Me:  "Ummm...how about 6?"
Staley:  "How about 2?"
Me:  "Nope.  6."
Staley:  (in a moment of inspiration) "I know.  How about twenty-two?"
Me:  "Okay."
And then she proceeded to eat her 22 peas.  She's a tough negotiator...but not that good at math.

Daddy-Daughters Day

Zach is an amazing father.  He is involved in (almost) every aspect of our parenting journey.  From getting the girls up and ready in the morning to putting them to bed at night, Zach is right there.  He comes home from work ready and willing to take over kid duty.  Week-end time is family time.  He can play princesses and mermaids with the best of them.  And when he stays home for the day with the girls when I have other plans, Staley knows it's going to be special.  Because nothing can compare with Daddy-Daughters Day.

Daddy-Daughters Day has become a special tradition at our house.  Staying home for a fun day with Daddy is good.  But because he doesn't get to do that very often, Zach always plans something a little extra special for his days alone with the girls.  He's taken Staley swimming and to Monkey Joes.  Eating at a restaurant is usually involved...with dessert, of course.  One time Zach bought a Play-Doh ice cream shop for a little added at-home fun.  And a few weeks ago, Zach came home the night before Daddy-Daughters Day armed with over-sized construction paper, glitter, glue, and jewels.  While Adelie napped, he and Staley went to work on their creations...

and when the glue had dried and the glitter had settled, the end result was...

...awesome tiaras!

Daddy-Daughters Day is always something to look forward to.  And whether it involves swimming or dessert pizza or tiara making, I know that these special memories of time with Daddy will remain with our girls as they grow up.  And I love that!

Daddy with his girls