Can you resist kids with tassels on their heads? The answer is, no.
Below, Auric walks in snow for the first time, in his steel-toe (just kidding) work boots. I find these boots hilarious for some reason, perhaps because he looks like a man from the ankles down, but is still clearly a big baby. We were about to get over a foot of snow in about 48 hours.
Christmas Day
Auric gets a bottle first thing in the morning. And even new presents could barely command his full attention. Here he is opening his first present, a recycling truck (made from recycled plastic) with little sorting holes on either sides, which is great for his love of inserting objects into containers.
The Thora Puzzle Stool now has a companion piece, the Auric Puzzle Stool.
Our friend, Nicole, who bought Thora this awesome coat last year, happened to see its matching hat this year. It is perverse how sad I know I will be when she outgrows this ensemble.
Our Christmas decorations: the most we've ever done! Normally, we just plug in our 36" fiberoptic tree and that's that. I continued last year's tradition of displaying our holiday cards on a string along the ceiling above our windows. But this year, we actually put lights up: my old red chili pepper lights that I bought in college in Tucson, probably 12 years ago! And this year, we hung an ornament on the tree, one that Thora made at school.
Auric playing with his new pushing lawnmower.
Thora, the Rockstar
Thora got this Barbie Electric Guitar from her Grandma Jane. At first, I cringed at the thought of the noise this thing would make. (My mom acknowledged that she couldn't resist, even knowing that the adults may grow to hate it.) But within a couple seconds, I realized how perfect this is for her. Thora has lots of energy that she must channel. She spontaneously runs around in circles, regularly sings/yells a narration to accompany whatever activity she's doing at the moment, and periodically needs to kick the air or crush something into nothingness. She has a feistiness that has to get out. And what better way to express those screams, those growls, those rhythms, than through Rock and Roll!
At first she didn't have any real concept of what an electric guitar is for, how it's special, how it fits into the context of all other musical instruments, the attitude that people bring to it. And so, the first thought that came into my head was, "Joan Jett. I'll introduce her to a strong, confident, awesome female rocker." And so I played her "I Love Rock and Roll." She didn't quite get it initially, so I instead, I said, "Let's watch her on YouTube." And she saw, for the first time, what a rock star might do with an electric guitar. And she was transfixed! It took her only about a half dozen viewings (she kept asking, "Can we watch the lady that rocks out?"), and she had absorbed such a wealth of rock and roll moves, and postures, I couldn't believe it! Here is a video of what she can do, indeed could do, after only the briefest of exposure. The kicks, the stomping, the behind-the-back guitar solo?!? It's insane! Which makes me wonder, either she was born to be a rockstar (which is probable), or rock stars mostly go around dancing like a 3 year old. Maybe a little of both.
She couldn't quit rocking.
Here she is with Sean, dressed in her new favorite outfit, another stylish number from our friend, Nicole. In the ten days since Christmas, I think she's worn this outfit at least 5 times.
And here is Sean and Auric, holding his new stuffed lobster from Nicole.
Thora wasn't the only one to rock out. While I was giving the kids a bath, I heard sounds coming from the living room that sounded suspiciously like the Barbie guitar.
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