I have to say that this has been the sickest start to a new year that this family has ever seen! It started at Christmas with me, lasted the weekend and got Mommy, continued over the New Year, and it’s now travelled to the one guy that seemed to have been lucky enough to miss it… my Daddy. Daddy seems to have it worse than me and Mommy, but he can take all the “kill everything” medicines that we can’t have. I hope he’ll be fine too.

All these sicknesses messed up our week and we’ve spent a lot of time in our jammies. Mommy didn’t go to work for two days and we didn’t get to celebrate the New Year with the neighbors. But that’s ok. We had a New Years Eve re-do on New Years Day and we played games, watched movies and ate pizza. It was lots of fun.

Do I have any resolutions for 2009? I’m not sure I know what one is, but first on my list is to get a big girl bed. I don’t tell Mommy and Daddy this too much, but when I’m supposed to be napping, they overhear me tell my animals and babies that I want one. I hope I get it sooner than later. Maybe that will kick start me wearing big girl underwear all the time too.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We were home tending to hives (mine), fever (mine) and stuffy head and cough (both mine and Mommy’s). It forced us to change our plans… twice… but we finally made it up to Nana and Papa’s to exchange gifts and celebrate Papa’s birthday.

Santa was real good to us this year too. We got a new computer! It’s going to be the one that I get to play on. I also got books, dolls, games, clothes, movies and a dance cam. Since we were home “resting,” we played on the computer to create a fairy at Pixie Hollow (this coincides with my TinkerBell movie and doll). Her name is Silver Figtwirl and she’s a light fairy giving fireflies their glow.

I think Santa was so good to us because of the awesome cookies we left for him. I picked out some of the sugar cookies I made and carried them over to the fireplace. He didn’t seem to be bothered that I dropped them twice on the floor – they were still tasty.

Happy New Year! Cheers to 2009 (whatever that means, but if it means we get to drink more juice, then I’m all for it)!

We finally got the tree all decorated! Depending on what angle you look at it, it may be leaning, but Santa doesn’t care! And there’s still plenty of room for presents underneath (and isn’t that what the tree is all about? I guess not, but for a 2 year old, it is). And for presents… there’s so many! Presents for Mommy and Daddy, Ella and Grace, all the neighbors too. And there’s even a few for Chaz - and he’s not even born yet!

We also all got into the holiday spirit by making cookies. I am an awesome cookie decorator. I may go into cookie decorating professionally as soon as I learn that frosting is not a 5th food group. I may have eaten more frosting than what ended up on my cookies, but I was a diligent painter and quite the perfectionist. I think they all turned out beautiful. Don’t you think so?

Santa comes this week and we’re all really excited about his arrival. I think that my awesomely decorated cookies will be the chosen ones for Santa’s plate. I hear he likes cookies made with lots of love and toddler germs.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

It’s up, but not all the way. And I didn’t get to help yet… and I’m not at all happy about it.

Papa and Daddy got it up and into the stand, but it wasn’t in there very stable, so we had to take it out and resituate it again to get it up. That part took my whole nap. Then Mommy started to put on the lights… and ran out. She sent me to the store to get more lights, but I picked out the wrong ones. (What do you expect from a 2-year old?) But just before bedtime, the tree was all lit.

Now it’s time for the ornaments!

And Daddy’s beard contest at work ended on Friday. There’s no winner yet, but we’re confident that Daddy will bring home the prize (he was really prickly!). And if growth alone doesn’t win it, then artistic creativity will. Daddy and his work friends shaved trucker ladies into his beard! Now my Daddy’s face is soft and looking less Grizzly Adams - much better for hugs and kisses.

There are more photos of the beard-carving experience on our Flickr page. Check them out!

Only 11 days before Santa! I’m getting excited!

Hi all. Hope everyone has survived a week of turkey leftovers and that all your Christmas shopping is done (ha ha!). And my week ended with a visit from St. Nick! I must be a very good girl because I got lots of treats and stickers - plenty to share.

My parents are telling me that I’ve been saying stuff funny lately… like I’ve reverted how I say things to be cute on purpose. So here’s a listing of what’s been said lately:

jusch = juice
miwk = milk
elegator = elevator (which is Mommy & Daddy’s closet)
raywing = railing - I walk down the stairs holding it
watch somethin’ else = said whenever I don’t like the current show on tv - I like MY shows
stowy = story - usually followed with “somethin’ else”
by myself = if Mommy does it for me, I go back and start over and make her wait
I need a ladder = we must get the step-stool so I can help cook or play in the sink
be right back = I’m off to get a needed doll/book/stepstool to finish whatever I’m doing

Remember, Santa is watching… Everyone better be good or no presents on Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all had a happy and safe holiday. I did too. We went to Michigan to see the rest of the Carrier family. It was a long drive, but we made it to Uncle Ken’s house just in time for turkey. Then it was time for ice cream and… ROCK BAND!! I am the best drummer. All my cousins were so happy that I finally got there to help them out with the hard songs. Then on Black Friday - after a trip to Target and lunch at Michigan’s best restaurant ever, the French Laundry - everyone came over to Grandma’s for pizza and more rockin’.

I’m turning into such a big kid now too. I figured out how those tricky doors finally work (so easy!!) and I’m so done with pack-n-plays. I slept in the big bed at Grandma’s, but I woke up in the middle of the night kinda’ scared and Mommy had to stay with me. I had a stuffy nose too, so maybe that’s also why I needed my Mom there.

We got home a day early and stayed inside because it was cold and wet. They say we’re getting snow overnight… Mommy says that the only way for us to get lots of snow is if I go to sleep and wish for it (and it’s the only way Mommy can get out of reading yet another story). Let’s hope we get lots of snow!!

Barely two and I’m already packing my Tinkerbell backpack to spend a night at a friend’s house for no reason except to have fun. And fun it was!! Kay’s granddaughter was staying over so Kay invited me too. Me and Mommy packed up my bag with pjs and clothes, and threw in a blankie and a couple babies and off I went. Me and Maddie ate dinner, watched a movie, played and played some more. And we stayed up real late.

I didn’t want to go to sleep… I missed my Mommy and Daddy… but Kay stayed with me until I fell asleep and that was nice. In the morning she made us breakfast and we got bubble baths too. We were playing pretty good in the morning too until I didn’t want to share my babies anymore. It was a good thing Mommy showed up when she did! I was SO glad to see her and I just wanted to go home. I missed home.

**  BREAKING NEWS  **  BREAKING NEWS  **  BREAKING NEWS  **  BREAKING NEWS  **

Hello to all of you in blog-reader land. Due to some new photos that have recently been taken, it has been discovered that I am, in fact, a boy. I’m 22 weeks along now and still scheduled to arrive in late March. I weigh about 1 pound and am already causing trouble (I’ve learned that that’s just what boys do). I do not have an official name yet, but until I’m born, Dad is calling me Chaz. Let’s hope it doesn’t stick.

**  BREAKING NEWS  **  BREAKING NEWS  **  BREAKING NEWS  **  BREAKING NEWS  **

This past week was also Uncle Scott’s birthday, so we went up to Nana and Papa’s for a big dinner. Ella and Gracie’s likes to jump on me and I don’t like it, but by the end of the evening I was yelling at him just like Aunt Gina does - a real pro. This week is also Ella’s birthday. I gave her big birthday hugs.

And then it was off for home. It was an exhausting weekend. I need to sleep. Talk to you next week! And… have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I like to color pictures. I like to draw. I like to put colors on paper. I like to paint with water on my Aquadoodle and on the driveway. I like to draw with chalk on the driveway too. I like my magnetic doodle boards too - my schoolbus and my pumpkin one.

But there are some days like I like to color the floor. And the table. And my shirt. And my chair. Today I colored Mommy. Usually she likes my coloring… today she did not. Maybe she just didn’t like brown. Next time I’ll use purple.

Can’t you just see the creativity I have already?? I’m a toddler prodigy! A child genius! I can see art and beauty in the simplest of things…

Or I put a towel on my head for attention.

You take your pick.

I did get to show off my dancing and listening ability this weekend at my cousin Ella’s birthday party. We went to a dance studio to learn rock star dance moves and wear fun dancer clothes. I had the perfectest tutu - just my size! I didn’t always listen to the teacher, but that was ok because all the moms that were there thought I was just so cute. But when there was stepping and clapping and turning around, I really paid attention and strutted my stuff. I was the best dancing 2-year-old there (everyone else was 4 and up).

Today me and Daddy went to the movie store and I got to pick out my own movie. I think he did it as a test to see if I’m big enough to go to a movie theater. Verdict: I’m not. I watched 40 minutes of Sleeping Beauty and was out of there. But don’t worry… I’ll get there sooner or later.

Have a great week everyone!

Can you guess what I am for Halloween? Yes! A butterfly! I was the cutest butterfly in the neighborhood full of other bugs (ladybugs, bumblebees)… ok, maybe the only butterfly, but still the cutest. Daddy got home from Egypt just in time to go trick-or-treating and we had lots of fun getting candy - and even toys - from our neighbors. And the weather couldn’t have been better for toddlers running around outside! I hope it’s 70 and sunny for every Halloween!

Of course the biggest news was Daddy coming home after he finally got to see the pyramids and ride a camel (more on that in a future post), but Nana and Papa came to visit too. I think that I may have found my future career… photography. If I don’t make it as a professional model now that I’ve perfected my smile when I say CHEESE, I may be the person taking the pictures… if floor, feet and an occasional cat tail are what you’re looking for. I’ll have to get my portfolio started.