Christmas Cookie Palooza, 2010

Aunt Judy and Aunt Jane came for a christmas-themed visit this weekend to bake cookies, listen to Christmas music and watch Christmas shows. Aunt Jane's visit was a TOTAL surprise to me - I did not catch on in the least that she was coming too. Helen had great fun with her aunties!
Here we are frosting and sprinkling the famous Grandma Coleman buttermilk sugar cookies that melt in your mouth. Judy knows the recipe by heart and whipped a quadruple batch, I swear, because we have cookies coming out of our ears!
Here we are making the frosting. Helen helped me pour the 1/2 and 1/2 (so much better than milk!!).
Frost frost
Sprinkle sprinkle
Shake, shake off tons of extra sprinkles
Here is Helen's first official frosted and sprinkled Christmas cookie, all on her own. She was very serious while she did both. Very.
After some encouragement, Helen decided to try the frosting and kinda liked it.
Mmm mmm. (Don't worry dad, she's not a licker yet - this licking occurred post cookie decorating!)
We also made chocolate covered pretzels. We all felt really sick after that task.
Snuggling.
Here is H today, after everybody went home. She found my old glasses and wore them around for a bit.
Here she is a couple weeks ago, in the same outfit, hamming it up.

Thanks to Judy and Jane for making the trip and enduring your awful ways homes today (Jane delayed 3 hours and Judy probably 2 thanks to some snow showers, wind and freeeezing temps here today), then Judy home through a snow storm once she landed... uggg! And thanks to Jane for some pics off her facebook! ;-)

Oh binkie tree

Cathy and Sophia Visit! (continued)

Below are many pictures taken while Cathy and Sophia were visiting over the long thanksgiving weekend (and note 2 other new posts below!). Here, Sophia and Helen are taking in the new tree in the house (which seemed about 1/2 as big on the tree lot, I swear).
Here is the tree decorated. I am going to charge it 1/4 of the rent for December.
We went to the GA aquarium, which is always great fun if you sneak in as early as possible (which we did!). We enjoyed great views of the big tank for as long as we wanted. :-)
Here is the crew enjoying a great big view together.
Sophia "Mona Lisa Smile" H. :-)
Whale shark! So cool to see in person - they're huge!
More pea in pod shots from the park.
Spidey.
Spidees.
Doodlers.
We stayed in our PJs a good, long while on turkey day!

out of sequence post

Here are some pics from the camera from the previous weekend (before turkey day). Here, Helen is modeling: 1) her new cute outfit from my favorite consignment store 2) her new sparkly sneakers from same store, 2 sizes too big, but we must wear them anyway, and 3) kitchen tongs.
We went to the botanical gardens, which is fun to see over the different seasons (plus they do fun, Christmas-y things).
They set up a really cool model train, which Helen liked almost as much as...
THE CHOO CHOO TRAIN YOU CAN RIDE ON! HOW COOL IS THAT?! (note tai chi [sp? correct reference??] people in background to lend to the calm, cool atmosphere)
Here she is on the train! CHOO CHOO!

2 peas in a pod

Aunt Cathy and Cousin Sophia came for a thanksgiving visit and Helen had a marvelous time. Lovely turkey day weather made for a great day at the park.
Here are my peas.
And here again.
And again. (as H says often - A-gin! A-gin! A-gin! whenever she wants you to do something silly or fun over and over and over). :-) More momentarily.

Methodical Melon

I know, it's only been 5 days since my last post, but we've taken a couple cute pictures lately that I feel I must share. Helen is becoming a person with her own ideas, likes and dislikes. For instance, her favorite color is hands down green. And she often tells chairs, walls and eating utensils that they are "not nice" when she bangs her hand or toe into them or they've offended her in any other way. And Ethan, who is the culprit behind those scratches near her eye and a nice bite on the arm the week before is most definitely on her "not nice" list as she has often told us (luckily he's been recently moved to the next room up since he's just about 3!). My favorite right now is when we play "big hugs" and "baby hugs" - I usually get several of each.
Tonight, Helen went through most of our kitchen utensil drawer to determine the best item that fits into the tiny hole on the tricycle. Note wisk and ice cream scooper on top of garbage can to right.
Nope, the wisk doesn't fit.
It's conclusive: Helen's research has shown again and again that the beater handle is the best tool to insert into the hole on the tricycle (her original hypothesis).

D was in the big easy last week for work and brought home some presents for his gals. Here, Helen is wearing every single one of them.
"I've just got to be me...."
Trying to fit on the baby bed, complete with covers.

Pumpkins

We went to the pumpkin patch a couple weekends ago and saw big pumpkins and baby pumpkins and went on a cool hayride. Here's some pics.




Here's H at a wedding we went to last weekend. Congratulations to Peter and Elizabeth!

Judy's visit and more!

Judy came for a visit last week and here are the pictures to prove it! My mom and dad stayed on a few days longer and we were able to enjoy some fun times all together.
Last Saturday, we all drove north to Tallulah Gorge State Park. It's a really pretty waterfall worth the trip. Here is everyone enjoying the view below.
Here's a view if you take the 600+ steps down into the gorge.
More lovely views from below.
Ditto.
A few of the 600+ steps.
Mom and Judy on the steps.
We also celebrated dad's birthday with various treats! Happy birthday, dad!
Note to future me reading this: don't give Helen loads of sugar before bedtime.
A new park opened up this summer not too far from us and we are absolutely crazy about it - it feels like we're going on vacation whenever we go. Here, H, mom and J are having fun in the lake. There are weeks when we go every single day - it's so wonderful.
H and J walking on the fake, but very pleasant, grass.
Loads of swings - yeah!
Cool tunnels to climb! Yeah!
Weird, cool spider web thing (Helen now calls this the "rope park", to make sure I don't mistake her request to go to the park for any other).
Pretty lake the park overlooks.

We had so much fun with you mom, dad and Judy! We crafted (bejewelled several kleenex boxes, painted on the porch, made things out of pipe cleaners [bracelets, spiders]), droided and app'd (dad), envied dad's new droid and apps (Mary), ate at Mimi's a lot, and other things!. Wish everyone else could have been here too! XO!

P.S. H has cut 2 of her last set of molars the past couple of weeks. Oi, has that been fun! Seems like we're getting a reprieve while the other two wait to make their debut. I hate to post pics of my 2+ year old with a binkie in her mouth, but I love them and I don't care - they work when the words of reasoning parent do not. And when words do work, then there will be no bink! :-)