Merry Christmas! (Santa through the years)

(The Eanes in me wants to visit again for a full-body picture.)

Provenzano Christmas Eve

We visited the Tennessee Aquarium on our road trip

The Sunday Funnies

Dorothy made a beaded Christmas necklace at school and described it to me multiple times before it came home:  jingle bell, 6 green, 6 white, 6 red, jingle bell, 6 green, 6 white, 6 red, giant jingle bell, 6 green, 6 white, 6 red, jingle bell, 6 green, 6 white, 6 red, jingle bell.

We stopped on our drive to Chicago at the Tennessee Aquarium.  There is much for sale there, and I told Dorothy that we had spent our money on the tickets, so we weren't going to buy any of the extras.  Towards the end, she spotted one of those donation buckets where you drop in the coins and it swirls inside a big plastic funnel on its way into the bank.  "Can I do this?" she asked.  "It doesn't take any money!"

Dorothy approached Brian with her arms open wide and a mischievous look on her face.  "I'm here to hug you, Daddy," she said, "but don't tickle me back!"

We were singing the 12 Days of Christmas.  We got to #8, and Dorothy sputtered out, "Eight milks-a-making...makes-a-milking...maids-a-milking!"

Dorothy loves nothing more than being carried to the car "in the middle of the night" to begin a road trip.  At 5 a.m. in a hotel in Bowling Green, Dorothy stirred, and then said, "If I can't go back to sleep, we'll have to stay in this hotel another night."

Our angel in the nativity play

Dorothy showed Santa how her sequined dress changes

Sometimes I find photos on my phone that I didn't take

Daniel, Valerie, Alina, and Andrew celebrated with us last weekend

Gram & Big Daddy came to Christmas

The Sunday Funnies

We watched a kids' movie with a know-it-all character.  At one point the characters are looking for an exit, and the know-it-all gives the origin of the word "exit", something along the lines of:  "Exit, from the Latin exitus act or means of going out, equivalent to exi-, variant stem of exīre to go out".  Dorothy gave a hearty laugh and explained, "He's funny.  That's not real."

We requested that Google play a Christmas song, and oddly, it played a baseball song.  Dorothy said, "This isn't a Christmas song!  It's Bring Me Out to the Ballgame!"

Dorothy is into designing roller coasters lately

Brian volunteered in Dorothy's class this morning

And dressing alike is in the details

Dorothy and Willa like to dress alike

The necklace was a prize at the Christmas parade

In Willa's playroom

The Sunday Funnies

When Dorothy and I bought her adorable Dumbo stuffed animal at a toy store, I told her, "I wasn't leaving the store without that Dumbo."  Dorothy was curious about this turn of phrase and we referenced it all day.  When her grandparents came to visit, Dorothy showed Grandma her Dumbo doll.  "Tell her what I said about Dumbo," I urged her.  Dorothy shared, "This is a toy in this store that we can afford."

Brian and Dorothy dressed-up to go on a daddy-daughter date to the ballet.  Dorothy chose a Christmas dress, and Brian showed Dorothy his striped Christmas socks.  "Dad, I think you should roll up your pants so your socks will show," Dorothy advised.

Uncle Daniel, Aunt Valerie, Alina, & Andrew came to Savannah for an early Christmas.  We were walking around the yard, and I picked-up a tennis ball and handed it to Dorothy.  "Here," I said, "Andrew will like to play with this."  "Oh, fetch!" Dorothy enthused.

Just a girl and her new LOL Biggie Pet Surprise

Dorothy class took a field trip today to make clay ornaments

Dorothy Long Legs

We get funny, kind of sarcastic smiles a lot now.

Willa turned 5 on Sunday and we went to pancakes

Photos by Caroline Archer (III)

To see all the photos that Caroline took, see DorothyJane.Shutterfly.com

The Sunday Funnies (the t.v. version)

We saw an ad for Pillsbury canned products on t.v.  Dorothy said, "Oh, they use those for croissants.  We use those for bananas... monkey bananas... banana balls... I can't remember."  She meant monkey bread.

We were watching a movie on the making of Disneyland, including Pirates of the Caribbean.  Dorothy, thinking back to our trip to Disney World, said, "Oh, the ones we saw were real people in costumes, but the ones there are machines with voices."

An AFLAC commercial came on and talked about insurance.  Dorothy said, "Oh, I see, they said 'deductible' because there's a duck!"

Photos by Caroline Archer (II)

Photos by Caroline Archer (I)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Again this year we kept a "thankful list" and each night at dinner named something we're thankful for.  Two years ago Dorothy offered answers like "this egg", but this year she got more broad and more sappy (mostly).  Here is her list:

• You & Daddy
• Willa
• LOLs
• My Grandma & Grandpa
• My Gram & Big Daddy
• Disney World & meeting Tinkerbell, Ariel, Belle, Rapunzel, & Tiana
• My daddy's & your good cooking -- my daddy's pop yellow eggs & your soft-boiled eggs
• My teachers & my school & the kids in my class
• Food that people make for me in restaurants
• Marble videos & Super Monsters
• Me & my mommy & my daddy working hard to set-up the Barbie house.  I'm also thankful for the gifts that people give me every year that they give gifts & how hard they work to try to pick out a gift for me.
• You & Daddy
• Swimming at the pool
• Willa's dogs Gilly & Goldie & that Gilly is her brother & Goldie is her sister & I love them as much as she does
• How hard people work when they try & give us food
• All the art supplies that people make because I love making art
• Grandma & Grandpa
• All the little animals that need homes
• My two Baby Alives
• My teachers & my school
• Nice days
• Getting flu shots
• These two little babies, Lemon & Lime
• All my cousins
• Baby koalas, baby squirrels that don't have a home
• Nature
• Willa
• "You" [Sarah]
• Everything

Face paint and tattoos

Dorothy's school had a Thanksgiving feast today

Flashback: Bamboo!

The Sunday Funnies

Several of Dorothy's friends from her old preschool go to a school called Ellis, which comes up occasionally.  Yesterday Dorothy asked, "Rye and Ellana both go to that school together...I think it's LSU?"

Dorothy was rushing to draw a goodbye picture for her grandparents.  It was taking a while and I took a peek.  Her blue construction paper was cut-up into tiny confetti.  I asked what she was going to do with the confetti.  "I couldn't draw a picture of Grandma and me very goodly," she said, "so I cut it up.  Now I need a whole new idea."

Dorothy asked why my Cabbage Patch doll is called a "preemie".  I gave her a quick explanation about premature babies.  Then, with enthusiastic understanding, she said, "Oh, I know why this baby is a preemie.  This baby got picked too early from the cabbage patch."

Uncle Daniel asked Dorothy about her teacher's behavior management system, and inquired what happens if you get on the worst colors, orange and red.  Dorothy answered, "The consequence is that you get a note sent home to your mom and dad so that they can think of a better consequence."

Daddy-Daughter Date to The Grinch Ballet

How we found Dorothy

Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive

We visited the Bamboo Gardens while Dorothy was at school

The Willa Funnies

Today is our one year anniversary of spending afternoons with Willa!  In honor of the day, I present The Willa Funnies:

Looking at the deep end of the pool, Willa asked, "When are we going to get to jump off that surfboard?"

The girls ran across the grass and stopped short before the street.  "That was great," I said, "and look, you're still alive!"  "Heaven is a wonderful place," Willa replied.

"Willa, I like your new shoes.  When you go home tonight, I want you to count how many pairs of shoes you have, and let me know," I said.  "I can't count that high," admitted Willa.

Willa was playing with a cookie cutter shaped like the State of Georgia.  "Nice State of Georgia," I said.  "It's not the State of Georgia, it's a kitty cat," Willa said.  "I see how it looks like a kitty cat," I said, "but really it's the State of Georgia."  "The State of Georgia just said 'meow,'" Willa replied.

"I'm either allergic to something or something bit me," I said, "because since we were kneeling in the grass, my legs feel like they're on fire."
"Perhaps a fire ant bit you," Dorothy offered.
"Or a little alligator," Willa added.

Willa was excited to eat some Cheerios that she brought home from school on Halloween.  It was surprising she was making such a big deal about it, until she pulled from her backpack a bag of Oreos.

I introduced Dorothy and Willa to another mom at the playground.  "Willa?" the mom asked.  "W-i-l-l-a?"  Willa squealed, "How does she know how to spell my name?!"

We watched The Lion King and Willa said that she likes "the little lion Zumba".

Audience of one

Audience of two

Rainy day crafting with the Deans