February Love....

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you...this is not a picture of Ariana :)  Pictured here is the child we sponsor in Uganda...her name is Molly. We were excited this month to get more correspondence from Molly! You can see in the picture that in one hand, she is holding up the Leonard family photograph that we sent her, and in the other hand she is holding up some artwork Molly did for us, that we received with this photograph and letter. They are just moving into their school "vacation" for three months and we received a copy of Molly's report card from Sabina Primary School, the boarding school that she attends in Uganda. Her grades were not as good as they should be and it was noted that she needs to "apply herself" more. We'll crack the Leonard whip and hope to see better marks next school term! :) She seems to be a delightful child regardless, having overcome a lot of adversity in her life - her father died of HIV, her mother abandoned her, and she is being raised by an aunt with many children of her own. I'm reading a book about an Ugandan missionary right now, trying to understand more about the wars in Uganda, the refugees, the HIV crisis, and the resulting rise in orphaned children. We hope the little we give each month to provide Molly with school supplies and tuition, and the letters we write back and forth with her will be one small contribution that will make a small difference, and as she grows, will teach Ariana the importance of giving, especially when we are so fortunate to have so much.

Two new precious babies born this month! Grayson Ilich, born to Mark & Emily - cute as a button, we can't wait to arrange a visit! John would be so elated for them - and we sure share that excitement!

Also, later this month, Rex Carpenter, #3 for Chris and Stefanie, who are presently stationed in Ft. Benning, GA. Proud big sister Morgan, and big brother Gavin, must be so proud!



Grayson Ilich, born to Emily & Mark



Rex Carpenter, shown with siblings Morgan & Gavin, born to Stef & Chris



Ariana had a great Valentines Day this year! She enjoyed exchanging valentines with all her friends at daycare (whose names she is now able to recite at your request....) She also received great presents and cards from her family. She is seen below, showing excitement over the lottery ticket she received from her Great Aunt Ticia & Great Uncle Ken...although it was not a winner, is it good luck that the first three numbers were 4-13-12?! The date of her birthday this year?! Good choice, guys!

How did Mike & I spend the holiday, you ask? Well, let's see...our family dinner was interrupted by Ariana making "the face", which caused me to quickly whisk her off to the potty, and then clean up the poop. Going back to finish our meal after that.....not happening. Aaah, the romance.

A week ago, we had a visit by my good friend Sara, and her two little ones, Noah and Hannah. If you remember, Ariana and Hannah are birthday buddies, as their birthdays are less than a week apart! The girls (and Noah) enjoyed playing together, sharing their baby dolls, dancing to early 90s hip hop, and jumping in the ball pit.We also dressed them in their matching UMW shirts that we bought together on campus at our ten year reunion last June!





To top the month off, we took a long weekend drive to Morgantown, West Virginia, to visit with Jes (or as Ariana refers to her, "AJ"). We got on the road at 7pm Friday night, and Ariana, dressed in her pajamas, slept in the carseat all the way there. We planned on keeping her asleep when we arrived and just sliding her into the pack n' play at Jes' house. However, upon our arrival, we opened the car doors, the lights came on, and Ariana immediately woke out of a deep sleep, and said, "AJ's house?!" She sometimes amazes me!

The weekend was lots of fun! We met Jes' new boyfriend, Casey, who we all took to right away, especially Ariana! We knew he was a keeper, when shortly after her nap, Ariana puked all over her pack n' play, and without even being asked, Casey helped Mike clean up all the puke! Clearly a team effort, as Jes washed Ariana's beloved stuffed kitty cat, and I attended to Ariana herself. Given some time, Ariana seemed to be feeling all right, so we continued on with our plan to head over to the coliseum to attend the WVU vs. DePaul womens' basketball game. Jes had it all planned out, with jerseys for us to wear, and a special WVU shirt for Ariana, and WVU bows to put in her pigtails! The game was a blast....even though Ariana's stellar dance moves did not make it on the big screen, we knew she was the cutest baby there! :)



This does not make us West Virginia fans....Big East loyalty, people....this is just family love!





Jes, Casey, & Ariana watching the game....

As another month comes to an end....still no snow. 

A Special Request...

At bedtime last night....as I lay Ariana in her crib.

Me: "Ariana, do you want your blanket?"
Ariana: "Yes".
Me: "And do you want your kitty?"
Ariana: "Yes, Mommy, and.... yogurt too!"

On the baby monitor....after she gave up the hope of having yogurt in bed...



This morning....as I wake Ariana up to get ready to go to Mrs. Barbara's.....

Me: "Goodmorning, Lovebug! Did you sleep well?"

Ariana: "Yeah."

Me: "Are you ready to get up?"

Ariana: "Mommy, I want a hot dog!"

Contrary to what it may seem like, I do not starve this baby! :)



Potty Time?!

So we've taken the plunge....purchased the pull-ups, the potty seat inserts, and started the potty training! Barbara, Ariana's daycare provider/weekday mommy. feels she is ready and is dedicated to making it happen! So far, lots of sitting, but only one "usage"....but any day now, it will click!....I hope. Notice we've had to remove the roll of toilet paper, for it continues to be an unimaginable temptation for her to unroll the entire roll in the few minutes that she sits there, usually followed by a bout of hysterical laughter (hers, defintely not mine).

It's also been a very mild winter...I bought Ariana snow pants, snowboots, and snowman-making mittens back in October in anticipation of a great exploration of tons of white stuff outside! But nothing. Again, on Christmas, Santa dropped off a big blue sled, renewing our hopes of snow! And then, nothing again. But alas, we finally got our "big storm" of the season the other day, with just barely a dusting on the grass that was turned to ice shortly after. Ariana showed no less enthusiasm though, and ran around with her step stool from window to window to check it out! So we continue to wait patiently to use the sled and snowpants....

Earlier this month, we enjoyed a celebration of Will's 6th birthday! It remains unbelieveable to think that he is all ready half way through kindergarten! What is the phrase? Carpe Diem? Sieze the Moment? It sure goes by incredibly fast!

Ariana has also had some quality time with both grandparents...on a recent visit to my folks' house, we went to eat at Pete's New Haven Style APizza (Apizza, pronounced ah-BEETS - look it up on wikipedia!), which brings my parents back to their days in CT, as the establishment was created to emulate pizza the owner grew up eating at a place called "Pepe's Pizza" that my parents often went to around CT.

Ariana also got a visit to the house by Mike's parents. She helped Pop create her own cartoon on the IPad!

As we move on into February, here's to the hope of upcoming snow (and thus SNOW DAYS off of work!)

Ringing in the Year 2012!!

 Happy New Year to all! It is all ready 2012...hard to believe how fast time flies!

We rang in the days before New Years with a visit to Pop & Mama Reesee's apartment in DC, to celebrate a visit from Ariana's Great Aunt Ticia and Great Uncle Ken!  It was wonderful to see them, all the way from Long Island! Ariana received her very first "money tree", full of lottery tickets. Despite there not being a winning ticket this year, we know patience is a virtue for the big winning ticket to come on a future tree! :)  Great thanks to Pop, our official family historian/top class photographer, for capturing great moments from the visit! See below...



If you ever wonder what Ariana will look like when she grows up, here is her official age progression! :)

 New Years Eve was spent, per what has become our annual tradition for three years in a row, with our good friends Angie & Aaron at their home in Frederick, Maryland, with their amazing kiddos, Will (4) and baby Alyssa (5 months....and crawling!). The evening started with pizza, crab stuffed mushrooms, chocolate covered strawberries, chips and five layer dip, and a buffalo chicken dip (to DIE for....recipe courtesy of Angie, by request only :) Will & Ariana performed a wonderful hip hop dance party, featuring DJ Aaron. The kids sure can "cut a rug!" See below!

 

Ariana was infatuated with Aaron, pulling him into an endless game of Peek-a-Boo. She also had great love for their golden lab, Dublin (or as she called him, "Dubs!") Once the babies all went to sleep, we had a viciously competitive game of Farkle, followed by the viewing of terrifying television performances by the likes of Lady Gaga, and some other strange pop artists, and poor Dick Clark, a real midnight buzz killer. But regardless of the entertainment options, we were happy to ring in another great year, 2012!! After a good nights' sleep, Ariana thought it would be a great opportunity to wake up at 5:00 am! So, with my three hours of sleep, she & I were up playing choo-choo in the wee hours of the morning, while my dear husband, who had enjoyed a celebratory cigar until 4:30 am, slept like a baby...hmmm. What should be the cost? Extended dirty diaper duty?!

EXCITING NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN ARIANA'S LIFE!

First, though car safety experts reccomend waiting til age 2, due to her size, we turned Ariana's carseat around to finally face front!! Though Ariana was less than impressed, Mike & I were (and still are) practically foaming at the mouth with excitement that she could now interact with us in the car!

Also, Ariana can consistently count to 10, and, though not in the right order, can count the numbers up to 20.  This morning, Mike and I overheard, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 9, 10, yellow, 18, 19, 20...". Hey, it's a start!!

We finally performed the peanut butter test - NO ALLERGIES! - so now one of her favorite meals is peanut butter and jelly....(which makes Mommy happy because it is such an inexpensive meal!!)

Ariana is singing the alphabet so clearly now, and knows the words to so many more songs! She LOVES to dance, and especially picks up on any music that resembles hip hop (...must be her AJ's influence....)

With a good grasp on counting, the alphabet, and basic shapes, I decided over Christmas break that I wanted to teach her "Colors". This is what happens when a teacher does not teach for a while - we tend to go a little buck wild - so I decided to have "RED" day. Ariana and I dressed in red shirts and red socks, we collected red toys into a bag, we colored with the red crayon on a worksheet that had red things, such as apples, peppers, fire trucks, ladybugs, hearts, and strawberries. Then we ate a red lunch! This consisted of a hot dog with red ketchup, red strawberries, and red cherry tomatoes. I was feeling SO proud for having planned such an educational day, and having taught her the color red. So finally, at the end of the day, I pointed to my shirt, with great pride, and said, "Ariana, what color is this?" And she replied, with total confidence, "Mommy, it's YELLOW".

                                                                 



Girl's Night Out

I finally got a much anticipated Girl's Night Out...with all of our husbands willing to stay home and watch our babies, we ventured out on the town in Old Town Alexandria for sushi & drinks. It didn't feel much different than going out before kids, except that most of our conversations revolved around pottys and poopie diapers! Even knowing our babies would be waking up by 7 or 8 am, or in some cases, 5:30 am, we stayed out on the town enjoying our girl time until the wee hours of the morning. Thank you to our awesome husbands for giving us the opportunity!

Girl's Night Out...twilight style? Must be the eyes....

Many Blessings of the Season....

December has always been my most favorite month....the hope for snow (thus school cancellations...), the anticipation of Christmas...every weekend packed with fun festive activities and get-togethers... and an overall sense of caring and giving. This December was even more exciting than usual, with Ariana just beginning to grasp the concept of Santa and all things Christmas, and the much anticipated return home of Mike after his five month sojourn!

Ariana and I began the Christmas season by taking a trip to National Harbor with Mom & Dad. We enjoyed the large "Christmas Tree with a view" by the Woodrow Wilson Bridge; Ariana enjoyed climbing all over the "Awakening" statue and digging in the sand around it! Venturing into the Gaylord Hotel, Ariana had her first meeting with Santa, who took the time to read her a book. Although she sat on my lap next to Santa, refusing to get any closer, she enjoyed his tales and seemed thrilled to meet the man she'd been seeing in so many books, and singing songs about! Ariana, courtesy of Grandpa and Grandma, also got to ride on a "choo choo train"! Undoubtedly, this was the highlight of her day!



As the season progressed, Ariana got anther opportunity to meet Santa, this time at my school, which hosted its first annual "Faculty and their Families Santa Night". What a treat it was! Ariana was able to go from station to station making different Christmas crafts, including a paper bag Rudolph, a Santa calendar, and a candy cane reindeer. But of course, the main event was when not only Santa Claus, but Mrs. Claus too, made their grand entrance. Ariana sat intently at the feet of both Mr. & Mrs. Claus as they shared tales about their elves, and reindeer, and conducted sing-alongs for some of their favorite Christmas songs. Santa even handed out food for the reindeer for the children to sprinkle on their lawns on Christmas Eve. Alas, the time came to sit on Santa's lap and for Ariana to tell him everything she wished for this year, and let's just say, I don't think she loved as much as I thought she would! ;)

Despite the terror you see on her face, Ariana continued on from this day to talk about Santa with happiness and excitement in her eyes!

Finally, December 15th rolled around, the day we'd been waiting for! Mike completed his program and came back to be my "live-in husband and  co-parent" again - HOORAY! His parents came down & enjoyed a weekend with Ariana, while he and I escaped to Atlantic City to celebrate, alongside Jes, and the Strykers! Turned out to be a fantastically fun and lucrative weekend, as we all profitted quite a bit from our Texas Hold'Em skills! (aka we all know when to walk away!) Upon our return back home, it was clear that Ariana had a BLAST with her grandparents. They took her to the public library and helped her pick out new books and puzzles, took her out to eat, and did a lot of dancing and wrestling! :)  Regardless, I missed her immensely in the two nights we were gone, and was as ecstatic as Mike to be back home again, with not just one, but now BOTH of my best friends!

Waiting intently for Daddy's return?!

Ariana's shirt reads, "Welcome Home, Daddy. I took care of Mommy for you. You're our Hero!"



So happy to have her Daddy back!!



Bedtime stories, on his first night back!

Ariana was really getting into the Christmas spirit. Everyday, on the drive home from daycare, she'd call out for "Cwis-miss wights!" as we passed houses all lit up. With each house we passed, she'd call out "More!", as if I could instantaneously fabricate another house with Christmas lights at that very second. One particular night, we were  listening to Christmas songs on the radio, and the Josh Groban version of "Oh Holy Night" came on, and Ariana shouted out, "Mommy, it's Josh"! I still think it was an amazing coincidence, or else she said something sounding like that, but to me it was clear as day, and she even repeated it again. I guess I'll never know...her little secret, I guess.

Finally Christmas Eve arrived! With Mike & his folks heading off to the Redskins game, Ariana & I headed over to church with my folks, Melissa, Jim, & the kids. Ariana had in tow, as always, stuffed kitty and her Santa/Reindeer purse that my Dad bought her at National Harbor. Unfortunately, the church was completely packed, hardly even standing room left, so we headed across the way to the church school gymnasium for the overflow mass. Turned out, it was great! Ariana danced in the aisle, enjoying the live music, and the gymnasium was bright and lively. She kept busy eating goldfish crackers, and playing with her Uncle Jim, until she and I ended up in the lobby with her running laps around it and shrieking in delight, until the end of mass. Good thing she is so darn cute.



At Christmas Mass, wearing the red shoes purchased at Target just 15 minutes earlier, when I discovered she had outgrown (overnight) her other dress shoes....

After mass, we headed over to the Hunnifords for a great homecooked meal (by Chef Jim) of ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, asparagus, and homemade potato leek soup. Annalee and Will were in official countdown mode for opening family presents. Chaos ensued as we enoyed the giving and receiving of gifts downstairs, around the Christmas tree . Mike & I were especially pleased with our decision this year, that in lieu of presents, donations be made to charities in our names. The Hunnifords chose to give to the World Movement for Democracy, in honor of Mike's brother John, and Dad & Mom chose to give to The Wounded Warriors, another charity near and dear to our hearts. We love to think that others will benefit from our family at Christmas!

It was a full house sleeping over our house that night, with Mom & Dad, Jes, and Pop & Mama Reesee Leonard! This translated into a great morning, beginning with the Clough tradition of breakfast Pannetone, and of course, coffee/tea. Then we moved into the living room to unwrap presents under the tree. Ariana was so thoroughly enjoying each present that she opened, that it was a struggle to get her to move on to open another present. She received so many thoughtful presents, (and so few toys, yay!!). Mike & I got her a "choo choo train" with wooden tracks and a little red caboose.  Santa delivered her first snow sled, a Hot Wheels car launcher, and a variety of other educational workbooks, stickerbooks, and puzzles.

Ariana's Grandpa & Grandma got her (among other things) a cell phone tree ornament, that she immediately started talking on while it was hanging from the branch, as well as her very first roll-aboard suitcase (with Sesame Street characters adorning it) that she began to then roll around the house for the next twenty minutes!



Ariana's Pop & Mama Reesee got her (among other things) a great wooden chair that turns into a step stool with her name painted on it. She was so excited about it, she flipped it back and forth from chair to stool continuously and was not interested in opening any other gifts for some time. She also got a personalized book (Volume 2!) called "Mama Reesee & Pop Love Ariana" which chronicles her adventures with them over the last calendar year.



Ariana's Aunt Melissa, Uncle Jim, cousins Annalee & Will got her a Princess Castle, that we constructed in her bedroom. It is a total hit! Tonight we read bedtime stories together in the dark inside the castle by flashlight. She is going to have all kinds of future adventures in that castle!

Ariana's Aunt Jes got her a stylish new Puma t-shirt (because, if you didn't know, Ariana is a Puma baby!), some trendy winter gloves that perfectly match her winter jacket, and a book about Washington, D.C. Also, one of the most memorable moments of the holiday, Aunt Jes spent a great amount of time teaching Ariana some hip new dance moves, that Ariana is perfecting. She has her Aunt Jes to thank for keeping her "hip"! 

The afternoon was fun and sentimental, as we all took part in the Leonard family tradition of watching "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". We felt John there with us, as a veteran watcher of the movie, even as Will & Annalee enjoyed the movie for the first time!

After the movie, Ariana and I (and stuffed kitty and monkey) put on our aprons and got to work, finishing up the lasagnas, salad, bread, and stuffed mushrooms, for our Italian style Christmas dinner.

We enjoyed cake pops (shaped like reindeer, made by Mama Reesee), red velvet cake, and Christmas Tree cupcakes for dessert, and played a few rounds of "CatchPhrase" around the fire (Go Team Ladies, who trounced Team Men 3-0!!!) It was a wonderful holiday, filled with lots of love, family, and memories! I all ready can't wait for next Christmas!