Do you know how many times Annie has asked when it was going to snow here? I lost count since before Christmas. Today Annie’s wish finally came true. Fortunately, it wasn’t a major snowstorm, but the amount was just enough to please Annie. The first thing she did was find a spot to make a snow angel. Mimi seemed baffled by the whole event, but she just went with the flow (as usual). Of course, we had to build a snowman. Mike and I knew it wouldn’t be possible to make a full-size model, so we opted for the mini-snowman who measured only 1 foot tall. I asked Annie to assist in collecting objects for the snowman’s outfit. The look in her face was priceless as she swiftly went to work. The novelty wore off after a few minutes and before the project was complete; Annie was begging to go inside. We managed to complete the task at hand before Annie had a meltdown. All the while, Mimi is just happy sipping on the hot cocoa that Mike prepared before heading outside. Make sure to check out the latest installment of the girls’ monthly photo albums.

Tell me this isn’t just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen (see storyboard BELOW). This is what I found after finishing up dishes a few days ago. If you take a closer look, each girl is wearing a princess gown. The fact that they are completely oblivious to me taking their picture in the first photo absolutely melts my heart. These scenes are becoming less of a rarity now that Annie and Mimi are getting older. The playroom is actually getting put to use without my constant presence and supervision (I do have a monitor in there just so I can hear what’s going on). That’s not to say I don’t have to intervene at times to pry highly coveted toys from little fingers while my precious angels are screaming bloody murder at each other. I used to get on Annie’s case about not sharing with Mimi, but I’ve come to realize that Mimi really only wants what Annie has in her hands at the moment. As much as I feel Annie sometimes deserves having toys taken from her (as payback for all the bites she used to give Mimi and taking things from her when she was a wee, little baby), I can’t help feeling sorry for her. The poor child just wants to play in peace sometimes. Can you blame her? I literally will find Mimi sitting on Annie at moments because Mimi wants to be so close to Annie. Mimi doesn’t seem to have separation anxiety when I leave her, but she sure has heck has it when Annie disappears. It’s sweet really. I hope that this means my girls will be close with each other throughout their lives. One other thing to mention is that I discovered them sharing stickers from a book that they received for Christmas today. So cute!

The girls are continuing to grow and crack me up. Annie knows her left from her right and is showing much interest in being a much older person. She asked Mike for a car and a gun the other day (after Mike went to the shooting range). Annie continually asks me when she can have a bra (!). Should we be worried? She is a good girl though and is starting to be more helpful with Mimi. Singing at the top of her lungs is her favorite pasttime, especially in restaurants. Annie’s also intrigued by time and inquires the current time on a regular basis.

Mimi talks a mile a minute these days. Yesterday while preparing to play a DVD movie, Cinderalla, Annie asked if she could see the picture on the DVD. Seeing as Mimi has to do everything Annie does, she asked to do the same. After seeing the picture, she said, “It’s so pretty!” in her husky voice. She tells Daddy to “Git up!” whenever he sits in a chair. Mimi is more coordinated than in recent months. She can go up and down the stairs unassisted while standing up. We love her so!

Mimi’s babbling didn’t register until I went to put more dishes into the washer. She was telling her dolly, “Time out, BABY!” while subjecting her to the dishwasher punishment. Personally, I prefer the corner, but who am I to judge. In other news, during t.v. time Annie was overheard saying, “Don’t do it Curious George! That’s so naughty!” I wish she would apply this thinking when she’s about to commit one of her future naughty misdeeds.

New Year’s Eve 2006 was spent with the Bells, Uncle Tiger and Miss Leah. The main course of the much anticipated feast was pheasant. Mike and Tiger shot the birds a few days before at a game preserve. My first, and unsucessful, attempt was also made at preparing chocolate LAVA cakes. Let’s just say, they were good, solid brownies. We were also visited by one of Mike’s cousins, John, and his friend. John recently concluded boot camp for the Marines and is now stationed at Camp LeJeune. We thought it would be a fun break for them to spend their time off in D.C. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of John or his friend. The evening was finished off with several foosball matches. Nobody stayed awake for the finale of 2006, but we still enjoyed ourselves. You can view the pictures from our evening on the memories page under “New Year’s Eve 2006”.