And They'll Feast, and They'll Feast, and They'll Feast, Feast, Feast, Feast!

So Thanksgiving has come and gone, and my original assertion was right: All you do on Thanksgiving is EAT, EAT, EAT! I guess I can't complain since I LOVE to eat, but it seems silly to have a holiday based upon eating. Mom tried to explain the meaning of Thanksgiving, and what it means to be thankful, but I am still having a hard time understanding that one...

The night before Thanksgiving Mom, Macie, and I did some last minute grocery shopping to pick up fresh produce. While shopping we found the coolest thing ever...

A brussel sprout tree!!! Who knew they grew like that??? It was so peculiar, yet also fascinating- we just HAD to buy one!!! The produce tag said that it could be used not only as a side dish for our feast, but as part of our Thanksgiving center piece. Weird, I know. Good thing none of us could imagine looking at them and not eating them.

Right before the holidays Mom received a package from Grandma Judy with matching aprons for the 3 Frankwick girls. They are perfect for the holidays and we all got to wear them so that we wouldn't get our outfits dirty while cooking and cleaning.


Thanks to the apron I got to be a big girl helper in the kitchen this year, and even helped prepare the turkey.

After the turkey was in the oven I helped out with the dishes!!!

We had to wait for HOURS before the feast was finally ready and Mom made sure that all of us were starving before we sat down.




After prayers, the family all said one thing (among many) that they were thankful for, and we dug in (listen closely to the video below to hear what I was thankful for).


I was a little more adventurous when it came to the cuisine and tried some different things this year. The mash and turkey were obvious choices, and I did sample a little stuffing, but the overall winner was the jello! I even enjoyed it more than the pie, and I REALLY enjoyed the pie!!!

We all ate so much that the whole family slothed around the house for the rest of the afternoon. Later that night Dad and Macie were watching football in the man cave and Mom and I went down to tell them I was going to bed. It took us a good while to figure out where Dad was hiding Macie...

The morning after Thanksgiving the whole family slept in a little longer than normal, mostly because we were still recovering from our food comas, but also because Mom, Macie, and I were all coming down with a cold. After helping me out of bed Mom sleepily opened my bedroom curtains to let in the morning light when a surprised shriek caught my attention, "its snowing", she said. Boy was I excited! This was our first snow of the season, and I couldn't wait to get out and go skiing in it. By the time Mom fed us all breakfast and then got everyone dressed the sun had come up and melted most of the snow off of the ground. I still insisted on going out to survey the yard since I was already bundled up from head to toe.


I was excited to find that there was still some snow on top of my playhouse, so Mom made a couple snowballs which I happily threw at Jackson.



When we had used up all the available snow I went exploring for some more fun. After coming to terms with the fact that there wasn't enough snow let to go skiing I settled for jumping on the trampoline. My lack of enthusiasum was short lived as I discovered that jumping on a wet trampoline can be lots of fun- the water jumps with you!


Later that night Mom dressed me in my fall tutu and the family went to Open Gym!!! As you can see I was really excited to go play!

I had lots of fun doing all my stunts, and ended each one with a "ta da"

Now that Macie is awake more often she gets to watch me run around and put on a show. I bet she is sure envious of all the neat things I get to do.



After I went to bed that night Mom and Dad gave Macie a bath and couldn't believe how big she has gotten. Before too long she will be growing out of her bathtub.

Macie celebrated her 3 month birthday this week, and it looks as if she has doubled in size since month 2!

The majority of our holiday weekend was spent indoors recovering from an illness that took out the Frankwick girls. Mom, Macie, and I all had problems with stuffy noses. I rubbed mine SO much that it was raw, and poor Macie had such a hard time breathing that she snorted like a pig. Some how Dad made us girls feel better!

Obviously I don't let a little cold keep me from hammin' it up...

Even snooty, drooly (we think she is teething) Macie enjoyed my antics...

By Sunday night we were all feeling a little better thanks to a few days of down time. Macie and Dad closed out the weekend by putting on a show of their own. I couldn't decided which video I liked better, so I thought you could enjoy both!!!

Video One:

Video Two:





Christmas will be hear in no time, as will lots of family and friends!!!! It will be the first Christmas that we spend with baby sister and I am so excited I can hardly contain myself...

The only BIG thing this week is Macie...

I still haven't gotten into the holiday spirit. I don't know what it is about Thanksgiving, but I'm just not excited. I guess the public isn't too excited either- everywhere we go there are signs of Christmas- Thanksgiving must be the black sheep of the holiday family. Mom promises that there will be lots of Thanksgiving fun at home next week. This will be the first year that Mom and Dad have had a Thanksgiving at their own home and Mom is looking forward to cooking ALL of Dad's holiday favorites!

While Mom was busy doing laundry this past week I occupied myself by rummaging through clothing laid out on Macie's bed. One of her skirts was SO pretty that I just HAD to try it on. Mom came in the room to check on me just as I was pulling it over my knees. She laughed really hard, and told me that there was NO way that an infant's skirt (sized 0-3 months) would ever fit me- boy did I prove her wrong. To tell you the truth I think I look pretty good.




Mom couldn't believe that I was wearing Macie's clothing and had to double check the label to make sure. After she got confirmation on the size she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She decided to dress Macie up in the matching top and have us take some pictures:

Macie wasn't too happy that I was wearing her clothes, but thankfully she is too little to do anything about it yet (we will save those arguments for our teen years)!!!



Some friends of mine came over this week to visit me and meet my new little sister. I hadn't seen Ms. Walaa, Jumana, or Jenna since Mom was pregnant and had LOTS of fun showing them around my house. As they were leaving they handed me presents they had brought over. It was such an unexpected surprise to get some gifts (we are lucky to have such great friends)! Macie and I got adorable matching dresses and I got my very own computer! The computer is amazing; it talks and plays all sorts of games. Now I can sit at the table with the adults and "do my work"!



Mom decided to break out the Johnny Jumper this week to see if Macie would enjoy it as much as I used to. She tolerated it for a few minutes, but is still to small to appreciate its full potential.

In her defense she is only a couple months old- I didn't truly enjoy it until about 5 months, so it may take her a while.


She may not see what is so special about the Johnny Jumper, but I have lots of experience and know how many hours of fun can be had inside it. These fond memories have lured me to attempt to sneak into it. Since it was placed in the door frame I have tried many times to get inside, and have been unsuccessful. Mom assures me that I am far to big to fit and might break it if I were to get in (funny, I am small enough to wear Macie clothes, but not small enough to fit in her gear- how's that for logic???)

Macie's lack of excitement (and my never ending desire to get inside it) made Mom take it down, but I decided to put Moms theory about me being too big for Macie's gear to the test. While she was changing Macie's diaper in the living room I jumped into her swing. Mom came around the corner, and after laughing for a while at the naked kid in the baby swing made me get out so that I wouldn't break it. For the record- I fit quite well.


I only think its fair that Macie shares her swing considering it was mine a short time ago. She should be glad that I share all my old stuff with her, I mean not only does she get the toys and gear, but she gets my old clothes.

Macie must be getting really BIG because she is starting to wear some of the clothes I wore when I was about 6mo old. In my defense, they are a little big on her...


In case you haven't been paying attention to my consistent attire, I am still obsessed with being a princess and wear dresses everywhere we go! Everyone at the grocery store and Costco (the only two places we regularly go) know me as "the girl that is always dressed like a princess". Some workers even call me by name. At Kroger, our grocery store, I have made lots of friends. The flower lady always gives me treats, and the meat guy gives me stickers. On this particular day I got a London Broil sticker. Mom thought it was funny that I was walking around with a sticker on my arm that read "thick and juicy."

Mom and Dad said that the description pretty much sums me up...

After our outing to the grocery store Mom wanted to see just how big Macie was getting. She started by taking pictures to document our size. Using the pictures for compassion, she found evidence to support her original statement that Macie is going to outgrow me before she is one.

Right now I am about 25lbs and 34 inches and Macie is about 12lbs and 23 inches- you do the math...

Macie is HUGE- it must be those 6oz bottles she has been consuming since she was 6weeks old. I didn't drink 6oz until I was at least 6 months old. I guess the large bottles contribute to her sleeping through the night (from 11pm to 7:30am consistently), when it took me about 8 months or so to sleep all the way till morning.

Regardless of size, I will always be her BIG sister!

Our sister photo shoot was fun, but as you know I had to get in some shots of just me. I insisted that Mom takes some pictures in front of my favorite window.



The highlight of my week was receiving the package that Grandma Joanie sent to Macie and me. Inside it were presents, and boy did I hit the jackpot- I got a Cinderella doll with a horse and carriage, and best of all, another princess outfit!!!!!!!!! This one came decked out with shoes, jewelry, gloves, a purse, and even a crown!!!

Grandma Joanie is the best!!! I don't know how I got such a great family!

These days when I go outside I have to wear a coat. Most of the time I just throw one over a princess dress and am ready to face the elements. Since there hasn't been any precipitation lately I am still able to do all my favorite outdoor activities; jumping on the trampoline, swinging on the swings, gardening in the yard, and playing with my buddy Jax.

Here I am doing some gardening,

and here I am trying to take Jax for a walk.

He's not that much fun to walk, but he sure is fun to play with.

Our family was ecstatic when we discovered that the Zoo stays open through the winter. Some of the outdoor exhibits shut down for the winter, but most of the Zoo is still open. We took a trip this weekend and got to explore the indoor exhibits in greater detail than we normally would (I am usually in a big hurry, as there are many things I need to see each trip).

This trip I got to play in the caves by the penguin exhibit and loved yelling out loud and hearing my voice echo.

In "my house" Dad and I discovered a slide that we never knew existed. Most of our time was spent fooling around on the slide.

We all had lots of fun- even Macie had a good time at the Zoo this visit. She was awake for most of the trip, but really reacted to the bright colored fish at the aquarium. She stared and smiled as they swam back and forth.

With more time indoors I am getting really good at spelling and can read 10 words. Here are a couple videos of Mom and I playing "school." It was hard to fit them all into a 40 second video segment, but we did our best...

Here I am spelling Dog, Cow, and Stop...

and in this video I spell Daddy, Riley, Pig, Cat, and No!

While Mom and I are in school Macie watches with admiration! Check out what a happy baby she is...

Mom promises that there is going to be lots of Thanksgiving fun this coming week. I am curious, as I am sure are you, what she has in store...

The Lull before the Holidays

Well, we did manage to get a little creative with our daily activities.

Mom has finally come to the realization that I am a BIG girl and am fully capable of helping out with tasks around the house. This week she let me help her make breakfast for the family. Macie was easy considering I only had to shake up her bottle, but I never knew how much work goes into making food. I had to help wash and cut the fruit and veggies needed to make Dad some apple/carrot juice, I had to crack and stir up my eggs and pureed spinach (used to make "green eggs" like Cat in the Hat) for my omelet, and I had to help Mom heat up last night's dinner for her breakfast (she is no a fan of breakfast foods and tends to eat whatever she can find in the fridge.) I enjoyed helping, but have decided it is a little TOO much work so I may just sit and watch for now... after all, I need all my energy so that I can eat!!!

While breakfast is being cooked Macie likes to hang out on the ground. Sometimes she plays with her buddies, but most of the time she just laughs and smiles. Her favorite thing to do is watch the madness going on in the kitchen. She is sure that she could get the job done more efficiently, and I am sure she will when she gets old enough (Mom says Macie is an observer and is going to be great at planning and instigating - I guess I will be the one putting all the plans into action.)

Venturing out of the neighborhood didn't happen too often this week, though the weather has been wonderful (in the mid 60's which is unseasonably warm for this time of year)! The flu scare in Columbus has limited the places we can go play because Mom and Dad don't want Macie to be exposed to all the sick kids, so we did a lot of playing outside of the house. Look how great I am getting at riding my tricycle...

While on my bike Mom and I practice the music terminology I have learned on Little Einsteins. For those if you whom are unfamiliar with the lingo, accelerando means to go fast and retardando means to go slow:

My obsession with everything princess is still in full effect, and this week we played a lot of dress up and beauty shop. Since I am finally able to sit still for about 5 minutes Mom painted my finger nails. I was SO excited, and couldn't stop showing them off!!

As much as I love being the one who gets all "dolled" up, I have found that it is also lots of fun to dress up my sister. Mom says that I am her muse, and rightfully so, Macie is mine!!! Check out how pretty she looks in her photo shoot (where I helped take the pictures)...

Macie is a lot like my dolls, only better.

I love being a big sister and don't mind sharing the spotlight with Macie... though Mom should remember who the star of the show is...

Despite all thethings going on around the house, Mom still finds time to spy on me. Check out this video she took without my knowledge...

At times when Mom is too busy with house chores to watch me play with my toys, Macie volunteers. She chills out on the couch watching my antics. There isn't much dialogue, but at least she doesn't interrupt like other people I know (Mom).

Thanks to daylight savings nightfall comes earlier than desired keeping most of my evening activities indoors. Sometimes Mom takes me outside to practice my tornadoes on the trampoline if Macie is sleeping, but most of the time I am stuck indoors and use the time to work on my tumbling in the basement. At open gym this week I got to show Mom and Dad how all that practice was paying off.

I begin by doing a bear crawl up the ladder and finish by walking across the balance beam.

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching and I am trying hard to get into the holiday spirit. Wait and see what I come up with...

Halloween Hangover...

Life has been pretty dull since Halloween ended and the holiday festivities stopped. We partied too hard and ate way too much candy. We are still in a stupor...

I guess Thanksgiving is coming up soon, but so far I don't get all the hype. Mom has tried explaining the significance of the holiday, but come on, I'm only 2- none of that makes any sense to me. All I can figure is that it is a holiday where people get together and eat to much food- food which I do not really like. Turkey is ok, but all of the side dishes besides the mash potatoes are just plain gross. Last year all I ate was some mash, lots of peas and desert. Mom says to keep an open mind, but we will see. On the bright side we got to put up some new decorations, so that has been fun. A few pumpkins were allowed to say behind from Halloween but the scary stuff has been replaced by a couple turkeys, corn, weeds, and a scarecrow to make it more festive.

We have been spending lots of time at home as Mom is working on getting Macie on a routine schedule. Because of this Mom has been trying to find some new and fun activities to keep me amused. One of my new favorites has been making Jello.

The first time we set up station on the floor so we could make a mess and then proceeded to mix the jello and water. I really enjoyed using the wire whisk.

I was sad when I learned that Jello takes time to set. I had to wait a till the next morning to use the cookie cutters to make shapes. After I woke up and got dressed in my new uniform (my princess dress) we sat back down on the floor and made shapes.

The jello was fun to play with,

but it was even better to eat.

Having Macie on a schedule now has made everyone happier, including Macie. Now she sleeps, eats, and plays better. Check out her big silly grin:

Lately she has really begun to show a fondness towards mom. Whenever she sees her she greets her with a big smile. Check out this video of the two of them spending time "talking" with one another...

Each day more and more leaves fall from the trees. Our front yard trees are completely bare, but we still have a few in the back yard that are holding strong. The family decided that it was time to start clearing the leaves out and preparing the yard for a wet winter. We spent a whole day raking the back and made a BIG HUGE leaf pile- the biggest one yet! Dad and I seized this opportunity and played together in the pile.

He even buried me. Mom laughs that I am like a chameleon in this photo- can you find me???

We had a lot of fun in the yard, but still have another weekend of yard cleaning to do before we are leaf-free.

My obsession with everything princess is now in full force. I wear my princess dresses everywhere, and always ask to watch princess movies. Mom has so far let me watch Cinderella and Snow White. So far I can't make it through a whole movie and we stop halfway through for an intermission (food and potty break.) While shopping at the grocery store (in my princess dress which Mom lets me wear out of the house), Mom bought me a princess book with princess figurines. I was SO excited to get home and play with it that I was on my best behavior the whole time we shopped, and didn't even stray from her side to look at all the stuff on the shelves like usual. As if our shopping trip couldn't get any better we stopped on the way out to ride the penny pony.

Back at home I immediately took out my new book and toys and started to play. For 3 straight hours the princesses danced, played, and sang until all of us were exhausted and had to take a nap. After my nap I woke up and insisted on playing with the princess's once again. I was having lots of fun all by myself until I found that Mom had been spying on me with the camera as she tends to do. I heard her when she let out a chuckle and discovered her hiding under the pool table. After a shout of protest and my demands for her to "leave me alone" I discovered a fun new type of peek a boo- let's call it a "new twist on an old favorite":

Throughout the week I was kept busy playing with the princesses as I brought them through the yard and showed them all of my favorite things (notice I am still in a princess dress).

Macie is really enjoying bath time. As long as the water is warm and continuously flowing she is content.

She has recently been caught off guard by loud noises or sudden movement. Check out the look of fear/shock when Mom made a noise that scared her...

It's a funny picture (not the most flattering), but check out the size of her tummy- looks like I am going to have some competition.


Our calendar is bare for the upcoming weeks, so it looks like I am going to have to get creative. Check back soon to find out what I come up with...