Snow Day!

Clearly this kid doesn't see snow enough....

Yesterday the most miraculous thing happened... snow... and not just flakes of snow but snow that stuck to the ground!  You know you are a desert rat when this sort of event makes you giddy with happiness.  Just about everywhere in Tucson had flurries yesterday (I even got to watch it for a bit from my office) but up at our new house we got a heck of a lot more than flurries, we had accumulation, not once but twice yesterday.  At lunch time Patrick came home for a bite to eat and sent a fabulous picture taken from our driveway that I got so exicted about I made him face time with me and "walk" me around the house to show me all the snow.  I figured I wouldn't get to see it myself because that sort of thing never lasts for long... and snow around noon out hear is all but unheard of so I was sure it would be gone by the time I got home.  And it was.  But then as Patrick and I were leaving a restaurant from a very early dinner (aka leaving work a bit early to take full advantage of our babysitter who picks the girls up from school for us) big huge beautiful flakes started falling from the sky again.  This time we were minutes from home and I had a chance to see it and take some pics for myself.

A chilly palo verde

The view out our front window.

 It kept snowing overnight and by this morning there was a good 6 inches of accumulation in parts of our yard and on our deck above the garage (I foolishly discovered this when I went up there to take pictures of the mountains in my slippers, then almost didn't make it back down the spiral staircase because my feet were so soggy and slippery)  Every mountain around Tucson was blanketed in snow this morning.  I has to be one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen.  Something about snow in the desert is just so magical...  I think it is because for us it is so very rare.  Regardless I count myself very fortunate to have had this experience, who knows when it will come again!!

Where our grass usually is.

View of the Catalina Mountains from our backyard after a snowy night

Chilly barrel cactus

Life in Boxes - Take 2

 Over the past few days we have managed to make pretty good moving in progress.  Still no furniture in many of the rooms but that will be a work in progress for quite awhile I imagine.  Boxes are being emptied and moved from the interior of the house to the holding ground of the backyard (aka recycling is already full, new boxes must wait until next week)  These limbo boxes found a new purpose this week... excellent outdoor hiding places/restaurants (for afternoon snack)/art galleries.  I walked out to check on the girls at one point and found both of them in boxes with various writing implements designing their spaces.  Pretty awesome. The only problem is that now Evie has forbidden me from recycling her box.. Izzy would likely do the same if she could articulate it... which means that I would prefer this box village not grow too terribly much in the coming days, lest I end up with a backyard filled with nothing but empty boxes....

Ahh life in boxes

We may not have much furniture but it sure does make for a good place to push Gato around in a stroller....

I am beginning to wonder how it was that Patrick and I managed to move every year or so for the first 6 or so years we knew each other.  It must be that we just were really good at not acquiring too much stuff or perhaps we were just really good at doling out any stuff we did acquire to people we knew each time we decided to move.  I say this because the difficulties faced this time around with life in boxes are just.. a... little... daunting....  Maybe it is the fact that neither of us took any time off for said move, or that we have not one but two little people in our lives, or (gasp) that we have just acquired waaay too much stuff during the 5 years of residency in our last house (couldn't possibly be the latter). 

Regardless, we are now 3 weeks in our fabulous new abode, all still excited about these new digs, but also all decidedly still living in a space dominated by boxes, with a dash of messy chaos thrown in for good measure and a pretty good dose of floor sitting due to a general lack of furniture.  Genevieve and Izzy of course are not too concerned with this status, in fact I must say I am impressed with how well they both have rolled with the whole moving to a new home thing.  I think the separate bedrooms for each and the goodly amount of carpet for general tumbling and frivolity has helped ease the transition.  Kita is fairing quite well too, happily now taking herself for walks around the neighborhood and through the washes (not entirely sanctioned by Patrick and I but fun for her nonetheless).  The cats (all three of them) have even become accustomed to their new life as domestics (as opposed to their previous quasi-feral existence) and can be found cuddling in a huddle on carpets or on top of Patrick in the morning (both are apparently warm and snugily places to reside).  Me I am actually feeling more settled now that I a) have working internet and b) have managed to put 90% of our art and photos on the walls (again no furniture to go with them but somehow that doesn't disturb me nearly as much).   I imagine Patrick will feel settled once he gets the pool as full as he would like it (more difficult than you would think) and a chance to work on the scooter...or rake leaves....or figure out how to get into our locked mailbox.... but you'd have to ask him :)

Movin' on up...

With my comps finished, Izzy almost 1.5 years old (aka getting, perhaps, a bit easier), Patrick happily settled in at his job and Genevieve rolling along well at kindergarten we decided that life was decidedly too mundane.  So about a week or so ago we bought and moved into a new house!  (Of course mixing it up isn't the real reason we've moved but it certainly does add a whole new level of chaos to what would have been a relatively mild period in Lacroixness).  Nouveau Chateau Lacroix has all of us very excited and living in a state of utter upheaval, given that none of us have taken any real time off to move and have taken even less time to date to unpack.  And, because we are just that smart, some time that would have been reserved for moving/unpacking activities has been consumed by two parties to date, aka, come, join us in appreciating the chaos; hula lessons for Evie; and visits from the University of Arizona language acquisition lab, aka offering up your child for scientific experiments, for Izzy.  Nevertheless we are all very excited about our new abode and the new memories we'll share within!

Isadora at 18 months!

At the grocery store this morning one of the people who work there asked me if that was my "baby" and couldn't believe how big Isadora was.  And indeed, I cannot believe how big she is either!  A whole 18 months old, and in keeping with my birthday (or half birthday in this case) interviews here are Izzy's for 18 months:
Isadora Vivienne Lacroix - age 18 months
Height - 34.5 inches
Weight - 25 lbs 13 oz
Teeth - 8 (ish... it can be hard to get a good look without getting chewed on
Bedtime - between 7:00 and 7:30
Naps - One a day, about 2 hours
Favorite place - outside (out. out. out.  are frequently heard in this house)
Favorite words -  agua, out (see above), gato
Lovey: A snow leopard Patrick bought her at the zoo... first named cato and now his alias is gato. 
Favorite song - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and pretty much any music she hears on the radio
Favorite objects - a stuffed snow leopard named "gato" and her super soft polka dot blankie
Favorite activities - playing outside, putting things together and taking them apart, brushing her teeth or hair or dolls hair or kita's hair...
Favorite foods - avocados, turkey, cucumbers
Favorite snack - snapea crisps
Favorite animal - tie between the gato and horsey (neigh, neigh)
Favorite way to get around - running or the little blue stroller
Favorite shoes - none, she loves all shoes, although the little red ones that we bought for her birthday are a favorite, even if she cannot get them on now
Favorite friends - Juniper, Allan and Wyatt
Least favorite activity - sitting in a highchair (we don't even have one at the table anymore...)
Least favorite food - she isn't digging on cheese these days
Least favorite word - "No" but only when that no comes from someone other than her.
Funniest pastime:  Putting on (or trying to put on) any stray underwear she finds... sometimes multiple pairs at once.

The tooth fairy cometh

It was almost a month in the coming but Genevieve is proud to announce (and show) that she has lost her first tooth!  Fortunately the tooth (which has been loose for over a month) hung in there just long enough for me to make a tooth fairy pillow on New Years Eve.  (Some folks prep for fancy parties, me I get all domestic on it and whip out the sewing machine...)  The pillow is actually made from scraps from her baby quilt that my mom made, making it extra cool, not to mention brightly colored. 

The main event occurred this past Wednesday while Evie was hanging out at my parent's house.  Apparently Eve just wiggled the tooth one last time and pulled just a smidgen and out it came.  There was no pain according to eye-witness accounts and post-tooth-loss interviews.  She saved the tooth for one night because I was out of town and she was having a sleep over at my parents.  So it was then Thursday night that said tooth was deposited in newly constructed pillow and exchanged for a one-dollar bill.  The bill came folded up with a little glitter... just to prove its authenticity.  Evie then found further evidence of the tooth fairy out in the front yard yesterday in the form of more glitter and "jewels."  These treasures, however, were naturally occurring phenomenon, if you get my drift.  It shows though just how excited she is about both the tooth fairy and loosing teeth!  In case you are wondering she has sworn to never spend the money and has put both the dollar bill and the glitter into a ziplock bag.

Christmas

Christmas came and went in the blink of an eye this year!  We came home from Hawaii on Christmas eve morning and missed most of our usual Christmas activities.  It was actually kind of nice to miss out on all the events for one year, but I wouldn't want to do it every year :)

I bought fancy dresses for the girls... sad to say this is the best picture I have of the two of them together wearing them.  Izzy only managed to keep it on for about 15 minutes, good thing it only cost 18 bucks.

We spent Christmas eve with my parents at their house and then stayed the night there... because among other things we didn't have a tree for presents to go under.  Santa got the message and delivered as promised.  Evie left him a nice note and a slice of cheesecake and milk.  (Santa enjoyed the cheesecake but will need to go for an extra run to work it off I am sure) 

Santa brought Evie a few fairy houses and Izzy a stacking topple-thing.   Izzy enjoyed all of her presents, particularly the red sparkle squeaky shoes, which squeak when she walks.  (Although I accidentally bought them too big so they are like clown shoes on her right now).

The big present of Christmas morning though came from Mina and Papa.  A new mini-cooper sized just for two Lacroix girls, that just happens to exactly match Mina and Papa's mini.  Technically its a present for Evie but Izzy is obsessed with it as well, she particularly likes to get in and out of it and to put her stuffed animals in it.  Izzy is trying to learn to share the care with Evie... we have, with much work, gotten her to let Eve sit in it at the same time as her (and not just scream and push Evie out)

 Then after all the presents we headed up to Phoenix for the larger Rimsza clan gathering, which is always fun and filled with good food and wine.  Of course Izzy and Evie received even more goodies then, including a style-it yourself barbie head that she has had her eye on for quite some time.  Had I known it would encourage her to brush her own hair more I would have bought it months ago!

So much to report!

Whew!  Almost a month and no blog...  but it is for good reason and there is much to report.  On December 10th I took my oral exam for my PhD and passed!  Now "all" I have to do is write a dissertation and I will be Dr. Mott Lacroix :)  (The best part though is from here on out it is all about my own research, no more classes or exams... ever... unless I want to....)  Then on December 13th we left for Kauai, Hawaii for a 10 day vacation to celebrate a tough fall (for both Patrick and I... lots of work for us both) and to just relax the 4 of us.  And relax we did!  Thanks to Patrick's sister we had a fabulous rate at a swanky one bedroom villa in Princeville on Kauai and spent a lot of time at the pool and beach.  It rained a fair amount but it was warm and the sun always came out for a bit each day, which was glorious.  I think Izzy's favorite new words pretty much sum it up: mango, beach, pool, towel, chicken, tortuga and (my favorite) happy.  Here are a few pictures from the trip to provide the highlights.

Going down the slide... both girls went down this slide more times than I can count

Exploring the ocean (looking for turtles... which we never found... but the journey was great!)

Christmas hula concert...  totally awesome, Evie was all about hula for the rest of the trip

One advantage of all the rain was a gorgeous rainbow every single day...  we once even drove though the end of one (no pot of gold though)

Taking a hula lesson (jingle bells)

We managed one picture of all of us...  Izzy doesn't seem happy here but I promise she enjoyed the trip!

Exploring a little cave

Waimea canyon.. absolutely stunning!!

Dramatic hula pose...

Evie's Expo!

Evie had a fabulous expo this past Thursday!  This past session she learned about art and artists and worked on her math skills.  We'll let her show you herself:

Horsey, TI-83 and wings

Both Genevieve and Isadora have been full of zingers (each in their own way of course) these past few days.  When asked how she would feel going to a 1st grade that was nothing but English Genevieve informed us this week that "Speaking English all day is like a big weight on my back.  When I get to speak French though that weight is gone and it is like I have wings, it is like I can fly."  Hmmm so our option is to "chain" our child down or let her fly eh?  No pressure :) 

Izzy on the other hand has been working on securing her spot as family comedian-engineer (bet you didn't know that was a title that existed).  She lives to figure out ways to make all of us laugh and for ways to figure out the way things work.  Her most recent comedic relief is her obsession with the horse toy, which although twice her size she has managed to "ride" around pretty much non-stop this weekend.  She keeps trying to bring it with her into the car, which is a bit awkward, but hilarious.  Her other favorite toy this weekend has been my TI-83, aka graphing calculator, which is even more coveted than my phone for some unknown reason.  On Friday she was so into it that she insisted on taking it to bed as her lovey....  could possibly be the strangest lovey ever (not to mention expensive... even at the pricey toy stores I doubt the stuff animals top $80... or at least I hope they don't!)  She has been a fitful sleeper these days though so I didn't dare risk waking her up to capture the calculator cuddle on camera.....

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving definitely snuck up on me this year!  (That is probably because I have been in a black hole of written exams for my PhD for the past two weeks... but the upshot is at least I passed!)  I am so thankful this year for so many things.  Above all I am thankful for my family who are going above and beyond to help me do this PhD.  Everyone asks me how I do it, and the answer is with their support.  Had it not been for Patrick and my Mom in particular over these last two months I would have been (more of) a wreck and most likely would not have passed even my written exams. 

 Thanksgiving itself was glorious, complete with pony rides and a little target practice.  (And of course canned cranberry sauce... must have canned cranberry sauce).  Evie enjoyed the opportunity to play with my cousin Melissa and jump on her trampoline for what must have been a total of 3 hours and Izzy enjoyed the opportunity to get to know more of her family.  After dinner my folks took the girls so Patrick and I could do black Friday shopping at Kmart (on Thursday night, which was just cruel) for a local charity and managed to make it home by 11:30 pm.... ugh....  but interesting nonetheless.  I cannot believe that now Christmas is just around the corner, really, how does time go by so fast?!

Halloween 2012!

How does anyone possibly coordinate 4 people (especially when two are of the small persuasion) for a photograph where everyone looks not only at the camera but semi-decent? Clearly this is not a skill we had for this Halloween... the fun that was had in our attempt at a family photo shoot comes through though (I think)

IST Halloweeen Party

Decorated subie... not too bad for putting it all together an hour or so before the event!

The week o' Halloween has begun with a bang!  Last night was the annual Halloween Party at Evie's school and it was even more fabulous than last year!  Here are a few photos of the pre-festivities, and I would like to note for the record that Izzy kept her gnome hat on for over an hour!  (I didn't get any photos of actual festivities because I was too busy passing out candy and chasing after a certain gnome.  :)

Genevieve and a few of her French class friends before the parade

 

Gnome in little car.... awesome

Izzy dictionary and pre-Halloween

 Izzy is starting to communicate with the world in a semi-recognizable format.  Here is her current vocab, partially in Spanish and partially in English:
agua - water or really any other liquid... but usually water
bawoon - ballon
baba - bath
boo - book
bbb - ball
bye bye
(yes those last four often can only be understood in context) 
carro - car (in spanish)
gato - cat (also en espanol)
up
nie-nie - night night
maman - mommy (it sounds like she is saying it in french but I am pretty sure that is just a coincidence)
dada
huevo - egg (in spanish)
aht -hat
poo poo - what is sounds like...poop
nanno - bananna, or really any fruit
evie - sister (but I have only heard her say it once so I am not sure it counts)
dider - sister
At least 3 of these I just noticed this morning because I was paying close attention for the purposes of recording them :)

In other news... Saturday morning fun with the girls... prepping for Halloween, everyone wanted to try on bits and pieces of their costumes:

We decorated the house (and the flamingos)

Then played in the backyard (hooray for weather nice enough to spend our morning/early afternoon outside!)

Belief (in oneself)

While driving in the car this week the following conversation occured:

Me (in response to a question about who was going to pick her up that day): . . . well I am busy because I have to work hard to do well on my big test, which is making me nervous.
Genevieve: Mommy, let me tell you something.  Something that the judges don't want you to know.  You have to keep this secret away from them, OK?
Me: Sure I can keep a secret.
Genevieve:  The big thing that the judges don't want you to know, the secret for your test Mommy, I know this... all you have to do is believe in yourself.
Me: Genevieve, not a truer phrase has ever been spoken, thank you.

Ahh from the mouth of babes, or perhaps not so babes, that is pretty gosh darn wise.  (Oh and don't ask me why she thinks my professors are judges, I think it is a little combination of my and Patrick's work... speaking, or writing, of which... that reminds me of another great zinger in recent weeks.  Genevieve informed her babysitter that when she grows up she is going to be a lawyer-hydrologist-artist.  Not sure exactly where a lawyer-hydrologist-artist works but it sounds pretty good to me!)

Fashionista

Izzy likes to accessorize.  She is particularly fond of scarves and my shoes but this morning she decided she really needed to put sock on her hands... didn't get a picture of that one but it was pretty funny!

Sharing...

a popsicle....

Oh and in case you are one of the 5 or so regulars... between now and December 10th when I sit for my oral exams (written exams will be second two weeks of November....) blog posting may be on the lighter side, or at the very least on the less verbose side :)

Little things

Izzy in her favorite (and frequent) element... agua

I keep thinking to myself that there are all of these little things about Isadora right now that I don't necessarily remember about Genevieve when she was the same age.... but that doesn't mean they weren't there.... my memory for those sorts of things seems to be getting worse and worse :)  So for the sake of posterity here is a list of "little things" about Izzy:

- Every night before she goes to bed she drinks 8 oz of milk, generally if she doesn't get a chance to finish it all she doesn't go to bed easily and/or wakes up around 11:30 pm for the rest of the bottle.  While she drinks this milk she usually starts out squirmy and sometimes the best "cuddle" I can get from her is her laying on the floor with her head on my lap and me holding the bottle for her.
- Izzy loves to dance and will pick up her feet and stomp as well as dance around in little circles when she gets extra excited.
- When she laughs it is frequently a little like a hissing sound that then erupts into normal laughter.  She has many different types of laughter, from the hiss to the giggle to the guffaw, and most are heard constantly throughout the day.
- For some reason every morning when I put her in her car seat she looks up at me, smiles and says "agua?"  (not sure if she is asking me for water or asking me if I am going to work....)
- As soon as Patrick (or now Evie) starts to sing the "bath song" aka:  It's bath time, its splash time, its unbelievably fun time, she gets super excited, squeals and makes a b-line for the bathroom.
- When she investigates things she doesn't sit down on the ground but squats, sometimes for long periods of time, and with remarkable balance.
- She loves to come running up to you and crash into your legs and give you (or rather your legs) a big hug.
- When she falls asleep each night she either sticks her little bum up in the air or sprawls out on her back with her arms outstretched and her legs in a V.

I just know there are more... I'll have to keep paying close attention and do a second edition soon :)

Football Season!

U of A football season started last night... and this year we are back into living the luxe life in the skybox owned by Patrick's work!  Really the skybox is the only option at all if you are going to bring a don't-you-dare-make-me-sit-against-my-will 13 month old, who thoroughly enjoyed toddling around the place and then mercifully fell asleep on my back in the ergo at around 8:30 pm.  Given that it was a holiday weekend, and there were extra tickets, we were even able to bring a couple of extra folks along, including my brother who "accidentally" wore a shirt with ASU colors.... The girls didn't quite make it all the way to the end (Patrick got home around 1 am) but made it until around 11 pm, which is pretty good for small fry!