Friday, January 28, 2011

This 'n' That

It's been quite a week at our house. For a couple of days I was down and out due to a nasty cold - one of those colds that completely drains you of all energy. Now my girls are unfortunately fighting the same nasty cold. They are not quite as energy-drained as I was but I think I would be incredibly worried if ever a sickness made them too tired to play and makes messes throughout the house.

Samantha had a not-quite-pbj sandwich this week. Whether it is due to a family history of nut allergies or our maybe a little more conservative pediatricians, neither one of our girls have been given the okay to try peanut butter or anything else with nuts until the age of three. After a few times of Samantha eyeing Gabrielle's pbj's and crying for them I decided it was time to give her a substitute. With Gabrielle we gave her sunbutter (made of roasted sunflower seeds) until she could try the real deal. This time I decided to try soybutter (made from roasted soybeans). Both in my opinion taste amazingly close to real peanut butter. Samantha enjoys it on a spoon but is not quite sold on the sandwich idea but she is really not a big sandwich person anyway, typically taking it apart regardless of its contents.



Gabrielle has in the past week plus a few days grown quite fond of and attached to her 18" doll Sandy. She received Sandy as a birthday gift from Meemaw I believe on her second birthday. Gabrielle will occasionally play with her baby dolls but I've always thought she favored her stuffed animals instead. I'm not sure what caused this latest attachment, maybe because little sister has laid claim to most of Gabrielle's baby dolls, or if she is just now at the age when her dolls are like friends as much as they are toys. Regardless of the reason Sandy has gone with Gabrielle everywhere - church, in the car to and from school, at the table for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, and most certainly to bed. Sandy changes clothes several times a day, depending on the occasion, and even plays games with Gabrielle. And now, not only do I have a 4 year old crawling in bed with me in the early mornings before the sun has even risen, I also have an 18" doll joining me as well!







As I was going through a pile of old mail one day I came across an American Girl catalog that had arrived the first of the month. I am fairly certain Gabrielle looked through the catalog when it first came but showed little interest. This second time however was much different. She is now begging for an American Girl friend for her Sandy. She has picked out the particular doll, chosen earrings and outfits, accessories and even a pet. Anyone who is aware of American Girl dolls know what an investment these dolls are, not to be given to just any aged child but better for the age when they can truly take care and appreciate the doll. So we have told Gabrielle to put this new friend on her birthday list and as long as she takes care of her things and shows us she is a big girl then we'll see what we can do about getting her the doll.

Although I am always looking for a "deal" I am not one who often is lucky enough to just come across a great sale. Yesterday at Target was the exception. Each time I have been to Target since Christmas I browse the toy department, checking out the after Christmas clearance. Nothing really caught my eye as being something I could not pass up. But yesterday, yesterday I happen to notice a couple of sleeping bags. Gabrielle has been asking for a sleeping bag for a couple of years. These were cute and according to the sticker marked down 50% off to $7.48. Not a bad price so I put one in the cart. There was only one remaining and even though Samantha is not old enough for a sleeping bag right now I knew she would want what her sister has, if not now then soon. So I grabbed the remaining bag and headed for the price check scanner. I decided if the sleeping bags scanned at a lower price I would get them both. Jackpot!! The sleeping bags were actually marked down 75% making them only $3.74 a piece. So I came home yesterday with two sleeping bags. I wish I had had my camera ready when Gabrielle walked into her room after school to discover her sleeping bag laid out on her floor. She was so excited. And so instead of her warm, soft, cozy bed she chose to sleep on the floor last night. But I am pleased to say, instead of crawling in bed with me this early morn, she stayed in her sleeping bag the entire night!



Other than more dress-up not much else is going on around here. I wonder if every little girl loves dressing up as often as my girls. I'm certain there are plenty who do but it still tickles me each time Samantha walks into the room sporting her layered look of pink and fancy and "pitty" (pretty) and the fact that Gabrielle is wearing a ballerina or princess dress sometimes even before breakfast and changes throughout the day to match the theme of her activity, whether it be playing Barbies, watching a princess or Barbie movie, or some other game she has imagined.









I suppose I have spent enough time this morning in front of the computer, catching up on blogs and our week. Time to get busy with the day. Another family night tonight - more pizza, board games and sweets to look forward to.

1 comment:

Shari said...

I think no nuts until after age 3 is pretty standard for all kids now. My pediatrician said the same thing and we have no family history of allergies. My littlest one is 22 months and also misses out on the PB & J. I've never heard of sunbutter or soybutter, so I'll have to look for those.

The photo of your daughter sleeping with her doll is adorable.