Jumping into the New Year

This last week we did not do a whole lot. We sent the kids outside a time or two to play in the snow, but it has been a rather cold week. Although they have been confined in the house, it has been fun to see Landon and Eliza starting to play together more often. The love to wrestle, jump on the trampoline in Landon’s room, play with a dollhouse and kitchen set Eliza received, and even sit still long enough to watch part of a movie or book. What a happy mom and dad we are to see them showing love for each other! We can promise you though that every rose has a thorn. Give them 20 minutes or so, and someone will be crying because of a bite, a trip, or a stolen toy. That makes them a perfect matched set.

Seriously, they're enjoying each other. And lest you think all they do is wrestle, they do have their moments of civil play:

We rang in the New Year in pretty low-key style at home. Landon stayed up really late (for him). Mike woke Hallie up at midnight just to ring in the year. She woke up the following morning with severe pain in her knees that continued for several days. On Wednesday afternoon Hallie ended up at Urgent Care for what the doctor told her was bronchitis. This coming Monday she is going to a rheumatologist to see if they can tell her what was wrong with her knees. With compression bandages, ice, and Motrin, by Sunday morning all the pain and swelling had gone from her knees.

Eliza discovered the concept of hide and seek this week. Mike was working at his new office space in the grown-ups' bedroom, and he heard her calling "Mami! Mami!" (Lately she calls both of the parents Mommy. Who knows why? She was calling Mike this time.) So he went into her room to look for her and heard her giggling like she'd played a neat trick on him. After a couple of seconds, he realized that she had  found out that she could close herself into her kitchen sink:

She was so full of her clever little self!

On Saturday we went to the Grosse Pointe Neighborhood Club to check out Hallie’s new place of employment. Lots of people came to see the new building and its facilities. We look forward to trying them out ourselves! We then headed over to Honey Bee Market, a great supermarket in Mexicantown. They have all kinds of great things to buy, and this time Mike even brought home some sugar cane. Landon thought it was quite fun to taste what cane sugar is. Hallie has been on a hunt for these great colorful banners we have seen in Mexico, and with Mike’s great Internet search skills he found what they are called (papel picado: perforated or punched paper). While in Mexicantown we found them at Xochi’s Gift Shop, and now the banners are put away until Eliza’s 2nd birthday, which is just right around the corner.