Jael | 3 years, 4 months

Our first snow! November 2012

Jael had her best holiday season yet, full of anticipation for lighting the menorah candles, setting up the tree, waiting to open presents, reading lots of stories, and a special Christmas eve. She is learning the Hanukkah blessings and played dreidel for the first time this year, although she was less interested in the game and more interested in the gelt. ;) On Christmas eve, she got to have a picnic supper on the living room floor with Judah and watch some old-fashioned classic Disney cartoons, to her delight.

We also began preschool this month (January) and do a couple pages in a workbook, along with a science picture book everyday. She gets very excited about "school" (which sounds more like "skull" in her voice) and asks me all day when we will get to do it. She can count to 10 and is learning her ABCs. She also gets to use Mama's iPod for educational games sometimes, which is a favorite treat.

Jael is learning to be a good big sister, which can be rough sometimes. Brother yells all the time and it is sometimes hard to discern who took the toy first, who hit whom, etc. But fortunately, the storms pass quickly and they are starting to play together a lot more (side by side). They play duplos together, jump on the bed together, lay on the kitties together, and read with me. At nighttime, Jael loves to come sing in our room on the rocking chair and then wants to conclude the evening with "all of us dancing together"  or even better, everyone crawling on the floor in a line back to her bedroom. ;)

She enjoys reading stories with Daddy in the evening and we read from her first Bible (a Hanukkah gift), along with a lesson/storybook. It's been a wonderful introduction to some basic concepts about Jesus and grace; I love to see my girl absorbing the depth of these concepts slowly, in little ways.

In closing, here are our favorite FB statuses from the past few months:

• Jael was looking at an old family photo and asked me where the kitties were, so I told her we didn't have the kitties yet. She pondered and said, "Oh. Them was in your tummy?" We don't have a real grasp on the facts of life yet, it seems!
• Jael and Judah were joyfully streaking around the house naked, playing "dress-up" with play jewelry...until I heard Jael screaming, "JUDAH PEED ON ME!!!!!!! AND MY THPARKLY SHOES!!! AND YOUR HOODIE!!" And the poor boy looked at her and down at his feet in horror, like "What just happened?!" haha.
• I need to get a video of Jael singing when we light the menorah at night. So sweet to hear her earnestly singing about two words behind with half of them missing, "Baruuuuuch...atah! 'donai!" ♥
• Oh children. Jael runs upstairs yelling, "I HAVE TO GO POTTY!!!!!!!!!" Runs back down five seconds later and tells me primly, "Never mind, Mama. I actually just had toots." :D
• It's absolutely pouring snow and we are definitely snowed in! It's a good thing Jeff doesn't have work today, but at least we've got someone on the way to plow our driving. Jael is so excited. "I want to go sledding! Let's go out in the snow!" :D
• Jael runs up to me, throws her arms around me, and says, "I love you my big thweetheart mommy!" ♥