A Parade of Photos

Not every photo or cute saying ends up on Facebook. So here's some "behind the scenes" pictures from the phone that never got uploaded:

Ana discovered the pumpkin on her pajamas and was trying to pull it out with her hands so that she could get a better look at it.

First time doing a back carry in the Tula. It's definitely the preferred way to carry Ana when I'm cooking.

Constance got Cinderella pajamas for Christmas.

If you've ever wondered how long a balloon will stay at the top of a tall ceiling, the answer is approximately 2 months. This balloon from Constance's birthday came down just before Ana's birthday.

Ana is obsessed with the kitchen stool.
She first started playing around it.

Then she figured out how to get up on the first step. That was when she and Constance started fighting over who got to use it (which is undoubtedly what was happening here).

 Then she started kneeling on the top step.

Then one day I turn around and she is all the way up on the top and ready to help me wash the dishes!

Daddy came home from Church and Ana wanted to use her sticky hands to pat Daddy's coat. He moved away from her, and her heart broke.

The snowstorm that shut down everything in the city for at least 2 days was fun to play in. Constance got all bundled up and went out on the deck; meanwhile, Ana and I cheered her on from the warm house.

It was a sword fight at the dinner table.

Constance passed level 1 at her swim school. I was so surprised and proud of her when the teacher threw her into the pool and she floated to the surface all by herself, twice in a row. This is a big improvement from the little girl who screamed through some of her lessons because the water touched her chin.

I was brushing my hair in the bathroom and turned around to see that Ana had already started sorting the laundry for me. She seemed to know exactly what to do: take each item out of the basket, inspect them carefully, try a few on, then dump it on the floor, and move on to the next one.

Constance had her face painted for the first time for Valentine's Day. She did a really good job of sitting very still.

Constance insisted that this was the proper use of a foldable potty seat (don't worry, it was clean). Daddy reluctantly took a picture to document the occasion.

Tom and I were on a date, driving to Target, and I commented how we hadn't taken any pictures.

And finally, Constance and her dad were discussing cutie marks (from My Little Ponies) and she informed him that his cutie mark is telling him: "YOU HAVE TO GO TO WORK!!!!" This was of course in the evening when Tom was trying to recover from work.