Ella Update

I don't think I ever appreciated how quickly a two year old changes and evolves until I had one move in with me. They seem so static from the outside (yep, still small, still walking, still blonde, etc...). So I thought it was time to provide an update of all the exciting things going on in Ella's life, starting with a list of her favorites.

Favorite food-- Cheese
Favorite color-- Purple (pronounced "purpur")
Favorite movie-- Tree Medvedya, Russian cartoon of Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Favorite book-- "Pinkalicious" (referred to as "girl")
Favorite number-- 2, easy to count to
Favorite shirt-- Purple My Little Pony shirt from GAP, care of her Aunt Alyson, who really knows how to make little girls happy.
Favorite passtime-- Changing dollies' diapers. Sadly, she's not as keen to have her own diaper changed.
Favorite sentence-- "Ella do." Heard about 25 times a day by parents
Favorite doll-- Bitty Baby from grandma. How does she know it's the nicest doll?
Favorite toy-- My Little Ponies
Favorite activity-- taking baths, especially if there is a washcloth involved so that she can 'clean' the tub thoroughly.
Favorite song-- San Francisco Bay Blues by Eric Clapton (usually accompanied by jumping on the bed)
Favorite New Year's Resolution-- To be like Eliza Calaway in every way.
Mom's favorite time of the day-- right before bed when we read stories and sing a bedtime song. It's the only time of day she holds still, listens (somewhat) attentively, and cuddles.

Christmas Jammies

I'm still posting pictures from Christmas. It's just easier to do it from our home computer and we weren't home until two weeks ago. This is one of Ella, Eliza and Tessa in their Christmas jammies from my mom. Ella is really into matching things, so she was very excited to have matching jammies with two of her favorite people.
Nate, naturally.

Ella with her mentor, Eliza in their twinner jammies. Andrew did Ella's bow for this picture.

The Zion Curtain

When we were in Utah over the holidays there was wide press coverage about a certain state senator who wants to tighten the already stranglesome state liquor laws. As they currently stand, it is illegal for a bartender to pass a drink to a patron over a counter at a restaurant. That would make the establishment a "bar" which are more or less illegal in Utah. Instead, the patron must order his drink through a clear plexiglass barrier, colloquially known as a "Zion Curtain." The bartender then prepares the drink and walks around the barrier and hands the drink to the patron, thus preserving the non-barness of the establishment and presumably the morals (or at least mores)of the desseret state. It also gives rise to a great phrase, "Zion Curtain," that I personally think should be adapted into broader useage to describe any general cultural gaps between Utahns and their fellow Americans. This particular lawmaker is not satisfied with the Zion Curtain and is proposing that the preparation of the drink in plain sight of everyone in the restaurant, including young, impressionably minors, encourages underage drinking (or if we're being honest, any-age drinking). His solution? Have the drinks prepared in a separate dark closed space, a kind of alcohol closet and then stealthily passed to the sinning patron, thus attracting as little attention to the vice as possible. Governor Huntsman opposes the Zion Curtain and certainly opposes the closet preparation approach, leading me to believe he's one of the few Utah lawmakers who has actually spent time outside the state. I for one was shocked and amused to read about the state of the state's liquor laws in general, and impressed with the creativity of some lawmakers in actually coming up with ways to make them more restrictive. As it is, in order to go to a bar-like establishment for the main goal of drinking alcohol, a person must actually join a private club, pay a subscription fee, present a membership card (as well as valid id) and submit personal information such as address, phone number and date of birth into writing. This way, the state officials can run background checks on all the members to ensure that they are in fact over 21, which remarkably is still the legal drinking age in Utah. I guess it doesn't affect me much as I a) do not live in Utah and b) like many residents in Utah, don't drink. But I can't help but wonder if the state's resources, especially in a time of recession, might be better marshalled. Perhaps they could focus on better snow removal instead.

The Night Before Christmas

On Christmas Eve the kids did a little pageant. Ella was an angel but I didn't think to bring a costume for her. Luckily, Eliza had a slip that fit the bill. Ella stayed close by her mentor's side.
After the pageant, we had a variety show. Andrew made his debut performance in a Brinton family variety show. He had to compete with a puppet show, an art exhibit, some capoeira and an impressive display of milk-drinking from the best milk-chugger at Wasatch Elementary School.

Ella performed a somersault for her talent. Here she is looking pleased after a successful execution of the tricky manuever. Ella's first variety show was at the Calaway house when she was just a few weeks old. Ben and Eliza spent a lot of time helping her prepare her trick-- holding a tube of chapstick.

Best Christmas Present

Sometimes when we fly we get upgraded on the domestic leg of the trip. Now that we're buying a separate ticket for Ella, it is a little more complicated. She never gets upgraded because she's not medallion (yet). On the flight from SLC to New York, Andrew and I got upgraded, but Ella didn't. So we decided I would take Ella with me in first class while Andrew flew coach alone and got some sleep (we both agreed that coach alone is better than first class with a toddler). When we got to New York, Andrew got upgraded to first class for the leg back to Moscow. He let me take his spot while he did the last and hardest leg of the trip with Ella back in coach. It was my first time flying without Ella in two years, and my first time in international business class. In short, it was my best flight ever. I got plenty of sleep, enjoyed great food, and plenty of movies. Andrew got his first experience flying alone with a toddler. It was such a great present.

At the Mall

Ella enjoyed shopping (for short periods) at the mall. She especially liked the dressing rooms with all the mirrors. Here she is helping Andrew buy some pants at Banana Republic.

She got to visit Santa with all her cousins. Afterwards, she got a See's sucker. She was pretty tired by the end, so she figured out how to enjoy it without hands.

Chain of Causality

Almost two years ago, a careless worker clearing the perilous ice off the roof of our building sent a large chunk of ice smashing onto the windshield of our car, shattering it instantly. We had it repaired at the dealership, but a few months later started noticing that water leaked into the car every time it rained. Tired of sitting on wet seats and worried about mildew, we took it in for a repair of the first shoddily installed windshield. Unfortunately, on the way to the dealership to get the repair repaired, Andrew hit an oil slick and crashed into one of six other cars in the pileup, denting the side door and ruining one of the tires and hubcaps. We took that it to get fixed while we were away for the holidays. Upon returning and picking up the car, we learned that the tires on our car are no longer being manufactured, and therefore cannot be replaced, nor can the missing hubcap. Rosno insurance is instead refunding us the value of the tire and hubcap and we are on our own to scour reapir shops in Moscow looking for a remnant matching tire and hubcap. It's hard not to wonder sometimes how much trouble we would have saved if the man clearing the roof that day had been a little more careful, or if I had just happened to park the car one space over.