Chloé et Margot dansent

C'est la fete!

The Princes and Princesses!
Not pictured:Prince Eli and Princess Margot

Making the crowns...

Chloe had a princess-themed birthday party filled with fun and friends yesterday evening. We started with a little face painting by Papa Jerome, followed by a game of Pin the Crown on the Princess. Then we had special birthday princess cookies (homemade by Mama, Grandpa, and Chloe) and snacks. After, all the invites made and decorated a prince or princess crown.

Then, we sang and danced the Hokey Pokey. Chloe loves that song since learning it at preschool, and she asked if we could do it at her party. And you know what? It was a huge hit. The kids loved it! Very cute. Then, each prince and princess got a special glow in the dark bracelet and were invited to a ball in Princess Margot's room (decorated with Christmas lights). The dancing was a big hit as well. Finally, the kids all went on a scavenger hunt to find a treat sack.

The only downside: her good friend Ava was sick and couldn't come. We'll celebrate with her later when she is better! Otherwise, Chloe had a great time with her friends--thank you everyone for coming to celebrate with us!

Deja quatre ans...

Four years ago...

and today.

Yesterday was Chloe's birthday ("for the real," as she likes to say. We had a wonderful day! When she awoke, Papa was already at work, and so we saved presents for the evening. We did call Papy and Mamie and opened their lovely princess dress (above) and jewelry (including clip on earrings!). She adores it! The girls and I went to the bookstore, and Chloe picked out a new book of her choice: The Princess and Frog. She is so excited for this new movie to come out in December. We went out for a fun pancake and sausage brunch (some of her favorite foods). Then she napped, and Papa was home. She opened our present--a Melissa and Doug Princess Castle. She loves it! It fits her little princess Polly dolls and figurines perfectly.

After some play time and a special surprise from her best friend Ava (she brought Chloe flowers...so sweet), Grandpa, Grandma, and a few other relatives came. We had a great dinner, a princess cake (decorated by me--that's another story!), and more presents. Chloe got some clothes, barrettes, hat and mittens for winter, a beautiful Barbie doll, a tool set (something she has really wanted for awhile), and some more dress up things (including more earrings--I have never seen clip-on earrings for kids until today).

Today, Chloe is taking a birthday treat at school, and Saturday, she is having six friends over for a princess-themed party, so the festivities continue....

Chloe's first day of school

Chloe started school today, and she did so great! She jumped right in and played at the sand table with a little boy. When I picked her up, she eagerly shared all she did, including reading Five Little Monkeys, which she remembers incredibly well for only having read it once, playing with Play Dough, playing with sand, drawing pictures, and (of course) having a snack. She was so happy to have a paper (her picture) to bring home in her backpack. Overall, it was an incredibly positive experience!

Way to go, Sweet Pea!

Margot marche!

We just spent a wonderful extended weekend up north, and little Miss Margot had a big surprise for us: she finally started walking! After showing signs of readiness for the last two months, she just decided Saturday to get up and start. Now it is the only thing she wants to do. We are all so happy for her!

Tranche de vie

Après avoir peint deux tableaux à l'eau ("La maison de Papi et Mamie" et "Tablier et Serpents"), Chloé a créé sa première image avec le logiciel Paint.

Miró, prends garde à toi.

Tranche de Vie, 06/26/2009

Note: I hope to make "Tranche de Vie" (in English, "Slice of Life") a recurring blog entry detailing the current likes, dislikes, and activities of the girls.

Margot's new word: saying "cheese" when I take a picture

Margot likes: wagon rides and being out and about* (and saying "hiiiiii" to strangers)

Margot dislikes: having her diaper changed without a "boot" (book)

Margot's new skill: climbing furniture (yikes) and standing on her own

Margot's new favorite toy: Duplo blocks; she likes to unpack them and put them away, and work on connecting them

Chloe's new favorite song: The Beatles' "Carry That Weight"

Cute Chloe moment: overhearing her explain to Papa at breakfast today that all of The Beatles are boys even though they sometimes sound like girls

Chloe's looking forward to: making crepes with Mamie in France

Chloe likes: being outside a lot, especially running around in her swimsuit* in the sprinkler*

Chloe dislikes: the dark and monsters

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*to be out and about= etre de sortie (I'm not entirely sure on this one)
*swimsuit=maillot de bain
*sprinkler=arroseur/jet d'eau

Chloe commence la gymnastique

To help the French readers, I have translated some of the more difficult words. Let me know if this helps...


Chloe started her gymnastics class today and, oh-my-goodness, was she so cute in her little leotard.* This class was again just for kids--no parents allowed--and Chloe had no problem saying goodbye and running in with the rest of the kids. She really enjoyed it, especially jumping on the trampoline. She'll be going twice a week up until our French trip.

Also, here is a picture she drew recently that I just love. She called it "Man Sleeping"* and was proud that she drew his eyes closed. The little circle in the sky is the moon.






leotard=collant
Man Sleeping=Bonhomme qui dort

Plus des photos de notre sejours

My dad added his pictures to his flickr page, so here are some of his from our trip up north.

This reminds me that Margot likes to feed herself now using a spoon!

I love this picture. The only thing missing is Jerome.

Chloe with her fishing pole and the fish she caught; naturally (for her), she wore a dress fishing.

Un sejours avec Tonton Joel

This past weekend, Chloe and Margot went to their first wedding; Chloe was so excited! She loved the bride's dress (she loves dresses that "go all the way down to the floor"--it is what she wants for her birthday) and the flower girl's dress as well. After dinner, she had a great time dancing with the kids and playing Ring Around the Rosie.

Joel and his girlfriend Marissa came home and went as well, and the next day, we all went up north with Grandpa and Grandma, too. (Jerome stayed home for work, unfortunately, but in a little more than a week, summer vacation will start for him--we can't wait!). The weather was C-O-L-D up north, but we still had fun. Chloe went on a boat ride, on a canoe ride (which she noted was "so relaxing"), fishing, and more. Chloe caught a good sized fish on her little pole--you will have to check Grandpa's flickr site for pictures of that. She also made a hot dog and S'mores over a campfire (which was something she really wanted to do after reading a story where the characters do just that). We also celebrated Joel's upcoming birthday by making chocolate cupcakes. Margot had a little cold and is still teething (one molar finally popped through--three more to go now), so she was rather clingy to her mama and grandma, but she loved looking at the trees/forest and ringing the wind chimes. We really had a great time.

We came home last night, had a quick dinner with Joel and Marissa, and then it was time to say goodbye. When they left, I was sad, as I always am with goodbyes, and Chloe noticed. She came to me, patted my shoulder, and said, "Are you sad, Mama?" I answered yes, that I was sad that Uncle Joel was going home. She answered, "That's okay, Mama. Grandma and Grandpa are still nice." I love her empathy, and her way of trying to cheer me up.

I have two sweet little girls.

Mots d'enfants

Margot is officially 13 months tomorrow, and she is not at all interested in walking yet. I think it is because she is rather into talking right now. She adds new words often, the latest being "night-night." She also has added the word "butt" to her repertoire, thanks to big sister Chloe. I don't think Chloe really knew what she was doing, since we really don't use the word "butt" often in our house (Jerome, of course, opts for the French "fesses", and I actually use the Polish word "dupa"). Well anyway, Margot says it clear as day. Often.

We had a great Memorial Day weekend here. Friday, Chloe and I gardened with my dad, ripping out enormous weeds that had taken over the south side of our house and replacing them with hostas and lillies. Chloe has really taken an interest in flowers and planting. Then, Saturday, we spent the evening with neighbors, including Chloe's best bud Ava and some new friends, two more little girls, she has been playing with lately as well. Sunday we spent with good friends who are moving within the month. They are not moving far away, but we will miss having them just a few blocks away. Chloe has always played well with their older boy, and they have a younger boy who is Margot's age, too (though he is only three months older, it really makes a hug difference at this age).

Soon, it will be June, and then July: time for France!

Bonne Anniversaire Margot

Margot turns one today, and last night we had a birthday party to celebrate. She did great. She enjoyed her banana cupcake and did well opening her presents. Her favorite present so far is a pink ride-on car. Chloe was such a patient, helpful big sister at the party. She helped Margot open presents only when Margot needed it, and she helped Margot blow out her candle.

It's been rainy here again, but Friday was beautiful. Chloe was absolutely delighted to blow bubbles, water the plants, and jump rope (or at least trying to jump rope). As for Margot, she has been making some big advances lately. She now also says "bye-bye," "hi," and her first French word--"tiens." When Jerome gives her food, he says "tiens" ("take this"). She says it now when she gives us something! So cute! She has also started feeding her doll with a bottle or spoon of pretend food.

Happy Birthday, Margot!

Joyeuses Paques

We had a great Easter--Easter basket hunt in the morning followed by brunch with family at my parents. Here the girls are in their Easter dresses.

Now we are lucky enough to get to enjoy a week with Papa home from school! It will be busy (I'm finishing my preparation for my comprehensive exams for my masters this Saturday), but fun. The girls have some new toys to play with. Chloe got a great doll from the Easter bunny--a Corolle doll that speaks French (it asks to go peepee, to drink, to eat, to go to bed, and more). We can also change the language to English, Italian, or Spanish. It is so sweet. Margot got a toy telephone, which she is delighted about (so is Mama--maybe I can have my phone in peace now!). Also, Margot got the sweetest music box with dancing frogs from Uncle Joel from his recent trip to Switzerland--this is the current favorite toy of the house. And hopefully the weather will warm back up again so we can play outside!

Happy Spring everyone!

Les bonhommes de neige, et ce n'est pas un blague du premier avril…

Well, the weather has been "pourri" here--all rain and snow and chilliness. On Saturday night, we got six inches of snow. Chloe and I were driving through it the next day, passing snowmen everywhere, when I asked if she wanted to build a snowman when we got home. She said no, because, "She wants it to turn summer." My thoughts exactly...

To escape the cold rain, we went to a new story hour today with our pals Kristen and Sophie. It was insanely packed--mamas and kids everywhere. The story was impossible to hear, but Chloe was excited to see a real fireman! That explains the chaos! Still, he gave out fire hats to all the kids, so Chloe was delighted.

Other than that, with this weather, it has been a lot of playing inside for us. We need to get creative with new games. The picture above is of Chloe's new one: fixing Margot's "hair." As you can see, Margot just wants to read her "boo." She still says "boo" (book), "ba" (ball), and "more"all the time, but she throws a mama and even a papa in there every so often for good measure. The other day, I thought I heard "hi" again, too.

Now the girls are napping, and I am making a big pot of soup to warm the house and our souls.

Margot sait ce que elle veut.

We've had wonderful weather here, and the girls have enjoyed being outside again after the long winter. We went to the park on Tuesday (it was 70F). Margot loved swinging. She laughed hysterically the whole time. I'll try to get a picture of it next time we go.

Margot is saying "boo" for book and "ba" for ball. She seems to be picking up words more quickly than Chloe did at this age. I am sure that is partially due to Chloe, who talks all the time.

Another cute Margot thing: when I put her finger food in front of her, she picks out what she doesn't want and throws it on the floor before eating what she does want. It is funny to see her little personality developing.

Chloe has a fixation on time lately, telling me that she will do something in 14 minutes, for example. If I ask her what time it is out of the blue, she always has an answer, something like "30 o'clock." She tries to read the clock, too, but just focuses on the minute hand to tell the time for the hour.

Chloe went to a birthday party last Sunday at a "FunWorld"-type place. She liked all of it, except the big air-filled castle where the kids can jump around. She was terrified in there. She loved the smaller version of it, though. Overall, she had a great time with the kids.

Les filles dansent

Margot "talking" to a doll


Chloe sewing on my old sewing machine


Margot's smiles


Chloe laughing

If flickr is looking a little strange lately, it is because I am using my account to hold some pictures for my last master's course: Multimedia Concepts and Authoring Tools. That is also why I haven't had to time to post pictures of the girls, but my parents have uploaded some on their page. I put my favorites above.

Chloe has loved her "big girl" story time at the library; she has one more week left. A few weeks ago, she went to a sock hop, which she adorably calls a "hop sock," and had so much fun dancing with the kids. She showed me a new dance move when she got home: spinning on one foot. Margot has started to dance, too--so sweet. I'll try to get a video of it to post. Margot has been also going through some major teething. Two more popped out last week, and her gums look all swollen. I'm sure more are on the way.

Les filles grandissent...

Little Margot is keeping me on my toes, crawling all over the place and exploring everything, especially the phone and the vacuum cleaner. Chloe's places to play with her big girl toys are slowly reducing when Margot is awake. Margot loves all of Chloe's tiny toys, and she can reach everywhere in the living room. Two days ago, Margot even managed to climb up two stairs.

Chloe is getting so big so fast. Today, she is going to her first library story time for big kids, which means that she goes without Mama or Papa. We also got word that she got a place in the preschool class we wanted, which will start next fall. She'll go in the mornings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Last weekend, I took the girls up north. Chloe loved it even if there was snow past her waist. She even went with Grandpa on the "big icy lake" to go ice fishing. Grandpa was a trooper--carrying Chloe down the hill, through the woods and deep snow, to the lake. The girls had a great time (check out a few pictures on flickr).

I forgot to mention a couple weeks back that Jerome took Chloe to her first symphony. The MSO holds Kinderkonzerts every once in a while, and this time they were playing Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty (La Belle au Bois dormant), among other things, upon which the Disney movie songs are musically based. Chloe was so excited, telling Jerome, "Papa, they're playing my songs." So sweet. She also got to attend a workshop beforehand where she was able to try playing a violin.

La photographie et une vidéo

Check out my flickr site for a new collection of photos by Chloe, some new pictures of the girls, and a video of Margot crawling. I love crawling babies...such a fun stage. Margot is exploring everything, and she likes to sit in front of the stairs and stare at them. They must look like the ultimate challenge to her right now.

Chloe's pictures are great. I weeded them a bit, since there were 300. I'm not sure anyone loves her photography enough to see 24 pictures of the couch. Anyway, she is playing with the camera's special features, adding borders and so forth. Enjoy!

Se tenir debout et la Saint-Valentin

A little update from our household:

Margot
Margot has started to pull into standing entirely by herself. She was able to do it if you put her in a sitting position first, but now it's the real deal. My mom set her in the crib for a moment this morning, and returned to find her standing holding on to the railing, which was really cute until she fell down. I guess she'll learn quickly how to get out of standing position. Also, I may have been hearing things, but I really thought I heard her say "Mama" yesterday.


She also had her first play time with another baby her age last week, Makenah, who was crawling circles around my little Margot. Margot can move, but it is not crawling, yet. She crawls for about three steps and then goes down, then she is right back up for three more, then down again. She'll get there. In any case, she can get where she wants to go, which is usually where Chloe is playing with her teensy-tiny toys, which brings the girls to a whole new chapter of their relationship.

Chloe
Chloe is super-excited for Valentine's Day. She has been holiday crazy ever since Christmas, which was great fun in January, the month of nothingness. That's okay--she kept me busy with her "art projects." Regarding Valentine's, she already has it planned out whom she is making a Valentine for, whom she is getting a Valentine from (just Papa) and what the Valentine will entail (card plus heart sucker). Jerome and I never celebrated V Day, but we will now!

Chloe's friend had a birthday party yesterday, and Chloe had a lot of fun. In her treat bag, she got a sparkly calculator, which she calls her i-Phone. Blame that one entirely on her grandmother, folks; we don't even have an i-Phone.

A bientot! (I know, I know. It's without the circumflex accent. Apparently, Blogger doesn't accept accents. How disappointing!)

UPDATE:
Margot woke up from her nap...and is crawling! Yeah!

Il fait si froid, dehors; ici c`est confortable: Deux

So it's a little bit chilly here: -3 out right now, with a low today of -20 and wind chills of -40. For you Celsius people: that's -19C right now, with a low of -29 and wind chills of -40. School is canceled, which is the fun part of the show, since frost bite sets in at this temperature in one minute.

Il fait si froid, dehors; ici c`est confortable.

I must say that Chloe has cool taste in music for a three year old. Her current favorite artist is Edith Piaf, favorite song "Milord." She can sing it well, too (I tried to sing it with her, but she corrects me-- "No, Mama, 'vous asseoir à ma table.'" On a related note, I am noticing more and more little bits of French that Chloe knows that I don't--it's amazing). Other top songs: "Miss you" (by The Rolling Stones), "Brave Margot" (by Georges Brassens), "Because," and "Here Comes the Sun."

We went to the Milwaukee Public Museum yesterday with Sophie and Kristin, and I was amazed at how much Chloe loved it. She was terrified of the butterfly room (there are butterflies flying all around and landing on you--not Chloe's cup of tea), but loved everything else. I think her favorite was Old World Milwaukee, where you can pear into the windows of fake immigrant houses and shops from about 120 years ago. Check out flickr for a few more pics!