Sushi for Simone

We've never had a problem with Simone trying and liking all kinds of different foods, so on Saturday night we decided to bring her with us for Japanese food for the first time. She ate her entire meal with her chopsticks, and liked it so much that she asked us if "we could eat with chopsticks more often." lol!
Daddy was jealous of her bento box, and happy that she seemed to like Japanese food as much as he does.
She most enjoyed the rice and chicken. Not as big a fan of the tempura, but we were proud of her for trying everything -- even the miso soup.
We were reluctant to give her the sushi rolls, but she did enjoy a cucumber roll.
Our udon noodles were a little difficult for her, but she did love picking the vegetables out of that dish.
We had a great meal and will definitely be back. So far Japanese has proven one of Simone's favorites, and there's something to be said for any meal that keeps Simone sitting still and engaged the entire time even without the promise of ice cream at the end!

Simone's Very First Haircut

Except for one tiny curl that I clipped when Simone was an infant, tonight was the first time anyone took scissors to Simone's hair. It was a night of mixed emotion -- Simone was thrilled to be able to sit in the chair and get a haircut like mommy does; mommy was happy to see her so excited, but also sad that she is growing up too fast. It's amazing how much lighter her hair has gotten over the years. It's even hard to remember how dark black her hair was when she was born. Simone cooperated wonderfully with the hair stylist who complimented her curls before she brushed them out to a head full of frizz. Apparently it's easier to cut curly hair dry, who knew?
At daddy's insistence (and mommy's concurrence), she only trimmed Simone's hair slightly. The end result is barely noticeable, but much needed. Her ends were getting rather dry and split.
TA DA!! All finished. Simone can't wait until next time.

Happy New Year!!

We decided to have a low key new year's eve visiting Uncle Jim. The adults spent much of the night on their new electronic devices figuring out all the features, while the kids watched "Cheer in the New Year" on Sprout. We sprinkled in a whole lot of food, and voila!, happy 2012!
Jack and Simone took the opportunity to have one last holiday dance party on the porch.

And even the kids got a little action on the iPad...

Finally, a little bit of the show...

Christmas 2012

Each year Simone has more and more fun playing with all of her cousins at the holidays. This year they had a birthday cake for Jack, a virtually endless string of dance parties, and
a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve. Oh, to be 4 years old again...

All the kids have blue mouths from the icing on Jack's birthday cake.
What would Christmas be without reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" say, oh, 497 times.