Santa and bits at the end of the weekend

.We saw Santa at our local home improvement place yesterday - where I happen to be a plumbing consultant during much of my week...

 Watching Christmas trees, houses and carousels

 Miss Judi, getting an explanation about Santa

 Esme seeing Santa and freezing... but only momentarily.  I think there was also a line, and she was trying to decide how to feel about waiting.

 Santa, look, that is my Grandma!

She sat on his lap and told him about the things she had written in her letter.  I had a hard time hearing all of it because there was a fan going - and I got a couple of eyebrows over something I did not hear, but she seemed very happy he had understood the giraffe and spaceship ideas.

 Candid shots from the triplets that were there before us, we caught one of the elves yawning on the job.

Cuteness Wars.  What a scowl!

We hope to work more on the extra atmospheric vehicle today.  I have a few little sewing things I could do - have to get ambition to work on those or to start something new.  I have been looking at lots of sewing patterns but only slightly inspired, and nothing enough to set to fabric.  I was slightly depressed yesterday by more problems with my Minnesota family, but there isn't anything I can do except give them some advice and then try to stay away from the topic.  It has been raining for several days - warm, not cold... but still, depressing weather does not help.  I'd like to have some sunlight.

I took Esme's measurements today - since she has turned five.  She is 21 w, 23 chest with a 25.5 inch length from outside hip to ankle.  She is 44 inches tall, and about 44 lbs (Mark used the fish scale).. she said that was fun and she was very strong and Daddy was very strong for picking her up.  The patterns I am currently using for her are a size 5 vintage pants pattern and a size 6 vintage dress pattern

This is Butterick 4655, which I do not own but was the only one I was impressed with during my search today.  I have something that will do this already in my collection.  I'm not sure what draws me to this one -- square collars have always done well on Esme, but I do not often use them anymore, as they are much more difficult to set the facing on.  I know I am also drawn to that golden yellow color often - but it isn't Esme's color, hardly anything is a 'bad' color for her, but blues and greens and purples seem to be the majority of her wardrobe.

 Up and Away book, 1949 - we have been reading this before bed and the pictures are gorgeous.  The writing is just above Esme's level, she knows a lot of the 'small' words but needs to take her time so she doesn't say 'far' is 'for' or 'was' is 'went' etc..  That is good to have her pay close attention (when possible, isn't always), stretch, sound things out etc...

Esme and I made a map of the house on paper 'just like Electric Company' today, and went around placing stickers and using a pen to mark where that would correspond on the map.   ie: by the refrigerator, on the stairs, at the edge of the bathtub etc.  Then, we backtracked and put all the stickers back onto the map where they had been in the house.  We hung it up on her wall, and she thought it was a great game :)  I loved watching her gears turn when she tried to figure out which was the kitchen sink and which was the bathroom sink... and three times she forgot what the toilet was in the map - but stood there and worked it out from memory at least once for herself.

Green winter dress, thoughts on five years old

Green winter dress Second winter dress, an inch longer, different collar and different skirt gathering - same pattern (butterick 3200). I like to evaluate the fit of the first one before going on to the next, so yesterday I watched her wearing the other dress and decided the collar could be a tiny bit more open for her, the sleeves (which I worried about) were actually perfect and the gathering on the first skirt was so time consuming I tried this again to save some work. I used to do all of her skirts like this.

I am thinking of a button up shirt next, with long sleeves, and a pair of matching pants. I can whip the pants out in an hour - but the shirt takes more fortitude... This is my last day off for a while. I want to get the Swiss Chard and rutabaga in the ground and we need to put the plastic up on the windows today, as well. Mark just finished roasting pulled pork for the week and it is good... we are hoping for that to be part of our Thanksgiving to bring up to Grandma, with roasted apples and rice.

Esme is watching Emperor's New Groove. She likes the man turning into a camel (llama, really). We watched some Eskimo things on Youtube this morning, building an igloo and catching fish. She watched them cut the fish and said it was Ewww, but also that they could put them on a fire and make them good. I have been showing her how to 'check the weather' for me in the morning in the same way I had her start learning to tell time. She learns to read her numbers that way, too. It's fun to see what she can do and what she is interested in. We played 'train' yesterday where we put pillows on the end of the bed to drive the train and identified stops (sheep world, dragon world, word world etc..) so things could get on, get tickets, get off etc etc... Mark also found a brush yesterday that says it is a teasing brush - but does a very good job on Esme's hair without pulling on it. We want her to make attempts at brushing her own hair with it to keep it in better condition between washings.

We've also been testing her brain lately with logic. It helps to see her try to figure out what to say - and encourages her to think new things. That was what the Eskimo thing was about - she said she was not an Eskimo, she was a person named Esme. I told her about Eskimoes on that note, and how they used to live in igloos and still build them and catch fish. Other logic things : 'Don't get Mouse cat's tail stuck in the door' (she is a Manx), now she makes sure the cat has a tail before she tells me she is being careful of their tail and the door. We also told her to 'Go out and build a tree.' of which she said this to me : 'But, Mama can build a tree - with a door and a door and a house! Mama can make a tree house!' Where? 'Here!' In the house? A tree house in a house would be a house house? To that, she sighed and rolled her eyes and then told me it would be tiny, a tree on the floor, and like pretend, and she would have me build it with sewing tiny so she could put her pretend figure in it. She has repeated that request this morning. The kid thinks I can sew anything ;) Ha.

I was watching Esme sprawled out napping while watching a show last night and also watching Daphne puppy sprawled out on a beanbag asleep - and thinking about how all of our young ones are stretching and growing and becoming all feet and legs. Watching her run to Grandma's house, and then later walk back with Grandma, dancing and swirling around her as she meets Daddy on the driveway.. pulling on arms, spinning, waiting patiently as they talk, waiting impatiently... running, laughing and dashing for the door.... I see her growing in many ways lately - quickly, in spurts.. I walk into her room and find blocks everywhere, figures, 'stories' set up like miniature plays. She is reading and spelling more small words, using bigger words in her speech and working hard at her syntax.