May I vent for a minute? I think that the packaging gods have it in for parents or something. I had a heck of a time helping Natalya get her presents out of their respective boxes on Christmas morning. Each and every little item was secured in the box by a long piece of wire that was twisted this way and that. By the time I got to the sixth or seventh one I was ready to bring out the big bolt cutters! Only you can't do that really because you might clip the Little Mermaid's head off by accident.
What happened to the good old days when little toy pieces floated freely inside their boxes?
Suffice it to say that as a parent, I often find myself doing things that no sane person would ever do. For example, here I am drying the Little Mermaid's hair after she had a bath with Natalya on Christmas night. I couldn't send either one of the girls to bed with a wet head now could I?!
And here's the reason I do all of these crazy things...my sweet Natalya!
She's enjoying her first time playing in 'real' snow -- ever. This was taken a couple days before Christmas. This guy in San Carlos brings in a truck load of snow every year and dumps it in front of his house. Kids come from miles around to play in the snow :)
natalya and i built a gingerbread house together over the holiday break. it was quite an experience to say the least. here's my favorite quote from the event:
