Elizabeth Mitchell in the woods!

Elizabeth Mitchell

Children's folksinger extraordinaire.

Introduced to us by Sarah.

Lucky for us - she came through DC this summer!  

We went with our theater-group friends (you've seen them before on this blog!) in the beautifully breathtaking outdoor 'theater in the woods' - part of Wolf Trap.  An artistic venue unlike any I've ever seen.

Isn't this SPECTACULAR!?

A's friends have new little sibs.  Soon she will too!

show date!

Ains and her two best buds from daycare have been livin' it up here in DC!  They attended 2 fantastic children's theater events this fall together.  The one featured here was written by her own sweet friend's dad!  Then, we saw an unforgettable drama,dance,paint,music,lighting,sound multi media (2 person) show during EuroFest from Italy. (youtube promo video below)

They were so tickled to meet the actors!
(actors: 2 ladies center, writer: far left, musician: far right )

Our Little Princess

Snow White has officially taken residence.

Not a day goes by without the dress and shoes going on, the song being sung, and a complete acting out of the scene where she gets scared in the forest and falls to the ground (fast fwd) to when the prince has to kiss her and wake her up again.

Little Wooden Dolls

 These magical fairy dolls....

 ... were hand-made with loving care by one of my kindergartners this year, especially for Ainsley as an end of the year gift.  SO. PRECIOUS.  Thank you, Miss Emma!

wishes

It's no secret around here, that Ainsley craves a little brother.  She announced that she was thankful for her baby brother last Thanksgiving, and absolutely lost it when her cousin Baby Cole didn't turn out to actually live here as her brother.  Now she's asking for the brother of her favorite storybook character:

playsilks

 If you don't have any - go buy them!

 These incredible silks were hand-dyed by Ains' dear Auntie "Sawah" - with love - and are absolutely magical.  Sar, Prim, Tulip & Snap: Ains would like to add to your book of 'what to do with them'...

 spread them out - just right (this takes several tries)

 Make a foot bandage. (Warning: slippery)

 Make a bed! (One of her favorites)

(notice the dark pink is the pillow -that's her especially favorite one. She doesn't let Jake or her dollies use that one.)

 Make a hat for mommy.

 Dress up the pup.

 Skirt and shirt!

Make a dancing dress.

 Give yourself a very special place to...

 ... sit.

 'Night Night, Jake'

 play with air, gravity, light, color and movement

 make it BIG!

 or lovely.

 

or - my personal favorite - make an interpretive Modern Dance:

 

Thank you so very much, Auntie and Cousins!  What a lasting, imaginative, beautiful and heartfelt gift.

The Chimney Mystery - a wordless picture story

And, just because she's so darn cute in these green jammies, a little peek into Ainsley Being Mommy (a daily occurance around here):

I want to taht abowt tats...

... aka "I want to talk about cats" ... a phrase we hear about 50 times per day.

 

(That's sunflower seed butter - a favorite spooned out of a bowl.)

These stories are so REAL for her!  It continues to amaze me.  I have to say, Jasper's a natural at storytelling.  He has created an entire world with Ainsley's favorite characters: Miriam, Gowan and Tommy.

There's a Monster in the Kitchen

There's a monster living in our kitchen. Ainsley explained that the monster likes to cook dinner.

Nothing Like a Box

First Imaginary Friend

Lyabee (pronounced: lie-a-bee)

Ainsley's first imaginary friend showed up today!  She apparently misses her mommy and daddy.  Her mommy works in Washington DC.  She is 2 but will decidedly be 3 at her next birthday.  We don't know when that is. She likes to dance.  She can be held in Ainsley's hands.  She's a fantastic conversationalist in the car.  And she came over for dinner and playtime tonight.

(photos by Jack)

Tiger Teeth

Another Lost Naptime

Old MacDonald's Farm, her mini stuffed 'Easter Bunny', "I love you Easter Bunny", daddy, New Baby, Baby Stella, this little piggy goes to market.... naptime is a party in the crib!

Do you believe in ghosts?

Ainsley woke with a fright, screaming and crying with her eyes wide open and staring at a specific spot across her room. It took several (10?) minutes to calm her down. When she finally calmed, she said:

Sohya come play wid me. She died. She nigh night. She over dere.

She's woken every night for the last few nights - and continues to talk about Sohya. Sometimes she says she likes her. Sometimes she says she is scared. Apparently Sohya is everywhere... can be in our room or other places around the house. Our house is indeed nearly 100 years old, in an historic district, could be a ghost. Or perhaps it's an imaginary friend.