playground photos!

i really got out of the blogging groove - i'm sure you could tell :)
part of the problem is that i got out of the habit of bringing my camera everywhere, so i made a point to bring it with me to the playground this weekend.  it's still cold here in ny, but we still managed to have a good time!

giant snow

the weather was weird yesterday.  i walked home in sleet that felt like needles on my face - but the temperature was fluctuating so rapidly that sometimes the sidewalk was a slushy mess and sometimes it was a sheet of ice - all within 15 minutes.  i got home to find penny pretty punchy in the bathtub.  she and her sitter were all giggly and she was warm and smelled delicious.  i got her all changed into pajamas and she asked if we could read one bedtime story on the couch, and one in her bed.  this sounded like a fine plan to me.  we got all settled on the couch, and she looked out the window, pointed, and said "look at the snow, mama!"  it was falling in some of the most giant flakes i have ever seen in my life.  we ended up turning off the light, and sitting snuggled together on the couch just watching the snow together for a while.  i haven't felt so relaxed and at peace with myself and the world in a long time.

valentine's treats

for three days in a row, penny has been in charge of getting herself dressed.  today she really outdid herself.

 it's so pink!  so appropriate for valentine's day!  her face is painted for purim!  she's got quite the fashion sense.
alex brought home delicious valentine's treats for us!

we hope your valentine's day was great!

happy valentine's day!

penny's arm is bigger than a carrot...most of the time.

winter!

last week, we had a very busy sunday.  we started off at the museum of natural history, where we wandered through the food exhibit.  

 there was a kitchen offering demonstrations and taste testing of chocolate.  we could not convince penny to try it, which was pretty weird, but she was mostly not eating last week.  she did decorate her own chef's hat, though.

at lunch, penny and alex decided to go on a penguin and polar bear hunt, and downloaded the AMNH app.

Success!

 After a great museum trip, we went home to watch the most important sporting event of the year!

Puppy Bowl!

 This weekend was snowy!  Penny has experienced snow before, but this was the first real snowfall we've had that she's been autonomous for.  we started off our snow day building a "snowman".  unfortunately, the snow was gorgeous fresh powder, and i couldn't get it to pack.  penny seemed pleased with the results anyway:

 our next snow adventure was sledding!  we've had this sled for years, but this was the first time it's ever seen a hill.  penny was a sledding champ!  she definitely has inherited my love of thrill rides.  she wanted to go faster and faster, and for a kid who had no nap today, she did super great on the "slope".

penny prepares her attack on the hill

away she goes!

ready to make her second descent!

penny pulled the sled up the hill by herself!

many thanks to our intrepid photographer and social director for the day, aunt jodi!  penny was having such a fun time with her that she didn't want to say goodbye!

breakfast with the zalbens, a play in one act

Penny: Fork goes on the left, knife goes on the right.

Marni: That's amazing! Where'd you learn how to set the table?

Penny: There's a whole channel on TV called, "Let's learn how to set the table."