Crimped Hair, Popcorn Bowl Hats & Fingerpainting

Annie's hair is a constant battle. Sleeping on her curls just one night results in a rats nest (a hair term I now fully understand). There are tears and screaming. Oh, the screaming. There's fighting and squirming and shrieking and I'm not quite sure which of the two of us hates the 'brushing Annie's hair' portion of our morning more? So, one night, just for fun, we put Annie's hair into about eight small braids. It took forever, but she thought it was so much fun, that she sat really still for it while watching a movie.

Here she was when she woke up in the morning.

She loved it brushed out. She thought it looked so pretty, and it was so much smoother than normal. The next day we just brushed it again, with little protest, as the crimpy waves smoothed out much easier than her curls normally do. She kinda looked like she belonged in an '80s video by the second day though.

Here's a picture of the first day, as soon as we got the braids out (before we brushed it, and definitely before it reached its full fullness of day two crimpy hair.)

Here's Ellie showing off her bedhead that same morning.Later that day, Ellie did what she does most days: finds her sister's nightgown from the night before and puts it on over her clothes. She's become quite proficient at putting on oversized nightgowns all by her little 20 month old self. This is preferable to her other favorite dress up habit though . . . finding anything of Mom's that's smooth and silky, draping it around her head, and wearing it around the house like a scarf . . .

Earlier today, Ellie thought watching a movie while eating popcorn was the funnest activity ever. Even better was when the popcorn bowl was empty and she had a new 'crown'. A crown she would occasionally pull all the way down over her face and lick the salt out of . . .

(The bowl was empty because the popcorn had been dumped out on the bed, of course.)

Here she is watching the movie once the popcorn was gone.
(And I think we need to wash her hair tonight before bed.)

Sometime this evening . . . I can't even remember what we were doing, it's just a cute picture of her (and her hazel eyes -- we think we're finally able to say they're hazel, instead of 'undetermined'. Although there's definite areas of brown and green in them.)

Lastly, while Daddy was making dinner, the girls were fingerpainting with Uncle Cody and his girlfriend Taylor (totally one of Ellie's favorite people in the world).

They take it very seriously.

Very seriously.

And I came upstairs with my camera filled with pictures just waiting to be downloaded, while Cody and Taylor cleaned up the girls and the mess and I blogged about it. Gotta love family. Now I gotta go, 'cause from the amazing smell coming from the kitchen, I believe the waffles and bacon for dinner that Greg's been working on is ready!