A Good Life . . .

Insight into Amelia

Insight No. 1
Amelia told me tonight that while two substitute teachers were in her room today, one of her friends got on top of a table. The teachers told him "no" and SHE told him "no." 

Me: Isn't that a "teacher message."

Amelia with a proud smile and while patting her chest: "I pretending to be a teacher."

She then told me that the her friends laughed at her . . . which made her proud.  Friends, I have a class clown on my hands. 

Insight No. 2
We are at that stage when if I tell Amelia not to do something, she proceeds to do it again while looking me straight in the eyes.  Right now, rules are meant to be broken in her world.  But, there is one exception - getting out of her bed.  Despite being in a toddler bed for well over a year, she has never, ever gotten out of her bed.  She has recently told me and David that she wants to get out of her bed - seeking our approval while doing so.  Well, there is no way in hell I'm going to tell her she can do so.  It's the one "rule" she still follows . . . for now.

Insight No. 3
When she arrived home tonight, she immediately asked me what she could to do to help with dinner (yes, she was prompted by David to do this).  But her question was in all ernest and she would not take "no" for an answer.  Per my request, she proceeded to peel a clementine and help take dishes to the table.  She also got water for both me and David (with David's assistance).  And, she was glowing with pride.

Our Christmas

I will remember this Christmas as the year when we seemed to make cookies just about every other day.

And it was the holiday that the girls and I discovered press cookies . . . and fat Christmas trees and snowmen that made us giggle and giggle and giggle.

It was also the FIRST year of our Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  David thought of transforming this tree into a Charlie Brown tree last year during the holidays . . . we were SO excited to make this idea a reality.

And it was the year we caught-up with our dear friends Eric and Amy, and watched with delight as our children acted as if they see each other weekly.  (More pics to come from that gathering.)

It was the year that I got a very unexpected and blessed gift . . . Mom was able to join us for our Christmas Eve celebration at our house.

And, it was the year that Audrey wanted to repeatedly "organize" the presents for our family gathering.  Oh, and she also insisted on being the "hostess" on Christmas Eve - passing out presents, taking drink orders, etc.  For those of you who have known me since I was 4, she is such a mini me.

There is much more that I want to share and capture on this blog for the girls, but for now I'll end with a photo from my favorite gift - photo flipbooks that David and the girls made me.  As I flip through the books, the girls are blowing me kisses and saying "I love you."  Yes, I cried.

And yes, I am a very lucky wife and mother.

My ballet dancer

She is full of personality . . .

Yet serious about her performance . . .

As you would expect, her first performance on stage was a BIG deal . . .

and as much as she loved it, 

she's done with dance (for now) and on to acting (just because she's tired of dancing does not mean she's willing to give up the stage).

For the love of reading

When I learned that the main library was hosting its first Polar Express celebration, I immediately wanted to support it.  Combine our nationally ranked library with a gathering which includes reading and a visit from Santa himself . . . what could be better?  Well, as it turns out it does get better.  Because we enjoyed the evening with a number of good friends. This is definitely a new tradition for us.

I was so envious of David in the reading room . . . 

Yea, she's pretty proud of that gingerbread man.  And rightfully so . . . Audrey's artistic skills have really blossomed since she has a teacher who is a skilled artist.  

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the Huntington train display is there.  I don't have a great shot of the display, but I do have a shot of Amelia looking stinking cute and very grownup, standing by the display.

Oh, it was a great time indeed . . . spent with new friends, old friends . . .

and capped off with the first gift of Christmas from jolly Old Saint Nick.

We really do live a good life.

And a special thanks to . . .

our holiday photographer!  Despite being absent from most of the photgraphs, David was (of course) on the Santa train as well.

Holiday Traditions

While I haven't been posting, we've been enjoying some of our favorite holiday traditions . . . and adding a few to the list.  And since I easily feel overwhelmed when I'm a bit behind, I'm just going to take it one tradition at a time.

Let's start with The Santa Train!  Audrey has officially reached that age when she remembers our holiday traditions.  On more than one occasion this season she's said, "Oh, I remember this place!"  The feeling that comes from creating family traditions for the girls, definitely goes in the list unexpected joys of parenthood.

One of the things I love about our Santa Train tradition, is that we sit in one of the rear cars so that we see Santa right away and then again at the end of our trip.  I find myself wanting to tell the people who get there early and ride in one of the front cars . . . "It's just like school folks, the fun is in the back!" Who knows, maybe they have a party up there that we're not aware of.

Oh, the excitement of watching him walk into our car . . . it's almost too much to handle!

And literally too much to handle for Amelia.  She kept her distance the first time she saw him.  And when Santa passed through again at the end of the ride, she hid under Grandma's jacket.  And was rather proud of being so sneaky.

It was the first year the girls befriended other kids on the ride and had adventures that did not include us.  I am sure that will happen more and more frequently.  But we still had plenty of our cherished cuddle and family time.

I understand now more than ever, that traditions are what you make of them.  And this continues to be a magical one for us.

Oh, and a nice reminder for the girls to make sure they are on the "nice" list!

The year of the sibling photos . . . or not

Every year I try to get a picture of the girls while on the Santa train, and use it for our holiday stamps.  This year, we may be skipping that tradition . . .

Family Fun

This is a photo of a mom who is having the time of her life at Disney.  But this is also a photo of a girl who is about to see her big brother . . . something that is done all too infrequently.

The fact that we were able to combine Disney with seeing my brother and sister-in-law in Florida, took the trip to yet another level for all of us.  The girls so clearly have a fond place in their hearts for their Uncle Jeff and Aunt Diane.  Something I can easily relate to.

Amelia still asks me almost daily for "more Disney."  I think we just need a personal jet plane to Florida . . . for more Disney and more family time!

The Princesses

Amelia continues to tell me that she "wants more Disney," so I thought I'd post some more pictures.  We had both lunch with the princesses at Cinderella's castle and dinner with them in Epcot.  Both experiences were priceless.  The princesses spend an appropriate amount of time at each table, and the overall atmosphere was much calmer than our other character meal.  But, of course, a certain amount of refinement is to be expected from a room full of princesses.

I LOVE this photo, because Audrey is telling Cinderella her Cinderella joke (Why is Cinderella bad at basketball?  Because she runs away from the ball and has a pumpkin for a coach!)

Wishes were made . . .

Spells were cast . . .

And a magical time was had by all!

Lesson Learned?

I wish I had recorded my conversation with Audrey in the car tonight, as she plead for a puppy.  Some of it was typical - "Please, please, please!  I really love puppies and I need a puppy!"  But some of it was pure Audrey. 

When I explained to her that I am not fond of the smell of dogs (my friends with dogs, please forgive me for my honesty), she said, "I just want a puppy, not a dog!"  And when I reminded her that the puppy would grow up to be a dog, her comeback was, "We'll sell it!"  And when I asked what would we do if no one wanted to buy the dog, her next solution was . . .

Audrey: "Well, you know when we no longer need things and we give them away?

Me: "You mean when we donate things?"

Audrey: "Yes, we'll just include the dog in that stuff."

Now I'm happy that donating things we don't need is a given in the life of my four year old.  But I think I need to work on what exactly is an appropriate donation.