Christmas Morning

Lizzy and Peter are at a great age, because they are beginning to really understand Christmas, but they forgot about it all during the night, therefore, didn't wake up super early. Pat and I actually woke up first, then lay in bed like giddy school children listening for the littlest sound from the kids to hurry out and see their reactions. Christmas with little children is simply described in one word- magic. They are awestruck by the beauty of everything, ready to eagerly dive into all traditions, thrilled with presents, but not burdened with expectations. They smile, they laugh, they run around the tree in delight. They are the energy and innocence of everything that is wonderful. They are a visual reminder of the true meaning of the season- love, peace, generosity, community, and rebirth. What a blessing, truly what a living miracle to share something so precious and fleeting with two tiny treasures.

The Night Before Christmas

....and we're ready to go! Lizzy and Peter were excited for the big day. I'm not sure if they fully understood everything that was going on, but they surely sensed the buzz of the evening, and were silly and giddy before bedtime. We read "The Night Before Christmas," daddy's tradition from when he was a little boy, and then tucked our little sugarplums into bed. Oh, what a night!

Fondue is In

Well, Christmas Eve Mass was pretty much..........a total disaster. It started off well, we had a fighting chance of making it through, but then when Peter started pulling at his pants yelling out "Ow, Ow!" and putting his hands down his pants and refusing to wear a diaper (oh, potty training, the gift that keeps on giving), we knew we had probably reached our limit. We gave it up and headed home. The night was not a total loss though, because we saved it with some awesome fondue. Mom had given me a fondue cookbook years ago that she found on her own bookshelf entitled, "Fondue is In." It's a hilarious 70's style cookbook full of funny pictures, but also delicious recipes. We tried fondue last year, and only Pat and I enjoyed it. This year, Lizzy was super into it, and loved the whole thing. She loved having her own special fork to dip into the cheese, and she tried all the different "dippers." Fondue is so much fun, and it was wonderful sharing it with Lizzy. Maybe next year we can talk Peter into giving it a try?

Santa Visits

Santa came over to our house a few days before Christmas. I didn't mention anything to the kids because I wanted it to be a surprise. As I was making dinner, we suddenly heard some bells ringing outside. Everyone perked up right away, and when we heard his "Ho Ho Ho!" we ran right to the door. Lizzy burst the door open, and just like it was the most normal thing in the world to see Santa at your door at dinnertime shouted out, "Oh, hi Santa! Come in! How are you?" Peter, perhaps recognizing that his nemesis was on the premises, ran for the hills. He shouted out a token, "Go away, Santa!" and that was that. Lizzy was certainly enough company for the both of them. She chatted him up, sat on his lap, and posed for pictures. She sure does love the man in red.

Tunnel Vision

Peter has found a new way of playing with his cars. He takes the step stool from the bathroom, lines it up just so on the arm of the couch, then positions his cars in a line under it. Yay for creative play and imagination at work- I love it!

Potty Training=Pain

Peter has been deep in the midst of potty training. We were doing so great, really building momentum, and even had a poop on the potty! Then we ran into a major roadblock, one I really didn't see coming and was fully knocked out by............Peter's incredibly stubborn will power. Peter figured out that I really wanted him to use the potty, so he decided he just plain wouldn't. This baffled me because I knew he could do it, so why wouldn't he? We fell into the worst spot you could ever be with a two-year-old........an epic power struggle. I cajoled, begged, enticed with treats, and finally demanded (in an admittedly mean way), and Peter stuck with his original, incredibly successful game plan- total refusal. I could feel my blood boil! But here is the most important lesson I have learned as a parent- in every power struggle with your child, you will lose, because even when you "win," the price is too high. After I finally calmed down, I went into complete retreat. I'll let it drop, for now. I'll take his cues, and let him feel more ready. I won't push (at least too much) and let's see what happens. Perhaps it's good to keep in mind that you can't always make your children do the things you want them to do, right when you want it done. Sometimes, even though it can be painful, we have to follow their lead and let things be on their terms.......at least a little bit.

Block Bonanza

We are in a complete block renaissance. This has been one of Lizzy's favorite activities to do at school, and now it's trickling into our playtime at home. I love when I see our block box come out, because I know I'm in for some major creativity. Lizzy and Peter are awesome! They make the most amazing buildings, and I'm always amazed at the precarious way they are able to arrange their blocks. Our only problem is Peter's trigger finger, or I guess I should say trigger foot. The only thing better than making a building is crashing it down. Thank goodness for Lizzy's patience and persistence. With these chilly, rainy days, building blocks are the perfect thing to do.

Martha Moment

I had a "Martha Moment" the other day when I was trying to organize our Christmas cards. I was trying to figure out where to hang them up, and then inspiration struck- what about taping them up into a fun shape like a Christmas tree? Lizzy helped me assemble the cards in a tree shape on the ground, then we taped them up onto the wall. I love the final outcome:) Cute and functional- perfect!

Gingerbread Houses

Okay, it's official: we're on "holiday traditions" overload. But, on the other hand, why stop when you're having fun? For the last several years we've made gingerbread houses with the kids. This was Peter's big debut of having his own, official gingerbread house, and not just being a spectator. Lizzy has always loved making her house. In fact, she's been obsessed with it the last week, and asking for it constantly. Thank goodness we had some time this afternoon. We quickly assembled the houses (we know our audience and speed is much more valued than perfection when it comes to house aesthetics), and then the decorating began. Lizzy was in heaven! She covered her house, even putting patterns of candy along some of the edges. Peter was such a cutie. He loved being a part of the mix, and sat there forever carefully placing his candy pieces. Now we have two "masterpieces" decorating our table. Here's to many more sweet holiday traditions.

Ice Skaters

Our neighborhood has a really fun Christmas tradition. Every year we rent out a local ice rink and all go skating together. The ice rink is outdoors and has an old fashioned feel. There's a big Christmas tree in the middle of the rink, lights strung all around, and a blazing fire. Lizzy and I had a special "just girls" day today, as it seemed liked Peter may still be a little young for skating. What a great day we had! I was so amazed by Lizzy, and totally in awe of what a wonderful girl she is. I love how Lizzy is so confident, and always ready to dive right in to new situations. Lizzy was convinced she would be a great skater even before she stepped on the ice. She was so excited to put on her skates, and we never left the ice the entire time. In the beginning, she was pretty shaky, and needed lots of support and encouragement. Pretty quickly, she was just holding onto my hand and picking up speed, and by the end of the party, she was skating on her own. I loved skating around and around, holding hands, seeing the determination in her face and feeling how proud she was of herself. The rain even held out! I hope we can go skating again very soon.

Christmas Sing Along

Lizzy's school has a wonderful Christmas tradition. Every year on the last day of school before Christmas vacation, the class meets in the church to learn about the big organ and hear some music. I'm amazed by the organ, all it's big fancy pipes coming out of the walls, and the rich music it produces. The kids are always mesmerized! After everyone gets a good look, the class sits on the steps leading to the alter and sings Christmas songs with the pastor, on guitar, and organist, on piano. It's so fun to hear the children singing in their tiny, darling voices, and it certainly puts you in the holiday spirit.

Outdoorsy Guy

We visited one of our favorite museums the other day, and as usual, had such a special time. This place is just so awesome, with tons of outdoor space to explore. I've loved taking the kids here over the years. What was really special about this time, was seeing how much fun Peter had! He's such a big boy now, that he really enjoys exploring and playing with all the wonderful exhibits. He loved this truck ramp, and had the best time pushing the trucks up the ramp, and then watching them speed down and crash at the bottom. It's certainly bittersweet to see your kids getting so big, so quickly, but it's so fun to get to play with them, and enjoy them on their journey.

Great Pictures

I learned a secret: if you want kids to color and draw, you have to have materials ready and accessible for them to use. We got some new crayons and markers at Target the other day, and ever since then, Lizzy and Peter have been busy making lots of new, colorful pictures. They're awesome! The only problem is they are so prolific, I don't know what to do with so many wonderful pictures. I guess that's a good problem to have.

Rainy Friends

Ohhhh, it must be that time of year, when we experience "weather." We're so spoiled here, used to so many sunny days, we kind of don't know what to do with ourselves when it's not perfect outside. We've made the most of it with lots of rainy walks in the afternoons. The kids love to use their umbrellas, and Peter's becoming slightly more of a fan of puddles. He's in a quandary lately because he doesn't like his shoes to get wet, but when he wears his boots he gets super upset if his pants get splashed. I say he needs to lighten up a little bit;) Often we see Charlie walking around with his umbrella and boots. We love to walk around with him and his mommy and baby. Great company and snuggly clothes sure help to pass a chilly, wet afternoon.

Teachable Moment

Okay, I know it's the teacher in me, but I thought this was just so cool. The other night I was making dinner and Lizzy starting playing with the magnet letters on the fridge. She started asking me how to spell certain words, then she would look for the letters and put them up on the fridge to make the word. Then I started saying words and she listened for the sounds and made the words. In my mind I thought, "Wow! She's hearing beginning, medial, and ending sounds, and even some vowel sounds!" I know I've given one to many literacy tests in my day, but seeing literacy develop right before your eyes is truly amazing.

Big Boy Underpants

Peter is officially big stuff now in his big boy underpants! He's been showing signs of readiness for a while now with dry diapers and complaining when his diapers get wet, so we decided to take the potty-training plunge. Papa got Peter these special Sesame Street underpants. They are totally adorable! Last night, after baths, Peter wore his new underpants around the house. He was so proud of himself, and looked so cute in his little underwear. I think we may still have a long way to go until we're officially "trained" but we're off to a good start looking good in some stylin' underpants.

Little Boys

....are just so darn cute. We went to Maddie's party and these guys loved the baseball area. They took turns hitting the ball, then went right back to their spots in line to wait for another turn. What a bunch of cuties:)

Lights!

Pat and I went out to dinner last night (yay, a moment to ourselves!), and when we were strolling along downtown Palo Alto, I could not get over these beautiful lights. All of University was decorated with these lights. I couldn't imagine the poor soul that had to hang all these lights on hundreds of trees, but I sure appreciated the final product. It looked just perfect for Christmas time.

Gingerbread Cookies

Lizzy had the idea of making gingerbread cookies, so we decided to give it a try. When we were at Grandma's house the other day she dug out a recipe for us, and even had a few cookie cutters that we could use. We made the dough, let it chill over night, and then made our cookies the next day. Lizzy and Peter helped to roll out the dough and cut the shapes. When Peter was sleeping, Lizzy and I put on our best "Martha Stuart hats" and decorated away. For being total novices, I think we did a pretty good job, and Lizzy had a lot of fun making the cookies look "beautiful."

Tree Decorating Time

You know those totally idyllic moments when everything is just flowing, everyone is getting along and being totally adorable, and you think you may have just stepped into a Norman Rockwell picture? Well, neither do I really, because they are so fleeting and infrequent they can be hard to recall. But when one strikes, you know you better really be in the moment and enjoy the ride, because it's not going to last! We had one of those nights when we were decorating our tree. Lizzy was so excited all day for Pat to get home so we could decorate. As soon as he stepped in the door she was ready to go. We ate a quick dinner, then Pat put on some Christmas carols and brewed up some hot chocolate. He'd even bought whip cream to make it extra yummy. We sat around the table enjoying our delicious treats, then the kids finished and started dancing. They held hands and romped all over the room, big smiles on their faces. Then Pat and I started dancing, and Lizzy and Peter joined in. I know..... Norman Rockwell! We brought out the ornaments and started decorating the tree. Really, Lizzy is just the best person to decorate with. She admires each ornament, and then carefully finds the perfect spot on the tree. Peter hung up a few ornaments too, then entertained himself by climbing all over the couch and pretending to fall off and get ouchies (okay, not so Norman Rockwelley, but at least he was entertained). I loved looking at the ornaments, and remembering the special people that gave them to me over the years, or the unforgettable places they represent. When we were all finished, we turned down all the lights and admired our gorgeous tree. I loved watching the kids bounce all around the tree in excitement. I'm so very thankful I have my family to make the holidays so magical.

New Friends

I could overhear Lizzy playing in her room the other day. I peeked my head in and said, "Everything okay in here?" She replied, "Yes, Mama, we're fine." She was sitting on her bed playing with some dolls. She was having them ride her toy horse all around her bed. A little while later she said, "Mom! Come in and take a picture of us!" She had posed all the dolls into this little arrangement. It totally cracked me up and I thought it was so cute. Here's to some new friends!

Butterfly Day

We went to the Academy to check out the new winter exhibit. I was ready to be impressed, but left disappointed. A fake igloo? Really?! Come on guys, we want to see something special. Turns out, we did. Those butterflies in the rain forest never fail to impress, and we always have the best time "playing" with them. I can see them over and over, and I'm still amazed when I see them flying by, so colorful and spectacular. We had seen many of our usual favorites when Lizzy discovered this Giant Owl hanging out right around the corner of a balcony on the top level. If she hadn't have happened to look in just the right spot, we would have missed it! It was huge, and amazing, and just sitting there for us to admire! Wow- it was so cool!

One of the best things about the kids getting older is that they can just go with the flow now. We don't have to be quite as concerned with our "schedule," and worry about eating and naptime. We were able to hit the park after the museum, and the kids had a great time. There's a giant climbing web that Lizzy was thrilled to tackle. She spent most of our time there climbing around and talking with the people in the web. Peter, once he got over being indignant that he couldn't climb as high as Lizzy, found his own way to hang out on the web. Later, he loved chasing birds all over, and taking a few trips down the slide. What an awesome way to spend the day.

A Car's Best Friend

If you are a car, and you need someone to care about you, you might want to look up Peter. When we drive on the freeway now, or even just around town, and if a car is pulled over to the side of the road, Peter always says, "Oh no, Mama! Car! Car! Need gas!" with a very worried expression and consternation in his voice. Peter loves cars, he really loves them, and is always on the lookout for any that need his help.

Bad Haircut

Today Peter got a bad haircut. I told the lady over and over how much I love his long hair, and that he just needed the tiniest of trims. She nodded her understanding, but judging by the finished product, she clearly didn't understand. He got a chop! I was so mad! I know that you're supposed to reserve your tears for the important stuff like children dying or people suffering, and I know that it's just hair and that it grows, and I know that in the scheme of things it's really a tiny, unimportant thing, but I will admit, I did cry over that haircut! And here's another confession........ I didn't even feel ridiculous doing it. Because sometimes, you don't want to be mature, or rational. Sometimes, it feels really good to succumb to those primal feelings of anger and disappointment. Then I rationalized, because maybe I was starting to feel a little ridiculous, that I must really love this boy if I'd cry over hair. And I do! I love his hair so much, because to me, it's not just hair.....it's him. It's charm, and sass, and style, and quintessential "little boy" before you get that "mature" short haircut. And then I cracked open that vulnerable door that you don't even want to think about. That door that houses how much you really do love your kids, and you can't even really fathom something seriously bad happening, because if you'd cry over hair, you completely go ballistic over the "big" stuff. And then, I did feel guilty and perspective set in. It is just hair. It will grow. It's okay. And I'll take a moment to breathe and to be thankful that I'm so very very fortunate that I have the luxury of making a big deal over a bad haircut.

Tiny Christmas Trees

Lizzy had a lovely idea that she wanted to have her own Christmas tree in her room that she could decorate. The other day when we were at Michael's, we found some tiny trees and some inexpensive little ornaments and decorations. Lizzy and Peter had a great time decorating their trees. I loved watching the concentration on Peter's face as he tried to hang up his ornaments. Lizzy carefully and lovingly admired all the adorable ornaments, and put each one in it's perfect little place on her tree. I love peeking in her room and seeing her little tree there, spreading Christmas spirit in every corner of the house. I love how much Lizzy loves ornaments. She takes them on and off her tree, putting the really special ones up high so they won't get hurt until she's ready to use them again. As usual, Lizzy has a way of spreading beauty all around her.

Movie Time

Peter LOVES the Cars movie. Just about every day he'll ask, "Cars movie, Mama?" I must admit, I really love the movie too:) On a rainy afternoon after a big day, I couldn't think of anything better than cuddling up with some hot chocolate and some cars. Sounds like the best way to end a great day to me.

Breakfast With Santa

Today we got to share a wonderful morning with Grandma, Papa, Auntie Elizabeth and Caroline. We've started a tradition where we go back to Carondelet and have a fantastic breakfast with Santa. Even Peter got to give it a try this year! Lizzy loved all the decorations, and had a great time admiring all the beautiful angels and ornaments decorating the lovely trees. Peter....... well, you know how he's not a fan of crowds, so he squirmed around a bit, but he did perk up when the cheerleaders arrived, and he spent the rest of the morning waiting for them to come back! He also loved getting to carry around his Cars lunchbox and chowing down on all the snacks we brought. After Caroline and Lizzy sat on Santa's lap, everyone escaped outside and had a great time running around and exploring. I loved watching the kids chasing each other, hiding, and getting lost in their imaginary games. What fun to spend a morning with your dear cousin! The whole ride home, and much of the afternoon, Lizzy admired the special ornament she suckered Grandma into buying her. Thank goodness for generous grandmas! She loves it's shiny stars and bright colors, and she can't wait until we get our tree so she can put it on. Papa said he hopes she has it until she's a big lady and one day puts it on her own tree and remembers her time with her family. I wish that too!

Artists at Work

I LOVE watching my kids draw and color, using their imagination to create beautiful pictures. I'm fascinated by watching their minds work and seeing the growth in their work. It's always amazing to me to see them learn, try new things, and grow, right in front of my eyes. Lizzy has started writing me these little notes that say, "I love you Mom." Could it get any better than that? Every time I see one it makes me smile and warms me right up. Today I was drawing with Peter. He's gotten really good at making lines and circles. I showed him how to make a balloon using those shapes, then was amazed when he promptly copied me and made his own. This was his first "real" thing he's drawn, and it was awesome to see. I'm looking forward to many more wonderful pictures:)

Movie Night

The only good thing about daddy working late, is that sometimes other daddies are also working late, and we can make a night of it! The other day we were out for a walk with Charlie and Pat called to say he would be late. Kelly said Matt was also going to be late, and Lizzy quickly invited them over to watch her new favorite movie, "Alice in Wonderland." Kelly grabbed some wine, I popped in the chicken nuggets, and we were ready to go. We cuddled the kids up with lots of blankets and pillows, and we actually got to have a few minutes of conversation- how fun! Of course we love it when daddy comes home, but it was fun to sneak in some mommy time with a special friend.

Too Cool

Pat calls this look "Justin Bieber Hair." When you've got it, you've got it, and son, you're looking good!

Backseat Buddies

This view just never gets old. I know I have so many of these shots, but seriously, is there anything more adorable than holding hands in the back seat? I love hearing the, "Peter, want to hold hands?" when we're driving to school in the morning. And sometimes, without a sound, it's a wonderful surprise to peek back there and see them holding hands, quietly looking out their windows, content in their companionship. What a gift to have one another, and what a joy to witness friendship blooming.

Hot Chocolate and Dancing

One of the best things about this chilly weather is warming up with hot chocolate. The kids love it! They ask for it almost every night after dinner. It's so cute to watch them with their mugs, carefully sipping at their yummy drinks, enjoying the marshmallows and chocolatey yumminess. The other night while we were having our hot chocolates, Lizzy put on some Christmas music for us. Pretty soon the dancing began! Lizzy asked Daddy to dance with her and they were off...... I wish our kids could always remember these moments. I wish they would know when they are all grown up that we were young once. We love to dance and we are silly and funny and don't always like to act like responsible mommies and daddies. I hope they can always see the twinkle in our eyes and know that we're always ready for a dance whenever they ask!