A Holiday Classic

This is such an accurate depiction of how my children are right now, I'm not going to lie, I love this picture!

Outtakes

Capturing just the right picture for a Christmas card, with both kids looking and smiling is no easy task.  Here are a few outtakes from my many attempts...

And the winner - Merry Christmas!

21 Months

 In the days leading up to the 15th of the month I was thinking all about how much this month has been one of such change for you Leo!  You have FINALLY learned how to sleep through the night, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this gesture!
Your communication has been astounding, you know what you want and are able to communicate it, it has lessened the tantrums and frustration and brought on a whole new level of pride.  You are saying new words every single day and love to "read" books buy pointing to the words and saying "I", "I", "I".. Georgia tells you often how proud she is of you.
You so badly want to be one of the big kids and do your best to jump, climb or slide right along with the best of them.
You've continued to have trouble with the common cold settling in your chest which makes it hard for you to breathe.  We took our first trip to urgent care last weekend to get you some relief.  We're doing our best to strengthen your lungs and hope as you get older this is something that you will grow out of.
You are sweet and snuggly and I cannot tell you how fun it is to have a boy!  I love you Leo, Happy 21 months!

Be You

Last week I went to our monthly parent meeting for school, this time instead of a meeting it was our winter social.  It was a nice have time to chat with the other parents and teachers.
One mom came up to me and said how she'd just been telling teacher Kylene how much her daughter loves Georgia, Kylene's response, everybody loves Georgia!  Later as I was saying goodbye to Kylene I told her how much you love going to school, she said, "Oh, I love Georgia, everyone loves Georgia.. and she loves EVERYONE!
I was taken a back in that moment, remembering those questions from doctors.. "how do you think she'll do without you?" "Does she have a hard time being away from you since you've been with her the whole time in the hospital?"
I knew on your first day of school last year when you walked into a room full of kids you didn't know and didn't even turn around to say goodbye that you'd be just fine.  You're you.  You are a good friend, you love to give hugs and notice if someone isn't at school.  You draw your friends pictures and genuinely love being a friend to your friends.  On the first day of school this year, you asked a friend if she missed someone who'd moved away, you knew this had been a special person to her.
It's pretty remarkable, to see your kindness, empathy and social skills, all things that come to you naturally.  If ever you doubt yourself, which you will do, just remember to be you, it's a very powerful thing.

Ready to Ride

The other night I was getting a bath ready for the kids and couldn't find Leo, I called for him, saying it was time to take a bath, I heard a "no" and found this.  Clearly he had other plans.

Nutcracker

I went to the Nutcracker for the first time when I was five, my mom said I wiggled in my seat the whole time.  Over the years I remember going, loving the music and beautiful dancers.  When it was announced that this will be the last year for this version of the Nutcracker I was sad, and determined to go one last time.  This Nutcracker was special, my mom loved it and it was something I could share with Georgia.

We got tickets with the Leslie, Lauren and Blake, arrived early to look around, sipped champagne and sparkling cider at intermission and had a really fun time.  Georgia and Lauren sat next to each other and everyone was really well behaved.  Watching the kids watch the show made me think of my mom and how much she would have reveled in that moment, I took it in for her.  

At the end of the show Georgia said, "that was a great performance!"

 

 

Oh Christmas Tree

 The day after Thanksgiving we headed down to the Fairmont Hotel to officially start the Christmas season.  The lobby was full of beautifully decorated trees, each one honoring a child.  After checking out the trees we headed upstairs to the teddy bear room and finished things off with some hot chocolate!

Georgia was particularly impressed with the Georgian Room

Thanksgiving 2014

 This year we enjoyed a fun filled Thanksgiving with the Pittmans.  Brian had been called to fly early that morning and was supposed to be back by about 4pm.  Unfortunately, his flight was delayed, but as luck would have it, uncle Chad accidentally turned off the oven so the meal came together a little later than planned.  We were just about to dish up when Brian walked through the door, it all worked out perfectly.  The whole day was great, but my most favorite part was the impromptu dance party at 10:30pm, all of the kids were wound up and giggling to "Happy" it was a happy day indeed.  We have so much to be thankful for.