Christmas, this year....

Amongst all the happenings and holiday rush, I long to remember these dear little moments, that unless written down, will fade fast like the winter sun.  It is unfortunate to think that these special times will slip from my mind but I feel like that is the nature of motherhood.  It is filled with so much, all the time, it seems impossible to remember it all or depend on one brain to recall the times I hold so dear.  This year I want to remember...

the way she insisted on placing the star atop the tall tree.

her little wish on Christmas Eve 

the way she so carefully placed ornaments on the tree this year, aware of how far back to place them on the bough and spacing that would please the eye.

the glorious swirls of colors in the watercolor winter evening sky.

the Christmas Eve table adorned with all the special decorations I remembered as a child.  There's no place like home, even when you are grown.

an in-home visit by Santa arranged by her middle sister.   His homemade hat, beard and shirt were her creations to please the littlest one and boy was she excited.

the excitement over giving Daddy his gift and insisting that he open the first gift on Christmas morning.  Watching them get so excited about giving, delights me so.

watching her, watch them before school each morning.  She is in awe of those big sisters.

making gingerbread houses and fanciful little decorative creatures out of Fruit Loops, gummy rings, candy canes, marshmallows, pretzels, raisins, frosting and toothpicks at Grandma's house.

the way a paper flower crown transformed her into a dancing sprite amid the rooftops downtown.

a visit to see this enchanting old guy who charmed them all.

the way she packed all her little gifts from Santa into her sister's old backpack so she could be sure they went with us to Grandpa and Grandma's house.

three giddy girls ready to see Santa on a watercolor winter sky night.

the brightly colored flags that hung over the sidewalks on a little trip with the cousins.

watching our youngest make beautiful ballet memories downtown among the real ballerinas.

singing in the church Christmas pageant.  You memorized all the words and sang them so loud and proud.

baking and tasting our blue and white candy cane cookies for Santa.  Blue was the only color we had to dye the batter.  Who runs out of red and green?

running from bears.

the days of play beside the tree.

Far too long...Halloween fun

These little gnomes romped around the garden for Halloween this year in handmade outfits from their Nanny.  They were delighted to spread their garden cheer from door to door this year.

Their special dog helper was around to scare all the wild animals away.

her special day

Standing outside our sweet little church where I made my First Communion, she beamed to be wearing white with a new silver cross around her neck and taking a new seat at His table.  

We are ever-so-delighted to watch her grow in faith.  A most special day it was celebrated with her cousin and sweet comrade from church.

splendid autumn evening in the pumpkin patch

The old church pumpkin patch never fails to spread lots of fall spirit into our October.  Rows of pumpkins adorn the beautiful fenced front lawn of this beautiful old brick church in town.  

Each year, I enjoy this place a little more than the last.  Perhaps it is because I have years of memories to draw upon as we walk up into the rod iron gates of the churchyard.

Watching them do more of the picking this year was delightful as they measured and weighed all the options.

This one decided that getting a pumpkin about the size of her head would be a good idea. 

gone is the crib

 It was time.  We waited as long as we could but when she began to work on uncoordinated dismounts out of the crib, we decided it was definitely time to move her to the "big bed."

She was delighted beyond belief when we surprised her one evening.  The crib was dismantled, rails were carefully wedged underneath the twin-sized mattress and fresh bedding was pulled tight to create an appealing appearance on the new bed.  

She loves step up into her big bed with a little stool at the end and of course all the baby dolls are enjoying the cozy new bed as well.  Unfortunately, the sleeping has been rough since the big bed transition.  I think she gets overly excited and has a hard time settling down to sleep.  In the middle of the night she wakes screaming because of bad dreams and new shadows.  

Oh the joys of sleep.  I hope this little one can settle into her new surroundings soon so that we can all enjoy the benefits of a good night's sleep.

It's here!

With the coming of October, it officially begins! Autumn is here in all its glory (even if it still hits 90 degrees most days)!

Pumpkins begin resting on doorsteps, mums adorn front porches and the delightful pumpkin spice latte makes its first appearance. Yes, we love this season and are itching to take part in all the changes ahead.  Happy October to you!

ballet. round 2

There she stood all dressed in the much-anticipated ballet accouterments that she longed to wear.

With a point of her toe, a twirl of her body on a single foot and arms open wide, she was a ballerina.

Her turn had finally come and a little ballerina dance on her bed was definitely called for.

We are delighted to see where her little pointed toes take her this year!