First Snow!

Christmas Eve, 2010

Baking oatmeal-raisin cookies for Santa.

Anna shimmied herself under the tree.

Happy Mama, Happy Baby.

Jambalaya!

Stuffed.

Almost time for Santa.

Overwhelmed with excitement.

The felt board is finally complete.

Christmas Day, 2010

Figuring out how the felt board works.

Eliza loved tooting on Anna's new horn.

An hour after the girls woke up, all the presents are unwrapped and strewn everywhere. Just as it should be.

Playing with new toys. The headlamp that Anna is wearing is very popular with Eliza too.

A Cajun accordian. 

We'll say good-bye to Granny and Grampy tomorrow morning at dawn, but we'll get together again in June for our summer vacation at Newfound Lake. Eliza will be a sturdy walker by then, and Anna will be a whopping 4 years old. But right now, I'll cherish the memories we made during this holiday season, from cutting out felt animals for the felt board to enjoying a lovingly-cooked Christmas dinner. After a week spent together after 6 months of being apart, everyone feels closer, even Charlotte the dog. And isn't that really all that matters?

We're feeling the Christmas cheer here, despite the fact that the stomach virus has latched onto Grampy and isn't letting go. Our plans for today include making cookies (chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin), making banana bread to have as French toast for a special breakfast tomorrow, and enjoying some southern jambalaya for Christmas Eve dinner. All the stockings are hung above the woodstove with care, and we're slowly pulling out wrapped presents to put under the tree. The girls are being good about not trying to open them, but I'm still wary.  

All of the ornaments on our Christmas tree are sentimental.  Many years ago, Steve and I started picking a special one every December to hang on our tree. Our first one was a wooden bird, in honor of our parakeet, Antoine. Our second one was a dog that resembled Charlotte. I've lost track of which one was next, and unfortunately for the past few years (including this year) we haven't continued that tradition. 

Here are some special ones:

The angel on our tree. It's a little girl hugging a sweet little brown dog. We've used this angel since we lived together in Hadley. I imagine we'll always use it.

"Our First Christmas: Steve and Jess 2005"

A beautiful ornament to honor our beautiful firstborn girl, Anna Louise.

Anna's very first ornament that she made for our tree, just this past month at her nursery school.

A reindeer that Anna made. Note that the antlers are her hands, and the head is her traced foot.

The one with the green bow is an impression of Eliza's foot, and the one with the red bow is am impression of Anna's hand.

A beach chair, to commemorate our summer vacation with Granny and Grampy in New Hampshire. 

And here are my sunshine girls, who have made Christmas special again. I had lost the Christmas spirit for awhile before I had children and was feeling lost amidst the disgusting quagmire of commercialism, but this year Christmas feels just right. It is just how it's supposed to be.

Santa comes tonight!

The day after Granny and Grampy came to visit us for the Christmas holidays, a stomach virus swept through our house, taking down both girls and myself for 24 hours. Steve, Granny, and Grampy were on the front line, taking care of us with no complaints. And thankfully they are still standing.

Last night Anna felt good enough to don her Sous Chef apparel in order to help Granny clean the brussels sprouts in the salad spinner. (Anna's most favorite job is to clean vegetables in the salad spinner).

And here's Anna and her little buddy, watching Dada leave for work.

And finally, here's Anna, watching her beloved Dada leaving for work when she was just a wee little thing, before her sister came into our world.

Makes my heart get a little melty as I remember my scrumptious Anna at this age.

Oh little girl, that food is for you!

There goes the first attempt at getting some delicious high-cal food into Eliza.

Hmmm, she doesn't want that either.

Clearly, lunch is over.

During my day, there is a lot of saying things like "No, Anna, don't sit on your sister" or "Anna, she's not a stuffed animal!" or "Red light, Anna! You can't do that to her!" which means I've been screeching "no" too many times and need a new phrase to remind Anna that Eliza can't be dragged here and there or picked up and dropped on the box of blocks. However I've noticed that two things are happening: Eliza is growing (albeit very slowly) and can not only withstand more physical activity with her sister, but is delighting in it. And Anna is noticing more that her sister is actually a real kid and not simply a big stuffed doll. More and more, there is mutual physical affection. And it's simply wonderful to watch.

Eliza is gaining confidence with standing up independently. She even took her first steps a few days ago. Here she is, showing off her new dance moves with her itty bitty dance partner. 

Anna turns 3 1/2

She thoroughly enjoyed her special "half cake" (chocolate, please) that I baked for her. It just so happened that her half-birthday (December 11th) was also the day of our Holiday Party, so she was beside herself with excitement.

 Can't you tell?