Little Women

We are huge fans of the Hartford Children's Theatre and over the last couple of years, we have attended just about every one of their productions.  A few weekends ago, we went to see Little Women, which was one of my favorite books as a child.  I was a little concerned that the story line would be over the girls' heads, but it didn't seem that way. They really loved the play, so much so that Elizabeth actually cried when it ended, she wanted it to go on forever.  Before the show, we attended a tea with the actresses, a couple of whom took a real liking to the girls (Amy, the youngest March sister, spent almost all of her time with Emily).  When we got to the theater, we were surprised to notice that we had front row seats; and in this particular theater, the stage is not elevated so being in the front row meant that the we could literally reach out and touch the performers, and their skirts often swept across our feet.  It was such a wonderful afternoon!

With Amy March, having her silhouette drawn.

Mrs. March, with Meg, Amy and Beth in the background. 

Waiting for the show to begin. 

Showing off their silhouettes.

Taking a bow - Laurie, Beth, Meg, Amy and Fritz. 

Jo, the star of the show! 

Cloverisms: Disney & Holiday Edition

- "Boy, there sure is a lot of Disney stuff in this store."  This gem had people all around us laughing; we were, after all, shopping at Downtown Disney in the largest Disney store in the world!!
- "I do NOT like special effects."  After one particular show at Animal Kingdom, during which we were sprayed with water, "stung" by wasps and had termites "crawling" under us, Elizabeth decided that she had her fill of any attraction that included special effects.
- "Mommy, Jasmine noticed my eyes; and she told Aladdin."  Elizabeth's eyes are three different, distinct colors but very few people (and most are children) seem to notice, so she was completely excited when Princess Jasmine not only noticed, but made a big deal of it.
- "I love it when we have a reservation." For some reason, the concept of having a set time to eat at a restaurant, rather than waiting for a table to become available, really stuck with Elizabeth while we were on vacation.  Perhaps because we had reservations for just about everything.
- "Best parents EVER!"  The night after we returned from Disney, as were were putting the girls to bed, we went through our usual "good nights" and "I love yous" and then Elizabeth sat up in bed and proclaimed Lee and I to be "Best parents ever!"  Apparently, we weren't the only ones she's said it to, as a few people have told Lee and I that when they ask her about our vacation, that is the first thing that she says.  I'm tucking those words away in my heart forever.
- "Did you hear that Elizabeth?  She said 'go PLAY' not 'go READ.'"  There is nothing that disrupts family harmony more than when Emily wants to play and Elizabeth wants to read.  For this, and so many other reasons, we are really looking forward to the time when Emily can read on her own.
- "There are only two things that worry me - fire and money.  Fire because it can spread so fast and money because of the Great Depression."  Exactly what are we supposed to say to comfort Elizabeth when her only cares in the world are actually legitimate?
- "Mommy, Alice's (in Wonderland, a plastic doll, smaller than a barbie) arm broke off.  If Daddy can't fix it, it would probably be good if her other arm broke off too - that would make it a lot easier to change her clothes."  Our Emily, always the practical one.
- "We have to wear our dress uniforms tomorrow.  Elisabeth and I had to go to the office and ask the school cemetary and that's what she told us."  Sometimes, it can be very hard for Lee and I not to break down laughing and this was one of those times.  The school secretary might be older, but she certainly deserve to have Elizabeth call her a cemetary!
- "I think that the characters that wear masks probably don't have a very nice smile, so they are animal characters instead of human characters." This, from Emily, while we were looking through some Disney pictures after we returned from our trip.
- "I watch the news.  And I pay very close attention," Elizabeth told my sister, after explaining that Osama bin Laden was dead and how he had been killed by Seal Team 6.
- "Mummy, can you and Daddy go out to eat at a restaurant without us so that Emily (our babysitter) can come over?"  Love how Emily tries to get rid of us.
"I think that I got too many Christmas presents," said Elizabeth.  "I wish that I got a hundred more presents," said Emily.  This is probably the best description of how our girls are so different.  Gotta love 'em though!
- "Don't worry, Emily; God will take care of you."  Although we all appreciated the thought, it did little to make Emily feel better as she spent 72 long hours fighting a stomach bug.
- "Momma, where exactly is heaven?"  Excellent question.

Christmas Day

Our Christmas Day was filled with movies, American Girl Dolls, family time and good food.  My parents arrived mid-morning and the girls delighted them by showing off all of their gifts.  They then snuggled in and watched The Wizard of Oz together, while Lee and prepared our Christmas feast (with a little help here and there from my mom).  We had a warm, cozy and happy day together.

As if we didn't have enough AGD stuff in the house already.... 

She could not be any happier.... 

...oh, yes she could!! 

Christmas Table. 

Elizabeth made place cards for everyone.  Seating is a high priority at holiday time! 

Now that's what I call a PRIME rib!!!  An excellent dinner!

Christmas Morning

Each year, Lee and I think that Christmas can't possibly get any better than the previous year, but every year, we are wrong.  We understand that at some point, things will even off and the girls just won't be as excited about everything, but this year was definitely the best Christmas ever in our house.  First, the girls are really into giving presents to each other and to us - they were particularly excited when we opened their gifts, which they each purchased from their respective school Christmas stores.  They also loved their gifts from Santa, but we would bet that the best gifts of all were from Lee and I.  They were just so thrilled, and had the greatest reactions!!

The stockings were bursting at the seams. 

Between Santa and Mom and Dad, there were tons of presents under the tree. 

Although Santa leaves cookie crumbs on the plate every year, this was the first time Rudy noticed and he went crazy trying to get to them. 

Checking out the presents for the first time! 

Opening their joint gifts from Santa - fairies and fairy houses. 

Loving the fairy houses. 

Excited, yet worried, to have two American Girl dolls when Emily has none. 

 A mini Cecile American Girl doll. 

A horse for Felicity and Elizabeth.

So excited to get the Emily American Girl doll (last present under the tree). 

So happy!!! 

Daddy opens his presents from the girls. 

Presents from Mari. 

Emily wanted an elf so badly!! 

Excited to get the Wizard of Oz!! 

Special earrings that we snuck home from Disney.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, as we do every year, we drove to New Hampshire to celebrate with Lee's family.  It is always an evening filled with chaos, tons of good food and piles of gifts.  From the moment we left my brother's house the weekend before, they talked non-stop about going to Aunt Margie's house, anticipating all of the fun and presents, and this year did not disappoint.

Aunt Margie's beautiful tree. 

Opening books from Uncle Chip, Aunt Chris and Jessa. 

The Lion King - Aunt Sylvia and Karen hit the bulls-eye with this one, you can tell! 

Uncle David and Aunt Melissa 

Sleepover Palz from Aunt Melissa, Uncle David and Alison - they loved them! 

Beautifully illustrated books from Aunt Margie. 

A Bitty Baby changing table for Emily from Aunt Denise. 

Elizabeth wanted to start reading the Kanani book that Aunt Denise got her right away. 

Elizabeth (Cole) lounging in her new Hawaiian furniture from Aunt Denise. 

Family photos. 

Excited little girls.

Christmas Visit with Memere

Before joining the rest of the family at Aunt Margie's house on Christmas Eve, we paid a visit to Memere.  She was really thrilled to see us and enjoyed our present.  Because Memere is not as verbal as she used to be, the girls brought their autograph books from Disney to show her, and pretty much carried the conversation without any trouble.  They really enjoyed seeing her and, as always, Lee and I were grateful for the chance to spend some time with the 84 year old family matriarch.

Emily explains some of the princesses to Memere. 

Giving Memere her Christmas present, which she was clutching with both hands when we left. 

Memere had all sorts of hats and crowns in her room, from various parties that she attended.  The girls loved trying them on. 

Memere with Lee (grandson) and Elizabeth and Emily (who are just two of her nine great-grandchildren!).

Girl Scout Cookies!

As some of you know, Elizabeth is in her first year of Brownies, which also makes this our first year selling Girl Scout Cookies.  Cookie sales kicked off yesterday and she has already made some sales (much to my surprise).  Boxes are $4 each and all money must be collected by the last week of January.  Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing Girl Scout Cookies from Elizabeth!  And yes, Auntie Kathy, that means you!!

Out With the Old, in with the New

I realize that I have yet to write about any of our Christmas festivities, yet here I am, doing a post about 2012.  It just happens to be easier to do this one before struggling to go through all of our Christmas photos and videos.  Below are some photos of how we spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Aunt Denise visited for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, as she does every year.  This year, in addition to dinner, she brought these yummy cupcakes from Frederick's, a bakery in Bedford, New Hampshire.  All of the cupcakes were wonderful and beautifully decorated, but I particularly loved how cute these were - special for New Year's Eve!

As many of you know, New Year's Day has to be one of Lee's favorite days of the year because he gets to take down all of the Christmas decorations.  It's not that he is a scrooge - but he just really looks forward to getting the house back to normal.  The man was actually smiling while he took down the outside lights!

Each year, I keep all of the photo cards that we receive and put them in a box - pretty much the only part of un-decorating that I like is going through years of photos, looking at how much our friends' children have grown. 

Take down the tree - or, rather, cutting it down because it's too big to fit through the door. 

The weather was so beautiful on New Year's Day that the girls spent several hours outside, building fairy houses. 

Showing off their hard work. 

I must say, their construction is getting quite good! 

Elizabeth spent part of the afternoon reading - she is definitely starting to experience how difficult it can be to put down an interesting book and finished this entire book in one afternoon. 

Bloco - our house is covered with it.  It was a gift to Emily from Auntie Sandra and Uncle Mike and the girls have had a great time building all sorts of animals, although Lee did help them make the shark. 

Emily, playing with all of her Bloco animals.

Happy New Year!!