Here comes Santa Claus

Do you remember the excitement you felt as a child leading up to Christmas?  Writing your letter to Santa, hoping desperately that everything you asked for would fit on his sleigh.  The house filled with the delicious smell of cookies freshly baked.  Trying so very hard to fall asleep on Christmas Eve, despite the butterflies of anticipation fluttering away in your stomach.  For me, one of the beautiful things about parenting is getting to recreate those little bits of magic for my kids...

The letter to Santa.

Dictated by Ava.  Hence the part about the nails.

Decorating the tree(s).

Going out to see the lights.

 And visiting Santa, just to make sure he got that letter we sent.

He actually wrote us back.  Santa is full of surprises.

 I've said it before and I'll say it again: parenthood is awesome.

Escaping the Noise

Life is loud.  Sometimes I want the noise of the world to go away, so that all I can hear is my kids laughing.  I want to see what they discover when there are no toys, or television shows to distract them.  So a few weeks ago we packed everyone into the car, and drove the scant 15 minutes required to get us to a place where that was possible.  You gotta love Colorado.



In my backpack and ready to ride.

Leading the way.

 

Exploring the castle ruins.

It was an amazing day.  My girls are happy in the sunshine, and I love that we live in a place where this is possible.  Here's to many more years of escaping the noise.

Halloween

Halloween is kind of a big deal around here, so I would be remiss if I didn't back up a bit and recap it for you.  Enjoy...

Ava started talking about her costume weeks before the big day, and never once did she waver from her choice: Big Sister was going to be a witch.  She was also insistent that Little Sister be a witch, and since Little Sister can't really voice any objections, it was witch hats all around. 

As usual (since saving all of your trick-or-treating for just one night is for chumps), we got some serious mileage out of those costumes by hitting every Halloween celebration we could find.  The picture above was from downtown Littleton, where Lila racked up some major cute points with her little baby "thank you". 

Ava had not one, but two parties - complete with costume parades - at school.

And we would never miss Boo at the Zoo...

And the big finale, the neighborhood candy-fest on Halloween night.

We had to sub in Ava's old piggy costume thanks to some cold weather.

Lila pretended she was too cold to go out for a second round of trick-or-treating.  I'm pretty sure she just wanted to stay in and raid the candy bowl.

This is quickly shaping up to be one of our favorite holidays.  Hope yours was just as sweet.

The Apple That Fell From Our Tree

I race for my girls.  I do it to show them what it means to work hard for something and accomplish it, even if you aren't the best; to teach them to take care of their bodies; to impart the spirit of healthy competition.  When peer pressure rears its ugly head a few short years from now, I want them to have something that will make them feel strong and capable.  I think racing can do all of that.  So I've been waiting with baited breath for Ava to be old enough to cross her first finish line, and today was the day. She lined up at the start of the Halloween Hustle in her witch costume, waited for the gun, and......



Daddy was waiting for her at the finish line.

She and I finished the race hand in hand, and I couldn't have been more proud of my girl.   Way to go, Little Apple! 

Lazy Days and Pumpkin Patches

Lila is on a mission to learn to talk.  It seems like every day she learns a new word, and Ava has thoroughly invested herself in the process.  She offers up a hearty, "good job, Lila", for every verbal attempt, and makes sure to teach her all the important words.  A few days ago I discovered them having a chat, and when I asked what it was about Ava responded, "I'm teaching her to say 'candy corn'".  See?  Important.

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When you have a second child, there's a milestone I think every parent waits for: when the kids start to play together.  It opens up a whole new world for everyone in the family.  That built-in playmate you were picturing when you decided to have another baby in the first place has finally materialized.  They begin to develop their own language, giggle at their own private jokes.  The best friends you hope they'll become are starting to materialize, and that is really fun to watch.  So, to keep this little alliance growing we're spending a bit more time at hangin' at home these days...

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Fall means pumpkins.  And just a couple of miles from our house is a killer pumpkin patch, opened to the public every year complete with games, food trucks, crafts, and live music.  The girls had a blast. 

 

Fall also means Halloween.  Stay tuned...

A Little Southern Comfort

I grew up in the South.  Warm weather melted into even warmer weather, and as kids we spent long, sweaty days running barefoot and riding bikes, arriving exhausted at the dinner table greeted by fried chicken and iced tea.  You know that Southern drawl you hear in movies that almost sounds like it can't possibly be a real thing?  Yup, we were surrounded by it.  Until recently, my kids didn't know this world existed.  But a trip to Georgia to visit Grandma Sally and Grandpa Mac gave them a little taste of what I once knew, and it was lovely to see them fit right in.

And Grandma and Grandpa did something that guarantees our kids will be begging to return to Georgia every summer: they built a pool.  Well played, my friends, well played.

One of the difficult things about choosing to move away from where you grew up, is that you often give up the comfort and ease that comes with having family nearby: cousins that are built-in playmates; grandparents, aunts and uncles that stop by unannounced to love you just because they can.  There are days I'm a little sad that my kids won't have that all the time.  But it does my heart good when they do.

She met her distant cousins for the first time.  Instant friends.

Aunt Shirley gives good snuggles.

Grandpa tells good stories.

Lila finds Uncle Tom sweet, but a little confusing.

Cousin Bob thought this Oreo was going to be hysterical.  He was pretty disappointed when she didn't smoosh more of it in her hair.

Grandma put her to work.

Cousins again.  So sweet.

One of our last adventures on our tour of the South was Savannah.  For those who have never been there, its the epicenter of Southern charm.  Full of history and character, it takes you back in time to an era when the word "genteel" must surely have been invented.  We took a little tour via a brunch cruise down the river. 

If it involves food, Little Sister is happy.

It was fabulous. 

Grandma and Grandpa, thank you so much for a wonderful vacation.  We miss you.