Elves!

Remember the elf shoes and hats? The concert at which they were to be worn was, in a word, NONCOMPLIANT. It turns out, not all 3 year olds want to do what you tell them. Go figure.

To make the night even more interesting, as I dropped James off (literally the MINUTE I dropped him off) one teacher was answering a phone call, grabbing her jacket and running out the door as her husband and child had been in a car accident in front of the school (note: everyone is ok now, but there was an ambulance and a visit to the ER). The other teacher watched her walk out the door, locked her panicked eyes with mine and it was over. I was the assistant for the rest of the night.

Incidents of noncompliance:

1. Most of the kids didn't want to wear the shoes

2. Only half wore their hats

3. The teachers put the hats on backwards

4. Their little feet kept sliding around in the shoes so we had to rip the bottom seam and put them on over their shoes

5. Several parents sent their kids in whatever clothes they happened to be wearing - not the "plain red or green shirts" they were asked to by the teachers. You know how that kind of thing bugs me.

6. Many kids just stared at me when I asked, "would you like to wear some elf shoes?" Just stared. No response at all. Not even a "no!" yelled in my face.

And as you will see in the following video..... not even the decorations were compliant. Also, James didn't utter a word through the whole show until the part where they say, "we're done!" He smiled like he was happy to be there, but not one word of either song. I think you'll be able to pick James out - he's the one that falls ONTO the stage at his entrance (of course!).

And now, two moments of actual compliance:

#1 This is James, apparently very excited that it's over, but see the kid next to him? Fingers in mouth? Looking very sad? He did NOT want to be there. At all. He came into the classroom, already crying asking for his daddy and he didn't stop through the whole show, BUT he immediately stuck out his feet and accepted his elf shoes, obediently wore the hat and held his jingle bells like it was his job.

#2 Molly sat on Uncle Kevin's lap the entire time, thumb in mouth, not a peep. Show ends and she's all smiles and charm.

The Great Tree Hunt of 2009

The tradition continues...... we headed out to Fancy Gap (real name) with our BFFs, the Bruces to chop down an innocent tree, decorate cookies, play games and be joyful. And let me tell you - there was a lot of JOY. James and Virginia just squeal every time they see each other. They played ALL day long and they were even kind enough to nap and allow the adults to be joyful for a full two hours.

JOYFUL.

James was very serious about leaving for the trip after school. I think he thought it might be a 10 minute ride because this is how he planned to sit the entire way. (actual drive time: 4 hours)

This year's cabin had breathtaking views of Pilot Mountain in North Carolina, fireplaces you can turn on with the flick of a switch, 5 flat screen TVs and.....

...little ottomans, I mean roller coasters, on wheels

Once we figured out we could push the kids in these, it was like an early Christmas. Once we figured that MOLLY could push the kids in them?

JOY.

Next day: tree hunt!

Cue the long tree-lined road!

Cue the sweeping hills of trees!

Cue the babbling brook!

and yes, cue the RICKETY bridge.

James, always helpful with the measuring stick.....

and large sharp saws....

Please note how James is confused here about the difference in what you say when you chop down a tree and what you might say if you are a cold pirate:

The original BFFs:

Tired from all the joy.

Next up: more playing, cookies, and more JOY!

See? J.O.Y.

This is the clear plastic bowl with a handle that holds my new holiday cookie cutters from Emily. Thing One and Thing Two thought it made a great space helmet.

J.O.Y.

No wait, little more joy here....

The finished product.

J.O.Y.

Oma Does It Again!

Brian's mom is always sending great and unusual gifts. Little treats all year long for James and Molly. This Christmas, she sent this book: The Night Before Christmas recorded with her own voice. Seriously. Genius.

Confusing? A little:

BUT, if it encourages James to do this - ALONE...... genius.

Should you consider sending this to the ones you love, I highly encourage you to give them a head's up. The first time we opened the book, it kind of scared the Christmas right out of us.

First Steps

Sometimes, I feel like all we do is pack and unpack our suitcases. I am NOT complaining - we all love the travel, but it doesn't leave a lot of time to notice the little things like.... oh, Molly started walking.

Huh.

This is a video of one her first attempts. She's up to about 5 or 6 steps now.

Fancy Party

Remember Susannah? From here, here and here? Well, we finally garnered an invite to her annual holiday party where she makes no less than 80 different appetizers, desserts and drinks. ALL of it - DELICIOUS. It's kind of insane and she is TOTALLY CALM the whole time. whatever.

Anyhoo, the REAL treat is that all of my charm and wit finally paid off (ha ha) and we also secured a coveted sleeping space for our whole family. That means, no babysitter, playmates for James, and we just mosied downstairs at the end of the night.

It was also pretty fancy so we got all dolled up. Here's me and Sus:

Me and Mr. Coyne:

Susannah gave James a pair of sock pajamas and she had a train under her tree so she's pretty much the "best lady ever" in James' eyes.

Susannah & Co also has one of those Guitar Hero setups with 3 guitars, drums and a microphone. Here are the kids performing at PajamaFest 2009:

James says at least once a week, "I know! Let's go to Miss Susannah's!"

First Snow

In related news... that was the first snow for Molly and she thought it was quite lovely. Of course, she didn't have to walk a mile and a half in it, with wet shoes and a wig, but whatever.

G Dub Lives!

You may remember this guy from halloween 2008:

Well, my neighbor remembered. She serves on the board for Gadsby's Tavern (of George Washington drinking fame) and they are trying to refurbish an old ice well. To get the word out, they signed up to do the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade and she asked if James, as George, could join them. "Sure!", I said. And as the day got closer and the weather report got scarier, we still said, "Sure!"

Because of the rain and SNOW, Brian and Molly drove James and I to the start of the parade about 8 blocks from our house. And then two VERY bad things happened:

#1 James stepped in two rain puddles making his feet into little toddler ice cubes.

#2 The parade started and Brian wasn't allowed back down our street or anywhere near our house. He had no jacket and Molly was in bare feet. (we had a plan!)

James actually did quite well until the hypothermia set in. At the beginning of the parade, he was waving to both sides of the street and posing for pictures. Then his feet started to turn numb and he set up shop in the wagon, covered in a blanket.

Here he is, getting pelted by snow:

And here's where he decided he was miserable:

and here he is, done with the parade:

I had to carry him, crying, 4 blocks to where Brian and Molly were waiting for us in the car. Luckily, Bran was so mad about the parking situation that the steam coming out of his ears kept us all warm.

Fairmont Hotel

So, Kevin's very serious girlfriend (you're welcome Kevin - that's for teaching Molly to climb stairs and for introducing James to the drums), Halley invited us to her work - the very fancy Fairmont Hotel in DC - for their annual tree lighting/cookie decorating/santa greeting.

It was truly a sugar wonderland. James decorated (and ate) TWO cookies about the size of his face.

They have a beautiful outdoor patio with a gazillion lights. This is where James discovered his new winter obsession: reindeer with moving heads.

Waiting for Santa:

Seeing Santa:

This year, we got the closest we've ever been to Santa - about four feet - before James changed his mind and Molly burst into tears. So, instead of that picture - you are getting me:

and us:

Afterwards, we went to dinner where James acted like he ate two cookies about the size of his face.

Thanks Halley!

Whiplash?

Are you suffering from blog whiplash yet? In blog time it's the day after Thanksgiving. In real time it's seven days before Christmas and life is happening much faster than I can tell it.

I hope to post something RIGHT NOW while both kids are asleep, but I want you to know that I am doing it at the expense of Molly's Christmas stocking. This is what it will look like:

and this (seven days!) is what it looks like now:

Dear Santa, Please bring TIME for Christmas.

thankyouvurymuch.

Thanksgiving 2009

Another GREAT Thanksgiving in New York City! Brian's Uncle Kevin invited our motley crew up again and we started getting excited around Halloween. So excited that when we did get there, James hopped out of the car and started yelling, "Welcome to New York City everyone!" to every single person walking along the upper East side.

Even though we've all been to NYC several times (even Molly) - we did it all. It was like we were living in a guide book:

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?

CHECK.

Several walks through Central Park with leaves up to your knees?

CHECK.

Playing on the famous Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park?

CHECK.

Proving to your kids that you really do love them by taking them to F.A.O. Schwartz the day after Thanksgiving?

C.H.E.C.K.

Giant bag full of toys and THIS is his favorite thing:

I don't think this is in a guide book, but get coffee every morning at the BEST coffee place ever?

CHECK.

Molly, apparently, had her own guide book for the trip....

#1 Switch teams and become a Michigan fan.

(thanks Taylor... sorry Kevin)

#2 Lounge and eat, lounge and eat

(thanks Missy)

#3 Learn how to climb stairs

(thanks Uncle Kevin)

#4 Sit back and relax with the ladies

#5 Bond with Big Uncle Kevin and try to eat his face

#6 Give mom a heart attack by almost taking first steps directly toward a flight of stairs.

#7 Meet Missy's sister (not a typo) Sydney ...

... and try to eat her.

There was, of course, lots of yummy food, great company and a terrible apple pie, but I will not go into that here.....