Extra Love

On Friday as Warren played Tinker Toys on the rug--he does that every afternoon, I sat facing him on the couch. As he looked up to me for a moment, I signed, "I love you." He got a delighted smile on his face, then looked down at his hand and tried to form an "I love you" sign for me. He puzzled for a moment, attempting to hold the correct fingers down, then held his hand up like this with a big grin: "Mom, this is extra love. It's because I love you extra."

Fun 2 Be

Today I realized my baby isn't a baby anymore. Maybe because Avery has been a later-talker than W&A, or maybe because she is still so snuggly, or maybe because she still doesn't have much hair, Avery still seemed to me so much like a baby. But last Saturday she verbally exploded; she started saying so much more and singing songs I didn't know she knew--Bob the Builder, I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus--and I think I knew then her days as a baby were numbered. Then she turned 2 today.

2 is so fun. 2 is still too young to understand why everyone is saying "Happy Birthday" all day long, too young to feel that sense of birthday entitlement, too young to have expectations for the day, too young to want your presents first thing in the morning. Also too young to blow out all your candles on the first--or in Avery's case--the 5th try.
We had pancakes and waffles for breakfast this morning--I'm sure she had no clue they were for her. She still loved them. Avery and I went to the Arizona Museum for Youth--to her just a visit like any other day. Grandma Lindy took her doll shopping and to lunch at McDonalds. I love that she chose a little bi-racial looking doll; she only later discovered that it also spoke because she stepped on it, and thus applied the necessary pressure. Ha! When you're 2, you don't feel put out that you still have to nap on your birthday, or get sent to "uh-oh" time in your bedroom. 2 is happy just to be.

When you're 2, you don't care that your party is just like last years: all your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings watching--and visiting amongst themselves--as you slowly open your presents. Avery would open one (I think this is the first time she's ever "gotten" the concept of unwrapping a gift) and then go sit on Grandma's lap to check it out, or have me read a few pages for her if it was a book. My favorite gift she got was a book of the first 2 years of her life I made for her on snapfish.com. It was so so sweet to read it to her before bed tonight and have her sit through the whole thing and then exclaim "Again!" at the end.
After presents, we ate cake and ice cream. And not just any cake; this cake had four layers of made from scratch devil's food cake, each layer separated by chocolate ganache frosting and white chocolate mint cream frosting. Then the whole creation was iced in marshmallow cream frosting. (Who knew you could make that stuff? I thought it only existed in jars.) This is what the cake looked like before it was iced, and here is the recipe. If you ever want to make it, call me for what I learned making it!

Inspired

Saturday was like one big party. We started the day with Abigail's first dance recital. You may have to click on the collage above to be able to see the pictures. First, I decided next time, I'm asking a parent who doesn't have a kid in the number to take the pictures and film; I kept getting caught up watching on this tiny screen what was happening in life-size dimensions just feet away. Silly mom. Abigail did great. I've seen them practice, so I knew she was a little disoriented being on the end, which is not her usual place, but I was still pleased that she was pleased with her performance. She watched the other girls a lot and would repeat the movement about a second later. It was so cute.
The top left picture shows Warren seated next to Abigail right after she performed. He sat there with her like that for the rest of the performance. Their relationship is so sweet; they play together so much at home, and though they would never admit it, they are best friends. (Which reminds me of a funny story; we take 2 other little girls home from kindergarten each day, and one of them says that Warren is her "worst" friend. I don't blame her, Warren is pretty antagonizing in the back seat, and who knows what he is like to her at school...Anyway, last week, he shared something with her on the way home and then asked excitedly, "Am I your best friend now?" She matter-of-factly replied, "No, but now you are my second-worst friend." Warren beamed and announced proudly, "I'm her second worst friend and that is one more than her worst!")

In the afternoon, Warren, Abigail and I went to Ballet Etudes production of "The Nutcracker" at the Mesa Arts Center. I had prepared myself for the possibility that we might have to leave early if the kids got bored; after all, the show was for them, and I wanted it to be a good experience. Well, they so far surpassed my expectations--they loved it and sat/stood so well for both acts of the show. Warren occasionally would be so entranced he would comment out loud, which was fine in this room full of parents, grandparents and kids. My favorite exclamation was to the lady seated to his right, when the "snow" started falling: "Wow! It must be snowing outside and the snow is leaking inside the building!"

Speaking of snow, we went to the Tempe Town Lake Light Parade and festivities, which included snow. When we told the kids, they immediately asked for a carrot to take so they could build a snowman. So we gathered up a carrot, raisins and sticks. For our 10 minutes of snow play time, we built this little guy, and Warren also slid down the mound. They loved it. Afterward, a machine was blowing fake snow over the crowd and Warren was captivated, trying to catch the flakes in his hand. It was beautiful to watch. I have to admit, our snowman was inspired by Uncle Lance and Aunt Kim's Christmas card where they are posing by a miniature snow man. That card has been so "loved" at our house, I can't even tape it up on the wall one more time. But I think Avery will be more comfortable with them next time she sees them, and that was the whole idea behind putting it down low where she could reach it.

I included the video below because to me, it is far better than any dance recital. I love how free Abigail is, how uninhibited, how confident. She is so comfortable moving through the space, and if you watch it long enough to see the curtsy/bow about 3/4 of the way through, you'll be impressed. Well, maybe not, but I happen to have seen her other attempts at curtsying in dance class, and they are sad, sorry, misshapen little movements. This one is no doubt achieved after watching so many dancers do it throughout the Nutcracker. Abigail was really inspired by all the dancing--a good reminder to me that not just participating, but also watching art, dance and music is vital for the development of a child.

Aunt Annie & Christmas Fun

Every mother should have and Aunt Annie--no, not for herself, for her kids. Ideally, she would be 12, love small children, volunteer to come over, babysit free of pay (most of the time), be super responsible but still young enough to be fun and play with the kids...practically perfect in every way. Yep, that is my youngest sister Annie. In addition, Annie also brings pre-planned activities, art projects, games, snacks and shows to put on. Once she brought all the supplies to make your own trick-or-treat bag. The kids made them and then while they got in their costumes, she decorated the playhouse and fort in the backyard like houses and then let them "practice" their trick-or-treating, with real candy, of course. Wednesday Annie brought all the supplies--right down to the pre-crushed Oreos--to make marshmallow truffles. After they made them, she then pulled all the supplies out to make holiday cards for my neighbors, even remembering to ask which of my neighbors celebrated Hanukkah so she could write the appropriate message. Then she let the kids decorate them. Then she took them Christmas caroling to deliver the truffles and cards. After that, she had them carol to me as I made dinner in the kitchen. Need I say anymore? Well, I won't but my kids will:
"I like Aunt Annie when she comes over because she brings toys." -Warren
"I like that she plays with us, and that she comes over, and I like that she watches us." -Abigail

Christmas funnies:
Last night the kids were all exiled to their room to play while I made dinner since Andy was coming home later than usual. After a while, they came and got me excitedly, saying, "Come see our Christmas tree!" They were so proud of all the ornaments they had hung on their chairs.
Warren asked, "What is the name of the 3rd wiseman? I know the first two: the wiseman, the foolish man, but what about the third?"

Traditions

Christmas, more than any other time of the year, gets me thinking about family traditions. When you live with pretty much all your extended family nearby, you have a lot of traditions already in place. Still, I want my own little family to have their own. One that we have done for 2 years now is decorating the tree for family night. We dim all the lights except for the tree lights and candles and play quiet music in the background. I sort the ornaments each year so that I have my box and each of the kids have theirs (my Grandma Merkley gives her grandkids an ornament each year, and now my mom does the same for my kids). This year we started our night with Warren accompanying us on the piano for "Silent Night" and then we read a book about Christmas symbols, "I Believe in Santa Claus." I love the parallels this book makes between Santa and Christ. Then we had a really short lesson about symbols as each person lit their candle from a central candle, like receiving the light of Christ. Then we got each ornament out and talked briefly about it as they child hung it on the tree. The kids loved seeing their "first" ornament as well as my kindergarten ornament--we let Warren hang that one--and the trolley car that Andy and I bought on our honeymoon in San Francisco. I give all credit for success to Andy who kept Avery engaged (quietly) on the rug, ad intermittently carried her over to hang an ornament. Afterwards, we had hot chocolate and chocolate cake on my china and the kids thought that was really special. Since the only other Christmas song Warren can play is "Jingle Bells," we ended with that.
We had such a good time decorating our tree that the kids told our neighbor, and he decided he would get out his tree this year. He invited us over to decorate it. So last night after dinner, we all went over and hung his ornaments, had cider and cocoa, ate yummy apple crisp he made for us (this is a guy who told me he's only made cookies twice in his life of 52 years) and played on his furniture--well, the kids did that. Andy and I were well-mannered :)
Another tradition we made our own this year was attending Westwood High School's "Canticle in Carols". I sang in this in HS, I conducted at it when I student taught and now I took my two oldest children to it. And, they did really well. Abigail can hardly sit still when there is music on, but she sat just in front of her seat, rocking along with the beat and periodically singing along. I loved hearing the same songs I sang, the ones I know the alto part to by heart, and then singing along on the "Hallelujah Chorus" with all the other alumni and friends of WW. There were a few new songs, but mostly old favorites. I think that describes our holiday traditions well, too. We do a lot the same, and the same-ness gives us the freedom and motivation to try a new one periodically. Maybe life is like that; home life is pretty repetitive and very much the same from day to day, but it gives the foundation for all the new and exciting things that happen in each person's life. Home is a safe place to come back to, a place where you know how and when things will be. I guess the greatest tradition is that of home, like a sign I have at the door that says, "Home is where your story begins."